The Red Strings ~ BL

TAYLOR

Metrix Headquarters

Office Floor - 2:56 P.M.

TAYLOR

"I swear to God, can no one do a fucking job?!" Exquisite and fair, twenty-five-year-old Taylor Jess slammed his light pale fists repeatedly on his flat white desk in motion.

"What's going on over there, cutie?" called a colleague across from him.

"Do you have to call me cutie?" Taylor raised his perfectly plucked left eyebrow.

"I'm only stating the obvious; you reek in beautiful looks. Even as a man," the coworker kidded.

Taylor shifted uncomfortably in his office chair, gulping hard. "I do not."

The coworker, Bobby, chuckled with a proud smile. Taylor sighed, his fingers typing across his keyboard, finishing an email in 10 seconds.

"I don't know how you do that," Bobby added.

"I took a class; if you would stop looking at vacation spots and bikini models. You could go one day." Taylor said, without looking up. "And respond faster."

"Hey!" Bobby protested. "These are essentials to a healthy life, Taylor; not everyone is glued to their screens."

"Did you finish that report?" Taylor added.

"Uhhhh." Bobby panicked.

Taylor snickered, his body turning towards a small picture frame of himself and another young man kissing his cheek on a sunset beach. I work to support him. He'll be home today. I just want everything to be perfect so he can relax. He'll be relaxed and can just take it easy knowing I have everything covered. He's finally home.

BING!

His chocolate, round eyes glanced over to his computer screen. A small mailbox icon with a red dot popped up in the right corner of the monitor. Its subject line said: IMPORTANT DECISION. His fingers itched, but bubbling excitement spread through his arms to his stomach.

Dear Taylor,

Please come to my office this afternoon at 3 P.M. to discuss your position.

-Department Head, Senior Matter Hendrix.

"My position, I hope...could it be...what time is it?" Taylor mumbled, reaching for his cell phone. The screen lit up with the time of 2:57 P.M.

"Fuck!" he hissed, scooping up a handful of papers on the desk, rushing around the tables.

"No cussing on the floor," said an elderly woman with great hips and a small cane.

"Bite me, Helen. Bobby started it," Taylor said over his shoulder.

"What?! Oh! Oh! So I'm to blame that he forgot the time?" Bobby barked back.

"No insinuating on the floor," Helen added.

"Helennnn," Bobby whined.

Taylor tore through the office paths, dodging people balancing coffee and sticking his arm out to lend a hand.

"Thank you, Taylor!"

He gave a sweet nod before continuing down the hallway.

"I told you! You broke it!"

"It was working a second ago!"

Taylor pressed his long finger on the power button of a printer and slammed his foot into it. It finally started spitting out paper.