TANK

12 (plot, angst, smut)

My fingers thrum nervously against my desk. The whole of the week passed similarly to Monday- occasionally texting and calling Tank to tide myself over until I can see him again, today. I'm nervous, feeling like I felt the night I met him. Today is also the first of the two days of the week I'm at my internship, 8 am to 5 pm, pinned in a room with 6 other students, bored out of my mind. I find myself constantly watching the clock like it owes me money, begging it to somehow skip to 5 pm. My coworker, and only friend at work, Elliott, snaps next to my head, bringing me back to attention. "Hello? You in there?" I level him with a glare, then go back to sketching nothing in illustrator.

Elliott leans closer, just to me, "You've been drawing the same circle for like, 3 hours." He states. I minimize the tab, turning to glare at him, crossing my arms. "What of it?" I ask. "Yeesh," he holds his hands up in mock surrender, "I'm just saying, I'm bored, you're bored, if you have something interesting on your mind I would PAY you to tell me." I roll my eyes, I would've already talked about it, but I don't like our other co-workers well enough to say the things I want.

I take my headphones off and stand up. "I'll tell you over lunch." His face lights up and he springs to his feet faster than light, leading the way out of the office. We walk together to a pub a few blocks away, making idle chat along the way. Once seated Elliott braces himself on the table, "Please tell me something fun. I've been so bored you could tell me that you bought new socks and I'd probably cheer." "Well," I start, smile pulling on my lips, "I met a new guy."

I talk through Tank the same way I did with Sofia and Nora, coyly revealing each juicy detail to an increasingly scandalized Elliott. When I finish he just shakes his head, chewing on his straw. "The most shocking part is that he told you his name is Tank." I laugh, "I think it's just a nickname he uses but, whatever." Elliott shakes his head, "I mean, I call my boyfriend a lot of dumb shit, but I still use his name, too." I consider the statement for a moment, weighing it. He talks again, "I'm just saying is that not a little sus?" The air is heavy for a minute as I really consider what he's saying, when our food shows up, cutting the tension. Our conversation pretty much ends there, difficult to talk about substantial things while eating. We still crack jokes, burning time until our hour lunch is done. Elliott grabs the check, though I punch him for it.

We make our way back to the office after lunch. Once we walk in I groan in annoyance. It's absolutely unnecessarily freezing cold in the office, as it always gets right after noon, I always have to go get a jacket out of my car. I decide to do just that, but freeze in my tracks, remembering that I had Sofia drive me today so that Tank could get me straight from work and I wouldn't have to worry about dropping my car at home. I don't have a car to get a jacket out of. "Shit." I swear, getting looks from my other co-workers.

Elliott spins to face me, pushing his headset half off. "What's up?" He asks. I pout my lip. "I forgot my jacket." He scrunches his face up. "I'm not cold." I roll my eyes at him, "Well, I am. Hence why I need a jacket." He sighs, fishing his keys out of his pocket. He points them at me. "I have a hoodie I keep in my car, you could use that." I sigh in relief, reaching for his keys, "That would literally save my life-" he snatches his keys back, fixing me with a glare. "If you don't give it back to me I will literally end your life. I have like, maybe two left that Charlie hasn't stolen." I agree, leaning over him to swipe his keys. I fetch the hoodie and come back to the office, tossing Elliott back his keys. The hoodie is big on me, not as big as Tank's shirts, but nevertheless, functional. "Thanks man," I say. Elliott nods in acknowledgement, "Your life." He reminds me, dragging his finger over his throat. I roll my eyes at him.

I go back to work, essentially treading time, as I sink back into a routine of switching between staring at the clock on the wall and the clock on my phone. I've been back in the office for a little when when my phone chimes.