New Kid

I hurried into the nearest Starbuck's and groaned as I saw the huge queue.
A man in front of me saw my exasperation and let me go in front of him, which I was very grateful for.

I was going to be late. On my first day. Shit.

Okay, maybe I should introduce myself. My name is Christofer Drew Ingle, I'm known as Christofer Drew. I recently turned 20 years old and I have just moved to New York from my home town of Joplin, Missouri.
I've been employed at top fashion studios and magazine - Regent, as a designer and editor of...something...I'm not entirely what my new job even is. It's too early in the morning for this.

My apartment is this tiny box/studio thing. The only decent thing in it is my coffee maker and that decided to choose this morning of all mornings to break. I had no sleep last night so as a result I am standing here waiting in a queue for my injection of caffeine so I can at least be able to focus on my first day.

When I finally got to the front of the queue I ordered a triple shot black coffee and as I was stepping out of the store, someone crashed into me, sending half my coffee all over me.
"Shit!!" I cursed. I backed off, wiping at my now stained grey suit.
"Oh my god I am SO sorry!" A deep accent caught my attention and I looked up to see an extremely handsome guy who looked like he belonged on the front cover of a magazine, not rushing for a coffee the same as everyone else.
He wore blue suit trousers, a white shirt and a blazer, his dark brown hair was done up in a sort of stylish quiff and he had styled stubble along his jaw. His eyes were a very beautiful dark brown, so deep that I found myself stammering again.
"D-don't worry, it was my fault I was rushing."
"Me too. I'm so sorry it went on your suit!! Oh god it didn't burn you did it?" His concerned expression made the heat rush to me face as I made eye contact with him and I stammered out a no, my face turning even more crimson, despite the painful burning sensation I was experiencing on my side where the boiling coffee had spilt on me.
"Are you sure?"
"Y-yes! R-really I-"
"Really Kennedy? Abusing young men as gorgeous as this one? You should be ashamed!!" I was interrupted by yet another extremely good-looking guy. He was really tall, he also had hair styled up but it was light brown, he had very defined yet friendly features. He was dressed more casually, in beige chinos, a shirt and a red blazer.

I was suddenly feeling very overwhelmed.

"Shut up John."
"I hope you've offered to buy him another coffee, or give him a blow job if that's not enough-" The guy called Kennedy flipped out in embarrassment and punched John's arm - hard.
"I am SO sorry!!! He's such an idiot. What's your name? I'm Kennedy, as you know."
"Hi, I'm Chris." Kennedy shook my hand warmly, his hands were so soft and I found myself blushing again, he smiled at that which made me blush even more.
"Anyway, it was great meeting you Kennedy, you too John, but I really must go now, don't worry about the coffee, no damage done. And only a bit of it spilt, but it's my first day at my new job so I really can't be late!!" Kennedy grinned.
"Oh!! Congrats where's the job?"
"Regent Magazine?" Kennedy's face lit up.
"No way!?! You're the new guy?!! I work there too!! I'll catch up with you later then!" Kennedy was suddenly dragged off by John to get coffees and I hurried off to work - slightly shaken from my meeting with possibly the two most cute guys I'd ever seen in real life and the humiliation of having to go into my first day at work covered in coffee with a huge burn down my side.

