#but wasn't one of her complaints that he sat quietly in her office reading when they were on break?

[asteria-argo]

correct me if I'm wrong but I was just thinking about the roykeeley in season two of it all, and that fight where Keeley loses it at Roy for being clingy because she can't handle how close they are now that they work in the same building but like,,, Keeley and Roy would have been working in the same building while dating for a good chunk of season one as well.

She started working at Nelson Road before Jamie was even sent back to Manchester. They would of had months working in the same building, so either Roy has always been that clingy and Keeley just didn't mind at first, which I found doubtful given that it only takes her like a week to blow up at him for it in season two, or Roy being clingy is an out of character thing for him to be doing that should've raised some kind of red flag to friends and loved ones that I feel like from what we know about Keeley as a character would've been treated with more empathy than she actually had in the show.

[navibluebees]

Home (Zdinarsk x Recom Single Mom Reader) - Part 3

Please read before interacting.

The next morning you woke up feeling heavy. Your body ached and your mind wasn't much better. You rolled over and checked the time. Five minutes until your alarm. Damn. You spent that time running over yesterday's events in your mind. It was absolutely unfathomable that you'd taken oaths to protect and heal and now you were roped into kidnapping children. Your eyes closed and you let out a deep sigh.

When your alarm went off, you tried to turn it off quickly but you were too late. Little cries started coming from your son's crib so you rolled out of bed to get to him. You swept him up into your arms, pulling him to your warmth. He cried and as you tried to shush him, you started to cry with him. You fell to your knees and rocked with him in your arms, completely lost.

~~~

You had put it off for as long as you could and had managed to keep yourself locked away for a few days. You were just unable to fight the need to venture out for food since you didn't keep much in your room, just a small stash of snacks. You poked your head inside the chow hall and sighed in relief when you didn't see any of the recoms. You were waiting in line when you felt a presence at your back. You turned and saw Ja and hovering behind him, Zdinarsk. She wouldn't look at you and her jaw muscles were tensed. He patted you on the back.

"Haven't seen ya for a bit! I know the mission was.. a lot. Feels like you're avoiding us."

He laughed awkwardly, but saw the narrowed disgust in your eyes and the way you looked from him and focused on the woman standing at his back.

"Oh. I see. Well, have a good day, Doc."

He spun to walk away and she paused for a minute before turning to follow him. A hollowness swelled in her chest, an ache unlike she'd ever felt.

~~~

You were working quietly in your office. The human medical workers had tested the recoms after they'd come back. You'd given a vague excuse involving your son as to why you couldn't and thankfully they'd been attended to quickly. You groaned as you put down the last paper. All fine. All in perfect health.

Your door opened and you jumped to your feet as General Ardmore pushed open your door. She looked.. significantly less than pleased.

"What's this I hear about you not doing health checks on the recoms?"

"General, I-"

"No. You were brought back explicitly to do just that. To take care of the health of recoms and any potential Avatars. So, you better have a damn good reason for not going to take care of them."

You pinched your lips shut, knowing whatever you had to say wouldn't meet her expectations. She nodded.

"As I thought. You're walking on thin ice. Get back to work and don't let me catch you shirking your duties again."

~~~

She scheduled a wellness check for the very next day. You got the alert on your tablet and sighed. You packed your work bag up, slinging it over your shoulder and carried your son on your hip. When you got to the bay, they were already lined up and waiting for you.

You heard a grumbled, "Why does she have to do another check? We just had one yesterday," followed by a distinct feminine voice telling them to hush.

You sat your son on the floor and he started to crawl around. You kept an eye on him as you went to check on each of the remaining recoms. They complied with minimal complaints and allowed you to confirm what the other medical team already had. Perfect health.

You were in the middle of packing up your bag and turned around to look for your son when Zdinarsk walked up to you with him in her arms. He was babbling away at her and she was having a full conversation with him. She nodded seriously as he waved his hands around and smiled at him. Her face fell slightly when her eyes landed on yours and she bounced him on her hip.

Your chest tightened painfully and you rubbed a hand over your sternum. She noted the movement and, fighting tears, asked, "Can we talk? Just for a minute. I won't take up too much of your time."

