rick

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The first two weeks of the job were going well for Blair. It was part training, part probation period, but Hamidi introduced her to everyone in the office, which made the time go quickly. Soon enough, she was considered to be part of the team, especially to her desk-mate, Ronan.

Sometimes he would peek his head over their monitors in an attempt to scare Blair, but she often saw his bright red hair poke out first.

"Wanna see something funny?" He would ask her over his thick-rimmed glasses. He had a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Sure," Blair would reply. He would sink back into his chair and then a 'ding' would notify her to check the company's instant messaging system.

'Check out this crazy cat!' popped up on her screen along with a YouTube link.

Blair clicked the video, then was surprised when the sounds of Rick Astley pounded her computer's speakers. She quickly exited the window and looked around nervously - most people were wearing headphones, the rest didn't seem to notice the disturbance.

"Did you just rickroll me?" She whisper-yelled over the monitor.

"You're telling me you didn't see a cat video?" Ronan didn't look away from his screen, but he still smiled greatly. "Huh, isn't that strange."

Suddenly, Hamidi poked his head out of his office and asked for Blair's help. She gladly stepped in and sat in front of his desk.

"I've got a new client lined up. It's really hush-hush because it's quite a high-profile job. Lots of people stepped up to the plate, but I insisted on putting you in charge because I know you're capable of doing well." He sat back in his desk chair and pointed a pen at her. She smiled like she knew he was only telling her half of the truth. "It'll be a great feather in your cap."

"Really? Can I get a hint about the project?" She also sat back in her chair, enjoying the game.

"Maybe, what would you like to know?" Hamidi wasn't giving anything away.

"What are we making?"

"First, a music video. If the team decides to move forward with you, then you might get a chance to do more visuals for concerts."

"Alright. Who's the client?"

"Nice try." Blair rolled her eyes.

"What can you tell me about them?"

"Local music group with local representatives."

"That's it?"

Hamidi shrugged. Blair continued as she began to tap her feet in frustration. "How about I start naming people that I think it could be and you tell me when I get the right answer?"

"I'm not doing that, Blair. But you'll meet with them tomorrow morning, so you might just have to wait a couple of hours.

"Is it Bad Suns?" She asked, not really listening. "Or maybe No Rome? Oh! Is it Declan McKenna?" Slowly, Hamidi rose from his chair and opened his office door.

"Please," he said plainly. "Don't waste your breath."

Blair left the room quickly, leaving behind a small salute as Hamidi shut the door behind her.

"Hey," Ronan whispered as she made her way back to her desk. "What'd the boss say?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Blair said slyly. Ronan rolled his eyes.

"Get over yourself, honey." They sat in silence for a moment, then again, Ronan pestered her. "But like, what did he talk to you about?"

"I have a new project lined up," she said nonchalantly. "But, I'll most likely ask for your assistance with it because I'll have to use Adobe Spark."

"So you're doing a video, huh? Sounds good to me." He smiled sweetly and earnestly, then plunked back into his chair.

The two worked across from each other for the rest of the day, only talking once in the afternoon, when Blair offered to fill up his water bottle on her way up. Blair liked Ronan because he was always ready to get work done, but also liked goofing off and joking with her. She thought that they made quite the team together.

She waved goodbye when she got up from her chair to leave the office at five o'clock.

"See you tomorrow!" Blair said happily. Ronan returned the favour with a polite wave.

"Look forward to another cat video in your inbox tomorrow."

-

Stella was already home, she got the night off from Rocco's. She was partway through a pasta dish; it was a new recipe she tried and she decided to paste the page into her cooking binder because the pesto and tomatoes in the sauce made it irresistible.

She picked up her head from her food-induced euphoria for a moment to see Blair walking through the front door.

"Hey kiddo," she said to her. "Oh, that smells amazing! Is there any more?"

"Yeah, it's on the stove." Stella took a few more bites then made room for Blair on the couch, who was also ready to sit back and enjoy the pasta peace.

"Oh fuck yeah, Stella. This is so choice." Blair said through her mouthful.

"Thanks. What did you get up to at work today?" She prodded.

"Not much, more or less similar stuff to yesterday. Except I have a special project tomorrow, which will be exciting!"

"Neat!" Stella placed her now-empty bowl on the coffee table and then turned her body to face Blair. She was so glad to finally hear she had shaken off her anxieties about joining a new team. Stella knew what Blair was capable of, and she was so proud of herself for integrating into her environment so well. "What's the assignment?"

"Not much about the client, but it's a music video gig." Blair took a break to shovel more penne into her mouth. "But, if they like what they see, they could sign me for other jobs as well."

Stella shook Blair's arm. "Look at you! That's awesome!"

"Yes, and don't you worry," she said. "I'll be sure to call you immediately after I find out who it is. If anyone asks why I'm on my phone, I'll just say it's my doctor."

"Thank the heavens!"

ephemeral // matty healyWhere stories live. Discover now