Written in the stars

5.

Aryan

I looked out the window and watched the children playing in the gardens below. The sun was shining brightly; it was another beautiful, sunny day. Yet here I was, stuck in another dull meeting, looking out of my fifth floor office to the beautiful day below.

"It's meant to rain tomorrow," I said, turning back to the room full of arguing men before me. They all stopped their heated discussions and I watched as fourteen heads all snapped around to me, no doubt shocked at my sudden outburst.

"I beg your pardon, sir?" Willem asked, a look of utter confusion crossing his face.

"It's meant to rain tomorrow," I repeated as I stood up and pushed my chair back with a flourish. "We're done here," I announced.

"But sir, the budget-" Bradford started.

"Fuck the budget, Bradford," I replied, and I strode to the door without another word. I yanked it open with too much force, accidentally slamming the handle into the plastered wall. Small pieces of plaster fell to the floor, the handle was solidly wedged into the plaster. This wasn't the first time I'd opened the door too forcefully, and it certainly wouldn't be my last.

"Fuck the door, too." I declared to the room full of stunned faces.

I strode to the elevator and hit the down button. I heard the door being pulled gently from the plastered wall, with a heaving and cracking sound, before it quietly clicked shut behind me.

"We really need a doorstop," came Willem's voice behind me. "That just keeps happening."

I rolled my eyes and hit the down button a few more times, willing the elevator to hurry up.

The elevator slowly dinged and opened its doors, almost sleepily. I squeezed into them before they had even fully opened, then impatiently hit the 'close door' button repeatedly.

"Bradford has an interesting idea, sir," Willem said, squeezing in beside me, despite my best efforts to trap him out.

I let out a frustrated groan as I hit the 'ground' button. "Fuck Bradford," I muttered.

"I thought you liked Bradford?"

I shot my Beta an incredulous look.

"Does anyone really like Bradford?" Bradford was almost as slow as this stupid elevator. I should have just taken the stairs.

"No," Willem answered my rhetorical question and I chuckled at his response. "But even I have to admit, his idea is quite logical."

I turned to Willem and put my hands on my Beta's shoulders. He was shorter than me, and fairer too. As pragmatic as he was in meetings, he was quite burly too. He wasn't someone that necessarily looked for a fight, but he could certainly finish one.

"Please, I beg you, Willem. No more today." I pleaded, almost shaking him. "I need some sun, some whiskey, maybe a woman or two. But no more fucking budget and no more fucking Bradford."

The elevator dinged its arrival on Ground, and with it, work-Willem was gone, and my best-friend Willem was back.

"Whisky and sunshine it is," he announced and I clapped him on the back, excited for a night off.

As we reached the door to exit the building, Willem beat me to it. "Allow me." He said as he gently opened it.

"Fair call," I replied, and strode into the bright afternoon sunshine.