"Jojo was lying to you"

☆

Adam puts his hands to his face, the 'thing' clouding his view was untouchable, like a haze, but he needed to see. To know what or who was making that wretched screech. His mind pulses at the piercing sound, as he now moves his hands to his ears in order to block the noise. But it was all in his head...all in his head…

"Adam… Adam… hey…"

He comes around to the voice of a female calling his name. "Jojo" He mumbles slowly as he becomes acclimatised to his surroundings. He lifts his head from the desk, a stray piece of paper attaching itself to his left cheek. He pulls it away, followed by the cuff of his sleeve, wiping away the drool which had escaped his mouth. "Sorry… I must have…dozed off." 

"It's ok" She smiles.  "Isaac isn't working you too hard is he?" She looks in the direction of the vacant desk opposite. 

"No. It's fine. I can handle it. I promise." Adam pats his cheeks in order to wake himself up in his seat. He lights up the computer screen once again. 

"Relax." Jojo laughs as she rests her body against the edge of the desk. "I'm just kidding. What you get up to in your lunch break is your affair." 

"I don't usually fall asleep at work." Adam says, trying to defend the sloppy behaviour he thought he was presenting. 

"How about I make you a coffee?" Jojo suggests as she heads towards the kitchenette area. 

"It's fine. Don't worry." Adam tries to get up, but his head… the seering pain shoots through his mind like an electric shock. He takes both of his hands to his skull as if to contain what felt like an explosion waiting to happen. "It's just in my head."  He says, through clenched teeth as the pain lessens, allowing him to regain focus and stand up. 

Jojo,  in that moment, turns around to see the man standing a fraction behind her. His taller and athletic build towers over her smaller frame. She just stands for a moment, looking him up and down before uttering. "Tell me Adam. Do you play sports?"

Adam's eyes drop as he looks down at his own body. He looks back at Jojo, whose eyes quickly meet his. "I run." 

Jojo bites on her lip. "I need someone for a five a side match. How are you with a football?" 

Adam pulls a slight grimace. "Football? I'm not so good."

"Aw come on… you just need to make up the numbers. Please. I'll treat you to a meal."

"No…"

"Isaac is doing it."

"Isaac?" Adam looks back at the empty desk. 

"Sure he is. It may just help you two to get to know eachother a little better, I mean, it's just the pair of you in here and I do worry about him cooped up all by himself."

"Some people like their own company." Adam points out, but there was something intriguing about the other male in which he thought he must at least try to get to know his new co-worker a little better.  He looks back at Jojo. "Ok. I'll do it."

"Fantastic!" She beams. She heads towards the door. "Just tell Isaac that I have sent those files over. He'll know what I'm talking about." Adam nods as he watches her leave. He sits back in his seat, letting his head fall back, as he takes in the squares of the office ceiling. He recalls the troubling dream. The predictable, yet terrifying screams which seemed to catch him off guard every time. The sounds of what was to come, or had it already happened? Or was it simply all just in his head? It bore no resemblance to his life as he knew it. "What does it mean?" He utters to himself.

"What does 'what' mean?" 

Adam lifts his head up to see that Isaac had returned. "Nothing." He sits up and pulls the keyboard towards him. 

Isaac watches Adam with interest as he drapes his jacket over his chair. "You do look like him by the way, that singer." He says with a half smile. 

"Told you." Adam grins as looks back at Isaac, before remembering. "Oh, Jojo came by. She said to tell you that she has sent the files over, you'll know what she means." 

Adam sits at his screen, opening up the file. "Why did she come all this way to tell me that? She could have sent an email." 

"I suspect she had an ulterior motive. She has recruited me onto the five a side match." Adam smiles. "I assume we'll be on the same side."

"We?" Isaac questions. "I'm not playing."

"But Jojo said…." Adam begins. 

"Jojo was lying to you. I don't play sports." 

"But I'm only doing it because…" Adam begins, but stops himself, when he sees Isaac staring at him with interest. "Never mind." 

Isaac's gaze turns sharp as he looks into the distance in thought. "Jojo thinks I'm lonely right?" 

"She thinks you being in here alone is unhealthy." Adam says with a little trepidation. 

"Jojo needs to mind her own business. I like my own company." Isaac huffs as he gets back to work. 

Adam smiles at the response. "That's what I said. I like my own company too. Why don't we enjoy our own company together?" 

Isaac looks at Adam, rolling his eyes at the other male's silly response. He didn't have the energy to protest. He had more important things to do, like meet with his estranged brother after work.