Jason King is perfect. Whether it's the British accent, his flawless fashion sense or having been able to pick up life again after having been through trauma as a result from his kidnapping, everyone agrees that this man is immaculate.
However, thin...
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AUDREY WALKER HAD ALWAYS THOUGHT Jason King was perfect. Now, she wasn't so sure.
Having worked with him for quite a while now, she'd noticed a shift in his behavior. He didn't talk about it, of course; he always portrayed this perfect image of himself that everyone seemed to love. But he'd become more on edge. The perfectionist arrived late at work, spilled his coffee, worked out five days a week, always locked the door of his office, acted weird around strangers and, as Ethan and Aiden had told her, didn't go to parties or clubs anymore—and all those things added up gave a wholly different Jason. And perhaps a less perfect Jason.
Yesterday morning was a perfect example. He'd been in a conversation with Ethan and Aiden, which seemed to be serious compared to their usual conversations, when he walked into his office. At no point did he acknowledge Audrey; not by saying "good morning" with that British accent like he always did, not with a quick head nod like he did when he was on the phone with someone else. Not much later, he just left by storming out of his office without telling her where he was going. And he didn't return.
This morning, he'd come in before Audrey. He didn't tell her why, but he was already sitting behind his desk when she arrived. She assumed it was because he wanted to make up for all those mornings he came in late or hadn't shown up at all. However, he hadn't said a word to her all day, which was unlike him. He just sat in an office chair, occasionally made a phone call, but most of the time was working on the computer or just staring at nothing in particular with an empty, hollow look in his eyes that saddened her.
The view was distressing, so she decided to do something about it. She got up from her office chair with a goal in mind.
She got distracted really easily, though, and when she walked in, the first thing she said was, "Oh-wow!"
That got his attention, and for the first time in a while, he looked in her direction. She was confronted with a different Jason when he did so; he was more tired than usual, and the bags under his eyes were more apparent. He looked weak, weaker than he ever had before. From afar she couldn't have seen this, but up close, she saw an unfamiliar person that only had vague similarities to the Jason she knew. Whatever was going on with him, it had been more tiring than anything he'd been through before—even his trauma.
She tried not to stare at him too much and made an attempt at smoothly changing the subject, pretending her comment wasn't about his appearance. "It's hot in here," she continued, but her voice had lost its excitement. "Do you need me to open a window?"
He was, for the mood he was in, quick to answer. "No," he said, and he must have realized that the word came out harsh because he added, "that won't be necessary."
"Are you sure?"
He nodded, and when he did so, she saw his forehead glittering with sweat.