My legs couldn't quite keep up with my brain as I hurried along and I ended up tripping over a loose paving stone - skinning both my hands and my knees, scratching up my suit even more and spilling the last of my coffee everywhere.
I got into the building and ran for the elevator, my eyes brimmed over with tears at the humiliation and nasty looks from the snooty receptionists and people working here.
Someone held the door for me and I cursed New York for the millionth time - there was always someone there when you just wanted to be alone.
"Hey kid you ok?" I looked up again to see yet another ridiculously gorgeous guy. I nodded, scared that if I spoke I'd start crying.
"Hey what's up? Did you fall over or something? Your cut up pretty bad." I nodded again.
"I'm Devin- Devin Oliver. Are you the new kid?" I managed a small yes and he smiled.
"Come on man, cheer up, everyone has days like this don't stress! I'll get you to the bathroom and help you get cleaned up ok?" I smiled gratefully and followed him out to the bathroom.
I felt ridiculously stupid as he helped me clean my hands and knees.
"It's ok you don't have-"
"What and just walk away and let you cry in here alone? Please, I'm so not doing that. How old are you anyways you look like a baby still."
"Just turned 20." Devin 'awed' at me and I rolled my eyes, making him laugh.
He asked me to take off my jacket so he could get the worst of the coffee out of it, I did so and winced as it pulled at the burn on my side. Devin caught on and yanked up my shirt, making me cry out in embarrassment.
"Oh my god!!! Chris!! This is seriously bad we need to get you to a-"
"To my job. It'll be fine I've had worse. Just give me back my jacket and I'll go. Thank you very much for all your help, but I'm not making a fuss about this. I've had enough drama for one day and I haven't even started my job yet." Devin knew I had my mind made up and he gave me his number, making me promise to tell him if it got really painful.

I rushed out of the bathroom and down the corridor before realising that I had absolutely no clue where I was going.
"Shit..."
"Mr Drew?" A deep, snappy voice called out and I spun round, coming face to face with a man that took my breath away and made me turn crimson.
"Y-y-yes?" I cursed myself violently for stammering. The man sneered slightly and held out his hand briskly.
"Mr Levine." My jaw dropped. Fuck. The editor in chief of Regent, my MEGA boss and the multi-millionaire Adam Levine himself. With looks and a reputation that could kill.
"Oh! H-hello Sir, very good to meet you Sir-"
"I believe you're going to the ladies bathroom....may I ask why that is?" I blushed scarlet.
"Umm...there's a chance I may have got a bit..lost?" His expression was harsh and I felt sick with nerves but I knew the more scared I appeared, the more he would learn to hate me. So I stood up more straight and switched the jacket in my hand to the other, forgetting about the huge coffee stain and blood from the burn on my jacket.
"Get into a street brawl before your first day?" He sneered nastily at my apparel, I sighed.
"Not exactly. Thanks for the concern." His eyes darkened, I couldn't tell if he was amused, angry or if that had been the final straw in his decision to hate me.
"We'd better be going. Tomorrow don't even think of showing up in my offices like that. If you last that long of course." I swallowed and followed him, making sure not to seem like it was difficult - although it was. He wasn't particularly tall but he walked quickly.
Before I knew it we were in a corridor and Levine was opening a door - pushing me inside.
We were in an office - a very fashionable modern office - and suddenly he was throwing something at me. I caught it out of reflex and looked at it - a shirt.
I looked up at Levine who was typing at lightning speed on his iPhone, he tucked it into his pocket and stood with his arms crossed looking at me.
"Like I said. No one walks around in my offices in that state." I stuttered and went to turn around to go back to the bathrooms.
"Relax. I don't need to look someone who's practically a teenaged intern for kicks." I felt hurt at that but just glared at him and threw down my stuff and unbuttoned my shirt, not wincing at the pain as I thought I felt the burn split open again.
"You moron. You've split it open again." I spun round and he threw something else at me. A freakin roll of bandages.
"Thank you." I snapped and fixed the bandage before throwing the rest of the roll back to him and pulling the new shirt on. Holy shit this was Gucci. Probably cost him like $350 dollars and he could've got the same thing for like $20 in Walmart.
But of course that was the point. It was to show how much money he had. I hated people like that.
A waft of scent came off the neatly ironed shirt, a rich cologne, which probably cost him another $400 dollars that he didn't need to spend.
"You know I've got more important things to do than be watching you struggle to get dressed, try and make it quick." I fought back a hiss and took my sweet time in getting ready before looking at him, blinking slowly.
"Would it be possible for you to point me in the right direction - Sir?" I added curtly. He, again, kept that unresponsive mask on his face and walked out, me following him closely.

