Mitchell
Kaden steps into my office looking more frazzled than I've ever seen him. I won't claim to know the man very well, but he has been as cool as a cucumber every time I've seen him. Throughout the hacking fiasco (it pains me to say we've not caught the perp), he was calm and focused on solving the problem. At his parents' house, there was a flash of something, but he clammed up quite quickly and didn't budge.
"Any leads, Mitch?"
It's a miracle he's finally agreed to call me Mitch. Only took him a month plus.
Turning to face him, I wave my hand at a chair and ask him calmly, "Are you ready to tell me who is stalking you and Sera?"
No answer, then a sigh, "You'll think I'm making things up."
Leaning forward, I say "Try me."
"I'm being haunted by a ghost."
Kaden
I am tired, mentally and physically. My past is firmly kept behind steel doors, only seeping in through my nightmares. Talking to Mitch blew those seals wide open. I feel like I scraped over a healed wound with sandpaper. Going back home is not an option. I won't be able to sleep anyway. So, here I am at the office. I greet the guard at the lobby before taking the elevators to our floor. It's barely evening, but I do not expect anyone there. Our receptionist would have left already. Stepping in through the glass doors, I am struck at the sounds of rustling coming from Dayo's office. Worried that the perpetrator somehow managed to get into our office, I hurry towards the door, picking up a lamp from the corridor, and burst into the room, ready to yell and swing.
Dayo
Cersai Brown is a drug to me. I've always been the playboy type, never staying with a girl long enough to even learn her surname. There have been many girls but none like Cersai.
"Baby, where is your mind? I thought you wanted to show me around your office."
Smiling at my blonde-haired, green-eyed beauty, I cup her face and whisper "I'm just thinking about you. I know we only met recently, but I have fallen for you."
Smiling tenderly at me, her eyes fill with tears as she whispers her love to me too. Overjoyed, I lift her into a deep kiss, and things are beginning to heat up when my office door swings open with Kaden brandishing a lamp.
"What the hell, man?" I scramble to pick my shirt up, grateful that Cersai still has her clothes on.
"Dayo... oh, I did not know you were around." Looking sheepish now, he drops the lamp and avoids all eye contact. "I didn't know you had...company. May I see you in my office for a bit please?" I am about to respond when he spins around and leaves.
"That's Kaden, right? Are you in trouble? He seems very...um, intense."
Giving her a soft peck on the forehead, I smile and shrug, "Yes, he can be intense, but don't worry. We aren't in trouble, and his bark is worse than his bite. Just sit down and make yourself at home. I'll be right back."
Spinning on my heels, I walk to Kaden's office."
"My man...a little warning next..."
"Is this what you've been doing all these weeks, Dee? I have been trying to get a hold of you."
Narrowing my eyes at him, I state "I don't appreciate your tone. I was going to tell you about Cersai but I've been unable to track you down either!"
"That's because I've been up to my eyeballs dealing with this hacker business and Sera..."
"Of course! Sera! Bro, get over it. Yes, she seemed like a lovely girl, but she's all the way back in Germany! You'll definitely find someone else who can deal with your problems. You didn't even ask me about Cersai. She's the best thing that could have happened to me, but you're so...so...anal about everything and so hung up on a girl that might have fucked a dozen other men since you left."
Pain blooms across my cheekbone and I stare in disbelief as Kaden shakes out his hand, before fixing that steely grey gaze on me.
"First, I was worried about you, that's why I kept trying to reach you. Second, who is this Cersai you keep talking about? Where did you meet her? What does she do? More importantly, why is she in our fucking office with you? We just mopped up a ton of break-ins and we still haven't found our suspect. This is not the time to play hooky at work, Dayo."
My jaw and cheek feel like they are on fire, and I belatedly realize what I said about his problems. I open my mouth to apologize when he turns his back on me dismissively and says, "If you put as much effort into Sol as you put into gallivanting about with your flavor of the month, we won't have gotten hacked in the first place would we?"
My mouth closes with an audible snap, and I know I shouldn't say it, but the words spill out anyway. "At least, I have girls willing to gallivant with me. No one wants you, Kaden, not Sera, not any reasonable girl, and not even your parents."
Utter silence. Kaden has gone very still, and I know I should never have said that. We might never speak of it, but I know it's a sore subject for him. Again, I open my mouth to apologize, but with no inflection in his voice, my best friend says "Okay."
That's all. No fight, nothing. Heart aching, I head back to my office.
Cersai is sitting at the edge of the couch. Our office is a rather cozy space, so I'm sure she heard our raised voices.
"Is everything okay? I'm sorry if my presence caused any issues."
Shaking my head at her, I pull her into a tight hug and assure her nothing's her fault.
"Don't worry, Kaden and I have been friends for a long time. We'll sort this out soon. We always do."
Kaden
There's a haze over my eyesight when I leave the office. I shut the door, assuming that Dayo is still there with his ...friend. A sharp pain spears my chest when I think of him, but it's quickly smothered by the coldness enveloping my body. I direct Thomas to drive to Box hill and spend most of the drive on autopilot. I feel cold, and there's only one person who can soothe me right now.
"Uh, Kaden, did something happen with Sera again?"
Eyes snapping up, I'm faced with Sera standing outside, with the arms of a man around her. At first, I'm unable to see who it is, but a passing car sheds some light on blue eyes, blonde hair, and a tall build; Detective Mitchell.