"I majorly fucked up" Jay said, sprawled out one of the sofas the next day. He kept running his large hands through his hair, tugging it and weaving it harshly, so much so that the tip of his forehead was beginning to turn red.

Eddie, who was sat beside him, fiddling absentmindedly with his trainer laces, looked up, looking awkward in what he was to say next.

"Uh, yeah kind of"

It was the next day, ironically it was overcast and the windows made the reception area gloomy and dark. Max had switched the lights on when he walked through reception from the courts earlier in the day, but the false lighting only made the room (and the situation) seem so harsh and unwelcoming.

"I didn't know he didn't know, you would've thought Marie would've mentioned it to him...it wasn't my fault"

"Marie tells him nothing" Eddie said, suddenly appearing confident in his words, and, as Jay observed, slightly angry. "She's scared Jay! This tennis centre is his pride and joy, I get an injury, it's okay it's fine. I never wanted the fuss and I never want it now, Jessie's in bloody mental pain because of me and every time she so much as thinks of me she has a panic attack! This is not all about you Jay! We're all frightened, we're all hurt, we're all trying our best. But when we think we've done it, when I'm finally in that court facing my opponent, when Max sends of his paper work, when Adam announces the end of year stats, when Imogen holds the bi yearly ball, when Peter is handing out the awards, when Layla has finished her first year and has to make that visit that we all did and when Marie goes home from an exhausting day. He's there Jay, judging us all, waiting to flick the switch and drop us from the company from one slightest mishap. So I suggest you go complain to Layla, only she can put up with you when you're being a Drama Queen" he rose to his feet, face flushed from how livid he was beginning to feel when Jay was this selfish.

Behind the reception desk, Max and Peter watched on, with wide eyes expressions and open mouthes, they shared a look of shook.

"But, Eddie, I-"

"Shut.Up." He said, eyes closed, fists clenched, he wouldn't face Jay, he just took a deep breath as he turned around and marched off to the outside courts, the doors from the reception to the corridor banged against the walls in his wake.

Jay stared after him, eyes narrowed. People were staring at him but when he turned to ask them what their problem was they all all turned away or hurried off. Jay was rather intimidating after all. As

Out of all that Eddie had said, one thing he noticed had seemed to come up a fair bit in conversation.

Layla.

Maybe it was just him imagination, but before Layla was here everyone treated him like he belonged, they were a team. The weird thing was, they still were a team, but whenever Jay was with Layla they...weren't. They all loved Layla, they loved him, just separately. When he was with her, he could seem then watching in the corner of their eyes, hear the faint wisps of their whispers and he could feel the atmosphere, could and unwelcome.

But he hadn't done anything wrong.

He was just being friendly after all. He'd been the first person out of all them that he had actually spoken too after all.

So why was everyone being so...well...weird about it?

***

"...GALWAY GIRL, YOU'RE MY PRETTY LITTLE GALWAY GIRL!" Peter sang as him and Max handled reception, Imogen stood by the photocopier, watching him in amusement as she placed the document down and closed the lid down, waiting patiently for the sound to signal it had started printing.

"God, you're in a good mood" She mused, watching as Max urgently changed the channel on the music channels that were played on the small television found in the corner of the room attached to the corner of the ceiling.

Imogen shook her head and looked down at where Max sat, he was absentlymindedly scrolling through some sort of social media, if she narrowed her eyes she could see various pictures of girls.

"It's pay day, what can I say" Peter smiled. "And I'm taking Jess out for dinner, she's almost finished half of her pack of tablets, and I'm proud of her. But don't tell her I said that, she thinks it's weird a brother taking his sister out for dinner, what do you think?"

"That's not weird, but I know she thinks you're being way over protective" she picked up the finished copies and flipped through them, making a satisfied noise when she found everything that she needed. She looked over at Max who was still scrolling through his phone.

"Um, Max, hate to intrude but what are you...?"

"-OH MY GOD!" He cut her across, jumping to her feet. He looked at them both, frantic. "Imogen cover for me quick?"

"But-"

"Thanks! ADAM, ADAM!" He yelled out, rushing down the corridor that led to the courts where he was on a step ladder adjusting the notice board. He shook the ladder with his hand and Adam toppled, eyes widening as he held on for dear life.

He looked down at his friend, who was still yelling for him, shaking his phone so that Adam couldn't make out was on it.

"Jesus, Max calm child!" He exclaimed and Max calmed, holding his phone to his chest like some sort of baby. "Okay, now tell me what's got you so worked up?"

"I got a match"

"What?"

"I got a match, a tinder match, a few days ago, I was too shy to say anything but...she's messaged me!"

Adam nearly fell off the ladder at the rate that he dove down the steps, his face alight with glee for Max as he engulfed him in a hug.

