“Did you get your program finished up for the competition?” he asked.
“I did,” I said. “I hope it does well.”
“I think it’ll do fine. I took another look at the beta version last night for you and I thought it looked great. I highly doubt that the other interns are submitting apps that are both as beautiful-looking and as user friendly as yours is.”
“I don’t know, Jacob. I thought so too, but these Silicon Valley programmers are a different breed of people. I’ve never met software engineers with this much talent before.”
“It’s true, there’s some serious talent out there,” he said. “But I’m confident that you’re just as talented, if not more so.”
“You’re just saying that,” I said, not bothering to stop the small smile the compliment elicited.
“No, I really believe it,” he said. “I mean the fact that you’re my girlfriend maybe makes me a little biased, but I still believe it. You’re as smart and as capable as anybody else in the internship. They wouldn’t have chosen you for it if that wasn’t the case.”
He was
right, but it didn’t keep my mind from churning with doubt.
“I guess we’ll see what happens,” I said.
“When do you find out who the winner is?” he asked.
“Supposedly tomorrow before noon,” I said. “The owner and his colleagues will be looking at the programs starting super early tomorrow morning and they’ll make a decision right away. I’m so nervous.”
“Speaking of tomorrow, we’re still on for getting together, right?” He paused for a moment. “We can cancel if you aren't feeling up to it.”
“Are you kidding me?” I nearly sat straight up, but I was too tired. “Of course we are. I’ve been waiting all week to see you.”
Jacob and I had made plans for him to come out to Silicon Valley to visit me. I knew that he hated coming to Silicon Valley, so the gesture meant the world to me. He’d wanted to come every weekend since I had moved there, but I had been too busy to make it work. Now that the competition was over, though, I finally had time to see him.
“I’ve really missed you,” he said. “I want to kiss you so badly.”
“I want to do far more than just kiss you,” I informed him. “Those sexts I sent you weren't just me killing time at the office.”
He chuckled. “I did enjoy those texts. Particularly the one where you wanted me 'to shudder with ecstasy as I come into you.' I could go for that right now.”
“I could go for it, too. What time will you be coming in tomorrow?” I asked. I shifted in bed so the pillow was more comfortable. I could already feel my eyelids starting to droop, but I wanted to talk to Jacob more. Talking to him was the highlight of my day, so I wasn't about to fall asleep on him.
“Probably around three in the afternoon,” he said.
“I’m so excited,” I said, stifling a yawn. “What would you like to do when you’re here?”
“Other than you?” Jacob asked, making me laugh. “Maybe we could go to a nice dinner and just relax. Or you can take me out and show me around your new town. Whatever you want.”
“A dinner sounds nice,” I said. “But if anybody is going to be giving a tour around Silicon Valley, it’s going to be you. I hardly know of a single interesting destination here, besides the coffee shops that are located between my apartment and the ZephTech building. I haven’t had much time to explore. The past six weeks of my life I’ve only existed in my apartment and my office.”
“I’m sorry you’ve been so busy,” he said. “But the tough part is behind you now. Tomorrow we can relax and celebrate. It’s time to have some fun.”
“I hope that by the time you get here tomorrow I’ll have good news from the competition and a reason to celebrate,” I said. “I could either be really happy or really disappointed tomorrow afternoon and it all depends on ZephTech’s decision.”
“I’ve got a good feeling,” he said. “Regardless of what happens, though, tomorrow will be a great day.”
“Yes, I guess whether I win the competition or I lose, we’ll have a reason to get drinks,” I joked.
“That’s the spirit,” he said. “So I’ve got to ask, though. Is Silicon Valley everything that you’d hoped it would be?”
“Yes and no,” I said. “I love the energy here and the amazing technology. It’s one of the only places I’ve been where being a nerd is actually encouraged. I really like that part. The people seem pretty nice too. But I seriously miss home. Silicon Valley doesn’t feel like a place that I could ever call home, you know?”
“Trust me, I understand that completely. There's a reason I don't like going there,” he said. “I called it home for a long time, but it never gave me that feeling of 'home'. I’ve been in here for only a few months and it feels more homey to me than Silicon Valley ever did.”