Aiden had gone to the convenience store across the street to get a candy bar that would help fuel him as he worked after-hours sifting through files he lifted off of some of the company executives' computers on Aaron's orders.
He was well paid for his efforts but he would still rather be playing his favorite MMORPG; his in-game wife, Nova Lundstrom, was beautiful and had a great sense of humor.
Unfortunately, she also lived in Sweden. They video chatted from time to time but there didn't seem to be a real future between them since Aiden was a New Yorker for life.
Love was on his mind as he headed back to his apartment but he certainly hadn't expected to run into his boss' love in the arms of another man in the elevator.
He may have acted a bit defensively but he felt sorry for Aaron. The poor guy was obsessed with Keeley Hall and she didn't seem to give him the time of day.
Although…that shirt she was wearing looked awfully familiar. Aiden was willing to bet his entire game inventory that it was Aaron's—he was pretty sure he saw him wear it a week ago.
If she spent the night at Aaron's place, how on earth did she end up with another guy now?
He offered to take her off the guy's hands and he seemed relieved, which meant he probably wasn't super close with Keeley.
This may have even been the first time she let her guard down with him and he didn't know how to handle it. That might be good news for Aiden's boss; they didn't appear to be dating.
After leaving her to her own apartment, Aiden debated whether or not he should report in about this. It wasn't really his business and Aaron would be royally pissed…he didn't want to experience a case of shooting the messenger. Letting this slide would be in his best interest.
It was a shame, really. Aaron cared so much and Keeley didn't seem to care at all. He had been in a terrible mood at work during the week between encountering her again at the coffee shop and yesterday.
Aiden certainly wanted to hear that juicy gossip from the horse's mouth; Aaron had been on his version of cloud nine all day in the office.
His expression was slightly softer and the temperature surrounding him rose drastically. Everyone had been whispering about it. They had never seen him in such a state before.
===
The cafeteria inside Hale Investments' office building was one of the better ones in the city so hardly anyone packed their own lunch. It was also a great place to gossip because none of the higher ups ever ate there, preferring to eat out in one of the many upscale restaurants nearby.
Aiden frantically flagged down his coworker when he saw him exit the line with his food. "Cam! Cameron Singleton! Get over here!"
"I am the head of the analyst department; don't call me Cam where other people can hear it," he said grumpily as he set his tray down.
They met two years ago when Aiden graduated from high school and was able to join the company but Cameron had long heard of the infamous Anomaly that Aaron frequently mentioned.
He hadn't expected a genius hacker to be a fresh-faced kid! But that kid was brilliant and knew how to push Aaron's buttons; Cameron liked him immediately.
Aaron's secret weapons normally ate lunch together anyway so nobody batted an eye when Aiden summoned him so loudly. Neither of them really fit in with the corporate culture here though they did their jobs well.
"You look like you have interesting news to share," Cameron noted.
Aiden's eyes sparkled. He couldn't wait to get his friend's take on the latest Keeley drama. "I do! Remember how the boss was in a really good mood yesterday?"
"Yeah, it was a bit frightening to be honest. Are you telling me you know why?" Cameron asked with interest before taking a bite of his lunch.
He lowered his voice and leaned forward conspiratorially, gesturing with his hands for dramatic effect.
"His woman spent the night at his house. She lives across the hall from me and I saw her wearing the shirt he wore to the shareholder's meeting the other day!"
Cameron laughed and shook his head in disbelief, waving his fork around as a piece of chicken was stuck to it.
"Not possible. Aaron Hale doesn't experience regular human emotions; there's no way he could be in love with someone, let alone get to fourth base with her. He's like a money-making robot."
Oh, the things he didn't know! Aiden knew better than anyone how much of a sucker their boss was for love but he could see how somebody who hadn't seen what he had would have a hard time believing it.
He wouldn't believe it himself if he hadn't dealt with Aaron asking him to check up on Keeley on a regular basis for the past six years. The man needed Keeley like he needed air to breathe. It would have been funny seeing such a proud, aloof man be that mushy if it wasn't so sad.
"I'm telling you, he has it bad—he's been in love with her since high school but she wouldn't give him the time of day," Aiden insisted.
"I've worked for him since my freshman year and in that time you wouldn't believe the things I've seen him do. The only reason he's even trying so hard to take over the company is so he can protect her from the CEO."
Cameron's skepticism was obvious. He tapped his fork against his lunch tray.
"What kind of goddess could inspire that kind of devotion from the Ice King? Is she Miss America or something?"
He snorted so hard that pasta sauce came out of his nose. That really hurt! Aiden wiped it away and shook his head.
"She's one of the most normal, down-to-earth people you'd ever meet. I have no idea why Aaron is so obsessed with her."
"I won't believe you without proof."
Aiden opened his Facebook app and went to Keeley's page, clicking on her profile picture. "See for yourself."
It was a tilted selfie with a graffiti covered wall in the background. The lighting brought out the gold flecks in her brown eyes and her smile rivaled the sunshine glinting off of her trendy haircut.
Tons of people's profile pictures looked very similar; she was pretty but average as could be.