Devil's Fate

Bittersweet

When the elevator doors opened, the first thing Chester saw was Elka at her desk, and he smiled. He took the few steps to meet her as he pulled his sunglasses off and hooked them through the V in his dark purple v-neck t-shirt. Before he could say anything, she looked up.

"Hi, Chester," she welcomed with her usual uplifting tone as she shoved her blonde hair behind both ears, setting her pen down. "I didn't know you were coming in today. It's so close to the holidays, the shoots are done for the year."

Chester nodded. Unlike the regular Score employees who were in the office every day, keeping things running, Chester was only supposed to be there when he was needed. "I know. I'm not here to work. I need to chat with Forrest. He's here, isn't he?" He quickly looked down the hallway, but the office was quiet, and he couldn't see anything other than the potted plants and waiting chairs that decorated Elka's domain.

Elka pursed her lips before she said, "He's here." She looked around, too, before she stood up and leaned forward, dropping her voice. "I'm sure you heard what happened with Ryan."

Chester sighed, his shoulders sagging before he leaned in. "Yeah. That's why I'm here."

She nodded. "Go on in," she said, before she reached out and cupped Chester's arm, stopping him. "I'm really sorry, Chester. I know you and him are close. I hope he's okay."

"He's okay now," Chester assured her. "He's actually doing a lot better. He just fell into some really bad stuff, but he's okay."

She looked him up and down, her hand still lightly caressed around his thin bicep. When Ryan Shuck had been dismissed for being under the influence last week, when he'd stormed out of the building, when he'd yelled at Talinda, Elka wasn't sure what that meant for Chester. She knew the two men were extremely close, and the thought that if Ryan was using, maybe Chester was, too, hadn't been a pleasant one. But looking at him now, at his usual bright eyes, clean look and gentle smile, she knew that wasn't possible.

She squeezed his arm before she let him go and sat back down in her chair. "I'm glad to hear it. I always thought he was a good guy."

"He is," Chester defended. "He's a great guy, he just lost his way for a little bit. I'm going to go find Forrest." He pointed down the hall, and Elka nodded for him to go ahead, just as her phone rang.

That was the end of the conversation, and Chester was a little relieved. He knew coming into Score, he would be met with questions about Ryan. But it was more unnerving than he figured it would be. He let out a long breath as he headed down the hall and turned the corner. He was relieved to see it empty. Elka was right. With the Christmas holiday so close, Score looked like a shell of its usual boisterous self. Normally there were people everywhere - models and camera guys, lighting people, and reps from all their affiliated companies. Usually you could hear chatter and laughter and serious debate hovering in the different rooms and through the hallways.

But not today. It was dead quiet, and Chester stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his black jeans and as he glanced into each open doorway. All the rooms were empty. He stopped when he got to the great room, and took a minute to admire the view of the city. Ry says Jay's apartment has a city view. I still like the one from the loft better, of the water, but the city has its own kind of beauty. It was so good to see him yesterday. He was alert. He was laughing and joking and making sense. He wants to stay there. It's good, Chester encouraged himself. He was going to miss physically seeing Ryan on a regular basis. Miss going out for beers or sitting side-by-side playing video games. He was going to miss coming to Score together, and getting dressed together to stand and pose and prance in front of the camera to earn their paychecks. He was going to miss their intimate talks while they tried on outfits, and all the gossip that came with working in the fashion world. It was going to be hard to be at Score without him. If I get to be here without him.