Relationships in the Workplace

Dom

We're entering the critical months of the year where people are setting up their homes for Halloween, signing up for food drives, and buying gifts early. Mano is in the employee break room on his own trying to focus on a game of solo table tennis. He had an early day and punched out so he was burning time playing some rounds before leaving. Being so focused on the game he didn't even realize someone had come in and snuck up behind him.

SMACK!

"YOW!" Mano jumped up high with a nearly crushed paddle from how hard he squeezed the handle. Once he landed his free hand covered the side of his butt that got smacked. There she was, Ari playing pool, "Did you freaking smack my butt..." Ari hits the cue ball as perfect geometry plays a role knocking three other balls into their pockets, "I have no idea what you're talking about. I've been here playing pool." Mano takes a look around the break room and glares back at her, "Oh please." He gets an arm's reach from her, "No one else is here and if someone else did in fact smack my butt you'd kill 'em on sight!" Mano did not expect this to happen, but Ari slams the cue stick down onto the table making him jump a little. 

She pushed him hard enough for him to lose his balance against a couch by the pool table. "Wah!" he fell back and landed softly on his butt, "The hell Ari." When he looked up at her she had this confident grin as she held him back and took her time sitting on his lap straddling him. Mano was ready to lose it from the embarrassment because they're still at work when she says, "You're damn right... I'd at least hunt em down. I haven't started my yandere arc... yet." Mano swallowed hard as he said in a low voice, "Ari for the love of everything... We're still at work. We can't be seen like this." She shrugs as she places her hands on his shoulders and leans into his ear whispering, "You didn't see the time huh?"

Mano, surprised by her words, takes a quick look at his watch to realize that the only people left in the building would be the cleaning crew. "How did I not realize that?!" he asks himself shocked. Ari shrugs again not caring, "Hello Mano? Hot girl on your lap?" Mano snaps back to reality blushing like mad, "ARI FOR THE LOVE OF-!" The sound of the door to the breakroom rings out and Mano's heart freezes as his blood runs cold. "Off off off!" he whispered shouts to Ari who hopped off him faster than he asked. When the person made themselves know it was the cleaning lady, Kate, with their earbuds in.

Kate looks at them with a questioning look as she pops an earbud out, "Hm? I thought everyone was gone?" Mano flustered studders over his words, "Y-y-yeah! We uh..." Ari cuts in with a laugh, "We stayed for a game of pool!" She grabbed the cue stick again pointing pool balls left on the table. Kate looked at the pool table then back at Mano and Ari, "Oh okay? Don't mind me then." She placed her earbuds back in and got back to emptying the breakroom trash. Mano exhales as his heartbeat slows back down, "I think I just lost years to my life..." Ari snaps her attention to him with a frown, "Dork!" He glares at her, "Who are you calling a dork?! We almost got caught!" Ari threatens him by flailing the cue stick around like a child and pouts, "Whatever! Let's get out of here." Mano picks his bag up and leads the way out of the building, "Now you're talking my language."

Now home and after a shower Ari is back to where she left from with Mano straddling his lap with her arms around his neck and shoulders. A blanket covers their lap and the only light on is the living room light where they are on the couch. "Now that you had your fair share of-" she cuts him off with a sly smile saying, "-you?" He clears his throat aggressively, "ANYWAY, I'm curious about something and I want a straight answer Aria." As much as she loves hearing him say her formal name she straightens up on his lap, "Okay? What is it?" Mano thinks on his question for a bit, took a glance at her phone then back at her, before shooting, "What happened between you and Dom? He works you up so much whenever he either communicates with you or may I remind you how you almost socked him?" 

She growls not expecting that question plus the memory of his mug, but she sighs remembering he wants a straight answer, "We were together for a while ya know?" She rested her head on Mano as she hugged him, "There were talks about living together. We sorta already were 'cause i had some of my things at his place and vice versa." Mano nodded listening as he stroked the back of her head, "I'm listening." Feeling relaxed by his touch she continued, "To make a real long story short. He started changing when the idea of living together came into play. There were things that he wanted to rush into. He wanted me to depend more on him for things and I'm just not for that. I like being my own person and providing on my own." He glares down at her playfully, "Oh trust me I know..." She scoffs pulling on his ear, "Jerk." Yet right after gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"That wasn't really the thing that put the nail in the coffin. We had a heated argument about our future. I blew up and told him that I would not be some homebody and how he needed to get that through his thick skull" She continued getting quieter as she relived that past. Mano pokes her nose sounding annoyed, "Hey, I'm a homebody." She grabs his finger with her mouth not biting him as she muffles, "You knowph whaf I meath!" Mano didn't expect her to do that as he stared her down, "Can you let my finger go...?" She winks at him as she does a suggestive movement. "No!" he yanks his finger out of her mouth and bear hugs her, "Will you behave?!" Trying to squirm free she shakes her head, "That's boring!" He lets her go and crosses his arms, "Will you just... Will you just continue sharing?!" 

She groans and crosses her arms too, "Fine." She tries to catch her train of thought before continuing, "Well to end it. Words were said, feelings were hurt, and he came over to my house, cause he had a key, and picked all his things up. He did that when I was out interviewing for the job I have now." Mano processed all that and asked further, "Was that why you were sorta distant in the beginning when we met?" She bobbed her head left and right thinking on that and shrugged, "Well... yeah I guess. A couple of years with that bastard just thrown into the bin? I thought maybe we could talk it out with cool heads, but he... he put me to the wayside...." She began to hug herself remembering that feeling she suffered through. "What even was I to him in the end...? Wasted a portion of my life... I uh..." she looked at Mano worriedly. "I hope that helps your curiosity..."

Seeing Ari speak that way broke his heart as he placed a hand on her cheek, "Aria, I'm sorry for making you relive that experience..." She smiled as she rested her head against his hand with her eyes closed, "Don't worry... you're helping me make better memories...." That warmed his heart as he leaned in and kissed her.