After some time had passed, Ryan filed and sorted out the papers on the desk before taking them to the printing area. He placed the stack down and set them up before using the printer and letting it do its thing.

  He originally wanted something to drink but figured he’d get this out of the way now. It was close to the coffee room and lounge, after all.

  Ryan spent a reasonable amount of time either waiting impatiently or arguing with himself whenever the printer would get a jam. He wasted more time turning the device off and pulling the papers out before starting the slow process over again. By the third time, Ryan already had enough.

  “Seriously?” He groaned, feeling the urge to slam his fist on the machine. “Why do they keep this worthless piece of junk around?” He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh.

  “Ryan, is something the matter?” A soft voice spoke from behind him.

  Ryan’s body jolted as his heart pounded against his chest. Before he turned around, he fixed his tie and brushed off his work suit. Ryan turned to face a woman with long brown hair tied in a side ponytail and round glasses. She held up two mugs of freshly brewed coffee in front of him.

  “Oh, hi, Daisy. I didn’t see you there.”

  “Yeah, I could tell.” Daisy rolled her eyes and smiled. “You were off in your own little world for a while. Need a drink?”

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Gladly.”

  Ryan took the mug off her hands and sipped the drink. The hot liquid oozed down his throat as it gave life to his body. He and Daisy released the mugs from their lips and sighed in unison.

  “You seem out of it,” Daisy said. “Are you okay?”

  “Honestly, not really,” Ryan replied, looking down at his drink. “I didn’t get much sleep last night, not to mention all the work piled on me. It’s been a long day.”

  “So, the same as always, then?”

  “Yeah...”

  “It’s nice to see you working hard for once, but you know it’s okay to take breaks every once in a while. I’m sure Barry wouldn’t mind if you had a light snack or drink.”

  “That’s the problem, though. He does mind.”

  “Well, that’s cause you tend to take one break too many. Not to mention, you don’t do enough around here to balance it all out. It’s all about balance.”

  “I guess, doesn’t mean I’m good at that.”

  “Well, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. That’s why we’re a team, after all. And as they say, it takes time and practice. No one said it’d be easy.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. Thanks for the confidence boost.” Ryan smiled weakly but looked down, trying to hide his true feelings from her.

  He didn’t consider himself to be very skilled in a lot of things, or even sociable, for that matter. He wasn’t in many people’s best graces, especially with his boss. Maybe it was his attitude or aura surrounding him, or something else entirely. It was a miracle he didn’t get fired yet, for whatever reason.

  Maybe Barry had it out on him in particular and wanted him to suffer. At least, that’s what he might’ve thought was the case. Ryan felt lucky to still have company to talk to in his mundane life.

  Daisy tilted her head, noticing something was up, when she spotted the printer malfunctioning again.

  “Oh, again?” She clicked her tongue and set aside her drink on top of a drawer. “Would you like some help with that?”

  “You sure? You’re not busy with other stuff at the moment?”

  “This won’t take long. I have time. Besides, I want to help you out, even if it’s just a little.”

  “Thanks, I really appreciate it.”