Finding Romeo

Chapter 1

(Talia POV)

I leaned forward as the clock ticked down the last few seconds before my shift would end for the day.

Just yesterday, I had thought working in Facebook's security section would be a fun challenge, a chance to do something good with my skill. Instead I find myself sitting in front of my computer screen in a cramped cubicle, sifting through thousands of reports people had sent in saying their account was hacked into. After checking to make sure it didn't have the telltale signs of a pro and was just a friend trolling them, I would send them all the same copy and paste response to change their password and to let me know if the issue continued.

There was no challenge. No excitement and no thrill.

My fingers twitched on the keyboard, itching to type in a few lines of text into the system code and cause some havoc, but that wasn't who I was anymore. Now I was the person who tracked down people who are just like how I used to be.

A hacker.

My heart leapt as the clock finally changed to 5 o'clock, making my shift officially over. I grabbed my jacket from the back of my chair, ignoring the ache in my muscles and joints from sitting all day and raced from the cubicle and to the elevator, pressing the downward facing arrow several times. The door chimed as it opened and I quickly slipped into the elevator, sighing in relief to find it was empty. It's not that I'm anti social, I just don't like people that much.

"Hold the elevator!" a voice called out, a voice that instantly caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end and the muscles in my back to tense.

I made no move to hold the door.

Instead, I frantically pressed the button for the main floor, hoping the elevator doors would close before he reached them. I watched as his shiny black shoes speed walked towards the elevator, the doors sliding towards each other, both racing for their goal.

Close close close! I silently cheered for the doors to win, but his old, wrinkly fingers slid between the crack in the doors just as they were closing. He pried them back open. I tried not to visibly cringe as an old man in his late sixties stepped inside, brushing against my arm as he stood beside me. I felt tingles spread across my arm and I tensed, shifting away from him in disgust.

The guy was a total creep who made me want to throw up every time I heard his voice or saw his old, wrinkly face. I stared directly forward, trying to ignore the way his eyes swept up and down my body as he openly checked me out. Maybe I should smack him upside his old perverted head, but then I'd have to touch him to do that. Gross.

"What a surprise, you and me in the same elevator, almost like it's meant to be," Mr. Ewfirre said, his voice nasally as he leered down at me causing my skin to crawl.

A co-worker approached the elevator as the doors were closing but he quickly raised his hand to stop the woman. "Sorry, this elevator is full."

The woman looked confused, but stopped to wait for the next elevator. She obviously wasn't going to argue with not getting into an elevator with the creep of creeps, or as I liked to call him in my head, Mr. Ew. I thought of leaving this elevator and just taking another, but I knew he was going to just follow me anyway. So I stayed in place and tried to ignore his ogling as the elevator closed and lurched, making my stomach heave slightly before it headed downward.

"So Talia, how was your first day?" Mr. Ew asked as he inched closer to me, his breath now creating a slight breeze across my cheek and neck, making me wish I hadn't wore my honey blonde hair up in a pony tail today.

It would have went a lot better without you walking past my cubicle every few minutes. I thought, but knew responding short and simple was best. "Good."