Just Following Orders

4 - Company

ఌ𝙰𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚢𝚊𝚑ఌ

Maya still doesn't quite meet my eyes when I walk into the office. That's okay though, I can't exactly meet hers either.

So, instead of being awkward, I leave her at our desks and retreat to Mr. Reyes's office. It's safe here, he doesn't seem to mind it.

"Hi," I greet. He doesn't look at me, but he hums in response. "Why do bees have sticky hair?" I smile as I sit down in front of his desk.

"Pollen." Mr. Reyes simply says, not looking up from a paper in front of him.

"Because they use honeycombs." I correct. He shows no reaction. "What do you call a fish without eyes?"

"Mutant thing."

"Fsh." I giggle. He scrunches his nose up, but he doesn't look at me or respond.

"Your 'jokes' are terrible." He eventually says, looking up from his desk and at me. He does air quotes around the word.

I gasp and press my hand to my chest. "They're incredible." I scoff. "People laugh at them all the time, for your information."

Mr. Reyes rolls his eyes. "Sure." He mutters.

They're funny.

Mr. Reyes glances at his office phone when it rings. I pinch my eyebrows together. Usually when he gets a call, it goes to me first. But maybe it's because I'm not at my desk.

Mr. Reyes seems a little confused too, but he picks the phone up. "Hello?" He asks. After just a moment, a grimace washes over his face. "Mamá—" He either cuts himself off, or is cut off.

I smile a little, finding it a little amusing that his mom is calling him at work. Also because it looks like he's being yelled at.

Mr. Reyes sits there, completely unamused as he listens to his mother talk to him. He looks at me, scowling when he sees me smiling. I try so hard not to laugh.

Eventually, he finishes his one way conversation and hangs up. "What are you laughing at?" He scowls.

I shake my head, trying to bite back a smile. "I'm not laughing." I deny it but I giggle a little at the end of my sentence. "Your mom?" I ask.

Mr. Reyes rolls his eyes. "Yeah," He quietly grumbles.

"Question," I announce. "Is that why your phone has been going off nonstop? Your mom?" I inquire.

I kind of expect him to dismiss me and tell me it's none of my business, but he actually answers me which is surprising. "Yeah. My mom and my sister." He nods.

"Oh? What about?" I push my luck a little.

Mr. Reyes continues to surprise me. "My brother is getting married and they want me to go."

I frown a little. "And you don't?"

"Not particularly."

"Why's that?" Any second now he's going to tell me to butt out.

"Don't feel like it." He lifts a shoulder. "They want me to bring a date and they're trying to set me up with some girl." He rolls his eyes.

"Ohh.." Holy cow, he's telling me personal things.

Mr. Reyes just nods. "So either I wait them out, or I give in." He grumbles.

"What's so bad about the girl?" I inquire.

Mr. Reyes shifts slightly uncomfortably in his seat. "They only want to set me up with her because we had this.." He pauses. "thing that lasted, like, a weekend." He mutters.