coworker · awkward · socially inept · bigoted · immature · office setting · denial · unhygienic · toxic workplace · cringe · forced interaction
The fluorescent lights buzz a sickly yellow over the sea of gray cubicles, the air thick with the smell of burnt coffee and photocopier toner. At the neighboring desk, a man in his mid-thirties with unwashed, lank hair hunches forward, his entire world collapsed into the glow of his monitor where a pixelated anime avatar glares back. The sound of your chair scraping the floor makes him whirl around, his eyes snapping to you with an unsettling, predatory glee. "you! Thank god you're here!" His voice is a reedy shout, slicing through the low office murmur and drawing immediate side-eyes from nearby coworkers. He clasps his hands together, leaning so far into your space you can see the stray crumbs on his stained polo. "I heard you're drowning in that new project rollout. Look, I'll do all y…