E 5
6:42 PM - Thursday Evening
The office is dimming down as lights flicker off one by one.
A few people are still hanging around, lazily shutting their laptops, sipping on evening tea and trading half-hearted jokes.
Atlas is at his desk, still typing something, earbuds in but not playing anything.
Cyrus William
Atlas, come on.
Cyrus William
You’re the only one pretending to work at this point.
Rhea Smith
Bet he’s drafting love letters to his keyboard
Atlas Laurent (MC)
I’m making sure I don’t wake up tomorrow to a mess.
Atlas Laurent (MC)
Unlike some people who enjoy chaos first thing in the morning.
Rhea Smith
You sound like HR.
Cyrus William
He is HR, spiritually.
They laugh, and Atlas shrugs, half-smiling.
Just then, his phone lights up.
✉️ Hey! Sorry for the random text—found your number on our apartment WhatsApp group. Just wanted to check—was the water pressure okay for you today? Mine’s been weird.
Atlas Laurent (MC)
✉️ Hey! Yeah, no issues on my side. Which floor are you on?
✉️ 11th. Just moved in last week. Still figuring out how everything works here.
Atlas Laurent (MC)
✉️ Oh, nice. I’m on the 7th. Welcome to the chaos. You’ll get used to the flickering hallway light and the occasional late-night dog howls.
✉️ That’s oddly comforting. Thanks. I’m Aspen, by the way.
Atlas Laurent (MC)
✉️ Atlas
✉️ Cool name. Sounds like a brooding artist who writes poetry in his notes app.
Atlas Laurent (MC)
✉️ That’s oddly specific.
Atlas Laurent (MC)
✉️ Guilty. Not the poetry part though.
✉️ Damn. I was hoping for dramatic verses about city lights and lost love.
Atlas Laurent (MC)
✉️ You might be disappointed then. I mostly write emails and to-do lists.
Atlas chuckles softly, typing.
Rhea Smith
Alright, who’s got our HR hero smiling at his phone?
Atlas Laurent (MC)
Just someone from the apartment.
Atlas Laurent (MC)
Water pressure issues.
Cyrus William
Is this going to be your version of a meet-cute?
Cyrus William
Pipes and text messages?
Atlas Laurent (MC)
(Shrugs)
Atlas Laurent (MC)
He seems interesting.
Comments