The office cafeteria was buzzing with the usual midday activity. The fluorescent lights cast a sterile glow over the space, reflecting off the polished tile floors. The hum of casual conversation, the clinking of cutlery, and the hiss of the coffee machine formed a backdrop to the scene unfolding at a corner table.
Eric sat with Jade and Austin, their lunch trays pushed aside as they leaned in close, discussing the upcoming beach weekend. Jade, with a thoughtful expression, had his arms crossed, his brow furrowed slightly as he tried to convince Eric to join them. Austin was more animated, gesturing wildly as he spoke.
Come on, Eric!" Austin exclaimed. "It's just one weekend. We've already booked the hotel, and Jade here even got us rooms with ocean views. You can't say no to that!"
Jade nodded, his expression softening as he added, "It's not just a random weekend, Eric. It's an after-wedding party, just for the close ones. Mattias, my foster brother, a few of our colleagues, and of course, us. We rarely get a chance to hang out like this anymore."
Eric sighed, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table, betraying his unease. "I get it, guys. Believe me, I do. But I have that meeting with our biggest client the day after tomorrow. If I can land this deal, it could be the biggest project for the company—and for me. I can't afford to let this opportunity slip by."
A few tables away, Zeke sat alone, his back to them, but his ears tuned in to every word of their conversation. He stirred his coffee absentmindedly, his mind consumed by the familiar bitterness that Eric always seemed to evoke in him.
'Eric,' Zeke thought, his lips curling into a sneer. 'Always so self-important. Mr. Big Deal.'
Zeke's grip tightened around his coffee cup, his knuckles turning white. He could feel the anger simmering just below the surface, the kind of anger that had been building for months, ever since Eric had been elevated to this near-mythical status in the office after buying shares in the company and now Zeke was even more irritated after the events of the wedding.
'Of course he has to make this all about him. Arrogant bastard.' Zeke fumed silently. He imagined grabbing a knife, slicing through Eric's calm demeanor, cutting him down a thousand times over until there was nothing left of that self-satisfied smirk. The thought brought a twisted smile to his lips. Austin's loud voice jolted Zeke back to the present.
Zeke snapped out of it, his fingers clenching around the edge of the table. He couldn't stand listening to Eric's excuses anymore. It was all just an act—a way to make himself look more important, more valuable. Zeke had seen through it long ago. With a deliberate scrape of his chair, Zeke stood up, the noise louder than intended, drawing a few curious glances from other tables. He walked over to their table, forcing a casual smile onto his face as he approached.
"Hey, what's all this about?" Zeke asked, sliding into an empty chair without waiting for an invitation. His eyes locked onto Eric's, a sharpness in them that belied his casual tone. Jade looked up and smiled, his voice warm. "Just the beach trip this weekend. You're still coming, right?"
''Of course, I am''. Zeke replied. Jade's smile grew larger.
"Big meeting, huh? Sounds thrilling." Zeke asked, his voice laced with mock curiosity. Eric looked up, his eyes icy as they met Zeke's but he did not say anything.
Zeke leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "You are not coming?''
Eric's jaw tightened, his patience clearly wearing thin. "I need to be here for the meeting.''
''Yeah, and you will ruin the fun of other team members by making them stay in the office for the meeting.'' Zeke remarked.
Eric's eyes flashed with irritation as he met Zeke's gaze. "I will make it up to them." Zeke rolled his eyes.
Austin tried to lighten the mood, though his grin had faded slightly. "Hey, how about this: if you finish your meeting early, you can still join us. We'll be there for 2 days. You might even make it for the bonfire on the second night."
Eric shook his head, his expression resolute. "I appreciate the offer, but if I land this deal, I need to get to work immediately. There's no guarantee I'll be done early."
Zeke's irritation boiled over. He slammed his hand on the table, causing Eric's eyes to meet Zeke's. He did not know why he was getting so upset at the thought of Eric not being there. It was not like he would enjoy his company in fact every interaction with Eric made his skin crawl or so he thought.
