Chapter 150 Chapter 150

Chapter 150 Chapter 150
Emily's POV

There was something strangely intimidating about buying a blazer. Not because it was expensive. Not because I didn't know my size. Because it represented a version of myself I'd only ever imagined. For years, professional clothes belonged to women I admired from a distance. Women who walked through office buildings with confidence. Women who carried leather portfolios instead of backpacks. Women who belonged in boardrooms. Women who introduced themselves without apologizing for taking up space. I had always assumed they were different. Older. Braver. Certain. Now, I had an internship acceptance letter sitting on our dining table. Orientation was less than a month away. And suddenly, I needed to become one of those women. The thought was exciting. And absolutely terrifying.

"You've been staring at your closet for seven minutes."

I turned towards Noah, who stood in the kitchen doorway holding two mugs of coffee. "I have not."

He glanced at the clock. "I rounded down."

I narrowed my eyes. "You time me now?"

"I live with you."

He shrugged. "It's impossible not to notice."

I sighed dramatically before turning back towards my closet. "It says business professional."

He nodded seriously. "Which sounds made up."

He laughed into his coffee. I pulled out a cardigan. Held it against myself. Rejected it. A sweater. Rejected. A dress. Definitely rejected. "I don't own business professional."

"No."

"I own student trying her best."

"I've seen that collection."

I looked over my shoulder. "Helpful."

"I try."

He leaned against the doorway. "You know, you could buy clothes."

I stared at him. "I hadn't considered stores."

He grinned. "There she is."

I rolled my eyes. Then smiled anyway.



An hour later we stood inside one of the largest department stores downtown. I immediately regretted everything. There were too many choices. Too many colors. Too many styles. Too many women who looked like they already knew exactly what they were doing. I looked down at my jeans. My sneakers. My oversized sweater. I suddenly felt sixteen again. Noah noticed immediately. He leaned closer. "What's happening in your head?"

I looked around. "I don't belong here."

His expression softened. He looked around the store. Then back at me. "Emily, everybody here walked in wearing something else." I blinked. He continued. "They didn't get born in blazers." That caught me off guard. I laughed. He smiled. "See?"

"I hate when you're logical."

"I know."

The first blazer was terrible. The second made me look like I worked at a bank in 1998. The third had shoulder pads aggressive enough to qualify as self-defense. I walked out of the fitting room wearing it. Noah looked up from the chair. "Are you about to negotiate a merger?"

I looked down. "It's that bad?"

He stood up and walked around me thoughtfully. Hands behind his back like an art critic. "Hmm. You look powerful." I smiled hopefully. He nodded once. "Against drywall."

I burst out laughing. A woman nearby covered her smile. Even the sales assistant laughed. Good. Back into the fitting room. Next. The fourth blazer fit better. Navy. Simple. Clean lines. Professional without trying too hard. I stepped out slowly. This time Noah didn't joke. He just looked longer than before.

I shifted awkwardly. "What?"

He blinked once. "Nothing. I just..." He smiled to himself. "Keep turning around."

I frowned. "What?"

"Trust me." I sighed. Then slowly turned. When I faced him again, he smiled. "There."

I folded my arms. "What does that mean?"

He shrugged. "It fits."

"The jacket?"

"You."

I looked away immediately. Because somehow, that felt bigger than clothing. The sales assistant walked over. "I think that's your color."

I looked in the mirror beside us. Navy blazer. White blouse. Tailored trousers. Simple heels. Hair pulled back. Nothing dramatic. Nothing glamorous. Just professional. I stared. The woman in the mirror looked familiar. And completely unfamiliar at the same time. My heartbeat slowed.

I took one step closer. Then another. It wasn't my face that surprised me. It was my expression. There was something different. Not physically. Something quieter. Steadier. Like I belonged there. My throat tightened. The fitting room suddenly felt too small. The mirror reflected someone I'd spent years trying to become. And somehow, I hadn't noticed the journey. The sales assistant excused herself. Noah stayed where he was. Giving me space. He understood instinctively.