~~~

She carried him all the way back to your office and you sat down beside her on the couch right inside. Being in your room felt too intimate, so you met in the middle. She was quiet. Your son had bonded to her in such a short time and you were excited for him to have new people that weren't so scared of him, but those hands had also held another child captive. He rested against her chest and you held a hand out, breaking the silence with your words.

"Let me see your arm."

She held him with one arm as he cuddled against her and held up her injured arm. You unwrapped it and saw that it was healing well. You reapplied ointment and rewrapped her bandage. You leaned back against the couch and leaned against her shoulder. She was surprised at the small touch and placed her hand between your legs, palm up. You hesitated a moment before placing your hand in hers. She laced your fingers together and a peace formed between you. It was fragile, but it was there.

"What did you want to talk about?"

Her chest heaved with the weight of the words coming out. "I just want you to know that I'm not like, some evil monster out to hurt kids. I'd really rather not, actually. But I'm also a soldier and I signed up for this. So I have to follow the mission and the orders that come with it."

You pondered her words before turning to her, jaw clenched tight.

"What's the value of being a soldier if all you're doing is causing harm? Just because you're following the rules doesn't make it right."

She looked startled by your words and you sighed, leaning your head over on her shoulder, leaving her alone to her thoughts.

***

Taglist:

@drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed @ikranwings @sweetirilly

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

HASO, “Connections.”

Hope everyone is having a good day today, and hope you like the story 

“Explain the difference to me one more time, I just want to make sure I understand.”

“Of course, sir you see t-”

“Admiral, I’m sorry to bother you but the Chairwoman just called, and she needs to speak with you.”

Admiral Vir stood from where he had been sitting with one of the crewmen, and tucked a notebook under one arm. “My Apologies corporal, can we continue this at a later time.”

“Of course, sir. I’ll send those resources I was talking about.”

“It would be much appreciated.”

He stepped out into the hallway pausing by Lt. Simon as she stood waiting for him.

“What is this about?”

“They didn't say, apparently it's too classified for me.”

“Uh-huh.”

Simon looked back over her shoulder as the two of them made their way down the hall, “What was that abou?”

“Corporal Isaa is a bit of a chemistry genius, I was just picking his brain.”

Simon frowned, “Since when did you care about chemistry.”

Since my ex girlfriend became an exalted saint of her entire planet leaving me to wonder if I ever even deserved her in the first place, and with an overwhelming desire to be  better person both morally, physically and intellectually  hoping that I might eventually evolve into the kind of man that could ever compare to a woman like her. Even if it never leads to anything because regardless of how I feel, the desire to become better is never a bad thing.

He shrugged, “You can never know too much, Simon.”

She glanced down at her clipboard, “You’ve been very busy the past few days, are you….ok?�� She wasn’t really sure if she should be worried. She wasn't exactly good at reading people emotionally. She only really noticed the changes in patterns, and his sudden change to serious intellectual study and going to the gym twice a day struck her as odd.

Adam smiled  little, “Fine, in fact….. Better than I have in a while. Turns out, I like to stay busy, I like having things to do, and with two hours before bed to relax and unwind, it's not like I’m working myself to death.”

She supposed that was true enough. Where once the men's schedule had been as hard to predict as the evolution of the seasons, his new routine was as plotted as a grid carved by a laser. He hadn’t changed all that much, still goofy, still insistent on listening to distracting  music on the ridge, and wearing those annoying shoes with wheels, but all between his visits to different departments and scrawled notes on hard-copy notebooks, he was beginning to collect in large piles in his quarters.

Two visits to the gym every day, once to work out and once for sparring practice with anyone who would take him on was…. Odd.

A little more so the amount of times he had let Cannon kick the shit out of him, which was many, but the man could take a beating without complaint, so she supposed that was to be…. Admiried? 

Pitied?

No

“Is this about, Sunny?”

Admiral vir almost walked himself into a wall stopping just short as he turned to look at her eyebrows furrowed, “Simon?”

“What/”

“I think you’re getting better at reading people.”

He walked past her without answering the question and into the elevator up to the bridge. They stood quietly inside together as they waited, and Admiral Vir left her behind as he stepped onto deck walking over to take the call.

