There’s a flash of light as I walk through the doorway, and I find myself standing in my bedroom. The room is dark, and I stumble over some shoes on the floor as I try to find the light switch on the wall. My cell phone is sitting near my computer, charging. When I turn it on, I see that it’s Sunday night. I’d typically either be working or trying to find some party to go to. But I feel so tired from the zombie dungeon I don’t have the energy to do either. So instead, I stagger out of my room and take a hot shower. Feeling refreshed, I walk back to my room to find a note on the door telling me that my mom and Marie are at my tío Ignacio’s house for his daughter’s birthday party. I take the note down with a sigh, knowing I’m going to get an earful from my mom in the morning for missing the party.
Still, I’m really too tired to care much right now. I change into some fresh PJs and crawl into bed. I drift off to sleep, thoughts of Lillian floating through my mind.
Chapter 28
Even though I still feel drained from the weekend in the zombie dungeon, I go back to classes and work Monday. It’s honestly a bit relaxing compared to the tension of surviving in a zombie apocalypse. The food tastes good, the girls on campus are cute, and no one is trying to kill me and eat my brains.
Towards the end of October, Lillian messages me to visit her in her office. I’m a little nervous about the visit since I haven’t spoken to her since we had that great hug. So, I make sure I’ve showered and am wearing my best jeans—The ones that make my butt look really good.
When I call up the port system and connect to Lillian’s office, I spray some cologne, then open the green door connecting our home bases. I walk into her office and find her sitting at her desk typing away on her computer. She’s wearing a long-sleeved striped dress shirt, and her hair is tied back in a ponytail. She has on her business face.
Lillian glances at me and waves to a seat in front of her desk. I take the seat she gestures towards and waits while she finishes working. When she finished typing, the serious expression on her face is replaced with the beautiful smile I’ve come to expect, and she greets me.
“Hey, Anthony. Sorry for making you wait. It’s the end of the month, and I have to get a bunch of paperwork and accounts payable situated.”
The statement reminds me that Lillian isn’t just another pretty face but a smart, intelligent woman running her own business. I try to smile at her back, but I’m suddenly slightly nervous.
“It’s cool. I just finished a shift at work when I got your text.”
She raises an eyebrow as she looks me up and down, “You always work at the convenience store in a dress shirt and jeans?” Her nose twitches as she breathes in. She coughs once, and she waves a hand in front of her nose, “And do you normally wear that much cologne?”
I give myself a quick sniff. I don’t think I put on that much cologne, did I? It was only 5 or 6 spritzes.
Feeling a bit of heat on my cheeks, I shrug and give her a lopsided grin. “Huh, I just wanted to look professional for you.”
A blue screen opens in front of Lillian, and she taps a few buttons. There’s a flash of light, and a ceiling fan appears above us and starts to spin. I can feel a nice breeze and see Lillian breath a literal sigh of relief.
“Well, thanks for trying. The reason I called you in is to ask you to go out with me.”
They say when you’re in a stressful situation your body either goes into a fight or flight response. Well, my body chooses option three, freeze in surprise. While I’d been thinking about what it would be like to date Lillian lately, I’d never thought she’d be the one to ask me out.
There’s a mischievous smile on Lillian’s face as she continues, “Now before you get too many odd ideas, this is purely business. The company was invited to a big Halloween party, and I need a date. The biggest dungeon clearing companies will be there, and it’s a good opportunity to network. John’s busy with his own thing, and I can’t show up alone.”
“Oh, so this is just a work thing?”
I think I see a flash of something in her eyes, but she just nods in confirmation.
“Ok. I’ll go with you. It’ll be a good chance for me to meet more Users.”
Lillian gives me the details of the event. In two days, I’m supposed to meet her here at her office and then we’ll port to the party.
Chapter 29
The next day is a mad search for a Halloween costume. I hadn’t planned on trick or treating this year, so I hadn’t ordered a costume. Now I have to search last minute for something that doesn’t make me look like a total idiot. The Halloween pop up stores that show up yearly aren’t much help. They have plenty of sexy costumes like a sexy nurse, sexy teacher, and even a weirdly specific sexy 3rd shift night janitor costume. They also have plenty of joke costumes, but nothing that wouldn’t make me look like a complete idiot in front of Lillian and all those System Users. Besides Lillian, John, and those kids from the zombie dungeon, I haven’t met any other Users. This Halloween party will be my chance to learn about the community. Besides, I might get to meet a few scantily-costumed ladies too.
There are some decent costumes online, but nothing will be shipped here in time for the party. Oddly, it turns out that my salvation comes from a classmate. Jeff and I are in the same Anthropology class, and we're in the same group for an assignment. Since then, he’s been a class friend. He’s even invited me to a couple of campus parties. When Jeff heard about my predicament, he put feelers out on campus and found a vintage 1972 Bela Lugosi Dracula costume. Bela Lugosi’s Dracula, for me, is the epitome of a classy vampire. The guy wore a tuxedo with a white vest and a badass cape 24/7. Super classy. Unlike the more modern renditions which are moody and sparkly. I mean, who thought it was a great idea to reboot Twilight? I’ve seen the originals, and they were bad enough, but the reboot set the story in space. Yeah, space vampires. Great idea there Hollywood.
Anyways, thanks to Jeff, I’m dressed up as Dracula. My hair is slicked back and Marie helped me put on the dark eyeliner and mascara after she found me in the restroom trying to apply the makeup myself. I kept poking my eye with the makeup tools. After Marie finished, I checked myself out in the mirror and had a newfound appreciation for the art of makeup application.
I activate the portal system, and my bedroom door turns green as I connect with Lillian’s office. There’s a weird pressure in my chest as I step through the green doorway. I’m not sure whether it’s from my nervousness at going out on a date with Lillian or the too tight white vest I’m wearing. Still, the office looks empty as I walk in.
I call out, “Hey Lillian, I’m here.”
I hear a crashing sound from somewhere at the back of the office and remember that the doors at the back lead to separate rooms. One leads to John’s crafting workshop, and another leads to Lillian’s quarters. I make my way to the back of the office and the door I think leads to Lillian’s home. I knock on the door, and the crashing sounds stop.
A faint voice comes from the other side of the door, “Who is it?”
I’m a little confused. Is Lillian expecting someone else tonight? Regardless, I answer, “It’s me, Anthony. Is everything alright? I thought I heard some weird noises.”
I think I hear someone mumble ‘shit.' But the door cracks open. However, it’s not Lillian that comes out but a tall brunette in faded jeans and a bulky grey sweatshirt.
The brunette holds out her hand and introduces herself, “Hello. You must be Anthony. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Heidi, Lillian’s best friend. I came by to help her get ready. She still needs a couple more minutes.”
Oh shit indeed. It’s the best friend. Every guy knows that a lady’s best friend is a serious gatekeeper. If you can get the bestie on your side, your relationship is golden. If the best friend hates you, the whole relationship is doomed.