“That has to be against company regulations.” Piers stopped typing and turned around to see an unfamiliar man leaning against the entrance to his cubicle. He was wearing a sharp suit, and had dark brown hair slicked back in a stylish way. Piers frowned and glanced around his cubicle. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to him. In fact, there wasn’t much at all in his workspace besides office supplies and a small framed picture of his mother. But still… he was new to the company, and maybe this stranger new something he didn’t? He swivelled around fully to face the man. “I’m sorry, what seems to be the problem?”
The man’s expression was completely neutral, to the point where it was almost disarming. “Your ass. I’m pretty sure there’s something in the employee handbook that prohibits such a tight bottom in the workplace.”
There was a moment or two of silence where neither person reacted, then Piers’ eyes widened.
“Felix?” he blurted, “Is that you!?” Now that he looked twice, it was really obvious that this fashionable businessman was his college roommate- there was even the telltale scar on his chin from when he had accidentally shattered a bong that one time.
Felix blushed a bit and ran a hand through his hair, messing it up a bit. “Is it really that hard to tell?” he asked. Piers gave him an amused stare.
“It’s the hair, for sure. What finally convinced you to chop it all off?” This time Felix groaned, taking a step further into the cubicle and sitting on the desk next to Piers’ computer.
“It was Jenna,” he began mournfully. “We got drunk and she convinced me that we should both get haircuts to symbolize a new beginning or whatever.” Piers barked out a laugh.
“A new beginning for what?”
Felix shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. But we did it, and now she’s on her way to running Time magazine and I’ve got a job that pays the bills and more. So I guess it was for the best.” Piers gave a low whistle.
“That is awesome for Jenna, although to be fair I think she would have made it there no matter what. You, on the other hand… that was a bad move on your part.” Felix raised his eyebrow questioningly. Piers swivelled around again, showing Felix how his long blue hair was being kept in an immaculate braid. “I never cut mine. You lose.” Felix was quiet for a moment, then swore loudly.
“Fuck, fuck, I forgot about the bet, oh my god!” He put his head in his hands and groaned deeply.
“Doesn’t seem like such a good decision now, does it? What were the rules again… oh yeah. I believe you said ‘whoever cuts their hair first has to be the other person’s bitch for all eternity’, or something like that.” Felix glared at Piers through his fingers.
“Fine. You win. Asshole.” Piers laughed and punched his knee gently before leaning back in his chair. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then spoke.
“Okay, how about this for a deal. You come out for dinner with me tonight and I’ll let the ‘for all eternity’ thing slide. Sound good?” He tried to keep a calm demeanour while he spoke, but he could feel the tips of his ears turning red and cursed his paleness. Felix gave him a quick once over, then gave Piers his trademark half-smile. Piers wasn’t at all surprised that it could still make his heart skip a beat even all these years later.
“I’ll take you up on that. How does 7:00 o’clock sound? Chez Jude? My treat of course.” Piers snorted.
“Of course it’s your treat. I’ll see you then.” Felix looked at his watch and slid off the desk.
“Perfect. Wear something nice.” he teased, pulling gently on Piers’ braid as he made his way out of the office.
Piers watched him go, reaching back and touching the spot where Felix had pulled. After a few moments, he took a deep breath, turned around, and did his best to keep typing despite his shaking fingers.