Relationships in the Workplace

Nightmare

Mano wakes up in his bed with Ari sleeping with her back to him. He looks at her back as he worms his way over gently so as to not wake her, "Morning love." He gives her a soft kiss on her cheek when he realizes she's been awake. "Oh? How long have you been awake?" he asks as he rubs her shoulder. She responds dully, "Long enough..." She sits up and gets out of his bed picking her things up to get ready for work. 

Mano sits up and watches her concerned, "Ari are you good?" She glanced at him as she took his shirt off, tossing it onto the floor, and buttoning up her work blouse, "Yeah? Why wouldn't I be?" Mano took what she said and didn't believe her, "Cause, you're acting pretty cold." She snaps her attention to him exclaiming, "Oh! You can have a fit and be all quiet but I can't?!" He jumped out of his skin never having her yell at him like that, "A-ari I... I'm sorry that's not what I-" She grunts frustrated snatching her purse, "Whatever Mano I'll see you at work." She leaves his room not giving him the time to respond. Mano looks at his room door with clear depression across his face, "W-what... What's happening...?"

Mayve pushes her office chair over to Mano's desk and bumps into his shoulder, "Romeo, you alright?" Mano shook his head confused about how he should feel, "I-i I don't know Mayve... Ari just snapped on me and I don't know why..." Mayve was surprised by this as she looked over to Ari having a nice conversation with other co-workers, "She seems fine?" She then looks back at Mano, "Did you do or say something?" Mano shrugs, "She seemed off and wouldn't give me a straight answer so I explained how she was coming off cold and she just blew up." Mayve sighs patting his hand sympathizing, "You doofus. You sure it's not her time of the month?" Mano laughs a bit not expecting her to go there, "Mayve, yes she's been grouchy but not this bad." 

Mayve looked over at Ari talking only with one another coworker and examining them, "Hmmm..." Mano looked at Mayve, then Ari, and back at Mayve, "What?" Mayve looked into Mano's eyes, "End it." Mano's blood ran cold, his eyes widened, and he felt his heart skip a beat as he whispered shouts, "W-what?!" Mayves expression softens, "Do it before you're hurting more than you already are. It's your choice." She leaves his side and Mano looks back over at Ari who was having too much of a good conversation with their co-worker. "Ari.. what is..." he fought the tears as fears flooded in. He got up and rushed himself towards the breakroom.

Nearly hyperventilating Manog grips his chest, "W-why... I don't want to.." He speed walks over to the water dispenser and tries to grab a cup, but it drops onto the floor, "Damn it-!" Mano exclaimed as he noticed he'd been crying this whole time as tears hit the floor. "A-aria... we've been through so much..." The breakroom door opened, Mano had kneeled to pick the cup up but he leaped to his feet again. He glanced over to see Ari come in, so he tried to play it cool, "O-oh hey." Ari hadn't noticed his tears but did see his cheeks were flushed. "Can we talk after work?" she gives him a straight question. Mano nods, "Y-yeah sure" and as soon as he gives her his answer she turns her back to him and leaves.

That action alone broke Mano's heart as he broke down crying, "No... no no no... noooo." He hiccuped as he kneeled hugging himself. His heart was pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears, "Mayve is probably r-right..." He brushed his face but his vision grew blurrier and blurrier the more he ached. "D-damn it! I c-can't stop!" he let it all out of his system before going back to work that way no one could notice.

Mano and Ari had gone out to dinner, but Mano was not hungry. He just wanted to confront Ari to see what was going on. Ari, too, was not hungry as she sat there with her arms crossed looking down at the table. "So what's going on Aria?" Mano starts firmly as he stares at her expecting an answer. "I'm bored" she simply replied. "Bored of what?!" that came out of Mano's mouth rougher than he wanted it to, but he felt justified since he's been aching. "Of you Mano!" she blurted out still not looking into his eyes.

Mano's world shattered hearing her say that, "W-what..?" He gawked for a moment like a fish out of water as he punched his thigh to not hit the table, "Explain! What do you mean?!" Ari finally gets the courage to look into his eyes as she says, "What did you think we were?! A couple?!" Mano puts a hand to his chest as he exclaims, "Am I wrong in thinking that?!" She crossed her arms leaning back in her chair looking back down at the table, "No, I was the one wrong in even getting with you..." 

Mano couldn't take this anymore as he nearly yelled, "The HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?!" Tears welled up in his eyes and onlookers started looking at their table. Ari shrunk in her chair feeling embarrassed, "You're too damn dramatic..." Mano chuckled, "Oh now I'm embarrassing you is that it?! Really?!" Mano got up from the table and with clenched fists says, "You don't have the right... the right to speak to me like that with how you toyed with me the way you did..." 

It took Ari a while before she looked up at him."You were my rebound Mano... nothing more and nothing else..." Ari says with no remorse. Mano's world whirls in his mind as it feels like he can hear what the onlookers are saying about them. However one voice pierced through to Mano, "I rebounded and I don't need you anymore... I found someone."

GASP!!!

Mano wakes up in his bed in a cold sweat with his bedroom in a mess. He had sat up with his hand over his heart as it raced. A white towelette falls onto his head, "W-what...? I'm in bed? H-huh?" His phone ringtone for Ari scares him as it suddenly rings, he snatches the phone and quickly answers, "A-aria?!" He's hyperventilating and trying to calm himself. On the other end he hears a worried Aria, "Mano are you okay?! Why did you answer like that?! Is your fever getting worse?!" He was so confused as it all made sense, "Fever? R-right..." He took in a deep breath and exhaled. "I'm fine..." he remembered how cold she was in his dream and was so relieved to hear her sound like herself.

Aria went on to say, "Well you better be. I'm still trying to find some ingredients to make you some home remedies!" He could hear a shopping cart in the background as that reassuring sound comforted Mano. "Aria.. can I please ask you something and please please please don't get mad..." Mano pleaded in a soft raspy voice. Ari stopped dead in her tracks at the store, "Y-yeah? What is it?" Mano did a breathing exercise before asking, "Am I just a rebound for you?" There was a moment of silence and the longer it dwelled the tighter he held his phone until he heard Ari lose it.

"ARE YOU INSANE MANO SHERATON?! SERIOUSLY?!" She did not care she was in a store full of other shoppers. "I don't care if you're sick! I'll beat you blue for asking me that mister!" after Mano heard her respond like that he broke out laughing. Mano kept laughing and laughing so much that it eventually became tears. He hiccuped and shook violently in bed from how hard he was crying. Ari heard all of this as she calmed down, "Mano-ton... I love you and nothing will change that..." He fought through his tears and found it funny how she combined his name with his last name saying, "I-I love you too Aria. M-more than I could ever show you." Hearing that warmed her heart as she responded quietly, "Get some sleep... I'll be home in a bit."

Mano tries his best to clean himself up as he agrees, "F-fine but I want to see you when I wake..." She lightheartedly giggles, "You'll see me... Don't worry. Bye Mano." He smiled through his tears, "See you soon Aria." He hangs up and lays back down putting the towelette back onto his forehead. Ari placed her phone away when she noticed she had a group of people just eying her from her yelling episode, "What?! Do you want some?!" She showed them a fist and the onlookers took her seriously and ran far away from her. She sighed but smiled remembering Mano's words, "You dork... you don't know it yet but I hope I can spend the rest of my life with you..."