Home came a few minutes later. Ortega's door closed behind him. Off went his shoes. He fell on his bed, warm sun rays peeking in from the window. 'Twas evening, but the day still seemed young.
For moments, he lay there staring, blinking, then held his breath as it occurred to him. He was yet to collect his pay for today.
Ortega rolled to his side and covered his face. Shit. Should he go back? Why does this shit always happen? He beat his mattress severally in frustration. Ground his teeth at how easy it was to blame Mae for distracting him. Hated that he was now thinking of her.
He sat up on the edge of his bed and clawed at his hair. What the fuck is wrong with me?
His fists clenched and he exhaled.
Why can't I stop thinking about her? He asked his bandaged hands. Left with no choice, he stood up and paced his room. He needed a distraction. Even though right now he should be resting.
His fingers coiled tightly round his window bars, his face granite behind them. He pulled away and sighed, looking at his door.
The lull had totally diminished, and a headache flared in place. 'Twas a good thing Mae didn't know where he lived.
The sun came down in a slow sensation. Night was fast approaching, and he stopped bothering about going back to collect his pay.
He lay back on his bed now, his head empty.
{Forty-five minutes left to claim daily pay or else all progress will be lost}
Ortega sat up like a bucket of cold water had splashed over him. The damn system did not care about his feelings. He began wishing the screen was actual glass so he could punch and shatter it. He hissed at the throb behind his knuckles when he made a fist.
He dismissed the interface. No way he was going back. He lay on the bed as minutes. passed. Sheets ruffled as he turned and twisted. Whenever his lids got heavy, his heart rate would spike, causing sleep to mercilessly evade. The irony of the loop was the more he forced sleep, the more awake he felt.
He growled, sat up, and popped a painkiller. How much time do I have left? The interface twitched before him;
{Fifteen minutes left to claim daily pay or else all progress will be lost}
Ortega shuffled to his feet and swiftly made out of his apartment. Just as his door closed behind him, his landlord opened his. He literally flew down the stairs and broke into a sprint outside, wearing his shirt as he ran.
At the door of the store, he didn't stop to catch his breath. He pushed it open and met silence.
"Mae?" he called.
Nobody answered and Ortega frowned; the silence was starting to get eerie.
"Mae, where are you? It's me…Ortega," The echoes of his voice replied him. His steps were careful as he made his way around the counter to the backroom. The store was just as he'd left it. Nothing had changed. He swept aside the beaded curtain and whispered,
"Mae?"
There she was. Sitting on the edge of the bed. Already looking at him before he came in. Ortega hissed,
"You're here. Why didn't you answer when I called?"
His tone came out harsher than intended. The corner of his lips twitched, however, when he saw the smile playing across her face. She glistened in the dimly lit space and Ortega found himself torn between two extremes. Anger and relief. She had him so fucking worried. Was this her way of luring him in here? Did she want to fuck him that bad? Was that why she was smiling?
He leaned against the wall and crossed his legs. Her scent filled the air and he pocketed a fist to hide his arousal and swallowed.
Anytime now...
But she didn't call him over like he expected, and she also didn't tell him to leave. Ortega's eyes narrowed. His mouth opened and closed.
Mae's smile was gone in a flash.
"What are you doing here?"
"Don't act like you don't know what you're doing," he ground out. "I want my pay."
Her laugh was humorless, but she dug into her purse nonetheless and counted his money. Before Ortega could take a step forward, she had already flung the stack of cash at him. It scattered about like green confetti.
Ortega's face darkened.
Am I supposed to pick that up?
But time was diminishing so he crouched and picked the note closest to him, then walked around the room and picked up the rest, nearing her bed.
He stood straight now, frowning. The familiar ching of quest completion was yet to ring in his head. Ortega clicked his tongue, understanding why.
He missed a note.
Mae reached into her purse once more and drew out a crisp dollar. She held it out to him between her index and middle finger. Then looked at him and gestured him to collect.
Ortega's hand raised.
Before his fingers could touch the money, however, she released.
The note danced in the air as it fell.
{Ding!}
No—
{Quest failed.}
{…allocating punishment…}
Ortega couldn't focus on the text. Mae sat cross-legged at the edge of the bed, her hands resting by her sides.
On her face was a daring smirk as she nudged down to the dollar resting on her feet.