[Washington DC, Dansby Plaza, 2230hrs]
Dan stood by the window, holding a glass of whiskey. Soft music was playing downstairs, and some classical tunes were playing on his music system. The city view was beautiful this time of the day. His shirt was unbuttoned, and his tie was undone. He had taken quite a beating from his work load, and all he needed was some rest. It brought a smile to his face that Chelsea didn't turn down his proposal.
His mind drifted back to his home, and his sister, Arianna. He laughed to himself and set the glass on the table next to him. He took out his phone and dialled some digits before putting the phone up to his ear.
"Hey Dan, what's up?"
"I'm just calling to check in on you. How are you doing?" he asked.
Arianna sighed sadly. "You can't imagine what father has put me through."
"I'm sure you'll manage just fine, dear sister."
"I hope so. How's Chelsea? I haven't heard from her in a long time."
"She's doing fine, thanks for asking." Dan said, taking a sip from his drink.
"When are you coming to Chicago? I'm bored."
"I was planning on coming this Friday." Dan said. "I've some news I'd like to share with everyone."
"Will Chelsea come with you?"
"I was hoping to ask her later today. Anyway, I have to go. Bye."
"Good night, Dan." Ari said, hanging up.
He stared blankly at the wall and sat on the couch, his hand resting on its armrest and supporting his forehead. He heard the elevator door open and raised his head. He felt rather lethargic but he had to see who the caller was. He lazily walked towards the door to open it.
"Hey." He greeted.
"Hey. Can I please come in?" Chelsea asked.
"Sure. Come on in." he said, ushering her in and closing the door behind her.
She threw herself on the couch and covered her face with her palm.
"Are you okay?" he asked, coming up to her. "You seem tense."
"I had a long day. I had a big case today, which I utterly lost but there'll be an appeal this Thursday. My client wants to find another lawyer to handle his case, and I can't afford to lose this one. This case was supposed to be my big breakthrough." She sighed sadly. "And worse still, I'm going to get fired if I don't win the next one."
"That puts a lot of pressure on your back." Dan said, coming to her. "Is there any way I can help?"
She turned to face him, and smiled weakly. "Can I spend the night here please?"
He nodded, and went up to the kitchen counter and poured wine into a glass.
He handed her the glass, and sat next to her.
"Is wine your solution to everything?" she asked, taking a sip from the glass.
"Temporarily, and surprisingly effective." He said, drinking from the bottle.
She took the bottle away from his hand, and pinned him down on the couch, her body between his legs. She leaned down and kissed him passionately, and he equally reciprocated the action.
"I'd like to ask something of you." He said his hands around her back.
"Go on."
"Would you like to come with me to Chicago this Friday?" he asked.
"I'll have to get back to you on that, sorry."
"It's okay; take your time to think about it." Dan said, getting up from that arousing posture and walking towards the kitchen.
*****
Mike was working late that day in his room. The lights were on, as he sat at his desk in front of his laptop. A cup of coffee sat on the table. He had to get his software up and running by his set deadline. He took a sip from the cup, and went on debugging it. His eyes felt heavy, and his weary body gave in to exhaustion. Mike, with a yawn, crawled into bed, and sighed deeply before his eyes shut.
*****
He packed his items into a briefcase. He looked around the place, which felt empty, as he lived alone in the penthouse.
'I should consider moving back to my old house in Chicago.'
He thought, going up to the living room. He was in his pyjamas, and a beanie. He sat on the couch, and turned on the TV. His favourite show, 'How I met your mother' was on. He looked at the wall clock.
'Chelsea should be out of work by now. I better call her and see how her big case went down.'
He called her, but the call wasn't going through. Just as he was about to unmute his show, the doorbell rang. He went ahead to open it, and a distraught Chelsea fell in his arms.
"Chelsea, what happened?" he asked, carrying her into the house.
He set him down on the couch, and sat next to her. Her eyes were red and puffy with tears and her mascara smudged.
