“Yes,” she choked out on a whisper. “That’s exactly it.” She opened her eyes to find Daniel’s beautiful face filled with understanding. “Thank you for acknowledging it.”

Samiah sucked in a deep breath, then released it. It was difficult to grasp just how freeing it felt to tell her truth without fear of being branded a complainer or excuse-maker or any of the other labels people slapped on her when she tried to explain the pressure she’d been under to perform.

“Back when I was in high school, I tested out of all my regular classes and was placed in AP ones,” she started, her voice raspy. She took a moment to swallow down the emotion that still overwhelmed her. “No matter how hard I worked, it was never good enough. While my other classmates were praised, teachers asked me why I didn’t do this, or how could I miss that, or wouldn’t it have been better if I’d done it this way instead of that way?

“I’ve had to deal with those questions my entire life, Daniel. But I discovered that if I don’t give them the chance to ask them—if I do whatever I can to make it perfect on the first try—then I’ve taken away their power. They can’t doubt my abilities if I don’t give them that chance.”

His eyes roamed her face. “I wish I knew how to fix it.”

Desperate to lighten the mood, she pinched his cheek. “Well, you are a genius and all…”

“There’s a genius in this room, but it’s the one who’s creating a kick-ass app from scratch.” He caressed her cheek. “I just hate that you’re under so much pressure to get it right. It’s so fucked up. Everyone gets the chance to make mistakes.”

“Not me.” She shook her head. “I’m not afforded the luxury of making a mistake. When I mess up, it just makes it that much harder for the next bright young black girl who has so much to contribute to this field. I refuse to get in her way.”

“Why are you so amazing?”

“Because I have to be,” Samiah said with an overly bright smile as she willed herself into a better mood. “But thank you for noticing.” She picked up the tablet, determined to get this right. “And thank you for listening to my bitch-and-moan fest. Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, maybe I can get through the rest of the night without pitching this thing out the window.”

She woke up her laptop, but before she could click into the software, Daniel took hold of it and set it on the end table opposite of where she could reach it.

“What are you doing?”

He lifted her feet from his lap and placed them on the floor. “Come on,” he said. “You need a break.”