Warm Crepes, Warm Hands, Warm Support

One date became two, then two became three. They were simple dates with nothing exciting to note, just them sitting around a dining table talking and laughing as they enjoyed each other's company. Alex did manage to learn more about her mysterious boss, such as his distaste for mushrooms, his love of classical music, and how he would wear the same pair of shoes until they were worn down into pieces. The last one caught Alex off-guard considering how well he dressed otherwise. He clarified that he had two pairs in his closet, one for summer and winter, but that didn't make it any less bizarre.

During the work week, she noticed more about him there as well. How he would place the tip of his pen in his mouth when concentrating, how he would avoid eye contact with strangers but lock on to those he was more familiar with, or even how obsessed he would be with lining up the objects in his office in an organized manner. They kept everything professional obviously, down to acting precisely the same as they had before, yet now there was a new perspective.

These were all tiny tidbits that slowly added to the puzzle that was Edmund Hironori. At the moment, it seemed like she had the edges figured out and only small chunks of the middle. She decided that dating for a few weeks was enough time to get a little more personal with the questions.

Their fourth date was an ideal time since they were already changing it up a little, enjoying a walk in the park instead of sitting at a restaurant. The night was cool and crisp, so they did have to wear light jackets, yet the fresh food they bought from the nearby truck kept their hands warm. They had both gotten savory chicken crepes, packed with vegetables, cheese, and hot sauce. The packaging could be peeled to make it easier to eat through, which was very convenient.

As they sat down on a bench to eat, Alex asked, "Do you have any siblings?"

Edmund shook his head and answered, "No. I'm an only child."

"I see. I guess your parents spoiled you a lot then, huh?"

"I suppose. I did get what I requested so long as I behaved."

Alex smiled as she bit into her crepe, savoring the taste. "Must have been nice. I have an older brother. He married his high school sweetheart, and they moved into a nice home out in the suburbs. No kids yet, much to my parents' annoyance."

"I have noticed parents are very insistent on grandchildren."

"Right?!"

They shared a small chuckle at that.

"My parents adore Oliver," Edmund stated, then paused when he realized what he had said. "Ah, that's my son's name. My previous wife, Candace, was the one who named him after her grandfather. Anyway, my parents were fine with the divorce so long as they could continue seeing him. This helped Candace stay on good terms with them, but then again her and my mother had always gotten along."

The fact that he was revealing names was a big step afterward. However, Alex took the conversation in a different direction. "Is your mother part American?"

His eyes widened slightly. "That's correct. How did you know?"

"An educated guess," Alex boasted with pride, when in reality it was a fifty-fifty chance of guessing.

Edmund looked down at his half-eaten crepe and sighed. "Yes, she is the more outgoing of the two. She had been born in the states, yet she was curious about her heritage and decided to study abroad. There she met my father, and the two came back to the states together."

"Wow! That must have been romantic!" Alex chimed. "But wait... what about his family?"

"He had none, thus he had nothing to lose by leaving Japan."

"Oh..." Alex felt guilty bringing it up, so she ate the rest of her crepe in silence.

It was after they had tossed their trash that Edmund randomly followed up by saying, "I have been to Japan a number of times, because my mother wanted me to appreciate my heritage as well. It's been about... four years since my last trip. We had all gone together as one unit."

"That must've been nice. I'd love to travel someday," Alex said. "I went on a cruise once, but that's about it. If I had to pick a place to go, it'd definitely be Paris! I know it's not as perfect as the tourism wants you to think, but I think it'd be fun."

Edmund smiled a little in response. "I agree. Perhaps if we keep up the good work, we can see about getting an exclusive interview with our overseas partners. Maybe even attend one of the fashion shows."

"You really think so?!" Alex excitedly gazed up at him with wide, blue eyes that glimmered from all of her hopes and dreams. "That would be amazing if that could happen!"

"I-It can certainly happen," Edmund stammered, somewhat flustered as he adjusted his glasses. "My predecessor did it, so I see no reason why it can't happen with us."

"Then let's make it happen!" Alex exclaimed as she pumped her fist in the air. "We're gonna sell those magazines like hotcakes!"

Edmund chuckled, amused by her enthusiasm. "We'll have to get the rest of the staff on board then."

"Well for that to happen, you need to listen to them more so they'll listen to you."

"They don't listen to me?"

"No! Well yes. I mean... it's split, honestly."

Edmund curiously tilted his head to the side. "How so?"

Alex crossed her arms as she mulled over how to properly explain it. "Since you just read off your script and don't let a lot of people talk, it leaves some people leaving the meetings kinda annoyed."

"Ah... I see." The way he said that made it clear he had never considered it before. It was possible no one had the courage or heart to tell him. "I'll try to confirm this in the next meeting then and review everyone's feedback. If that is true, I would like to know how I can improve."

"That's the right attitude!" Alex said with a thumbs up of approval. "Actually, I'm kind of jealous. If someone criticized what I was doing, I'd probably want to crawl into a hole and die. How do you handle it?"

"I don't take it personally."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Alex had no idea if Edmund was dense or had a heart of steel. Possibly both, based on what she had observed. It was still charming regardless.

They stopped by the truck again for dessert, getting strawberry crepes this time, and had a pleasant time at the park until it was time to go home. As they were walking back, Alex spotted Edmund's hands out and free for the taking when they were stuffed in his pockets earlier. With how chilly it was, she saw her opportunity and took advantage of it.

