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There was something about Aleks that was just simply indescribable, whatever you want to call "it;" the wow factor, the x factor, that little thing that makes a person one-in-a-million. You couldn't describe it, or point it out to anyone else, but when he walked into the room, you simply knew; this guy, right here, knows what he's about.
Maybe that's what Brett saw, even if he didn't know it at the time. Being an costumer service representative was always a bummer; dealing with upset consumers who simply wanted their cash back was generally a shitty time, especially when you either get yelled at, or hung up on. However, this year had gotten quite interesting, because not only did Brett have to deal with the stress of stressful people, but he had to deal with handling the pretty temp who worked in the cubicle across from him.
It started simply, their friendship, to anybody who wasn't them, but to the two men, it was quite extraordinary.
You see, their office was dysfunctional. Of course, selling office supplies wasn't synonymous with excitement, but the boss was crazy and handled everything poorly. Which is half the reason why they got a temp, to put the extra work load they didn't know where to go on one specific person. This specific "extra" work load included cleaning out the kitchen, and thusly, the fridge. Now normally, you would hire a cleaning lady to do this (but that was dismissed - they couldn't afford it, they needed to fund useless parties), or simply assign the task to one of the workers, but the boss, Geoff, discouraged that; actually, refuted it, telling the workers to simply eat from the vending machines for lunch until they had the money to purchase a cleaning lady, and ignore the fridge.
Geoff held a meeting the day before the new temporary worker was assigned to them, making it very clear to be kind to him. He was apparently a friend of his family, and he couldn't know their "trade secrets." Geoff insisted everyone behave appropriately: follow the dress code, no cursing, no gossiping, and no making Geoff look bad. Which obviously meant they were going to do every single one of those things ten-times worse than they normally would have, except now when Geoff wasn't looking.
So, Brett went on with his Monday. It was about noon now, and everyone was on their lunch break. He went to the vending machines, clicking his tongue as his eyes scanned over the various snacks. What did he want today? After a few minutes of debating, he slipped a dollar bill inside the machine and pressed the buttons; B-9. A soft whir, a thud of impact, and his salt-and-vinegar chips were in his hand. He grabbed a juice to go with it, sure he'd get thirsty, and if he had another cup of coffee today, he might lose it. Behind him, his co-worker Trevor cleared his throat, an exhausted look on his face. Brett simply smiled, assuming the kid was hungover. He stepped aside, heading into the break room to sit down.
Brett caught eyes with the blonde hair of a boy he only recognized from that morning's introduction meeting; Aleks, their temp. He was sitting alone at a circular table tucked in the corner of the room, staring down at his phone like it was the one thing keeping him sane. In front of him, he had an apple and a thing of Yoplait yogurt, blueberry. A smirk lurked in the corner of his mouth, like he was reading something funny.
Decided to take a chance, Brett instantly passed all the empty tables and sat directly across from Aleks, setting his chips and his juice down on the table with a loud thud that seemingly jarred him out of whatever he was looking at on his phone. Aleks looked up, catching his eyes. He was confused at first, then gave him a fake, weak attempt at a smile. Before he could speak, Brett held up a hand, as if to stop him with the motion.
"This is going to sound weird, and don't ask me how I know this," Brett began, then pointed down to the lunch that Aleks no doubt got from the kitchen's fridge, "but that yogurt you're about to eat is expired."
That caused the younger of the two to raise his eyebrow. He looked at Brett curiously, then his eyes fell to the cup of yogurt in his hand. "How do you-"
"I said don't ask," Brett cut him off, lowering his hand with a smirk on his face. He opened his chips happily, pointing the opened end towards him. "It's top secret. Have some chips instead."
"I don't believe you," Aleks said, turning his nose up as if he was saying impress me.
"Fine, then," Brett scoffed, taking his chips back happily, pulling one out and biting down on it with a loud crunch. "See for yourself."
Aleks's fingers hovered over the foil lid, twiddling with the tab nervously. He seemed to be doubting his decisions. This was very amusing to Brett, as he leaned back, continuing to eat his chips as he watched the younger ponder his options. After a few seconds, Aleks visibly shrugged, and gripped the tab with his thumb and pointer fingers, pulling it off, releasing the scent of spoiled milk and manufactured blueberries into the air. Brett quickly put a hand over his nose before it could hit him, and Aleks shot back into his seat, gagging dryly. This caused Brett to start giggling wildly.
