"Yes," Demian said immediately. "Of course you can."
King laughed again. He laughed the way a person laughs when they have wanted something for a very long time, and it has finally arrived, when the world has finally confirmed what they always believed they deserved to see.
There was nothing accidental in it. He was not laughing because something was funny.
He was laughing because Sebastian Creed, the man who had once made him feel like nothing, was standing in front of him, asking if he could start work tomorrow.
And that, to King, was the best thing that had happened in a very long time. Sebastian turned and began walking home.
He did not look back. He kept his back straight, kept his steps even, kept the folder pressed against his chest.
The evening light was fading around him now, the orange going to purple, the shadows of the trees growing long and quiet across the footpath.
