As she slowly got out of her car, Alice grabbed her silk purse, ruffled her dress, and eagerly eyed the massive building in front of her. It had taken months of mourning, scheming, and planning to arrive there, and she was not about to give up easily. She would have to improvise for a few holes in her plan, but she was confident she could go through with it. I can do it, she thought, and with a real grin on her face for the first time in months, she embraced her first obstacle: the parking lot.
Alice hurried across the lot, frantically trying to reach her destination. It seemed like miles of black gravel passed beneath her feet, threatening to swallow her with every step. Her journey took her around the main lot, across a few sidewalks, and finally, onto the main road adjacent to the company’s building. As she crossed the street, a sigh of relief threatened to escape, but she decided not to let it out until she reached the sidewalk.
As Alice stepped up onto the curb, her heel caught on a small pebble, throwing her forward. She tripped, and started tumbling straight into the pavement, then hovered just above it in the arms of a strange man. Alice looked up to thank her rescuer, only to be met with the greyest eyes she had ever seen. The grey eyed man smiled at her, picking up her purse and lifting her up as he grinned.

“Whoa there, are you alright?” the man asked, slightly surprising Alice, who was still shocked from her fall.

“Y-Yes, I should be fine,” Alice replied, in a shy, withdrawn voice.

“What are you in such a hurry for? Do you have a meeting with someone in OPT?” he inquired.

“U-Um, no, I’m starting an-” she started, but was cut short by the man, who was still gripping her hand.

“An internship here? That’s great! My name is Oliver, and I work here. I can show you around the building if you want. What’s your name?” he asked, tugging her hand very excitedly.

“I’m Alice, and sure, but I’m-”

“Say no more, Alice, allow me to take you on a tour of the building. Is it your first time here? Please let me take you around, it’ll be fun!” he said, sounding very child-like. Alice nodded, sighing, and Oliver motioned for her to come to the building’s main doors. As she continued walking, Oliver took Alice’s hand and stepped through the front door of the office building. After pulling open the doors, Oliver headed straight through the center of the room, toward a lady at the main desk. Breathing carefully, Alice prayed that Oliver wouldn’t ask about her “appointment” or “internship.”
“Good morning Marth, how are you?” he asked.
“I’m fine, Oliver,” the woman replied, “What is it this time? Do you need me to open the doors for you?”
“Yep!” he exclaimed, “we have to get into the back.” He turned to Alice, grinning.
“Oh, Oliver,” Marth started anxiously, “I’m almost finished with my virus project, I just need more ti-”
Oliver interrupted her, “You need more time right?” He sighed, then said, “Sure, but you have to get it done, alright?”
Marth practically glowed. “Thank you, Oliver! I won’t let you down,” she called out, as Oliver walked toward the back door, Alice in tow. She couldn’t help but notice how glad the woman, Marth, had been when Oliver had spoken to her. She felt a little something, she couldn’t quite place it, but Alice knew that it couldn’t be good.
“Are you all on a first name basis?” Alice asked Oliver, striking up a conversation.
“Yep! It makes the office less formal,” Oliver said, “I like it better that way. It makes the office experience more relaxed and personal, so that everyone enjoys their time here.” Oliver smiled, and Alice felt a small, warm feeling wash over her, one that she hadn’t felt in... she couldn’t remember how long. Since it happened. Was this a new start for her? She knew she wasn’t over it. She couldn’t be over it yet. The event was still fresh in her memory.
Oliver continued down the back hallways, exchanging greetings with office workers that he knew. Row upon row passed by Alice’s eyes as she tried to take in the rows of OPT’s people. Alice began to wonder if any of the employees were him. Hastily, she decided to interrogate him, rushing her words.

“Oliver, I need to know something. I...” Alice trailed off, unsure of what to say next.

He turned around quietly, staring straight into Alice’s eyes. After a long, uncomfortable pause, he reached to the nearest desk and chose a swivel chair. He pulled up next to Alice, who was promptly grabbing herself another chair.

“Oliver,” she started, “I have to-I mean I need to-I wanted to ask you-” she was cut off quickly by Oliver, who suddenly jumped up in excitement.