"Jesus fuck, dude - it smells like - fuck," he couldn't even finish his sentence. Aleks grabbed the yogurt cup and quickly walked into the other room, hiding his face in his elbow. Brett watched him through the glass dividers, wobbling into the kitchen as he dispensed the cup in the trash there, walking back with his nose wrinkled up into a sneer. "-ass, dude. It smells like ass."
"Told you," Brett mumbled, removing his hand from his face to dig it back in the bag of chips. Aleks collapsed in the seat in front of him, sighing loudly. He looked up at Brett, his eyes doe-like and upset, and it completely undid any sense of superiority Brett had previously acquired. He smiled gently, grabbing a napkin out of the dispenser and placing it in front of Aleks, pouring out half the bag of chips for him.
"Thanks," Aleks mumbled, quickly digging in. He puckered his lips. "Salt and vinegar?"
"Fine, if you don't want any-"
"No! It's good," Aleks blatantly lied with a smile, popping a few chips in his mouth before taking a swig of his water. "Thank you, uh- I didn't catch your name."
"Brett Hundley," he reached over, shaking Aleks's hand. "Complaint department, basically. I actually think your desk is right across from mine."
That made Aleks laugh slightly, happy with the new information, "Cool, man. I'm Aleks. Guess we're going to be seeing a lot of each other, then, huh?"
"Suppose so," Brett agreed, opening up his juice and taking a swig. Aleks continued eating his chips in silence, which gave him a moment to truly look at the kid. He couldn't have been more than early-twenties, he was definitely young; his face riddled with acne scars in some places, his scruff growing in unevenly, dark roots of hair threatening to show through what he assumed was the mess of bleached ends. He looked like a mess; a beautiful, chaotic mess, that Brett had to admit was probably going to do him in.
//
Two Years Later
They're sitting on the roof of the office, with Aleks's head buried in Brett's chest, listening to his heart beat softly. Brett is trying to decided whether or not to look at the stars or him. He has a few drinks in him, and he's delightfully buzzed, just like the boy in his arms. The one man he's ever loved, the only one he ever will.
"Do you remember what you said to me?" Brett breaks the silence, causing the sleepy, drunken man to look up at him with tired, confused eyes.
"What?"
"The day you invited me over to your barbecue," Brett begins, remembering the smell of beer and chlorine in the summer air. Aleks furrowed his eyebrows, trying to remember the memory that felt so long ago. He snapped his fingers, smiling happily, and nodded. Brett nodded towards him, trying to get him to repeat it.
Drunkenly, Aleks laughed, "I stopped you in the doorway, and I said, 'enjoy this moment, because you're never going to go back to this time before you meet my roommate James.'"
"That's when I knew," Brett confirms, leaning down to place a kiss on Aleks's soft lips - he tasted of grilled cheese and hard liquor, an odd combination, but it was so indescribably him that it felt wrong to question it. "That's when I knew I loved you."
Aleks giggled, in a drunken stupor that seemed entirely enveloped in his fiancé. He sat up, kissing him once more, wrapping his hands around to tangle his fingers in his hair. He pulled away, studying Brett's brown eyes. "That's a dumb moment."
"You?" Brett questioned, rubbing circles into the small of his back.
"Hmm," Aleks tilted his head to the side, as if he was thinking very hard. He smiled, his glassy eyes bright with amusement. "You came up to me, my first day at lunch and said, 'this is going to sound weird, and don't ask me how I know this, but that yogurt you're about to eat is expired.'"
"Wow," Brett says, leaning his head back to look up at the stars - some seemed to move and disappear, others seemed to burn brighter than satellites. "Can we make it a different moment?" He jokes.
"Nope," Aleks giggled once more, pressing a kiss on Brett's jawline, then pressing multiple all the way up to his lips, kissing him slow and long, enjoying the taste of the love of his life. Had it not been for blueberry yogurt, or his boss's dumbness, he might never have met Aleks. He couldn't imagine what a terrible life that would have been. Every day with him was an adventure - an indescribable, crazy adventure.