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9- Old Fashioned III

Tiffany leans back with a huff, closing her eyes as soon as her back hits her office chair's backrest. It's been a long and stressful few months thanks to the sudden change of ownership of the magazine she's working for.

The media group's owner decided to cut what he called his losses-this fashion magazine being one of them-but the top management didn't notify any of the staff until a week before the takeover. Needless to say, everyone was shocked, especially when they found out that layoffs were inevitable.

Tiffany was one of those who were kept on board but as part of the middle management, it was her job to do the dirty work: sending off those who had to go while reassuring the ones who stayed.

Not to mention the adjustment to the new owner and editor in chief alongside year-end productions which can not stop regardless of their internal turmoil.. to say that she's exhausted is an understatement.

She had almost called it quits many times, thinking of switching to other, bigger publishing companies, but out of concern for her staff, she decided to stay, at least until the storm has passed.

A moment later, she opens her eyes and sits up with a groan to then open the bottom drawer of the small cabinet under her desk. It's her special drawer and she unconsciously smiles when she sees the mugs neatly lined up inside, trying to pick one to use.

Because of her workload and the atmosphere at the office, she barely had time for her usual coffee break by the window, watching Taeyeon. In total, she only saw her for about once or twice a week in a span of two to three months.

They still haven't met or talked to each other directly. The only form of communication they have is through the short notes they send each other inside the coffee mugs-aside from staring at each other through their office windows, that is.

The mugs in Tiffany's special drawer are all from Taeyeon. Some are plain white while some are colorful but they always have words or pictures printed on them. The notes are safely kept in an envelope in her other drawer.

She no longer glares or frowns at the girl though she doesn't exactly smile at her either. Taeyeon's pretty and she seems kind but after her last short-lived relationship, Tiffany never considered this to be anything more than a platonic friendship despite Yuri's heavy objection.

"You like her, admit it" said the tall girl one day after watching Tiffany carefully rinsing her coffee mug before storing it safely in her special drawer. "You won't even let anyone else wash those mugs for you"

"Because they might break them" argued the brunette.

"They're just ordinary mugs. They're not expensive or vintage or pretty. Easily replaceable"

"They're gifts. We must always take good care of the gifts we receive"

Yuri rolled her eyes, mumbled something about her friend being in denial then walked away.

After settling for the heat-sensitive mug that has a picture of an empty battery on it-it changes to a fully charged battery when you fill the mug with hot water and amused her to no end when she first received it-Tiffany goes to the pantry to make herself a cup of coffee.

She returns to her desk minutes later and checks her watch. It's nearly 4 PM but she stands near the window anyway, hoping that she could catch a glimpse of the short brunette in the next building.

There's no such luck today, apparently, because the office space behind that far away window is empty.

Sighing, she averts her eyes to take in the view of the other buildings and the gray winter sky.