Connected To Him (ManxMan)

Part 2: Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Desk Buddy

"And that concludes our quarterly analysis meeting."

Chris almost let out a sigh of relief to know that the Data Analysis team didn't have any more data to report. The majority of the statistics they showed seemed to be the same as the first report, but Chris still had to be alert and hear all that they had to say. Chris went back and forth between writing down notes and doodling on the corners of the page to keep himself awake. He had the toughest morning of meeting after meeting after meeting. But finally, his third and final meeting was over.

Chris took his time standing up, shaking hands with any colleagues he could reach, and watched each of them exit the room one by one. Once the room was empty, he left to go to the bathroom to de-stress. He needed to splash some water on his face and take a break before he could get back to work. Chris waltzed out of the meeting room, racing for the bathroom. But before he could reach the door, the sound of laughter drifted up into his ear. He would have recognized that sound anywhere.

Ignoring his post-meeting ritual, Chris went back to his team where he found him. Ethan was sitting next to Raul, laughing at something on his computer screen. Compared to this first time, he somehow looked even more relaxed in the Puma office. He navigated the space easily in that boyish way of his. The professional mask was off, revealing instead the natural charisma that Chris knew well. Chris admired Ethan for so long that he forgot that he wasn't expecting him today.

As if tethered to the other man, Ethan looked up just as Chris reached their desks, his smile mirroring the one growing on Chris's face.

"Welcome back," Ethan drawled with a sing-song voice, standing up to greet him. Chris chuckled and hugged Ethan without thinking about it. Ethan felt when his body froze, realizing that he was hugging Ethan in front of all of his coworkers. Ethan pulled away first. He didn't want to feel Chris move away.

"I'm the one who should be saying that. It is my office," Chris said with a chuckle. Ethan did his best to hold his smile up as he sat next to Raul for a second time. "So what are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know, work," Ethan said, dismissively waving a hand in the air. "It's stressful and incredibly boring at the same time and the fun part, the system analysis, has to go to my subordinates. I just needed a break."

"I see."

"I-" Ethan cut himself off, laughing at the thought he hadn't yet shared. "I told them I came to negotiate prices even though we could do it through email. It took me like two minutes to discuss it with Mohammed and now I'm here."

"Glad to have you," Raul broke in, pulling another laugh from Ethan.

Chris walked around Ethan to get to his seat, brushing the other man's shoulder with his hand as he passed. Ethan immediately noted the touch and looked up, catching Chris's eye as he lowered into his chair. Maybe Chris's wasn't as on-edge as Ethan initially thought.

For a while, Ethan made sporadic conversation with the others in the office and amused himself with Raul's work. But soon, the shared glances with Chris felt too pointed to ignore. At one point Ethan looked over at him and Chris made a gesture with his head.

Come over.

Ethan sucked his lips into his mouth, awkwardly standing up. The loud drag of the chair legs against the floor made him wince and it took every fiber of his being to continue moving away from Raul's desk. The wonderful sound of tile against metal resulted in all eyes being on him as he lifted his chair and shuffled over to place it next to Chris's.