Simulated Love (2024)

Chapter 1

Elijah

For someone who wasn't an anxious person, my parents sure as hell knew how to bring it out of me.

The last time I saw them was when they came over for dinner at my old place which was a weirdly painted small studio in New York two years ago. I barely had any furniture then and there was a sour smell I could never seem to get rid of.

At first, they were right in saying that going to school to become a writer was a terrible decision and that it wouldn't lead to a sustainable career. Despite graduating with honors from a prestigious school, I had no money, even after I had gotten a job. I barely made enough to get by, but a lot changed in those two years and more was to come. I couldn't wait to not only tell them about my promotion but also surprise my momma with the birthday gift she had always wanted.

I was already running late to the party, which meant that I was gonna have less time to spend with her before my important dinner that night.

Honking cars filled the busy streets as the skyscrapers towered over us with their long shadows on the snowy road. 

I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel as I watched the red light. As soon as it turned green, I was ready to press my gas, but the asshole in front of me was on his fucking phone.

I beeped my horn three times.

"Get the fuck on, dumbass," I shouted.

The dude rolled down his window and looked back at me. He was about to snap until he realized who I was.

"Oh shit. Elijah Hemmings. I was reading your new post about the game Grand Thievery." He turned his phone towards me, and my article was blurry in sight. "I am one of your biggest fans," he said.

"Thanks for reading and supporting me, but I got somewhere to be, so could you please go."

Cars behind us honked and shouted some of the most creative insults I had ever heard.

Once he went, the light immediately turned red. I missed another light.

Fuck!

Long story short, I made it to my parents' house twenty minutes late.

I knocked at the door, and my dad answered.

"Hey, Dad."

He stood over me with an angry expression. "What took you so long?"

"The traffic here is shit. My bad."

"Excuses. You could've taken the train."

I internally rolled my eyes and made my way past him to find my momma. She was sitting at the dining room table talking with my auntie and her friend, Rachel.

"Happy Birthday, Momma," I greeted.

"Thank you," she said. Soon after, she got up to hug me and her embrace comforted me immediately. All of the memories I had shared with her came flooding my mind as the familiar scent of her perfume reached me. 

"This gift better be good since you had us waiting," she said

"I'm pretty sure you'll like it."

She took her gift. "How have you been?"

"I have some exciting news, but I want you to open the gift first."

My momma exchanged looks with my auntie and her friend. "Should I?"

"Yes girl," Rachel said.

"I don't know why she actin' like that," my Auntie Abbie said.

"Okay. Okay. Imma do it."

She opened her gift box, and it was the three-hundred-dollar perfume she had been wanting for a while. She gasped, and so did everyone else in the room.

"Awww snap. I see you, miss thang," my Auntie Abbie exclaimed.

"Elijah," she slapped my arm. "I told you not to get me anything expensive. You know you can't afford shit like this. What's wrong with you?"

I laughed. "It's nothing. I got promoted recently at work. I make double the pay now. I promise it was nothing."

She scoffed. "You're a writer for a magazine company. You aren't making enough as is."

"I am now. I'm the Head Writer and Editor of Game Spotlight Magazine. Also, the CEO of my company invited me out for dinner tonight. He's gonna present me with a big opportunity, I know it."

She handed me back the gift. "Take it back."

"Momma, no. It's your gift. I'm not taking it back."

"I said take it back. Being the head, whatever, isn't enough. It's not like you got promoted in the medical field or at a law firm. You are an amateur writer. I saw the apartment you live in. I saw your billing statements the last time I was over there. You need all the money you can get."

"Do you not pay attention to anything that I have done in the past year? Game Spotlight Magazine is becoming one of the biggest magazine companies in the world and we are constantly evolving and rebranding ourselves to do more than just magazines and blogs. We are hoping to start a YouTube channel and collaborate with film industries to-"

"I don't want to hear that mess, Elijah. Why couldn't you just go to school for what actually matters? You're a smart kid. Graduated high school with straight As and you made us come to New York just so you could be a fucking writer? Be for real right now, Elijah. What happens when the company you work for fails? Magazines are outdated, blogs are stupid, and YouTube is not a stable career. People will always need doctors and lawyers. What you are doing isn't enough. Now, take your gift back and sit down so we can eat."

I slammed her gift on the table. "No. I'm leaving. You can keep the gift."

I walked as fast as I could to the fucking door. My dad annoying ass just had to stand in my way.

"Elijah, don't do this," he muttered.

"Do what? Every time I come over here, you two tell me how disappointed you are in me and my career choices. Yeah, last time I came over here I was struggling, but before I got here, I had someone in the public tell me that they were my biggest fan. I got promoted to head writer and editor. I have over 300,000 followers on social media. I can pay my rent with no problem now and it still isn't enough for you two. I'm done. I'll fucking show you both. Don't come knocking on my door for anything when I make it big."

"Elijah, watch your mouth," my dad said with a shove.

"You guys had no problem kicking me out the first time. So do yourself a favor and move out of my way."

My hands trembled, and I could feel the familiar sting of tears building up in my eyes. The weight of the words, "Move out of my way," felt like a punch to the gut, leaving me feeling weak and vulnerable. I desperately tried to hold back the tears, not wanting to let them see me that way again, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

My dad probably noticed and knowing he wasn't good at comforting anyone, he moved so he wouldn't have to deal with me any further.

With each step towards my car, I could feel the tension in my muscles. The adrenaline that coursed through my veins only fueled my determination, pushing me forward. I needed to use that negative energy for motivation.

When I made it home, I took my shower and got myself ready for my meeting with Dean O'Dowell. Since it was my first time meeting him, I dressed in my finest navy blue suit and complemented it with a grey tie.

I looked at myself in the mirror and told myself that it was my time to show my parents, and myself, that I was right for once. That my decision to follow my dreams was worth it.