AND THEN CAME YOU: I was never supposed to fall for him.

Prologue

Saturday, 29 September

Eyes still closed, I fumble for my phone with its blaring alarm.

'What time is it?' I mutter to myself, squinting at the light forcing its way through the

curtains. 'That night went quickly'.

I roll onto my back and stare at the white ceiling, at the two long cracks right above my head.

Lately, all the days are just blurring into one. Work, home, sleep, repeat. I rub my face with

my hand and sit up on the bed, pulling my knees to my chest. I study my reflection in the

mirror opposite. My pale face and grim expression are not exactly filling me with optimism.

'I look even worse than usual', I sigh heavily. 'And this hair...'

My long, chestnut locks were, to put it mildly, in a bit of a state. I take a strand in my hand

and inspect the split ends.

'Morning, Amelia. I heard you were up'.

Miranda is standing in the doorway. Her short, black hair shines in the autumn sunlight, and

her large, dark-green eyes are half-hidden by her fringe. Dressed in a grey tracksuit, she gives

me a wide smile, snapping me out of my thoughts about my appearance.

'I'll make us a coffee', she says cheerfully.

'Thanks, Miranda. You have no idea how much I need it', I reply, my voice hoarse.

'I think you need more than just coffee; you need a proper rest. I'm starting to think you're

suffering from a severe case of workaholism and chronic sleep deprivation. Slow down a bit,

girl, because...'

'You know I can't', I cut her off. 'This is my last month of the internship. The last two weeks

have been really intense, so much to do because of the changes at the company'.

'I get it', she nods knowingly, 'but you said everything was ready, so surely you can take it

easy now. Besides, you're only an intern there and you have so much responsibility'. She

pulls a face.

'I can't take it easy. Not yet', I say, shaking my head.

'Oh, give it a rest, Amelia'. Miranda rolls her eyes. 'You're the best one they've got. That job

offer is practically in the bag'. She folds her arms across her chest. 'You were the same at

uni, you never let up', she states firmly, her brow furrowed.

'Whether I'll get the job remains to be seen. There's a lot of competition'.

I hear her familiar sigh, but I ignore her disapproval.

'Besides, I just want a good evaluation when I finish the internship. It's important for my CV

because, to be honest, I'm not even sure I want to work there', I say, holding my hands out.

'I don't know what you're worrying about. You've already got plenty to put on your CV as it

is. With references like yours, you could work anywhere'.

'I wouldn't be so sure'. I rub my forehead and Miranda rolls her eyes again. At this point, we

both know there's no sense in continuing this conversation.