Reminiscence

Weak

"Are you texting her again?" his co-worker asked when they caught him holding an uncharacteristic boyish smile at his phone. The man was quick to cease that expression of affection, putting his phone back in his pocket.

"What if I was?" the dark-haired man retorted back, refusing to admit that the other individual was right, proceeding with his meal without making any sort of eye contact in a sort of attempt to dismiss the subject.

He received a deadpan look, as they put down their fork momentarily. Ango Sakaguchi wasn't usually a man lead by his emotions, as proven by the incident with Mimic; rumours that he didn't hesitate in putting his alleged friend, Oda Sakunosuke, in a though spot that ultimately led him to his death followed every time someone mentioned him to the new employees. Yet, despite how cold-hearted he proved he could be and how he prioritized his work above everything else, here he was, completely head over heels for a woman he met a month and a half before. It worried them a bit, the way this woman who suddenly barged into his life could come to affect him.

"Are you sure it is a good idea to do so?"

Ango stopped moving for a bit. He knew what his co-worker would say. He knew what he should've done and told his brain the first time around when she declined his offer for coffee. He knew what he should've done instead of going out in the middle of the night three days later and they crossed paths once again. He knew what he should've said when she ended up asking him if he wanted to grab a drink in a pub close by.

"No thank you" is what I should've said, I should be in bed.

He knew he was attracted to her. Something about her attracted him to her like a moth to a flame. He knew it was only a matter of time until he found himself with her in mind from day to night and night to day eventually falling hard for her. It wasn't even a juggle, a hypothesis, it was certain that one day he'd be in deep, hook, line and sinker. And still, he followed her, decided to become Icarus of his own accord and let himself fall victim of her bright and warm soul. And the more he discovered about this brilliant, gentle and extremely talented woman, the more he dismissed the troubles he eventually would have to face because of how distracted he was ever since their fateful meeting at the library.

But temptations of trouble on my tongue, troubles yet to come.

She offered him the chance to fall in love with her unknowingly, despite the fact that she clearly stated she didn't wish to cross the thin line between friendship and something more. She was the fine liquor at a wine tasting, the one he could taste bit after bit and left a bittersweet aftermath on his tongue. One he knew would get him drunk night after night.

One sip, bad for me;

They often discussed literature. Slowly, he had changed his usual non-fiction books for mystery novels with the sole objective of discussing them with her. The both of them soon created a routine: they both read a book per week and met each other at a coffee shop near his workplace to talk about it. Her taste in décor managed to imbibe itself into his home when he used the need of liveling up his apartment to go out shopping with her. Whenever dealing with deskwork, he would now often think about how the female would deal with it and using the solution she'd most likely create. The ties he wore, now that he pondered, were also mostly the ones she told him that looked better on him.

The impact she had on his life was massive. It was... not something he could say that improved his concentration.

One hit, bad for me;

Once she ended up crying when witnessing the birth of a baby duckling. They were at the park on a little stroll when they saw the eggs hatching. With a huge smile on her features, brighter than even the sun, she eagerly encouraged him to get closer with her, who was already running to it. He did as told, but observing the way her eyes sparkled with excitement rather than the event in front of them. The woman held the little thing in her hands with all the care in the world when it left the eggshell, turning to his direction with a quivering chin and tears profusely.