Shaylivia Smut

Holiday Party

Tinsel spills out of the collar of Noah's sweater like limp spaghetti, long forgotten now hours after Damien wrestled it in there a few minutes after the official kick off of the annual Christmas party.

Fifty or so people are packed into the main room and brainstorm area like sardines in a tin can. The office is stuffy, somebody only moments ago finally thinking of cracking a window to let in the chilled air. There are more empty bottles of mid-shelf champagne lying around than beer cans at a frat party and a layer of sticky on every flat surface. Somebody had the foresight to cover the work areas with plastic table cloths.

If Olivia hadn't been prepped for what was likely going to take place tonight, she wouldn't have believed her own eyes.

"Matt's been playing Santa for much too long" Mari elbows Olivia in the side as she slurs her words.

She's yelling unnecessarily over Bruce Springsteen's voice coming out of the audio system.

"Tell him it's my tuuuuurn" Mari said.

Olivia recrosses her legs from her perch on a short filing cabinet, looking over with amusement as Santa Claus ceremoniously loses his shirt again, dollar bills stuffed into the waistband of his pants. She sips her whiskey, grateful for Courtney's foresight in stashing the bottle in the drawers beneath her. Champagne gives Olivia a headache.

"Why don't you ask him if you can be Mrs. Claus?" Olivia suggests.

She watches amusingly as Mari's eyes light up with what little energy the booze hasn't stolen a second before she darts around a dozen people over to the strip show.

"That was clever" Courtney appears at her side with a half eaten cookie and the corners of her eyeliner smudged now hours into the evening.

"She'll never get that hat off Matt's head" Courtney said.

They both watch as Mari jumps right on Matt's back, toppling them both to the ground. Behind them, Noah is lifted up by his ankles and dangled over a keg, nearly run over by Keith pushing Damien in a rolling desk chair, tied up with twinkle lights.

"We're just short one lawnmower and couple of severed limbs and then we can call this a real Mad Men's Christmas party" Olivia said.

Courtney snorts loudly at Olivia's joke and accidently spits pieces of sugar cookie out across the floor as she continues to chuckle.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry" She apologies.

She wipes her mouth and uses the toe of her shoe to spread out the crumbs, smudging them into the carpet as if it makes it look cleaner.

"I swear I'm not that drunk" She said.

Olivia arches a perfectly manicured brow, smiling knowingly her new friend and accusingly eyeing the cup in her hand.

Courtney shrugs before taking a sip of her drink, smiling.

"Okay, maybe I am" She said.

"I swear Liv, I have never seen such rowdiness from a group of grown ass adults"

Olivia adjusts her necklace, twiddling with the pendants as she watches on in fascination. Someone has left a chihuahua sleeping in a half empty chip bowl and Olivia's been keeping an eye out for its safety.

"You should see us on July 4th" A deeper voice joins their conversation.

The sound curls her toes.

Olivia doesn't have to turn to know to whom it belongs. Shayne Topp, Boy Wonder.

Since her hire at Smosh, Olivia has hung out and been friends with him for a long time. Recently if he's not refilling the coffee pot or pitching videos, he's blushing at her confident lingering gaze. She's greeted him good morning countless times while blowing across the top of her steaming mug, waiting for him to ask her out.