bus boy | luke hemmings

part two

Carter continued for ten minutes trying effortlessly to get some information from the newspaper she had tossed from her bag, it had yesterdays date on it meaning she was yet to purchase todays, no luck.

There was no accommodation advertised anywhere. And she didn't have enough money to buy her own flat. She certainly didn't want to rent a shared room with a stranger, but had been meaning to move out for a few months now and unfortunately found nothing worth her time. Her parents didn't want her to leave but she really had no choice, the bus was a huge chore every morning and night, to and from work and she would rather be in the centre of London and closer to the places and people she loved.

A light ping sounded from her pocket catching the glance from a few men and women around her. She picked up her phone with a pale blush on her cheeks and answered the text she had received,

" You're always late, you need to get your shit together"

"Im always late because it's just who I am as a person"

with a small smile on her lips she rose from her seat and stepped off of the bus.
Her hair was everywhere and the wind made it worse, raising the curls above her head and dropping them with every step she took. English weather was a nightmare for Carter and everyday was a battle between the weather and her hair.
Of course the heavy wind and rain won and stuck her hair flat down onto her face.

Her work building was a couple of streets away and so she shuffled along with her eyes on the floor, across busy roads, past coffee shops and then whacked straight into a co-worker.

Carters belongings were piled up on the side of the road along with her dignity.

The man was bent over laughing, leaning over her with his phone out taking a picture of her wallowing in the mess she had created

" There's nothing like a bit of elegance darling" he snickered

He reached down and with his big hands, pulled her up so she was on her feet and collected her belongings before she had a chance to realise she had fallen.

"Ashton, oh my god I'm so sorry" she chuckled placing her hands above his, she took her folders and bag out of his hands and brushed down her skirt.

" You're an idiot" he laughed whilst grabbing his bag from the floor. Ashton showed Carter the picture he had taken of her lying helplessly on the floor, causing her to leap up and beg him to delete it.

Ashton was tall and towered over her even when she was jumping up to grab his phone. He smirked down at her and promised he'd delete it later.

They walked for a few minutes chatting about their experiences that had happened during the two days they hadn't spoken.

"You missed Alex's party!"

"You know I hate parties" she sighed

"No one hates parties" He chuckled

" Shut up" she laughed, shoving his shoulder causing a soft giggle to fall from his lips.

He was adorable, and yet extremely hot at the same time. Carter and Ashton were both on mutual terms with their relationship, nothing but friends. It had happened before and they voweled that it would never happen again.

Carter looked up to Ashton as more of a brotherly figure than a romantic one and Ashton assured her he would never let a guy hurt her in any way and would do anything he could to protect her from irrelevant douchebags.

They both walked into the already bustling office and straight to the shiny lift at the back.

Floor four was where all the magic happened, working for a publishing agency was hard work but it was what Carter had always wanted to do.  She had a passion for reading and has always imagined herself being surrounded by books and getting paid for it. Carter was a fast reader but had the attention span of a fly, if a book was boring or didn't spark her interest it would take her twice as long to read.

Ashton on the other hand was just naturally talented and found it simple to shred through a pile of books in under a day.

They reached their small office, bumped shoulders, and walked their separate ways before settling down to work.