KEEP A PLACE FOR ME // Wilbur Soot X Reader

6

You didn't hear from your noisy neighbor for the next few days, and your deadline passed with no issue. Maybe you actually saying something had been the push he needed to actually be quiet. Either way, your week when by quietly, much to your surprise and delight.

You would need the quiet for this upcoming phone call. With the deadline passing, that job ended, and it was time to find a new one.

You clenched and unclenched your fingers, calming your nerves. This was the hard part - but you had done it before.

You were expecting a call in a few minutes. It was a bigger periodical this time, and you had been exchanging emails with their corporate office for some time - this call would determine whether or not you got the job.

You really needed this job. Even if it was only for about a month, it would be more than you had gotten paid for your last three gigs combined, which would really help out with rent for the flat and this office space. And hopefully you could put some of the money towards a new computer.

On the desk in front of you, your cellphone began to ring.

"Okay." You breathed, picking it up and pressing answer.

"Hello?"

"Hi." You said, putting on your best pleasant voice.

"Is this Y/N L/N?" The mans voice was gruff, but not grating. He sounded like the kind of man who couldn't take a joke.

"Yes, that's me." You said.

"I'm calling from ROUND & About Magazine about an upcoming writing gig you were interested in." He said.

"Yes." You said, spinning in your chair. The nice thing about phone calls was that you could get out all your nervous habits during the interview and not have to worry about looking professional.

"We've reviewed some of the work you submitted with your application... it was very good." The man said. "And you'd said you'd written for mostly local papers and stations before?"

"Yes." You said. "I submitted a few articles I'd done for the Brighton paper - most of them made the front pages."

The man hummed thoughtfully. "You write very well for someone who just does local paper."

"I have a degree in journalism." You said.

"Yes, I noticed that on your resume." He said. "You said you studied abroad in America for a few months and did an internship with, ah..."

"CNN." You supplied.

"CNN." The man said. "What did that entail?"

"Mostly broadcast work, but I did write for their website." You said. "I can send the links over email if you'd like."

"That would be good." The man said. "So you can do broadcast work as well?"

"Yes." You said, smiling a bit. They usually didn't ask about anything other than your writing - this was going well. Asking about broadcast work meant they were considering you behind just a gig writer. If you could keep this going...

"Have you done any work as an anchor before?" He asked.

"No," You admitted. "But I took a few classes in uni and the internship in America let me get a first person look at how it works."

The man clicked his tongue. "I'll make note of that..."

You got up from your seat to pace the room, cradling the phone against your ear.

"And how long have you been working freelance?" He asked.

"Three years." You said. "I started pretty much right out of university."

You could hear the man scribbling something down. You rocked back and forth on the heels of your feet, grinning to yourself. This was going well. This was going really well-

A loud guffaw echoed through the wall of your office and your heart sunk.

No not now!

"You've got quite the impressive resume for just three years of work." The man said.

"I like to think I'm a hard worker." You said.

"Well, the proof is in the pudding." He said.

Another shriek through the wall. You tried to cover it up with a cough, hoping that the man wouldn't notice.

"And you would be available throughout the week?" He asked.

"Yes." You responded. "Anytime, really."

You considered knocking on the wall - but that would disrupt the call as well, and probably be all the louder. You silently cursed your neighbor - any time other than this!

A scream echoed through the wall, followed by a sharp laugh.

"Excuse me?" The man asked.

"Yes?" You said.

"Is everything alright?"

Your mind raced for something - anything to explain the strange noise. "My cats." You blurted out. "They must have turned the telly on again; they do that sometimes."

"Ah." The man said, seemingly appeased.

"I'm so sorry for the interruption." You apologized.

"No, no it's fine." He said. "I was about to wrap up either way."

"Oh." You said. Curse your neighbor for all the noise, curse him for having a strange job, curse him for being unreasonably attractive-

"I think I can safely say you have the job." The man said.

"Oh." You said it again, the relief evident in your voice. It was alright.

"I'll probably be calling back sometime next week, and there's going to be a few emails as well, so keep an eye out." He said. "And congratulations."

"Thank you." You said. "And thank you for your time and consideration. It means more than you know."

The man chuckled. "I expect you'll do a great job." He said. "Have a nice day now."

"Yes, you too." You said.

"Goodbye."

"Bye."

The phone line went dead and you brought it down from your ear, dropping back down into your desk chair. You got the job.

You smiled to yourself. You got the job.

Next door, your neighbor screamed again. The smile dropped from your face.

Him and his carrying on...

Getting up from your seat, you grabbed your stainless steel water bottle and gave the wall a few good thumps, a silent shut up. The screaming stopped, and you huffed, taking a drink of your water.

He'd better hope you didn't see him anytime soon.