Cubicle [h.s. au]

18) Love In Store

Wednesday // Roni

"So tell me more about this Caleb," said Alice as she joined me at the table in the break room.

The day before, Harry and I had taken Alice to lunch, inviting her to join us on Friday for drinks at Tom's Pub and to meet Caleb. After her face had flushed a deep pink, and she received encouraging words from Harry and me, she'd agreed to go.

"I don't really know anything more," I shrugged. "He's a friend of Harry's and I only met him once. But he seems like a proper lad."

"And Harry thinks he'll like me?"

"I think what?" I heard a familiar voice behind me ask. I turned to catch a glimpse of his dimpled smiled before he headed to the cabinet to grab a cup.

"That Caleb with like Alice," I grinned.

"Yes," Harry nodded. "I do."

"Does he drive?" asked Alice.

"What?" Harry chuckled as he joined us at the table. "Does he drive?"

Alice pursed her lips. "The last guy I went out with didn't have a car. I was always driving him around or we'd have to walk. That got old real fast."

Harry raised his brows as he lifted his cup to his mouth. "I assure you he has a car."

"Good," Alice sat back in her chair.

"Where were you?" I asked Harry. "Usually you're in here before I am."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Nina. Everything I worked on Monday and Tuesday hadn't met her expectations, so she's having me do the reports over."

"What? Are you kidding?"

Harry shook his head, swallowing. "'fraid not."

"Somebody needs to put a sedative in her tea," I sighed.

Alice giggled.

"I'm serious," I eyed her. "This is the second time she's told him he's done something wrong."

"Not the second time, babe," remarked Harry. "It's been this way since I started here."

I glared at him. "What is her problem?"

"Same as Gerard's," piped Alice. "They think they're better than everyone."

"Well, I get that she's Donald's secretary, but it doesn't give her the right to treat you like that."

"It's okay, love," Harry patted my hand on the table. "It's not worth getting angry about. But unfortunately, it means I'm gonna have to work through lunch."

I crossed my arms and pouted. Stupid Nina.

"You guys know Nina used to be a salesperson, right?"

Harry and I both looked up at Alice's announcement. "What?"

"Ah, right then," Alice sat up straight. "When I first started working here, the sales team was made up of five people: Gerard, Nina, Charlie, who's been here forever, a girl named Kate, and a bloke named Storm."

"Storm?" Harry and I echoed at the same time. I laughed and he grabbed my knee under the table.

"Yeah," Alice continued. "So I was told Kate got another job offer and that's why she left, but Felicia said it was because she was tired of Gerard coming on to her."

"Oh that bloody figures," I muttered.

"Yeah, makes sense," Alice agreed. "But what I didn't know was there was an undercover office romance. Nina and Storm."