LEILA
Things at the office have been quiet. For the most part, I spend the day alone, except for when I'm emailed a list of requests that have me running around the building.
I can't help but notice that something is up with Grace. Over the past two days, her texts have become shorter and less frequent. I figure–I hope, that she's only busy settling into her new workplace, and didn't catch wind of what happened between Hector and I.
As far as I know, they're still dating, so things must be going well. I should find out today, since she invited me out to coffee after work.
I look at the time at the bottom right of my monitor. 5:07pm. It's about time I head out to meet her.
I prepare my bag and send Hector my last email for the day. I always struggle with my signature. What do I write? Best wishes? Sincerely? I definitely can't use warm wishes.
My face heats with shame as I remember my body's reaction to his words. His gaze. My heart had been racing like it does for Henry whenever I met with him in The Machine. God, I miss him. It has been so long since I saw him.
Maybe I should live a little. Break my boring fucking cycle of going to work and then my couch. I'm in a new city, and have only made one friend. I'm procrastinating even when it comes to growing my social circle, and I'm not getting any younger. It's concerning that I've never been a bridesmaid, and that my sister only occasionally reaches out to me when she's extremely bored.
God, I can't be this tragic, can I?
Yeah, I should live. Try a dating site, or get the backbone to find Henry in The Machine and ask him to meet me in real life. Knowing my luck, the guy is married with two kids, but there's only one way to find out.
I take the elevador down, giving the boss' office a final glance. His door is shut as it always is. He no longer steps out during the day to give me hand-written instructions. I kind of miss the smell of his cologne as he walked past my desk, the bold lettering on his notes, and our inside joke about salty chips.
But this is for the best. In just three more days, I'm returning back to the accounting department and leaving this corner desk behind. I'll never step foot on this executive floor again.
Downstairs, I exit the elevator and run across the street to the bus. A pen falls out of my bun–one I forgot I had placed there. I don't look back as I enter the bus, a panting mess. It's crowded in here, but that's nothing new. The ride is quick as I think of Grace and what I'm going to tell her. Of course I'll have to act naturally and hide the fact that her man made a pass on me, and that I kind of liked it.
I step off the bus, hauling my tote bag higher up my shoulder and looking around. Through the glass windows of the cafe, I can see that Grace is already in the cafe with a guy I recognize. I've seen him on the executive floor a few times.
I enter and wave at Grace from afar. Her eyes widen, but she works a smile onto her face. "Hey, you're early," she says.
"Yeah. It's great to see you." I turn to the suited male beside her. "Hi."
"Leila, this is my cousin. His name is Gregory."
I nod. "Nice to meet you. I thought you looked familiar."
Grace entwines her fingers. "Yeah, he's one of Hector's executives, actually."
(A/N: Gregory broke the news to Grace that Hector met Leila in the machine)
"Sorry that our meeting is cut short, but I have to get going." Gregory smiles. "See you around, Leila. It's nice to finally meet you." He extends his hand, and I shake it.
The cousins share a nod, and then Gregory heads out.
"Please," Grace says, signaling to the stools overlooking the window. "I'll grab us a coffee. Do you want your regular?"
"Yeah, thanks."
I wait a few minutes for her to sit beside me. I thank her for the coffee, and keep my eyes on the window. I can't face her for the life of me.
"So how have things been?" I ask.
"Busy," she replies. "Hector is... well, warming up slower than what I was expecting."
I notice her tight grip on the coffee cup. It must be hot, but she doesn't seem to notice.
"Did my tips not help?" I ask. "Did you bring up The Machine and things he could relate to?"
"It's not enough!" she grits, irritated. A hiss leaves her lips when a spash of coffee spills onto her hand.
I press a napkin against her skin, and she rambles that she's fine. When she snatches her hands away, I let her be.
Clearly things are... awkward. And I have no idea why.
She sighs, holding her reddening hand to her chest. "He still seems to get bored even as I talk about all the stupid game servers and shit. I need more, Leila. Give me more topics."
So is this why she asked me to meet her? To feed her more information? It's starting to feel like she's contacting me only to use me.
I remain quiet, thinking of what to make of the situation.
"Have you met other men when you were logged into The Machine?" asks Grace.
