“I hear a ‘but’ coming on,” I commented as my character harvested some hot peppers in the game to give to that Shane character Jay kept going on about.
Jay let out a frustrated huff. “ButSeb’s dad has never been as encouraging. He kind of… pits him against me. He always makes it seem like because Seb isn’t involved in the development of the technology, he’s not as valuable as I am or something. It puts a serious strain on our relationship. I think it makes Sebastian resent me a little, which is fair. I wouldn’t like it if my father had acted like he thought Sebastian was better than me, either. It’s not cool.”
“But you obviously don’t feel that way; you defended him today,” I pointed out, frowning.
“Yeah, I always try to stand up for him when Luke says some out-of-pocket shit, which I think Seb’s grateful for. He knows it’s not my fault his dad is the way he is… but, still. It makes him more competitive with me than he should be. Neurovance wouldn’t be where it is today without the work that he does. The technology wouldn’t beusedby anyone if no one knew about it to begin with. The marketing is just as important as the research. This weird competition that Luke is trying to instigate between our departments hurts us more than helps us.”
“Yeah, that feels counterproductive,” I agreed.
We fell silent for a minute, and Jay’s hands dropped from his head to his knees. The knuckle of his pinky brushed against mine as I held the controller. My breath caught at the spark of warmth that zipped up my arm from his touch.
“I think he likes you,” Jay said softly. I almost didn’t hear him because of how loudly my heart was pounding in my ears.
“What? Who?” I squeaked, turning away from the game to look at him.
He was so close.
This was bad. So, so bad. What the heck was I doing? I was going to get freaking fired for sure…
“Seb. I think he likes you,” Jay said. His minty breath brushed against my cheek, and his pinky twitched, rubbing lightly against mine.
I knew I should move away. I needed to put some distance between us, but I couldn’t. It was like my body wouldn’t listen to my brain.
“That’s crazy. He doesn’t even know me. We talked for like two seconds,” I protested, and I hated how red my face was.
“Two seconds is all it takes to make an impression, Milo.” His voice was soft and quiet. “And you makequitethe impression.”
Despite the fact that he was smiling, he still managed to look somewhat sad, and I found myself wanting to brush his hair back from his face.
No, Milo!
Inappropriate!
Stay professional!
He’s your BOSS!
“Well, you don’t have to worry about him poaching me, if that’s what you’re concerned about. I’m not interested in marketing, though Idounderstand its importance,” I tried to reassure him.
He was clearly worried I might be swayed to transfer to NeuroComms to work with Seb instead of him.
“Melanie, on the other hand… She’s definitely not here for the ‘right reasons,’” I continued thoughtfully. “She’s just trying to claw her way to the top. If Seb offers her a higher position in comms, she’ll definitely take it.”
“I don’t think either of us is interested inMelanie,Milo,” Jay scoffed. I frowned. He seemed frustrated with me, like I wasn’t fully understanding what he was trying to say.
My mouth parted. I was trying to think of how to respond when Jay glanced down at my lips. The look was so fleeting, I was sure I imagined it.
Definitely wishful thinking.
He was staring directly in my eyes again, and I was nearly quivering with adrenaline.
“Do you like him?”
“Who?”
“Sebastian. Do you like him?”
“I-I mean, he seems like a smart guy. Well dressed, professional, charming…”