"I lost the case Dan." She said sadly, burying her face in the cup of her hands. "And I was discontinued for an indefinite period of time."
Dan patted her back and pulled her in for an embrace. "It's ok, everything will be just fine."
"Just fine you say? You're looking at an unemployed person right now, because I'm quitting the law firm."
"Don't be too hasty, I'm sure you can talk with your manager and they'll…"
Chelsea's phone chimed. She had received an email, saying her services will no longer be needed at the firm.
Dan gulped.
'This is terrible. How can I cheer her up?'
"At what time will you be going to Chicago tomorrow?" she asked, wiping her tears.
"A time like this most likely." He spoke.
"I'm coming with you." She said sternly.
"Are you sure you don't want to deal with the issue with…"
She placed her index finger on his lips. "I'd rather spend my weekend with you, than worry about being unemployed."
He nodded. "I was hoping I'd break the news of our engagement to my parents, if that's okay with you."
"That's a good idea." She said, her face lighting up. "Let me get dinner started."
"You don't have to. I already ordered pizza." He spoke. "Besides, there's nothing to cook in the fridge, just milk and juice."
She sighed sadly. "Okay then. What will we do in the meantime?"
He took the remote and unmuted the TV. "We could watch a sitcom, if you're up for it."
"Please tell me you have popcorn." She said, sitting on his lap, and throwing her arms around his neck.
"As a matter of fact, I do. It's on the top shelf next to the window." He said, getting up. "I'll go make some while you slip into something more comfortable."
"Ok then." She spoke.
*****
The next morning…
Dan stood in front of the closet, slowly undoing his tie. A pair of hands went around his belly and caressed him. He turned around to see Chelsea dressed in a diaphanous pink nightgown. Their eyes met; no words, just the quiet understanding of two people who had been dancing around something unspoken for far too long. He leaned in and kissed her; gently at first, then with growing urgency, the kind that dissolved any lingering doubts. She responded without hesitation, her fingers weaving into his hair as he pulled her closer.
Time slipped away after that.
When the world settled again, they lay tangled in silence, the hum of the city below far removed from their moment.
Daniel brushed a strand of hair from her face.
"Was that the push I needed?" he murmured with a half-smile.
Chelsea chuckled softly, tracing lazy patterns on his chest.
"You tell me."
*****
Mike looked at his phone. Arianna hadn't replied to his texts. He sighed deeply and held the phone tightly against his chest. It was Friday night, and it was custom for he and Cindy to watch movies and stay up till late gaming. He put his phone down and went to the living room. The cushions and bean bags were all set. The popcorn was in the microwave and the drinks and ice-cream were in the fridge. He sat on a bean bag and took out the remote. He switched on the TV to scroll through the movies. Cindy came out of her room, carrying her school bag.
"Where are you going sis? Today's our special night."
"Did you forget that Kara and I were going to work on our science project at her place? I told you that yesterday, and you said it was ok with you."
He scratched his head. "Of course, how could I forget?" he said, laughing sheepishly. "So, it's just me tonight, huh?"
"I'll make up for it, I promise." She said, patting his back.
"When will you be back?"
"I'll be back tomorrow."
"I can't let you go on your own at this time…"
The doorbell rang.
"That must be Kara's mum. She said she'd pick me up." Cindy said, going to open the door.
"Hey Cindy, you ready to go?" Hannah, Kara's mum asked.
"Yup, I'm all set." She replied excitedly. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mike."
"Bye then. Take care." He said, as he closed the door after them.
He stood by the door wondering what to do about all the snacks he'd prepared when the doorbell rang again.
He opened the door, and Luci was standing there. She was in a cosy cropped sweatshirt and comfortable leggings under booty shorts. She was wearing fuzzy slipper socks under her feet, and her hair was styled to a simple ponytail. Her rosy red lips smiled at him, as her aquamarine eyes locked with his.
"Hey," she said, breaking the awkward silence. "Can I come in?"
He nodded slightly, getting out of the way to let her in. She was holding a bottle of red grape wine.
