"What do you even know about planning and organizing? You're definitely one of the messiest people I know." Rob taps his fingers on the desk, knowing very well that Mark did this on purpose. "I used to have a job as a wedding planner." Rob is surprised by this information. "Really?" "No." Jesse smiles at his own stupid joke. "You're so gullible Jetten." Rob sighs. "Look, are you gonna help me or not? Cause I have a lot of work to do and I don't have time for this." It's been a long day and he's way too tired for Jesse's dumb jokes. "Let's start then, shall we?" Jesse grabs a piece of paper out of his pocket and hands it to Rob. "I wrote down a few ideas, you don't have to use them, but it's something to fall back on when you run out of ideas." Rob admires the list. Jesse's handwriting is so nice and his ideas are actually kinda helpful. "When did you come up with all of this?" He rereads the list. "The second Rutte asked me to help you out." Jesse watches his colleague admire the list he made. A proud feeling enters his body. "Cool, so let's begin the planning and organizing."
A few hours pass by and it's already dark outside when they decide to go home. They walk out of the building together with a good feeling about today. "I appreciate the help. Who would've thought you'd be actually helpful." It was a surprisingly productive evening. "What the hell does that-" A honking car interrupts Jesse's question. Rob's smile expands when he recognizes the face in the car. He waves at his boyfriend in the driver's seat. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Rob asks when he turns back to Jesse. "Nothing. See you tomorrow." He turns around and walks off to his bike. "See you tomorrow." Rob isn't sure if Jesse heard him but he hops in the car anyway.
"Didn't expect to see you here." Rob admits with a soft smile on his face. Sjoerd stays quiet for a while. "Who was that? He was cute." He smiles faintly, not looking at Rob once. "What's wrong? You've been acting weird the last few days." Sjoerd looks up with a nervous face. "I need you to stay calm." Those words are not calming at all. He starts the car and taps the steering wheel nervously.
"We'll see about that, what's wrong Sjoerd?" He lets out a big sigh before he answers Rob's question.
"I think we should see other people."
Rob doesn't know how to react. It's almost as if he can't react at all. He decides to stay calm and hear Sjoerd out. Well, kind of.
"So..."
"'So what? I don't get it, did I do something wrong?" Rob questions every step, every word, every choice he's ever made in this relationship.
"No, I just need a little time for myself, Rob."
"And you're gonna do that while talking to other people?"
"Kind of." Sjoerd nervously runs his hand through his hair. "Look, I'm seeing somebody."
Rob shakes his head in disbelief. "Of course you are, stop the car."
"Please just wait-"
"Stop this fucking car, Sjoerd." Shocked and somewhat impressed, Sjoerd pulls over the car. "Go get your stuff. I don't want to see you when I get home." Rob steps out and slams the car door.
Angry and distraught, Rob wanders through the streets of The Hague. Empty streets, which is odd for a big city like this. For the first time in a long time, Rob feels completely alone, abandoned. All the shops are close except for the 24/7 shop. He promised himself not to drink on weekdays, but it's like the bottles on the shelves are calling, screaming, for Rob.
"Is this all?" The cashier asks when she's done scanning the two bottles. "Yeah, could I get a bag with that?" He takes his wallet out of his pocket. "Of cour- Wait, aren't you that one politician?" Rob smiles. "Nah, I'm just an accountant." The cashier says nothing, nods understandingly and hands him the bag. "Well, have a nice evening, mister accountant." "You too." Rob smiles as he walks out of the store.
The fountain in the pond next to The Binnenhof is surrounded by ducks and swans. It's a pretty sight but doesn't cheer Rob up like it usually does. He stations down on a bench with a view of the fountain. Two bright lights light up the tower of the prime minister. Rob could only dream about working here one day. The hours of work he put in to get where he's at right now, almost feel like a waste of time. Maybe he's not made for leadership after all. There are so many people in the parliament that got where they are without even working nearly as hard as he did.
Rob takes a big sip of the bottle he just bought. When he stands up he realizes how empty the bottle already is. It's hard to stand up straight when everything around you is spinning. Rob tries to walk but almost trips over his own feet. Almost, until someone stops him from falling over. He looks up and recognizes the silhouette immediately.
"Nice catch."
"I'm a professional."
"Whatever. What are you doing here anyway Jesse." Jesse shrugs and takes the bottles of liquor away from him, taking multiple big sips. "I was just going for a walk. But what are you doing here? I thought your boyfriend picked you up." Jesse asks as they both sit down on the bench Rob was sitting on. "Ex-boyfriend, and give that back." Rob snatches the bottle back.
"What happened?"
"It's nothing. Stop it."
"Stop what?"
"Acting like you give a shit, Jesse."
Jesse usually pretends Rob doesn't even exist most of the time, why would he care now?
"I do care actually. I can imagine how you feel, I actually went through a breakup recently." It was all over the news, how he supposedly was cheated on by his long-time girlfriend. Rob forgot about it for a while. "Right, sorry about that." He stares at the pebbles on the ground and kicks one of them in the pond in front of them. Jesse shrugs. "It's fine. You don't have to tell me what happened." For the first time since they met Jesse seems genuinely interested in what Rob has to say. He truly cares.
"So, Sjoerd dumped me for somebody else. I told him to go get his stuff and leave my place before I come home." Rob explains. Betrayal floods back in his heart but tries not to show it to Jesse. "He sounds like a total douche anyway. I know you well enough to know you'll be okay." Jesse is the one who takes a sip from the bottle. "It's okay to be imperfect, Jetten." That would normally bother Rob, not this time. It could be the alcohol or the sincere tone in Jesse's voice. He can only nod at those words as the moonlight shines through the clouds.
"What are you gonna do in the meantime?" Jesse asks.
"Oh my god!" Rob yells.
"What?"
"The party! We have so much to do, we're never gonna make it in time." He runs his hand through his hair and readjusts the glasses on his nose.
"Are you really worried about that right now? We have weeks, if not months, to plan." Jesse shakes his head and suddenly feels a hand wrapped around his wrist.
"Let's go." Rob says. He stands up but has trouble keeping his balance. "To where? It's three in the morning dumbass." Jesse has no problem with keeping his balance whatsoever. He's used to this amount of alcohol in his system, "First of all, you're the dumbass. Second of all, we're going to... w-where are we- right! My office." Rob who can barely stand up straight starts marching towards the big government building. "Right." Jesse follows his colleague and makes sure he doesn't fall into the pond.
When they arrive, the building is empty, dark, and locked. "It's closed, let's just go home." Jesse suggests. The wind makes his dark curls fly everywhere, making it look even messier. The cold air sends a shiver down Rob's spine as he fumbles with the keys. It's hard to tell the keys apart from each other, at least for him. "No please take your time, I like freezing to death." Jesse sarcastically announced. "I'm trying, these stupid keys just look the same." Still struggling with the keys and keyhole, Rob almost drops his keys. "Oh my- give me those goddamn keys." Jesse snatches them out of his hand. He inspects the keys and picks one to fit the hole. The key fits immediately and the door can finally be opened. "Could've done that if you gave me more time." Rob mumbled.
The big door makes a loud noise when it's opened by the two politicians. Rob plops down on his chair behind the desk, while Jesse sits down on the one on the other side of the desk.
"You saw my list, show me yours."
"I can show you something else." Rob wiggles his eyebrows, falling half-asleep in his big comfy chair.
"You have issues. Like, a lot. And please never do that thing with your eyebrows, ever, again."
"I like your hair like that, fluffy." Rob states before completely passing out on his desk.
Jesse leans back in his chair, smiling. He tries his best not to fall asleep but fails.