Chapter Six
KALLEN
Thanks to Connor and his matchmaking abilities, Hudson and I have been texting a lot today – more than I thought we’d message. In fact, we’ve seemed to update each other on most moments of our day, as if we’re writing into a journal and the journal talks back.
Still, it’s nice to have someone to talk to who isn’t Blake or my coworkers.
Someone who can distract me from the prospect of my new coworker stealing the fun from my job, like taking my place at the food and wine festival this Friday.
Though, while the conversation between Hudson and I has held up online, I hope the same for our real-life interactions when we meet this weekend.
The time hits ten-fifteen and no office inspiration arises, so I take a bathroom break from all the ‘hard work’ I’ve been doing.
Perhaps a trip to the stalls will be the inspiration I’ve been waiting for.
To my surprise, what’s waiting for me on my phone is a photo of Hudson’s hard cock grasped firmly in his hand, paired with the message: got a little horny at work .
Last night, we sent each other nudes in a mutual jerk-off session, which was pretty hot, though now it seems Hudson couldn’t wait until tonight for round two.
Or better yet, until Sunday when we meet for the first time.
But the moment I see his penis, I think back to the videos he sent me, of him moaning and stroking his shaft.
My own cock extends, so much so that it hits the side of the toilet bowl.
Once I start touching myself, though, the bathroom door bursts open. The cubicle next to me occupies, and a loud fart erupts from the other side of the wall, one which has me flinching. And it doesn’t just happen once – gas sounds off several times, sending me into a wide-eyed shock.
An important question prevails: who’s going to leave the stall first so we don’t have to face each other?
Realising how behind I am on work today, it’s ultimately me who flushes and exits first, thinking I have maybe just enough time to wash my hands and get the fuck out of here before the dude in the other cubicle is done releasing his demons.
To my luck, the other toilet flushes as I start washing my hands.
The stall door opens and Christian strides out confidently, his bald head freshly shaved and his cream blazer without a crease.
‘Hey, Kallen, how are we?’ he greets me, washing his hands in the adjacent sink.
‘Yeah, good,’ I reply, trying to pretend the sounds coming from the stall didn’t exist mere minutes ago. ‘And you?’
‘Busy as usual,’ he says, inspecting his face in the mirror. ‘It just doesn’t stop, but I think if it were to stop, I wouldn’t know what to do.’
‘Right,’ is my response as I dry my hands .
‘How’s your day coming along?’ Christian asks.
Oh, if you’re talking about my output, it’s coming along so non-existently. Thanks for asking.
‘It’s going good,’ I lie, hoping it somehow manifests itself into the truth.
Naturally, I want to ask him if we can have a word about whether Lisa has mentioned to him that I’m interested in the Content Creator role, but I’m not sure a bathroom is the place to do that.
‘Good man, power on,’ Christian encourages me, before leaving without another word.
It’s only now I comprehend how long it’s taken me to wash my hands, a bit like writing this listicle I’ve abandoned back at my desk. Daily productivity is not something I can maintain. One day, my output will top the office, and the next, you’d think I’m an intern.
When I send the article over to Lisa to subedit, I’m the only one still at my desk. Everyone else has gone to lunch, and a text message from Blake awaits: Just at our other spot outside the building if you want to join. Couldn’t be fucked walking to the park lol
My eyes are doing that weird thing where they feel heavy after staring at a screen too long.
I shut my laptop, grab my salad from the fridge and as I do, a hand on my shoulder makes me flinch in true horror film fashion.
As it turns out, the real horror is just Dan, the owner of the hand.
Blush burns to my ears. Oh, fuck, is the new hotshot going to ask me why I haven’t responded to his LinkedIn request?
‘Hey, Kallen,’ he stutters, his hands up as a guard. My eyes are enlarged, and I likely look as though I’m about to stab him to defend myself. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.’
‘You really need to warn people when you’re approaching,’ I say bluntly.
‘Sorry.’
‘You should be.’
‘Sorry.’
‘Don’t say sorry.’
‘S—’
I feel my eyes about to pop out of their sockets.
He stops before continuing, ‘I just got off an onboarding meeting with HR and I was wondering if you knew where the building’s car park is? I’m meeting someone there now, but it doesn’t come up on Maps.’
