There was no evening ritual today as we had to get ready for the Director of the Research Center's annual dinner.
The only reason I'd accepted the invitation in the first place was the promise of homemade lasagna. I thought Sade would love the chance to try another dish from her favorite type of cuisine.
But then, alone in my office, the realization crept in. Was I making a massive mistake bringing my illegally purchased machina to a gathering where all my superiors would be present?
One might think that was the kind of risk I would have carefully considered before responding to the invitation.
But stressful social situations were my worst weakness.
Sade, however, was different.
And perhaps that was what reassured me. She carried a natural ease in social environments. While I had witnessed moments of hesitation when meeting the Director, or Chandra, or Styla at the Agora, her curiosity and willingness to engage always seemed to surpass any uncertainty.
I wished Love Machina Inc. could have implanted in my head whatever program allowed their machinas to be so comfortable in social circumstances.
"Is this what you're going to wear?" She stepped inside my office just as I finished buttoning up my shirt.
She wore a long, flowing dark green dress I'd never seen on her before. The fabric shimmered, hugging her waist and tracing the curve of her bust, the deep green continuing along her collarbones and down her arms. She wore high heels, standing just a little taller than I.
She looked... divine.
"Styla said this was the perfect option for a dinner with my partner's colleagues," she said, imitating the Shopping Assistant's voice, twirling to show off her outfit.
I placed two fingers on my desk to steady myself.
Most of her back was bare.
"She didn't approve of my color choice..." Sade added, running her fingers through the silky green draping. "But I was tired of pastels!"
She finally grinned at me, and I noticed the hint of makeup that brought out her rosy cheeks and sparkled in her eyes. I pressed the rest of my fingers against the desk. Another small twirl revealed more of her long legs, and on those heels... It was quite a sight.
Her grin faltered as she looked over my outfit once more, crossing her arms.
"Really, V?" she groaned, giving me a disapproving look. "The same as every day?"
We only had a few minutes left before we needed to depart. Sade insisted I swap my usual white shirt for a dark grey one. She turned away to let me change. My black pants and shoes could stay, as I didn't have alternatives.
"It's okay. We'll go shopping another day," she sighed, turning toward my desk to give me some privacy while I changed in the walk-in wardrobe. "What's this?"
"What?" I asked, halfway through slipping off the white shirt and pulling my arms into the sleeves of the new one.
"Unusual level of comfort on my part. New favorite things: green color, walking in the park, drawing infographics, sunsets-hey!"
I had already snatched the journal from her hands.
"V!" she laughed, trying to grab it back. "What's this?" she asked with an incredulous smile.
It was my fault. I shouldn't have left it open on the desk. Knowing Sade's relentless curiosity, I should have known better.
"Nothing," I said, hiding the journal behind my back.
That was when we both noticed. In my rush to retrieve the diary, I hadn't had the time to button up the shirt, and it was left hanging open on my bare chest.
"Oh, sorry," Sade turned away after catching a glimpse of the boxer waistband visible above my half-zipped pants.
I quickly opened the drawer with the digital lock and shoved the journal inside with one hand while the other yanked the shirt closed. Two large strides and I was back in the walk-in wardrobe, breathing sharply.
Why was it so warm in here?!
I huffed and puffed, fumbling the buttons in front of the mirror.
"Was this about me?"
Sade appeared behind me in the mirror, her beautiful lips smiling as a perfect eyebrow arched on her forehead.
"Yes," I sighed, resigned. "I just like to write things down. To remember," I feigned indifference.
"So, it was... your diary?" she asked, her expression shifting from amused to concerned. "Sorry, I hadn't realized. I thought—"
"It's fine, Sade," I said, waving away her worry. "I'm a 27-year-old man with a diary. It's... not that deep."
She didn't laugh. Instead, I saw her peek toward the drawer where I'd locked it away.
"Do I look better now?" I asked, trying to divert her attention from the drawer where all my journals were locked.
"So much better!"
She leaned in at my side, her hand gently sliding around my arm.
Unvoluntarily, I stiffened.
"You look handsome," she said, smiling at our reflection together.
Indeed, the pairing worked. Her deep green dress and my dark grey shirt complemented one another surprisingly well. Still, I was fairly sure most people would wonder what a beautiful woman like her was doing with someone like me.
"I hope you don't mind if I use you to steady myself," she said as she tilted her head, eyes locking with mine.
Her fingers tightened around my bicep.
"I'm not used to walking in heels," she added, lifting her dress for us to see the shoes sparkling around her tiny ankles.
"Of-of course," I stuttered, having taken a second too long to look at it.
We hopped into a cab, and once again, it was a joy to share the experience with her. Unlike the first time, when she had experienced it like a child on a roller coaster, this time, her curiosity was focused on how it worked. I was more than happy to indulge her, doing my best to explain the basics of vacuum physics to her inquisitive mind.
When we arrived at our destination, I instinctively reached for her hand to help her step out of the cab. I withdrew it quickly, not wanting my touch to linger longer than necessary.
Indeed, that was something I had caught myself doing far too often lately.
At the entrance to the Director's dock, I scanned my tablet. The guest list appeared, confirming my name (and a plus one) on it. A spike of anxiety hit me as I recognized other names: so many superiors, so many colleagues, all soon to be gathered in one enclosed room... with me.
I could've pretended my nerves were about Sade's presence, but I had to be honest with myself. I'd been avoiding these dinners and committee gatherings long before she entered my life.
They were my personal definition of hell.
Useless small talk, endless politeness... I wished we could've just gotten some homemade lasagna and gone back home with it. Maybe it wasn't too late to have our study session together?
But here we were instead, waiting for the heavy doors to open. I took off my glasses and cleaned them against my shirt, letting out a long sigh.
"Are you alright?"
Sade's voice was soft, her hand slipping around the bend of my arm again just as I pushed my glasses back onto my nose.
"Mmhmm," I sniffed, looking away.
I felt her fingers slowly trace their way down my arm, sending electric shivers down my back and up my neck. Her touch traveled down to my forearm, my wrist... and finally slid into my open palm.
Surprised, I turned to meet her stare.
"Help me stay on my feet," she murmured, a shy smile breaking on her lips, as she shifted in her high heels over the uneven cobblestones of the dock.
Her sparkly eyes searched into mine, and I melted into their deep brown.
For a second, I couldn't breathe. The warmth of her palm against mine, the softness in her eyes, her grounding presence...
She smiled again and gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
In the next moment, everything felt fine.
With a metallic hiss, the heavy doors opened. Sade startled, instinctively stepping closer to me.
Without thinking, I laced my fingers fully into hers, tightening our grip. Simply holding her hand wasn't enough. I needed to feel every single crease of her hand, her fingers intertwining with mine.
"I'll catch you if you slip," I said, and she chuckled softly behind my shoulder.
We stepped together inside the property, and, between the two of us, we both knew who was truly keeping whom steady.
🗓️ Next chapters: this Thursday, August 28th 🗓️
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