"It's for special occasions," she said, handing him the bottle. "And this is just as good an occasion as any."
He closed the door behind her, and followed her to the living room.
"I love what you've done with the place.
He had many questions for her, but he shook it off. He could use the company. He sat next to her on the bean bag.
"What would you like to watch?" he asked.
"I especially like romantic comedies and anime, but I'm flexible enough to watch anything. What would you like us to watch?"
"Usually, Cindy picks out a movie." He said, searching for an anime on the web.
There were a lot of options, but they picked a random one and got down to watching it.
The movie played in the background, a half-forgotten thriller neither of them was watching. The lights were off, save for the screen's soft flicker and the dull amber glow of the streetlights outside.
Luci sat cross-legged on the couch, wrapped loosely in a blanket, a slice of pizza in one hand. Her hair was down now – wild from running fingers through it during a jump scare.
Mike sat next to her, one arm draped over the back of the couch, a controller resting on his lap. He wasn't really focused either. His attention kept drifting – to the shape of her smile, to the faint vanilla and citrus in her perfume, to how she kept stealing glances at him when she thought he wouldn't notice.
She leaned towards him suddenly, bumping her shoulder against his.
"Movie sucks. Let's game."
"Alright." He said. "But I don't go easy."
"Oh?" she smirked. "I've played with worse. Bring it."
The game turned into trash talk, then laughter, then silence.
"I should probably go soon." She finally spoke.
"You don't have to." He said. "We still haven't enjoyed the wine you so kindly brought."
Their eyes met. Close. Still no touch. No move forward.
Mike fetched the bottle of wine and the glasses.
He poured two half glasses, then clinked his gently against hers.
"To Friday nights," she said.
"To surprise guests." He added.
They drank. The wine was strong. The silence that followed had weight.
"Are you always this quiet when Cindy isn't around?"
He shrugged. "I don't usually get visitors."
She smirked. "And here I was thinking the city's best software guy would be more exciting."
"I wouldn't say best." He said softly.
"Don't be so modest. You've made quite a splash on your first week."
He set his glass down, closer than necessary to hers.
"What's your story, Luci? You're usually closed off, to people." He spoke.
She raised an eyebrow. "You're the one telling me I'm closed off? Have you met you?"
"The point is; I'd like to know you better."
Her lips curved slightly to a smile. "Only if you let me get closer to you."
"Sure, why not?"
"What d'you want to know about me?" she asked, sipping her drink.
"How much d'you want me to know?" he asked, with a smirk on his face.
"Quite a lot, if I'm being honest." She paused. "Well, I'll be 24 this July, I moved to Chicago from Springfield because I needed some space from my parents. We fell out about two years ago, and we haven't spoken since. I like helping out at the orphanage and the community centre, and I'm considering trying gardening, otherwise, I'm a software engineer at Castell Inc."
He nodded in satisfaction. "Close enough. But if I may ask, what was the argument with your parents about?"
"Well, they thought I was old enough to settle down and get married, and I wasn't ready for a boyfriend, leave alone a husband then."
"Are you ready for that now?" he asked flatly, sipping from his glass.
She looked at him, her lips curving to a smile. "I don't know, are you?"
'That's something I should think about.'
He thought to himself.
"Not really, but I'm not so much against the idea."
His phone beeped. He fished it out and stood to reply to the text when something clattered softly to the floor.
Ari:
Hey, I'm sorry for not replying to your texts. I was busy with something. Can we meet up and talk, on Monday perhaps, preferably at the coffee shop, same time as last time?
Mike:
Ok, sure.
Mike sat up straight, eyes locking on the small matte black flash drive.
"What's this?" she asked, turning it between her fingers.
"Hey," he said sharply, taking it from her hand faster than he should have.
"It's just a project."
Luci raised an eyebrow, her voice curious but measured.
"You don't snatch 'just projects' like that."
Mike stood and crossed the room to his desk. The lights were on this time. His expression softened as he powered on his laptop.
