Friends From The Office

By Zainab Zoya

Bob is a good hearted guy who keeps messing up his life a million different ways.Even though everything is a question mark in his life, one thing is absolutely certain and that is the fact that he's deeply in love with Kim. Phil is his best bud. Wayne and Mindy are the on again off again couple of their group.

 

All of them work in the same office and are the best of friends.

 

Fun conversations between friends, discussions about love, life, sex and much more.

 

Brace yourself for a joy ride full of comedy, loads of romance and a little bromance with Friends From The Office.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zainab Zoya
• Release date: Mar 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215655641

Zainab Zoya

Name: Zainab Zoya Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zainab.zoyashah?mibextid=ZbWKwL LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zainabzoyashah Instagram: https://instagram.com/zainabzoyashah1?igshid=ZDdkNTZiNTM= Twitter @zainabzoya2711 Website: https://zainabzoyashah.wixsite.com/my-site I'm a woman. I'm an Author trying to make a difference in the world with strong books. I love comedy and romance.  Humour helped me through a very difficult childhood. Romance? Well, I've had a fairytale romance. My prince, my husband and my best friend, Sunil rescued me from the dungeon of the dragon with the power of his love. I am a proud parent of the cutest cat who we call, The Rui (The Cotton Ball). She has brightened our life with her playfulness, cheer and love.

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Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Epigraph

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Prologue

Foreword

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Epilogue

Afterword

About The Author

FRIENDS FROM THE OFFICE

Zainab Zoya

Copyright © 2023 Zainab Zoya

All rights reserved

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

ISBN-13: 9781234567890

ISBN-10: 1477123456

Cover design by: Art Painter

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309

Printed in the United States of America

Friends From The Office is dedicated to my loving husband, Sunil Shah. Thank You for encouraging me and inspiring me to become an Author. A big Thank You to my late mother, Nikhath Nasreen, my late father, Mohammed Rafiuddin, and my late aunt, Tanveer Banu for making me the person I am today. Hugs, kisses and thank you to my wonderful, cute and beloved cat, The Rui for being the best

LOVE IS FOR EVERYONE

Zainab Zoya

Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Epigraph

Preface

Introduction

Prologue

Foreword

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Epilogue

Afterword

About The Author

Preface

Friends From The Office is a romantic comedy book. The purpose of this book to entertain the audience and deliver strong social messages about mental health and awareness, equality of genders, racism, misuse of power, brutality and bullying in a fun yet inspiring way. Differently abled people like Bob deserve love just like we all do because love is for everyone.

Introduction

Friends From The Office is a book about life, love, laughter, and the challenges that we all face in life. It is a book about life. Just like there are both happy and sad experiences in life, there are both fun and emotional plots in the life of Bob. I have come to learn that mental health awareness and treatment can transform a person. Love has the power to heal. Love and treatment together can make miracles happen.

Prologue

I burned down my apartment building and my office building today. By accident of course! Now.. I know what you're thinking... How can someone burn down their home and their office on the same day? Well..

Foreword

Ithink that Friends From The Office is an amazing book. What? Oh? I can't praise my own book? It has to come from someone else, someone famous huh? Well then, I guess... I should just forget about it.

Chapter 1

Holy Smokes!

You'd think that a smart and funny guy like me would be ruling his part of the world. But contrary to popular belief, I'm just a stupid guy with no real talent, and a special knack for inviting trouble...well that's who I am. No matter what I do, I always end up at the bottom of the rope and it takes a long time to get back on top.

It's a surprise that despite my quirks, I managed to land an Advertising job at a top Ad Agency called Promo International. I'm 24, but my actions don't show it. Like today, I burned down my apartment building and my office building today. By accident of course! Now.. I know what you're thinking... How can someone burn down their home and their office on the same day? Well, I don't know what to say..

Today was a particularly awful day for me. I woke up a little later than usual. I didn't have the time to eat breakfast, so I popped a bag of Popcorn on the stove as I was getting ready for work. I must've left it on longer than needed because the next thing I knew, my apartment was in flames. There was smoke coming from the kitchen. I rushed to check where the smoke had originated. When I looked inside, I noticed that the Popcorn bag had caught on fire. It had started smoking. All the corn had spilled on the kitchen floor. The Popcorn bag, still burning, had rolled across from one end of the house to the other with the force of the strong winds coming in through the windows. The winds were heavy and were blowing in from all directions. Soon, the fire had spread to the furniture and the curtains were set ablaze.

