Modern Secretary

Alex removed the last shirt from his last box, hanging it in a closet with the last of his mismatched hangers. It was official now, he was moved it. He turned to the bay window in his bedroom. It made up almost the entirety of his exterior wall and gave a beautiful view of the forest preserve below. It's why he purchased this home.

A perfect piece of paradise, a place close to the city but far away from society. The best of both worlds, minus the association and taxes. But Alex didn't think about that, he thought instead about new beginnings. About how this home crested a chapter of his life that he never thought he'd be able to achieve.

A time of peace and stillness.

Alex had to count himself lucky, it was a life most would only dream of living. Success had found him, or rather, he had found success, even if it was a little later than he had hoped. Alex was not the successful twenty-something he had dreamed of becoming, he was the mid-thirties bachelor who had worked too hard and drank too much to get where he was. More importantly, he was there alone.

The isolation stung, but that was the cost of going freelance, it was the necessary sacrifice he had to make. His loneliness was a small price to gain freedom from the corporate machine. While his colleagues still toiled away under their Corporate Lords, Alex could pick and choose when and where he worked. What's more, he could afford to not work if he decided that was best. That was real freedom, but the irony was Alex would never cash in that check. He was too bound to his work, the drive for success meant too much to him. For all his self-talk about being free from the system, Alex was not really so different from his colleagues.

Lost in thought, Alex walked down to the living room, his bare feet sticking to the brand-new wooden floors. Real wood was pricy, but Alex insisted they be installed as it reminded him of his childhood off-world. He stopped in the living room. It was oversized for just one man, the whole house was oversized for him. He was used to the small apartments he'd spent most of his life in. The wall-to-wall lifestyle that was so common amongst the countless serfs he shared life with. Once, he had three roommates in a single-room flat. The three of them barely being able to afford the fluctuating rent each month. He smiled as he recalled the countless sleepless nights they shared together, writing code and AI algorithms they were convinced would change the world.

Life took them their separate ways, life consumed one of them whole. Alex could not be sure what happened to the other. The world of Mega Corporations was brutal, and most would live and die on dreams. Alex was the survivor's bias.

Alex moved to his kitchen and opened up his oversized refrigerator to grab a beer. As he did, there was a wrap on the door. Absent-mindedly, Alex went to open it, surprised when a familiar face greeted him.

"Hello, Alex!" It was Sarah, and Sarah was vulpine. A species once considered greater than humans, vulpine had become little more than playthings that the richest desired, traded, and envied.

But to Alex, Sarah was much more than a prize. She was his closest friend, one who had lived with him during the first famines, someone who had immigrated back to earth with him as New Earth Three's atmosphere collapsed.

He became lost in her blue eyes. Familiar old feelings began to well up inside him, Alex hated how her presence froze him in place.

"Haven't heard from you in a while," Sarah said gently.

"I guess... I got a little busy. You shouldn't be here." Alex said. She gave him a dismissive wave.

"Whos going to stop me? It's not every day a human move to these parts, so I couldn't help but say hello." She peeked into his home. "Wow, you really updated it huh?"

"Yeah, I figured if I was going to set roots down for a while, might as well make it nice."

"So I take it the tech field is going well?" Sarah asked, still peering inside Alex's space.

"Very," Alex replied. He wanted to say more, to gloat about the success he had found with his flagship AI, but the better parts of himself restrained that desire. For Sarah especially, he wanted to make a good impression, and it seemed he had succeeded. Sarah smiled coyly.

"We miss you at the office." She said playfully. There was a heat to her words, Alex felt his heart race as his eyes inspected Sarah's chest. He tried to make it quick, but Sarah caught it and perked up her breasts in response. Alex's eyes shot back to hers before he cleared his throat.

"I doubt people miss me that much, I can think of a few who were happy to see me go," Alex said.

"Oh stop being dramatic. You had one manager who didn't like you, and that's because you refused to do overtime, and it looks like it was worth it... Are you going to invite me in or not?" Sarah asked, taking a step into his door frame, her golden tail swishing back and forth as she did so.