"I wasn't planning to show anyone this," he said. "It's experimental."
Luci followed him, curiosity outweighing concern. She leaned her elbows on the desk beside him, scanning a strange tech he pulled from a drawer, no bigger than her thumbnail, curved like a medical implant.
"What's that?" she asked, voice low.
Mike looked at her, serious now.
"Project Mindscape. It's like a compact version of the IWE that Castell's trying to build, except this one works."
Luci looked between the device and him. "You built this?"
He nodded. "In secret. Off the grid. Smaller, faster, more efficient." He paused. "And private."
Her eyes widened. "And you're showing me?"
"I don't know why," he admitted.
The air grew still. She studied him for a moment.
"So, how does it work?"
Mike held the device up. "You plant this on your neck, just behind the ear. It links neural frequencies and transitions your conscious mind into a rendered subconscious environment. Think lucid dreaming meeting VR."
Luci blinked. "You're insane."
"Probably. But this insane thing can show you what you're capable of."
She reached out and took the device from his hand, turning it over slowly.
"And it's safe?"
Mike paused. "Mostly."
Luci raised an eyebrow.
He exhaled. "Okay. Full disclosure, my version requires users to be in a subconscious state. Like REM sleep, but initiated on command."
"You're saying we'd have to pass out?"
"Only temporarily. But we'd be in there, together."
Luci stared at the implant, then at him. And then she smiled; slowly, playfully.
"You really know how to seduce a girl."
Mike laughed; short and hearty; a bit nervous.
"I'll link too." He said, showing her his implant, already fixed behind his ear. "We sync through the flash drive. It'll be like a shared dream."
Luci hesitated, then brushed her hair aside and handed him the implant.
"Do it."
Mike's fingers were steady as he pressed the device behind her ear. It clicked softly into place. A tiny vibration rippled through her spine.
"Oh…" she whispered. "I felt that."
Mike connected the flash drive, entered a few keystrokes; and the screen lit up with code and waves, pulsing in sync.
"Ready?" he asked.
Luci nodded.
The laptop beeped. And then-
Everything went black. Their bodies slumped gently to the floor, motionless. The silence was eerie. But somewhere deeper – beyond the physical world – the two minds touched.
*****
Cindy stepped out of the car, clutching her bag as Kara's mum, Hannah, waved from the driver's seat.
"Text me if you need anything." Hannah called sweetly.
"Thanks," Cindy said, forcing a smile as the car drove off.
She turned toward the front door and exhaled. Kara's house was nice – a little too quiet, the porch light casting a golden light on the terrace. She rang the bell.
Seconds later, the door swung open.
"Hey!" Kara greeted her, barefoot in pyjama shorts and a hoodie, holding a bag of popcorn.
Cindy blinked. "Uh…is this how we study now?"
Kara grinned. "Relax, it's done."
"What?"
"The project! I finished it. I just wanted some company tonight since mum's going to be out of town for a day or two."
Cindy stared at her. "You could have said that before I printed all these notes."
Kara laughed and tugged her inside. "Come on, it's Friday. You deserve a break."
"I could have stayed home and played games with my brother."
"Or you could chill here and eat snacks with me."
Cindy followed reluctantly into the living room. The coffee table was piled with candy wrappers, half open textbooks, and a pair of mismatched socks.
"Did a raccoon attack the place?"
Kara stuck out her tongue. "You love it."
As Cindy dropped her bag beside the couch, she heard a loud thud upstairs; followed by an annoyed shout.
"Where the fuck are my headphones?"
A door slammed, and heavy footsteps pounded down the stairs. Cindy looked up just in time to see a tall figure descend two steps at a time, wearing a sleeveless black tee and messy sweatpants. He had ear buds tangled around his neck and a scowl that seemed permanently carved into his face. He paused at the bottom, staring directly at Cindy.
"You! What are you doing here?"
Cindy raised a brow. "Excuse me? Do I know you?"