I tried to douse the fire with water from a bottle on the kitchen counter. As soon as I sprayed a few drops, the fire started to go wild. In no time it had spread across the whole house, not sparing the bedrooms or the bathrooms. I was perplexed as to how spraying water could give wind to a fire. So I tried to see what could have caused this weird phenomena. I poured some of the water onto the palm of my hand and took a whiff of it. The water turned out to be Gasoline. 'Oh Shucks'! No wonder the fire spread so quickly. I guess I should have realized this before pouring gasoline on an ongoing fire. The colour of the liquid did look a bit different than the colour of water and it had a strong odour too. But I was so panicked that I ignored the warnings. I then put out the Popcorn bag with water from a tap. But it was too late. The whole apartment was now engulfed in flames. I couldn't save anything. All I could do now was to escape in one piece if that was even possible. I didn't know if I could, but I had to at least try to come out alive. I tried to see if I could go out the front door real quick but the path to the door was completely blocked and I wasn't willing to take any more chances. I suddenly had an idea. I started to climb down the Fire Escape but suddenly my clothes caught on fire. They started to burn off my body real fast and the fire was about to make its way to my skin so I had to take all of my clothes off. I was successful in reaching the end of the Fire Escape and I jumped down to the sidewalk. Thank God! I finally breathed a sigh of relief. Phew! At Least I was not hurt.

The neighbours had noticed the fire in my apartment building and had called the Fire Department. The Fire Trucks got here soon and evacuated all the residents who were still trapped. I was so embarrassed. Well, a little for causing the fire but a lot more because I was naked and everyone was staring at me. Some idiotic teenagers in my neighbourhood started clicking my pictures as I was standing buck naked on the sidewalk. It was so shameful. I think that's the most embarrassing thing I've ever experienced in my life. The Firemen put the fire out in no time and all the people in the building were brought to safety. An Ambulance was parked on the street. The Nurses noticed that I needed help. They rushed to me and covered me with a blanket first. Then, they checked for burns and injuries, but thankfully, I was alright.

My neighbour, Bill, invited me over to his home because I looked completely lost and was all alone. Bill is kind of a Celebrity Cop in our town. He has been in the Police Department for 20 years now. He has solved some high-profile cases and many complex homicides. Ya, he even appears on the news sometimes. Reporters go to him first to ask questions or request for comments about all cases and reports.

Bill's wife, Kate is an Executive Director of Public Relations at a Big Firm. She heads the PR department and has many people working under her. Nowadays, she works from home because her company has gone completely remote.

Bill and Kate are looked at as a 'Power Couple' in our neighbourhood. If you are associated with them, your reputation shoots up instantly and no one in the town will dare to touch you.

When we reached Bill's home, I took a quick shower. Bill is the same size as me so he lent me a whirt and a pair of pants to wear. His clothes were a perfect fit. After I regrouped myself, Kate offered me some coffee and some cookies. Bill said that I could stay in the Guest Room for a couple of days until I found a place. I felt much better after this and thanked them for their kindness.

I took their leave to go to the office to speak to my Boss, Ray about what had happened. I wanted to ask for a couple of days off work to find a new home. When I got to the office, I found out from Kim, his Personal Assistant, that he had not reached the office yet.

Me: Hey Kimmy...what's up?

Kim: Not Much. Taking it easy today..Ray has an appointment today so he's not gonna be here until after lunch.

What's wrong? You don't look so good.

Me: My apartment burnt down this morning.

Kim: O My God! Are you okay? (Puts her hand on my hand)

Me: Yeah, Yeah I'm good. The Fire Engine arrived really fast and the neighbors helped me out a lot.

Kim: That's great! I'm glad you are safe. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be relaxing? You just had a near death experience. Are you sure you're alright, Are you hurt?

Me: No I'm alright. I just came to ask Ray for a few days off to look for a new place.

Kim: Well, you could have done that over email or phone too... So, where are you staying right now? You could crash at Mindy and my apartment tonight if you'd like.. You could stay over for a few days until you've found a new home.

Me: Thanks Kim. You're so kind but I'm staying over at my neighbour Bill's place right now. Him and his wife have been so kind. They came to my rescue right away. I don't wanna disrespect that.

Kim: Yes. Alright. So, could you save anything? You know, important documents or your wallet or anything..your phone, laptop?

Me: No, it all happened so fast, I couldn't save anything except myself.

Kim: That was the most worth saving thing anyway. Do you need some cash to get by for a few days? I can lend you some.

Me: O, no no I don't wanna put you out. I think I'll just go to the Bank and withdraw some money from my account. Anyway I have to find out the process to get my Cards reissued. Thank you Kim. I'll let you know if I need anything.

Kim: K. Don't hesitate. Just lemme know if I can help you with anything. Anything at all.

Me: Sure, Thanks! Just going down for a quick snack. Catch ya later!

Kim: Bye.

Kim and I have always had a close connection. We eat lunch together and hang out together everyday at the office. I like her and I think she likes me too.

