A Love Like No Other (ManxMan) ✔

II

Eddie’s feet kept tapping the floor on his ride up to his floor. He was nervous, and you could tell by the way he clutched his hot cup of coffee and how he kept rotating between biting and licking his lips. As soon as he got to his floor, he made his way to his cubicle and sat down, immediately dropping his head to rest on the table. He was pulled out of his state when someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Morning Eddie.”

It was Noah. Without bothering to raise his head, he mumbled a, “Hi, Noah.”

“Why are you like this?” Noah asked, dragging a chair to sit beside Eddie. Eddie raised his head, took a gulp of his coffee and turned to Noah who was looking at him with a worried expression.

“Samuel told me the boss wanted to see me, something about my idea and whatnot,” Eddie responded, taking another gulp of the hot coffee, ignoring the burns because it served as a good distraction right now.

“Be calm, Eddie. There’s nothing to be worried about; it’s not like Mr. Sheridan is the big bad wolf.” Noah spoke, holding Eddie’s gaze in the hopes that it would have a calming effect.

“He isn’t?”

Noah shook his head. “So just go up there, discuss your idea, remove all doubts about it in his head and leave when it’s over, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you, Noah.”

“You’re welcome. How was your night by the way?”

“It was all right; I had a great dinner and everything. How about you?” Eddie asked as he powers on his computer. The clock beside him read nine fifteen AM. “Alright, I guess? I ordered Chinese from this place down my street; it was excellent.”

“Do you cook?” Eddie inquired, staring at Noah with wide eyes. It’s not healthy living off take outs and frozen pizza. And he knows this, and not just because Matty had been drilling it into his head since Uni.

Noah chuckled. “I can’t. I tried last week, and I managed to burn burnt toast. It was as black as coal.”

Eddie laughed, his head thrown back as he did so, his nerves leaving. His eyes were closed as his body shook with his laughter, when he opens his eyes he found Noah glaring at him, he looked like he wanted to throw something at Eddie’s face. “I don’t like you right now.” “To make you feel better, I can’t properly cook. I know how to follow a cookbook, but most of the time it’s my best friend who makes the food. He’s a chef.” Eddie replied, eyes slyly gliding to check the time. Nine thirty.

“Lucky Monkey.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Monkeys are cute.” Eddie sticks out his tongue at his partner, like the adult that he was.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be, Edward?” Noah suggested, glare still set on his face.

“I know, I know. I’m getting up.” Eddie replied. He grabbed a copy of the file he submitted the day before, drank the remaining coffee, popped a mentos into his mouth and with a thumbs up from Noah, he left his cubicle and made his way to the elevator. His destination, the top floor.

There were six people with him in the elevator, each of them got off on various levels until Eddie was alone, soft music coming in through the elevator speakers, he watched as the different buttons lit at each floor passed, his nerves climbing his body. There was a loud ping, and the doors slid open. Eddie walked out, and his eyes widened. The whole level was white; the floors, however, were wooden, and there was a desk half the size of the one in the reception to the side. The entire floor had three doors and from what he could see –through the to the floor glass- one was a conference room, and the others were offices, one for the CEO and the other was unmarked.