Level Up (3 page)

He was obviously interested in changing the subject. She sighed. "I Skyped Ani--which you know--and we traded presents. She likes to make a big deal because..." She paused.

"What?" he prompted.

"Um, because I've got a birthday coming up. It's so close to Christmas, she knows that it tends to get lumped in, and I don''t celebrate it."

"You've got a birthday? When?"

"Wednesday." She felt her cheeks heat. "Really, it's no big deal."

"Of course it's a big deal!" He shot her a quick glance. "How old?"

"Huh? Oh. Twenty-five."

"Two years younger than me," he said. "I'm a summer kid, though, so I was always young for my grade."

"I was always old for mine," she said ruefully. "It always made me feel...behind, somehow. Which is my point. I kind of thought I'd be further ahead than I am, you know?"

He nodded. "Quarter-life crisis," he said. "Totally common. Well, not among our crew, but I've read about it."

"I know I'm ready for a change," she nudged, unable to help herself.

He sighed. "The thing is, it's not just about programming. It's about personalities."

She frowned. "You mean because the guys wouldn't accept me?"

"Because you don't socialize. You eat lunch by yourself, in your cubicle. When you get soda at the machine in the Pit, you don't talk to anyone."

"I'm busy. You know. Working."

"Yeah, but I've seen you when you're home...and, well, no offense, but I don't really see you with anybody."

Now she goggled. "You think I can't do the job because I'm 
single
? What the hell does
that
 have to do with anything?"

"Slow your roll there, Turbo," he said, sounding exasperated. "This isn't about you being single. I'm just saying, other than Skype, I don't see you socializing with
anybody
. Not at work. Not in your private time. Hell, you barely talk to me, and we live together."

She bit her lip, feeling suddenly self-conscious.

He let out a sigh. "I'm sorry," He said again. "In my defense, I really suck at mornings."

She took a deep breath. "So...if I showed you how much better I was with people, and maybe..." she heard Ani's voice echoing in her head, "erm, had a social life...it might help me convince the guys to give me a chance?"

"It'd definitely be a step in the right direction," he conceded.

"All right," she said. "I'll do...that, I guess."

He paused, then laughed. "You make it sound painful."

She tried to smile, but couldn't.

That's because it
is
going to be painful.

Adam wandered into "the Pit," the break-room-slash-dining-area at Mysterious Pickles. There was a small kitchen with a fridge, a coffee maker, and a few square tables with chairs. The area bled into a living room-styled area with a large TV and a few couches. There were already people there, playing, hooting at the screen.

Adam grabbed some coffee...or at least tried to. They were out of his favorite coffee pods, probably because the gang here went through caffeinated beverages like they were about to be outlawed. He sighed, grabbing a sparkling water instead. Those, they always had on hand, probably because only Tessa and Felix in accounting seemed to be fans.

"You know that bet's still on, right?" he heard a voice behind him say, in a smug tone.

Adam sighed. "Terms were never set," he pointed out. "Also, I was sort of hammered."

José grinned at him, nudging Fezza. "Knew he was going to punk out."

"I'm not punking out," Adam said.

"So--you're going to get a girlfriend before Mac's job is filled?"

"That's actually plenty of time," Fezza said. "Remember how long it took to fill the last position on the engineer squad?"

They all winced a little. "Abraham is a terror," José said, dropping his voice and looking over his shoulder, in case the red-headed, red-bearded head of engineering was nearby. "The guy made that last applicant cry, remember?"

"Yeah," Fezza said. "That wasn't even one of Abraham's angry days, either."

"Took months to fill that spot," José said. "Well, you wouldn't want to ask someone to be your girlfriend after only a week or two, anyway. You'd look like a total psycho."

"Why does it need to be a girlfriend?" Adam pointed out. "Why can't I just go out on a date?"

José was shaking his head before Adam even finished his sentence. "Hell, I go out on dates all the time. That's easy."

"He's got a point," Fezza said. "Besides, we all know you're Mr. Relationship."

"What do you mean?"

"You were tight with Casey for, what, four years?"

"Five," Adam said, frowning.

