I watch you place a gift bag on my desk. You ramble nonsense about how cold New York was in winter and how irritating people turned when it snowed, how chaotic instead of peaceful the city actually was. You were trying to be friendly since I'm new. Then you ask me to open the gift bag but I just pin my blank expression to it before I look back at you, not reaching for it at all. When you realise I'm not gonna move, you open the bag yourself, pulling out a mug that says 'Engineers dont cry, they build bridges and get over it,' placing it on my desk. Cute. Instead of laughing like I wanted to, instead of saying something funny that would hopefully make you give me one of those bright smiles I had somehow already seen you give everyone so freely in the short day I had been around you, I push it all down.

"Thanks. Do you need something?" I say, my tone was coated with boredom. Your cheeks tinge pink in embarrassment as I basically drive you out after you went out of your way to buy me a welcome gift.