* X x * x * x * Chapter 22 * x * x * x X*
A few minutes after Zach settled down in her office, an employee from the IT department knocked on her door bearing what she had requested last week. "Thanks."
"I'll come back later for the documents needed to be signed by yourself and the new hires, Z." The employee said politely and went away.
She stood up to call out the new members but stopped immediately in her tracks when she noticed that she hadn't taken down the three pictures in a3 and a4 sizes. She started to flap and looked for the previous posters she had there before but couldn't find them anywhere else.
Z called Arthur through the intercom. She never understood the need for it in her office but today she thanked the heavens for its existence. She doesn't normally use it unless it's an absolute emergency and this somehow became one. Their stations are just a few steps in front of her office so Arthur panicked and went into her office in a haste.
"Hey, what did you need?" Arthur said with concern in his eyes.
"Yea, sorry about that I was just looking for something. Have you seen the pictures I took down the wall last week?" Z asks in a hurry.
They blinked twice and stared at each other for a minute and no sound was heard from the room besides the soft melody playing in the speakers.
[. . . . . . .]
Arthur broke the staring contest, fanned himself, and cackled in disbelief, "My god, Z, don't scare me like that. I put it in storage the other day. I can get them for you if you want."
"I appreciate it, Arty." She sighed and sat on her couch. "Anything for you, boss," Arthur who was still laughing said and turned around.
He looked at the photos once trying to figure out why the previous ones were needed once more, she never plasters anything back. "What was so important that you had to call me out using th—." he trailed off.
"Now, I'll be damned," Arthur expressed which caught Z's attention. She looked up and saw Arthur looking at the photos behind the door. She smiled sheepishly like a kid found guilty of stealing candy bars.
"What was it you guys said," Arthur raised an eyebrow and shifted his weight on one leg, "'color me surprised' indeed." Arthur was now laughing.
"So she was that girl you had a date with?" Arthur, still amused. He couldn't believe that he totally let this slip his information network.
"I guess you could say that." Zack scratched the back of her neck.
"Wait, wait, wait, are you guys dating?" Arthur asked curiously.
"No, we're not." She answered and shook her head.
"And now, you are trying to cover your, what do you call this, crime?" Arthur said sarcastically, his hand on his hips while the other pointed at the door like a strict counselor. His smile however displayed his teasing flank.
"Honestly, I don't mind them staying there but J told me to remove them or something." Z shrugged. "Anyway, can you just, like, help? Your boss is having a tough time here." She said half-jokingly in a dramatic fashion.
"Oh, so you're playing the authority card and slapping it in the face, huh?" Arthur opened the door and from the outside, his face emerged. "Newbies! Catherine and Felicity, I need you both to come here."
"You motherf—" Z immediately shot up from her seat and peeked outside as well. She saw the two were about to stand up and go for the save, "In an hour. Both of you come here in an hour." She demanded and pulled Arthur using the back of his collar and closed the door, leaving the two ladies puzzled.
Arthur chortled at his own prank while Z pouted, "I hate you."
"I'm sorry, I—Hahaha—I," Arthur wipes the tear that was about to fall. "I thought you didn't mind?"
Z replied in a hurry. "Now, I do and I need your help."
Arthur cleared his throat, "Phew, that was fun. Yeah, I'll go and grab 'em for you now."
"Please," Z appealed and Arthur laughed again.
A few minutes passed, and Arthur returned with the rolled posters in a box. He decided to help Z with replacing the ones on the wall.
"Honestly though, these are all wonderful snaps. Too bad you're taking them down." Arthur said in dismay. "She's such a cutie it hurts."
Z grinned at his remark. In her eyes, Kaye is indeed exceptionally beautiful and lovely.
"So when were you planning to tell me that I am handling your girlfriend?"
"She's not my girlfriend." Z sighed.
"—yet." Arthur cut her off playfully.
"And you, my guy, aren't a team leader yet and I'm still working on making it possible so gotta tread carefully, I'm telling you." Giving Arthur the death glare.
"Woah there, daddy, chill." Arthur did not mind her threat one bit and laughed again.
"It was something I never expected and I happened to only learn about it yesterday." Z casually tells her.
"Hmm, so I heard you met her at this café, care to add more details?" He looked at Z who was staring intently at the pictures they are about to rip off.
Z had her arms crossed while admiring the pictures and said, "You know, I don't like the idea of removing them. Let's just put something to cover them."
"I'm pretty sure this is saved in your phone's gallery, if not your wallpaper. Why the need of posting it up here?" Arthur asked her again
She flinched at what he said then, "Why don't you go out of my face if you're going to question everything?" He hissed at Arthur for hitting a nerve.
Arthur's eyes widened, "Oh my god, are you in actual fuck in love?" Arthur finds her personal life entertaining which is annoying her.
"You know what? Piss off." She opened the door and gently pushed Arthur out of her office.
Arthur starts laughing once again at her flushed face. "Oh my god, you're blushing!" He whispered loudly.
Arthur's laughter can be heard from a mile away and it caught Kaye's attention. She saw how Z struggled to push him out of her office while Arthur playfully dodged her not-so-gentle attacks to get himself back inside. It seemed childish in her eyes that it made her smile at the scene.
Jeremy who was on his way to Zach's office saw the two bantering and hastened his walk to join the fun. It was nothing new for these two to argue every day. Arthur is one of the few people Zach feels comfortable interacting with.
Zach's eyes flew right to Kaye's location and met her eyes, making the heat on her neck rise up to her ears. She smiled awkwardly then turned to Arthur once again.
"Ah, fuck it. Just get inside, you!" She let go of Arthur and he finds himself a way back in.
"I'm just messing with you, dear. It's rare for occasions like this to happen." Arthur fixes his shirt and calmed Z.
"Yo, what's going on?" J suddenly emerges from outside the opened door that Z was holding.
"Great, another annoying one." Z huffed and closed the door after J went inside.
Arthur's laugh was again heard outside the office before the door closed.
"Just so you know, I don't plan on being so lenient with them." He taunted Z.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Z nonchalantly replied and went back to concealing the pictures on her walls.