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HEART OF STONE:
IT WAS HARD NOT TO,
focus on the murmuring and impressed whistling amongst the businessmen who stared and gawked as if they had never seen a woman before in the entirety of their lives. As much as it irritated Nanami to see how the men reacted, and even making him a tad jealous at times, he knew he simply couldn't do anything, and he had to bare with the overdramatic reactions. It was if, the young woman, as dramatic and into her as the men were, didn't take any notice to it, she just continued on with her day running up and down stairs, handing out the appropriate papers in the mellow office building, and fixing various things and problems throughout the workplace when need be.
Nanami sat in his rather comfortable office chair, after he neatly completed his paperwork. He listened in to the woman's heels' clicking on the floor, getting louder as she came closer. He glanced up just as Mieko had slid the glass door open, entering the small room. Nanami carefully watched as she walked around the room with her head down, all the way until she sat down in the desk that was opposite to his.
They worked in the usual complete silence; not uttering a singular word of personal interest. If they did talk, it was about emails, spreadsheets, and phone calls. Yet somehow, whenever Nanami glanced over at the woman who sat sombrely at the boring desk, he'd only stare at her with love in his eyes, with a look that any woman would desire to be looked at in such a way.
When Mieko peered up at him, seeing his eyes staring at her, she clearly scowled at him, turning her glance back at the computer that emitted a blue light onto her face.
"Stop looking at me that way." She bluntly told him with a cold tone, leading the two into a quietness that would follow them for the rest of the day.
The concentrating silence they sat in while working, wasn't unusual for the pair. It was in fact, very common. If it was up to just pure work time, the two would know nothing about each other or even know what one another voices sounded like. It was when the clock hit six in the evening, when they had packed up their things and headed down the elevator, out the building and walking to the bus stop nearby, that Nanami holding an umbrella over them both, would start their conversation, always typically staring with,
"I like you." Nanami had blurted out nonchalantly, as it was already his fifth time this week telling the girl he liked her. He stared out at the pouring raindrops that danced against the pavement road.
"Well then, get lost!" She said, her tone irritable. She pushed Nanami's hand away, so that the umbrella no longer covered her head, and then she walked out onto the sidewalk out of glass bus shelter stop, where she waited in the pouring rain, getting soaked in the process.
Nanami looked down at the umbrella, his face stoic. He examined the yellow polka dot pattern on the umbrella. He put it over his head again, making his way out of the bus stop as well, before he gently held it over the duo's head once more, making Mieko sigh in deep frustration.
"Oh dear god, just get me home already!" She cried out to the miserable sky, wondering if it too, felt her misery.
"I like you." Nanami had said once again, watching as Mieko hummed a song while she changed her heels into some sneakers she had in her large purse, taking advantage of coverage from the rain.
"That's nice." She had commented monotone, not daring to look at Nanami.
"You're..." Nanami trailed off, as he glanced down at the wet gravel below his dress shoes as he uncomfortably searched for the right words. He didn't find them, letting out a pathetic, "...really pretty."
"Wow. Haven't heard that one before." Sarcastically Mieko made the comeback.
Nanami cleared his throat loudly, still staring at the ground. "You should stop wearing that dress."
"Yeah...you're right. I thought the guys only looked at me like that because it was my first day when I first wore this dress." Mieko sighed, tugging on her long beige coat more, trying to cover herself up to avoid the male gaze.
"I could... try talking to the boss for you."
"That's alright... it'll only make things worse." Lightly, Nanami hummed in response of agreement to Mieko's statement.
"Looks like your bus is here." Nanami stated, as Mieko had stepped out once again from the umbrella as the bus had slowly trolled down the small hill.
"Hey Mieko." Nanami had called out, making her look back at him over her shoulder.
"Take this" He said happily, forcing her to take the umbrella in her hand just as the bus pulled up, not allowing time to argue with him.
She grumbled, watching as he smiled ear to ear, and how he practically skipped back into the glass shelter, where he shrugged his shoulders that were soaked by the rain. She sighed, a questionable, unreadable expression on her face before she turned her head while the doors to the bus had opened.
Back in the work building, a co-worker belonged to the two, peered through the blinds watching them alongside another co-worker, who sipped on their coffee.
"It's so weird." The man mumbled, taking a sip from his mug. "He always waves goodbye to her when she has her back turned." He mentioned, as Nanami was seen doing just that.
He waved goodbye happily and excitedly at Mieko, behind her back, until she had sat down on the bus, where he lowered his hand, and pretended as if nothing had happened. His smile still present as she passed a glance at him through the window as the bus left.
