Paperwork || c.h z.m {slow updates}

4. I Know Him

A week into the job and I’d began to understand the whole day’s system. But still one thing was bugging me. Did Calum and Zayn both realise that the other was hitting on me or were they both too absent minded to figure out that they weren’t the only ones flirting with me? It was also unnerving because they didn’t like each other so it made me wonder if they realised what they were doing.

No matter what though, I was really enjoying the attention. And it wasn’t like I was asking for it either so it didn’t make me an attention whore or anything like that.

Calum and I had also fallen into the habit of having lunch together everyday except for Wednesdays. I’d found out a heap from our lunch meetings. I refused to call them dates because it seemed to feel way too casual. He’d never referred to me as anything really, so I’d set the standard at work colleagues and left it at that. He was very into his music, always looking for new sounds which was inferred for any musician. But him without his music was so odd. He had a habit of moving; fidgeting. I thought nothing of it but I realised that it had to do with his music and his continuous want to make more of it. Calum also made it a habit of observing more than talking, but he had a good sense of humour and his laugh was adorable.

Zayn on the other hand had set his own rules, around the reception area especially. He’d wink whenever he walked past, making sure that I’d see him even if there was a client who saw the whole endeavour. On Friday we were both in the elevator on the way down when we both knocked off for the day and he made it very clear that he was checking me out. It hadn’t made me uncomfortable as such (if I was any younger I would’ve panicked and possibly fainted), rather embarrassed because he wasn’t ashamed in the slightest.

“You really do have a nice ass.” He commented as we both walked out.

I scoffed at how immature he was and went over to where Sarah had parked the car and was waiting rather impatiently; she was tapping her fingers on the steering wheel and not with a happy look on her face.

The second Tuesday of work was virtually the same, but at lunch Calum looked nervous and tense. He kept narrowing his eyes and scrunching his face, as if he was thinking something was a bad idea or whatever. “Cassie,” he spoke up and I set my coffee down on the table, smiling politely at him. “Did you wanna go out sometime?” His expression was almost pained. Calum was so anxious about asking me out. 

Wait, Calum Hood just asked me out.

“Woah, Calum I hardly know you.” I began but that really didn’t make it any better.

“I know. That’s kind of why I asked.” He explained, chewing on his bottom lip as he looked at me intently waiting for his answer.

I wasn’t going to do this just to be polite. Calum was very nice guy and good looking too. I did like him, but I could be fired for fraternising with him; we were work colleagues. But he sat there waiting for me to say something and if we were in reverse roles I would have considered myself lucky just to see him in the flesh let alone have the guts to ask him out on a date, yet he was nervous about asking me on a date. Screw the rules. “Sounds good. When and where?” I asked grinning. Way to make me feel on top of the world. 

For a split second I thought that he was expecting me to say no, his reaction showed it. ButI pretended I didn’t see that and he took a moment to look ecstatic and then he recomposed himself. “How does Saturday sound?” He suggested.

“Saturday’s fine with me.”

That afternoon when Calum was leaving, just before I was, he stopped at the front desk. He leant over it looking down at me. “You still good for Saturday?” He asked.