Love Bytes And Gossip (Insurance Of The Heart #2)

Chapter One

Hannah

Amidst the noise of the busy café, the barista hands us our orders, calling out, “I have an iced caramel latte for Hannah, and a flat white on oat milk for Hirim.”

Swiftly manoeuvring through the packed café, I make my way to the condiments station and start stirring my iced latte. It bothers me that they never bother mixing it, as if anyone would enjoy milk only at the bottom and espresso only on top in their iced latte.

Hirim murmurs under his breath, trying not to be overheard by anyone from our office, and pulls me out of my thoughts. “Do you ever notice how he consistently tips the staff when he orders?”

I look over at the register and observe the lean, muscular guy with dirty blonde curls ordering coffee. It’s Jeremy, the I.T. guy.

I find it unbelievable that he works in I.T., considering how good looking he is. He has a unique blend of sun-kissed tan and dirty blonde curls that defy the stereotypical computer nerd look.

“I can honestly say I’ve never paid attention,” I quietly reply as we exit the café, making our way to the office.

“How haven’t you noticed?” With his deep, caramel skin, he scoffs and raises a dark brow. “He’s probably the only person in Australia who ever tips people.”

“I don’t know,” I defensively say, brushing aside a lock of my wine-red hair. “I suppose I just don’t pay him much attention.”

We both know it’s a lie. I simply don’t want to have another conversation with Hirim about getting back on the market after my breakup with Clae.

It’s been about four months since the breakup, and I am just beginning to heal and work on myself. However, things got complicated over the weekend when I ended up sleeping with Clae after a night of drinking with my roommate.

Learning about my friend Ruby’s engagement left me feeling jealous and insecure, and under the influence of alcohol, I ended up running into Clae and things escalated from there.

I have to take every measure to ensure Hirim remains unaware of my error because he has a strong dislike for Clae, and I want to avoid any unnecessary conflict. Hirim is head over heels in love with his boyfriend, Tim, and relishes the chance to be a matchmaker.

I have no intention of seeing Clae again—or at least, I hope I won’t.

As we enter the office five minutes later, Hirim reminds me about our lunch date with our friend, Ruby. We have plans to commemorate her recent engagement by going out for lunch as a trio.

Hirim and I part ways as I head to my desk on the opposite side of the office. Both of us have been Sales Representatives in Health Insurance at BHI for the past four years. Ruby used to work as a Sales Representative with us until she got promoted to Team Leader in our Marketing department a year ago.

When I arrive at my desk, I greet my nearby teammates with a quick good morning, then start unpacking and logging into my laptop.

My laptop that won’t power on.

Even after multiple attempts to turn it on again, the laptop screen stays black.

I try unplugging and plugging back in the power cord and give my laptop another try at booting up.

Nothing.

“Fuck sake,” I mutter under my breath.

I let out a deep breath, lower myself to my knees, and maneuver under the desk, despite the challenge of wearing a pencil skirt. I search for the cords linking the computer screens and power cord, taking care to wiggle them to confirm they are still connected. I emerge from under the desk, fix my outfit, and make another attempt to turn on my laptop.

The screen remains black.

“This isn’t the way I want to kick off my Monday morning,” I grumble while on my way to find the I.T. guy, praying he’s already in the office and not still at the café downstairs.

As I arrive, he’s not at his desk.

“Just my luck, he’s never around when I need him,” I mutter.

“Are you referring to me?” a husky voice suddenly asks behind me, causing my heart to seize.

Startled, I spin around to face the I.T. guy. “You can’t just sneak up on people like that,” I say, clutching my chest dramatically. I’m too occupied to determine if my cheeks are red, but I know my heart is pounding because of the embarrassment.

“Sorry,” he says, his sheepish expression lighting up his bright, blue eyes .

He really is gorgeous.

“How can I assist you this morning, Hannah?” His lips twitch into a subtle smile as he asks with feigned enthusiasm.

His voice is too upbeat for a Monday morning.

“My computer doesn’t want to cooperate this morning,” I say hesitantly.

Politely, he nods and says, “Sure, show me to your desk.”

I’m glad he doesn’t ask if I tried the classic “turn it off and on again,” like our last I.T. guy always did. It used to bug me. I spin and head back to my desk, with the I.T. guy following closely. It’s super irritating how he nods and waves to everyone who calls out, “Hey, Jere.” He’s only been here for three months, and has already gotten to know everyone on this floor.

When we return to my desk, I weakly inform him, “I already attempted to check the cords under the desk, but it didn’t solve the issue.”

“Sure,” he says, throat bobbing against his tanned skin. “You mind if I take a look at your laptop?”

“Please,” I say, taking a few deep gulps of my coffee. He leans in, his long, tanned fingers fiddling with the keys on my laptop. The screen instantly illuminates.

Ohh, come on.

Of course, it starts working the second the I.T. guy lays hands on it.

Jeremy straightens his back and shifts his gaze towards me. Amongst his deep tan and dirty blonde curls, his eyes stand out with a piercing blue. “Looks like it’s working fine,” he says and I’m grateful that he doesn’t berate me for wasting his time, like the last I.T. guy would’ve.

“Yeah,” I say awkwardly. “It looks like you have the magic touch, because it definitely didn’t want to start for me. ”

With a shrug, he explains, “It was likely just out of battery and needed a little charge before it would boot up.”

“Yeah,” I huff, forcing an awkward laugh. “That’s probably what it was.” I realize he was only trying to comfort me for wasting his time, but it only amplifies my sense of being a complete idiot.

His lips on the right-side twitch, as if he’s trying not to smirk at me. “Is there anything else I can help you with?” he asks.

I force a fake smile and decline, then distract myself with another sip of coffee to ease the tension.

“I suppose I’ll let you get back to it,” he says, starting to walk away. “Have a wonderful day, Hannah.”