Twenty minutes later, I’m sitting at a back table in a local cafe, trying to feed Cami. She’s too stimulated to eat; every time I nudge the bottle towards her, she just plays with the tip in her mouth, then spits it back out. She’s staring around the cafe with wide eyes, taking in the bright lights and chattering shoppers. I sigh, giving up and setting her back in her stroller just as Jack comes back from the counter, holding a tray laden with food and drinks.
“Here we go. One hot chocolate.” He sets a cup down in front of me, and I stare at it. The mug is as big as a bowl, topped with a snowball of melting whipped cream, sprinkled with mini marshmallows, and drizzled with chocolate sauce. A flake is perched haphazardly on top. My mouth is watering just looking at it.
“I got you the souped-up version,” he explains. “And… ” He pulls a plate off the tray, presenting me with a gooey, warm chocolate chip cookie. “Is it okay? I don’t know what you like—”
I put down Cami’s bottle, break off a massive piece of the cookie, and dunk it in the hot chocolate, practically inhaling it.
“I guess it’s okay,” he laughs, settling in with his own coffee and blueberry muffin.
“Sugar is my weakness,” I admit, licking melted chocolate off my fingers. “Thank you!”
“You deserve it.” He tickles Cami’s cheek. “You’ve been a lifesaver these past few days. I don’t know what the Hell would’ve happened to us, if we didn’t have you to come help us out.”
“I should be thanking you guys. If I’m honest, I really needed the job.”
He leans forward and takes a sugar packet. His arm brushes mine and my skin lights up. “How long have you been unemployed?”
“God. Months. It’s been over a year since I had anything steady.” I reach over to clean Cami’s face. She grabs the napkin and squeezes it between her hands, staring at it like it’s a fascinating new toy. “I used to work for a private nanny company. It was really posh. We had to wear uniforms and give the kids French lessons.”
“Uniforms?” His eyes twinkle.
I snort. “They were hideous. Knee-length grey skirts and wool tights. We even had little hats to wear when we took the kids out to the park.”
“Fancy.”
I nod. “It was a good gig, but it got hit bad by the pandemic. Most people were working at home, so they didn’t need childcare. We pretty much all lost our jobs.”
He frowns. “I’m sorry.”
I shrug. “It was a shitty year for everybody.”
He hums. “The virus only hit a few months after I quit my job to work on game development. Scared the sh—” he glances at Cami, “the, um, heck out of me. Thought I was done for.”
I chew my cookie. “What did you do before?”
“Seb and I both worked at a big software company. I made educational material, and he worked in the finances department. Really boring stuff. In my free time, I developed this little fantasy game, and Seb showed me how to market it on the app store. It got weirdly popular, so I quit my job to work on games full-time. Now we work together. I develop the games, and Seb does the finances and marketing stuff on top of his old job.”
I pull out my phone. “Can I see? What’s it called?”
He hesitates. “The, uh… The Legend of Azaran.”
He looks embarrassed. I’m not sure why. That name sounds sick as Hell. I open up the games store on my phone. “Number eight paid game in the store.” I say, impressed, and download it.
“You really don’t have to—”
“Shh. I’m gaming.”
The menu opens, and an upbeat electronic tune starts playing. The graphics are pixelated and retro, like the old computer games my foster dad Paul used to play. I start a new game, and a scroll unrolls onscreen, announcing that I am on a quest to retrieve a powerful amulet being used by a queen to control her subjects. When I click next, my character pops up standing next to a forest. There’s a wide, rushing river blocking me from entering it. I have an axe and some rope in my inventory.
“I have to build a bridge?” I guess. “Do I cut branches off a tree, or something?”
“Yeah. Kinda obvious, but it’s just to get the player used to the interface.” He leans in closer to show me, and his soft hair brushes the side of my cheek. I feel my mouth dry out as I breathe in his clean-laundry-soap smell. His voice is soft as he makes my character build the bridge, then guides her over the river and into the forest.
“Obviously, you can explore however you’d like, but the first item you’re going to need is by the waterfall,” he says, tapping the screen.
I’m amazed. I was expecting Jack’s game to be one of those addictive, time-wasting games, like Flappy Bird or something; but this is a whole fantasy world that he’s built. “Jack, this is amazing! You do all this yourself?”
“I hire a freelance artist who works on the design aspects. But, yeah. The storyline, the dialogue, and all the programming and engineering is me.”
My character enters a clearing with a waterfall. The music shifts to something soft and dreamy.
“And the music?” I click on a lotus flower floating in the middle of the pool, and it pops up in my inventory.
“I did that, too.” I stare at him. His face colours. “I mean, it’s just chiptune. I don’t need to play any instruments, or anything. I wrote most of these songs on my phone when I was on the Tube.”
“You composed the music?”
“… yes?”
“You’re absolutely incredible,” I say. His blush deepens. He looks down at the table, but I can tell he’s pleased. “Is your next game going to be like this one?”
He nods. “It’s the sequel. And we’ve put a lot of backing into it. We really, really need it to do well.” His brow furrows. “One popular game makes us a fluke. Two makes us a success. We’re really hoping a larger company will pick us up and fund us, so we can do more complex stuff. Like full-out video games. With a full team of artists and developers, a real composer, writers… the stuff we make could be amazing.”
I put my hand on his. “It already is amazing,” I tell him honestly. He looks right back at me, blue eyes darkening. The air hums around us. He’s close enough to kiss, I realise giddily. A week ago, I was sneaking furtive looks at Jack when I met him in the lobby and blushing when he smiled at me in the elevator. And now, I’m sitting at a table with him, our faces just inches apart. I could lean across right now and brush my mouth over his. Nothing is stopping me.
His eyes flicker over my face and my stomach flutters. I tighten my fingers on his.
Cami suddenly gabbles loudly in her stroller, demanding our attention. Jack pulls away, clearing his throat. “She, uh, didn’t eat?”
I settle back in my seat, my face reddening. “Too excited.”
“I’ll have a go.” He carefully picks her up, settling her against his chest, and offers her the bottle. She turns and tries to snuggle into his jumper instead, gumming on the wool.
“You’d better not be going on a diet,” he warns her, giving her a kiss on the forehead. “It will break my heart. You’re the most beautiful girl in the world.”
I watch him try to coax some food into her, my stomach warming.
He’s good with her. Really good. Gentle and patient and kind. The cafe lights shine over his head, burnishing his blonde hair gold and highlighting his cheekbones as he drops kisses down her tiny cheek, trying to distract her enough to slip the bottle in her mouth.
It’s all so unfair. Both Jack and Cyrus already love Cami. They both treat her right. But her real dad won’t even hug her. He threw a tantrum when he found out that she was his daughter.
I watch as she bats the bottle away, then yawns and cuddles up to Jack’s neck.
“Okay,” he says softly, stroking her hair. “Okay, I get it. It’s not food time, it’s nap time.” He settles her more comfortably against him, and her eyes drift shut.
“Are you disappointed?” I ask. “That she’s not yours?”
Jack hesitates, looking down at Cami. Before he can answer, the bell at the entrance to the cafe rings.
“BETHANY SARAH ELLIS,” a deep voice booms. “WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?”
Jack glances over my shoulder and stiffens, his face going hard.
