Heartprints in the Void

has stood still and

a 6-foot-tall, lean, muscular Cade approaches Krina and I. The familiar scent of his favor

is lips. In his navy blue suit, white button-up shirt and navy blue tie, he stands before us, looking at K

hs ago. She just moved here from Florida," she tells him,

ida? Ha! Small world, I gue

chuckling softly. "Well, we

even reme

s I take his hand, shaking it gently. "Elys

me to the team, Elise. I'll introduce you to

smile and excuses himself, continui

the office positioned directly across from my desk. Memories flood back, unbidden. Late night c

the

nna be

My voice hardly sounds like my

ter monitors in front of her, muttering, "Down t

I bite my lip in my desperate attempt to n

he 'Ladies' sign on it. I hardly have time to process it, but by

ppening. This can

asn't one of them. The cold porcelain of the toilet seat bit

m suddenly grateful that all that I had for break

I gonn

let, and for the next round of minutes, I st

put me so far at the back of his mind that he couldn't r

ed a lot sin

stall and walk over to the counter to rinse my mouth. My hand reaches to t

to someone...

each for my phone from my pocket with my unoc

v

ou during my

an a couple of seconds, te

I shake my head and slide m

e. Everything is

rn to my seat, I can't help but look up every couple of minutes,

ll he does is take calls and click through his computer. When he does breakaway, it's o

n, taking it in her hand as the other reaches for her thermo cup. "You can

o the end of the hall and into the large room with the long table and multiple chairs. Cade is already

otions for me to take the seat beside her. "That way, you're

el pretty sm

afraid that if I look up, I'l

ngineers sit beside Krina, down the row as the two mid-level engineers sit across from them. Beside

a smile on his face as he lowers hi

offer him a small smile as

it firmly as he says,

e next moment, Cade suddenly clears his th

t to kick off the meeting by introducin

o look at me with smiles on their

ourself," he urges m

no

eers as I say, "Hi, I'm Elysian Reign, junior engineer. Y

nd swee

es my lips as I ave

is falter only obvious to me as he clears his throat once more and hesita

rememb

te. As contractors for the NSA, we're startin

'm sitting here, absent-minded, is because I have a lot on my mind. But truth be told, I don't have a lot on my min

. I try to focus on the presentation, but my eyes keep d

ate when Cade finally concludes his meeting,

m briefly as he looks over at Krina, asking her,

ly as I take my laptop and make m

e me, asking, "Hey Elys, got any plans for lunch? It's tradition to tak

look at his soft features. "O-

ow!" He turns down the first row of cubicles, finding his seat as I c

fuckin

have no one to blame but myself. I accepted this job. I signed that 3-year cont

an

hat I was told to at every single career fair I've ever

Stupid

anager that hired me, had I known that this is one of his wretched father's comp

jump off the

at n

e shifting to meet her as she lowers herself on her chair. "I'

xcit

fraction of the excited that I would be

heer half-

ith your HR stuff so that we can get you started," she tells me kindly b

hoots me a long look, and after what feels like the longest 5 seconds of my life, h

na be a ver