After the "CUT!"

Hot Chocolate

Like hot chocolate on a cold rainy day.
Soothing, warm, sweet, addicting...

It's a feeling like no other.
It lifts up your spirit.
It gives you a moment of pleasure;
a taste of Nirvana.
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"What did I get myself into again?" Maine asked herself out loud.

Hot chocolate, with lots of marshmallows.

Yep, that's what she needs if she wants to get through today. She's barely half into the day, and it is turning out to be really horrible already.

Maine always hated numbers; mathematics, back in College, is hell redefined.

There is a reason why calculator and whatever those IT thing-a-mabobs were invented, so she's not really sure why their boss all of a sudden wanted them to find that freaking X so that the freaking Y can move on and prosper – when X's goes missing it's because they don't want to be found.

"You got yourself in for a big big surprise." A voice broke her out from her internal monologue.

It is a voice Maine knew so well. A voice she LEAST wanted to hear right at this moment.

"Shut up! Get lost! Go to hell!"

Here comes the devil himself. She's not really sure what's going on her boss's mind when he explicitly ordered her to work with the devil for this project, if it was not a big one and would really look great in her portfolio – and despite all her hesitations and pushing back, she would really like to work on this project.

Maine and Richard have been sworn rivals the moment they set eyes on each other. Well, at least that's what Maine thinks. The moment Richard walked in Maine's peripheral vision, she felt this intense, unexplainable feeling she cannot describe and it eats her whole, it consumes her whole being.

She can't stand his presence, especially now.

"I would. Only if you come with me, let's see if we can make it hotter than it already is there if we're together." He smirked.

"I don't need to go to hell to experience hell. With you here, hell will be a better place. Pero your kind is waiting for you there, so alis! Balik dun!."

"But I want to introduce you to them, you know as a long lost member of our kind"

Maine would've answered. God knows how much she would like to answer back. But she also knows that if she did, then the argument would be endless. As if she is still have time to spare to argue with an idiot. Unfortunately, time for Maine is running short. So instead of answering, she just went back to working on her project.

Richard waited. He really knows how to provoke Maine. He knows what buttons to push, when to push and how to push them. And most of the time, he's successful. Anyway, pissing off Maine is not a hard thing to do.

"Ano? Yun na yun? Wala ng sagot?Cat got your tongue?"

Maine smiled her sweetest smile, which caught Richard off-guard for a moment "As much as I want to insult you, work comes before pleasure for me. So shut up and get lost. I have so much work to do!"

"Ok then, laters baby!" Oh he really knows which button to push. He is very fortunate to be missed by the flying stressed thrown directly at him.

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"Schadenfreude, yes that's it, it is definitely schadenfreude." Maine ranted over lunch, while sipping on the hot chocolate left in her workstation. "Yung finding joy out of other's misery - yun siya eh."

Vannie and Tish, her office lunch buddies, were laughing at her while she recounted what happened earlier today, both the directive from her boss and the encounter with the devil himself.

"You know what? Hindi ko ma-gets bakit bwisit kayo sa isa't isa, honestly you complement each other. True you always argue, and are always at the opposite end of the spectrum... but for us, you actually look like bickering old couples?" Tish said in between bites of her lunch.

Tish and Maine has been very good friends since they both started working 3yrs ago, they started on the day and was deployed in the same department before they were permanently assigned to their departments now.

"Agree! And actually you two have the brightest and most creative mind in the whole company. Of course Bella will sooner or later partner you two together. This is the best project we had in years, and only the best should be working on this."

Her friends do have a point; their differences aside both of them are the best the company could have working on this project. it would be a wrong move for the company if they don't give it to them.

"I get it ok? It's just that we really don't like each other's guts. Can't you feel the tension whenever we're together? We hate to be in each other's company, especially now"

Vannie and Tish looked at each other, eyes twinkling with mirth "oh we know, trust me, we can feel the tension too. It's only for a month though, who knows that tension will fizzle out and you will end up to be very good friends"

"Tataba at magkakadiabetes ata ako before the month ends; I surely will need an endless supply of hot chocolate if I don't want to end up killing him first"

The group didn't notice the pair of eyes intently looking at her, and ears snooping into their conversation... they didn't notice but she did, she felt his looming presence the moment he entered

She knows that he heard everything, and she was actually glad he did.

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"So, ayaw mo ako maka-work on this big, career changing project just because you hate me huh?"

"What the – what are you doing here?"

"I asked a question first; you hate me that much you'd rather lose the opportunity to handle such a big project?"

"I didn't use the word hate; I think that's too extreme. I just said, I hate to be in your company right now..."

"And why is that?"

"..."

"Maine, are you still mad at me for not going down on you last night?

"RICHAAARD!" And he silenced her with his lips, kissing her with so much passion; something he has done before and will always do again and again.

"I like it when you scream my name, Mrs. Faulkerson"

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More than an ordinary hot chocolate;
it tires you before it soothes you;
it is hotter, and it is bittersweet.

It's a feeling like no other.
It lifts up your spirit.
It gives you a moment of pleasure,
a taste of Nirvana.

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A/N: Another AU. FICTION. SABAW.