Blue Ocean Eyes
Once I am left alone with my thoughts, memories come flooding back to take me back to the beginning.
It started to drizzle while I was in the coffee shop, enjoying my morning iced coffee. A breeze passed as he entered. He wore a black leather jacket, a white shirt underneath, his hair pulled up. It was his fourth time here. I’d been staring out the window all morning, wondering if he’d show up again.
“If only I could know his name,” I thought — then a glance interrupted me. A glance of ocean-blue eyes. His glance. My heart skipped when our eyes met and I looked away quickly, hoping he hadn’t noticed my dazed face. But something inside told me he was still looking. I ignored my intuition, letting desire win, and looked back, refusing to break eye contact. He smiled — and left me in pure confusion.
“Why did he smile? Why didn’t I smile back? What’s wrong with me?” I berated myself for what felt like forever, gathered myself, and headed to my job interview. I was nervous — this was the first time I was applying to this company. It had been a month since I started looking, and I couldn’t seem to settle. I hoped I’d get the position.
In a sleek, glass-walled office building, I walked in and adjusted my blouse while I waited in the lobby. NextGen Technologies — a renowned computer science company — had always been the kind of place I’d dreamed of: where innovation met the future. “Annalise Hart,” the receptionist announced. I stood, took a deep breath, and walked into the interview room.
Seated at a long, modern table was Mr. Sky Bond, the CEO and head of the software development team. He had a reputation for being intimidating, but also for spotting talent. I’d always wanted to see him, but he rarely revealed himself. No one knew why. He turned his chair, extended his hand. “Annalise Hart,” his voice broke my frozen state. I shook his hand, took a seat across from him — and realized, with a jolt, that it was him: the boy from the café. Was I dreaming? Was I really that fascinated by the blue-eyed stranger that I was seeing him everywhere?
“Good morning, Annalise. Tell me a bit about yourself and why you’re interested in joining NextGen Technologies.”
I couldn’t focus; he seemed to be staring deep into me. I gathered myself and answered, “Hey, Mr. Sky. I’ve always been passionate about coding and technology, and I believe NextGen is at the forefront of innovation. I recently completed my Computer Science degree, specializing in machine learning and AI. I’ve also worked on several open-source projects, which gave me valuable real-world experience.”
He nodded. “That’s commendable. Our company values innovation and creativity. Tell me about a challenging problem you’ve encountered in a project — how did you overcome it?”
How was I supposed to know how I’d overcome something I’d never faced? …had I?
“Mrs. Hart?” his voice nudged me back. I swallowed and said, “Certainly. In one of my projects, we were building a recommendation system, and the dataset was huge and messy. It was challenging to process efficiently and still make meaningful recommendations. I implemented parallel processing and used preprocessing techniques to clean the data. That improved performance and led to more accurate results.” My voice shook; the story wasn’t exactly true, but I pushed through, hoping he wouldn’t notice.
He leaned back, intrigued. “Impressive problem-solving. Now — do you believe in teamwork, Anna?”
Anna? No one called me Anna except my grandpa, and he’d been gone over ten years. Did he just call me Anna? I blinked. I didn’t know what he was trying to do. He acted like he’d never seen my face, when it was obvious he had. He was an iceberg of a man — distant, unreadable.
“Of course,” I said, trying to stay calm, “I believe teamwork is the key to success, provided the whole team works toward the same purpose.”
Was he pleased? I couldn’t tell. I needed this job so badly.
He stood, hands in his pockets, walked toward me and asked, “It’s clear you have a strong foundation in computer science and excellent problem-solving and teamwork skills. One final question: Where do you see yourself in five years, and how can NextGen help you achieve those goals?”
Easy. “In five years I see myself leading a team of talented developers and contributing to groundbreaking projects. I believe NextGen, with its cutting-edge tech and commitment to growth, is the perfect place to get there. I’m eager to learn from the best and be part of the team shaping the future.”
He smiled. Away from his ocean-blue eyes, he had the cutest small smile — like a rabbit’s — and I couldn’t keep my eyes from him.
“Thank you, Annalise. Your enthusiasm and experience are impressive. You’ve got the job. Welcome to the NextGen family.” His voice snapped me out of my daze. “That fast?” I managed.
“Yes? Is there a problem?” he asked.
“No — not at all. Thank you, Mr. Sky,” I said, then left quickly before I could say something that would ruin everything. My heart pounded. I had the job — and he’d be beside me.
