Chapter Fourteen
______________________________
Olin
-The Present-
MY PHONE VIBRATED in my handbag.
I heard the vibration even as it tickled my foot beneath my desk where I’d tossed it. I did my best to ignore it. After all, this was my first day at my new job.
I hadn’t slept.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Gil.
But I’d made a commitment and did my best to be a model employee.
The first hour had been spent being dragged around the whole floor, smiling and nodding, knowing I would never remember the names of all the people Shannon—my new manager—introduced me to. She’d shown me the coffee break room, the balcony where smokers and vapers hung out, and the glass walled boxes where the bosses kept the cogs running.
Afterward, she sat me down in a bare cubicle that would become my home and showed me, with her sparkly pink pen, how to log into their servers, answer the phones, and what my job entailed.
I’d focused on her red lips and bouncy blonde hair. I’d jotted notes on her advice and mentally did my best to be present.
But Gil still lurked in the back of my mind.
I could never be free of him.
Only a few hours before I would see him again. A few more hours of calmness before my heart careened off my ribs and my insides tied themselves into knots.
I’d agreed to be his canvas for two reasons.
One, I would stand by my promise to be there for him.
Two, I couldn’t bear the thought of him painting another, laughing with another, letting down his walls with another.
Being happy with another.
I’d never really seen him happy.
Even at school when we’d been close, sadness always shadowed his happiness.
He’s in danger.
Until he’d solved his mysterious predicament, I doubted he would ever be happy, regardless of the company.
Stop thinking about him.
That was an impossibility.
My mind switched from worrying about him to worrying over the design he’d paint me with tonight.
What was the commission?
Who was the client?
He seemed in high demand. He could command untold riches if he wanted. So why did he still come across as the boy from a penniless beginning? A lonely man living in an empty warehouse that whispered of destitution instead of richness?
Stop it, O.
You’ll drive yourself insane.
I was already insane.
There was no other explanation for my going back to him or my tolerance of his behaviour. My head still ached from what he’d done. My body still flighty from the kidnapping attempt.
My work computer pinged, announcing a new email.
I sighed, clicking on it and reading the generic request for warranty terms and conditions of our product.
My fingers flew over the keyboard, typing a scripted response that Shannon had given me.
My phone buzzed again.
I forced myself to finish the email before bowing to pressure to check. I didn’t receive many messages these days. After cutting myself off from my friends and dance troupe, no one bothered to reach out. Even my parents never texted to tell me where in the world they were.
Ducking down, I fumbled in my bag. Grabbing my phone, I swiped it on and clicked on the messenger app.
One new message from someone I didn’t expect.
Justin Miller: Hi, O. Hope you’re good. Quick question. Is Gilbert with you?
What?
Why would Gil be with me?
I bit my lip, looking over my partition as if Gil would magically appear. Staff milled about as sunshine beamed into the high-rise building. Some people had pulled blackout blinds to prevent direct light on their computer screens. The babble of voices and scents of coffee and warm machinery were a total contrast to Gil’s chilly, unwelcoming warehouse.
And he wasn’t anywhere to be found.
Not that he has any clue where I work.
Olin Moss: Hi Justin. Nope. Haven’t seen him since yesterday. Why?
A phone call came in on the office line, making me jolt. Placing my personal mobile on the desk, I did my job and answered the work one. The entire time I dealt with a customer requiring a new battery for a computer that was ten years out of date, I waited for Justin to reply.
The little dots bounced beside his name, signalling he was typing.
By the time I hung up, a message popped onto my screen.
Justin Miller: I’m at his place, and he’s not here. He’s ALWAYS here. I’ve literally never come here and he’s not. It’s just odd is all.
My heart picked up a strange beat.
Olin Moss: Why would you think he’s with me?
Justin Miller: Come on. It’s obvious you guys have unfinished history.
I had no response to that. He was right.
Olin Moss: He’s probably at the supermarket or something.
Justin Miller: He gets food delivered. Doesn’t like people, remember?
Olin Moss: Maybe he needed some fresh air?
Justin Miller: In the year since we’ve kinda been friends, he’s never needed anything but his art.
I didn’t reply straight away.
What does he want me to say?
Justin had been friends with Gil far longer than me these days. I’d entered Gil’s life and he’d promptly tried to shove me out of it. Why would I know his schedule?
Olin Moss: Sorry, Justin. I don’t know where he is. Wish I could be more help.
Justin Miller: No worries. It was a long shot. I’m just...jumping to conclusions. He’s a grown man. I’ll call him again tomorrow if I haven’t heard from him. Cheers.
I sighed, ready to lock my phone and return to work, but a final message popped up.
Justin Miller: I haven’t forgotten about dinner by the way. Let me know what night works and I’ll pick you up!
Shannon caught my eye from across two cubicles. She had another trainee who probably wasn’t on their phone like I was.
She waved and flounced over to me in her floaty skirt and cream blouse.
I quickly locked my phone and shoved it into the desk drawer.
“Hey, Olin. Everything going okay so far?”
I nodded. “Yes. Great.”
“Awesome.” She grinned. “Well, you know where I am if you need any help.”
“I do.” Turning to my computer, I placed my fingers on the keyboard, doing my best to seem a worthwhile employee and not one with her head full of things she shouldn’t be thinking about.
A head full of someone she shouldn’t be thinking about.
Another email chimed. Shannon looked at me expectantly.
I gritted my teeth, shoved Gil and Justin from my mind, and did my best to enjoy my new job.
Chapter Fifteen
______________________________
Olin
-The Present-
I KNOCKED.
It was the polite thing to do.
No crazy kidnapper lurked outside. No sounds of fists and curses came from inside. The normal, brisk Birmingham evening boasted typical background noises of pigeons and traffic.
My knock went unanswered.
My second knock was ignored too.
I looked at my phone. Nine p.m.
I’d taken longer than I wanted, what with a new job, going home to shower and change, I’d borrowed more time by eating a sandwich and gathering the courage to spend an entire night with Gil while he painted me.