"That's brilliant! I'm so happy for you, oh my god" he laughed, clapping his friend on the shoulder who's face was a strange cocktail of emotions: happy, excited and terribly nervous.

"What do I do Ad?"

"Well do you like her?"

"I mean, yeah..."

"Then agree first, talk to her about somewhere to go and I'll help you with the location, the minor details, I'm proud of you Hun!"

"I haven't even said yes yet" he said, but his cheeks were tinted a light cherry colour as he laughed and then said, in his usual automatic pun mode. "You'll be helping with the mirror details, get it? Cause I'll be looking in the mirror and-"

"Max" Adam shook his head. "That's your worst yet, the puns? Got to go" he gestured over his shoulder and gave a definitive look in response to Adam opening his mouth to arguing.

***

"You do it"

"No you do it"

"For gods sake Jess, you're her PA!"

"And you're my brother"

"What?! That's got nothing to do with anything!"

"Shut up, you knock, you're the man here!"

"That's incredibly sexist"

"Oh Shhh!" Jess rolled her eyes, huffing in exasperation. Thing black curls that fell from the bun on top of her head framed her face which was flushed and irritated from their squabble. She pushed Peter forward who stumbled, tripping over his own feet as his chest hit the door, which rattled in its new hinges. Peter recovered awkwardly, scrambling to his feet as the pair stared through the glass door and walls at Marie, who's bright blue eyes looked right back at them, no longer was she immersed in the strange comfort of reading endless emails and the silence that we soundproof office provided.

Inside the room, it was another story.

Marie stared at the wall, her eyes blurred, unfocused and aching with exhaustion.

When she had gotten in, they argued, he shouted and shouted and shouted and she cried and cried and cried. Still she cooked for him; hugged him when he began to get upset about how he had shouted, ironed his clothes for the next day, washed his old shirt and helped him shave in that old fashioned way with the razor blade. Then she went to try and sleep on the sofa, unsuccessful due to how she was shaking, wide awake with it all going through her head.

That strangest thing about it all was. She didn't love him, not one bit.

Yet, she had still married him. She had her reasons.

Walking into work that morning she felt numb, her feet seemed the only thing to work as they dragged her through the rough grey carpet, how the voices that greeted her when she was late only seemed mumbled and incoherent as she never responded.

In truth, Marie felt completely empty.

When Peter slammed against the door, something small clicked and she finally concentrated on something else, yet her mind was still locked up in the apartment.

The shocked and worried faces of the twins stared back at her as Peter got to his feet through the glass and Jessie smiled. Which Marie did not return, because she just...couldn't. From appearance, as Jessie could tell, it looked as if Marie hadn't slept all night, she had the darkest circles under her eyes and her normally bright and pearly eyes were pink, dull and bloodshot.

Her platinum blonde hair was scrapped back into an untidy ponytail, her lipstick appeared smudges around the edges and her normally perfect foundation was streaked as if she had been crying. She also appeared paler than usual, physically emotionally spent as her glassy eyes stared straight through them.

"Are you going to keep looking at me like I've committed a murder, or are you going to say something?" She spoke in a voice that didn't sound like hers, faint, quiet, as if something extremely loud and powerful had pushed her into a corner of a crowded room.

Peter and Jessie looked at each other and Peter was the first to speak: "we have those statistics you wanted" he tapped his fingers on the blue plastic folder that he held in his left hand as if to prove his point more.

"Thank you, Peter" she responded almost robotically as he placed it on her desk and slid it across the white wood towards her. She then looked up expectantly to Jessie as some of her loose hair fell over eyes. Jessie looked down at her feet as she began to speak.

"Right, yeah, sorry, I just wanted to know if you were..." she paused, looking back up at her and her gaze stopped her short. "If you needed anything".

"Coffee please, black, as bitter as possible"

Jessie appeared surprised. "No milk or sugar?!"

"No, thank you, that'll be all" she slowly turned we gaze towards the notice board on the wall besides her desk. "Oh and cancel my 4:00 meeting, the issue's been sorted".

"Will do, anything else you need?"

She looked back at Jessie who pleaded with her eyes for her to talk to her about it. It was Jessie's personal opinion that you should help those who have helped you and Jessie had the medication to prove it. "No, now if you excuse me, I have work to do".

Jessie and Peter looked pitifully at the woman who called herself their boss before exchanging a look of finality, Peter held the door open and Jessie stepped into the staff room, heading for the coffee maker.

"Oh and Peter?" He looked back, a smile forming, maybe she'd console in him. "Can you find Eddie and Jay for me? It's important".

"Yes Marie. Are you sure-"

"I'm fine and we both have work to do, so I suggest..."

"Okay, okay" he was growing slightly agitated, letting the door click behind him as he shook his head and maybe his way through the office to go and find the men she had mentioned.