When we arrived in the conference room, everyone was shocked to see us walk in together and they were already in their seats. Mine was the one next to Mr Levine and I sat down nervously.
I realised that Devin was sitting opposite me a few seats down and the guys from the coffee shop, Kennedy and John were also here. John was further up than Kennedy and I was surprised that I was sat all the way up here.
We discussed many topics - competition from magazines like Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Grazia, the latest styles and trends, and ideas for the greatly anticipated and dramatic new turn that the magazine would have to take in order to stay ahead of it's competition.

As the meeting concluded, Mr Levine didn't even look at me, he rose to his feet and strode off. The second he was gone the conference room erupted into chatter, in a matter of seconds I was surrounded by the gorgeous men who I'd already met.
"Hey Chris!! Check you out sitting next to the boss! You've got in already I see?" John teased, at least I thought it was teasing.
"Shut up John. So Chris- HEY!! Is that his shirt!?!!??" I turned crimson and begged them to be quieter as I didn't want anyone to hear.
"He said that no one walks around in his offices like that - you know the coffee stain and the blood - so he took me to his office, chucked this at me and didn't say another word about it!! It's not a big deal guys." They all gawked at me and we walked together down the corridor towards our offices, them guiding me as I had no clue where to go.
"No kiddo. See, you don't understand this. Levine is NOT the kind of guy to be handing out his Gucci shirts and bandages to just anyone. Did you show balls?" I blushed as John spoke.
"E-excuse me?"
"Balls as in bravery not as in the literal honey." I blushed again, feeling very stupid.
"Oh. Umm...I guess I might've done..."
"What did you do??!!" Devin jumped in now, very excited.
"Well he was being horrible to me and bullying me so I sort of made a sarcastic, slightly rude but funny comment....?" Their jaws dropped, I looked from face to speechless face.
"What?!?"
"You talked back...to ADAM LEVINE?!!?!"
"Yes he did. Which is more than you've ever done O'Callaghan. Haven't you got work to be gettin' on with?" A slightly drawling accent voiced behind us, making us all jump and another sexy, gorgeous, makes-me-want-to-die man was standing behind us. The others all slinked off to their offices which were near mine and I went into my office, followed by the mysterious man.
"I'm Caleb, Followill. Good to meet you newbie."
"I'm Chris."
"I know that. I'm the main photographer for Regent by the way."
"Right. Good to know." He made a noise and said "bye darlin." Before leaving. I stood, annoyed, tired and in pain over my desk for a moment before unpacking my things and taking out my laptop and starting work.
By the end of the day I had everyone figured out. I knew the nice ones from the office bitches, and I knew my 3 friends - 4 if you count Caleb - pretty well as they texted me nonstop throughout the day. How we all got any work done is beyond me.

As I sat in my office - the others had all left as they came to say goodnight to me, I was pretty popular already - I thought about the whirl of a day that had gone past, and how tired and hungry I actually was.
I decided to go home by the time it reached 11pm and I walked through the building. I was going passed Levine's office and noticed he was still sitting there. His eyes flickered up and met mine, I saw the first genuine emotion in his eyes that night - surprise. I went in and stood awkwardly, he shifted in his seat.
"You stayed this late - I'm shocked."
"How long will you stay? I'm exhausted." I tried to joke a tiny bit but Adam wasn't smiling, he never was.
"Later than this."
"Want a coffee or something?" He looked surprised again but shook his head.
"Umm...thanks I guess by the way, you know, for the opportunity to work here. Today's been the most fun and most scary day I've had in my life and I've loved every second of it, well, since the conference anyway." He watched me steadily and nodded when I was finished.
"I'll bring you the shirt back tomorrow. Thanks for that too." I felt myself reddening slightly, he just nodded again, I sighed.
"Well. Goodnight anyway."
"Wait, Christofer," I turned around.
"You've done well today. All things considered. You showed you can stand up for yourself. You need that in this business." I smiled, I knew it was too broad, too blissfully happy that such a god had blessed me with more than a nod, but I didn't care.

As I left and I could feel his dark eyes on me the whole way.
He was absolutely terrifying. Then again, everything about this city and this job was too.

Was I drowning already?