Chapter Text
Jillian stared at her computer screen, but was unable to focus on any work. Her computer’s usual buzzing noise of the fan trying to keep it from overheating had become distractingly loud since the beginning of the week. On Monday and Tuesday, she worked through it with Alice’s promise that a tech guy would look at it by Wednesday. But now with Friday just beginning, Jillian faced the reality that she’d have to deal with the buzzing for another whole day. Her bottled up anger was ticking, and she knew she was only seconds away from throwing the computer across the room.
“Hey Jillian.”
“Uh-huh?” She did not look away from the screen.
“I wanted to talk to Alice-”
“Uh-huh.”
“But she isn’t in her office. Do you know where she went?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Oh! Great, where is she then?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Jillian, are you even listening to me?”
She did not hear a word said to her, the buzzing of the computer had all her attention. But then a pair of hands clapped in her face, making her finally snap out of her concentration. Jillian looked up to see Anders staring down at her with a mildly amused smile.
“Everything okay?” He asked then quickly added, “And don’t say ‘Uh-huh.’”
Jillian slightly pursed her lips together and shook her head ‘no.’
“My computer’s fan has been this loud all week,” she explained, “Alice said she sent in a complaint to the tech guys for me on Monday, you know, because the big boss’s name gets priority. But they still didn’t show.”
“And you know it’s for sure the fan?” Ders asked while quickly glancing over the computer.
“Yeah,” Jillian leaned back in the chair while folding her arms, “At least that’s what it sounds like.”
“I had this problem recently,” he glimpsed back into Alice’s office, as if he might have missed her the first time, “I still have the cleaning products I got for it at my desk.” He looked back down at Jillian and pointed at her with his index finger and thumb out, “You keep an eye out for Alice while I go get it, okay?”
Anders could already see Jillian’s mood begin to lift. She smiled softly and nodded.
Playfully making a handgun, he quickly lowered his thumb to the side of his index before raising it back up, “I’ll be right back.” He turned and walked away. The real reason Anders was so quick to help Jillian over his own goal of finding Alice was because of what happened last time Jillian lost her cool at work. She caused so much damage that they couldn’t come into work for about a week. Which was fun at first, until Ders’ bank account really felt the pain of not getting a week’s worth of pay.
When Anders came back, Jillian was standing away from the computer. He realized she was expecting him to clean it for her, which he oddly did not mind when he saw Jillian’s lively smile upon seeing him walk up. Even though it was just Jillian, in that moment, Anders found himself aiming to please her. He wanted to fix her computer problem and hear her praise him for it.
Ders sat in Jillian’s desk chair in front of the computer, turned it off, then began to delicately clean it up for her. He could feel her staring down at him from behind, which made him feel both proud and nervous. He really wanted this to work.
After he thought he did a proficient job, he turned the computer back on. The few seconds it took to flicker to life, Ders was holding his breath. It was only when the fan could be heard at a very low hum, that got drowned out by the rest of the office’s noises, did Ders feel the tension in his body drop. He had no idea why this task felt so important, but hearing the excitement in Jillian’s voice made the pressure feel validated.
“Oh, Anders!” she clapped her hands together, “You’re the best!”
When he stood, he was thanked with a hug. “It was really nothing.”
With a smile on her face, but the deepest sincerity in her voice, Jillian replied, “If I had to go one more hour listening to that buzzing I think I would’ve really lost it.”
“Yeah, well-”
“No, Anders,” her smile faltered, and she dropped the hug but still stood close, “I really would’ve lost it.”
“Sure,” the desire to be adored by Jillian was replaced with the feeling of being unsettled by her. He stepped out from behind the desk, “So, uh, Alice?”
“Oh! Right!” Jillian sat back in her chair and was already clicking around on the computer, “She is in a big meeting. She won’t be available for another two hours.”
Ander rolled his eyes and raised his eyebrows sarcastically, “Great, Thanks for all your help, Jillian.”
“Anytime,” she waved him off as he made his way back to his cubicle.
Before he got too far, she called his name. She had a soft, genuine expression as their eyes met, “Thanks again.”
Ders smiled, “Don’t mention it.”