Bad Blood ~Rewrite~

Three

Time ticked by slowly as Caitlyn stared intently at her screen. She typed rapidly on her keyboard as she wrote out some notes for a journalist to improve their article.

"Hey," a sudden voice called. She jumped slightly before turning to see Taylor standing behind her. "It's time for lunch," she said gesturing at the clock. "Want me to show you to the break room?" Caitlyn ran a hand through her hair before forcing a soft smile.

"That would be great," she said, reaching under her desk and grabbing her lunch. "Thanks..."

"Great! I can introduce you to the others. Caitlyn followed her to the back office, noticing that they were going toward the glass room that had been blocked off earlier. Taylor opened the door quickly, causing it to make a soft bang as it slammed against the wall. A small group that had already been sitting inside looked up suddenly as they were pulled from their conversation. Caitlyn followed Taylor inside, seeing three men sitting at the table.

"Hey, guys," Taylor said, gesturing for Caitlyn to take a seat. "This is Caitlyn, our new editor." Caitlyn glanced around at the men as she offered a forced smile. The two sitting closest to her seemed to be around her age. One had curly blond hair that fell towards his piercing blue eyes, the other had dark skin and short dark hair. The third man was clearly older than the others. His ashy brown hair was done up, slightly contrasting his short beard. He stared at her silently through a pair of glasses, his moss-green eyes trained on her intently.

"Caitlyn?" the blond repeated softly as if trying to recall something before offering her his hand. His voice hinted at a soft accent that she couldn't quite place. "Nice to meet you. I'm Luke."

"Nice to meet you," she said, shaking his extended hand.

"This is Calum," Taylor said, gesturing at the man with caramel skin. "And that's Grant." The older man nodded at her quietly.

"So, Caitlyn," he said softly. "Where are you from?" Caitlyn picked at the corner of her lunch box, feeling her nerves rise in her chest. She couldn't push away the feeling that the group was analyzing her.

"Avalon, California," she said softly. The door to the break room opened suddenly and another small group entered the room. Caitlyn froze softly in her place as she saw the blond man from her apartment building walk in. He glanced at her before quickly looking away. With him were two other men, a shorter man with vibrant orange hair and a younger man with mousy brown hair.

"Oh, good. You can meet some of the others," Taylor said softly. "That's Thomas, Ed, and Robbie-" she stopped suddenly as Dylan walked into the room. Caitlyn looked up, feeling her heart drop as she stared back at her older brother. "This is Dylan," Taylor continued. "Guys, this is Caitlyn." Dylan sat across from her at the table, staring down at his lunch.

"So," Calum said suddenly, his Australian accent was thicker than Luke's, making it easier to identify. "California? How'd you hear about this job?" Caitlyn looked over at the boy quickly, noticing that everyone was staring at her.

"My boyfriend," she muttered softly. "He works here too-"

"What does your boyfriend do here?" Grant asked. Caitlyn noticed that most of the others were leaning in with anticipation, and she quickly looked down at her lap.

"He's the editor-in-chief," she said quietly. She glanced up suddenly and saw the shocked expressions that painted everyone's faces. Dylan stared at the table intently, his fists clenched into tight balls. Thomas stared silently at the dark-haired boy, his expression revealing no emotion.

"You're dating Nick?" Luke asked breathlessly, breaking the awkward silence. She just nodded her head silently in response. Silence loomed over the group as a few of them exchanged nervous glances. A sudden knock broke the tension. Caitlyn let out a breath of relief as she looked up and saw her boyfriend standing at the door.