Austin, sensing the growing tension, tried to defuse the situation with his usual humor. "Hey, come on, Zeke, don't be so hard on him. Eric's just doing what he thinks is best. And hey, maybe we'll all get a big bonus if he lands that deal, right?" He shot Eric a wink, but the attempt at humor did nothing to lighten the mood.
Eric's expression softened slightly as he addressed Austin. "I'm really sorry, guys. I know you were looking forward to it, but I can't make it. Maybe next time."
Jade's expression was one of disappointment, his shoulders slumping slightly, but he nodded in understanding. "It's okay, Eric. We get it. We'll miss you, though."
But Zeke wasn't so forgiving. His fists clenched under the table, the muscles in his jaw working as he tried to keep his anger in check. He wanted to lash out, to make Eric feel just a fraction of the frustration and resentment that had been building inside him. "Well, I guess that's it, then," Zeke said, his voice cold laced with venom. "Have fun with your priorities, Eric. I'm sure they'll keep you warm at night."
Zeke stood up abruptly, the screech of his chair against the tile floor drawing the curious glances of Jade and Austin, but he paid no attention. His mind was a storm of emotions—frustration, anger, and a fiery feeling of defeat. Without looking back at the table, he strode toward the small café in the corner of the cafeteria, his footsteps echoing against the polished floor.
"Black coffee," he ordered, his voice sharper than intended. The barista, a young woman with a tired smile, nodded and quickly got to work.
Zeke leaned against the counter, his thoughts kept circling back to the table he had just left—and to Eric. The thought of that smug, composed expression made his blood boil.
He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes instinctively seeking out Eric, who was still seated with Jade and Austin, seemingly unbothered by Zeke's abrupt departure. He turned back to the counter, his jaw clenched tight. The barista placed the steaming cup of coffee on the counter, pulling Zeke out of his thoughts. "Thanks," Zeke muttered. He took the cup and turned away from the counter, pausing for a moment as he stared down at the dark liquid. It was supposed to be bitter, strong—just what he needed to shake off this unsettling feeling. But he knew, deep down, that no amount of bitterness could match what he felt toward Eric.
He could feel something slipping away, something just beyond his grasp, leaving behind a hollow, aching void. As he walked back to the table, the coffee clutched tightly in his hand, the sensation in his chest only grew more pronounced.
As Zeke walked off to get his coffee, Austin watched him go, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. He turned back to the table, his eyes narrowing slightly as he glanced at Eric.
"So, what's the deal between you and Zeke?" Austin asked, his tone casual but laced with curiosity.
Eric looked up from his phone, where he'd been scrolling through emails. He raised an eyebrow, as if the question caught him off guard. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, come on, Eric," Austin said, rolling his eyes. "Don't play dumb. Anyone with half a brain can see there's some serious tension between you two. What's the story?"
Jade, who had been quietly listening, chimed in. "Yeah, it's pretty obvious. Did something happen between you guys?"
Eric sighed, setting his phone down on the table. He ran a hand through his hair, clearly not thrilled about diving into the topic. "Honestly? I have no idea. As far as I'm concerned, there's no issue."
Austin raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Really? So he just decided to list you as his rival for no reason?"
Eric replied with no emotion: "It all started about three years ago, I guess. There was this big project up for grabs, and I ended up getting it over him. I didn't think much of it. But Zeke, well… he took it to a whole new level."
"Wait," Jade interjected, leaning forward with interest. "You mean the project that basically put you on the map here? The one that got you those shares in the company?"
Eric nodded. "That's the one. He was pretty upset about it, I think. Kids these days are so hot headed"
Austin shot Eric a skeptical look. "Eric, you're only, what, four years older than him? It's not like you're this wise old sage or anything. Zeke is 23, and you are what, 27? You talk like there's this massive generational gap."
"True," Eric conceded. "But I am still older.''
