Mattias woke up the next morning, feeling relieved he didn't have any family commitments today. That last one had drained his energy. The only highlight was his brief respite in talking to Everette.
Everette. He really was very considerate. Very handsome as well. Mattias didn't like to make eye contact with people, but he couldn't help but be drawn to Everette's intense green eyes.
His face looks pretty good too. He has strong features, and his hair looks so soft. Mattias wondered if it would bounce if he touched it, before almost falling off the bed at the absurdity of his thoughts.
"Oh my goodness I can't believe what I'm thinking. Work work work! I need to think about work!"
Today was Mattias' first day at work. The whole reason he even bothered coming back to the very country he had been avoiding for the past six years was to work on this project.
He was invited as one of the lead researchers in developing new technologies and algorithms for the processing of astrophysical data collected by satellites. These new technologies could have applications for measuring gravitational waves or dark matter, improving our understanding of the universe.
Anyways it's cool stuff. Today was Mattias' first day at work, so it was time to put his game face on. Unlike his attitude towards getting up for the family gathering, he managed to get up after only 4 alarms and 20 minutes of reading.
Mattias boarded a train and then walked the rest of the distance to the National University. This campus has state of the art laboratories and other facilities, and will be where Mattias will be working from for the foreseeable future.
Once on campus Mattias made his way to the Stargazer laboratories, a massive complex sponsored by Xner Technologies. He was met with a tall young man with a shocking head of red and orange dyed hair.
This young man waved cheerfully with both hands when he saw Mattias approaching.
"Hi! My name is Chris Radford! I'm 26 years old and a beta! I am one of the assistant researchers here and I have been told to guide you around and help you out with all of your onboarding today!"
Mattias fought the urge to lean back to avoid his extreme aura of extrovertedness.
"Hi, I'm Mattias. It's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too! Let's get started! I'll show you to your workstation, and then give you a tour of the immediate laboratories, but you will have to do the inductions for the laboratories at a later date. First off… "
Chris led Mattias to his workstation and introduced him to all his future colleagues, then led Mattias on a whirlwind tour of the facility, covering all the major locations.
After a full day of orientation and onboarding, Mattias was pretty tired. Chris suggested that they eat out for dinner, so the two headed to a restaurant a few blocks off campus.
"I gotta tell you while the prices are a tad high the food in this place is absolutely awesome. 100% recommend this place every time. They do a killer carbonara pasta."
Mattias just nodded, glancing around at the red tablecloths and leather booths. It did look like a pretty fancy place.
They got a small table for two, and Mattias ordered the recommended carbonara pasta. It definitely lived up to its reputation.
He was halfway through his pasta, causally chatting to Chris about microprocessors, when he looked up and saw a tall man clad in a sharp blue suit. The man turned around and Mattias made eye contact with none other than Everette Vale.
Mattias immediately averted his eyes, hoping desperately that Everette hadn't noticed. Alas, his hope was in vain as Everette slowly made his way towards the table.
Once Everette arrived at the table Mattias looked up with a shy smile and said, "hi."
"What brings you here?" Everette asked.
"It was my first day of work today. Chris was showing me around, and now we are eating out to celebrate. What about you?"
"I've just finished a business dinner."
Chris, upon hearing this, said, "hey then why don't you join us? I'm Chris."
Everette hesitated for a moment. It wasn't very proper to impose on the two when dining, but he felt inclined to join them. So he did. He nodded, then squeezed in on the same booth as Mattias.
Mattias shuffled over to make room, ensuring there was a good distance between them. With Everette at the table it was difficult to continue the conversation on microprocessors, so instead Chris started asking Everette questions about his work.
Mattias was a bit too shy to ask his own questions, but listened attentively to Everette's answers. Everette had a very soothing voice, deep and solemn. The way he spoke was also very calm and measured.
Eventually, both Chris and Mattias had finished eating. They were planning to split the bill, but when they went to pay they found that Everette had already covered the cost.
"As thanks for letting me join you," he said, though his eyes were looking at Mattias.
Chris observed this and nodded with a secret smile. He had no problems accepting this if it was a favour from Mattias' future lover.
Everette walked them to the entrance, and then offered to drive them home.
"Oh no there is no need to trouble yourself," Mattias said, waving his hands.
Chris gave a secret smirk. "Why not?" Chris asked. "You should just let him take you home. My ride will be arriving in a second, but we won't have room to take you. You should just accept."
So in the end Mattias conceded and cautiously got into Everette's car.