“Oh!” Oliver gasped, “I’ve got an idea! We have to go though. C’mon!” Alice bolted up, pushing the chair back in its place. Confused, she turned around she turned her head to see Oliver dart away in his swivel chair down the aisle of desks. Alice accidentally let a giggle escape as she watched his flailing figure dash down the corridor and turn a corner. She hurried after him, swerving around a few corners, then caught up to him as he stood up. She giggled some more, and then she couldn’t control it. She burst out laughing, like she hadn’t for the longest time. Her giggles trailed off, then she saw Oliver staring at her, eying her suspiciously. He chuckled, and then caught Alice’s hand. Gently tugging, he pushed open the door to the next wing.
Oliver had brought Alice to a back door at the end of the wing, the opposite way from which she had intended to go when she arrived at OPT. This is quite the detour, but maybe this isn’t so bad, she thought as they passed more offices. They traversed a few hallways filled with all types of technology and arrived at their destination: a small, grey door. Oliver hoped that Alice would like his next surprise. Oliver whispered into Alice’s ear, “Go ahead. Open the door. This is our next stop on our tour.” Alice pushed on the cold metal handle in front of her. As bumps rose on her skin, she pushed harder to fully open the door. Looking beyond the door, she was amazed by the sight that she saw.

The door led outside, to an outstanding view of an azure lake that was situated behind the OPT building. Surrounding the lake were beds of gorgeous flowers in every color. On the lake itself, rows of lilies and water plants laid on the surface of the water. In the lake were fish of all different colors and sizes. As the sun rose, rays of light touched the building’s windows, which reflected onto the lake. Altogether, the lake provided an incredible sight. “Isn’t it just great? We got here just in time for the sunrise! It’ll be gone soon, so enjoy it as much as you can now,” Oliver said, walking in front of Alice, grinning, “ Want to take a walk around? I’m not in a hurry, unless you are.”

“Sure,” Alice breathed, still enraptured by the sight in front of her. Slowly, she stepped ever so carefully onto the path, like she could break it easily.

As they walked forward, Oliver told all types of stories, about times when he braved caverns and traversed tundras. Even though they were most likely fiction, Alice enjoyed all of them. At the end of every story, Alice found herself laughing as she enjoyed the sunshine and the cool blue lake. After a whole afternoon of walking and waiting, she reached out her hand and grasped Oliver’s, hoping she had not been awkward.. Alice finally felt whole for the first time in ages. As she slipped her hand under his, he jumped slightly, surprised by the warmth in her palm.

“Oliver, are you alright?” Alice asked as the mood dropped, hoping she had not made the wrong choice.

Oliver sighed. “No, it’s okay, I’m fine. It’s just been so long since, well, anyone has just casually held my hand.”

Alice was shocked. She said, “You know what, me neither. And this is probably the first time in a while I’ve let myself go. Ever since it happened, I’ve been focused on getting over him, but now I see what I’ve missed. I need to get out and do things again.” As Alice talked, she moved her head toward the now setting sun. Staring into the searing light, she remembered the one night where she let herself become careless. A single tear streaked down her face.

Oliver watched as Alice remembered a time before she was at OPT. Throughout the day, he had come to realize that Alice wasn’t like other girls, that she was...special. Watching her crying in front of him was a sight he never wanted to see. Oliver promised to himself that he would never watch her cry again, and resolved to comfort her. Reaching out his arm, he gently stroked her chin and wiped the lone tear off her cheek. Slowly, his hand gravitated toward the back of her head and pulled her slowly and lightly toward him.

Alice could feel his hand on the back of her head. Her tears gone, she looked into Oliver’s eyes and truly, or the first time, felt a little flutter in her heart. She knew then that she would never need to feel sorry for herself again. Alice let Oliver’s hand bring her head closer to his, closing her eyes and anticipating the next few moments. His lips grew ever closer.

Oliver suddenly felt a pang of guilt. He thought for a moment, letting go of Alice in the process. What if I’m going too fast? he thought, what if she wants to go slow? Does she even like me? Slowly, painfully, his hand dropped to his side, his fears and concerns almost intensified by the look on Alice’s face.

Alice’s heart was still pounding. Why did he stop? I-I need to slow down, she thought. Regrettably, she leaned away from him. Grabbing her purse, she shifted on the bench. Feeling slightly cold, she stuttered, “H-hey, Oliver, can we, um, go to the top floor? I, uh, wanted to see the view.”

Seeing an opportunity to revive the moment, Oliver replied, “Oh, sure! That’s a perfect idea. That means I have another surprise for you, though.” He grinned, showing off his smile.

After hurrying toward the building’s closest door (which was quite a while away) they reached the familiar hallways of OPT. Traversing the hallways felt like forever as Alice remembered all the twists and turns they had took only just that morning. Passing by spots that had only just been offices to her now held value and worth. This was where we sat, Alice thought, and this was where we talked.

As they retraced their steps, Oliver tried to find a moment to strike a conversation with her. However, there were no such opportunities, and they walked in silence, side by side.

Finally, after a long time, the two finally reached the elevator. Alice shook slightly, anticipation riddling her to the core. Pressing the “Up” button on the side of the elevator, Oliver waited for the doors to open. Suddenly, Alice realized that she couldn’t take the elevator with Oliver, fearing what might happen if they both went on together. Quite normally, she said, “Oliver, I have to go to the bathroom. Don’t wait for me, I’ll meet you on the top floor.” Turning around, she rushed behind the elevator, turning the corner.

