It could have ended that day...

Coincidences

"Hello Simi! Happy Birthday!!", she heard while entering her office building. She looked back to see Elena, her coworker.

They smiled at each other and Elena took rapid steps to reach her and put a hand on Simi's shoulder and said, "When will be the treat? Let's go out after work today."

"I have plans...", Simi said lifting her shoulders, "Can't bail on dad!"

"Bruh...", Elena said.

"What?", asked Simi.

"Nothing...but sorry to ask...is he still single??"

"I think yes...he said he doesn't want to date anyone."

"Can he date me? I wanna be your mom so bad." Simi and Elena looked down the stairs together to see Han climbing up the steps.

"Do you want me to be your mom, Simi?", he asked again.

Han is the one who mentioned about George being a protagonist of a smut. Simi did not reply and kept climbing up the stairs, so did Elena. They all reached their floor and settled at their desks, when Simi received a text from George. It was a location for a minion themed restaurant where they were supposed to have dinner that night. Simi sighed and texted him back about the fact that there was a thing called being mellow. George told her to chill and focus on work. She did. She worked like there was no tomorrow. Why? Because the CEO himself came to wish her birthday as she had been the sole or the major contributor to the last five contracts of the company so far.

During break, while she was running to the washroom, the CEO bumped into her and said sorry. Simi bowed after stepping back a step, changed her trajectory and was about to run when he said,

"Umm...Simi, how about hanging out today?"

"Eh!?", was all Simi could pronounce...

"Well...I had something to say to you.", the 34 year old, rather baby-like, CEO, who started doodling on the floor with his shoe.

Disgusted, Simi said, "Text me. I am busy...for the whole week.", and then resumed her run to the washroom.

Elena knew this little one-sided fling of the CEO, and was the most excited one until Simi came out to her as an aroace. "Hashtag Ace Pride", Simi ended her monolog of coming out to Elena giving her a thumbs up. 

Han was taken aback, after Simi related to him and Elena about the CEO being a babygirl a few minutes ago, but he calmed down after he got a call and returned to his desk. Elena said, "Imagine what the CEO would think if he saw that phone wallpaper of yours. He doesn't even know who you live with." Simi's phone wallpaper was of George and Simi standing next to each other in front of the Eiffel tower. That was the second time they met...and it was mostly just a coincidence...

8 years ago...

21 year old Simi was on a business trip with her seniors from her new job that she got into after that airport encounter with George. It was a Sunday...the last day in Paris when the team of employees were given free time to do whatever they want. While others thought about staying back at the hotel and the rest attend clubs she thought of finding out how romantic the Eiffel tower actually is. Stumbling through people on the footpath she thought of getting back to her room and watch that drama she still has to catch up on. But her brain was asking her to be productive and when she finally came and stood in front of the tower she thought she was hallucinating. Right in front of her was George, floundering for something in his pockets with his camera in the other hand. The face she never forgot, not because it was handsome but because she remembers her life lessons. 

She walked up to him and said in a monotonous voice,

"Need a hand?"

George stopped and looked up next to him to find Simi standing, staring straight at the tower with her hands in her pockets. 

"Wait...You are..? Oh my God! Simi? I can't believe this? Wow.", George said and just stood looking at her.

"Surprising. You remember my name!", Simi said, looking back at George.

"Good timing, let's take a photo together.", George said and pulled her closer by turning her back to the tower and shouted, "Leila, could you take a photo for me?"

A blonde and curvy "Leila" came running towards them and took the camera from George in a flash. She was about to take the photographer stance when she stopped and asked, "Now who the hell is she??"

Simi looked at George and then at Leila and then back to George, when George retrieved the thing from his pocket that he was looking for. He then came back to reality and looked up to see, now confused and blonde Leila. "Oohh! This is Simi, the flight incident that I told you about. Simi, this is Leila, my overly attached assistant."

Simi gave a short nod with a fake and scared smile. But Leila's face turned bright and smiley when she nodded as if she knew Simi since her birth and proceeded to take the photo.

Three of them sat in a bench nearby and Simi was stil questioning herself if she made the right decision to call George. It was okay, she reminded herself, they were good people. Leila looked at her and maybe thought something on her own before starting to talk. When she was about to ask something, George began, "I missed you!"

"Wow! Sorry I didn't, I just remembered you right now, like after an old recorded video plays in your mind.", Simi said, amazed at her own memory. 

"Not a problem. You hungry? Because I am, and I know a good place here.", George said and stood up. Simi nodded. So he asked them to wait and walked away to get the food he needed. Leaving Leila with her, a smiling Leila on top of that. Simi started,

"You seem to know me very well?!"

"Yes. I do actually. George has been very vivid and expressive about you on his return home that day. And he specifically considered how good it would be if he could simply adopt you. He was yapping something about not being able to take a photo for weeks...but he stopped doing that so I thought he was over it. But the moment he saw you he wanted to take a photo. He is such a romantic.", Leila ended her explanation.

"I would say he just has a good memory.", Simi contributed.

"Oh he sure does...", Leila said like his wife would without looking at Simi but looking at the Eiffel tower. 

They caught up with each other, exchanged phone numbers, as suggested by Leila and Simi felt like she finally understood what meeting acquaintances feels like.

---

Work ended early as she already made up her mind to be punctual, afterall it's minions. Minions for her birthday! She was waiting for George to arrive when she saw the CEO come out of the doors as well. "Oh hell!", Simi muttered to herself and started walking towards the other direction when she bumped into a strong chest. "Honey, you need to look where you are going!", George's voice said.

"I love the fact that you are punctual!", Simi said and turned him around to go to their car.