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An awkward silence falls between us when I can’t bear to look at the screen. I can feel his eyes on me, though, traveling over my face as he examines every inch.
This is dumb, I think, regretting ever wanting to make this call. I was happy to have a confidant, someone who understood me. And now I’ve gone and ruined it all by making it awkward and agreeing to something as trivial, yet gargantuan, as seeing each other—even if it’s just over a video call.
It’s not like Will won’t talk to me again after this. No, I know him well enough (even if we’ve only been talking for just over a month) to be certain he would never do something like that. But it’s the disappointment that I find him devastatingly attractive, and he so clearly doesn’t like me back—the letdown that Icaredso much in the first place—and the fear that the relationship we developed might change after Will and I have become so close that gets to me.
But he knows me. He knows me, and I know him. And right now, we’re putting a pin on what happened last night, not letting it ruin what was a great day at work for me.
At least we got it out of the way, I think.At least this way it’s done and I don’t need to wonder anymore.
“So,” he starts, his grin making me melt deep into my sheets, every joint in my body coming loose. “Tell me about this great day that you had.”
WILL
He’s never seen anything so beautiful in his entire life.
There’s no denying he’s even more in trouble than he thought he was.
8
AI FRIENDS ARE NOT PREFERABLE
“That’s incredible!” Will beams from the other side of the call, his eyes bright despite their milk chocolate hue.
It’s the first time in a long time I’ve felt like I have a genuine cheerleader on my side, not just a fair-weather friend hoping I get my shit together long enough so we can have six months of uninterrupted good times. I haven’t felt this supported since my grandmother.
“So what are your plans to impress her? You’ve got something in mind, don’t you?”
I grin. “Yeah, I think so. The more I learn about the manufacturing process, the more fascinated I am by it. And I think I have an easy solution to a problem.”
His thick brows pull together, but not in doubt or apprehension. “Please don’t take offense to this, because it’s an honest question, but… If it’s a simple solution to a problem why do you think no one’s thought of it before?”
I smile even wider. “Because it’s notreallya problem they think is worth solving. Because it’s an absorbable cost. But I have a feeling that if this thing works, it could end up saving us a ton of money while keeping up the quality of our products now that we’ve scaled quite a bit since the company started using our current method of production. Plus, while it sounds like a factory’s responsibility to be more efficient, sometimes they don’t care so long as they’re getting paid and the client keeps coming back.”
“Really?” His brows shift, one raised, the other straight and stern and I wonder how wildly insane it is that I find eyebrows attractive now. Justhis, actually. Everything about him, if I’m being honest. His deep voice, smooth and commanding, yet soothing. The broad shoulders I can tell lie beneath his button down shirt, opened at the collar after a long day of work. His short, brown, lightly curled hair that’s got my fingers wishing they could reach out through my phone screen just to run through it. Lips that make me want to sigh whenever I look at them, slightly larger than I imagined, but still masculine, utterly kissable, deliciously biteable. And that smile… A smile that made me thank my lucky stars I was seated because it made me immediately lose all feeling in my legs—while gaining a pulsating one in between them. It’s safe to say that the first time I laid eyes on Will my brain short-circuited because I have never been more attracted to a man before in my life.
And I fucking showed up on camera in a sweat suit, no makeup, and messy hair.
God, I’m such a loser.
“Bridge, that’s amazing! If you’re able to solve a problem no one knew they had and can save the company more money, you’ll be worshiped. I bet it’s the perfect thing to make you stand out from the rest of the new hires.”
“I know! And I really wanna impress my boss. She’s this fire-breathing dragon of a goddess and I know I can learn so much from her.”
He shakes his head in amazement. “I’m in awe of you, Bridget Quinn.”
I blush once again, something that’s become normal since speaking to him. “Why do you say that?”
“Because. You’re so passionate about this whole thing. And it’s easy to see you’ve hit the ground running. You’re incredible.” His smile is heartbreaking because I want it to be mine. I wanthimto be mine. And that is psychotic because, for the millionth time I have to remind myselfWill and I have never met.
“Hey. How do I know you’re not some AI bot that’s gone rogue?” I ask, 99.99% serious.
Will huffs out a laugh, his eyes widening. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I mean…” I sigh. “How do I know you’re real? What if you’re like this super duper advanced AI bot who was on the email trails to record and write briefs on company correspondence or something? And you replied to my email because I broke an email etiquette rule your programmer told you about so you felt the need to tell me about it? And what if we just kept talking because?”
He presses his lips together, trying hard not to laugh. “What about this call? How do you explain the video chat?”
I shrug, looking away, not wanting to tell him that the video chat is what added to my “he can’t be real” theory. A man that gorgeous being that kind to me? History has taught me not to trust this.