He sat in the captain's chair as the holo projection buzzed to life before him.

“Chairwoman.”

“Admiral.”

“What can I do for you.”

“Are you busy?”

“I don’t have to be, ma’am.”

“Good, good, something has come up, and we need the expertise of your crew.”

He leaned forward in his seat just a bit, “Go on.” 

“You recall the planet we sent you too, the one with proof of ancient alien inhabitants though there was no evidence of them?”

He shivered, “how could I forget.”

“And you say you encountered… something.”

He nodded “I seem to recall your psychological experts rejected my experience out of hand as…. Head trauma, wasn’t it?”

She sighed “yes, well…. There have been some developments, come to light, and we believe that…. That we were wrong. We would like you to meet up with the scientific team we are sending over, and, if you don’t mind, bring an evaluation of your experience from Dr. Adric, we may want to analyse it more. Our Team wishes to study it in more depth, if that would be acceptable.”

He bowed his head, “Yes, Ma’am. I will. Expect us there within the hour.”

“Our team won’t be ready for a few of your hours yet, so that should give you time to get that evaluation for us.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

***

Dr. Adric stared at the Admiral, sitting across from him in his office. Despite him being here for wildly different reasons than were normal, he couldn't help but analyse the man as if he were one of his patients.

He looked good, healthy, rested, and relaxed, which seemed uncommon for the man within the last year. He was also more  reserved than he had been, which could potentially be a sign of emotional exhaustion or simply increasing maturity, but the man’s easy smile and relaxed posture calmed him to that idea, and he sat back in his chair.

“How are you doing?”

Adam smiled again, “Just can’t help yourself, can you doctor,”

“No, afraid not.”

“I’m alright, hope to keep doing better in the future. I think, Like everyone, I still have my days, but they are less and less as the weeks go on.”

“I am very glad to hear that.”

“Did you get the message from the Chairwoman?”

He nodded, “About your experience on RM-46.”

“Yes.”

“What do you remember?”

He held his holopad in front of him and held it up, recording while he took notes.

“I remember feeling like I was being watched, that was a big one, probably more to do with how eerie the planet was than anything. I was on edge, but not afraid. When I fell into the trapdoor, I remember it was dark at first,”

“Did you hit your head?”

“No, but I did get the wind knocked out of me pretty badly.”

“Go on.”

“There were these little red glowing orbs on the wall and they pulsed on and off as I walked. They were everywhere, and they sort of permeated the room around me which grew bigger and bigger and bigger as I walked, until I was in a massive room, it could have housed a stadium inside it, and at the center of the room I saw this….. this …. Thing… It's hard to describe really but…. Not, impossible to describe, like a tree root, but curled into impossible combinations and connections, where it seemed like one should end another would begin, and where you would assume one would go in front of another it went behind, but in ways that seemed impossible. Like… Like an M.C Echer painting where the water flows uphill. Everything about it seemed to defy the laws of nature but not in a way that one could really explain…. And when I saw it I…. I had such an urge to… to touch it. Like i…. It's impossible to describe.  But you know when you've been underwater for too long and you really need to breathe, and you are so desperate for air that you claw your way back to the surface….. It was like that. And so I reached out, and when I touched it it was… warm, and soft like skin. I Didn’t really have long to think about that thought because before I knew it, itw was like I had been knocked away from my body. Ripped out of myself and cast into the universe.”

He raised a hnd to his head rubbing his temples eyes squinted slightly, “Trying to think about it…. Makes my head hurt because…. It was, unfathomable, there was so much of everything extending into infinity, and all of it was trying to fit inside my head at once. I saw things made and unmade and I felt like I was part of the universe. I was being pulled through everything and nothing and…. I.” He closed his eyes, “I’m sorry, it… it almost hurts to think about.”

He took a deep breath,

“And then I felt as if I was going towards something, somewhere specific, and as I approached…. I…. I felt as if I was going home. Not like home to my parents or even my brothers and sisters but… home.” He sighed, “I’m not explaining this very well. But I felt like I was heading back to somewhere I belonged, it felt warm, like if peace was a location, and there was the only place I could find it. It felt like going to somewhere where I would never hurt again, I would never, want anything ever again. And then…..” he rubbed his head again, “And then I can’t describe, it was like I could see…. Like a veil was being lifted from over my eyes and just as I was looking into… whatever it was, the veil slammed down like an iron shutter and I was pulled back…. I…. Have never felt such a sense of loss….”

