[Text Message Received]

Coop: Honeeey, where are you???
It’s Friday and I’m drinking with a
cuuute stranger. Come meet us!

[End Message]

[Text Response]

Emily: Oooh lala, really now?
Leaving work now…drinks are
much needed.

[End Message]

Emily stowed her phone away in her bag and gathered her belongings as quickly as possible. Work had been crazier than usual and she was in no mood to get roped into any awkward chats with Mr. Whitaker (whom she was refusing to refer to on a first-name basis). To her dismay, The Gazette’s infamous CEO was already waiting for the elevator as Emily trudged out of the office.

Emily considered walking back into the office, but as she was about to turn around and flee, Mr. Whitaker noticed the young intern and made eye contact with her.

“Ah, what a lovely coincidence,” Mr. Whitaker grinned like a schoolboy as Emily reluctantly walked towards the elevator, “I was going to ask you about something.”

Emily felt her teeth clench as she forced a smile, “Ah, you caught me. What did you want to ask?”

“I noticed on your resume that you took some photo-journalism courses in college. I was thinking you’d like to get some more hands-on experience instead of scuffling around the office. Does that spike your interest?”

Emily’s ears perked as she listened to Mr. Whitaker’s inquest. Sitting around the office was definitely not at the top of her things-to-do list.

Despite his awkward behavior, Mr. Whitaker was a revered journalist in the city and getting any job opportunities from him was about as lucky as winning the lottery. Emily would be either naïve or crazy not to take whatever prospect he was offering.

“Oh! Of course, I’d be honored to use my skills to help you with any ongoing projects, sir,” Emily responded brightly.

The elevator dinged enthusiastically as it reached the floor of The Gazette and opened its metallic doors. Mr. Whitaker and Emily entered the empty elevator and prepared for their descent as they continued their discussion.

“That’s great. I was hoping you could go out into the field and get some prime shots for me. It seems you have quite the eye when it comes to photography,” Mr. Whitaker said as he pressed the ‘floor 1’ button.

Emily stirred uneasily at her boss’s observation, “Ah, I didn’t know you had seen any of my work.”

Mr. Whitaker gave Emily a sidelong glance, “Well of course. I do my homework when we hire new talent.”

An awkward silence wafted through the air as the elevator descended. Emily had done some private projects in college that weren’t featured in her portfolio. However, if Mr. Whitaker had searched thoroughly, he may have been able to find them.

The thought of Mr. Whitaker’s naked eyes rolling over Emily’s personal photography made her shudder involuntarily. She wasn’t exactly enthused with the prospect that her boss could be taking any sort of interest in her personal life.

“Anyway,” Mr. Whitaker continued as the two stepped off of the elevator, “I’m looking for someone willing to get some shots from crime scenes that might be associated with the Assistance Agency. I understand if you aren’t comfortable doing it, but I’m really hoping that the ‘someone’ I pick isn’t deterred by things like caution tape.”

Emily paused as the two stood on the marble floor in the lobby of the office building, “Wouldn’t that be, I mean, what if the police found out?”

“Sometimes journalists have to break the rules. Either way, I have connections,” Mr. Whitaker said as he winked at Emily, “So let me know if you’re game. If you need any equipment, I can have that arranged.”

Emily nodded as she processed her boss’s request, which was making an alarm ring in the back of her head. It wasn’t exactly out of the ordinary for journalists to get their hands a bit dirty, but Emily felt like she might be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire with this job.

Exposing the Assistance Agency would certainly be a challenge of its own, but the rising tension of the city hung in the air like static as the mayor’s reelection campaign loomed overhead. It would be unwise for The Gazette to further threaten the Agency when the mayor was already launching an attack of his own.

Emily tried to swallow all of the concerns flitting through her mind with a hard gulp. Having a job like this required taking risks, and she would never advance in her career if she wasn’t willing to be more adventurous.

“I’ll do it.”

“Great! I’ll keep my ears to the ground and text you when something comes up,” Mr. Whitaker said as he waved goodbye to Emily, “Hope you have a good weekend.”

A small knot started to form in Emily’s gut as she watched her boss bound out of the downtown office building cheerfully. Hopefully this new venture he was proposing wouldn’t have any repercussions…

* * * * *

Emily sighed as she pushed through the heavy, wooden doors of the rustic bar she was meeting Cooper at. Her heels clacked sharply against the cement floor as she clumsily squeezed through a crowd of people sipping beer and cocktails.

“Oh, whose that gloomy looking business lady?” Cooper cooed over the heads of the crowd as he waved at Emily.

“Coopy-Coop, my week has been so weird. I need all the drinks,” Emily responded as she practically fell into Coop. Standing next to Coop was a tall, auburn-haired man with light green eyes and a slight scruff around his jawline. Once she noticed the new face, the stranger beamed at Emily heartily while sticking his tongue out and waving.

“Forgive my manners,” Coop started as he gestured towards the stranger, “This handsome stud right here is Bradley.”

After being introduced to her, Bradley curtsied mockingly towards Emily. His pale green eyes gleamed under the lowlight of the bar making him look a tad crazier than he already seemed.

“Meow! So you’re the pretty little thing Coop has been talking about,” Bradley stated as he grabbed Emily’s hand and shook it vigorously, “I can’t tell you how nice it is to meet another ginger in this damn city. I’m buying you a drink, NOW!”

Emily chuckled nervously as she retracted her strangled hand, “I appreciate it, Bradley. Nice to meet you too.”

Bradley grinned in affirmation and then turned on heel and practically skipped over to the bar. Emily watched as the auburn-haired jester started chatting with a bald bartender, who had thick muscles bursting through a black button-up shirt. The bartender promptly grabbed three shot glasses and began salting their rims as Bradley chatted him up.

Emily looked at Coop and raised an eyebrow.

“When he says he’s buying drinks, he means he’s getting everyone tequila shots,” Coop said while smiling sheepishly, “and yes, I already told him that his neck tattoo is tacky.”

Emily chuckled, “Oh God Coop, where did you find this guy?”

Coop bit his lip as he glanced over at Bradley picking up the tequila shots from the bartender, and then whispered into Emily’s ear, “Promise you won’t judge?”

Emily shook her head. She may have been a fairly innocent individual, but Cooper’s mannerisms had never offended her. In fact, the two complemented each other as best friends quite nicely. It was her job to keep Coop in line after all, while it was Coop’s duty to urge Emily to be more outgoing.

“I met up with him through this app after we left that bar the other night. We kinda, well we did, have sex last night,” Coop winced as Emily gave him a crooked smirk.

Bradley pushed his way back towards Emily and Coop and handed them their shots, “Okay ladies, bottoms up!”

Coop looked into the shot glass and shrugged, "When in Rome, eh?"

The three clinked their glasses together, licked the salted rims and then choked back their tequila. Emily started coughing as she bit into her lime feverishly, causing her to make a very sour face.

Bradley looked at Emily’s expression and laughed so hard that he started slapping his own leg. Coop patted Bradley’s back playfully as he tried, and failed, to hide the sour face that he was making as well.

“Shit, I love you guys,” Bradley exclaimed, “Let’s go mingle!”