"You're not the dating, hit-it-and-quit-it type," José said, with a shrug. "You're the one-girl-flowers-and-candy type."

"Either that, or you're the still-hung-up-on-your-ex type," Fezza added.

Adam set his jaw. "What do I get if I win?"

José and Fezza looked exultant. José actually rubbed his hands together. "Ah, negotiating. What do you want?"

"If I win," Adam said slowly, "you have to foil wrap Abraham's station. That means everything: computer, keyboard, all his knick-knacks. Even his chair."

Fezza's eyes went wide. "He'll kill us, dude."

"Scared?"

José shook his head. "No way we're losing, so no problem. And if we win..." His smile was evil. "You have to toilet paper his truck."

Adam thought about it. There was a good chance Abraham would squash him like a bug for touching his precious, totally custom truck. Still, the guys were right. He was still sort of hung up on his ex. Maybe this was just the impetus he needed to get back out there.

"You're on," he said, shaking hands and ignoring their crowing.

"How are you going to start?"

"Like I'm going to talk strategy with you two," he said. They both shrugged and wandered off to claim the next game on the big TV. The problem was, he didn't have any idea, so there was no strategy to discuss. Where would he start?

Stacy, he thought. She was the new receptionist. Actually, she was the temporary office manager while Margo was out on maternity leave, but she sat at the reception desk most of the time. She was pretty, in a shiny blonde sort of way--a bit like Casey, now that he thought about it. Just as pulled together and stylish, as well. She'd probably like the same things Casey did. Of course, that meant some expensive restaurants, but it wasn't like he'd been spending all that much money in the past year. Left to his own devices, he was much more a stay at home, play games and watch movies by his wood burning stove kind of guy.

Time to ask out Stacy, he thought, but stalled when he saw Tessa walk in.

She hadn't mentioned his absolutely churlish behavior, that night when all the guys were over. It had to sting, to hear his concrete refusal to date her. Honestly, he really hadn't thought of her that way. She kept to herself, and he figured she was painfully introverted. That didn't mean she wasn't friendly. She was a phenomenal cook, and sometimes she'd leave him a plate of chicken enchiladas with a "help yourself" note, or she'd make crock-pot carnitas that they shared. She also had a great sense of humor, the few times they'd spoken. Still, she'd made it clear that she was just in it for the room, and that was really all he was looking for at the time, as well.

She usually ate at her cube, not in the Pit. Now, she was holding her lunch bag, scanning the room, her back stiff, her face resolute.

He really ought to go, he thought. He wanted to try asking Stacy out to lunch, just to test the waters. Also, he was starving. But something about Tessa's bearing made him stop and watch.

After taking a deep breath, she walked over to where Felicia, a coder over in character design, was sitting and eating. There was an empty chair at Felicia's table.

"Mind if I sit here?" she asked.

Felicia pulled an ear bud out, then glanced around at the two other empty tables in the room. "I guess."

"Thanks." Tessa sat down, then pulled out her lunch. She pushed it around, rather than eating it. "Um...what are you listening to?"

"Joy Division."

"Oh. I haven't, uh, listened to them much." She made a face. "What are you having for lunch?"

"Did you want something?" Felicia asked bluntly.

"What? Um, no," Tessa said, and he watched as her expression fell, her hands crushing her lunch bag. "Am I bothering you?"

Felicia shrugged. "You just don't talk a lot."

Her blush went darker, turning her cheeks a rosy amber. "New Year's Resolution," she said. "I'm trying to be more social."

Felicia put her ear bud back in and gathered up the remains of her lunch. "Good luck with that," she said dismissively, then walked off.

Adam felt a stab of sympathy for Tessa, who was now trying to eat her lunch. He could see she was having trouble swallowing. He thought he heard Stacy's laugh, floating down the stairway from the reception desk. He should really ask her before she went off to lunch.

He sighed and then found himself moving toward Tess, sitting down across from her at the small table. "You gonna eat all that? I am starving."

She quickly shoved half of a fairly large sandwich at him. He took a bite, then groaned in pleasure. "Oh my
God
. What is this?"

