The throbbing built again in his temple, and he rubbed his eyes with his hand turning from the screen just as it abruptly stopped. For the first time in a week the low pain of a headache had gone. He glanced up and noticed the glare of the computer screen didn't hurt like it had previously, so he continued with his work glad it had finally lift.
A hand on his arm caught his attention, his colleague sitting on the space beside him on the circular desk looked to him concerned. Amy had been a friend for years, working together since they had started in the office after college. He knew her more than most of the people he worked with, but there was still a gap between them that he always felt like he couldn't cross. Her blond hair framed her face well, her blue eyes shining brightly with a cautious smile on her lips.
"Tom, are you okay? I know you've had a bad headache for a few days." Her voice was soft, and her eyes didn't waver from his. He stared for a beat and could tell she was concerned for him, genuinely, and he thought of grabbing a drink to break the tension. She stood up suddenly, "I'll grab you a drink, stay there." She said.
He watched her walk away and felt himself staring at her arse in her skirt as she went. His thoughts turned to how much he would like to grab her ass, feeling the soft flesh in his palm and gripping tightly. She stopped suddenly and spun around with a worried look on her face, before slowly returning to the coffee machine. Her reaction surprised him, and as he stared, he swore he heard her saying something about 'feeling a hand'. He blinked and it was gone, wondering if his headache was making him imagine things.
She returned with a cup of coffee and passed it to him. "Here you go." She said with another genuine smile.
"Thank you." He sipped at the drink and admired her as she started to work, her hands moving fast on the keyboard. The sound of her fingers clacking the keys was soothing, and he sat watching her with a grin.
"You okay?" She asked, turning back to him again and looking a little confused. He wished she thought of him the same way and saw in an instant her eyes soften and a new feeling clear. She turned to him fully and leaned forward with an inviting smile. Somehow, he knew she felt the same, he didn't know how he knew it, but he did.
"Yeah, I'm fine now. I really appreciate the coffee." He nodded to the drink and tried to return to his work. He couldn't, he kept glancing back at her and feeling his attraction growing. He turned back to her and felt his mind wandering and seeing a new glow of warmth surround her. As she glanced at him, he heard her, in his head, speak 'he's so cute when he stares' and he thought back, in her voice, 'I should give him a cheeky view' before he knew what he was doing. She kept her eyes on her screen, pretending to be working something out, as a hand slipped up and undid the top button to her shirt. And then a second.
He pretended, badly, to continue working but couldn't help stare at her chest, and her eyes glanced across to him with a grin as she leaned over further and let him get a good look. Her breasts were clearly a handful and looked softer than anything, the simple white bra held them up and together perfectly. He tried to say something, to respond to the tease, but his mind was empty. She giggled to herself and gave him a wink, but unfortunately had to get up to pass some paperwork to another office. As he watched her leave, he was pretty sure she had an extra sway in her steps.
The shift finished soon after, and he darted out with a quick goodbye to colleagues. He sat in his car for a minute, trying to digest exactly what had happened. He had thought about her teasing him, and she had. He had wished she found him attractive, and then somehow knew she did. He was lost in thought when he realised he had driven around the corner to "The Three Leaves" cafe, a favourite of his.
As he strolled in the familiar waitress smiled and greeted him, and he ordered his usual. Tom sat down at a table in the corner and brought up the notes on his phone, deciding to just check a few things. He peered at the waitress making his drink and again felt the same feeling he quickly realised was his mind reaching out to hers. He could just about hear her thoughts, about what she wanted for dinner tonight and about how she wished for a better paying job. He sent a thought of her nose itching and watched as she wrinkled her nose slightly before reaching up to scratch it. He did the same for her elbow and again saw the same reaction. He tested his theory and made her lips tingle, as if someone was blowing on them gently. He watched as she brought a hand to her mouth and brushed her lips with her fingers, her eyes darting around.
As he mulled over his options and thought about testing his powers, she returned with his drink and bent over to place it down. Giving him a clear view of her cleavage, his eyes darted up to her face and saw a smirk. His only thoughts where of seeing more, and as if in response she undid the top button to her shift, giving him a view of her soft flesh covered in a thin white bra.
She turned away and went back to work, and he felt the connection to her mind drop. He decided the power needed further testing and drank his coffee slowly as he watched the few customers in the cafe. He found he could hear their immediate thoughts, and dig to find their opinions on things, as well as alter both or input new thoughts. Forcing people to do things got met resistance when they didn't want to or it was a bizarre order, but he knew he didn't want to force things anyway.
A couple in the corner were on a first date and he pushed their opinions of each other up, watching as their behaviour changed to match. Before long they were sordidly whispering to each other and quickly got up to leave holding hands, practically dashing out of the place. He needed a chance to test this power properly, on someone he knew the feelings of already. He grinned to himself.
He pulled into the carpark of a small Casino on the edge of town, more a glorified arcade with a few roulette tables and a bar. The receptionist knew him and waved him in with no issues, and he picked a machine two the side of the building just around a corner. He knew the spot had a dodgy camera and sure enough it hung loose from the ceiling. As he sat, he could lean back and just see the bar across the building, where he spotted his target. Emma, his ex-girlfriend as of a couple months ago. They had been steady for some time, but out of the blue she had changed her mind and left declaring she needed to 'find herself'.
She stood just in front of the bar in her uniform, a tight fighting black skirt that stopped just above the knees with a crisp white shirt and black waistcoat that barely contained her chest. She was stunning, a smile on her face that brightened the whole room. She had dark red hair that cascaded over her shoulders, a cute button nose that fit her face perfectly, and deep brown eyes that he had done his best to forget. He reached out mentally and felt the connection click easily; she was deep in thought about the customers. Her thoughts where all work, about the drinkers and players, about the girls on shift with her.
He used to visit her at work before but hadn't had the chance to see her since they broke up. He shuffled through her mind to find her thoughts on him, and was pleased to see she missed him too, a small ember of regret sat in her mind. He decided to push the issue, and made her think more of him, and of how much she liked him. In a minute she sighed loudly, and he could see she was thinking of the two of them, reminiscing. Testing his strength, he pushed that feeling of longing further, making her feel she had made a mistake and turning it into wanting him back. It took another minute or so, during which he worked out the difference between their thoughts and his own implemented ones, but he saw her make up her mind. She decided she was going to text him on her best break. He felt nerves flutter in her, and again he fanned the flames watching as a worried look flashed across her face for a moment.
Having had fun, but feeling the constant connection from this distance tiring, he turned back to the machine in front of him and inserted another fiver. He tried not to turn to her again but did spot her from the corner of his eye returning to work, still thinking of him but on her own now.
Engrossed in the machine as he was, he didn't notice someone coming from behind offering drinks, until he heard a soft gasp as they came around the corner. He did his best to not react and simply asked for a coffee over his shoulder to them. They turned and left, and he felt her mind walk away uncertainly.