I kept looking. "I don't recognize her."

He walked closer and stopped beside me. He looked at the mirror instead of me. "Really?"

I nodded. "She looks..." I searched for the word. "Capable."

Noah smiled softly. "You look exactly like the woman you've been working to become."

Everything inside me went still. I looked at him through the mirror. He wasn't complimenting the clothes. He wasn't talking about appearance. He was talking about me. Months ago, those words would've become my entire identity. I would've needed them. Held onto them. Measured myself by them. Today something different happened. I looked back at the woman in the mirror. And quietly realized, I had already been thinking the same thing before Noah spoke. That realization hit harder than his compliment. Because for the first time, I wasn't seeing myself through Noah's eyes.

I was seeing myself through my own. And I liked what I saw. Not perfectly. Not completely. But honestly. I smiled. Then looked at Noah. "I think...I finally believe I earned this."

His smile widened. "I know."

Three bags later, we sat in the shopping center cafe. Professional shoes. Laptop bag. Two blazers. A handful of blouses. More money than I wanted to think about. I stirred my iced coffee absentmindedly. Noah looked at the bags. Then at me. "You keep smiling."

"I know."

"You also keep looking terrified."

"Also true."

He laughed. "What part scares you?"

I thought carefully. Then answered honestly. "Success." He blinked. I continued. "I spent so long trying to get here, that I never thought about what happens after."

He nodded slowly. "I get that."

I looked at him. "You do?"

He leaned back. "When the mock drafts started...I realized I knew how to chase the dream. I had no idea how to live inside it."

Then he reached across the table and took my hand. "I think we're both beginners."

I smiled. "Yeah."

"I've never been almost drafted."

"I've never been almost employed."

He laughed. "I don't think employed is the word."

"It is today."

He squeezed my hand. Then looked toward the shopping bags. "So...Corporate Emily."

I groaned. "Don't call me that."

He grinned. "I'm absolutely calling you that."

I pointed at him. "And when you get drafted...I'm buying you the ugliest tie I can find."

He looked horrified. "You wouldn't."

"I absolutely would."

He nodded thoughtfully. "We're definitely in love."

That evening, after hanging the new clothes in my closet, I stepped back. The navy blazer hung beside old hoodies. Professional shoes sat next to worn sneakers. Two versions of my life shared the same space. Except they weren't two versions anymore. They were both me. I reached out. Ran my fingers over the sleeve of the blazer. Then smiled quietly. Not because I had finally become someone else. Because I finally understood...I never needed to. The girl who cried in bathroom stalls. The girl who survived public humiliation. The girl who fell in love unexpectedly. The woman preparing for her internship. She wasn't replacing any of them. She was all of them.

I caught my reflection in the closet mirror one last time. This time, I recognized her. Not because she had stopped changing. Because she had finally stopped apologizing for growing.

Later that night, after Noah fell asleep beside me, I stayed awake a little longer. The apartment was quiet. Peaceful in a way that still felt new sometimes. I slipped out of bed carefully and walked back to the closet. The blazer was still there. Hanging neatly, waiting. I reached for it again. Pulled it off the hanger. Slipped it on over my oversized sleep shirt. The fabric felt different now. Less intimidating. More... familiar. I walked to the mirror. Stood there in the dim light. Barefoot. Hair messy. Blazer slightly oversized against soft cotton. And somehow, it still worked. Not perfectly. Not polished. But real.

I tilted my head slightly. Studied myself. Then quietly said, "Hi."

The word felt strange. Like I was introducing myself to someone new. Or maybe someone I had finally caught up to. I smiled softly. Because for the first time, I wasn't wondering if I would become her. I was wondering what she would do next. And that felt...exciting. Not terrifying. Not overwhelming. Just possible.

I slipped the blazer off slowly. Hung it back in place. Then turned off the light. As I walked back toward the bedroom, I realized something small but important. Tomorrow, I wouldn't need to try so hard to feel like I belonged. Because tonight, I already did.