The pair chose to join a setup that already had a few people playing. Kaitlyn wanted to find opponents that would be a good challenge for Elliot and give him some much-needed variety in experience. Besides, what was the point of coming to a tournament if not to play with other people?

  Elliot, for his part, just wanted to see Kaitlyn get beat for once.

  Unfortunately for him, it simply didn't happen. Not without Kaitlyn going quite easy on her opponents. Still, he seemed to enjoy himself quite a bit between routine face-stompings.

  The same held true during the tournaments. Their team struggled during the first round as Kaitlyn worked to adapt to her new situation. Fighting what was essentially a 2v1 every single game was no easy task, after all—especially when Elliot inadvertently turned it into more of a 3v1 with some particularly unexpected moves. However, after shaking the rust off, they breezed through the next few rounds as Kaitlyn almost single-handedly dismantled their opponents. They ended up taking second, only just failing to take down ZoggyWoggy and his teammate.

  I think we could take them next time. Especially if I work with Elliot a bit more, get us to manage something like actual teamwork? They wouldn't stand a chance.

  She'd taken great pains to ensure that Elliot didn't feel useless or bored by the whole endeavor. But her worries proved unfounded. As he put it, “I don't mind being on the winning side once in a while. Besides, it's great dodging practice.”

  After finishing up singles—which she won, obviously—they headed out to grab a bite at one of the other food places on campus. The whole ordeal had left them both starving, and the prize money presented a perfect excuse to eat something besides Cappy's. Not that Kaitlyn needed one.

  “So... what did you think?”

  Elliot stretched toward the blue sky above, the motion exposing just the slightest bit of his abs. “Honestly? My neck is killing me. I think those guys' bad posture rubbed off on me. Other than that, though... I had a lot of fun.”

  Kaitlyn grinned. “Good! You did way better than I expected, actually. Two wins at your first tournament is no joke.”

  “Mmm. Guess I've got my sparring partner to thank for that.” He shot her a look. “I knew you were good, but I suppose I didn't realize how good. Congrats.”

  She waved him off. “Thanks, but it's no big deal. I was just here to have fun."

  “You realize how condescending that sounds, right?”

  “...Oh, yeah. Whoops.”

  Elliot just chuckled as she flushed with embarrassment. “Still, I'm surprised. You seemed pretty tense there for a bit. I thought you might've been nervous about doing well, but seeing how you play... that didn't seem like the case.”

  Her shoulders stiffened. Looking over, she saw that Elliot wasn't looking at her like she'd expected. Instead, his gaze was directed toward the paved path before them, as though he didn't actually care much about her response.

  ...No, it's not that. He definitely wants to know what was up. But he's giving me space in case I don't want to say.

  The gesture felt like such a small thing, yet she appreciated it nonetheless. Enough that she found herself answering.

  “...Yeah. It's… I've got some baggage when it comes to tournaments."

  "Bad experience?"

  "No, not exactly. I just…" A sigh escaped her lips as she considered how exactly to explain. "...It's more that I have too many good memories there. Nostalgic ones. People and things that I can't exactly go back to. I know it sounds weird, but… it's almost worse. I thought I left them behind, got a little bit of closure, but…"

  At her apologetic shrug, Elliot tilted his head. "Then why'd you want to come? You could've said no."

  "I guess. But I don't like running away from things like that. If I've still got hangups, it's better to find out and work through them, right?"

  "I suppose. Assuming you can." His expression turned to a rueful smile. "I know plenty of people who think running away is a perfectly viable long-term solution."

  Kaitlyn chuckled darkly. "Yeah, well, not for me. Trust me. I've tried."

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  Too many times.

  They walked on in silence for a while longer, the heaviness of the subject leaving both of them to ruminate in their own thoughts. Birds occasionally chirped among the towering oaks, flitting among the mostly-green foliage while students walked below. Eventually, the ginger broke the silence to speak again.

  "For what it's worth, I think you're handling it well."

  Kaitlyn shook her head with a wry grin. "You say that, but I couldn't have been that good. You obviously noticed something was up."

