To Love Irrevocably [18+]

Chapter Two

Chandler Novak is pretty well known. In true Bill Gates or Steve Jobs fashion, he began his own company in his garage right out of college. His story is one for the books, just like every smart guy out there who had a great idea but no money. No No Technologies is the company my boss started up with just an idea and a couple of bucks to spare. All he did was code a couple of games for independent creators and he became some type of hit. The name only became popular when he was able to find investors and now he's one of the top gaming companies in America. Anyone would be able to find corresponding articles anywhere. He's a young, handsome bachelor, after all.

And now, I work here and for the man of the story. Good faith and credentials have landed me here, and I will not screw it up. That's why, despite my excitement at seeing a shiny HP desktop in front of me, I'm doing work instead of gushing over such an expensive piece of technology. A brand new smartphone teases me, but I'm not downloading a thousand apps or games I never had a chance to play. And I'm for sure not jumping up and down at having a laptop I didn't have to pay for.

What I am doing is going through these codes like a champ, and noting down bugs. Each path seems to take me down some tricky and sloppy job. But I can't fault these people. Coding can be hard without the proper knowledge, and that's just an unfortunate fact.

By the time noon hits, my fingers are hurting from playing and fixing codes. Carpal tunnel feels as if it's going to be ready to set in at the end of my shift. My eyes burn from staring at tiny, black-printed numbers, avatars, and misspelled words. Even my mouth is dry from all the groaning I've done. But, again, coding is hard, so I can't fault anyone for making mistakes.

Pressing my hand to my forehead, I relish the brief break I'm taking. It's short-lived as someone clears their throat from in front of me. My neck almost breaks as I snap my head up to meet the eyes of my boss. He stands tall and confident, his hands placed into the pockets of his slacks. We stare at each other in silence for a moment too long for me.

"You can take your break now. You have an hour," he breaks the silence before walking away. A small smile forces its way onto my face at the call for break time.

Standing, I stretch and listen to the way my bones crack and groan. While focusing on loosening, I don't realize my name is being called until a small hand grabs my arm. Turning, I meet eyes with Amy, the perky receptionist on this floor. Her smile is dazzling as she watches me with expectance.

"Sorry?" I croak before clearing my throat to get rid of the frog. Amy giggles as an initial response and shakes her head.

"I asked if you wanted to grab lunch with me? I know this amazing sandwich place," she tells me, her eyes wide and excited.

For a moment, I freeze and contemplate what she's asking me to do. Looking at her voluminous red hair and smiling face, I wonder if she'll tell me this is all a practical joke. Maybe her expression will change and she'll tell me she would never actually want to talk to me. After a life of being near friendless, I can't help but naturally doubt her.