The Internship

Chapter 13 - youll find out soon enough

"What the hell is happening to you?" I frowned as I closed Alex's office door behind me.
He glared at me, his cheeks flushed, his hair had fallen in front of his glossed over eyes.
"I al-already t-t-told you to l-leav-ve." He clearly stuttered as he started to hyperventilate.
"No, I can't just walk out. What is wrong?" He sucked in a breath like he was drowning and yanked at his collar.
"Leav-ve!" He yelled at me. I flinched at the raise of volume and anger in his voice. He stared at me desperate as he put all his body weight on his arm The was leaning on his desk. He looked like he was about to faint.
"Just let me help." I walked towards him, his face was full of pain and fear, feeling he was trying so hard to mask. My thumb wiped at a tear that had broken loose on his scarlet cheek. He quickly became rigid and stormed to his bathroom, locking himself in there.
I sat there for over an hour on the other side.
For about the first five minutes his quick short breaths where exchanged for sniffles and the occasional cough, which was then replaced with nothing for the rest of the hour.
"I know your still on the other side." He muttered.
I was quiet still trying to trick him into thinking I wasn't there.
"Your not tricking me, Mrs. Grant, I know you right outside."
"How can you use such a formal name after that whole scene."
He sighed and opened the door. His eyes didn't meet mine as he pushed his way past me and sat down at his desk. He opened his laptop and squinted at the small font- something I noticed he did a lot, it was also a reminder to me that he was older than me.
His hair was back to being perfect, his face looked like it had never blushed, his eyes looked like he hadn't just cried, even his collar on his shirt, his tie, everything was back to normal- perfect normal.
"What? Why are you still here?" He glared up at me. Obviously embarrassed by the scene he had just created.
"If I remember correctly you asked me to come in here."
He sighed and nodded, clicking away at his computer,
"I'm sorry your right." He pulled up a screen and motioned for me to look.
"What would you do?" I was quickly nervous, it was a test. Alex was trying to see if I was a good match for his business. I glanced away from his computer and his eyes met mine, one of his expressive eyebrows was raised waiting for my answer.
"Well I would.." I trailed off staring into the computer screen.
"A-ask you what to do." I mumbled feeling embarrassed.
"You know that wasn't a good answer." He seemed disappointed. Guilt washed over me.
"I would check the codes for an editing problem- if there was one I'd inform the editors they are making mistakes and I'd send it back to get recoded, if it wasn't that I'd move to the next possible problem which could be our connection in our rooter which I would then call up our internet company and figure out a solution from there." My cheeks were red and I shifted uncomfortably.
He stared at me.
"Perfect answer- actually scratch that- beyond perfect answer."
"How old are you?" I blurted out. He frowned.
"What?"
"How old-"
"No I heard you question, I just don't understand the meaning of it."
I was silent.
Then the room fell silent.
"Thirty." He stared at me. I think he knew why I was asking.
"Okay." I mumbled, just as I was about to leave, my hand holding onto the door handle, Alex said something that threw me.
"Next time tell him to find a better hiding place." I whipped my head back and Alex pointed to his neck. Right in the area where my hickey was. His face was emotionless but his eyes held a sense of hurt.
I quickly left his room and went straight to the bathroom.
Only a bit of makeup had rubbed off. Leaving the tiniest discoloured area.
But that wasn't what was on my mind at the moment. It was his age.
I am twenty-one and he's thirty.