"I roasted a turkey breast and all the trimmings for Christmas," she said, reluctantly smiling. "That's a leftover turkey sandwich with gravy, cranberry sauce, and stuffing."

"Oh my God," he repeated, wolfing it down.

"Made some cookies, too," she said, nudging over a package. "Homemade snickerdoodles."

He grabbed one and grinned as she finally picked up her half sandwich and started eating. "You know," he said, lowering his voice. "You don't have to force yourself to be social."

She went still, like a cat in front of an all-too-observant dog. "What do you mean?"

"I know how badly you want the job, but you don't have to, you know, push so hard." He felt bad. He was the one who had brought up all that stuff in the car, about her not hanging out with people. "Abraham's a tough guy to get to know, and like I said, that team can be kind of tough to break into."

"You were right, though," she murmured back. "I guess I've sort of fallen out of the habit of interacting with people. I usually just like hanging out at home, watching Netflix."

"And cooking," he said. "This cookie is incredible, by the way."

"I need to work on being at least a little more outgoing," she said.

"Yeah," he said, rolling his eyes. "Because when I think 'game architect' and 'engineering,' I think 'extrovert.'"

She punched his arm lightly. "You know what I mean. It's business, not personal. My brother always says, the guy who can quote you facts and figures never sells as much as the guy who asks you about your kids."

"What does he do?"

"He sells cars," she said. "So he knows what he's talking about."

"You were the facts-and-figures girl, huh?"

She shrugged. "I just don't like small talk. But I'll get better," she said, and there was a fierce determination in her expression.

"Bet you will," he said. It was even more pronounced than his determination to get back out there and date. "And I'll bet you kick ass at it."

She smiled at him, a warm grin that made her brown eyes glow tawny. He found himself smiling back. She had a nice smile. And great eyes, he realized.

"Your roommate doesn't count," José called out from the couch.

The words jolted both of them out of their little...whatever that was. "What is he talking about?" she asked.

"Nothing. Never mind," Adam said quickly. "Um, thanks for the half sandwich and the cookie. See you later." He beat a quick retreat.

He'd wanted to make her feel better after the Felicia shut down. Now, he saw that Tessa was a lot like Casey, too--in the bad way. Fixated on her job. All about getting ahead.

But it didn't matter, since he certainly wasn't going to date someone that he worked with closely, much less lived with. And even if she was pretty, she wasn't his type.

He went to the reception desk, only to find it empty with a small, handwritten sign.

"Out to Lunch."

He gritted his teeth. No good deed goes unpunished, he thought. But he'd catch Stacy later. And then he'd get on with his own life, and stop butting into Tessa's.

Tessa checked her email for the fiftieth time since coming back from lunch. Really, they probably just should've shut down the office between Christmas and New Year's, she thought--people really weren't doing much of anything except cleanup work, and she didn't have any audio coding to do, since they weren't under crunch and she'd gotten all her work done with time to spare. Still, she'd rather hide out in her cube than sit through another fiasco like lunch.

Granted, she probably should've picked someone other than Felicia to socialize with. The woman was curt at the best of times, and she was self-contained enough to make Tessa look like a raving extrovert. But breaking in with the guys had seemed daunting. If only there were more women here, she thought, not for the first time.

But Adam had stepped into the breach, and that was nice. Even if she'd sacrificed half a sandwich, she knew that he'd seen what was happening, and he was trying to help her out. He was actually pretty good to talk to, she thought, when he wasn't feeling pressured or embarrassed. He actually was a fairly good roommate. Her last roommate had been a woman who had broken up with her boyfriend just a month prior to Tessa moving in, and then got back together with him just a week later (which consequently included very loud make-up sex). Their on-again, off-again cycle had repeated for the entire year Tessa had lived with her. Tessa really should've gotten her own place, but she was trying to save money to buy her own house. When Adam had mentioned he was looking for a roommate, he'd been surprised when she stepped up. Still, they'd gotten along very well from the beginning.

She probably should do something nice for him, she thought. Make him something, maybe, since he seemed to rave about the sandwich and cookie. He liked chocolate--she'd make him some kick-ass chocolate torte, she thought with a smile.