Zander sat back in the broken down and rugged motel chair, leaning back to relax to de-stress from the long flight back to where it all began. With his laptop open to the prototype, he felt a sense of relief to soon send it off without a hitch. All the numbers and letters were imperative to changing what society knew. Sitting up, his fingers trailed across the keyboard to input code, a bowl, and a box of letters and numbers that no other person would be able to understand. The screen began to flood with all numbers and letters he had put in previously and sighed in relief that the prototype had been operating better than expected. He stood up and turned to look at his reflection in the tall mirror displayed by the cheap makeshift desk. He turned his head from side to side, inspecting his sideburns and the shortcut he received shortly before he got on the plane. He blinked the tired from his eyes before running a hand through his shaggy jet-black hair with the proper product, he had usually kept it spiked and short in the front and combed in the back to one side. He reminisced how his hair used to be an auburn and red color, but decided on black as it fits his personality better. He decided to go on the comfy route and wear his favorite navy blue sweatpants with a plaid red and black polo shirt and his favorite pair of white and red sneakers. For a special occasion such as today, he would not dress so casually but felt it was appropriate for a simple town like Silvergrove where he would eventually call home. He would be considered the new guy full of mystery and no ties to family, only his own to rely on. Both of his parents passed on when he was five years old; a car crash that took both of them during a tropical storm. He knew how important it was to have family, but did not make it a priority as he had always kept to himself. Infinity had become the family and friendly association he had been proud to be a part of something special that he would be able to create more projects as time went on. The prototype had become the project that he would let the world see soon enough. He grabbed a small tea cup and poured some hot water into the cup and bobbed a tea bag inside. Taking a sip, he settled back into the chair as his work seemed to be completed for the moment. Closing his computer, he leaned his head back as the sun began to set in the distance.
Hours passed before he heard a hard pound on the hotel room door. He sat up from the chair and groggily walked to the door, opening it slowly. In that moment, time froze as stared Silas in the face and a dark-haired girl standing silently behind him. She was timid, but didn't seem afraid; her cautious blue eyes had suddenly made him comfortable. Stepping out of the way, he opened the door wider, gesturing them to come in. "Thanks for coming. Would either of you like a cup of tea?"
Juniper nodded. "I would like a cup, please. Interesting accent. Where are you from?"
Zander glanced over to Silas with a teapot in one hand and a cup in the other hand. "Would you like a cup?"
Silas shook his head. "No, thanks."
Zander laughed as he handed Juniper her cup. "I am a German native but was raised in England by my parents before they passed away."
Juniper sat on the bed across from him, crossing her legs and taking a sip, staring into him with empathetic eyes. "I'm sorry to hear that."
Zander nodded in approval before sipping his warm cup. "Silas, are you going to introduce me?"
Silas rolled his eyes. "Juniper, this is my friend Zander. Zander, this is my best friend, Juniper."
Juniper smiled before taking another sip of her tea with a nod. "Nice to meet you, Zander. What brought you here to Silvergrove? How do you know Silas?"
Zander crossed his arms. "We go way back, don't we?"
Silas plopped down next to his best friend, rolling his eyes. His camera flopping around his neck. He initially knew the risk of bringing her here but felt as if his choices were limited and in the back of his mind, reminded him of the urgency to keep his secret. Juniper downed the rest of her cup and handed the empty glass over to Zander, nodding in appreciation before she spoke. "What am I doing here?"
Silas glared in Zander's direction, waiting for an answer. "Well, the way I figure it, any friend of Silas is a friend of mine, eh?"
Juniper scoffed. "I don't think this is how this is going to work. I don't do drama and I have enough energy for the small circle I already have." She stood up and looked down over to Silas. "I need to get to the police station before they close for the day."
Zander bit his bottom lip the moment she stood up. She clenched her coach wallet to her side, unaware he was scanning her body with his eyes; curious what she looked like when she was alone. Her petite figure stumbled him, his body readjusting in his chair. He gazed over her, reading every inch of her body as if he was reading a beautiful love story. Her dark hair flowed along her shoulder freely and he couldn't help but take notice of how much he craved to touch her with his fingertips. Tracing along the outer parts of her body as he was in search of something he'd never seen before. On the inside, he was a pervert. Looks could be deceiving as his outside exterior was strictly a gentleman. It had been quite some time since he had seen a beautiful creature in his line of sight. At that moment, he felt the pull of lust as if he was being led into a vortex. The way her body looked in her tight jeans and tank top made his blood boil like something he had never felt before.
