Office Mates

Friends from College

Ashley, Peter, and Liam are sitting out in the waiting area to be sat for the restaurant. They just sent a video off to Marian to invite her to join them. Ashley looks at Peter anxiously. "Do you think that will convince her to eat with us?" Ashley puts her hand on Peter's arm and locks arms with him. It's almost second nature after 7 years together. Peter knows that Ashley is looking for some reassurance. Ashly doesn't do anything in her life at less than 100 percent. The fact that she has had to put her friendships on the back burner while she is in residency has been tough on her. "It's Marian, she is always down for food." Peter smiles and snuggles into Ashley as he says this. She rests her head on his shoulder and starts to relax. He's right, Marian loves going out to eat at new places.

After a few minutes of silence, Ashley has time to stress herself out again. She and Marian used to be close. Very close. That changed a bit with her move to a place 3 hours away, but it got worse when Ashley started her medical residency. "Marian could be mad at me." She says it out loud as she thinks about it. Peter looks and asks, "Why would you think that? Has she said she was upset with you?" Ashley counters back, "No. But I haven't had much time to talk with her lately. I have been so busy with my internship." Ashley sighs as she says this. Medical residency is no joke. She has been exhausted for so long that she has forgotten what it feels like to be normal. But this is why she always makes time to see her friends. To help return her to normal.

Peter rubs her arm as he says, "That's the downside of residency." Ashley knows this, but it still doesn't make her feel less anxious about having less time for important people in her life. Ashley leans back into her seat, "I hope she comes." Peter looks towards Liam. Liam is quiet and won't engage in a conversation without you asking him directly. He warms up eventually, but it takes a while. Peter knows this about his best friend so he asks him a question, "Do you still talk to her, Liam?" Liam looks up from his seat to Ashley and Peter who are currently intertwined with each other. He thinks about how he should answer that question.

Originally Peter and Ashley had pushed Liam and Marian together, but after a while, they both seemed to have given up on the idea. He doesn't know how much Marian has told Ashley about their situationship. He says, carefully, "Sometimes. Whenever it is convenient. We both live in the same area. Our jobs are about 20 minutes apart." Peter leans in to talk more with Liam. Peter has always been super friendly. It's the only kind of person who can befriend Liam. "I still find it crazy that you both ended up out here. Don't get me wrong. It makes it easy to visit when both our best friends are in the same place. But I always wonder how you ended up here. You had job offers from 5 different jobs after graduation." Liam and Peter had both studied business in college. Peter went into marketing while Liam went into finance. Liam had always been at the top of their class and when he graduated, he did have lots of options. Exactly what any person would want. Liam could have gone anywhere. But, he chose this job for its location. He doesn't know what to say so he sits there quietly. After a minute he checks his phone. He got a message from Marian. He reads it and starts to smile a little. He tells Ashley and Peter, "She's on her way."

Ashley excitedly starts celebrating and says, "Yay!!" She is happy to hear that Marian is coming. But Peter picks up on the subtle cues of his friend very quickly. He looks at Liam and is confused. He asks him, "Why did she text you and not Ash?" He looks at Liam and waits for him to say something. Liam makes eye contact with him but he doesn't crack. He is a very private person. Liam comes up with an excuse quickly, "She probably has texted me more recently than Ashley." Ashley nods her head in agreement. Peter breaks his gaze with Liam. Of course, Liam wouldn't say anything. He has never said anything. Ashley starts to think about Marian, "Maybe she will bring Theo. I was hoping to meet him." Peter looks confused again. He knows Marian isn't one to couple up. She tends to move from one boyfriend to the next quickly. He asks about Theo, "Does Marian ever date anyone long-term?" Ashley jumps to Marian's defense, "Theo has been in the picture for a while." Liam says without thinking, "I don't think he is going to last." Peter is intrigued and leans in slightly to Liam and says quietly, "Do you have inside information?" Once again Liam responds with silence. He probably shouldn't have said anything about Theo. But it's so hard when he absolutely cannot stand the guy. Liam wipes his head, checking that his hair still looks good. He has been at work all day and doesn't want to look worn out when Marian gets here.

Marian arrives in a rush. She had to bust her balls to get here. She comes in with a huff. She sees Liam and Ashley are still waiting to be sat. Thank goodness they picked a restaurant with a long wait. She then sees Liam. She tries to fix her hair but it always gets super frizzy when she goes out at night. She immediately goes to Ashley first. The two squeal and start hugging. It has been a few months since their last visit. Ashley as she is hugging Marian, "I missed my Mare Bear." Marian chuckles at her nickname. Marian leans back, "I am so happy you are here! Why are you visiting?" They stop hugging and are facing each other. Ashley says coyly, "We are celebrating something." Marian quickly grabs Ashley's hand. She immediately starts searching for a ring on her finger. These two have been together forever and it's just a matter of time. Ashly catches on after a minute and pulls her hand away. "No, it's not me." Peter now leans in and says, "We are taking Liam out! He got his big promotion at work!" Peter now takes this chance to give Marian a big bear hug. The two have known each other as long as she has known Ashley which has made them close. He puts Marian down and then pats Liam on the back like a proud father.

Marian finally turns to face Liam. Her cheeks start to turn bright red. Marian doesn't know what Peter knows about her and Liam. But knowing Liam, she assumes he hasn't said anything. He tends to keep things to himself unless Peter draws it out of him. Marian says to Liam, "Congratulations! I know you have been putting in a ton of overtime at that job. I am glad it paid off." She goes to shake Liam's hand. Liam smiles as she does this. He looks at her and says, "I have been working insane hours. But I am happy because finally, I will have some free time." Peter comes up from behind Liam and puts his arm around him playfully. "Yeah Liam, it's going to be time for you to get a hobby like golf. I think that's what all the finance guys play, right? Liam doesn't answer except with a "hmmm." Peter teases his friend more, "Or you could finally get a girlfriend." Ashley hits Peter's shoulder and says, "Pete, leave the man alone." Peter lets go of Liam but the two are standing next to each other.

Liam begins to make eye contact with Marian. She notices and starts to look away. He looks incredible tonight, of course. He always looks amazing, but when he relaxes like this her crush on him gets even stronger. She starts to look away but just as she is about to Liam says, looking completely at Marian, "Things are definitely going to change." As he says this a bolt goes through Marian. She has never felt this way around Liam. He usually treats her like an acquaintance, but it felt like he zeroed in on her. He seemed like he was talking about her when he said that. But he hasn't been serious about Marian since they started sleeping together five years ago, so she doesn't think she should trust this feeling and she shoves it deep inside her.