Page 72 of A Win-Win Situation

I don’t want to push her further, but there’s something in me that wants to reassure her. "If you ask me, your father made the biggest mistake a man can make by leaving you. You grew up to be a smart, resilient, and compassionate woman, and based on what I've seen between you and your friends, you're right, hedid do you a favor," I tell her. "I truly believe that the people you surround yourself with say a lot about you, and your chosen family is a testament to the remarkable person you are, Leora."

"Thank you." There’s a slight blush to her face as she speaks. "You’re quite the remarkable person yourself, Lucas."

She takes a sip of her drink before I continue, "I don’t want to pry, but why did you get fired?"

Leora coughs at the change of subject but recovers quickly, setting her glass down and taking a moment to compose herself.

"It's okay, Lucas. You're not prying," she cringes a little. "I got fired because . . . well, it’s quite weird. I did something I don’t remember doing."

"What do you mean?"

"According to my boss, I accidentally left out important papers during an event, and a client found them. They were not meant to read those papers, so it put the company in quite a bind. They fired me for my complacency around confidentiality."

I understand the implication. If one of my employees had lost papers, I would be very upset. What baffles me, however, is her apparent lack of recollection about it. I file it away to look into later.

"Why can’t you remember it?" I ask.

Leora hesitates for a moment before replying, "I had a drink or two that night."

"A drink or two?" I repeat, questioning. Typically, a drink or two doesn't lead to a blackout.

"Yes. Only that, but I still don’t remember losing those papers."

Fear rushes through my body as a thought hits me. "Did someone put something in your drink?" She immediately sees the wildness behind my eyes and shakes her head fast, "No, no. I didn’t feel weird or anything like that.” Leora’s shoulders drop, her expression troubled. "I was tired and drained even beforethe event started, which must have been the reason for my forgetfulness."

I sense her frustration and confusion, and to try to offer her some comfort, I put my hand on top of hers. "Sometimes, we all have moments where our minds play tricks on us, especially when we're exhausted. It doesn't make you less capable or reliable." I reassure her, giving her hand a squeeze.

Leora's eyes briefly drop to our connecting hands, and when she looks back up, there's a subtle sheen to her eyes. "Thank you."

Then she takes a breath, and the sad, grateful look on her face morphs into a little smile. "Enough about that. Let's not dwell on my past mistakes." She leans in slightly, her voice mischievous as she continues, "Tell me about your last relationship."

I let out a laugh. "Oh, you want to talk aboutmypast mistakes instead, huh?"

Leora chuckles, a melodious sound that adds warmth to the atmosphere. "We all have our share of mistakes, don't we? Besides, I'm curious."

I take a sip of my drink, considering her question. My last relationship had been with Milena. It was a whirlwind of passion and arguments, a rollercoaster ride that I’m glad to have left behind.

"My last relationship was intense to say the least. We had our moments, of course, but we also clashed a lot."

Leora raises an eyebrow, intrigued. "What caused the clashes?"

I sigh, memories of heated arguments and sleepless nights flashing through my mind. "Differences, I suppose. Different values, different priorities. We wanted different things from life, and it became clear that we couldn't give each other what we needed."

Leora nods in understanding. "Sometimes, love isn't enough to bridge those gaps."

"I wouldn’t call what we had love," I reply. "I don't think I ever loved Milena. Our relationship was mostly physical, but that wasn’t worth staying in the relationship."

Leora's eyes widen slightly, registering surprise at my admission. "Not love?" she echoes, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. "Have you ever been in love?"

Her question catches me off guard, and I take a moment to consider it.

"No, I haven’t. Not yet," I admit, "Have you ever been in love, Leora?"

"Once, but it turned around and stabbed me in the back," she answers quickly.

There’s pain in her words, and I tread carefully as I respond. "I'm sorry to hear that. Do you want to talk about it?"

She shakes her head. "Not now."

---