Hatchetfield.

you're pumpkin spice and i'm just a black coffee

"Here's all I'm saying," Ted said as the group walked down the hallway.

Paul rolled his eyes. Luckily he was behind his sometimes-obnoxious coworker so his gesture wasn't seen.

"What are you saying?" Bill, who's shorter temper was starting to wear thin, questioned.

"I'm saying it doesn't really make sense for them to give us the day off and still ask us to come in! If you don't want us working, why make us show up?" Ted's usual tendency to complain about nothing at all was in full display.

From beside Paul, Charlotte spoke up in her timid voice, "it's nice of them to give us a day where we don't have to work. And I like Halloween, I don't think this is bad."

Their place of employment, CCRP Technical, had given them all a day off instead to, in Mr. Davidson's words, "engage in amiable bonding of all employees and embiggen the company culture." What they were actually doing was having a day where the employees worked on Halloween decorations for the office. Paul and his companions were set on pumpkin-carving duty.

"I don't really mind what it is we're doing as long as I still have my job at the end of the day," he said.

"Paul's happy as long as they don't play music from the Nightmare Before Christmas or something," Bill joked.

Paul flinched. "Oh, no, do you think they will?" He notoriously hated musicals.

If Ted and Bill agreed on anything, it was that Paul's one odd quirk about hating musicals was quite ridiculous, and if the two were more friendly to each other, they might have constructed some sort of prank to ensure that a musical song was played during that day's festivities at work. They were not, however, and Charlotte was too nice to do that, so Paul's day went un-sung, just how he liked it.

The group arrived in the main lobby, where tables and desks had been pulled to the walls, creating one big empty space in the middle of the room. They spotted the area marked for pumpkins and made their way over. It was located to the right of the entrance double doors, and a few steps away from what appeared to be a pop-up coffee shop. Probably Mr. Davidson's attempt at concessions, except it was only coffee and a stale baked good or two. Paul recognized two of the baristas standing behind the counter, faces he recognized from the same coffee shop—Beanie's—down the road.

Ted saw where he was looking and scoffed. Paul knew the man probably understood his... perhaps somewhat obvious crush on the barista Emma, but he hoped he wouldn't make a scene of it or anything. To Ted's credit, he only sniggered and kept walking.

The four of them sat down around the pumpkins. Counting them off, Paul divided it so that each of them had to carve two. They set to work tearing into the pumpkins. Paul wasn't usually one for cooking, so he didn't have much experience with knives, but the work was a bit more fun than sorting files and other office work they normally did. Not that he minded the other stuff. It was significantly less messy at the desk.

"Y'know," Bill said conversationally, "Alice and I used to carve pumpkins until she got too old for it. I thought it would be a nice family bonding activity but, no, she wanted to go hang out with her friends this Halloween."

Paul put down his knife and stood up: there was only so much 'Alice-talk' he could take. "I'm going to take a break. Maybe get some coffee. Anybody want anything?"

Bill shook his head, "I'm fine."

"Nothing for me," Charlotte replied.

"Go say hi to your crush, lover boy," Ted said.

Paul walked over to the Beanie's stand, hoping his face didn't look too embarrassed. He was glad when the other barista seemed to be dealing with another one of his co-workers. Paul stepped up and smiled, waving to get Emma's attention.

"Hey," he said. "Um, how are you?"

"Oh, hi!" Emma smiled at him. "Mr. Black Coffee?"

He chuckled, "uh, yeah." Despite the autumnal season he didn't need any crazy pumpkin spice flavorings, just a normal, strong brew. "But, it's just Paul, really."

"Hey Paul," she said. "I'll get that going for you."

She busied herself starting to make the coffee, and as it was brewing she walked back over to wait with Paul. He wasn't exactly sure what it was about him that made her come back, but he was going to take this chance and run with it.

"Thanks. So, um, how's your day been?"

"Soul-crushing, but that's work for you."

Paul laughed, "I know what you mean. Work is just... work. Hard to get excited about it."

She faked astonishment, "what? Really? Even when you get to sit around all day carving pumpkins with your coworkers?"

"Even then," he grinned at her and she grinned back.

Emma finished making his drink and he paid. All the while, Paul's mind whirled with different scenarios. Just asking for her number would probably yield significant results. But maybe that was too passive. Maybe he could ask to hang out after they were both finished with work. But they could both be tired and Emma might not want to. He could ask her to a later date, or maybe just be cryptic about seeing her again, or a few dozen other options. In fact, he was stuck in thought so long Emma had to clear her throat to grab his attention, holding the coffee out over the counter for him to grab.

"Hm? Oh, sorry, Emma," he took it.

"No worries," she said.

Paul took in a breath, about to ask her for her number, when a shout came up from her coworker. They both glanced over to see coffee spilled all over the ground and a shattered blender.

"God damn it-" Emma glanced apologetically at Paul. "Sorry- er, I should..."

Paul nodded, "it's okay, I understand. You can leave."

Emma gave him a last awkward smile and hurried off to help with the clean up. Paul sighed, taking his coffee and walking away. Just another miss at asking Emma out. As he approached his group again, Paul took a sip of the coffee and put it down before starting back on the pumpkin again.

"Well?" Ted asked, "how did it go?"

Paul frowned. "I don't want to hear you talk about it, Ted."

Charlotte smiled at him as she cleaned up scattered pumpkin seeds on the ground, "I think she likes you. I could hear you two laughing from all the way over here."

He brightened, "do you think so?"

Charlotte nodded, and when the others didn't say anything, she elbowed Ted fiercely and cleared her throat in Bill's direction. The both hastily gave murmurs of agreement. Paul smiled to himself, picking back up the pumpkin and starting to carve away. Maybe, he thought as he worked, there was a chance for him and Emma after all.