"you think i want to spend time with the board?" xavier gave a soft scoff, grinning. the job paid him to care, but not that much. "that would require me to actually value the opinion of the board, which, as you know, would be an act of charity at best," he explained, sipping the last dribble of champagne.
the fact that he stayed this late was still a mystery, even to him. the office had already thinned around them. even the most hardcore grunts had punched out by now—except janitorial staff, the legal skeleton crew, and dante. he'd already assumed the night would end at some rooftop party, drained by the usual crowd of legacy kids and faded influencers. as it did most weeknights, no reason for today wouldn't follow a similar routine. but tonight he stayed, avoiding the crowds. a decision he blamed purely on dante's orbit. a gravitational field that drew in every fragment of his attention and patience.
"i'd rather be here," he added, looking at dante, sizing him up just as the man had done a moment ago, mirroring the gesture. "eating your snacks and making you talk to me," he finished, drifting his gaze along the ruins of their workspace. "are you disappointed?"