He reached up a hand and wiped at his eyes, “I can’t even think about it without crying. It hurts so bad, like heartbreak, not metaphorical,but it physically hurts like my chest is being pulled apart. I think about it and I can’t breathe.” He took a deep breath resting his hand against his chest, “It never seems to fade. If I try to think about it too much, I just hurt.”

Dr. Adric reached out a hand and rested it on the other man’s arm, “We can stop.”

He took a deep breath and nodded, “It's just so, strange. Nothing has ever had that kind of effect on me before, and then just to be told it was all from head trauma, well I don’t buy it. But that wasn’t even the weird part.”

“No?”

“No, when I was there… I didn’t feel… alone…. It felt like, as I was carried away, I was wrapped in the arms of…. something …. Like a child, and when they took me away they said that I wasn't’ ready yet. I Could have imagined it I guess, but I swear, it told me that I wasn’t ready yet, and that is when I woke up five miles away from the city before it collapsed.”

They drew into a long silence.”

“I see.”

“Do I sound crazy?”

“No, I have just never seen a reaction like that…. And you say whenever you think about it.”

“I try to think very little about it. The last time I tried in any sort of way I ended up on the floor in the fetal position sobbing like a child and fell asleep there waking up with an absolutely massive headache, so ys, I try to avoid it whenever possible.”

Dr Adric frowned, “I think that is something we should look into.”

It looked as if Adam was about to argue, but then sighed, “Alright after this is over, I promise, we can look into it, but I am almost 100 percent positive, it isn’t just my head. There was something out there…. something …. Something I am supposed to be a part of, but I’m not.”

Adam turned his head to stare out of the room and into space.

***

Deus, that word again.

 He sat at the desk in his room staring at the piles of notebooks before him, and the projected map hanging in the air just off to the side. He spun in his chair to stare at the projections.

Deus…. The latin word for god or deity repeated back to him from the mouths of aliens.

At the projected map before him, the locations where he had heard those words blinked and pulsed slightly as little lines of glowing thread connected them.

First, it had been the infected starborn, and then it had been the Leviathan, and then from the city before the collapse. Why would a latin word make its way into the vocabulary of creatures who had never even heard latin before. Or perhaps this was just some sort of fluke, it was a big universe and some of the sounds that alien made sometimes made human words, it was bound to happen. But the fact that they meant the same thing swas odd.

He wondered if it was some kind of greeting instead, but shook his head thoughtfully, no, they had been talking to him when they said it, directly speaking to him, but that hardly made sense either, last time he checked he wasn’t some great dity of overwhelming power.

He assumed he would have noticed by now.

He tapped his foot lightly against the ground, and off to the side waffles raised her head, wagging her tail slowly across the floor.

“You confused too, girl?”

She whined softly and rested her head back on her paws.

He turned to look back at the map. He was missing something here, a very big piece of something. And he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to know what.

Of course that wasn’t going to stop him he supposed.

[rikumorimachisgirl]

Okay, let's try this one more time. This story was given feedback by the talented @cailannuesugi and @voltage-vixen. Thank you, ladies, for your help and encouragement when I felt like giving up.

Title: Meeting the Mogul

Ikesen Modern Day AU

A/N: This is my first fic, so please don't expect it to be perfect. I also don't own Ikesen Nobunaga and the other characters except my OC. Cybird owns them.

This is inspired by the artwork I commissioned from @shrimpalompa 💕

With her eyebrows furrowed, Mia allowed her feet to drag along the length of Manhattan's busy streets. Despite the crowd of busy professionals hurrying to buy their lunches from the food trucks lined up along 50th Street, and the incessant honking of cars and taxis stuck in traffic, all she could think of is how badly she messed up her last interview.

