Kat was scared. Like everyone else, she knows that whatever hides in the dark is nothing good. If he didn't talk she would have screamed her lungs out. Guess watching horror movies does make one more afraid than otherwise.
"You scared me. What are you doing here this late,? I know you should be gone by now.
I saw you leave like hours ago. Was that a front to like kill me? Where will you dispose the body?", she said to the shadow as it emerged revealing Raj.
"Damn YouTube. I wanted to watch a video there, ended up watching the whole catalog", he busted. That's the loudest she had heard from him. He never uses swear words.
"What kind? Music?", She was making her way halfway to him. They stood next to each other - Kat looking at her phone while Raj was lost on his.
He tapped her shoulder then pointed at the post before walking there and leaning towards it. She followed him back.
"Yes, music. Why are you late?", He replied with a question. It was way past working hours, maybe no one should have the right answer to justify their stay.
Kat locked her phone giving him fill attention, "Double work is stressing, I don't have to brag to you. Aren't you guys doing like something all day?"
"Yeah, we tend to work for long hours. You will be getting better by the day, wait for it", he said casually.
She never thought he would sound that charming. Looking back at it maybe there was something in between them. Although too early to tell she knew it was friendship.
She noted, "You're vocal at night, are you an animal?",she laughed making him put his phone away as well.
"Maybe", coldly replied Raj.
"I would kill to have you guys talk that much for entire day,. I do get where you come from though"
"You do? How so?", He questioned.
"You spend most time on your laptop making you like antisocial", she stereotyped him. That was not hurtful at all, people call his kind way worse. Hers was kindness.
"We are social, that's how I get to know people like you.
Anyway I'll be leaving", he defended his type . He made way towards his car
"See you tomorrow", she said waving. Her Uber would be taking a while, she wished that he stayed with her a little longer. Maybe they would have got to know each other better.
She is easygoing and charismatic, which can't be said about Raj or most of GPLAy employees. They tend to be really basic and hardest to make friends with - his department mainly.
"Have a great night", he replied.
He drove by her on his way out. He knew how long she had to wait for the Uber. Although not willing to, he found his mouth running saying," I can give you a lift if you want to, waiting tends to be hard,"
"A lift,? (She smiled) how generous of you? How do you know which way I go?I hate cozying up in stranger's car- have you watched any scary movie?"
"Sure.Saw you before", he replied.
"All I hear from you is sure. Really, where?", She was astonished.
"Around your block", he revealed.
She couldn't believe it, no one knows where she lives. He must be wrong about it. Did he know her place? Did everybody else at GPLAy? A beautiful night was turning into a nightmare. "You're fucking with me, right? I mean kidding", she elaborated.
"Sure. No. I know where you live", he replied.
If lying or not she would take his lift. She had to know how accurate he was- if at all. And more so, know all about her creepy-stalker kind of colleague. She hates surprises , that one was hella huge.
He wanted for her to sit next to him for creepy or not reasons. She also wanted to see the world from his point of view, she hardly gets to sit in the front. Even when she was with her family and having all kinds of cars. She never likes driving.
××××
Ten minutes down the line, she stared a conversation. She had waited for him to say anything but he wasn't going to . Still can't figure out what's wrong with computer guys and conversation.
"Can you please keep it a secret? Of course if you are sure you know",she expressed her doubts. Only time would tell.
He didn't look at her but straight ahead. He then opened his mouth and said.
"Fine. I come from the furthest here, they all know that", he said. Totally anticonvulsant - killing it
"Why? Why not rent a place closer to the office?", She investigated. If he knew about her, the least he would do was to share. She still was uncomfortable talking about her place with one of the fanciest guys from GPLAy. He was like fourth in line from Gunn, his wife/assistant and Allen - the head of development team. An ice.
"I like driving back and forth, kinda makes my day worth it", he explained. That was not the kind of answer she was expecting but it was his to tell. She either was to agree or agree to disagree.
"That's not adequate excuse for a grownup like you. Do you live with your family?", The word family still makes her guts hurt. She hates thinking about hers as they are the cruelest. Only her parents cared about her. The rest were pretenders.
She had to get back to the present before she became responsible for killing the conversation like he does. She was supposed to be the rock on which it was built.
"Sure, you're asking too much", he replied. She hardly heard him buy went on to speculate on his situation. It was only fair that he said yes. No other viable answer, unless he was to say that he is married.
"Mama's boy always stays close to the family no matter what, am I right? (Dead silence) It's your turn then, ask anything about my life. What do you want to know?", She reciprocated the conversation.
"Nothing",he did his due again. He was the hardest to talk to. She can only imagine how difficult it is with the colder ones. He fears for the girls who will end up with them.
"Nothing? How rude of you Mr ", she asked jokingly. She would be toying with him back in the office - if he lets her. Only makes her work feel threatened when she tries to make the place lovely. Him and his friends hates fun, she is sure of that.
"I already know your place and name, what else should I know?",he answered.
"My full name? If I do have a family.. Anything else about me. That is what socializing entails", she said it as the smartass she is. He is technically brighter than her in terms of computer science but else she is rocking it.
"I know that already, we went to the same highschool", he dropped the bomb. He must have been lying.
He shocked her, classmates? ,"Go to hell! You're lying, right?"
"I was your senior"
"I knew them all, I don't recall you though"
"I wasn't popular", that might have been true. It's not like she knew losers- who does?
"Was it the reason you gave me the job? ",,She was hoping to get a no. Knowing she was favored only meant that she wasn't fit , that's demeaning.
"Partly, I think you can do it well as anybody else", he was rational. Something he had never been since they met at GPLAy's conference room
"Thanks my guardian angel. I just hope I knew before, I'll buy you coffee tomorrow", she said partly sarcastic.
"Why?"
"As a gesture?"
"You don't have to"
"But I wanna"
"I'm barely responsible for you ever again, just make sure you don't give me reason to demote you"
"Like seriously? Jesus! Here I thought finally I have got a male friend. Those ones are rare"
"Why?"
"Because guys and girls never mix without throwing a condition in between.", He ignored the sentiment. He knew perfectly fine that he was in for something as well. Why else did he ask for her number and even pay for it,?
He hoped that she saw it for what it was. That would take away his embarrassment if any and improve their closeness before she was too lost in seeking Gunn's attention.
"We are here",he said instead.
She saw her block, he was right after all. She would be doing some digging on him to make sure that he was not a creep- they are cheap this days.
"Well noted. Quiet guys are better at keeping secrets than anyone else, hope you are",she joked again. He didn't smile but a faded one was just about right. She could already see a relationship with him.
She was getting free rides while she kept gave him something to talk about. They were keeping each other company. She saw it for what it seemed like rather than what he wanted it to be.
"Sure",he replied.
"From tomorrow you call me Kat, by my name. I'll call you whatever you want, right friend?",she shouted.
"I am not, not your friend",he said coldly but breaking the icy face a bit.
She stole lyrics from a song she knows, "Or anything you dumb.
Drive safe, hate to hear news of accident near my location. I'll look into the validity of what you said. I don't remember you in my school",she guaranteed her digging. He wasn't gonna let that happen before they became a thing. She was his right kind of a girl.
As he drove away she was making it her job to dig into Raj or whoever his name was. The truth would be revealed soon enough. She might have hoped for it to be true. Did she want to give their friendship a go?
Maybe she had to aim lower than Gunn. He was not her kind of guy anyway, too beautiful and rich. He can be her hoss as it was meant to be. That was her mind.