#cbcstart

[eumheather]

Work had slowed enough for Heather to be lulled into a rhythm that allowed her to take some time to swipe on Tinder. “I’m just waiting for summer to come round so that all the fresh meat — I mean, interns, of course — can add some variety around here.” There was enough playfulness in her voice to suggest sarcasm, but not enough to be convincing. Her nose crinkled as she continued flicking to the left of her phone screen. She was rarely seen without the device. It had her music and social life, controlled her work life, and was rarely out of her sight. In an out of character move, she turned phone over to the other. “What do you think? Yay or nay for this one?”  

[eackerman-blog1]

“No sweetheart, I ain’t the secretary. This is actually my office. Can I help you or are you gonna stand there gawpin’ until you catch a fly?”

[archivednicke]

[ SMS : ? ] : Did you give me the flu? [ SMS : ? ] : Not accusing but I’ve had it since our last meeting. 

[leonsolis]

Quality whiskey was a quality start to the holiday season. Leon supposed that a perk of being the man standing behind the bitch who ran the universe was that your liquor cabinet was always well-stocked. Taking a measured swallow of his drink, he smoothed his traditional all-American friendly-people’s-representative smile back on.

“Tell me I’m not the only one who feels like he got invited to a Christmas party by mistake,” he said laughingly. “Tell me you’re Buddhist, agnostic, Scientologist—really, I’ll take anything at this point.”

[jamiewalsharchive-blog]

Jamie felt a hand tap twice on his shoulder, and he turned into it, raising his eyebrows as he glanced back at the person responsible. He pulled out an earbud, even if it was just for show. The earbuds were usually quite effective at discouraging this sort of disturbance, despite the fact that he wasn’t listening to anything through them. “What do you want?” he asked, and stared at the other person, turning around halfway so he could look at the other person’s face more closely. “You want a soundbite on the vote, maybe try the Press Secretary. Full disclosure -- I’m not him.”

[mari-ana-mendoza-blog]

TEXT | Mariana & ???

[ SMS : -- ] : Would you judge me if I joined Tinder?  [ SMS : -- ] : Be serious. I’ve already made a pros and cons list. 

[jermainejusticekline-blog]

The suitcase Jermaine carried dug into his palm as he climbed the steps to his apartment complex, his free hand digging in the pocket of his pants as he searched for his keys. For a moment, he was struck with panic as he couldn’t feel them in his left pocket. He dropped his luggage and rummaged through his other pocket, glancing over his shoulder in time to catch a glimpse of a familiar face.

“Hey!” He called out, letting out a sigh, “You’d think I would come back home prepared. Yet here I am, searching for my keys.” 

[macbenton-blog]

There’s a sudden influx of emails lighting up the screen of his phone, buzz after buzz after buzz. For a moment, his attention is misplaced as he begins to go over them. The person in front of him leaves the queue, and he starts to take a step forward, but he isn’t the only one. “Oh, apologies,” he says with a smile and looks up. He places a hand to his chest before gesturing towards the space in front of them. “Go ahead, I think you were before me.”

[briellenoveau-blog]

Brielle was beginning to regret dropping off her coat at the beginning of the night, for the sleeveless dress she had chosen to wear was currently doing very little to keep her warm. “You’d think growing up in Boston that I’d have a bit of a tolerance to the cold, but I swear this room is freezing,” she chuckled lightly to the person beside her, as she rubbed her arms in attempt to warm them up, “Either that or these air vents are stalking me everywhere I go...”

[aaronhaloua-blog]

“Do I have to tell you again?” Aaron stormed out of his office, a stack of papers in hand. He waved them in the air and slapped them at the desk of one of his underlings, an impatient glare on his face. 

“How many times do I have to tell you to get it right? For the last time: make it happen.” Aaron stabbed a finger into the pile of papers before looking up and finding that he and his cohorts were not quite as alone as he thought. With a sigh, but unable to take back his outburst, Aaron pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger before looking back up and asking, “Yes, can I help you?” 

[vaserman]

He held a paper cup of mulled wine, thankful for the opaque material. It was a prop. A lukewarm prop still filled to the brim after a few hours of holding it around. He’d done his rounds of greetings from Christmas, Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice. A Representative from New York looked just about ready to cuff him for his Kwanzaa attempt before someone pulled him away from the tension. However, he couldn’t go on because it all rang of environmental talk. It was expected from Gabriel, the former tree-hugger liberal senator. Too much of it dampened the mood, as his paper cup started to become as well. 

He found a quieter spot where the crowd was muffled, before taking a big look around the main room. 

“Jeez, what’s with the interior design? You think the Second Lady was too occupied to decorate the place for tonight or something.” He raised the cup, of course not fully sipping it. A pantomime to hide his substance issues. “I’ve seen worse but still...seen...better.” 

[archivednicke]

“Go on then, see if you can speak any fucking louder.” Nick started, the comment originally made under his breath but continued at a louder volume as he became aware that somebody was listening (and there was no turning back on it). “I may be jet-lagged and hungover to fuck but perhaps a little more noise might help to sort that out.”

[kitconnelly]

She’d arrived too early to the party, that much was obvious from the way people were milling about and making small talk, unsure yet of how to conduct themselves at a holiday party. It was a house party, but the Vice President’s house. Who knew when the appropriate time to set down the glass of wine and start drinking hard liquor was. She’d give it another half hour or so, begrudgingly. Until then she’d have to entertain herself with unsuspecting guests, slowly carving away minutes in conversations that she’d forget by tomorrow morning. “Merry Christmas,” She began, dropping in on the person closed to her, “No- Happy Holidays.” The smirk on her face was the only nod to the endless argument that plagued news on the topic. “Don’t tell me you only came for the presents.”

[anabellebrooke-blog1]

Christmas was Anabelle Brooke’s favorite time of the year. She hung her stockings before Halloween and carved the thanksgiving turkey on a crystal plate with mistletoe engraved in it. She’d won the title of Miss Christmas seven times in a row at the Brentwood Christmas pageant. Christmas was her thing, but it was a thing of merriment and joy. In DC, it was a political thing. So she’d slipped on heels sharp enough to carve a Christmas ham and let her parents know that she wouldn’t be home until Christmas day. Shaking her head gently to dispel a man carrying a tray of bacon wrapped dates, Anabelle Brooke glanced over at the bar and smiled, walking towards it and carefully placing herself nonchalantly beside her target.

“It really is beautiful here.” She exclaimed, turning her attention to them. “Although, it has nothing on Christmas in the South. I haven’t seen y’all break out a single giant inflatable Santa or a live Nativity scene yet! And don’t get me started on y’alls’ Santas... I’ve never seen so many... diverse... Santa Clauses in my life.”

[mari-ana-mendoza-blog]

“My birthday and a Christmas party in the same weekend. How festive.” the word clung to the spite in her voice, and Mariana’s fingers gripped the skinny black straw perched against the rim of her glass. She twirled the plastic utensil through the cranberry vodka for another moment before glancing up. As her eyes passed over the person who’d joined her, she blushed. “Sorry. I thought you were someone else.” Though it didn’t make matters any less embarrassing to reveal that she’d had a target in mind to take out her anger on, Mari let the excuse pass and sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Can I help... I mean, how are you?” 

[maribelvela]

[ SMS : —] How’s the party going?  [ SMS : —] I’m sorry for flaking. Connection flight still delayed, ugh :/