"Ah, it sure is cold," Alex said in an exaggerated tone. "I should have brought my gloves."

"Should we go buy some?" Edmund asked, oblivious but clearly trying to be nice.

"Hm... no. I think I have a better idea riiight... here!"

In that moment, Alex took hold of Edmund's hand to firmly grasp it. This surprised Edmund enough to cause him to blush, yet he didn't resist or pull away. His large, masculine hand radiated heat that gently spread to her body, and soon enough she was blushing along with him.

"Is... that better?" Edmund asked.

Alex nodded, stunned by her own bold actions, yet she had to step it up to make progress. Otherwise, they weren't going to be any more intimate than standing a foot apart from each other. They held hands until they reached her apartment, and as much as it saddened her to do so, she had to let go. It was brief, but nice.

"So um... same time next week?" Alex asked.

Edmund's blush seemed to cool down once she let go, and he answered calmly, "Actually, I was wondering if you would be available next Saturday instead."

Alex blinked, confused. "Huh? Isn't that when you see your son?"

"Precisely. I'd like to introduce you to him."

Alex froze, not expecting him to bring this up so soon. On the other hand, she was curious to meet him, and everything else had gone smoothly thus far.

"Um... sure!" Alex said. "Next Saturday is fine."

"Good. I'll text you the details when the time comes."

"O-Okay..."

With the son comes the mother, Alex knew this, and that came with its own risks. If she was going to jump to the next stage, she had to be prepared, and for that she was going to need help.

---

"Please tell me everything you know!" Alex pleaded to Nami while clapping her hands together. "I need to know what I'm up against!"

Nami sat in her chair with a sly grin, twirling her pen in her hand. "Oh? Already got that far, huh? You're better at this than I thought."

"It was his idea, not mine."

"Still means he likes you enough to trust you with this."

Alex had already told Nami everything after the first date, from going out with her boss to her past as a farmboy. Unsurprisingly, Nami had accepted all of it and reassuringly patted Alex on the shoulder with the promise that she'd help support her how ever she could. It was the least she could do as thanks for all of the hard work Alex had put in. Plus, Nami was dying to get involved in some juicy drama, as her grin made abundantly clear.

"Oh, but I'll be blunt. You're in for a lot of trouble," Nami said. "Candace is strictly a love or hate kind of person. Either she treats you with love and respect like you're family, or she glares down at you like you're trash. It's because she's so extreme people have mixed reports of her, and figuring this out makes them not want to get on her bad side. You're definitely going to be on her bad side on no fault of your own, so it's merely a matter of dealing with it."

Alex lowered her head, already feeling defeated. There was no way she could deal with someone like that.

"However," Nami continued, "I think you can win her over. There's reports that people who she initially hated managed to get back on her good side by showing their worth. If she sees you're getting along with her son, she might lighten up. That's your best bet."

"Got it," Alex said, making a note of this. She was already planning on getting to know their son, yet it was apparent that her relationship with him was key to her future relationship. How she was going to bond with him was the issue.

Knowing Rumi had younger siblings, she went to him next for advice. She hadn't informed him yet of them dating due to unfavorable circumstances preventing them from being completely alone. It was on her to-do list though. For now, she kept it vague that she was dating someone with a kid.

"Well first of all, congrats on getting a boyfriend," Rumi said, which nearly made Alex melt with joy from receiving her idol's support. "Second, don't worry about kids. They're simple. As long as you're friendly to them, they'll like you. It's when you're cold or distant that they lose interest. If nothing else, get them talking about what they like."

"Got it," Alex repeated as she took notes once more. "How are things with your girlfriend by the way?"

Rumi shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, I guess. She got obsessed with another gacha game, but I got her to go outside and touch grass for a bit."

Alex forced out a laugh, wondering how much of that was a joke. "She seems like quite the character. But she accepted you as you are, right? Like she never seemed ashamed or embarrassed to be around you?"

"The hell's that supposed to mean?!"

Alex winced in response to Rumi's sudden shouting, and he dialed it back once he noticed this.

"No, never," Rumi said, firm yet calm. "Even when I was getting harassed by trolls or cancelled online, she wasn't fazed by it. It was pretty weird, now that I think about it. But if she hadn't, I don't know what I would've done." His smile was genuine without his usual hint of sarcasm. "I guess we balance each other out that way. I'm glad I met her."

Alex was almost moved to tears, and she had to sniffle back a sob. "That's so beautiful. I hope I can have a loving relationship like yours someday."

Rumi averted his gaze, suddenly embarrassed. "I-It's not that special! She can be annoying too! And I know I'm not any better. It is what it is, that's all."

"I appreciate the advice either way. I hope everything works out for you two."

Rumi glanced back at her with his usual grin. "Same to you."

Alex had wanted to get Val's input as well, but she was nowhere to be seen that week. She left a text explaining she was at a friend's place helping them with something important. She even included a photo, but it was too blurry to make out. The white blob was probably an art piece. Or a mannequin? Who knows. Alex could ask her later. She had other things to worry about.

It felt odd not seeing Edmund the Friday night prior, but she knew she would be meeting with him soon enough. He had texted her the details as promised, and she replied with a cute cat emoji saying 'Okay!'. So all that was left was for the fated day to come, and with her anxiety, part of her hoped it would come later than sooner.