Kim joined the company two years back. She was referred to Ray by Clyde, who was her boyfriend at the time. I was waiting to ask her out this Christmas during the Christmas Eve party. But now I'm not so confident I can do that as I have recently become homeless.

I went down to the office kitchen to grab something to eat. Our company is a great place to work. It offers us all the benefits that you can't imagine. In addition to Health Benefits, 401k, a fully functional gym, shower, sauna and tons of Swag, we also get meal passes, free food, snacks, drinks and much more. The kitchen is always stocked with a variety of jams, jellies, spreads, bread, butter, coffee, tea, salads and so much more.

It's also a great place to work particularly in my opinion because they still have me working for them even after all the stupid shit I've gone on to do. I've had some close calls but it all works out in the end. Of course, we lost the Award for the Number 1 Great Place To Work to Basis Technologies in 2022. I guess the reason for that could be that, apart from a silly guy like me, they also retain Pure Evil like Weird Al and Crooked Sal. They are the son and the nephew of one of the top guys so they get away with pretty much everything.

Anyway, all the drama had made me kind of hungry. There was no one manning the kitchen counter so I helped myself to some Pancakes. There was some Pancake flour on the counter. I fired up the stove, heated the pan and spread the batter. I was starving so I couldn't wait for the Pancakes to cook. I was really thirsty too, so I grabbed a bottle of water that was just behind the girdle. As I opened it, I smelt something weird. It was gasoline and not water. This made me so nervous that the bottle of gasoline slipped through my hands and spilled all over the stove. The bottle rolled down the counter, dropped on the kitchen floor and the liquid spilled all over. 'Oh Shucks'!

I couldn't believe what just happened. Let me correct that. I couldn't believe what just happened again. I froze out of shock for a while. When I finally came to my senses, the kitchen was on fire and the Fire Alarm was going crazy. I ran, but the fire had overtaken all the floors. The office building is a Skyscraper with18 floors occupied just by our company. I think it's about 36 to 40 floors in total.

People were jamming the Lobby and the Staircase. Some of them were acting like complete idiots. They were doing things that are totally opposite of what you should do in case of a fire. They were not scared or worried. They were having a gala time, pretending as though the fire was a Bonfire. They were singing songs, dancing around and Literally Playing With Fire. Some guys were jumping over the fire and doing tricks and stunts. It looked risky and scary but they were enjoying the thrill in the fear itself. Some were throwing paper, cloth, juiice, wood, butter, Cheese Balls and anything and everything that they could get their hands on, into it. All of them got excited when something they threw in, made the Fire sizzle and let out heavy smoke. Butter was the hot favorite. It seemed to cause the most action until Weird Al, the leader of the lot, poured Scotch in. We heard a loud noise after he did this. I think something busted really loudly and after that the fire just went out of control. We had to get everyone out and shut the door to contain the fire within the room.

A handful of employees that were mature enough to understand the grievousness of the matter were fearful. They consulted with one another to try to figure out how to get out of the building without getting burnt or injured. None of us took the Elevators. It could turn out to be dangerous to get inside one. The Lifts could come to a halt and everyone would be trapped if the power went out or the fire got to it. As more and more staff began coming out to the Main Lobby, it was getting crowded and soon the Lobby was packed. Due to this, forward movement was restricted and there was no room left to wiggle out to save your life. There was a possibility of a stampede. There was no telling what horrific incident could take place. Since all of this was my fault, I waited patiently and helped my co-workers in any way that I could.

Mark is our Fire Marshall. He works in the IT Wing. He's super smart and tremendously strong. I think he works out every day. He has huge muscles and they bulge out when he flexes his arms. I'm sure he has like eight packs. I've never seen 'em but I'm sure they're there. He's from Texas and has a distinct and adorable Texan accent. He sounds like a Cowboy. A Cowboy from Texas. All he needs is Leather Pants with some tassels, some large sized Cowboy Boots and a Hat. If he holds a gun, he can easily pass for an authentic Texan Cowboy.

Our company, Promo International, had arranged a fire training for all of us. I guess I should've paid attention during the demonstrations instead of joking around with Kim during the entire session. Because right now, I'm completely lost on what to do. But I think Mark will help all of us out of this mess.

Mark addressed all the employees who were running haphazardly with no sense of direction. He calmed all the employees that were causing a threat by feeding the fire and acting like Buffoons. He was wearing his Fire Marshall jacket and was carrying a yellow whistle. He blew it to get everyone's attention.

Mark: Hello everyone. I'm Mark, your Fire Marshall. Calm down, there's no need to panic. As you all already know, there's a fire in the building and it is spreading to all the floors. We are, however, prepared for such a situation. Please don't worry.

Do not use the Elevators. They can get stuck and trap you inside. Keep away from wood and all other furniture. They are great fire conductors. Don't worry if you don't know what that means. All you need to know is that is not a good thing so keep away from all wood.

