Holly and the Archer

ONE

"Where are you going?" Holly tripped, dropping her coat as her friend spun to see her. Stray strands of blonde hair fell from her messy ponytail as she sighed and picked it back up from the ground. Said friend crossed her arms and arched a neatly pencilled eyebrow. "There's still an hour left of the day."

"I'm clocking out early." A crooked smile crept onto Holly's face as she moved to rest her hand on the desk behind her, missing and stumbling yet again. Her eyes shifted from the door to her friend and then to her watch as Annie simply nodded. "Well, you know how it is, everyone's going out for drinks tonight and I wanted to get a decent table for us... were you not invited?" Annie shook her head and squinted her eyes.

"Oh, yeah, I am invited. You should have told me you were leaving, I'll come with you." Annie spun back around, exited the program she was on and logged off. Holly shifted on her feet as Annie stood and collected her coat, she rushed up to her friend, waving her hands.

"You don't have to do that! Your work seems important and I'd hate to drag you away from it. Besides, if we both clock out now, it will look suspicious."

"Yeah, and you sneaking out of the lab without telling anyone doesn't?" Annie waited as Holly continued to look anywhere but at her friend. A moment of silence passes aside from the tapping on keyboards from a few of their colleagues at the other end of the lab until Holly caves. She takes Annie by the shoulders, gives her a little shake, and begins to speak in a hushed voice.

"Would you keep your voice down? I- I just want to get there early. I'm meeting someone."

"Ooh, is it C-" Holly's hand muffled her words as she hushed her hurriedly. Annie pried the hand away with a laugh. "Cupid, I was going to say Cupid."

"Like that's better?" Holly collects her coat and the file from the floor and heads back to the door, she hesitates a moment and looks back at Annie. "And yes, it is him."