“Can you move a little bit to the left? No, not mine. Yours. Okay, that’s better, Mika.”

“Are you sure the logo will be visible?” Mika raised concern as he turned his head back and looked at the glass building behind him.

“You don’t need a building? You want just a logo?” Aleksandr asked.

“Me and the logo will do,” Mika replied promptly.

“I got it. Ready? Smile.”

Click. Click. Click.

“Done. Have a look at those photos,” Aleksandr said, then handed over the mobile to Mika.

He was staring at it and after swapping a few times through his photo album, he finally found the one he liked: the one where he was grinning and showing a victory sign. “I think I’ll go with this one. Thanks for your help.”

“No problem. Today’s your first day. Excited?”
 
“Oh yes!” he replied while already fully immersed in creating a new post on his social media account, celebrating his new role at the Mnx company.

[ I’m excited to announce that I’ve started my new role as a Software Engineer at the @Mnx company.]

Now I only need to add some hashtags: #LifeAtMnx #BigTech #SoftwareEngineer #DreamsComeTrue and… done.

With Mika pressing the “send” button, he announced to the entire world that he had started his long-awaited role at his dream company. Well, not that the entire world would be interested in that, but he was sure that it would spark interest among the small group of his followers.

“Let’s go. I’ll show you around the office.”

Mika had tons of questions. He wanted to know all the details related not only to the company's presence in Prague or how the floors are divided, but also who sits where and what each of the engineering teams was doing.

At some point, Aleksandr, who has been working at Mnx for a few years, had to admit that even he doesn’t have answers to all his questions. “But don’t worry about that. When the time comes, you’ll learn all about it. There are monthly meetings for all employees, and regular updates on what’s been happening in our hub are sent via email.”

"Yeah, you’re right. Besides, I probably wouldn’t be able to remember it all," he said with a shy smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

***

“So, it means I’ll be sitting next to you?” Mika was surprised when Aleksandr showed him his new place. It was in the corner, right next to Aleksandr’s standing desk.

Mika, having already finished admiring his new ultrawide, curved monitor and the brand-new laptop that had been waiting for him to unpack, wanted to know more about the open-space area they were in.

He looked around. The floor-to-ceiling windows had done the trick. The entire office was bright, thanks to the sunlight that highlighted every corner and made the workspace open and energizing.

“This area is assigned to our team, which means only members of our team can sit here. We decided together with Natalia that it might be better for you to stay close to me since I’m your mentor. Anthony sits opposite you, and Ken is next to him. Natalia sits just behind Ken,” Aleksandr explained, and then continued to describe how this floor is divided and who sits where. “We share this part of the office with other engineering teams. Design and PM* teams sit on the other side of this floor. It makes it quite convenient in terms of collaboration as all the people you need are here.”

Mika wanted to make sure that he understood the rules correctly. He had never worked in such huge company and didn’t want to make any mistakes. “What if I come later and someone else will already be sitting here?”

“Don’t worry about that, it doesn’t happen often. But if another person is occupying your seat, just let them know that it is your place,” Aleksandr added, smiling.

Mika nodded. The excitement was evident on his face since he met Aleksandr outside the office for pictures. He didn't try to hide it; after all, it was his first day at his dream company. This isn’t something that happens every day.

The entire team gathered today in the office to welcome him as a new team member. With Mika on board, they were now a five-person team. Instead of a regular standup* , they had a chat over coffee where everyone reintroduced themselves.

Mika was glad to see the familiar faces of Natalia, Ken, and Anthony, whom he met during his job interview. Not to mention Aleksandr - Mika couldn’t wait to start working with him.

He also learned more about each of the team members, including what they were working on. All of this happened in a more relaxed atmosphere. This was very nice, and Mika felt a sense of belonging right from the start.

There was only one awkward moment when one of his colleagues asked him about the relocation and settling down in a new city. He wasn’t sure if he should disclose his true feelings to the people he had met not that long ago, so he hesitated for a moment before explaining that he had gone through a breakup, moved alone, and while he was excited, he also felt overwhelmed by everything that had happened to him recently. Luckily, everyone started encouraging him not to be afraid and offered their help.

Aleksandr’s voice brought Mika back to reality. “I need to go as I have a few meetings scheduled, but I’ll try to be back as soon as possible. Try to make yourself comfortable. If you have any problems or questions, just ask Anthony or someone else from the team, and I’m sure they will be more than happy to help you.”

“Thank you, I have all the notes with me, so I should be fine. But I’ll make sure to ask if I don’t know something,” Mika replied, shifting his focus towards Anthony who stood up after hearing his name mentioned during the conversation.

“Yes, you can count on me! Just let me know in case you need anything,” with a thumbs up Anthony signaled his approval and willingness to help.

Aleksandr smiled, then he took his laptop and swiftly turned around, leaving both colleagues behind.

“He’s cool. We’re all lucky to have him on our team. Just stay close to him and learn as much as possible. You will see that your engineering skills will skyrocket in no time,” Anthony said, and putting his headset on he returned to his tasks.

“Yeah…” Mika muttered, fixing his gaze on Aleksandr. He continued watching him walk down the long corridor until he disappeared around the corner.

He has a nice figure and looks hot. If only… Mika thought, feeling a flush rise to his cheeks. But then he scolded himself the next second, What am I thinking about? I must be insane! I should be focusing 100% on work, not on unnecessary things!

Various thoughts swirled within Mika's head, but he had to cut them off. He shouldn’t be thinking about anything romantic – not at the workplace and certainly not on his very first day at the new job.

Besides, I’m sure that a man like him is taken.

Little did he know that night Aleksandr couldn’t fall asleep either, as he was thinking about Mika. Lying awake, staring at the ceiling, his mind raced as he replayed their interactions, feeling a strange mix of excitement and confusion.

Only after taking a cold shower and jerking off a few times while thinking about Mika’s smile was he able to regain peace of mind and finally fall asleep.

______
Dictionary:
- PM team: Program/Project Manager
- standup: short, daily meeting where each of the team members discusses progress on their ongoing tasks, focusing on blockers/problems they might have encountered. The usual structure focuses on those 3 questions: "What did I do yesterday?", "What am I gonna do today?", "What are the blockers?"