Weird Al: All wood? Even the one in my pants?

Mark: (Ignoring) We can use the stairs. I have checked all the exits. Most of them are blocked by the fire, however the Basement is untouched.

The best way to get out of the building is to go down the Stairs to the Basement, walk to the Exit and come out to the Parking Lot.

Do not open doors or windows that feel hot or even warm on contact. There could be fire on the other side. We have to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading. Here are some Safety Blankets and Jackets. Please take one each. If anyone catches on fire, wrap them in a Blanket and put it out by rolling them slightly on the floor while tapping the affected area gently.

Each floor has a designated Fire Marshall. They will follow the same procedure. I hope you all remember it from the safety training that we underwent about six months back.

Please follow my instructions and help anyone who needs your assistance, especially the vulnerable. Please look out for Pregnant Women and the Specially Abled. Let them go through first. Does anyone have their Pet here today?

Lou: I have my Cat here.

Mark: C'mon. Bring the Cat.

Lou: C'mon Snow White. Let's go.

Mark: Snow White..What a lovely name... You're so cute and smushy Mrs Snow White..

Lou: Ms Snow White.

Mark: Ah... Ms Snow White, you're as white as snow... Here you go...Down the Stairs slowly slowly back to safety. Slowly slowly back to safety. Bye Ms Snow White..

Alright people. Listen up. Now, I have a Fire Extinguisher here. If any of you see more, grab them. They could help put out any minor fire outbreaks on the way as we head to the Basement.

Women, please come forward. Where's Gill? There you are. Gill please come here. Is Rosa here? Rosa? Has anyone seen Rosa?

Rosa: Here.

Mark: Rosa, please stand beside Lou and Gill. Mary? Are you here?

Mary: I'm here Mark.

Mark: Please join Lou, Gill and Rosa. Let me escort all of you first. Bob, hold the fort. I'll be back in a minute.

Me: Sure Mark.

I'm thinking ,Thank goodness Mark doesn't know that I'm the one to blame for burning the Fort to the ground or he'd never assign me the responsibility of holding it up.

Gill is a little on the heavy side, so people had to move to let him through. Mark helped him first

because he is Asthmatic and inhaling smoke is probably not good for him.

Rosa is Autistic and can't handle loud noises or the colour yellow. There was a lot of noise and the fire was yellow in colour so she needed to get out quickly too.

Mary is many months pregnant. She's to go off on Maternity Leave any day now so she needed some help in going down the stairs as well.

Lou had a Pet so he got a Free Pass to a quick exit too.

Mark led them to safety and came back for us.

I looked for Kim and when I saw her, I made sure she got out first. I searched for her in the main area, the Ladies washroom, the kitchen and in all the Conference Rooms. I then went looking for her at her Desk and there she was, working diligently on her Laptop, completely unaware of the situation. Ray's office is in the corner and it's a long walk from the main area. All the

Executive Offices are in that Wing. Kim and I informed a couple of other Execs around there and took off.

Me: Coming through, please excuse me, excuse me...

Kim: Excuse me.. Thank you Thank you..

Me: Thanks

I followed the exit instructions given by Mark and took Kim down to the Parking Lot. I came back up to assist Mark in the evacuation exercise.

Weird Al threw a tantrum all of a sudden as we were clearing out all the employees one by one. He's this really weird guy who's kinda rude and always looks stoned. He's the one that threw the Scotch in the fire earlier. We call him Weird Al because his name is Alfred and he's so weird. He got into this huge fight with Mark. Weird Al is really skinny so we were all scared that Mark was gonna punch him in the face and cause some serious damage.

Weird Al: Hey Man.. Move, I am trying to get through..

Mark: Hey, hey, hey we are letting women out first. Just wait..

Weird Al: You don't tell me what to do, I tell You what to do.

Mark: What did you just say?

Some guy at the back started screaming Punch him Mark, Punch him! Then a couple of guys followed... Ya ya Punch Punch Punch Punch!!!

Mark: I'm not gonna punch him. We have to get outta here first.

Weird Al: My Father owns this company. If anyone should get out first, it's me.

Mark: I don't care if your 'Father' owns the whole world but women are getting out first. You are delaying the evacuation exercise and as Fire Marshall I can take serious action against you for posing a threat to Life and Property.

Weird: (Speaking Gibberish)

Mark: What?

Weird Al: (Yelling Out) Crazy piece of shit. You let out the Asthmatic fool, the Fatty, the Retard and that Animal crazed shit and his Cat out before me? I'm gonna take this up with my Dad and get you back.

Mark: You are stepping out of your bounds. Another word, and I won't think twice before punching the living daylights out of you.

I guess that was enough to scare the shit