What If

Chapter 2 - A Brief Encounter

Thomas' P.O.V.
It's been two weeks now, since I started working at The Daily Eagle. The work is tough, and the hours are sometimes long, but aside from that it's great. In just a few days, Dylan and I have become best friends. He's a very funny guy, who's always joking around the place, and chatting up girls (pretty badly I might add!). He's a photographer also, so the pair of us are usually out on assignment together. And then there's the mysterious girl sat opposite me. Taylor Brooks. I still haven't talked to her yet - she's always so quiet, and I've only ever heard her talk once when she first spoke to me on my first day. That was it. Dylan kept teasing me, saying that there was no point in talking to her, because she was too much of a workaholic, and not fun enough. But there was still something about her. Something that caught my eye every time she passed.

I'm currently sat at my desk, fiddling with my pencil. I'm supposed to be waiting for an email to come through about my new assignment, but nothing has come through yet. It's already ten to six, and I go home in ten minutes. Groaning quietly, I looked up over the top of my notice board, to see those eyes again. She was constantly typing away at her keyboard, sometimes chewing the end of her pencil as she worked. How is it she had so much to write? I know George had said that she was one of the best journalists here, but she was always working, hardly ever stopping for a break. A sudden 'ping' from my computer caused me to look down at my computer. The email had finally come through with my new assignment. As I read it, I mentally screamed at how much work there was for me to do. Closing down the email, I grabbed my bag from under my desk and stumbled out of my 'cubicle' if you'll call it that. But just as I did, a girl with a large file of papers came speeding past me, causing me to bump right into her.

"Oh my God I'm so sorry!" I apologised, as her papers flew in the air.

"Oh don't worry, it's my fault!" She smiled, as the two of us began picking up the files, "I shouldn't have been rushing!" Helping her with the last few sheets, I gave her a hand in getting up. She looked up at me and I got a first good look at her. She was much shorter than me, and had short brown hair. She had a round face with some freckles, and she wore round glasses.

"I'm Jess!" She smiled, putting her hand out for me to shake.

"I'm Thomas! Nice to meet you!" I grinned, shaking her hand.

"Well, I'd better be off! Papers to hand in!" She giggled, before walking down the row of desks.

"Well done there!" Someone said behind me. I whipped round to see Taylor smiling at me from her desk. She was gently tapping her pencil on the desk as she watched me.

"Yeah, I need to watch where I'm going from now on!" I chuckled nervously, before smiling back at her.

"You know, for a minute there I thought she was going to ask you out!" Taylor laughed softly, "Jess has always had a thing for the new comers here. I'd watch your back if I were you!" She nodded in the direction Jess had gone, and I followed her gaze. I could just about see Jess staring at me from the side of her desk. As soon as she saw me looking, she quickly turned away and began working again.

"Looks like you've got a shadow, eh?" Taylor grinned, wrapping her coat around her and slinging her satchel onto her shoulder.

"Yeah, great!" I said sarcastically, turning back to her, "I'm Thomas by the way, Thomas Brodie Sangster."

"I'm Taylor Brooks! Nice to meet you!" She said, shaking my hand.

"Listen, I know I've only just met you and all, but I was wondering if you wanted to go out for a coffee or something?" I asked her nervously.

"Oh, sorry Thomas but I've got a date tonight. Maybe some other time? Goodbye!" And with one turn of her heel, she was gone. Well, that was defiantly a very brief encounter!