Always next to you

Chapter Three

"Don't worry, I've got it," I replied. "Thank you so much for the tour."

"It's my job," she says and walks away from the office.

I slowly walked inside the office, taking everything in.

This was my space now.

As I made my way to my desk, I saw that there were at least ten people in the office, but they were all looking at their screens, barely paying any attention to me. This was what I expected from Zen.

It took a few seconds for me to understand Mr Harvey's annoyance. He seems like the kind that hated slacking.

Mr. Harvey was very direct with his disapproval, but I decided that he didn't have to like me. My mother didn't like me either, but I made it to Zen without her help. When I get my first paycheck, I would be one step closer to surviving on my own.

My table had a lot of boxes on it and around it. What were the things the company provided for me? I sank into the black revolving chair that was provided for me to relax for a bit. Aiden's face in the hallways flashed through my mind, causing me to jerk awake.

How dare he pop into my mind without permission?!

"Why does he have to work here, of all places?"

"You talk to yourself too. I guess you do belong here after all," a woman's voice said, causing me to turn my chair around.

I didn't realise I said that out loud. What if she asked who I was talking about?

The woman had her chair turned to face make too, and her table was next to mine. She was dressed in a brown blazer and plaid mini skirt with stockings. Her legs were crossed on top of the other, displaying the knee-length boots she had on. I could tell she was older than me, even though she dressed younger.

"Hi," she greeted.

I wasn't expecting that. At my internship, the programmers barely interacted outside meetings.

"H-h-h-hi," I stuttered.

"You're cute," she laughs. "When I saw you walk in, it felt like Zen made a mistake, but I guess you do belong here after all."

"It's my first day," I sighed in relief.

Not because she was also a woman, but because she seemed nice. I didn't expect everyone to be nice, especially since some could pretend to be nice and screw you over. I had terrible experiences during my multiple internships, which is why it was so hard to find a job.

"I'm Jessi. Before you got here, I was the only lady on the team," she offered her hand for me to shake.

"Nicole," I shook the hand she offered happily.

"I was afraid I'd be the only woman on the team," I replied, and she laughed.

"Do you need help? I have some free time," Jessi asked.

I wanted her to help, but I planned to say no in case she thought I was imposing. Before I could find the bravery to say no, she was already standing next to me and lifting boxes.'

It's ok, I've got it," I replied, but she was persistent.

As we went through the boxes, Jessi told me more about herself. In the span of one hour and fifteen minutes, I found out she was 32, divorced and had been working at Zen for five years. That means that she was one of the first people to get hired because Zen Industries was created in 2015 when I was in high school.

My love for tech started when the game nerd boys at school talked about this really cool game. I was lonely and curious, plus I had a lot of free time. At home, I wasn't allowed to leave my room after an incident I'd forgotten all about. I secretly created an account and started to play.