That’s in the direction I’m heading. Great… ‘It’s on the other side of the alleyway of this building,’ I say, heading towards the office door, where he unfortunately follows.
‘Mind if you quickly show me?’ he asks, a slight desperation in his voice. ‘I’m not familiar with this part of the city.’
Rolling my eyes at the elevator’s metal doors, I say, ‘Sure,’ feeling a little bad for the guy. I remember when I first moved to Brisbane and didn’t know where anything was.
‘Thanks, I appreciate it,’ he says as the door dings open and we hop inside.
Good thing the elevator ride at work is noticeably shorter than the one in our apartment building. Means if you’re stuck in the lift with someone you don’t want to be, it’s over before you know it. But it doesn’t stop Dan from asking, ‘Getting excited about all the Pride Month events?’
I smile without looking at him. ‘Over the moon. Are you getting excited about the food and wine festival? ’
‘Uh, yeah, sure—’ Before he finishes his sentence, the door parts away at the ground floor.
‘Sorry that I took your place at the festival. If I had my way, I would’ve opted for the outdoor exhibition.
Would much rather see some art than do wine tasting.
Also—’ He’s talking so fast now that I can’t catch his words – until he stops completely.
‘Also what?’ I ask, my eyes narrowed.
‘I, uh, overheard you and Blake talk about your date,’ he stutters. ‘I hope it, ah…’
So he’s an eavesdropper in an already tight-knit office. Fan-fucking-tastic.
‘Hope it what?’
‘Hope it goes well,’ he concludes, which hits me harder than it should. I can’t comprehend why.
To be fair, Blake and I aren’t quiet when we spill tea in the office kitchenette. It’s where my coworkers found out I had chlamydia once, and that Blake had accidentally ended up in hospital with food poisoning when out at a party.
‘So, uh, where’s this car park?’ Dan asks. ‘The person I’m meeting is already there.’
Blake’s sitting in the alleyway between the office building and the car park. A smile forms on her face when she sees us.
‘It’s at the end of the alley,’ I tell him.
‘Thanks,’ he says as we walk toward it. ‘Hey, Blake.’
She’ s sitting on the cadmium green bench at the alleyway’s edge, absorbing as much sun as possible.
‘Hi, Dan, how are you?’ she asks zestfully.
‘Good. And you?’
‘Going good, thanks. Watch out for the pigeons at the end of the alleyway. They like to shit on people.’
When Dan has his back to us, Blake frowns at me, and I frown back at her before glaring at Dan walking all smugly down the alleyway.
Please, pigeons, shit on him.
They don’t, to which I comment quietly: ‘Damn. No pigeon poop.’
Blake chuckles. ‘You finished that listicle?’
‘Yes. Is my brain now fried? Also, yes.’
Blake rolls her eyes. ‘Yeah, now time for Lisa to rip it apart like she did with mine this morning.’
Blake and I can’t help but snoop from afar at Dan approaching the slick black SUV at the end of the alleyway.
‘What are you up to, Dan?’ Blake mumbles, biting into her schnitzel sandwich.
A woman wearing white sunglasses and what seems to be a black dress rolls down the window. Dan leans in and hugs her, to which she says something that we can’t lip-read. Whatever it was, it has Dan jogging over to the passenger seat and hopping in the car.
‘Looks like we’ve discovered new boy Dan’s other half,’ I say through pouted lips, ripping off the lid to my salad.
The passenger door flings open again and Dan hops back out .
‘Well, that was a fast quickie,’ Blake commentates. ‘Wait, is that a—’
Dan opens the back door, on the side facing us. And yes, it’s exactly what Blake has precluded to: a baby, no more than a few years old. Dan reaches in, unbuckles the squirming little human and holds it in his arms, smiling at it like it’s a miracle.
I sigh rather vehemently. ‘This guy just has his whole life together, doesn’t he? Hot girlfriend, baby, his head editor wrapped around his finger…’
‘Who says that baby is his? Or that he’s with her? Also, you don’t have to battle the food and wine festival with him on Friday,’ Blake explains. ‘So consider yourself lucky, okay?’
As much as I want it to be me going to the festival with Blake on Friday, this is one hundred percent the truth. Plus, I’ve got a Sunday date with Hudson to look forward to.