The delightful scent of sauteed garlic and onions wafting in the air made her stomach growl slightly louder than usual. There was nothing she wanted more at that moment than to eat a nice gyro sandwich at Lil Zeus Food Truck, but with only fifty dollars to tide her over until she finds a job, she took a deep breath, turned away from the food truck, and continued to walk. She took one step after another, until the concrete pavement was replaced by a patch of green, and the sound of car horns was replaced by the catchy melody of a marching band practicing nearby.

Central Park was beautiful at this time of day - mostly because the afternoon crowd and the throngs of tourists don't frequent the place at this hour.

She sat on the grass, defeated. She had one shot at getting employed as a clerk in the prestigious firm, and she totally screwed her interview. "Seriously, who asks about the President's background during the interview anyway? " she wondered out loud still feeling bitter about her failure at the hands of Azuchi Inc's, Vice President of Human Resources, Hideyoshi Toyotomi. She sighed again, took out her mobile and typed in the keywords 'Nobunaga Oda, Azuchi Inc'. Pages upon pages of news articles about the President and CEO appeared on her screen, much to her surprise. As her finger hovered over one of the articles, she silently cursed herself for not having thought of doing this yesterday before she finally gave in and pored over the details on the mysterious mogul.

***

He watched her as she sat on the grass with her back turned to him.  He winced at the last thought; then again, she didn't seem like the type who'd pick out her dates online.From where he stood, it appeared like she was playing a game on her phone or browsing one of those social media sites his employees are so fond of... Or maybe checking out a dating site. Though she didn’t seem like the type to rely on other sources to help her find a date. His thoughts drifted to their first encounter yesterday, and he smirked.

In an attempt to avoid the possibility of listening to his Vice President of Human Resources' complaints about his decision to ride his bike to work, he opted to enter the building through the ever-busy and usually crowded Talent Management Hub. Donned in a black button-down shirt, which he wore untucked with a pair of dark denim jeans, he handed his helmet to the seemingly dumbstruck guard and made his way to the exit leading to the main lobby. Just as he was about to step into the main lobby, he felt someone grip his wrist tightly.

"Excuse me, where do you think you're going?"

He turned and saw a girl - not more than twenty-four if he had to guess - looking sternly at him while she gripped his wrist tightly.

He heard collective gasps around them, but she didn't seem to have noticed. From the corner of his eye, he saw one of the managers make his way towards them, but he stopped him before he could get any closer. The clock on the wall read 9:25 am, so he had a good five minutes before his weekly meeting with Marketing, but the girl holding on to him intrigued him so much, he didn't mind canceling. Just what was she trying to get at by stopping him, he wondered.

"Didn't you just arrive, Sir? You don't have an ID, so you must be an applicant, too," she said gently, as she tugged him to follow her to the waiting area. Still confused, he glanced at the other people who were quietly seated, trying to avoid his gaze. "It's unprofessional to cut the line, you know. Let's wait for our turn here."

He chuckled at the realization that she didn't know who he was. He decided to humor her by sitting beside her, but it didn't take long until she was called for her initial screening. It was at that moment that he decided they needed to hire her. However, when Hideyoshi dished out his infamous rapid-fire "Oda Fast Facts" on her, there was no doubt she wasn't going to be signing a contract with them.  The dashing dark-haired mogul frowned as he recalled the report he was given on the status of her application. He recognized potential when he sees one, and knew they had just let this one slip away. He left word that he was having lunch elsewhere, and took off with his Vice President of Operations following closely at his heel.

"You know what you should do next? You should buy that Lil’ Zeus food truck. Have you seen the line? It felt like ages before I got us some of these!" A familiar voice brought him out of his thoughts and he glanced sideways to see that his executive had just arrived carrying a gyro on each hand. "It's about time you got here. What was the matter, couldn't charm the ladies to get ahead? You must be losing your touch, Mitsuhide, " he teased.

The silver-haired executive smirked as he handed one of the gyros to his boss. "I'll have you know I snaked my way to the front of the line in less than 2 minutes. The cook ran out of oregano and they had to get a fresh batch." He paused for a second or two to take in the scenery before him. "So is there a reason you wanted to have lunch here?"

