“I told you, I’ve had extra work to try and get finished for the big presentation at the end of the week.” I already text him this information yesterday and the day before, and then I reiterated it on the phone when he called me last night.
“Well, do you think you might be free tonight? It feels like forever since I saw you,” he says, pouting slightly. It’s not attractive in the slightest and makes me cringe slightly. I school my face, but damn, why is he acting so weird?
“No, sorry, the partners need us to stay late again. It’s a really big deal and this presentation has to be perfect,” I tell him. I work for a big advertising company, and I’ve been lucky enough to be chosen to work on this new presentation for the biggest account we would have, if all goes according to plan.
“Surely you can break for an hour or so and come have dinner with me?” he whines. Yes, he actually whines, and it is not sexy in the slightest.
“I don’t have time, Danny.” I refrain from sighing and losing my patience, but I am on the clock here.
“Please?” He puts on what I think is supposed to be a cute face, but really, he just looks a little unhinged with his wide eyes and his pouty lips. What the hell is wrong with him? He’s usually so laid back and cool about things. I mean, yeah, we’ve spent a lot of time together over the last month, but he can usually manage a couple of days apart, so I’m failing to understand why he’s struggling now.
“I really can’t, Danny. I have to get this finished, and I’m going to be working on it for the rest of the week. This is important for my career, and I can’t let the ball drop right now,” I tell him firmly, because he’s not getting the hint so far from me trying to be nice about it.
“Fine,” he says with a huff before he stands up and adjusts his jacket. “I guess I’ll see you when I see you.” He sounds like a petulant child, not to mention he’s acting like one. I don’t even have the energy to call him out on it as he walks out of my office and marches through the reception area, looking less fucking chipper than he did when he first walked in here.
I’m shocked, actually shocked by his behaviour. It’s a little embarrassing seeing my colleagues faces as he presses the lift button a little more forcefully than he needs to. I can’t look anymore as I drop my head and hide behind my computer screen. I’ll try to figure out what the hell that was about later, but right now, I need to focus all of my attention on this project, because there is no way Danny’s behaviour is going to fuck this up for me. I’ve worked too damn hard and I’m way past the point of letting ridiculous tantrums control my thoughts. We’re not in high school, for fuck’s sake. We’re adults. Mature adults… well, we’re supposed to be anyway, but it seems Danny may need a refresher course.
* * *
“Okay, listen up, people,” Mr Garrett says as he waltzes into the meeting room with a coffee in his hand and his personal assistant, Wendy, sauntering in behind him. I swear they’re fucking. I mean, he’s fifty-five and balding, and she’s twenty-two and dressed to show off her assets. She’s been working for him for the last couple of months, and usually his PAs don’t last five minutes, so I guess she gives one hell of a blow job under the desk. I have no issue with the age difference, and I can hardly judge—what with the whole previously fucked my boyfriend’s dad thing—but it’s so cringe whenever you see these two together. She’s thrusting her tits in his face at every given opportunity whilst he’s pretending not to look but getting a boner under the table. Gross.
“We have got one chance to nail this presentation, and I want everyone on their game. That means that personal lives are out of the window and going home to walk your dog isn’t a priority this week. If you’re a parent, apologise to your kids and tell them they’ll enjoy the big fat bonus you’ll be getting if we pull this off. This is the motherload we’ve been waiting for, and if anyone does less than their best, they will be out on their arse before they can blink. Do I make myself clear?” he says, his voice booming around the room and seeming to echo. Yeah, Mr Garrett is a wanker, but he’s good at business, and this will ensure he stays at the top of the ad chain. If a competitor got a hold of this potential client, I have no doubt he would be going home to cry into his silk pillow before firing every single one of us in this room.
“They’re sending over their new marketing guy tomorrow, and if he doesn’t like it, then we’re screwed.”
There are a few murmurs around the table from this news.
“Tomorrow?” I whisper to Marcie, who is sat next to me. Marcie is my closest friend in this place, and we’ve been tight since I started working here two and a half years ago, pretty much fresh out of college. We’re the same age and she hadn’t been here much longer than I had, so we’ve kind of grown in the business together. She’s the other half of me in this place, and vice versa. She shrugs her shoulders at me, but we both know that this could very well turn into us pulling an all-nighter to get everything right.
“If it all goes well tomorrow, then the big guns will be here on Friday morning to see for themselves what we have for them. I expect all hands-on deck, and if it means you need an intravenous drip of coffee to get you through the night, then charge it to the company.” There are a few giggles from around the table, and of course, little miss PA is laughing as if it’s the funniest thing she’s ever heard in her life while she twirls a lock of her long blonde hair around her finger. Subtlety is not her strong point.
“If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my office, but don’t even think about coming to me unless it is urgent or unless you’ve finished and can’t make it any better,” Mr Garrett finishes, and then we are all dismissed as he claps his hands and we all start to file out of this room and across to the project room, where everything we need is on hand.
There are eight of us in total, all of us working well together.
I head straight to my part of the project room, where my desk is already set up with everything I need, and I quickly nip back to my office to grab my laptop whilst Marcie signals that she’ll run out and grab some coffees from the café across the road. I swear we keep them in business with the amount of caffeine and cake we order.
I close my laptop and pick it up, along with my phone, and I quickly make my way back to the project room as I check my messages to see that Danny has sent me three. I roll my eyes as I read through them.
I miss you.
Can I see you after work?
Fine. Ignore me. I’ll just do my own thing.
What the hell is his problem?
I don’t even bother replying because I can’t deal with irrational right now. It’s like a switch has been flipped and he’s turned into someone I don’t even know.
* * *
I finally make my way home at three a.m. I am exhausted and I only have a couple of hours before I have to be up and ready to make my way back to work for the most important meeting of my life. But even with feeling exhausted, it was totally worth it. We’ve nailed the presentation, and Mr Garrett was more than happy with what we showed him.
I am ready to switch my brain off and fall into bed, but when I pull onto the driveway of Gran’s house, I see that isn’t going to happen, because there, sat on the steps leading up to the front door, is Danny.
For fuck’s sake.
I wearily switch off the engine and get out of the car. Danny’s eyes are pinned to mine, and he looks… drunk?