Page 32 of Mercury Rising

CHAPTER EIGHT

“How was your weekend?” Nick asked as Mercury settled down at his desk.

“Long.”

“I thought you’d be all about Saturday nights.”

Mercury sighed. “Not at the moment.”

Nick grinned. “Is the poor baby tagged? Trapped in that big old house in Kensington?”

Mercury threw a stack of Post-its at him. “You’re mean.”

The temperature had hit uncomfortable levels and Mercury had no patience for teasing.

“What’s the matter?” Nick asked. “And what are you wearing?”

Mercury had on a pair of checked linen Gucci pants and a Dsquared2 T-shirt that hadICONwritten across it.

“If I’m going to die, I’m doing it in couture.”

The office was stuffy. Mercury sipped the iced coffee he’d picked up on the way in. He’d also treated Nick to one. It remained untouched on his desk. He’d opted for yet another cup of tea the colour of a brick.

Mercury’s phone made a noise.

“Sorry, I meant to put it on silent. It’s been going off all weekend.”

He pressedDo Not Disturbon the phone. Truth be told, he’d been enjoying the notifications regularly pinging. They reminded him that there were people out there who gave a shit what happened in his life. Even if that life was a fabrication for the most part.

Yes, I’m an attention whore.

“Your new video doing well?”

Mercury spun around on his chair. “How do you know I’ve released a new one?”

Nick, who was still watching Mercury, shrugged. “I’m following you.”

A warm glow swept over Mercury. Why did this mean so much to him? He had absolutely no idea but it did.

“To be honest, I haven’t logged on since. I didn’t want to read all the shitty comments that always come. You have to have nerves of steel,” Mercury replied. “So, you’re following me, eh?”

He logged into his Instagram app. His followers had gone up by over a thousand. Plus, his DMs were full. What did he expect when he encouraged people?

Glancing at the top comment, the subscriber suggested he cook on his channel. Another wanted him to read bedtime stories. A third suggested it would be good if he interviewed real people rather than only celebrities.

More and more messages that would have to remain unread until later. Still, it was food for thought. Maybe he could pivot and retain his fanbase.

Plus it would go a long way to impressing Nick. Mercury allowed his thoughts to drift to a future where he and his handsome new boss would be working on things together. They could make a real difference to the world.

He screwed his eyes shut tightly. Mercury had always had a tendency to let his thoughts run away with themselves. Nick would never let himself end up with someone like Mercury. For a start, he was too professional. For another, Mercury would annoy him ultimately. Once his time at Bodhi House was over, Nick would be sure to tire of Mercury’s ham-fisted attempts at making things better.

He had to stop reading too much into this. This was a punishment that he had to serve. Then it would be business as usual for all concerned.

End of story.

“Are you sure that’s only five metres? It looks like ten to me,” Mercury said, staring up.

When he turned back, fifteen eager pairs of eyes watched him. One belonging to Nick who made absolutely no attempt to hide his amusement.