I grimace, scrunching my nose. “Don’t tell anyone, but Ihatecoffee,” I confess.
“My lips are sealed.” I can’t help but smile when he mimics the gesture. “It seems we had the same idea,” he adds, lifting his empty mug in front of him. His cup is in the shape of Darth Vader’s helmet. The detail makes my appreciation of him even greater.
“So, now that you’ve slept on it, what did you think of your first day here?”
“It was… surreal. I still can’t believe I got the job.”
“I get that,” he says with compassion as he pours himself some coffee. “When I started here, I felt the same.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Almost since the beginning, seven years ago. We were eight, including Steven, Kev, and Lex.”
“Kev?”
“Kevin Langley, the co-owner.”
“Oh, right.”
“He and Lex are childhood friends. Kev is the face of the company, the social one, and Lex is the engineer, the brain behind it all.”
“Ke-Lex,” I say, understanding where the company’s name comes from.
“Yup.” Oliver glances at the sugar that I’m still holding. “I don’t know if you intend to finish it, but may I have a spoonful?”
I smile at his teasing. There is at least a pound of sugar in there. Of course, I’m not going to finish it. I pour him a dose, and before he can react, I add a second one.
“Oh no, you lunatic!” he protests with a laugh, covering his mug. “I will know who to blame when my arteries clog up.”
We both chuckle at his antics before heading to the Lair. Everyone is already here, and Brian looks up to give us a suspicious look. “Why are you two arriving at the same time?” he asks.
I turn to Oliver, whose eyes are throwing daggers at our coworker. “I slept at his place. Best night of my life. Nothing will ever be the same,” I pretend with a broad smile, signing for Joseph. This isn’t even me trying to sound convincing, but Brian’s jaw falls open.
“We met in the break room, you moron,” Oliver explains, slightly blushing. Brian lets out a disappointed sigh and returns his attention to his screen.
As my computer boots, I take a sip of my coffee, inevitably grimacing at the awful taste. My eyes cross Oliver’s, who witnessed my disgust, and he gives me a falsely judgmental head shake. I shrug and take another sip, not breaking eye contact. I try not to show my revulsion but fail, making him laugh softly.
The morning goes smoothly as I work on more tasks Mason and Joseph give me, and before I know it, the lunch break arrives. This time, the guys and I have lunch in the break room. It turns out they only play on Mondays and Thursdays, so we’re all seated around a table among our colleagues, and I think I even prefer this to the game lunches.
I bought the most appetizing sandwich I could find in the vending machine, ham and cheese, and I envy their meals. Aside from Brian, they all have something home-cooked, and I haven’t eaten anything prepared on a stove in days.
Once I’m done with my sandwich, I rest my chin in my palm, my elbow on the table. My short night becomes an oppressive reality, and I feel myself dozing off.
“Hi, boss,” Brian suddenly says, shaking me out of my tired state. I straighten up, gathering that one of our bosses is standing behind me.Please, tell me I’m about to meet Kevin…
The low voice is, alas, all too familiar. True to himself, Alexander doesn’t greet anyone and goes straight to business. “Mason, I’ll need you to finish the script for the eye-controlled feature. Brian, I’m still waiting for your edits on the braille app. Andrea,” he starts, and I hold my breath, anxious even though I haven’t done anything wrong. “I can’t control your life outside of this office, but when you come in, I expect you to be well-rested and efficient. We don’t pay you to nap.”
Outrage fills me as I turn around to face him. My ire is quickly replaced by embarrassment, though, as I’m reminded that this man is ridiculously attractive. I almost forgot the way his gray eyes seem to pierce right through mine, straight into my soul.
But I can’t let that get the best of me. Not when he’s being ridiculous. My voice isn’t as strong as I wish when I speak. “You aren’t paying me at all right now since it’s my lunch break. So, if I want to spend it napping, I will,” I explain in a matter-of-fact tone.
While he chews on my words, as stoic as ever, I take in the sight of him. His navy blue T-shirt is tighter than the one he wore yesterday, and the shade highlights his tan. The stubble is still there, and his hair is still a little messy. He isn’t wearing his glasses, and I can totally envision him ripping his shirt open in the middle to reveal a red and yellow ‘S’ plastered on his chest.
It’s wicked to want him that much, and I scold myself internally. Especially since he’s Lex Luthor, not Superman.
Apparently, I’m not worth debating with because he doesn’t even answer; he just turns around and leaves. The guys are watching me with wide eyes when I face them again. “What?” I wonder, suddenly worried.
“Andy, do you have a death wish?” Mason asks.
