A Way Home

Cloud Nine

⸔⸕⸔⸕⸔⸕⸔⸕⸔⸕

Shutting the door to her apartment, Namjoo plastered her back to it. Breathing more heavily than she expected. And then like some idiot she touched her lips.

A kiss.

The CEO had kissed her.

Oh my god...

Covering her mouth Namjoo laughed into her palms. The energy heightened, rolling out making her laugh louder.

This weekend she was going on a date with her boss.

Namjoo spent a long evening shuffling through her closet. What to wear? What would make her prettiest?

She hadn't been on a date since...

Shaking her head Namjoo didn't want to recall the last time. For just a bit her emotions plunged into her stomach desolately. Shoving the memories away Namjoo pulled on an excited smile and continued sliding one hanger over in search of the perfect outfit.

It was only when she arrived at work the following day when it dawned on her.

No flowers today.

For the next several days.

Pausing five steps from the front doors she tilted her head up. Scanning the sixth floor. No one was looking down at her. She turned to look the coffee bar where the vendor was busily fulfilling his customer's orders. A short line had formed. Today no coffee for her.

Hunkering her shoulders down she joined the oncoming flow toward the elevators. Spent the good half of the afternoon running to the copy machine and then headed downstairs to grab lunch. Moyeon and Jungsung were too held up with work to call for her. Being the lead designers for the upcoming debut line would make it impossible for them to step away from their work stations.

Walking into the line Namjoo stared up at the menu. Suddenly curious if her friends had met Sehun before. If they were designers, it was possible they had met the CEO several times. As designers being familiar with each other only made sense, didn't it?

Namjoo's consciousness shot to reality when a hand slid across her bottom. A turn of the head and she spotted the same stocky man from yesterday leaning too close, his arm stretched all the way around her.

"Just wanted some napkins," he grinned at her. Straightening he rewound his hand lightly running it across her bottom.

Shrugging away Namjoo frowned at him. Glaring, "Stop it. I don't like it and it's inappropriate."

"Oh, come on," he crooned. "Don't be so whiny."

Namjoo sucked in a breath, but her eyes caught the people coming up behind him. Forced to move along she gripped her tray harder as she walked off. Fuming silently as she walked over to pay for her food.

Yesterday she had heard him chuckling like a creep beside her. When she looked, she had found him staring at her breasts. That was why she had sat away from the male co-workers before Sehun found her.

Discovering a corner table Namjoo plopped down. The shadow of discomfort hovered over her as she slumped forward and quickly stuffed herself. Near the end of the day she dreaded walking alone to her car. Before it never mattered, but she realized she had felt safer in the company of Sehun despite them being strangers. But he liked her and she took faith in that he wouldn't harm her.

Taking the walk alone to fetch her car now made her uneasy. Why did she bother parking so far from the work place?

Increasing her pace Namjoo shuffled to her car.