This question comes out of nowhere. I shrug, although I can feel my cheeks begin to heat. "Yes. Men, women, a good mix."
"And did you do any... sex stuff?" she whispers. "I know The Machine is popular for those kinds of activities."
I laugh awkwardly and take a sip. "Why? Are you hoping to log in, find Hector, and do these 'activities' in a generated office?"
She doesn't laugh. Instead, she looks at me dead in the eye and asks, "is that what you did?"
I don't know why this conversation feels so heavy. Like she has information I don't. I know she's stressed, but the tension is so thick I'm struggling to breathe.
Did she find out about Hector and I?
"No," I reply. "Sex in an office is too cheesy for my taste."
She sets her coffee down. "You know what? I'm so sorry. I should get going. I forgot to return Gregory's keys."
She doesn't meet my eye as she wraps an arm around me and squeezes my arm in a half hug.
I barely have time to mutter a "bye," before she's walking away, leaving me to make out what the fuck just happened.
This conversation–if it can even be considered one, was the most unnatural one we've ever had. I feel guilty for the small bit of relief in my chest–as if I had wanted for the encounter to end.
I head home and bury myself in the latest murder mystery show on Netflix. I accidentally fall asleep on the couch, and in the morning, I awake with pain on my shoulder.
I frown. I'm going to be cranky all day.
– • –
As soon as I walk onto the executive floor and sit on my chair, Hector's door swings open. He walks out, looking like a tall glass of water my empty stomach is dying for. I skipped breakfast today since I was running late, and now I regret it.
He wears his typical dark, pressed suit, and his face is guarded as he approaches me. I smell his cologne before I hear him.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, sir."
"I was diagnosing your helmet and found a very critical glitch." He frowns. "Leila, are you keeping your memories every time you log out of The Machine?"
I bite my lip, his scrutiny making me anxious. "Yes, I am," I admit. "I had been hoping you'd find that. I swear I didn't tamper with the helmet to get this effect. It just came with it."
He runs a hand through his hair. "Damn it, how did QA overlook this? I'm going to have to..." sighs. "Thank you for telling me. That will be all."
He turns and takes a few steps away, before stopping and turning around. "I also saw that you had interactions with another employee in a few servers. That must have been Grace. Do you know if her helmet has the same glitch?"
This stumps me, because I have no fucking idea what he's talking about. What interactions did I have with another employee? It definitely wasn't Grace, because she has never logged into the virtual world.
"How do you know it was an employee?"
"Because the serial ID of the character is very low, so that means they must have been one of the first people to create a character. A founder. Our employees got alpha access to the virtual world before it was released to the public, so it makes sense. Am I wrong? Is this not Grace?"
No, it's not.
Does Henry work in the same fucking company I work in?! What are the odds of that?
"Uh, I'm not sure if Grace has the glitch. You would have to ask her. I'm sorry."
I doubt Grace will even understand the glitch he's asking about. How far will she take this lie?
"It's fine, but I'm going to have to keep your helmet for some time. I need the engineers to study the faulty parts and will compensate you for the helmet."
I smile and say "I understand," just to end this conversation. I have so many thoughts running through my mind that I think I'm going to throw up even with an empty stomach.
He pulls at his tie—something I noticed he does when he's troubled. But then he runs a hand through his hair and turns around.
I pull up my phone and open my texts, considering texting Grace a warning that Hector will ask her technical questions about the machine that might tip off the fact that she has never used it.
I hesitate, unsure if she wants to hear from me. I lock the phone, and nearly jump out of my skin when I get a text from her seconds later.
I unlock the phone and read the text. It's a picture of her clutching a bouquet of flowers and grinning.
"Look what he sent me!!! And he asked me to spend the weekend with him in a cabin! How romantic 😍"
I'm disgusted by the spark of disappointment I feel low in my belly. I should be happy that they're taking the next step and likely getting intimate.
"Congrats!" I reply.
I shouldn't be worrying about these two. Not when I have my own problems, like discovering which department Henry is in. Have I walked past him already? Or stepped into an elevator at the same time as him?
Damn it. This is going to drive me insane.
A/N: THEY DISCOVER THE TRUTH IN THE NEXT 1-2 CHAPTERS!