"A LOT HAS HAPPENED IN A FEW WEEKS." My voice a little rough from lack of use. I look around to the crew, my eyes catching Sebastian's new hair cut. Chloe has on a shirt that I'm almost sixty-three percent sure I saw Billie wear a few days ago, but I'm keeping my mouth shut.

"I went on a sales call, which was not fun in the slightest. I was most unfortunately paired with Ryan." My slightly chapped lips drew into a tight line, trying to suppress the memories. My eyes traveled to Brian's who subtly nodded towards the window. With confusion written all over my face I turn and scan my co-workers. My stomach dropped at what Brian was trying to tell me.

    "Oh... yeah I forgot. Dwight's gone." I never really got along with Dwight, but we had enough respect for each other that we wouldn't be at each other's throats all the time. My respect had grown for him when he comforted Pam. So it was sad to see him go. Also, I can't take the fact that he was a fantastic salesman. The company is sure to miss him. Who am I kidding? I'm going to miss him.

***

The chatter around the office has informed me that Oscar was coming back today. I was never able to meet the man, but from what I've heard; he's a very nice individual. My decision to wear derby shoes was very much a mistake. I planned my outfit the night before and I was too tired to check they weather channel, since I got back late from visiting my mom. So you can imagine my surprise when all I saw was snow.

    My body was racking with shivers when I got to the building. I could only hope they were blasting the heat. I quickly scanned the parking lot to see who was here, making sure I didn't have to have an awkward conversation with Micheal or Ryan this early in the morning. Okay, eight-o-clock isn't that early, but still. I only saw a few of the warehouse guy's trucks and Neil's light blue Ford Bronco.

    I absolutely loved Neil's car. Everything about it was perfect. And it only made it better that it was Neil driving it. He definitely got brownie points for driving a piece of art. I quickly waved to Hank, who gave a subtle nod back, continuing my way to the elevator. Thought's of Neil started filling my head. I don't know why but it happened. I thought about his smile and how it made me feel warm inside, like I was the only one who could bring that smile out in him. My head was clouded with his laugh. It was scratchy, and loud, and real. It was the realest thing in the entire world. I felt my cheeks heat up just thinking about his eyes.

    Something inside of me snapped, pushed everything I just felt down until I could barely feel it anymore. Be logical, Evangeline. The voice in my head hissed, "He barely even talks to you." The voice was right, he couldn't have that much control over my emotions already. But I just fell so safe when he's near—

My head snaps up at the sound of the elevator doors opening. A soft sigh leaves my lips and I walk inside, ready to begin my day.

~~~

It was now nine-fourteen in the morning. I had my trusty jasmine tea in my left hand, while I filled out online paperwork with my right. Pam's gentle voice rang through the silent office, alerting everyone here; Oscar Martinez is finally back. I twisted my chair, letting a welcoming smile stretch across my face. Oscar made his way to desk, greeting his friends as he goes. I set my tea down on my desk, I wanted to introduce myself properly before he sat down. I didn't want to make him get up again, or have a weird handshake from different heights.

I wiped my hand on my skirt and held it out to him. "Hello! I didn't get to meet you before you left, I'm Evangeline Walker." Oscar turned at the sound of my voice, a polite smile gracing his lips. He had slightly rough hands but nothing I couldn't handle.

"It's nice to meet you, Oscar Martinez. You have a very beautiful name." A small blush grew on the apples of my cheeks. "Thank you very much." I relaxed my grip on his hand, an easy way to break away from a handshake. Thankfully he got the idea and released my hand with a nod of his head. I gave his a closed-mouth smile before turning away to walk back to my desk.

I slid into the chair, rolling a little bit away from my desk. I smiled at the movement. The inner child in me came out to play. I grabbed my cup, only to find it suspiciously lighter than when I left. My lips tugged down in confusion, I tilted my cup toward me only to be met with the sight of my tea bag and the bottom of the cup. Which is strange because when I got up from my desk exactly eight-point-twenty-nine seconds ago, it was very much full. I narrowed my eyes trying to think of a possible solution when one hit me.

My face cleared of any kind of emotion, I slowly looked up at Creed who was staring at me with a guilty smirk across his thin, crusty lips. My shoulders slumped.

"I could have made you a cup if you wanted mine so bad." I stated blandly. Creed's smirk widened into a smile. "Great! I'm still thirsty, let's go." Creed drums his fingers on his desk, then runs off to the kitchen. I was quite stunned at the audacity of this man. I took a deep calming breath. I turned to Neil, (who happened to be filming the exchange) and gave him the most sarcastic smile I could muster before solemnly following Creed to make him a cup of tea.

(𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗋𝖽 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗈𝗇 𝖯𝖮𝖵)

    Neil watched Evie drag her feet into the kitchen. After seeing her disappear behind the door, he craned his head to the ceiling. A million thoughts were running through his head. All of them having to do with the beautiful blonde he has grown considerably fond of over the past few months. Looking back down at his camera, the tall brunette raked his hand through his hair in exasperation. He didn't know what to do. With a low scoff that clearly said 'I hate myself', he walked himself back into the conference room to be inevitably teased by Chloe and Sebastian.

