Chapter 1: Love and Robotic Unicorns
1113 Words
Chapter 1: Love and Robotic Unicorns
Olivia liked going to Marty’s Computer Warehouse because the salespeople left her alone. The haphazard organization and poorly lit sales floor (Marty took the warehouse moniker very seriously.) were small prices to pay for the freedom to browse un harassed by spotted college students with con-man smiles. Besides that, she liked the old guy. Every once in awhile one of his staff, usually someone in a crisp red polo shirt that looked brand new, would come and try to upsell her, but Marty would shoo them away.
“Do you think she needs any help with that from the likes of you? Girl’s got more degrees than you have brain cells.”
That’s why she was surprised to feel a tap on her shoulder while she had her head in a bin full of microprocessors. She turned immediately, almost catching her afro on the bin’s lid before straightening out. The man before her looked as surprised as she felt. He wasn’t wearing a nametag.
“Oh!” His green eyes were wide, his mouth dropping open. “I’m so sorry, I thought you worked here!”
Olivia’s eyebrows shot up toward her hairline. Well that was certainly a first. Then she looked down and noticed the outfit she’d chosen that day: a red polo and dark jeans. She let out a sigh.
“Yeah, well, you know... gotta blend in.” Olivia mumbled with a tiny wave before turning to escape the situation.
“Wait!”
She stopped, turning back to face him. He had a nice smile that showed all his teeth.
“Do you know if anybody does work here?”
Olivia laughed, the sound sudden, bright and loud. She felt the tense awkwardness evaporate, so she moved to pat his arm through his brown leather jacket.
“Yeah, but good luck catching them. What are you trying to find? I’m here a lot.”
“I really wish I had something super impressive to tell you right now.” He told her with a sigh.
It took Olivia a moment to realize he was flirting with her, and she liked it.
“Don’t worry, I’ll only judge you if you ask for something stupid.” She shot back.
That made him laugh, and she found she enjoyed making it happen. Now that they were standing closer she could see the solid curve of his shoulder’s and the pleasant lines of his jaw. Light sandy hair in need of a trim was falling in front of his eyes, held at bay only by the lenses of his glasses.
“Oh, well I feel a lot better then.” He winked at her and she felt an unfamiliar thrill. “I’m looking for... HDMI cables. Now, before we go on...”
He held up one finger in protest while she laughed at him.
“...before we go on I’d like to point out that while my product is not as cool as... a microprocessor? Seriously?... I can usually navigate a computer hardware store without assistance.”
Still laughing, Olivia waved a hand in dismissal.
“Don’t worry about it, this place is like a maze. I can show you where they are. Then maybe I’ll draw you a map sometime.” She smiled in a way she hoped was coy before turning to lead him down the right aisle.
That’s when she cursed internally. ‘Draw you a map sometime?’ What did that even mean? Determined to make up for the lame pickup, she turned to him, startled to find he was watching her closely.
“If it makes you feel better, the microprocessor is being put in a stuffed unicorn.”
“Oh?” He didn’t seem to get it.
“So, you know, it’s not that cool.”
He laughed. “Assuming someone’s going to think it’s cool. Who is it for? Or do you just need more unicorns in your life?”
“My niece.” she said. “Nelly is currently unicorn obsessed. I’m making one talk because I am the favorite aunt.”
“Well, I can only imagine you are if that’s the kind of game you bring to the table.”
He was grinning back at her. Olivia felt a tinge of disappointment when she saw the HDMI cables in front of them.
“Well, there you go!” She told him, gesturing.
He knelt to pick one up and she started to turn and leave, but he stopped her.
“Hey! Wait, I, uh... I didn’t get your name.”
“It’s Olivia.” She answered. “What’s yours?”
“Byron. Listen, I realize this is pretty forward and you probably hate being hit on around here, but would you like to grab some coffee?”
“Yes!” Olivia’s mouth answered before her brain even had time to think, so she stumbled while it caught up.
“Great!” Byron answered her with matching enthusiasm.
“Uh... I guess we should check out first.”
“Yeah.”
Marty himself was at the checkout counter.
“Hey, Olive. How’s it going?”
“It’s good Marty.” I answered softly while he scanned my items. “How’s business?”
“Oh, it’s great!” For the first time since Olivia had met him he seemed sincere in the sentiment. “All these security breaches on the news, everyone’s upgrading. Great for my bottom line, you know?”
“I can only imagine.”
“My wife says a Rosary for World Leaks these days.”
She met Byron at the door before following him two blocks down the road. The coffee shop was a small one, but it smelled like roasting beans and the chairs were soft. They both got big mugs piled with whipped cream before sitting down in a quiet corner.
“So, what do you do?” He asked with a satisfied sigh over his steaming drink.
“I handle in-house tech for Black Earth’s research campus.”
“Oh, that sounds... cool?”
“No, it doesn’t.” She snorted, and he laughed too. “It is cool, though. It doesn’t sound like it, but I get to play with a lot of amazing tech in between IT work. It’s a good living.”
“It sounds like it’s well suited for you.” Byron said earnestly.
Olivia looked up to see him looking at her very closely, almost as though he was studying her, or reading her story on her skin.
“Yeah.” She responded, shifting to break his gaze. “What about you?”
“I don’t really have a job so much as I have profitable hobbies.”
“Isn’t that a job?”
“In a sense, I guess. A duty, or whatever.” He rolled his eyes. “That was lame. I just enjoy them a lot, so it doesn’t feel like work, and I have a choice in the matter.”
She gave him a quizzical look, which he caught, blushing a little.
“Trust fund.” He mumbled.
She immediately understood, laughing at his reluctance.
“I see how it is.”
“No,” He was blushing even more. “No, no... I just don’t like making people think I’m useless. I do good work, which I’d rather live off of than... that.”
“Wow, rich and financially responsible! You’re a real treasure.” She met his eyes to let him know she was sincere. “Although, you still haven’t told me what you do.”
“Oh, right, sorry. Well, where to start? I do a bunch of public service stuff, good causes, things like that. Most of my time is spent meeting with contacts and helping to secure donations. I also really like robots!”
“What?” The sudden change in topics made Olivia chuckle, bewildered.
“I thought I was starting to sound like a super lame guy so I panicked. I really do like robots, though.”
“You’re not a lame guy.”
The rest of the evening passed in a flash of soft smiles and intense glances. They agreed to meet that weekend for their first real date.
- Writer
