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“Love you too, Rory.”
After our call ends, I’m relieved. She sounds so much more mature since I last talked to her. I wonder what is going on in her life, but I’m sure I’ll find out on Saturday. Tired, I head to the bedroom to get ready for bed.
Easing between the sheets, I stretch out on the king-sized bed, my limbs reaching towards all four corners. It’s been so long since I was able to do that. The full bed in the cabin was restricting, but on this one, I’m asleep in a matter of minutes, only to be jolted awake around 2:00 AM. My heart races as I gasp for breath. My body is sweaty, and the sheet sticks to my skin: a bad dream—one of the dreams is of Cassie in her last days.
This time, she was calling for me, asking why I wasn’t with her when she departed. No matter how time passes, I’ve been haunted by that moment. While I stared at myself in the mirror, tired and trying to escape my fears, she left this world. Feeling uneasy, I roll onto my side and curl up into the fetal position. As my heartbeat begins to slow down, I fade back into a restless sleep.
At 5:30 AM, I’m awake and staring at the clock. With a sigh, I get out of bed. Now is good a time as any to start working out, I convince myself. I want to get back into shape, and working off the pizza I scarfed down last night would be a good start. Dressing, I then slip on my sneakers before heading to the small gym and get on the treadmill. I haven’t run in almost two years, so I start slowly then speed up to a run.
After fifteen minutes, I’m exhausted. Sweat pours off my face as I shut down the machine and walk around the perimeter of the room, trying to catch my breath. But I need to keep going. Finding my motivation, I pick up two twenty-five pound weights from the rack and do some alternating curls. My biceps begin to burn, and once another ten minutes pass, I’m done. Everything aches, indicating how completely out of shape I am. But this wouldn’t happen overnight. Getting back up to speed will take time.
I shower and dress, then hunt for something to eat. I only have the pizza from last night, so I eat a slice while I prep a cup of coffee from the pods that Noah left—the only thing he kept stocked. Megan had turned me on to hazelnut coffee, so I was happy with it being my only option. Thinking about what I might need, I tell myself I’m going to have to get some real food in the apartment soon. I’ll have to do that this evening when I get back from work.
I’m in the office by 8:00 AM, before many of the other employees. After I take off my coat and hang it in my office, I visit the kitchen for another cup of coffee. Upon entering, I’m surprised to see Olivia. The first thing I notice is how she’s wearing black slacks with a top that’s almost the same color as her pretty green eyes. I’m about to make my pressed known when she turns and startles.
“Mr. Wilton, uh, sorry, Lucian! You scared me.”
I smile. “Good morning Olivia. You’re in early today.
“I didn’t expect anyone at this time. Most people come in at nine.”
I shrug. “I couldn’t sleep, so I got up early to work out before coming in.”
“You work out?” she asks, her voice high.
“I do now. I haven’t for a while, but I decided to get back in the swing of things.”
“What gym do you use?”
“Mine. I’m staying in Noah’s loft, and he has an exercise room.”
“Oh, that’s right, I remember. I only visited a few times with Lexi.”
“He’s never there, so he offered it to me,” I explain.
“Glad to hear it. I usually run once it gets warm, so probably in another month or so. But for now, I go to Sunset Gym. Do you know it?”
“I’ve heard of it. You’re a runner?”
“Yes, for the past few years.”
“Maybe we can run together sometime,” I offer.
She smiles widely. “That would be nice. Uh, if you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do.”
Before I can reply, Olivia hurries past me, leaving me in the wake of her perfume. It smells intoxication, and I wonder what it is. I peek out the door and watch her walk away. The slacks she’s wearing hug her much like the jeans she wore yesterday and accentuate her ass and thighs. I know I shouldn’t be watching her for two reasons: first, I’m technically her boss, and second, it’s disrespectful to Cassie’s memory.
Shaking Oliva from my thoughts, I hunt around the kitchen for the items needed to make a cup of coffee. Once it finishes brewing, I go back to my office and wait. I’m not entirely sure what Zane wants me to do, so I decided to visit the programming department. Since people are starting to filter in, I want to get a start on knowing what projects are in progress.
Eltech has three divisions—educational games, family games, and action games. According to the figures I looked at a few days ago, the more hardcore games are the bread and butter of the company with family games next in line. Educational games should’ve been split into two categories: one for educational facilities and the other for personal usage. I plan to bring that up to Zane. It might not be welcome, but I think he should consider it.
The VR system, however, is new territory for the company. They never produced a gaming system before, but it’s been in the works for over two years with Paul and Henry taking the helm. At this point in the timeline, marketing needs to move ahead with promos since its set to release in June, so I want to see it in action before then to make sure it’s a sound investment.
I pass through the big glass door that leads into the department and walk the floor, taking in the layout. Henry has his own office, and I see him through the unfrosted glass door, working at his computer. I knock on the window, catching his attention. He looks up and smiles while gesturing at me to come in.
“Henry, good morning. I just wanted to stop by and see the progress on the unit.”
He gestures toward his monitor. “Just working on color choices. We’re in the end stages, but not sure if we should stick with black or go with a couple of other options like white or steel gray.”
