The Office
Emily didn’t sleep much. But that’s okay. It takes up an awful lot of time. And she could always find something productive to do. Sometimes she thought what’s wrong with all these people snoring their lives away? Night was the best part of the whole day.
She was sitting on the roof of her small three-floor apartment building. Watching the Sunday night traffic of Main Street dwindle to nothing, and the last few stragglers wander to their designated places to call it a night. There was a chill in the air, but she’d come prepared to people watch with some cigarettes, and a sweater. The moon was a beautiful dark orange, and a soft cool breeze breathed over rooftop; and everything was perfect. The day had gone by in a blasé blur and she had nothing to show for it; she had done nothing all day.
This was the highlight of her day.
She eyed a lone figure walking drunkenly in her direction, ever unknowing of her presence and making her perverted little pleasure feel somewhat deliciously sinful. She loved it. I feel like Spiderman. This brings to life the simple fact that Spiderman must have indeed been quite the pervert. Really—how could he refuse the ability to watch the human condition in its finest? If uninterrupted and viewed unknowingly the results were much more entertaining.
The neon OPEN light of The Office had long been off but she noticed Sunshine Bradley standing out front. He was an older man, closer to her father's age than her own, with wildly curly hair cut short, who always seemed to wear a shirt Jimmy Buffett would wear. The rumour had always been that he was gay, but she'd never asked him outright as asking the question would never benefit her or him, nor was it any of her business. They'd made friends over the years of her patronage at his local bar, The Office. The joke was always that if the wife called, you could always say, you were at The Office.
“Emily?" he called down the silent street. She hadn’t been expecting that. “You still there?”
“Yeah, I’m still here. What’s up, Brad?” She took a puff off her smoke.
“You want to come by for a game of pool?” He moved a few steps down the street in her general direction, but the darkness cloaked her well enough that it appeared he couldn’t actually see her.
“Slow night?”
“Yeah,” he stood idle for a moment. “You want to?”
“I just gotta put on a bra. I’ll be down in a minute,” she was already heading inside.
Emily waited at the locked front entrance of The Office patiently as Bradley made his way to the door. The street was dead silent, the only sound was the soft whispering of the flags that lined the street. He unlocked the door and held it open for her.
“Bored?” She slid past him. He locked the door behind her, and meandered behind the bar. The music was playing low, and the blinds were drawn to hide them from the public and the possibility of a passing police cruiser. She had attended a handful of 'lock downs' after the bar closed, and she felt comfortable once ensconced within the bar.
“Well, Dan and Shelly just left. We were just shooting the shit over some drinks,” he waved his hand to the corner of the L shaped bar where some half empty glasses were sitting.
“Was that the burgundy truck that just left?” she asked. Traffic had been slow tonight, and very few cars had come out of Botsford street.
“Yeah. Rum?”
“Sure, thanks. I’ve been out on the roof for a while. It was the slowest most uneventful day off I’ve ever had.”
“You can smoke in the corner there,” Bradley handed her a neat double shot of white rum in a rocks glass,and a tall glass of soda water. She smiled, “Thanks.”
He went to the pool table and started to rack the balls.
“Victor would have a shit if he came downstairs and found you and me playing pool together,” he told her off the cuff as she takes a sip of her shot. She laughs and so does he. “I was just talking to him like two minutes before I called you over, and told him I was closing up.”
“Oh yeah?” Emily picked up her favourite cue off the rack, and motions with her hand. "You wanna break?" He proffers her the lead, and she takes it. The loud crack the only sound for a moment, before they smile at each other over the pool table. Nothing goes down, and she tisks at herself. There’s a rapid knock at the door, and Emily freezes. No one had come to the door during a lockdown before. Sunshine Bradley doesn’t even seem fazed. He rests his cue on the table, taking the lead, and wanders over to the front door. He glances around the blind, unlocks and opens the door. Emily stays silent for a whole moment, until Victor walks in. She releases an inhale she didn’t realize she’d been holding. Dressed in his leather jacket, and a smile. He makes direct eye contact with her, and the smile widens into a grin. Fuck, it was a set up! Bradley was still trying to play matchmaker. Brad relocks the door, and wanders behind the bar, busying himself getting Victor a drink without saying a thing, but she catches the small quirk of his lips as he tries to hide his smile. Victor walks up slowly, smiling ever so deviously, and leans in to kiss her cheek. “Hey there,” he murmurs. “Hi,” she mumbles a little breathlessly, but doesn’t move from her spot. “It’s my turn, why don’t you take my spot, Vic?” Brad offers. Of course. “I’d love to,” Victor smiles again, and tugs a lock of her hair before moving around her to grab Brad’s pool cue. Of course. Goddamnit.