The guy scoffed. "Yeah, we sit two rows apart in class. I've roasted you like five times this month."
"Oh, I'm sorry I can't remember less important people." Cindy sneered.
Kara sighed dramatically. "Cindy, meet my brother Tony."
"I know this jackass." Cindy snapped. "Wait, he's your twin?"
Tony threw himself onto the armchair, kicking his feet up on the ottoman like he owned the place. "Fraternal, obviously."
"Go to hell, Satan is missing a demon." Cindy said acidly.
Tony grinned like he'd just been complimented. "Cute. You're practicing comebacks now?"
Kara groaned. "Guys, please."
But neither of them looked away.
The room felt smaller suddenly – not tense in a dangerous way, but like two queen hornets had just met in the same nest.
Tony plugged in his headphones, slouched into the cushions and turned up his music loud enough that the girls could hear the bass thudding from across the room.
Cindy leaned closer to Kara. "You live with that?"
Kara just shrugged. "He's only unbearable half the time. The other half he's asleep."
Cindy rolled her eyes, flopped onto the couch and grabbed a handful of popcorn.
So much for a quiet night.
Cindy munched on a handful of popcorn, eyeing Tony like one might a wild animal; beautiful in a chaotic way, but prone to biting. He was drumming his fingers to the beat in his ears, completely ignoring the two girls chatting across the room.
"So," Kara said, stretching her legs across the couch. "Wanna watch something while we waste the evening?"
Tony hung his headphones on his neck. "Can you two dorks keep it down? I'm trying to think!"
"No wonder you're so cranky, it must be painful." Cindy answered back.
Tony leaned forward with a mocking tilt of his head. "Are you always this fun at parties? Oh wait – you don't get invited, do you?"
Cindy's lips tightened. "Still trying to pass algebra, huh?"
"Ouch," Tony said with a smirk, as if he enjoyed the sting. "I guess sarcasm's all you've got since actual charm escaped you at birth."
"Better than whatever you call that emo caveman energy you're radiating."
"Okay, enough," Kara cut in, throwing a pillow at Tony's face.
He caught it with one hand and laughed. "She started it."
Cindy scoffed. "Oh please. You've been like this since you walked in."
"It's my house."
"Not my problem."
Tony grinned and turned his music back on, this time even louder.
Kara sank into the cushions, groaning. "I swear, he does this on purpose."
Cindy leaned closer. "How d'you stand him?"
"Same way you're standing me," Kara replied, eyes twinkling. "Love and pure tolerance."
But as Kara flipped through the movie options on the TV, Cindy caught Tony glancing at her from behind his half-closed eyes – just for a second. And she wasn't sure what was stranger: the look he gave her, or the fact that it didn't feel entirely hostile.
She shook her head and looked away.
*****
A little later…
The movie was halfway through, something vaguely sci-fi and full of explosions. Kara had drifted off beside her, her head tilted back and soft snored escaping every now and then.
Cindy leaned forward, squinting at the screen when...
"Hey," came a voice behind her.
She turned.
Tony stood in the kitchen, pouring orange juice into a glass. The overhead light cut a clean shadow across his face.
"Want some?"
His voice wasn't mocking now, just casual.
"Is this a trap?" she asked.
"A mere no would suffice," Tony sighed, a little offended.
He took a sip. "You're not as annoying as I thought."
Cindy raised an eyebrow. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
Tony smirked. "Kinda. I mean, you're still annoying. But like…in a way that's interesting."
Cindy stared at him. "You flirt like a cat trying to kill a bird. I'm surprised it's gotten you so far."
He grinned wider. "So you admit it's flirting."
She didn't answer, just turned back to the TV – but her cheeks warmed.
And from the kitchen, he watched for a moment longer, then turned away with the faintest of smiles.
*****
A little later after that…
The movie credits had barely began rolling when Cindy noticed Tony back in the kitchen again – not for juice this time, but with a notebook open and a scowl on his face.
She tried to ignore him.
Tried.
But when he let out a groan like someone being physically assaulted by algebra, she cracked.
