“That’s interesting. I work at Kelex too. In fact, I own half of it.”
I can’t stay serious, not when he looks at me like this. So, I’m smiling broadly when I say, “We might see a lot of one another, then.”
“I sure hope so.”
What felt like such a long torture back then ends too quickly, and Lex and I exit the elevator at the administrative and management level of Kelex. From here, I can see construction workers at the end of the hallway. I know Kevin bought the floor above, an extension to accommodate Kelex’s insane growth. I never realized they were redoing some parts here, too.
We walk up to Kevin’s office and go in after knocking. He welcomes us with open arms, as warm and friendly as ever.
“I’m so happy that you guys are back,” he says once we’re released.
We’ve seen quite a lot of him and Shelly since we began going out in the world again. We’ve had two dinners with them, and they came to our place to meet my brother and Kate, too. When he offered us our old jobs back, it didn’t take long for us to accept. We needed toreturn to some sense of normalcy after everything we went through, and going back to work was the perfect opportunity to do just that.
“Running this ship without you hasn’t been the same, my friend,” Kev continues, resting an arm on Lex’s shoulder.
“You seem to be doing alright.”
“Oh, we are. And it’s all thanks to Andrea’s app.”
That I also knew. My silly little app, which was meant to help my brother bond with women instead of fucking them and moving on, has turned into a goldmine for Kelex. Last I heard, they—weare working with eleven foreign countries to add their sign language to our catalogue, and in negotiation with seven more. The algorithm and AI I designed are also being used for regular translation apps and are being turned into an educational tool.
Yes, Kevin did well while we were away, but knowing I was still a part of it is amazing.
“I have an early meeting,” Kevin excuses himself. “Can you two come back in half an hour? I’ll show you around the new floor.”
“Sure,” we say in unison. “We’ll go say hi to the nerds,” I say.
“Perfect. See you in a blink.”
As we pass Lex’s old office, an impulse takes over me, and I grab his wrist to drag him to the door. I open it carefully, make sure it isn’t occupied, and pull him into the room we shared for a while.
Nothing changed, which makes sense since Kev never gave it to someone else, convinced Lex would come back one day. It’s my understanding that four people are now in charge of Lex’s old functions, which means he’ll have better working hours than he did before. More time for me in our home.
Wordlessly, I walk to the chair that was mine for about a month and sit on it. Lex sends me an amused glance and goes to his own chair to roll it back before taking a seat as well. It’s odd to be in this position, so similar to the past.
“Is it weird if I’m kind of happy you’re my boss again?” I ask, excited.
“You like when I boss you around, freckles, so no, it’s not weird.”
I look around, taking it all in. “Does it feel like it was a lifetime ago for you, too?”
He nods, scanning the room as well. “It all feels so… inconsequential,” he says. “This meant everything to me back then, this office, this company, this job… But now I’ve realized how there are other things so much more important than any of this.”
“What we do here is still pretty nice.”
“It is, yes.”
We exchange a long, deep stare, and I stand up to come around the desk. “Maybe this time, we’ll get to act on that fantasy you had of me.”
A flame dances in his gray eyes, and the same heat echoes in me. “Which one?”
“The one where you bend me over your desk and fuck me.”
His irises darken, and I know him so well that I leap out of his reach before he even tries to catch me.
“Alright, let’s go to the Troll’s Lair,” I say, heading for the door.
I just reach it when he catches up with me. I let out a surprised squeal, which turns into an uncontrollable giggle as he presses me between his large body and the panel. “Will you ever tire of driving me mad?”
