James casually walked back to the copy machine, this time with a swagger filled with delight. He liked Maggie, a lot from what he had just seen. She was different, and she seemed incredibly nice.

He knew he would pay for being nice to her, though. Everyone in the office was so hooked on appearances, they lacked the necessary foundations of courtesy. Even all the women looked alike, a whole room of clones in the same Anne Taylor suit flipping their hair and seducing the men with their injected lips and starved bodies. He sometimes wondered what they looked like underneath all the warpaint.

But there was something about Maggie that James could neither identify nor shake.

Back at the copy machine, Shaun was steadily laughing and huffing over something that was apparently funny with another coworker. They both turned and sneered at James.

“How was Doris Day there, buddy?” Shaun said with a smug look.

“Good one, Shaun,” the man behind him said, as they gave each other high fives.

James sighed.