Did She Hear?

KADEN

“Thank fuck it’s almost the weekend,” a guy whose name I couldn’t remember said, dragging his hands down his pale face and over his patchy attempt at a beard. “This has been the longest week, and there’s still a day and a half to go.”

I was standing in the bullpen outside my old office, a loose circle of younger investment bankers around me. Some of them, I knew better than others. They had all reported to me until a couple of weeks ago, except for the pale guy talking. I didn’t know when he started.

It was a strange feeling, not having my finger on the pulse anymore. Strange and freeing. A rush of exhilaration that felt a hell of a lot like another tie to this place snapping hit me.

I grinned at the new guy, happy to be just one of the guys now. I didn’t have to play by any rules but my own anymore. I didn’t have to keep any professional distance between employers versus employee. I could shoot the shit with them like I was doing now and not have to worry about a thing.

“It’s