Page 22 of Technical Advances

I took a step forward, then opened my arm, gesturing toward one of the doors in front of us and encouraging Benji to walk ahead of me. There were three offices immediately surrounding the elevator landing: mine, Beck’s, and that of the assistant we shared, Ross. There were other offices down the hallway, resided in by members of our senior staff. The executive boardroom was also on that level. Ross’s office consisted of glass walls so he could keep an eye on the elevator and monitor the staff’s comings and goings. It was Ross’s open door that we entered.

“Ross?”

“Boss?”

“This is Benjamin Warren. Can you please call down to security and ask if they can log him in as my guest?”

Ross’s expression seemed odd for a moment, and once again I wished I were better at reading faces.

“Benjamin Warren, the new guy.” Ross smiled and stood up, looking Benji up and down as if he were appraising the unassuming scientist. I didn’t like it. “Snuck you past security, did he?” he said as he stepped forward and extended his hand.

Benji shook it as he replied, “I can go back down …”

“No need. I’ll take care of it.” Ross continued to take Benji in, possibly holding his hand a beat too long. I tried to put my hands in my pockets, the lunch bag dangling off one of them making the move impossible and making me feel awkward. At least my actions drew Ross’s attention from Benji, and he eyed the bag with the same inquisitive gaze he had bestowed on our newest employee. He tilted his head as if he was reading the logo emblazoned upon it, then he looked up at me. “Can I get either of you anything?”

“I know Benji isn’t scheduled to start until after his graduation, but would it be possible to procure a laptop for him, full access?”

Ross opened his mouth to reply, then shut it again, eyeing Benji once more, this time with narrowed eyes.

“I’ll talk to Erin.” He was still looking at Benji. “Coffee, tea?”

Benji pointed at the bag.

“I brought sodas, but thanks.”

“Thank you, Ross. We’ll be in my office,” I added, then I turned and headed to my door, Benji following behind me.

“Sure thing, boss.” Ross sounded bewildered and maybe a little snarky, which was saying something because Ross could be a lot snarky when he wanted to be. I could hear that he hadn’t moved to sit back down but rather had remained at the entrance to his door. When I got to mine, I turned to see that Ross was in fact leaning on the door frame, staring at the pair of us.

CHAPTER 9

BENJI

The office was dark and ornate, with a big wooden desk, a pricy-looking leather couch, a table and chairs, and a row of cabinets like the one in the conference room downstairs, all of which matched Anson’s desk. Surprisingly, behind the desk Anson had a modern-looking gaming chair that was very similar to the one I had at the desk in my bedroom. The room held little else.

Aside from the one we’d entered, there were two doors in the interior of the room. Anson walked to the table and started emptying the bag as I stared at the out-of-place gaming chair and the two dormant computer screens in front of it.

This is where the magic happens, I thought. I guess I had pictured that Anson Day would have a more high-tech office or maybe a more cluttered one. Other than the screens, a phone, and a small desk lamp, the desk was clear, and so were the other surfaces in the room. An abstract painting, all soft brush strokes, hung above the couch, but there were no photos or personal items anywhere.

I ran my hand over the gaming chair. Where mine was some kind of frayed synthetic material and had been purchased secondhand at a thrift store near MIT, the one in that room felt like real leather. I’d rarely felt something so soft.

“Those gaming chairs really are the most comfortable,” Anson shared, catching me in the act. “I’ve tested out any number of chairs at that desk, so I consider myself somewhat of an expert.”

The small lamp situated next to the computer screens was the only source of light in the room. Looking up, I could tell the room did have recessed lighting in the ceiling, but Anson hadn’t bothered to flip the switch as he entered. Did he always keep the room so dark, or was he setting some kind of mood for me?

My thoughts were heading in a ridiculous direction once again. Of course, he wasn’t keeping the lights off to create a romantic atmosphere. Anson probably just liked to work in a darkened office.

I ran my hand over the top of the chair again as he walked past me to root around in the cabinet behind me. “I have a similar one at home. It doesn’t feel like this, though. They really are comfortable if you …”

At the same time I said: “spend a lot of time in front of your computer,” he said, “spend most of your time at your desk.”

Anson stood and turned, two plates in hand. His eyes met mine. I already considered it a precious gift when he looked me in the eye. I’d noticed that he’d not looked directly at Beck when we were in the lobby. Of course, Beck had barely taken his critical eyes off me, which may have been the reason, but I got the feeling that making eye contact was a rare and special thing for Anson.

We smiled awkwardly at each other. For long seconds, we stood there in silence, in the darkened room, our eyes dancing. A strand of his hair fell loose, a delayed reaction to his having leaned down to look in the cabinet, and I had to tighten my fists not to reach up and tuck it in for him. He quirked his lip and blew air up, and the strand fluttered, landing in the exact same spot. It managed to break whatever moment we were having, and Anson moved past me with the plates, real ceramic plates, which he placed across from each other at the table with a clunk.

“I would always take Beck to George’s when he came to visit me at MIT. He usually preferred it if I came to Boston College to hang out with him, but I did not prefer that.”

I moved to the table as I listened to Anson reminisce. “Beck didn’t think it was much fun at MIT. He would invite me to parties at Boston College all the time. Occasionally, I would give in and go, and occasionally, he would give in and come and have lunch with me at George’s. I …