~~~

(𝖻𝖺𝖼𝗄 𝗍𝗈 𝖾𝗏𝗂𝖾'𝗌 𝖯𝖮𝖵)

    If there's one thing I'm most thankful for, it's Jim Halpert. With one fleeting glance that man can read my mind. So, like now. When Creed is breathing down my neck as I'm making tea for him.

    I shot over a quick glance to Jim, who happened to walk into the kitchen seconds after I did (my guess is that he wants to talk to me about something). My crystal-blue eyes conveying only one thing. HELP ME. Which led to Jim not helping me, because for some odd reason he likes to see me suffer. I had just placed the tea bag in when Oscar enters the kitchen.

    "Hey, where's Dwight?" The three of us turn at the sound of Oscar's voice. I was about to reply when Creed cut me off. I flattened my lips into a thin lip, looking into the camera. I slowly turned back to finish Creed's tea.

    "You didn't hear? Decapitated. A whole big thing. We had a funeral for a bird." After Creed's word vomit, Oscar looked to Jim and I for clarification.

    "I'm pretty sure none of that's real." Jim countered. From the corner of my eye I saw Creed snap his head over to Jim.

    "You're not real, man!" I'm glad I wasn't facing Oscar. Because I would have looked like I was about to throw up, and I still want to make a good impression. I covered my dainty hand over my mouth to stop any kind of laughter that might escape from it. Apparently, Jim's comment upset Creed enough to snatch the tea I was holding out for him and take the toast I made for myself. He then scowled once more at Jim and then walked out of the kitchen to his desk. I watched him leave with a small sigh.

    "He took my toast." I whined softly. Jim snorted at me while Oscar just shook his head at the situation before leaving the kitchen as well. As soon as Oscar stepped a centimeter outside the door I whirled around and punched Jim on the shoulder.

    "Ow!" The giant exclaimed. I cocked an eyebrow at him.

    "Oh really? 'Ow?' You left me in the dust, Halpert! You suck!" I whisper shouted. I could barely hear myself over Jim's laughing. When I realized my words weren't affecting him I went in with a different approach.

    "Mark my words, Jimothy. I will have the last laugh." And with my not-very-threatening-threat, I strutted back over to my desk. Upon seeing Creed with my toast, I turned on my heel towards Pam. I reached her desk at record speed. The aggravations of the day were already settling deep in my soul and I needed to rant before I exploded and left my remains to be cleared up by the janitors.

    "Today is just not my day. It hasn't even been a full day! Just a morning!" I hissed to the receptionist. Pam's eyes met mine with pity.

    "Hopefully, you get your old desk back soon. I miss you up here." My bottom lip jutted out at the mention of my old desk. Boy, I missed that thing. I folded my arms on Pam's desk, placing my head on top of them. I let out a tired groan, squeezing my eyes shut.

    "What is wrong with this thing? It looks terrible." I was no longer tired when I heard Micheal's voice. My professionalism re-entering my body.

"Do you want me to ask the night cleaning crew if they stopped watering it?" My eyebrows furrowed at Pam's question.

    "I'm pretty sure Dwight was the one watering them." I informed. Micheal looked stunned for a moment before moving on. I guess I was really the only one coming in early enough to see Dwight water them.

"Really?" Micheal questioned, the wrinkles on his forehead becoming more prominent. I answered him with a small nod, my platinum hair bouncing along with it. Micheal took a few steps closer to his office before turning back to me and Pam.

"Oh, you know what? Ask them about the toys on my desk too. They always used to arrange the toys on my desk in— a very pleasing way. It used to brighten my morning." I glanced at Pam quickly when Micheal was done. Does he really not know? I guess Micheal never realized how much the Office relied on Dwight.

