the day of the meeting dan and i rode in a taxi to the address carol sent us. the address is on the nicer part of town, the part we don't visit often. throughout the car ride we're practicing introducing ourselves, dan more than me. he seems really nervous, but i try and calm him down.

the car pulls up to a tall office building almost entirely covered in glass. if it weren't for the similar tall buildings surrounding it, the glass would be reflecting the sun, blinding everyone in its vicinity. i have to tilt my head at an angle to see the entire building, which towers over the others.

"woah," dan gapes, getting out of the car. "this place is huge."

"yeah, i wasn't expecting anything like this." looking at the building, it looks way too expensive and modern, and i almost don't want to go inside. an expensive building means these people have money, and if they have money, they must be the real deal. the height and sheer extravagance of the building is intimidating enough.

i walk up a step and pull one of the huge glass doors, holding it open for dan. he grins at me and chuckles lightly before walking in. he knows i always hold doors open for everyone, i can't help it. when i was little my mother would always expect me too, and the habit stuck. while it may be polite, it can have its disadvantages. when we went to a hotel last year, we stayed fifteen minutes longer than we needed to just because i kept holding the door open, to the point where everyone thought i was a doorman.

immediately i feel a rush of air on the way inside. it's colder in here, and i hear dan shudder. the first thing i notice are the floors. they're a sleek white tile, causing me to almost slip. and despite most of the building being glass, everything is polished to perfection. i don't see a single spot on the door, other than the handprint i left from touching it. while dan stares at the lobby's impossibly high ceilings in awe, i quickly use my shirt to wipe my handprints off the glass.

we walk further into the lobby and up to the front desk, dan a few paces behind me. his eyes are still wandering around, staring at his surroundings in amazement. the lady at the desk, a small brunette, looks up at me.

"hello!" i say brightly. i can practically hear dan laughing at my enthusiasm. "my name is phil lester, and that's dan howell," i motion in dan's direction. he gives an awkward wave before fixing his gaze on the floor. "we have a meeting with carol reeves."

the girl nods and types something on the computer in front of her before speaking. the many bracelets she wears on her wrists hit the keyboard as she types, making a loud clacking noise. "yes, she'll be with you in a few minutes. go ahead and take a seat while you wait."

she nods in the direction of a waiting area i had yet to notice. dan gives her a meek "thanks" before spinning the other way. it's a small waiting area, with only a few couches and chairs. other than the lady at the front desk, no one else is in the room. everything looks brand new and untouched, including the chairs. they're black, a great contrast to the floor. the glass table in front of the couches has magazines fanned out on top, all featuring famous actresses on the cover. there's a small water machine as well, with a stack of paper cups next to it. a tv on the wall shows the news, but it's muted.

dan strides over to one of the chairs and takes a seat. i sit next to him, looking at the magazines on the coffee table in front of us. i don't bother opening any of them, just scanning the covers. all of a sudden dan turns to me and says, "how does this even work?"

"what do you mean?" i ask, getting up and grabbing a paper cup. as i fill it with water, dan stays in his seat, twiddling his fingers.

"so do we like, talk to them and all? and then what? why couldn't we have just stayed home and done literally anything else but this?"

i can sense his anxiousness, so i give him a halfhearted smile before downing the cup of water and throwing it away. it's cold, along with everything else in the room, but it wakes me up. "do you want me to do all the talking?"

relief instantly washes over his face as he smiles at me. "please?"

i chuckle and nod, walking back over to a seat. "i did a bit of research on this company," i say to dan. "they've worked with a lot of famous people, even-"

before i can finish my sentence a woman who can't be older than forty calls our names. the way she says our names makes it seem like she's an old friend, someone who's known us for years, even though i've never seen her before. she's dressed very formally, wearing a dark blue skirt and a gray blouse that looks more expensive than my rent. i glance at dan's outfit, then mine. we hadn't bothered to dress up, deciding to wear our usual black jeans and t-shirts. she looks like one of those people who takes the saying 'dress for success' a bit too seriously.

she pays our outfits no mind, thankfully, walking towards us and holding out her hand. her blonde hair, which is obviously dyed, is pulled up into a meticulous bun on her head, displaying her features. brown glasses are perched on the edge of her nose, matching her amber eyes.

dan shakes her hand first, introducing himself. i do the same, unsure of what i should say. i settle with a "hello, it's good to meet you! i'm phil."

she nods eagerly, clasping her hands together. "lovely to finally meet you two—i'm carol. and i must say, i love your videos. my daughter adores you both."

a smile lights up my face upon hearing this, and i look to see dan is wearing a similar expression. "well tell your daughter we say hello, and thank you for watching our videos," i giggle.

"of course," she smiles, beginning to walk in the other direction. "well let's go boys, we have a lot to talk about." dan and i can only nod as we follow her down a hallway behind the front desk and into an elevator.

"have you two ever worked with a manager?" carol asks. we shake our head no, and she smiles while pressing the button for the third floor. "well there's a first time for everything."

she starts asking us questions, most of which i hadn't prepared for. from our favorite movie to our lucky number, she seems to want to get to know us personally. i answer happily, and i'm surprised when dan answers everything without stuttering.

when the elevator rings and the door opens, we all walk out.

"this is the third floor," carol says, holding her arms out. "we share this building with another company, but most of the floors belong to uktalent." we follow along, listening to her every word. she walks through a maze of corridors before stopping, making sure we're still following. "we'll have a meeting with a few other people in this room," she points towards a door on the left—it's covered in glass. "would you two like anything before we start? water, coffee?"

i say a polite "no thank you" while dan asks for a black coffee. carol turns to a boy passing by, tapping his shoulder to get his attention. she requests for a black coffee, and he looks horrified that she even decided talked to him. based on his young appearance i'm assuming he's an intern, but he looks like he'd rather be anywhere but here. in an instant he's gone, coming back with a coffee in hand.

once we're all settled carol walks towards the meeting room, and dan and i take this as our cue to follow. it's a decent sized room with an astonishing view, especially for only being the third floor.  there's a long wooden table in the middle, with a large vase of colorful flowers in the center. many of the seats are empty, except at the far end of the table, where three men sit. they're huddled close, talking in whispers. all three are wearing fancy suits, each more expensive looking than the other. wow, everyone takes their job seriously here. when they see us walk in they all get up, straightening their ties and holding out their hands.

by the time we finish introductions i know i'll forget their names by tomorrow, but i smile and hope they won't notice. 

the man sitting at the head of the table sits down, and dan and i take a seat in two chairs next to everyone. the man—don, i think, looks at everyone in turn before pulling out a small stack of papers and setting it in front of him.

"shall we begin?"