The Bucketlist

16 | ALTERATIONS

10 am

"Are we going to watch the whole project going down?" Josh exclaimed.

He just had a thing for going on a full knight with a sword mode whenever it was a team meeting. No one at the table had a clue why he was being irritable. A few of them gossiped that Josh had a classic case of cooties before the presentation, and as a result, he would talk loud, be a bit bossy, and blatantly throw drama on their faces. A lot of them hated that, but I appreciated it when one could see his raw manliness. It was like watching the innocent, the then calm and quiet Clark Kent transforming into his insanely hot and brave alter ego - Superman. To think that I was a sole observer of the transformation gave me a different kind of high. In the past 24 hours, I had seen two men undergo a 360-degree, and the headache throbbing through my forehead couldn't help me to decide which one was best-

Watching Josh go berserk with the project meet or to see drunk Will Turner offering me dinner and then passing out.

"Eva, would you please get me a coffee, dear?" He said.

Josh pointed toward me as his forehead creased with worry while he analyzed some statistical piece of data that he was to demonstrate.

"Sure."

I almost wanted to mutter a gospel and thank God for the moment. Josh asked me to get him a cup of coffee! We were good friends, but I always hoped we could be more. He would turn in every morning, dressed perfectly in a three-piece suit. His hair combed to perfection, his rectangular glasses sitting smartly on the small of his nose, and his flashing smile- gave me all the more reason to go through another day in this office. It could be funny to think a few people can add more than a strong will to live our lives. Now that I had read the diary yesterday, I couldn't help but wonder who the girl was!

I made my way to the espresso machine. Nervous interns, senior subordinates, and struggling authors waited with their manuscripts. People who came to the common hall had a sole motto of living sane - for some, it was an espresso shot, others' was being/getting a good editor, and maybe both for some.

There wasn't much of a queue for espresso. I was waiting with two cups- one for me and one for Josh when I felt a silence engulfing the common hall. What the hell happened? I turned around to see Will, dressed in a navy blue three-piece suit making his way to the Espresso Machine. Memories from morning rushed into my head. Holy Crap.

"Mellon, could I please have a moment?" Will said.

"Sure. I could get back to you in five minutes. I have a cup of coffee to deliver somewhere."

I said in an attempt to stay away from him. Last night was a long one, and I need not wait for Tyranny to remember everything that happened today. Friends was okay outside work, but right now? Hell no. I knew the feeling was  mutual. If he could threaten to behead me when drunk, there was worse he could do when awake and fully clothed. I now knew why half of the Bexley staff kept their distance from him and decided against having any rebels, but then I had to give Josh his much-awaited coffee.

"Well, I didn't know you are working as a waitress at Bexley's, Mellon." He chuckled.

"It's for a friend, Mr. Turner. " I said.

I fled from the room and looked for Josh, still weary from his pre-presentation gig.

"Calm down, Josh. You'll be great." I reassured.

"You think?" He said matter-of-factly.

"Here, your coffee. I gotta catch up with Tyranny, or Tyranny will come here breathing down our necks." I said, handing out his cup.