Cat and Mouse game

Chapter Fourteen

After their emotional conversation yesterday, Elias and Eric didn't say a word to each other. Neither in the morning nor in the car on their way to work did they speak. Eric didn't even turn on any music; they drove in complete silence. Apparently, he was still slightly upset and irritated. Elias also hesitated to speak first, afraid of repeating yesterday's tense dialog and another round of arguments.

When they arrived at the company, Eric went straight to his office. They parted on the stairs after Elias headed to the lab. As he made his way to his workstation, Julia was already there at her desk going through some documents.

"Good morning!" she greeted him cheerfully.

"Yeah, morning," Elias, on the contrary, replied apathetically.

This time, the two scientists were mostly silent, barely talking to each other. Elias spent the whole day with a dejected look on his face, ignoring Julia's attempts to cheer him up. She tried to invite him to lunch, but he immediately refused, saying that he wasn't hungry.

When the workday was almost over, Julia abruptly stood up from her chair and slammed her hands down on the desk.

"I can't take it anymore!" she exclaimed. "What's the matter with you? Why are you so upset today?"

"Eh?" replied Elias, lost in thought. "Oh, everything's fine. Nothing to worry about, really."

His words didn't seem to convince the woman, as his expression continued to show that he was not really okay.

"So, before we head home, you and I are going to have dinner together. Objections are not accepted! If you refuse again, I will be offended," Julia said firmly.

Elias heaved a weighty sigh, but did not make any objections.

When they left the company building, it was quite expected that they saw Eric standing by the car, waiting for his partner. He cast a cold, emotionless glance at them.

With a roll of his eyes, Elias walked over to Raven.

"You can head home without me," he said.

Eric raised his eyebrows in question. He was about to reply, but Julia suddenly intervened in their not yet started dialog.

"Mr. Grant, we're going out for dinner. Would you like to join us?" she asked, smiling brightly.

The woman glanced at Elias, who widened his eyes and shook his head slightly as if saying "No! Don't!" with his entire demeanor. Eric's expression turned thoughtful as he considered Julia's invitation. He did not think long though.

"Hmm, okay, why not?" he eventually agreed. "I'll give you a ride. Just tell me where to go."

"Great!" Julia exclaimed.

Damn was all Elias thought.

Eric politely opened the back door of the car for Julia, as a gentleman should. She nodded gratefully and got in. After going around the car to the front door, he opened it for Elias too. The guy didn't appreciate this gesture and just gave Eric a look of discontent. However, since Eric did not intend to give up and stood there holding the door open, Elias had no other choice but to get into the car silently.

Elias buckled up and turned to the window. He closed his eyes, feeling tired. Whether he was in the car alone with Eric or if there were someone else with them, the uncomfortable atmosphere did not go away.

Listening to some podcast on the radio, they drove to a small Italian restaurant near the city center that Julia had recommended.

The interior of the restaurant was typical of those serving European cuisine: wooden floor, brick walls decorated with small paintings of natural scenes, and white tablecloths on the tables. Against the wall was a rack filled with a collection of wine bottles, their green glass reflecting the dim warm lighting around.