Damien
Before I had time to process Marcus whisking Aria away, Matt approached me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Damien! Hey." He said solemnly "Duran?" "Yeah." "Do you know what that was all about? "Yeah... Marcus and I were nearby and we heard you ask about Aria's work at TBD. Word to the wise, man, please don't ask about it. We brought him here because we wanted him to get a fresh start." Matt said, and I just stood there dumbfounded after hearing- "Him?" I asked, intending to clarify. "Uhh, yeah? You knew Aria was a guy right?" He said as if I should've already known.
I opened my mouth to reply, but before I could form a coherent response, Courtney and Angela called upon us for the morning meeting. "I- Can we talk later, Duran? With Marcus? Just us three?" I stated. "Hm." He grunted in response as we made our way to the conference room.
As we entered, Ian and Anthony stood at the front, ready to address the team. Ian's voice filled the room as he began, "Hey everyone! Before we get to today's itinerary, we'd like to introduce our new production coordinator slash assistant editor!"
To my delight, Aria entered from the side, a warm smile on his, his... hm.. face as he greeted everyone. "Hi everyone! It's nice to meet you all! I go by Aria. I look forward to working with you all! Thank you!" As he said this, I noticed Matt and Marcus both give him a thumbs up, and he headed to where they were to sit down.
The meeting proceeded with discussions on the day's objectives. I leaned in to Amanda who was sitting next to me and whispered, "Amanda, did you know Aria was a dude?" "Uh, yeah? Beautiful hair, too. Why, what about it?" She said. "Uhh, nothing really. Don't worry about it." As I said that, she gave me a mischievous smirk. "Okayy..." What? Does she know something else I don't?
Soon enough, the meeting ends and everyone was dismissed. As the room emptied, I looked around for Matt and Marcus, wanting to finish our conversation and ask about Aria.
Unable to locate them, I opted to shoot Marcus a quick text before approaching Aria. "Aria!" She- I mean he turned around and I noticed his hair bounce.
"Oh, Mr. Haas! I was just looking for you! Matt and Marcus went to pick up their lunch delivery for us." "Us?" I wanted to clarify. "Yes. They told me they have something important to discuss with you so I reserved an unused conference room for the lunch. I have other matters to attend to at the moment so I'm afraid it will just be the three of you. Would that be alright?" He said. "You're very polite. And, yes. I'll be alright, Aria. Thank you." I said, trying not to sound extremely shocked that the girl who I thought was talking to is a guy.
Before I can say more, "Damien! Can you come over here a sec!" Marcus' voice comes from behind me. Aria says "Well, thats them, I'll see you later, Damien." He gives me a wave goodbye and I'm left staring at his back.
I walk over to where Marcus and Duran are, and we head to the room Aria reserved and all take a seat. "You alright with Chick-Fil-A, Damien?" Marcus asks. "Yeah, man." "So, Damien-" "Wait, please." Matt starts but I interject. "Can I ask one question before anything please?" He nods. "Are you and Aria dating, Duran? I just really wanted to know because of the jacket... It's yours, right?"
"Well, yeah." Matt says. Internally, I feel sad. "But we're not dating. Marcus and I see him more like a little brother." After hearing that, I feel relief. Relief? At hearing this...? "Okay..." I try not to show it, but I think I let a little too much emotion show as Marcus and Duran glance at each other. Marcus starts to speak.
"Damien. How do you feel about Aria? We've noticed that the way you behave around Aria is reminiscent of how you were with Saige." Duran nods.
"I- really?" I say, dumbfounded. Grunts of agreement come from both of them. "I think... I think he looks attractive, but I've never really been into guys before. Maybe he's a first for me? To be honest, I kinda wanna see where it goes." Both their eyes widen. "Plus, I'm still really curious about his job at TBD. Why don't you want me to ask him about it?"
Marcus speaks up. "Well, first off, Aria will have to tell you about TBD. It doesn't feel right coming from us. And about your attraction towards him, you might have to try getting to know him more first. You might have some competition on that. He's a really sweet guy. A little too nice if you ask us, but I could see it, honestly."
"See what?" I ask. "He means you two, and I think so, too." Duran says. "You have a great voice, and Aria is a sucker for men with good voices." I blush deeply as he says that. "I see. And what competition?"
"Don't tell him we told you, but he hasn't moved on from his last relationship yet. You have to be clear with him if you want what's between you two to move further. Think carefully, Damien. It's still just his first day here. You may not even want it after a few days. But from here on, we'll be watching you, Damien." Duran continues. "Don't hurt him. He's a good kid."
"I understand. And thanks for the advice. And the Chick-Fil-A." They chuckle, and the rest of lunch goes by peacefully with Duran and Marcus.
YOU ARE READING
Warmth
Romance"We've all felt safe in the arms of someone dear, have we not?" This story will reference T. Swift discography. I own none of those, obviously. I couldn't have done this alone.
