Unspoken Tension, Climaxing Friction

Liam left for work a little earlier than normal as he wanted to grab a dozen doughnuts for his co-workers at work to celebrate his birthday.

While he was about 4 minutes away from Aligns' Doughnut shop, his phone rung. It was a video call from Gregory and Shah, his two friends from Stanford.

"Hey, guys!" Liam exclaimed with joy while he walked down the not-so-busy road.

"Happy birthday, pal." Gregory said with a wide smile that could be mistaken for a Mickey Mouse impression.

"Welcome to thirty, Bro." Shah said with his Indian accent fuelling the ecstasy behind his voice.

"Thank you, guys. What's good?" Liam asked.

"Guys, Deepika is married, and I'm not her groom." Shah said with a dramatic pseudo- sad expression.

"Awwww. I'm sorry, man." Liam said.

"Oh, don't be. I hooked up with her sister." Shah said without much humour intended.

"What?" Gregory screamed.

"Oh, my God. I thought Deepika was the love of your life?" Liam asked with one eyebrow up.

"And I thought Charlotte was the love of your life, too? Life always happens, doesn't it?" Shah replied wittily and yet philosophically.

"Right. I gotta go, guys. Talk to you later?" Liam said as he looked towards the doughnut shop which was a few feet ahead of him.

"Okay, boys. Keep slamming those ladies just how they want it." Shah added nastily.

"Oh, God." Liam said with a laugh following his words.

"You bet, Shah. And our deepest regards to Deepika." Gregory said with a teenage wink.

"It's not that deep, bruh. Bye, guys." Shah said as the call ended.

Liam smiled like he'd won the lottery as the day was already playing out very okay.

He advanced to the counter where he spoke with his smile still heavy on his face, and for some reasons, the attendant, a young lady was smiling right back, and a little wider than he was.

"Here you go, handsome." She said as she handed his doughnuts tray to him after processing his payment with his debit card.

"Thank you. Have a beautiful day." Liam added as he turned away from her with a smile which the person behind him on the queue replied with an awkward expression.

Liam got out of the elevator and to his utmost surprise, a dozen co-workers were right there, standing and waiting to ambush him with their discordant voices singing him a happy birthday song.

Liam just stood there with a smile and a bit of embarrassment as he wasn't expecting this sweet gesture.

In the midst of them all, the voice that found its way to his ears in a special fashion was Ava's and it was full of all sweetness and simplicity as she sang with a smile. After they were done singing, Liam walked towards them all with a smile.

"Thank you, everyone. I'm grateful for that. Let's have doughnuts." Liam said as he opened the multi-flavoured doughnut tray for them to pick theirs. The last person standing was Ava and he walked to her with the two glazed doughnuts left in the tray.

"This was all you, wasn't it? Thank you." Liam said with a smile that brightened his face.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" These chants became louder and louder while Ava and Liam stood facing each other's faces.

While the chants increased and the tension between both their eyes were steady, the elevator dinged, and the moment it flung open, the whole hallway went silent, and slowly and yet swiftly, everyone found their ways to their offices and various tables.

After a few seconds of graveyard silence, Ava and Liam noticed that this was unusual, so Liam left her front which had obstructed her from seeing the person who was still standing in the elevator.

Ava trembled mildly and her face turned formal instantly at the sight of the person she'd just seen. Liam noticed the change in her countenance and turned his back to see who or what was behind them, and he was equally shocked that he unintentionally gulped spit down his throat.

It was Charlotte who'd been the reason for the mass dispersal and gross dread that killed the buzz in the room. She was never this early to work, and she held on to a nylon which appeared to have cake in it as she stood with her default fierce look to witness all that was going down here.

Ava walked quickly to her office as she peeped at the scene from the door.

Charlotte walked away from the elevator and headed to take the stairs to her floor which was the one above this.

"Liam, meet me in my office in an hour." Charlotte said authoritatively as she walked away.

"okay, …ma." Liam said quietly as he walked into his office where Ava waited for him at the entrance with a feeling of guilt as though she'd cost him his job.

"I'm sorry, Liam. All of it was my fault." Ava said with a sincere face of sadness and concern.

"No, Ava. It wasn't your fault. Besides, I loved every bit of the surprise. It was sweet, so thank you." Liam said as she looked at him adorably.

"Mmmm mmmhm." Jerry hacked his throat, trying to interrupt their sweet moment and reminding them that their devilish boss was around.

"…this doughnut is great, Liam. Thank you." Elon said with his mouth half-full as he chewed the last piece of it.