"No reason, " the dark-haired debonaire responded, his carnelian colored eyes sparkling with mischief as he stared at the girl whose back was turned at them once again. "I see, " Mitsuhide said, thrusting the other gyro at him. "Good luck, boss. I'll see you at the office." He flashed the young executive a dazzling smile before he turned and made his way towards the unassuming girl.

***

"That's funny, he has no pictures, " she mentioned, after opening yet another news article about the mysterious Nobunaga Oda - the sixth since she started - and there still wasn't any photos of the man in question.  

"Usually that’s the case when the person's not very good looking."

Startled at the sound of his voice, she jumped and turned around. Standing a few feet away from her was the man she met in the interview. Though she still didn't know his name considering she never asked in the interview, and he never introduced himself. Today, he was wearing a white button-down shirt, which was still untucked and a pair of khaki trousers. She never noticed how attractive he was until today - more like a model, with his tall and well-toned physique, which was evident in the cut of his clothes.  

"It's you, " she said. 

"Yeah. Me, " he replied. "Had lunch?"

"Yes, " she nodded, but her stomach wasn't having it. Her face flushed red as soon as her stomach growled. 

He snickered. "You know, I happen to have an extra gyro."

"Do you always happen to carry a spare gyro around?"

Her retort made him laugh, as he really didn't see that coming. "Did anyone ever tell you that you're hilarious, " he asked. He plopped down beside her in the grass and handed her one of the gyros. "And to answer your question, I carry them around in case I get lucky and see a pretty girl who is in desperate need of lunch." 

"My hero, " she smiled. "Thank you for this. I'm Mia, by the way. And you?"

He shrugged, ignoring the fact that she had introduced herself. "So, what were you doing on your phone, looking for a date or something?"

"Of course not, " she said, as she munched on her sandwich. "I was curious to see what Nobunaga Oda looks like."

"Why would you want to know how he looks?" 

She took out her phone with one hand and showed him the search results. "See these? I've read six articles about him, and not one of them contained any pictures of him. Isn't that strange?"

He scanned the titles and frowned. "Maybe he doesn't want his picture taken." 

"Why though? I think he's amazing. I mean, he's not even from here, yet he made a name for himself and he's been helping boost Japan's economy even from offshore. He's made a name for himself in a place where people least expected him to. His achievements are known all over Japan, and that's why I wanted so badly to come to New York and work at Azuchi Inc."

He cocked an eyebrow at her passionate response. It sure wasn't the first time he's heard people sing praises about him and his organization, but it felt different hearing it from someone who had nothing to gain from sharing this with him because she absolutely had no idea who he was. 

"Speaking of which, whatever happened to your application?" It was her turn to ask. For a moment, he almost forgot that she thought he was an applicant, too. She cleared her throat. "What's the matter? You know you don't have to be embarrassed if you didn't make it. I mean, I didn't -"

"Why did you fail?"

She frowned. That was twice he ignored her questions, yet he had the gall to ask her such a rude question. What kind of person is he exactly, she silently wondered. 

"If you're done trying to assess whether I'm trustworthy or not, would you mind answering my question?"

Rude. This man was just plain rude, she concluded. "Why do I need to answer that?"

"Because I gave you a sandwich, " he said, as he lay carelessly on the grass with his hands behind his head.. "And because you look like you're going to tell me anyway."

She sighed. Well, he wasn't wrong, she thought. "I suppose it was it because I didn't know a thing about the President and CEO of Azuchi, Inc, " she said, hanging her head low. "Except for his name, I didn't know where he came from, what his philosophy was, his advocacy, why he prefers to drink tea from Japan…"

"Don't you think that information is useless?"

"I used to. I'm not gonna lie that I felt really bad after the interview with Mr. Toyotomi. I felt bad because I thought those questions he asked me were ridiculous, " she said, as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "But I realized something while I was reading through the articles about Nobunaga Oda. I now understand that Mr. Toyotomi only wanted to make sure I knew and understood Mr. Oda's vision because it is only when you understand that you can actually contribute to that vision by working hard. I didn't really know that this morning, but now, I'd do anything to get another shot at that interview."