"That wasn't the night crew either, Micheal. That was Dwight." I spoke softly, twisting the ring on my hand. Micheal studied my face for a moment before looking down at his feet.

"Really?" Pam nodded in confirmation. Micheal was finally feeling the effects of Dwights absence. I felt them since the day he left. I only got a few of his clients because I'm the youngest and less experienced. But I still have a lot more work than I used to. Micheal shot a look towards Sebastian's camera.

"That was very nice of him. We need more attitude like that around this office." I gave my boss a tight-lipped smile. Silently agreeing to what he wanted to hear. I hadn't noticed Andy creeping towards us, which is shocking to me because I have an acute sense for knowing when annoying people are close by. On a scale of zero to ten, Andy falls on a thirteen-point-eight.

"I feel ya, dog." Andy says, lightly punching Micheal's shoulder. The older man looked up at Andy with a blank face.

"Yeah, do you?"

"Absolutely." The 'Nard-dog' said in a singsong voice.

"What did I say?" Micheal interrogated. No pity left in his voice.

"You said... 'Ruh-duht duh duh-dooh.'" He answered with a nervous chuckle. "Which is, like, 'Right on.' Evergreen was like, 'Blah blah blah.' And you were like, 'Yeah.' Pfft, nailed it." I crinkled my nose at the nickname he gave me a few weeks ago. I hated it. Micheal and Andy stared awkwardly into each other's eyes, Andy holding a creepy smile on his face.

"Oh. Oh, no." Micheal muttered under his breath. He kept his head down and slowly walked into his office.

~~~

"I really have no preference. We don't even have to have a party." I stopped writing at Oscar's statement. I flatted my lips into a line, taking my pen and running lines through the five ideas I had just written down.

"No. Hey, hey... Don't be ridiculous. Of course we are going to have a party..." Micheal soothes. In my first few weeks here I noticed, Micheal, has a nasty habit of interrupting things that have nothing to do with him. I could think of multiple examples off the top of my head, but we would be here all night... And probably early morning.

"A celebration of Oscar. Oscar night. And I want it to be Oscar-specific."  My baby-blues narrowed slightly at his statement.

"Micheal, I—"

"No, no. I mean, not because you're gay." I wished Oscar cut him off. I slowly covered my face with my hands. A mixture of disbelief and second-hand embarrassment washing over me.

"Your gayness does not define you." A deep sigh was released from my lungs. This was going to be a long, long, day.

~~~

The Party Planning meeting was over and done with. Micheal decided to got with the theme of a in his words, "Fiesta! Big, big, fun, fun." When we got out of the conference room I checked to make sure Oscar was alright with what we were doing. Oscar gave me a grateful smile and said that he was use to it by now. I'll have to have a small chat with Micheal later on his lack of filter.

    Andy was talking about tuna, which from the context clues presented in front of me, I gathered to be about Jim. Andy's voice set my teeth on edge. Maybe it's because he came in thinking he was the hot shit, or maybe its the fact that every thing that come out of his mouth recently has been about Micheal. I would love to be his friend if he wasn't such a jerk.

    An hour or two passed, and Andy continued to annoy the entire office. At the moment, Zombie by The Cranberries is being sung fairly loud. I clenched my jaw so tightly, that I was sure I was going to break a tooth. I remember a day in fifth grade, Steven Hicks, poked my cheek for the entirety of recess. After our teacher called up inside, she pulled me to the side and told me I had the most tolerance she had ever seen. My patience was like the Pacific Ocean, vast. Andy just happen to have a giant-ass straw, and slurped up every single drop of it.

    I took a glance over my shoulder to see what level of annoyance Jim was set at. When I saw him and Pam speaking in hushed voices I stood up immediately. Taking my place directly beside Jim, leaving no room for eavesdroppers.

    "What ever you guys are doing I want in." I spoke lowly. Jim and Pam looked down at me, smirks adorning their faces.

    "That's my girl." Jim praised softly. A beaming smile overcame me. Jim was like the older bother I never had. Making him proud of anything was a major achievement in my eyes. I turned back to Pam.

    "What's the plan?" Mischief dripping from my voice.

A/N

Hey guys! How are we liking it so far? Please feel free to give me any tips or things like that.
I love Evie with my whole heart🥺 she's my bbg. Also Neil and Jim are my fav boys.
Tell me what you think! Thank you so much for reading!!❤️

~yours, el.