register
his departure by six every evening—sometimes even as early as five. He
wondered how Noble explained the sudden drop off in overtime requests to
Daniel. Maybe he hadn’t bothered, expecting his PA to accept management
oddities as part of the job.
Spen didn’t really care so long as Daniel
wasn’t being pressured into working long hours and being perved over by a
creepy boss. The other change in behaviour he did care about, since it meant
Daniel no longer came down to IT, limiting his communications to email and rare
phone calls. Spen didn’t know if it was by Noball’s orders, or whether Daniel
was angry about his intervention. He figured eventually he’d find out, since
the Cross-Channel project was still on-going, and
likely to be rolled out across all their offices after the national conference.
Unless Noble handed it off to someone else—which, Spen judged, an egotist
like him would never do—he would have to keep working with IT, and since
Noble was still technologically inept, he would need Daniel’s help. Spen gave
it another week before Noble stopped sulking, and he
doubted Daniel’s gentle personality could sustain rage for anything like that
long. The emails and calls were polite enough, so no change there. Maybe he’d make another attempt to
entice Daniel out to the Friday pub night soon, now he couldn’t use the
overtime as an excuse.
The chance to have a drink and a chat came
sooner than Spen expected. He left a little later than planned on Tuesday and
almost knocked Daniel over as he came around the corner from the stairs. “There
he is. Hello stranger.” Daniel’s big green eyes stared wildly, not really
seeing him at all. “Daniel? What’s wrong?”
“I can’t...just leave me....” He pushed
past Spen and bolted for the men’s toilet. Sensing it wasn’t a sudden bout of nausea which had sent him running, Spen gave chase.
He found Daniel sitting on the floor at the
far end of the room, next to a urinal. “Hey, kid, you can’t sit there. It’s
dirty.”
“Don’t care.” He looked up at Spen, his
face glistening with tears. “Leave me alone.”
“No, don’t think so.” Spen crouched down
and hoped like hell no one else would come in. “Did something happen? Something at home? Tony get mad
about something?”
“I can’t...you wouldn’t understand. I just
have to...but I can’t.”
Spen frowned at him, then stood, pulled
some paper off the roll and wet it. He crouched again and handed the wetted
towel to Daniel. “Wipe your face, then stand up. You need to get out of here.
Well away from here.”
Daniel obeyed, accepted Spen’s help to
stand up, and threw the screwed up towel at the bin with unnecessary force.
“I’m okay now,” he said, voice as flat as a computer simulation.
“Yeah, right. Look, do you have time for a
quick drink? We can talk.”
Daniel’s eyes darted about in panic. “I
can’t...I have to get home.”
“Half an hour? Give them a call? Daniel,
I’m worried about you.”
“Half an hour?”
“An hour max. Just call who you need to.”
He shook his head. “It’s okay. They don’t
count on me being home early any more.”
Spen didn’t comment on that, though he
could strangle bloody Tony Noble. “Come on, it’s only around the corner.”
Wednesdays were quiet in their local. It
was usually quiet anyway, being more of a lunchtime crowd type of place. “Do
you drink? Want a beer? My shout.”
Daniel looked about to protest, then his
shoulders slumped in defeat. “Half of bitter, please.”
Spen ordered the same, and some crisps to
soak it up. He guided Daniel over to a corner and made him sit. “Where’s Kani?”
“Kani? Oh...here.” A grey head suddenly
popped out of the middle of Daniel’s chest, and gave an interrogative chirp.
“It’s okay, you can come out now.” Kani jumped out and onto the table, taking a
sniff at Daniel’s beer glass. Daniel stroked him gently, though
his departure by six every evening—sometimes even as early as five. He
wondered how Noble explained the sudden drop off in overtime requests to
Daniel. Maybe he hadn’t bothered, expecting his PA to accept management
oddities as part of the job.
Spen didn’t really care so long as Daniel
wasn’t being pressured into working long hours and being perved over by a
creepy boss. The other change in behaviour he did care about, since it meant
Daniel no longer came down to IT, limiting his communications to email and rare
phone calls. Spen didn’t know if it was by Noball’s orders, or whether Daniel
was angry about his intervention. He figured eventually he’d find out, since
the Cross-Channel project was still on-going, and
likely to be rolled out across all their offices after the national conference.
Unless Noble handed it off to someone else—which, Spen judged, an egotist
like him would never do—he would have to keep working with IT, and since
Noble was still technologically inept, he would need Daniel’s help. Spen gave
it another week before Noble stopped sulking, and he
doubted Daniel’s gentle personality could sustain rage for anything like that
long. The emails and calls were polite enough, so no change there. Maybe he’d make another attempt to
entice Daniel out to the Friday pub night soon, now he couldn’t use the
overtime as an excuse.
The chance to have a drink and a chat came
sooner than Spen expected. He left a little later than planned on Tuesday and
almost knocked Daniel over as he came around the corner from the stairs. “There
he is. Hello stranger.” Daniel’s big green eyes stared wildly, not really
seeing him at all. “Daniel? What’s wrong?”
“I can’t...just leave me....” He pushed
past Spen and bolted for the men’s toilet. Sensing it wasn’t a sudden bout of nausea which had sent him running, Spen gave chase.
He found Daniel sitting on the floor at the
far end of the room, next to a urinal. “Hey, kid, you can’t sit there. It’s
dirty.”
“Don’t care.” He looked up at Spen, his
face glistening with tears. “Leave me alone.”
“No, don’t think so.” Spen crouched down
and hoped like hell no one else would come in. “Did something happen? Something at home? Tony get mad
about something?”
“I can’t...you wouldn’t understand. I just
have to...but I can’t.”
Spen frowned at him, then stood, pulled
some paper off the roll and wet it. He crouched again and handed the wetted
towel to Daniel. “Wipe your face, then stand up. You need to get out of here.
Well away from here.”
Daniel obeyed, accepted Spen’s help to
stand up, and threw the screwed up towel at the bin with unnecessary force.
“I’m okay now,” he said, voice as flat as a computer simulation.
“Yeah, right. Look, do you have time for a
quick drink? We can talk.”
Daniel’s eyes darted about in panic. “I
can’t...I have to get home.”
“Half an hour? Give them a call? Daniel,
I’m worried about you.”
“Half an hour?”
“An hour max. Just call who you need to.”
He shook his head. “It’s okay. They don’t
count on me being home early any more.”
Spen didn’t comment on that, though he
could strangle bloody Tony Noble. “Come on, it’s only around the corner.”
Wednesdays were quiet in their local. It
was usually quiet anyway, being more of a lunchtime crowd type of place. “Do
you drink? Want a beer? My shout.”
Daniel looked about to protest, then his
shoulders slumped in defeat. “Half of bitter, please.”
Spen ordered the same, and some crisps to
soak it up. He guided Daniel over to a corner and made him sit. “Where’s Kani?”
“Kani? Oh...here.” A grey head suddenly
popped out of the middle of Daniel’s chest, and gave an interrogative chirp.
“It’s okay, you can come out now.” Kani jumped out and onto the table, taking a
sniff at Daniel’s beer glass. Daniel stroked him gently, though
Similar Books
