4. The first "one to one"

I glanced at my watch. 3:59 PM.

Time to head to the small meeting room Daniel had booked.

All the people working in the lab didn't have a specific office. As most lab people moved their laptops either to the lab, or going to the meeting room.

By the time I sat down, the door opened. The knot in my stomach tightened.

“Scared?” He smirked, tapping my shoulder lightly as he walked in.

I shook my head, though the lie felt obvious.

“I just want to check in. See how the first week’s been,” he said, settling into his chair. His voice was calm, slipping back into the same emotionless tone he used during the interview. It still made me sit straighter.

“It’s been good,” I replied quickly. “Eva’s been really helpful. And Liam, too.”

Daniel gave a small nod, like he already knew the answer. “Good to hear. The feedback from them about you was positive. Keep it up.”

My stomach flipped. He’d already gotten feedback? I hadn’t even noticed.

Of course I didn’t.

I tried to act unfazed, but the truth was hard to ignore—everyone around me seemed so much more experienced. Eva, Liam, Olivia… they all carried themselves like they’d been doing this forever. Olivia’s experiments weren’t even in the same area as Liam’s, but she tackled troubleshooting like it was second nature.

I wasn’t sure I could ever look that confident.

Daniel’s gaze flicked toward me, his pen tapping lightly against the desk.

“You know,” he said, almost reading my mind, “you are still such young. you don’t have to know everything right now. If you’re not sure, just ask.”

I exhaled quietly, grateful I didn’t have to explain the spiral of doubt running through my head. But why he was acting like he was already old? I was sure he was not older than 30.

“I will,” I replied. “There’s a lot to learn.”

Daniel raised an eyebrow. “Good.”

A brief silence hung between us, until he tilted his head slightly.

“So, what about you?”

I blinked. “What about me?”

He shrugged. “You seem a little on edge. I noticed earlier.”

My grip on the chair tightened. He noticed?

“Oh. It’s nothing. Just some family stuff.” I kept my tone even, brushing it off like it didn’t matter. There was no easy way to explain it.

Daniel didn’t press, but his eyes lingered for a second longer than I expected.

“Alright,” he said eventually, shifting his focus. “Let me know if you need anything. For now, just keep shadowing Eva and Liam. I’ll check in again in a few weeks.”

I nodded, standing quickly—maybe too quickly.

I was already reaching for the door when his voice stopped me.

“And Maggie,” he added, like it was an afterthought, “don’t stress too much. You won’t get fired.”

I turned, catching the faint smirk tugging at his lips.

Was that supposed to be reassuring or just part of his dry humor?

“Okay,” I mumbled. “Good to know.”

As I left the room, the door clicked shut behind me, but my heart kept thudding in my ears.