His eyes never left hers as she spoke, and with each topic, he found himself more and more entranced by her - perhaps it was the way her face lit up and her hands moved as she spoke about the things she was passionate about, or her wistful smile as she stared at the lake in between topics. He was captivated, so much so that he hadn't noticed that time has gone by until he felt his phone vibrate. 

Frowning, he took out the sleek gadget from his pocket and was briefly surprised. It was 3:00 pm - way past his supposed lunch break. Hideyoshi would have a fit, he silently thought, smirking. 

Sighing, he sat up and brushed the dirt off the back of his shirt. "As much as I'd like to stay and talk some more -"

"You have to go, " she said, cutting him off. She watched him quietly as he straightened his clothes up and ran his hand through his messy black hair. She had never been so drawn to a person before, but there was something about him that spoke to her - maybe it was the way he listened to her like what she was saying was important or the way he challenged her opinion every now and then… or even the way she saw her reflection in his eyes when he smiled. 

The light clapping sound that resonated in the air as he dusted off his clothes faded, and she suddenly felt her heart grow heavy - like all three weeks worth of homesickness had finally kicked in. 

"You look like you're gonna cry, " he teased, as he stood and offered his hand out to her. "Are you gonna miss me?"

"Am not, " she replied while he pulled her to her feet. "But did I get you in trouble?"

"I'm late for a meeting. Nothing I can't handle, " he winked. "I'm just gonna tell them that I met an interesting girl in Central Park."

"You make me sound weird."

He snickered. "Okay. How about I say a cute girl held me hostage?"

"They're not gonna believe you, " she replied, her face turning slightly red. 

"Here, " he said, handing his phone over to her. "Let's take a picture, in case they require proof."

"And make me the laughing stock of your team, "she retorted but allowed him to take a picture anyway.

"They wouldn't dare laugh, " he assured her as he checked their picture and smiled. "This is a good picture."

"Yes, it is." She peered at his handsome face in the picture and smiled.

"I don't like having my picture taken because I always seem to look strange, but I like this one, " he smiled back. "Well then…"

"Yeah, I guess this is goodbye."

"I'll see you tomorrow at 8."

"What? Here?"

He laughed, and the rich sound tickling her ear. "At my office, silly. Tell Mr. Toyotomi I sent you there. He'll be able to give you an orientation, " he said casually and then turned to leave. 

"Mr. Toyotomi - as in the guy from Azuchi, Inc? I'm confused… Whom should I say sent me, " she called out as he started to walk. 

"Oh. Tell him I sent you, " he turned to face her once again and exaggerated a bow. "Nobunaga Oda. I never told you before, but it's a pleasure to meet you, Mia. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

Her heart pounded loudly in her chest as she watched him disappear in the distance, she almost failed to notice a new text message that read: 

'We are pleased to offer you the role of Assistant to the CEO. Please report to Mr. Hideyoshi Toyotomi's office at the 41st floor of Azuchi, Inc tomorrow at 8:00 am sharp. - Mitsunari Ichida, Director of Talent Management.'

End. 

[dimples33]

Chapter 5

The way their marriage fell apart was too cliche. It wasn't anything grand or dramatic. Just a dumb text message sent by the woman he was screwing. He had met Dharia at a cinema complex when she was 17 and he was 19. She was there alone waiting in the line next to his to see the movie "Road Trip", a comedy. He was waiting to buy tickets to see the horror flick "Midnight Man" with a couple of his friends.

They reached the ticket counter at the same time and selected the movie of their choice but when it was time to pay, Dharia realized that she had lost her purse. She searched her surroundings frantically and the clerk was getting impatient. Some of his friends snickered and mocked her movements and she was embarrassed. He scolded them for what they did.

She apologized to the clerk and was about to walk away when he offered to pay for her ticket. She refused but he insisted. He paid for the movie and then gave her $60 to buy popcorn, hotdog and the rest to use for transportation to get home. She stared at him in utter shock as he walked away to his cinema screen.

He wasn't looking to score or anything as he had a girlfriend at the time. He just wanted to help, plain and simple. It would be weeks until they saw each other again. This time, it was at the Frederick Park Shopping Mall. She wasn't alone this time. She was with a few of her friends and he was with his girlfriend Britney having lunch. She was the one who saw him first and approached.