Oliver was puzzled, but didn’t argue. As the doors opened, he stepped on and pressed the button for the 27th floor. The doors slowly closed, Oliver let out a sigh and went over the next things he’d say to Alice.
After the doors had closed, Alice walked around the corner to face the same doors that Oliver had disappeared behind moments ago. Pressing the same “Up” button the Oliver had pressed minutes before, she waited for the elevator to bring her up. Pressing on her purse a bit, she made sure it’s contents were still inside. A satisfactory clink reassured her.
Meanwhile, Oliver had arrived on the top floor. Wandering toward the window, he peered out to the lake, to the place he and Alice had been moments before. Feeling heartbroken, he picked up his new stack of business cards. Finally they had printed his name on the cards. He decided he would give one to Alice when she arrived...
On the first floor, the elevator had arrived for Alice. Stepping into the cold, she punched in the button for the 27th floor. Awaiting the next moments, she nervously paced around the small space. Floor after floor passed by on the monitor. 21st, 22nd, 23rd, it seemed to screech at her, laughing at the horrid situation she knew she had put herself in. Finally, the 26th rolled passed, giving way to the 27th. Stopping, the elevator released its contents onto the top floor. Oliver turned around to see Alice running up to him, stopping a few feet in front of him.
“Oh! Alice! There you are. Look at the view from here? Isn’t it gr-”
Alice interrupted him, “Oliver, where’s the company director?” She glanced around, looking for him.
Oliver sighed, “Alice, I have a surprise for you,” He spoke gently. “Alice, I am the director. OPT is my company. Here, take a look,” He said as he handed her his business card.
Alice gasped, paralyzed by shock. This was the card that was she thought this was lying on Daniel... now it has a name... Oliver Parsons Tech!
Looking into his eyes, Alice did something she never thought she could do: She pushed her lips forward and kissed Oliver, with all of her passion. Oliver, who had ended up as the one taken by surprise, melted into the kiss, lifting his hands to the back of her head. Even though it lasted for quite a while, Oliver sensed everything in one moment; love, passion, heartache, and much more. Very gently he caressed her hair while they were still interlocked.
As Alice kissed him, she regretted every moment that would come next. Silently, tears fell from her face, mourning the unfortunate situation she had been thrust into. Why me? she choked to herself. Finally,she made her final decision as her hand floated into the opening of her purse. Why does it have to be Oliver? Why is my luck so awful?
Oliver noticed the tears on her face and sighed and, mistaking them for tears of joy, he pressed harder into the kiss, mustering more passion. His mistake would be to never look into her eyes and see the pain they held. He would never notice the pain he had put her through in just one day.
Alice’s hand wrapped around Oliver’s middle section, slowly inching its way up his back. Alice finally pried her lips away from Oliver’s, elongating her last moments with him.
“Oliver, I...love you!” Alice whispered as the cold, piercing blade struck his back, slicing through his skin. He could never have known that his life would end so abruptly, without pause. Mercilessly, Alice sliced all the right places, creating gashes almost like she had done it before. Almost like she’d done it before...Crimson blood rushed from the gashes, soaking his shirt to the core. Oliver Parsons, twenty-six years old, bled to death in this office as Alice held him in a crushing embrace. Her tears slowly mixed with his blood, leaving permanent stains on his shirt and her heart. All sounds ceased, leaving a deafening silence to rule the atmosphere.
Gently, Alice pulled away, taking the knife out of his now shredded back. Slowly, Oliver’s lifeless body slid on the floor and he settled on his back, lying with his arms limp, business card in hand. Alice could only gasp; the resemblance was too much. The blood was caked all over the carpet, only now it was her own home. The nightmares had returned after their long absence, and were coming to haunt her. This was a new flashback, and certainly wouldn’t be that last. A man was lying on his back, OPT business card in hand. There was no name, blood had dripped over it. The only evidence that could be found was the card, which held no significance. Her fiance, once a handsome man, was now just a cold, lifeless body, a nameless victim in a cold case. A man left without warmth or love... The worst part: Alice couldn’t remember what she had been doing or where she had been the night before the accident.
Stumbling to the window, Alice shrieked in pain. This flashback was worse than before, vividly replaying both scenes before her eyes, the past and the present. How could she escape this time? There would be no way out, from the nightmares or now the police. They would find her, catch her, and destroy her. Crying, the window and the lake view provided her the only solace. This was the last thing he saw before I killed him, she thought. Reaching into the purse that had held the weapons she had so recently used, she pulled out her shiny, dark glasses case. So... she put on her glasses ---looked out over the lake and her life was never the same again.