"Zander!" The booming sound of his name pulled him out of his trance, snapping him back into reality.
I want her….
He took a final look at her before taking her hand and placing a kiss on it. "It was nice meeting you, Juniper. I apologize for my rudeness. I am still tired from my flight here, it seems."
She smiled up at him. "It was nice meeting you, too Zander. We'll speak again soon. I must be going, though." She gestured toward the door. "Let's go, Silas." Walking her to the door, he led her out into the hallway. "Wait for me in the car, okay?", he said as he handed her his keys before closing the door behind him gently. Locking it, he turned to his friend, crossing his arms in disgust. "Stay away from her, Zander. She is off-limits to you."
Zander let out a burst of malicious laughter, closing his laptop. "It's a damn shame, to be honest. What would she do to you if she found out what really happened to her family? You and I both know that's a hot piece of ass you have there and I recommend not letting it slip away before you get the chance to finally do something about it." He burst into laughter again, Silas moving swiftly across the room, punching the desk, causing Zander's cup to tip over.
"I said to stay away from her, Zander. She is off-limits to you and to any other man if I have anything to say about it!", he said between his teeth before pulling Zander by his collar. "She has been through enough. Keep your hands, feet, whatever you have away from her." He was fuming and Zander could see the anger in his eyes. Without a second thought, Zander stood up slowly, Silas's grip still holding out as he ripped his hands off his collar, leading him hard into the corner near the door.
"You do not ever threaten me", he snapped at him, smashing his cup against the wall. Holding a sharp edge to his throat. "You do not control this situation. If I want to fucking look at her, I will. If I want to toy with her emotions, I will. If I want to fuck her brains out, I will. I will do whatever I want to with her and there is nothing you can do to stop me. You have a job to do and I suggest you get to it before I kill you. Do I make myself clear?", he snarled through his teeth.
Silas felt tears begin to swell in his eyes as he nodded quickly and gulped hard. "Yes, Sir", he stumbled as Zander let go of him. "Get out of my sight, before I shove this in your neck." Zander sat back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. Silas coughed, holding his neck, breathing heavily. "I want out, Zander.", he said coldly.
Zander rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Excuse me?"
Silas swallowed hard, stepping into his face. "I. Want. Out."
Zander burst into laughter once again. "You have got to be joking. There is no out. You're in for life", he said as he tossed a smartphone to him. "Get your ass back to work. Your numbers are shit and stop this dreaming of being normal. You're not. I am all you've got and I suggest you get your shit back together." Silas inspected the phone for a moment, running his thumb across the screen as it lit up as recognized his fingerprint immediately, displaying "PrototypeO" on the screen with the infinity logo behind it. "It's done?", he spoke softly with a hint of happiness.
Zander spoke intently. "It's just the beta. No guarantee it will work as I have not tested it yet."
Silas slipped the phone into his back pocket, turned, and headed to the door, opening it gently before turning back to his friend, "Do not stay here. We were nearly exposed with you pulling that stunt of yours and in case you need the reminder, I meant what I said. Stay away from Juniper." He walked out in a hurry, letting the door slam behind him.
Zander re-opened his laptop, smiling as his fingers moved along the keyboard quickly. He had plans for her but wanted to toy just a while longer and this would be a good start. He typed in her information, pulling a full background, spotting her phone number in the upper right-hand corner with her address at the bottom. Perfect. His smile widened as he scrolled through the program files and pulled the beta from the downloads, dragging it to the phone icon displayed on his laptop. His laughter could be heard by anyone who would listen when he saw his favorite words displayed across the laptop screen; Successfully Transmitted.
His hands moved behind his head as he let out a sigh of relief, and couldn't help but look into the mirror ahead, a methodical smile displaying across his face as he poured his cup of warm tea. "Welcome to Infinity, Love."