Catalyst Sparks
Maya O'Connor stood still in front of the Catalyst Marketing headquarters, a glass-walled meeting place overlooking the marina of Miami Beach. It was supposed to be the beginning of her dream job—her first high-level position competing in thumb to nail against dozens of applicants with only her sharp ideas and her well-polished portfolio to distinguish them. The buzz of ambition and innovation radiating from the modern office space was palpable, but it couldn't smother the single, suffocating thought pounding through her mind: He's here.
Ryan Turner. Her college rival. The Ice King. The man transformed every classroom discussion into a war between words and ideas, leaving her simmering afterward.
He was more than a footnote in her past, he was the one she wished to skip through.
Maya adjusted her blazer, took a deep breath, and stepped through the automatic doors behind her, shaking the marble floor with her heel. She stepped inside the slicky-looking lobby, where the receptionist, a sparkly lady named Sandra offered a great welcome to her. "Hello, Ms. O'Connor! Thanks for joining Catalyst Marketing and welcome! I'll take you for a quick tour of the office."
Maya fought the sudden panic rippling through her chest and gave her a small, forced smile. "Thanks... I'm excited."
And then she saw him. Standing near a small group of desks, Ryan Turner was tall and he stood out amidst the sea of busy professionals. His dark hair and his tailored suit looked as though he had walked out of a magazine. His eyes scanned the room, sharp as they ever had, his authority radiating outwards to her from years ago.
Her stomach churned. Everything about him seemed to increase in size, intelligence, and dominance as if he grew two inches and became more intense. His eyes rose—and met her eyes. For a split second, something flickered in his expression: appreciation, surprise, at times even inconvenience. Then it was gone just as quickly and in its place came his usual nonchalant attitude. He looked aside, the detachment characteristic of a man who can never wait to turn the page, literally. No hello. No warmth. Only that arctic precision that had been part of him always.
"Ms. O'Connor," he said, still with a polite tone, but there was no warmth in it. "Welcome to Catalyst. Take a seat."
Maya's heart dropped, and she forced herself to keep in check her reactions. He wasn't just here. He was her boss. This wasn't some college debate competition anymore, where they could argue and just go their separate ways being competitors. This was reality—her job—and she was going to be working for the man she never wished to work for in the entire universe again. She was quick to take her coat off and occupy a nearby vacant chair; though his coolness was beginning to hurt her.
She concentrated on the team as they started to introduce themselves- occasionally, she gave a nod and a smile to the appropriate signals. However, her mind strayed time and again back to Ryan. This particular encounter was an intense series of first meetings and initial ideas generation. Maya only recognized the names of Priya – the PR manager who looks as vivacious as a pink flamingo; Ahmed- the graphic designer whose love for memes is second to none, and Liam, the copywriter who only seems to live off the coffee found in the several cups of the black liquid he drinks all day. But Ryan… Ryan dominated the room.
He was very articulate in his language and in expressing what they wanted from them in the coming campaign. Each phrase appeared as chosen to engage and challenge at the same time. Maya took a moment, which was barely measurable before she started presenting her ideas to the group. "How about we concentrate on the user-generated content," she started, her voice barely trembling.
She slowly drew her eyes off the tablet and locked eyes with him. Hesitantly, Maya drew her attention to the table and struggled not to get injected by his piercing gaze.
"Make sure that this time there is no mistake. A comprehensive proposal by Friday." He spoke calmly, offering no micro-expression.
Maya had trouble controlling her jaw and clenched it instead. Instead, she nodded and simply replied, "Got it."
By the end of the day, Maya felt mentally exhausted. Sitting behind her desk, she started typing the email desperately to her friend: Nikki.
Subject: Ryan Freaking Turner Is My Boss
Dear Nikki,
Guess who's managing my team now? Yep, the guy who probably critiques PowerPoint slides in his sleep and lives to tell people they're wrong. My Personal-Villain. Please Pray for me.Send Wine.
This is enough content for her to hit the send button and wrap things up but soon Maya's stomach fell upon hearing the notification pop, which was sent to – recipients: Catalyst Marketing – Team Inbox.
"No. No, no, no" she muttered when she saw what she had upon clicking in her email settings. Alas, she was being overly optimistic.
She heard a couple of chuckles beside her and knew the damage was done.
--------------------------------------------
From his glass-walled office, Ryan raised his head and managed to hear the group's laughter. He pressed his phone and furrowed his brow while reading Maya's email.
A flicker of amusement crossed his face. Typical Maya. Always a whirlwind of energy, leaving chaos in her wake.
But something in him turned tender when he saw her burst out laughing with the members of the team. He would never admit it, but he admired her ability to connect with people, to light up a room despite the awkwardness.
Maybe, just maybe, working with her wouldn't be the disaster he'd feared.