"D'you have to suffer so loudly?" she asked getting up from the couch.
Tony looked up from the dining table. "If I fail this worksheet, I'm off the basketball team."
"This might give you more time to work on your grades." She spoke.
"I like playing basketball."
She rolled her eyes, but walked over anyway. "Move."
Tony raised a brow. "Excuse me?"
"You wanna make the team, don't you? Then let me help you."
He scooted to the side, and she pulled up a chair beside him. The notebook was a battlefield – scratch marks, pointless scribbles, graffiti, messy equations, half erased equations.
She sighed. "You could start by organizing your solutions clearly." She spoke. "It's worse than a second grader's rough book."
Tony gave her a look. "Are you here to roast or help me?"
She grinned devilishly. "Why not both?"
*****
Half an hour later…
"…so you subtract 3x on both sides," Cindy explained, jolting down the corrected versions. "Then divide by two, to get x=5."
Tony squinted. "That's…it?"
She nodded.
He looked at the mess he'd written before. "I feel like such a caveman."
"I don't even know where you got the letter 'L'. Can you shed some light to that?"
"I thought it was a one!"
Cindy laughed, genuine this time. "You're lucky basketball doesn't require algebra."
They worked quietly for a bit. Kara was still asleep in a pile of pillows on the couch. The only sounds were pencil scratches and the occasional tsk from Cindy as she guided Tony through problem after problem.
Finally, Tony leaned back, stretching his arms. "Okay, I'm not gonna lie, but this actually made sense."
"Don't pass out from shock."
"Hmm, I should fail more often if it means you explain stuff like that."
She gave him the look. "You just want free tutoring."
He grinned. "Guilty as charged. I can't help it though, you're good at this."
For a moment, there was…quiet. Not awkward, just still.
Then Cindy sat back and crossed her arms.
"Alright, that's enough civility. I wanna go back to not liking you."
"How can you still hate me after this? I've been a good boy, haven't I?" he pouted.
She let out a hearty laugh. "You kinda look cute when you try acting innocent."
They sat in silence a bit longer, before Cindy got up, stretching. "Don't expect me to do your homework for you."
"I wouldn't dream of it," he said as he watched her head back to the couch.
"…but if I mess up again I'm gonna call you."
She snorted. "You wish."
From the corner of her eye, she saw him smiling again – and for once, it didn't make her feel like punching him.
"Thanks for helping me." He finally spoke, halfway up the stairs.
Cindy opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, he had disappeared into his room.
*****
The private jet landed at the airport and then into the private hanger before the occupants alighted. It was 23.45hrs, just fifteen minutes to Saturday.
"I often forget how beautiful this place is." Chelsea said, admiring the city sky lights.
"We can go sightseeing if you want." Dan said, unpacking their luggage on a trolley. "C'mon, let's go."
He pushed the trolley into another shed where a black Jeep Wrangler was parked under a tarp. It had large tinted windows, large treaded wheels and an Eco Diesel V6 engine, packing up to 285 horsepower.
"My agent really came through with this one," he said. "I'm impressed."
They entered the car and sat for a while, taking in that new car smell, before taking he drove out of the shed. He drove out of the airport and onto the highway. The highway was flooded with motorists, plus there was a traffic jam. He sighed as he braked to a sudden halt, his head resting on the steering wheel.
"Great, just great," he sighed. "It's only in Chicago you'll find traffic even at midnight."
"What's the rush for Dan?" Chelsea asked.
He raised his head and looked at her. "Are you hungry?"
"I'm starving."
He took a left turn at the next roundabout, taking another route into the city. They ordered fries and chicken at the KFC drive through, before driving away to his house.
He pushed a button on a remote, and the large 2-inch-thick steel gate rolled open.
Behind the gate, there was a large compound where a two-storey mansion stood. The gate closed after them and came to a halt in front of the garage before he remotely opened it and drove in.
"Welcome home dear," he said proudly, walking out of the car.
*****