Page 16 of Imogen

“He was. He works for my dad so he’s practically family. You probably read about it in the newspaper or saw it on the news. He was protecting a family from a serial killer.”

His eyes widen. “The Night Stalker Killer, who happened to be the twin brother of renowned businessman Cole Connor?”

“The very one. The killer, Cyrus, stabbed Ben and knocked him unconscious. My dad was beside himself when he got the news. Ben isn’t just his employee. He’s like a son to him. He’s family to us, so it was hard on us all, so I’m so very grateful for your understanding, and for giving me that time off so early on in my job. They needed me.”

“I’m so sorry about your friend. Laura mentioned you told her he liked a certain game.”

“Yes, the Zombie Apocalypse Ground Zero game.”

He pulls out a plastic case with the game cover on. “Here is the new version of the game. It releases Christmas, but I thought your friend might like to play it whilst he recuperates. Had I known who he was, and what he did, I would have put a basket together from the vault.”

I take the game from his hands, my eyes widening. Because it’s not only Ben who loves this game. I do. And I’ve been waiting for the pre-order to become available before purchasing it. The vault is where they store a bunch of merchandise from previous releases or new releases. There are even some unreleased products down there that I nearly fainted over. As a gamer, it was an overwhelming experience to see it.

“Sir, I don’t know what to say. This is seriously cool of you,” I declare, forgetting where I am for a minute.

“You’re welcome,” he replies, smiling at my wide-eyed gaze. “I’ll let you finish up, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He stands, and I follow, reaching over to shake his hand. “Thank you. And I’ll have that information on your desk by morning.”

“Looking forward to reading it.”

Once he reaches the door, I call out his name. He stops, waiting for me to continue. “I really appreciate the opportunity you have given me. And I promise you will never regret hiring me.”

“Good to hear. You have a good day now.”

*** *** ***

The day is coming to an end and my back is screaming with joy. Being sat for hours at a time is something I should be used to, being a gamer and all, but this feels different. I need a massage after this week is over.

A knock on the door distracts me from finishing my email. “Come in,” I call out.

George, who started working here the same day as me, steps inside my office. He works on the front desk of this floor, but his hopes are to one day work his way into creating games. I prefer him to Daniel, the colleague who works alongside him. Daniel is a force, and so strict and firm when it comes to his position. He takes everything so seriously.

“Hey, you have a visitor,” he greets.

I look up, taken aback at seeing Zach standing behind him. No civilians are allowed inside at the moment. “Thank you, George.”

He nods, stepping aside to let Zach through. Neither of us acknowledge the other, which I think is what makes George hesitate to leave. “Hey, my shift ends soon. Did you want me to wait here and we’ll walk out together? We can talk about our next character challenge.”

He’s talking about a newish virtual reality game that went viral shortly after release. When we got talking during our time together in the waiting room, it got brought up. We exchanged user tags and have been playing together ever since. But we’ve already talked about our next conquest, which means he’s secretly asking me if I’m okay to be alone. Which isn’t surprising since the tension in the room is suffocating.

“No, you go on ahead. I won’t be long.”

When the door clicks closed, I glance at Zach. “You aren’t supposed to be here. The company doesn’t want outsiders on the main floor due to data protection.”

He holds his hands up. “I’m not here to fight with you,” he explains, taking a seat. “I thought I’d come and see if I can take you out for dinner. You walked out on the last one and ruined it, so I thought I’d give us another chance.”

“Zach, we’re over, and I think for the time being, we should keep our distance from each other.”

“We’ve been friends for years, Imogen. You can’t really mean that. Couples fight. It’s what we do. Unless I was right and there is someone else.”

“You know that’s not the reason,” I tell him, shaking my head. “I think we are two very different people. And whilst it might work for some, it doesn’t for us. You’ve changed a lot since we got together. I had never known you to be so judgemental. More, I hate the way you try to keep me from my family. I brushed it off because I never listened or fell for it, but you continued to try.”

“Is this really about our anniversary?”

“No, it isn’t about mybirthday. It’s about the time I wouldn’t go on holiday with you. You knew I went yearly with my family and again with my cousins. And again, when I wouldn’t go to yours for Christmas. My family invited you, but it was only me chided for saying no. Did you seemenot speak toyoufor hours? No. Because I’m not twelve. And I don’t even want to get into New Years Eve or my mum’s birthday.” Which happened to fall on his birthday too. I offered to compromise. I’d spend the morning with Mum, the day with him, and have dinner with the family. But no. He couldn’t get over the fact I would choose them over him.

He slaps his hand down on my desk. “For fuck’s sake, Imogen. All that is petty shit. Can you blame me for wanting to spend time with the woman I love?”

---