She apologized for interrupting them and handed him a $100 bill. It was the total amount he had given her. He introduced her to Britney and asked how was the movie. She said it was great thanks to him. She bid them a good evening and left. He remembered the way Britney stared after her when she was walking away back to her friends.

When Dharia was barely out of hearing range, Britney started grilling him about who she was. Up to that point, he didn't even know Dharia's name and she didn't know his. Britney didn't believe that. She stormed off from their table and he followed trying to calm her down. One year later when he and Dharia began dating officially that she told him she saw what happened between him and Britney.

Britney fought with him that whole evening, accusing him of cheating on her and broke up with him. He spent three weeks trying to get her back and explained over and over that there was nothing going on between him and Dharia. However, she wasn't hearing it and was adamant so he moved on. There months later, both he and Dharia found themselves again at the same theatre but this time they were both alone and were interested in the same movie. They made formal introductions.

He bought the tickets and she paid for their refreshments. They sat down and started talking and learned that she moved here from San Diego just a year ago. By the end of the night, they were exchanging numbers and four months and two weeks after her eighteenth birthday, they began dating. Unsurprisingly, Britney was alarmed and angry and claimed that their dating was proof he was cheating all along.

She even accused several of their mutual friends of covering for him which they also vehemently denied. They all insisted that he had never even looked at Dharia when they were together. After a couple of weeks and no concrete evidence to support her accusations, she had to concede that she over-reacted.

Over the next six months, Britney dedicated her life in trying to come between him and Dharia...trying to win him back but by that time it was too late. He was firmly in love. He told her that there wasn't a chance in hell that they were getting back together. She continued trying but had to give up. She had lost. He was Dharia's first and he had made it very special for her.

They married when Dharia was 19 and he was 21. Their family grew by one and then two and after a few years they were a family of six. Things were good. They were happy until Dharia read the text message on his phone. He tries not to remember that day as he still didn't know or understoodwhy he cheated. They had a solid marriage, was a two income household with a decent home, well mannered kids with no debts . It was an overall balanced stable family life. There was no mid life crisis either.

The woman he slept with was just there in his boss's office. She was one of their visiting clients of his company and she had come to make a complaint about work done on her home by another employee. He was assigned to her because Richard, whose district she fell under was on another assignment. He took her information and confirmed an appointment date with her.

He visited her three days later and followed her out to the newly built storage unit at the back. She wasn't wearing anything special, just three quarter black pants and a sleeveless blue cotton blouse, nothing revealing or particularly sexy. She was attractive though. He hadn't noticed that in the office. She bent over to show him the problems she was having and felt a tingling in his stomach.

It caught him completely off guard. When she turned around, he remembered just staring at her and the next thing he knew he was walking towards her. She cocked her head to the side looking down at his wedding band. That's when he stopped and she actually looked disappointed. She began walking towards him and him being married not fazing her one bit. She smiled wolvishly and once in front of him began stripping.

He left the house an hour later without fixing a thing and crammed with guilt. On his way home, a sickening feeling overwhelmed him and he swerved his car into the shoulder of the road. Rushing out, he dropped to his knees and puked all over himself. He and Dharia had been married for eleven years at the time and not once had he ever looked at another woman. Now, in less than an hour he has gone from looking to cheating.

He then cried. He went home and because of shame he lied to Dharia about the vomit on his shirt and boots, promising himself to come clean to her in a couple of days when he had processed things and gather his thoughts. He never did. Two weeks later, he heard from the client again. She sent him a note through the office with an invitation to talk. He was hesitant but foolishly decided to honour it.

It was a bad sign when he walked into the hotel room. He knew better but didn't want to meet her in public. However the hotel setting was far from appropriate. He ignored his instincts and blindly prepared himself to stress to the woman that what happened was a mistake and it could never happen again. When he walked into the room, she was on her phone, back turned to him and she was crying.

He waited patiently and when she was through, began to speak immediately. He didn't want to hear anything she had to say. As he spoke, she sat quietly on the edge of the bed, nodded meekly through her tears. When he was done, she said nothing. He turned to leave and she began sobbing again. He didn't know what stop from running out of the room but he stayed.