Chapter 4 : Another POV

It was already past 10 a.m and Hana was alone in the conference room.

It felt weird that Kei wasn’t there. So weird that she started wondering if she’d messed something on.

Sora walked in a little later, white jacket draped over his shoulders and a pair of expensive sunglasses on.

“Good morning, Hana-chan. How are you today?”

Hana shot to her feet like she’d just been caught doing something she shouldn’t.

“G-Good morning. I’m good,thanks :” She tucked her hair behind her ears.

“Do you know anything about Kei? I haven’t seen him in the office yet today… “

“Okabe-kun isn’t coming in” Sora said, adjusting his jacket as he took a seat by the window.

“Is he sick? The other day he gave me his umbrella and walked out in the rain…”

Sora lowered his sunglasses, eyeing her with curiosity.

“He went to the Mega Company headquarters. He needs some documents they couldn’t send by email, so he left early this morning.”

Hana let out a quiet sigh of relief. She would’ve felt terrible if kei had gotten sick because of her.

“Let’s grab lunch. I can’t think on an empty stomach.”

Sora stood again, took her hand and led her out of the conference room.

…

“This place looks expensive… “ Hana said, staring at the menu.

“It’s just a restaurant. Nothing special.”

The waiter shot Sora a dirty look. Sora answered with a smug little smile.

It took Hana a while to choose. Sora already knew exactly what he wanted.

“Tomorrow i’m going to ask Kei for his number”:

Sora coughed, nearly choking.

“We should make a group chat, so we’re always in the loop” She added quickly.

“You suggested the same thing back in college. Those were really good days.”

“You’re talking like it’s been forever. It was only two years ago.” Hana smiled.

“ Two years is a long time. I wish I’d seen you more”

Sora tried to catch her gaze, but her eyes were fixed on her plate.

Hana blushed slightly.

“See? Fate brought us back together” He joked.

“ I don’t get why they picked a newbie like me for such a big project…” Hana looked down at her hands.

“Why wouldn’t they? You’re amazing at what you do. You’re more than capable of handling this project.”

“ I think this is going to be a great project. The three of us will definitely do a good job.” She continued trying to reassure herself.

“Maybe that human popsicle Okabe could join us for lunch sometime” Said Sora

Sora finished his steak and signaled the waiter for the check.

“Kei wasn’t always this cold.. “ Hana said, her voice drifting off as she slipped into her memories.

“When we were in high school, he always had this reassuring smile. He talked to everyone, no matter who they were. He was...free.” She smiled, nostalgic.

“So, you two already knew each other?”

“ I didn’t know anyone. On the first day, i was eating lunch alone. He came over because he noticed the book i was reading, and we just… started talking.”

“ So a nice guy” Sora said, a faint edge of jealousy in his tone.

The waiter arrived with the bill.

“Yea.Thanks to him, i made friends. I wasn’t alone anymore.”

Sora realized she cared about Kei a lot. And yet, on the first day of the meeting, she’d practically ignored him. Something must have happened, and that made him curios.

“Hana …” Sora interrupted, lighting a cigarette. Without hesitation, he continued: “ Would you want to come stay at my place again this summer. For a vacation, obviously.”

“You know the villa. The same one we went to with our college group.”

“ I think we should focus on the project. The first deadline’s in two weeks” She said, trying to change argument.

“Perfect. We’ll meet the deadline and then take off. After all this stress, we’ll deserve a break.” He smiled with energy.

Hana didn’t know how to respond.

“ Sir, this is a non-smoking area. Please put out your cigarette. Thank you.”

The waiter came back to warn Sora, who quickly stubbed it out.

“I’m going to the restroom for a minute” Hana said,taking the chance to escape.

“ I’ll wait for you by the car”

…

Hana splashed water on her face, then looked at herself in the mirror.

Her heart was pounding. So much had happened lately.

First, she’d been assigned to a project that, for a newbie like her, was HUGE.

Then she ran into Okabe Kei.

The boy she’d fallen in love with in high school… Who later ignored her and trasferred in another school.

And, in the end, Aoyama Sora.

The handsome guy she’d met in college, the one she’d almost had something with.

Her heart was a mess, overflowing with emotions. What was she supposed to do?

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice her purse slipping into the sink, soaking completely.

“Oooh come on… Why does nothing ever go right for me?”