Always, Lily

?? Twenty eight

"I've packed your laptop, charger, pen, highlighter, notebook, water bottle, wipes, lipstick and an emergency p-pad for you."

He lifted up the bag and opened the top zip for me to check whether something was missing.

"Thank you, darling." I kissed his cheek when I confirmed everything was there.

I remember saying that I'd pack that last night but I ended up falling asleep without knowing.

We left a few minutes after that and while in the car, I practiced a bit of my presentation with Enzo.

He would correct me where I stammered and point on those parts I had to highlight with a strong emphasis.

He helped me calm down too. Naturally I was the type of person to get nervous in front of a congregation so I could feel my heartbeat picking up as we neared the venue.

The cars parked around were so many and it raised my nerves even further as we alighted.

There were so many people and I felt my confidence start to dwindle.

"Hey love," Enzo cupped my chin with his right thumb and index finger, bringing my attention to him.

"Smile for me?" I passed him a small smile, somehow feeling a little bit at ease.

"We have prepared more than enough. Trust me that you're ready." He nodded his head and looking into my eyes, he added, "I'm rooting for you."

We presented our cards at the entrance and then walked inside side by side. An organizer showed us our seats, mine being a little further from Enzo's.

He walked me to mine first, all the while carrying my tote bag. He ensured that I was seated comfortably before laying out my laptop and opening the small notes I'd made in the car for guidance.

"My eyes will be on you the whole time. Don't tense over anything." He whispered and pressed my hand one last time before leaving for his spot.

I felt a small thrill run down my body as I watched his back. I leaned back to my seat and closed my eyes for a second.

"Lilith?" A familiar voice called and I opened my eyes, turning to my left.

"Wayne?" I sat straighter, relaxing a bit at a familiar face. He was also a participant in this project presentation.

"My seat happens to be next to yours," he offered me a friendly smile, settling down.

"I guess they were arranged in terms of where we work." I said, shifting my eyes to my screen to confirm a forgotten line.

"Yeah." Wayne hummed as he set up his laptop. "Feeling nervous?" He asked, leaning down to look at my screen.

"Just a bit," I crossed my fingers, scrolling down to the next page just as he leaned back.

"I guess we all are." He laughed and then added, "Your notes look great though. I think I'll make some for memorability."

"Lorenzo helped me organize them. I've normally done this since med school." I took a short sip of my water.

"Dr Davis?" Wayne asked, surprise showing on his face. I nodded and he asked, "Did he accompany you here?"

I hummed, turning my head to where Enzo was seated. Our eyes met and I smiled.

"Oh?" I heard Wayne exclaim and turning around, I saw him looking at Enzo's direction.

My phone pinged at that moment and picked it up to read a new message.

My Enzo: Is he bothering you?

I turned to him and shook my head but I don't think he got my message clearly so I texted him.