Boss Complex

10. Dinner Date

Victoria feels her heat beating in slow measured beats like any of the beats could be the last. The space between seemed an eternity long, waiting for the next reassuring pound against her ribs. She keeps her eyes glued on the small intern as she waits for the men to pass. Her original plan was to be conveniently occupied with a phone call when they approached so that she could prepare emotionally for this. Being caught entirely off guard and flustered is not how she likes to reunite with her first love's best friend. Every time he looks at her, she feels the weight of his judgment stamping her into the ground like he was trying to put out the light of a cigarette against pavement. She feels the shadow of the men start to disappear around the corner, knowing that her safety was close.

But she should have known better.

"Song Qian, it's always good to see you looking so well."

Victoria's shoulders visibly tense at his words.

So close.

So very close to safety. She pulls the most professional smile out of her repertoire and sends it in his direction, noting the slow in Baekhyun's step as he meets up with Tao coming out of the break room.

"It's nice to see you Mr. Wu." She says softly.

She turns her attention over with a brush of her nails to wisps of hair on her cheek.

"You seem to be living well." He scoffs, sticking his hands into the pockets of his navy blue slacks with a sarcastic smirk.

Kris looked every bit the part of a sleazy office jock, his height towering and his build lean. His glossy blonde hair styled in a center part with long bangs framing his face. His lips were small on his face but full and peachy as though he had just been kissed only moments before. He steps away from his colleague Zhang Yixing to move in closer to Chanyeol's lovely assistant.

"Victoria, Victoria, Victoria... You always look so alive."

"Thank you Mr. Wu." She replies and looks away from him quickly.

"No, it's really I who should be thanking you. You make my heart beat just a little faster with your eternal beauty."

Victoria's hands fist at her side and she nods once.

"It's always so nice when we get these little reunions. It always makes me think of our time together in high school. It seems like forever ago, doesn't it? It seems like so long ago now that we were all—"

"Yifan!" She hisses under her breath, loud enough to draw Chanyeol's surprise.

Baekhyun notices Tao's attention on the congregation in front of Chanyeol's office and looks over as well.

"What's going on?" He mumbles softly, his brows knitted together in concern at Victoria's uncharacteristically tense posture.

"Chanyeol's business associates came in." Baekhyun says with a shrug.

Tao's sudden interest suddenly reminded Baekhyun of the issue that he mentioned in the bathroom and he started to draw his gaze between the man and the woman with a slow grin.

"So you like her?"

Tao seems to clench his jaw, Baekhyun getting a private audience to the way the lines of his throat shifted with his strong set of disapproval.

"She's a colleague."

"A colleague that you like." Baekhyun clarifies, stating it as obviously as if it had been read from a book.

Tao turns and starts back toward his desk and Baekhyun follows with a giggle, padding after the taller man with glee. Though it wasn't terribly hard to be taller than Baekhyun, he found less complex in his height than others seemed to think he should. He was like any other, wishing for more height that he was blessed with, but he also liked the excuse of his stature getting him out of situations. He liked the fact that he could tell people he was too little to do things when really he was just too lazy or disinterested.