"Please come in," Andrew Mitchel says with an exasperated sigh as he settles into his seat behind the desk, He gestures toward the two chairs positioned in front. "Why don't you both make yourselves comfortable?"

I rest my hand on the small of Juniper's back as she walks to the seat to my right, and I take the seat next to her.

"I've asked Cindy from HR to be here to ensure everything is handled appropriately," Andrew says, pointing over to Cindy.

Our attention shifts as we both glance towards her, finding her seated against the wall with a notebook in hand, diligently jotting down notes about something—what exactly, I'm not sure. The way I'm looking Juniper? I don't know.

"Hi, Cindy," Juniper practically whispers.

"Hello, Cindy," I greet her, and she responds with a subtle smile. Nervously, I shift in my seat, the chair squeaking beneath me, as I straighten my posture.

I glance over at Juniper, she nervously toys with the sleeve of her sweater, lips caught between her teeth, and her foot bouncing up and down. Regret washes over me; I shouldn't have handled this at work. I should have waited, come up with a plan, and discussed it with HR after. This was the last thing Juniper wanted to happen. She had three rules, and I managed to break every single one of them. But, when I finally saw her, had a moment alone with her, I had to just speak up.

Andrew clears his throat, redirecting my focus toward him. "Well, as you may know, The Seattle Sun-Times, has a strict policy regarding fraternization among employees, which includes relationships that might compromise the work environment. The policy was put in place to maintain a professional work environment and prevent any conflicts of interest or any favoritism that could occur from personal relationships among employees...." He continues, but I find myself tuning him out, my eyes instinctively drifting back to Juniper.

She glances at me from the corner of her eye, lips pressed into a thin line as she listens to Andrew. The impulse to reach out and hold her hand tugs at me, but I'm hesitant, unsure if that would actually help the situation.

"Do you understand?" Andrew asks, and both of us redirect our attention to him sitting at his desk. I have no idea what he said, but we both nod in agreement.

I start racking my brain as quickly as I can trying to find some way to salvage this, to prevent either of us from getting fired. But there's only one solution I know that will fix this problem—the one thing I was planning on doing before returning to work yesterday before I chased Juniper down the stairs and kissed her. It's taking that job at The New York Times.

I had already technically accepted the job, but for that brief moment with Juniper in the stairwell, I entertained the thought of finding something different. Maybe I could decline the New York Times offer and secure something here instead. The Emerald City Gazette would likely take me. It might be a step down, but if I could just stay here, just be here with Juniper, it could serve as a temporary solution.

"I quit," I blurt out. Andrew stops talking abruptly, and all three of them look over at me.

"I'm sorry. What?" Andrew's forehead furrows as he leans his forearms on desk as if he couldn't hear.

"I quit," I repeat.

"You quit?" Andrew says, surprised.

"You quit?" Cindy from HR repeats, equally confused.

"You... what?" Juniper says, her eyes wide.

I clear my throat, shifting in my seat. "I actually would like to put my two weeks' notice in. I was offered a journalist position at The New York Times and they'd like me to start at the beginning of the month." I glance over to Juniper to gauge her reaction. Her jaw drops in disbelief, and she turns her face to look straight ahead.

"The New York Times?" Andrew questions, clearly perplexed, his gaze dropping to the papers on his desk as he shuffles them around. "Well, that's not what I was expecting," he mutters under his breath.

"I'm sorry. I, um, I meant to tell you yesterday," I add, turning to Andrew and then casting another glance at Juniper, who is sinking into her chair with her hand over her mouth.

"Well, um, we're going to be sad to lose you," he remarks, reclining in his chair, seemingly still astonished by the news. "Wow, The New York Times?"

I nod, offering him a closed-lip smile.

"That's quite an accomplishment, Wells."

"Thank you," I express my gratitude. And as much as I want to sit here and discuss this with Andrew, what I really want is to get Juniper alone. I need to explain myself, talk to her about all of this.

"Well, I guess that kind of solves the problem, doesn't it?" Andrew comments, adjusting his tortoiseshell glasses on his nose. He then shifts his attention to Cindy. "Do we need different paperwork for that, Cindy?"

"Um," Cindy looks down at her file of paperwork, filtering through the pages. "We typically have paperwork for an exit interview, which we will need to schedule before your last day. If you have any outstanding benefits, we can discuss how those will be handled..." Cindy continues her explanation while I glance at Juniper. I can see her spiraling in her head. This isn't the way I envisioned this unfolding. I should have told her weeks ago.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Mitchell," Juniper interrupts, her throat bobbing as she swallows. "Do I need to be here for this? Or am I free to go?" She sits up, leaning forward.

"Yes, but, Jenkins," he begins, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm afraid I'll have to issue you a formal warning."

"I understand." She nods as she stands up, her lips pressing together into a flat line.

"Juniper," I whisper, attempting to capture her attention. I stand as she reaches for the door, wanting to follow her out. She pauses for a brief moment, glancing at me, and I can see the worry clouding her eyes.

"Juniper," I repeat, but she turns the handle and walks out of the room.