  "Yeah, but that's just me. I've always had a sense for this kind of stuff," he shrugged off the rebuttal. "I doubt anyone else did."

  Yeah, I know you do. It's absolutely bitten me before.

  She kept that thought to herself. "That's also not saying much. From my experience, the Bash Bros crowd aren't usually the most insightful about that kind of stuff. Some of them can be, sure. But I'm also a total stranger there, so…"

  "Eh, take it or leave it. But I'm just saying. The fact that you were willing to go and actually enjoyed yourself in spite of those memories… I don't think you give yourself enough credit. You seem like you've got things pretty well in hand."

  Kaitlyn turned to look at him. Elliot's demeanor was as relaxed as ever, his flannel flapping loosely in the gentle breeze as they walked. Yet despite that, his words felt anything but. They felt… weighty. Genuine in a way she hadn't entirely expected. They didn't feel like empty assurances. Rather, they made her feel like he actually saw her, saw what she was going through.

  That's probably just wishful thinking, though. I certainly don't feel like I have everything together. I feel like I'm a mess. And besides… my situation isn't exactly a relatable one.

  "Thanks, Elliot."

  "Sure." He quirked a smile, breaking the momentary spell. "Thanks for carrying me through doubles. Maybe with a little more practice, you'll be able to get first."

  "Don't you mean 'we'?"

  "I said what I said."

  ***

  Kaitlyn leaned back in her chair as she eyed her code. Across one of the other monitors scrolled a series of graphs, while the third contained lines of documentation she'd been referencing for the past couple of hours.

  …I think it's working. At least, these tests aren't giving me any trouble. There are a few more edge cases that I might need to check on, though… But not right now.

  Despite what she'd initially feared, her stint at John Avenue Capital had continued to go quite well. Not only had the onboarding process proven to be quite quick and painless, but her actual work continued to be challenging and varied enough to keep her on her toes. At times it ventured into the realm of being too interesting. There were just so many different projects going that she sometimes struggled to focus on just her own. The startup-like environment remained in constant flux, too, resulting in even more opportunities. Yet even that wasn't a real bother.

  I'd much rather that than stagnation. At least it means that future loops might have more surprises in store. Or at least different projects and paths I can explore.

  Assuming she came back, of course. The issue of spending all this money still lingered over her. But as the days went on, her guilt on that front became just a little bit more manageable. That, and she found more varied ways to spend it.

  With a final tap, she pushed the latest version of her code and sighed. That was one thing off her to-do list. Though with how quickly people tended to review this stuff, it wouldn't be long before she had additional tweaks and adjustments to make. Still, that wouldn't happen tonight.

  Her attention turned over to her messages and emails. It was getting near the end of the day, so starting another huge task was off the table until tomorrow. Unless there was something urgent that required her immediate attention, she might just log off a little early and get an early start on her Kate's Kitchen prep. Maybe she'd also grab a quick snack or something.

  Skimming through the company chats and her private messages revealed nothing that involved her personally. A few updates would affect her work tomorrow, but nothing too pressing. Same thing with her emails.

  Just as she got ready to log off, one final email popped up in her inbox. She shot an accusatory glare at the notification. Really? You couldn't have done this a little earlier when I was actually checking everything? Rude…

  Shaking her head in dismay, she relented and opened it. Luckily, the contents had nothing to do with her actual work. But they did send her eyebrows crawling up her forehead nonetheless.

  Hi all,

  As the end of the year fast approaches, we wanted to thank you all for all your hard work in making it another incredible one. We truly believe we have some of the best employees on the planet, and you manage to prove it every day.

  As a token of our appreciation, we'd like to invite you to our Third Annual Company Party! This year, we're hosting a black tie event at The Meridian Tower Rooftop on Friday, November 19th at 4 PM. All employees are strongly encouraged to attend and join in the festivities. As always, food and drink will be provided. All you need to bring is yourself (and a plus one if you'd like).

  Please note that this will be a formal event, so be sure to dress accordingly. If you will be available to join us, please RSVP using this link.

  We look forward to seeing you all soon! As always, please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

  Best regards,

  Alana Hurton

  Office Coordinator

  John Avenue Capital