Jade nodded, his gaze drifting to where Zeke stood at the café counter, waiting for his coffee. "It's strange, though. No one really knows how he landed the job at this age, but he is doing pretty good. Though he doesn't seem like the type to just hold a grudge like that. There's gotta be more to it." Eric shrugged, his expression indifferent.
The conversation drifted off into silence as the three of them saw Zeke returning to the table.
Zeke returned to the table, settling into his chair with a casual tilt that placed him on Eric's right, his legs extending outward from the table. He took a long sip of his black coffee, savoring the bitter taste, though it did little to soothe the restless energy surrounding him.
As Zeke was lost in thoughts, a man in a hurry brushed past his chair, knocking into it with enough force to jolt Zeke. The sudden movement caused him to lose his grip on the coffee cup and it splashed out sending a scalding stream directly onto Eric. He let out a subtle gasp. The searing liquid stained his shirt instantly, spreading across the fabric and revealing the contours of his pale, exposed skin underneath.
Zeke was struck dumb, his mouth falling slightly open as he watched the disaster unfold. The coffee had splattered onto his own hand, burning his skin but he was too stunned to pay attention. Eric quickly reached for a napkin, his movements quick but futile as he dabbed at the stain, which only seemed to make the shirt more transparent. His face flushed with a mix of anger and the burning sensation from the hot liquid.
For a moment, Zeke was paralyzed. His eyes were glued to the sight of Eric's exposed skin beneath the wet fabric, the sheer intimacy of the moment striking him with a force that left him breathless. His mouth went dry, and a strange heat surged through his body. The warmth from the spilled coffee seemed to radiate off Eric, amplifying the strange sensations coursing through Zeke.
Austin stood up, a look of concern on his face. "Eric, let me help you with that. We can find a way to clean it up."
Eric shook his head, irritation evident in his voice. "It's fine, Austin. It's just a shirt. I'll manage."
Zeke sat still, unable to tear his eyes away from Eric. The room seemed to close in around him as he stared at the damp shirt clinging to Eric's chest revealing more than he had ever seen. Eric was always dressed in full-sleeved business attire never showing even an inch of his body. But now, that composed exterior was breached, and the raw, vulnerable sight was invading Zeke's mind in a way that made him uneasy. Eric, clearly uncomfortable, pushed his chair back and stood up abruptly. "I'm going to the bathroom to clean this up," he muttered.
Zeke watched him walk away, his gaze fixed on the slight sway of Eric's back as he moved. Zeke could still see the flush on Eric's face, perhaps from the burning sensation of the coffee, but also something else, something that made Zeke's blood run cold. He had never seen Eric's face like that before—red, almost as if he was blushing. It was a sight that sent a shiver down Zeke's spine, an unfamiliar and unsettling sensation that gnawed at the edges of his thoughts.
Is this how Eric looks when he blushes? Zeke's heart stuttered at the thought, a sharp pang of something dark tightening in his chest. He refused to acknowledge it, pushing the thought aside as quickly as it had surfaced. But the image stayed with him, lingering at the back of his mind.
Eric's retreating figure drew Zeke's gaze like a magnet, and before he could think better of it, he found himself standing up, his legs moving of their own accord.
"Zeke?" Austin's voice broke through the haze, his tone questioning. "Where are you going?"
Zeke didn't answer, his eyes fixed on the path Eric had taken. "I'll be right back," he said, his voice low and distracted.
Austin and Jade exchanged glances, both of them silently observing as Zeke disappeared after Eric. Jade raised an eyebrow, his expression a mix of curiosity and concern. "What's going on between them?"
Austin sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know, man. But you don't need to worry.'' He leaned in, kissing Jade on the lips tenderly. Jade blushed, pushing him away slightly. Austin let out a hearty laugh and with that they got lost into their own world.
Zeke followed Eric toward the men's bathroom, his steps slow, almost hesitant, as if something deep within him was pulling him forward against his will into the abyss that was Eric Yang.