Flicker || NiallxOC {Book #1}

There are dreamers and then there is Amelia Marciano; today was just not one of those days. If her dreams happened right now then the world would tell her she's not ready.

But she was, and that's been the problem all along. Her whole life people told her no, didn't matter what it was, the emotional and physical support was nonexistent. But she didn't care. She was used to the naysayers but paid them no mind.

That gnawing feeling in the bottom of her stomach made her body tingle. It shook her focus off but not enough to knock her completely off her balance. She was going to do this, she was going to get this job. This was the opportunity she waited for since she wrote her first word.

The building she entered looked terribly new, clean and serious. Good, that was how Amelia wanted it. It put her in the right mood for the interview.

She took a deep breath and pushed open the doors entering a small waiting room. "Here goes nothing..."

She walked to the front desk and the receptionist caught her eye as if she knew she was coming.

"Amelia Marciano?"

"Yeah, that's me. I'm here for Mr. O'Sullivan."

"I see, yes, if you wait in the lobby he'll call you when he's ready to see you."

"Thanks." Amelia said, feeling calm as she took a seat near the door.

She didn't need to wait long, the door swung open to reveal a lanky, dark haired middle aged man in a crisp blue suit.

"Ms. Marciano? Ready for you. Right this way..." He said, his Dublin accent prominent, gesturing for her to enter first. "Thank you for coming."

She smiled politely, nodding in his direction. Her hands were shaking but she hid them quickly. She really needed this and she couldn't blow it now. She took a seat in his office and looked around slightly. She'd never seen so many books in her life.

"How are you, Ms. Marciano?" He asked her.

"Fine, actually, how are you?" She asked, trying to feel the conversation out as it goes.

"Pretty decent," he paused. "I'm sorry if it's a little cold in here, I've been meaning to tell maintenance to fix the AC."

She was glad he brought it up. "No worries." She clutched her business blazer firmly around her shoulders.

He caught it and waved his hand off. "Apologies, it'll happen one of these days."

Amelia looked down, beginning to get nervous. Her leg kept fidgeting and she placed a hand over it.

Mr. O'Sullivan was flipping through her folder. He began scanning around, skimming over her resume.

"This is interesting. NYU Communications, Journalism, double major. Minor in Marketing Business. All looks impressive. Have you had luck with any publications in New York?"

"Oh, I put my name out there. Emails. Made calls. Making new contacts."

He shrugged, looking the first page over, "So no one's called you in yet for a follow up?"

"Not at the moment but I'm optimistic. I won't stop until I reach my endgame."

He closed her folder suddenly, leaned back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head comfortably. "That so? What is that, if I may ask?"

"Well, writing is my passion. I want to eventually work my way up in publications then build my name and experience toward my own business endeavor." She took a deep breath after that confession.

He smiled, "Well, I have the power to do that. Help you along the way. You're going to need some experience. I gather, you don't know anyone personally in media?"

Her lips pressed together, "Not exactly but I am dedicated, hard working and passionate about what I do and I will do anything to achieve my goals."

"Anything? In media we take that seriously, but I think I heard enough for now. Can I walk you out?" He began to stand up.

Amelia followed his lead, surprised at how quickly the interview went by. "Thank you."

Once she was back where she started O'Sullivan called out to her. She turned around with a curious look.

He handed her a business card with something scribbled on the back. "Can you meet here at around this time tomorrow?"

Amelia was floored, she felt like her world was standing still. "I can, yes. Umm, thank you for seeing me."

He smiled again reaching for the door handle. "See you then Ms. Marciano."

She waved him off and turned around to leave the lobby. While standing in the elevator she thought of something. What did all this mean? This man, this millionaire, Connor O'Sullivan, he knew people. He knew media. Amelia found him out through business class, she studied people like him. It was surreal even for her to be here let alone be interviewed by him.

She looked at this from two angles. Either she won him over a thousand percent and he was going to give her everything she dreamed of or he wanted to keep his options open. Amelia prepared for the worst and hoped for the best in this situation. Being out of luck most of her life it would be a nice change if she was given a straight up opportunity of a lifetime. Something she could finally say she earned.

She ran her fingers through her wavy brown hair as she exited the elevator and called a ride share back to her apartment. Once it came she sat inside the vehicle in silence for a few moments. Ever the over thinker she contemplated what her life would be like if things finally went right. That would shock her to say the least. It's not like she had anyone to call to brag about such big news. There's only so many fights with her family she could take. They would even fight over her having positive feelings about her life choices.

She could text her roommate but she wanted to wait this out. No use in telling her something if it's just going to fall through. She didn't want to feel that way but it was starting to become the norm for her. Chances are, her roommate had better things to do, she wasn't as close to her as she would like.

Once Amelia arrived, she thanked the driver and blew a large chunk of air out of her lungs.

"Please let this be the one." She said a silent prayer.

Not that it mattered anyway, it wasn't in her hands, but maybe, just maybe it was this time.

Notes

Thanks so much for reading!