CHAPTER TWO
Atkins
Lukas's office looked spacious and modern. The glass windows let in the sun's light, making the room look bright and cheery. All sorts of papers and motivational posters were tacked to the wall. One poster said “COFFEE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND. SLEEP IS THE ENEMY”. A framed picture was perched on his desk, Lukas was in the picture, together with a guy I didn't know. They had their arms around each other and they were smiling.
"Oh, that," he said, noticing that I was eying the photo. "That's my boyfriend," he said matter-of-factly, answering my unspoken question. He closed my portfolio and handed it back to me.
I raised an eyebrow and ask, "You got a new one? What happened to Dan?"
"I don't want to talk about him, Atkins." His voice was clipped and there was a finality to it. I decided not to push it. My cousin's dating life wasn't my business. "Why are you even here anyway?"
"I'm applying for a job. Didn't you mention you're looking for a software developer?"
"But I didn't think you're actually going to sign up for the job! I don't do nepotism."
Since when did Lukas become a goody-goody? I had a feeling he was just pissing me off. He was always so cutthroat.
"I'm good at this and you know it. My portfolio is proof."
Lukas leaned back in his chair and heaved a sigh. He knew I was right and he hated to admit it.
"Fine, you're in," he conceded. "But just because you're my cousin doesn't mean you can slack off. Everyone around here works hard and I expect nothing less from you."
"I know. So, when can I start?"
"How about I introduce you to the team now?"
That was quick.
"Sounds fine to me."
I stood up from my seat. We shook hands briefly before exiting his office.
"Hey everyone," Lukas shouted, calling the attention of his team. "I have an announcement to make." All eyes and ears were on him. "You remember I was looking for a new software developer, right?"
"What's wrong with Clyde?" A guy wearing a beanie and thick-rimmed glasses asked. Another guy, who I assumed was Clyde, gave him the finger. A girl in a short bob snickered and said, "Shut your mouth, Zang."
I was starting to like this team.
"As I was saying," Lukas continued, "We were looking for another software developer to keep up with the demand of the workload. Well, I'm happy to announce that we've found one— and a very good developer at that. This is Atkins Rosenfeld, everyone. And just because he's my cousin doesn't mean he can laze off and pass the work to you."
"Please," I muttered under my breath.
Zang walked up to me. "What's up, man?" We bumped fists and he clapped me on the back. "How're you doin'?"
"Good, really good."
"I'm Zang, by the way. And this tough cookie right here—" he gestured to the girl with the short bob, "—is Mariz. Stay away from her, she's a psycho."
"Hey, I heard that!"
Zang ignored her and continued introducing me to everyone. He pointed to Clyde and said, "That guy over there is Clyde." But Clyde was already back to doing whatever he was doing in his computer. "This girl right here is Georgie. She's the product designer. Basically, her job is to make our lives hell. No project goes out without her approval. Don't get on her bad side"
The first thought that came into my mind when I laid eyes on Georgie was that she was beautiful. Not pretty or nice but beautiful.
She only gave a small smile in my direction. Her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed like she had been crying.
I wanted to say hi to her and maybe strike a nice little chat. I was approaching her when something snagged in my foot. It was a power cord and I accidentally unplugged it. Georgie let out a sharp gasp, her computer's monitor went dead.
"What the fuck?" she blurted with annoyance in her voice. She was feisty. In that moment I decided that I liked her more. Girls shouldn't take shit from a guy.
"I-I'm so sorry," I apologized, my hands pressed together in a prayer-like position, my head slightly bowing— the universal gesture for apology.
"What happened?" Lukas asked no one in particular.
"She was working on the Beam app when the computer suddenly went dead," Mariz answered. "It's your fault," she said to me.
"I'm really sorry." Shit. Not one hour into my new job and I already made a teammate upset. I mentally smacked my own head.
"I told you not to get on her bad side," Zang said but I ignored him.
"Whatever," Georgie said, her arms crossed. "Now I'll have to start over, no thanks to you."
Lukas showed me to my workstation, which was situated between Clyde and Zang. Our workspace was basically just one huge table. The computers were mounted on the table along with an assortment of pencils, drafting paper, empty soda bottles and binders. Zang's end of the table was the most chaotic while Georgie's was the most pristine, save for an empty cup of coffee. Unlike most offices, our workstation wasn't divided into cubicles, so when someone talked everyone could hear it. Lukas's rationale was an open workstation encouraged everyone to share their ideas, encouraged us to work as a team. And in a web and software design studio teamwork was the key to success.
I quickly found out that Zang was a chronic talker while Clyde was the exact opposite. Lukas handed me a binder containing all the information about the project we were working on, the Beam app. I wasn't supposed to start until tomorrow but it was important that I get up to speed as soon as possible. The Beam app wasn't the only project our team was working on. It wasn't unusual to work with more than one project at a time. Some software required some sort of subsystem and we had to do that too.
The day continued on with no new accidents, power interruption or otherwise. The team was silent for the most part, everyone was intent on their work. Lukas retreated to his office. He was talking to someone on the phone. My gaze turned to Georgie, she was intent on whatever she was doing on the computer. I felt like such a jerk for pissing her off, although technically I didn't mean what happened. I should go and say sorry to her one more time. It didn't hurt to lay it on thick.
I slid my wheeled chair over to her side of the table, keeping extra caution not to trip on any more power cord.
"Hey Georgie," I greeted her. "I'm so sorry for tripping up the power cord. It was all my fault."
Georgie only glared in response. My eyes roved down her bow-shaped lips. They were so full and... kissable. Did she have a boyfriend?
Focus, Atkins. Focus.
I barely knew her, and it wasn't like I was attracted to her. Okay, maybe I was, a little. Just a teeny tiny bit.
Her face was impassive when she looked at me. "Go away."
"I'll make it up to you," I offered, flashing her my signature megawatt smile.
"Go away," she repeated and returned her attention to her work.
You have to choose your battles, there was no point fighting if you know you're not going to win. I returned to my seat.
At promptly 5 PM everyone exited the building. We were done for the day. Lukas invited me to dinner and drinks with Zang and Clyde but I politely declined. I had something else planned for my evening.
Georgie and Mariz were already walking away, their arms linked. I walked up to Georgie. "Hey," I called.
"Go away," she said without a pause.
Undeterred, I walked beside her. "I think we got off on the wrong foot, no pun intended. Maybe we should try this again? Hi, I'm Atkins Rosenfeld, the new software developer. I'm really sorry about that little incident. If you’d like, I can help you with whatever you were working on with the app."
Beside her, Mariz let out a giggle. "It's really cute how you pester Georgie. You're like a puppy."
I frowned at the adjective she used to describe me. "A cute puppy?" I said indignantly.
"I don't have time for this," Georgie announced, her voice peeved. She exhaled deeply, changing tactics. "Listen," her voice was less harsh. "It's okay. I've fixed it. I forgive you." She was eying me like you would a little child, imploring them to understand what you're saying. "So please stop hovering around me."
"Okay." A grin formed on my lips. "Glad that's all ironed out. See you tomorrow." I raised my hand in a wave but she didn't wave back. Mariz wiggled her fingers and said, "Bye, Atkins."