7. Interview Day - Todd

Ihad no idea what that man was doing or thinking. Saturday would be interesting for sure, but first, I had to get through this interview. I flipped through the shirts in my closet, picking the light blue one that Jax said made the little bit of blue in my hazel eyes stand out. It couldn't hurt. I checked my watch as I put it on. I had twenty minutes, but everything else was ready for the video call. A quick button, then I grabbed my jacket and tie.

Royce's sister had told me about this position where she worked, but it had been Royce who actually got me the interview. He gave me a personal reference, and although I had a few great professional ones from my internships, his carried more weight at Deloitte. Apparently, Royce had been a superstar or something before he left. Maybe it was who you knew? Whatever. I'd take advantage of it if it gave me a good job.

I looked in the mirror one more time. My hairstyle was down-played but still swooped back on top and shorter on the sides. Fashionable, but not outrageous. I hoped it would work. A little ChapStick helped, though I would have liked to add some gloss, but I didn't think that would go over well. I slid my glasses back on, though I didn't need them for computer work and reading. They were for distance, but that mid-range was questionable. And they made me look smarter.

The laptop was set up on the kitchen bar where the light was better. I sat on the bar stool and pulled up the video chat app. The first screen showed you what you looked like. It was too low. I ran to my room and grabbed a few textbooks. After stacking two of them underneath my laptop, I had the right height. It looked good, so I clicked to join.

What gave me more flutters in my stomach? This interview or the thought of spending nearly the whole day with Larry? Ugh! The jury was out. But I stopped thinking about it as soon as the hiring manager came on camera. "Hi, Todd. Nice to meet you." She smiled.

"Same. Hello. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today." I'd studied enough to know what to say and had my resume and notes beside me. Though, as the call went on, I found I hardly needed them. By the time we started talking about my experience and what I could offer the company, I had totally relaxed. And once we hung up, I felt pretty confident about it.

I texted Royce and his sister a thank you note, then tweaked the one I'd already drafted to the hiring manager and sent it off. I had nothing to do after that but obsess over my upcoming date.

My phone dinged with a text, but when I checked it, there were three. One from Royce with a thumbs-up emoji, a nice one from his sister and…one from Larry with his sandwich order. Why did the mundane food request get my heart thumping?

This was getting ridiculous. No. I was not going to jack off to thoughts of him. Again.

I huffed and changed into a T-shirt before turning on my video console and starting up Baldur"s Gate 3. I needed to get into something that would totally distract me.