A sign of excitement. At least, that's what Alex had read, though he knew tail signals were different depending on the vulpine.

"I'm alone, Sarah," Alex said as she stepped into the door. Only inches from him now.

"I know…" Sarah replied. She looked up at Alex, and placed a hand on his chest, pushing him back gently so she could enter, closing the door behind her once they were both inside. Alex stepped back, but not far enough to break the tension between them.

"We… probably shouldn't do this," Alex said, feeling his cheeks blush as Sarah let out a playful laugh and walked over to his couch. She seemed right at home, weaving between his unpacked boxes and dropping herself gracefully among his pillows and clothes.

The sun was setting behind her, making her blonde ears and hair appear golden. She wore tight blue jeans with an even tighter black shirt. She stared at Alex with a coy smile as he casually walked closer to the couch.

"Won't you sit?" She asked, patting a cushion next to her.

"I probably shouldn't."

"Why not?"

"Sarah… you're dating someone…" Alex replied. "It wouldn't be right…"

"Oh… you didn't hear then?" Sarah asked as she played with some of the fringes on the couch's throw pillow.

"I guess I didn't."

"We broke up, Paul and I," Sarah said, looking over at Alex and smiling.

"Really? Sorry to hear that. Seemed like you two were a good match," Alex said. Sarah nodded in response.

"Things sometimes don't work out, at least, we didn't. He started growing distant and then... we decided it was best we both move on." As Sarah spoke, Alex could hear a tinge of pain still in her voice. It helped him choose his next words.

"How long ago was it?"

"I guess… two months? Time really does fly. I can't believe you've been gone three already, I also can't believe how little we've seen you," Sarah said, quickly rebounding from her melancholy. "How little… I've seen you."

"Like I said, things got busy," Alex replied, his eyes beginning to dart around Sarah's body once again. She noticed.

"Won't you sit with me, Alex?"

"Two months isn't a lot of time, Sarah."

"It was enough for me," Sarah replied. They went silent for a moment, and Alex cleared his throat.

He and Sarah had always had a dynamic about them. There was always an air of tension. He laughed at her quick jokes, she seemed to be able to finish his sentences, and in what ways they disagreed, it was healthy. Alex knew that had they met under different circumstances, his future might look very different now. But Sarah had been a friend for so long, and for as long as Alex had known her, she had been in a relationship, and so had he.

"I guess… it wasn't enough time for me." He said quietly. Sarah sat up, looking at Alex with compassion.

"I'm sorry, Alex. I was trying to be playful… maybe you're right? Maybe I'm not really over my own thing, and I didn't even think about how you might feel about Chloe."

Alex felt a twinge of pain at the name, but waved Sarah off gracefully. "It's alright Sarah. I just… I guess I thought taking the plunge into the freelance world would give me the fresh start I needed, you know? But instead… it just highlighted the emptiness. I bought this house thinking… I don't know what, maybe it'd help me find a better future? But it's just more empty space, and my mind can't fill it."

Sarah nodded standing up from the couch. Her tail gently swayed as she walked toward Alex. She got close, but it was different this time. Sarah was his friend, and Alex was hers. There was vulnerability between them, a shared pain. Years of turmoil and struggle between them. As always, Sarah made him feel safe.

"Have you tried reaching out to her?"

"No, I would never. Not in a million years.," Alex said with a scoff. "At least she was decent enough to leave me be."

Sarah nodded, her hand seeking Alex's.

"So… you're not… we're not..."

"I just need more time. But I'm happy you're in my life. You know that."

Sarah nodded, looking down as her hand stopped right before Alex's.

"I guess… I need time too," She said with a sigh, before looking into Alex's eyes. Her gaze was intoxicating, and Alex knew she could have him right now if she wanted. All it would take was a kiss. But Sarah touched his shoulder and walked to the door. "You better not be a stranger anymore, Alex."

"I won't be," Alex said. Though he did not realize how true that statement would be.