Jack sat down, huffing after the ascent up the 16 flights of stairs. A chair across from him, Zack smiles as the skinny boy puffs out a sigh.
“Why the fuck… are there so many stairs… and why the fuck… don’t we have a lift!”, at the last word, Jack’s eyes popped out of his head a bit as he sat up straight and slammed a fist against the pine wood desk in front of him. A row of computers topped the polished wood. All vacated exempting the one Zack was looking intently at, and the one Jack was trying his hardest to keep his eyes from, prolonging the time until he logged on and his shift started.

Ten minutes later and Jack is acutely aware that Zack makes a rustle of movement before a folder full of paper smacks him in the face.
“Zack you fucking asshole!”
“Do some fucking work you idiot!”, Jack sighed, knowing he probably should heed what his friend has said, knowing it would only be a matter of time befo-
“Barakat!”
“Aw shit man Jack, why didn’t you at least log on and open up fucking PowerPoint or some shit?”
“I- uh, What’s up Gav?”, Jack tried for a smile as their boss walked into the room, red in the face from the climb and probably some anger that Jack hadn’t even attempted to work yet.
“I don’t pay you to sit around being a bum boy Barakat! Get some fucking work done or I swear I will have your P45 on the way to your house before you can snap your fucking fingers!”
“Yeah, sorry man”, Jack tried for apologetic, but just sounded bitter, and he heard Gavin sigh in exasperation as he slammed the door behind him.

Jack sighed again and swatted a hand in Zack’s direction, hearing muffled giggles next to him.
“Fuck off faggot”, then turning to his computer, Jack eventually decided to get some work done.
A few hours into his shift, the hair on the back of Jack’s neck stiffens as he hears the creak of the door handle. He quickly closes his game of Solitaire and attempts to make it look like he’s doing something. He hears Gavin’s booming voice laughing about “his favourite PR boys” and raises his eyebrows at Zack who looks like he’s struggling to keep a laugh in.

Gavin then burst through the door with a woman in tow. Her brown hair just tickles the top of her breasts and she has the most humongous eyes Jack has ever seen, but they suit her, and match the humongous smile she has plastered on her face. Jack decides to go ahead and smile at her. She smiles back, but Jack doesn’t realise, because someone’s fingers have just laced their way through hers. From behind Gavin appears a tall, well-built guy of around 23 Jack guesses. His hair looks like he’s just woken up and run a hand through it in a futile attempt to not look completely disheveled and hell Jack knows that feeling all too well. His eyes travel down to the dusting of stubble just ghosting the man’s lower face and he smiles a little at the crooked front teeth the man is sporting.

Gavin clears his throat and Jack jumps, afraid of being caught intently checking out this guy who’s obviously important. He pays vague attention to Gavin saying “this is Alex and Lisa, Alex’s father started the company and Lisa is his girlfriend of many years, I’m showing them something about the large success of the company blah blah blah wonderful boys who always get their work done”. Jack is still checking out this “Alex” character. He isn’t dressed as if he’s important, but anyone Gavin is showing around usually is. He’s sporting a tight fitting leather jacket and a plain white t-shirt (Jack is trying very hard to ignore the trail of hair that comes into view when Alex rubs the back of his head, laughing at something Gavin says), jeans that are tight in all of the painful places and a pair of the muddiest combat boots Jack has ever seen.

“Hey Jack”, Jack’s head snaps up at the voice he doesn’t recognise and blushes when he realises who’s talking to him, “Gavin tells me you’re the God of Photoshop?”, Alex winks and Jack thinks he might have to call 911 because his heart skips a bit.
“I- uh, yeah I guess I’m pretty good”, he giggles nervously and Alex beams at him, as if they’re sharing a huge secret.
“Jack here designed some of the posters for the Blink 182 comeback tour!”, Gavin beams, in a most un-Gavin-like way and Jack disguises a scowl by dropping his head in mock embarrassment. He isn’t embarrassed, he’s damn fucking proud of those posters.

“Oh dude, you like Blink?!” Jack snaps his head up again, the excitement in Alex’s voice tipping his mouth upwards.
“Yeah, one of my favourites, right up there with Jacks Mannequin”, he beams back at Alex and he swears if the guy doesn’t stop smiling back at him his heart is just going to give up on him.
“You absolutely have to come ‘round for dinner! Both of you!” Ah. This is Lisa. Alex’s girlfriend. Jack’s heart stops hammering and resumes its usual pace again, “And you of course Gavin, are welcome”
“Yeah, it’ll be awesome; we can drink wine and be classy folk!” Alex winks again and Jack sort of wants to cry.
“Yeah man, sounds like fun, you seem like lovely people, drop the details with Gav and we’ll chat about it later probably” Zack speaks up for the first time and Jack is glad, because Alex is looking at him for confirmation and Jack thinks that speaking is probably going to result in projectile vomit right at this moment.

“Saturday good for everyone?”, Gavin is smiling in an un-Gavin-like way again, but Saturday is good for everyone so Jack forgives him for his uncharacteristically annoying niceness because this means he gets to see Alex again, and Jack doesn't really want anything else at the minute. Which is ridiculous, he’s barely even spoken to the man…