five

"Hi!" 

Nathan says loudly, making Ivy jump up on her spot. She heaves deeply when her gaze lands on the man standing by the door of her office. She trails her eyes mindlessly over his attire when she stops on the multiple tattoos on his forearms which were crossed across his chest. 

"Well hello, you startled me." She mutters looking down towards the papers in front of her again distracting herself so she doesn't keep staring at him or his forearms. 

"I did?" He asks hopping on the table, arms by his side as he watches her work. She gives him a questioning look and he chuckles patting her head slightly. 

"Don't trouble me, go have fun somewhere else if you're done writing." She waves her left hand in the air trying to make him go away. 

"I've written the first ten chapters, you just need to approve it." He says snatching the pen away from her hand so her full attention is on him. 

"Well, then leave it on my table and go." She crosses her arms over her chest and legs over each other.

 Taeho silently watches the scene from his small cabin which was outside her office but joined by one glass wall, he snickers at Nathan's pathetic attempts to get her attention and start a friendship. I mean who would wanna be friends with someone as arrogant as her. Not that she was rude, she was just weirdly arrogant, sweet but from afar. Keeping her distance too rigidly from people she has work for atleast a few years, maybe she was too full of herself.

But was this the truth? Was she really that weird and arrogant or was she just scared?

"No, I told you, you need to discuss all the details with me. We can do the editing together." 

"Alright Mr. Kim, let's get to work then." She sighs resting her back on the leather seat as he drags another chair, sitting down on it as soon as it is attached to hers. 

"Tell me what the story is about. The genre first." Her chin resting on her palm, she looks at him sideways, pushing her glasses up. 

"The genre is fiction, Romance fiction." He states with unsurity. Truth to be told, this was his first attempt at romance fiction. Fiction itself was a big deal and to top it off he was almost twenty six with no pretty experiences or chances at love. This book was a challenge to himself. 

"Okay. What is the subgenre?" She asks, eyes still locked with him making his palms sweat. 

"It's somewhere between young-adult and erotic romance." Her eyebrows quirk upwards as she nods in understanding. She did not take the man before her to be an erotica writer. Sure he looked like a sex god with the personality, height and muscles but to write about it? 

"Alright, go on. Why are you speaking in phrases?" She questions mindlessly looking for her journal so she could note down what she'd like to change about it. He clears his throat, thinking of where to begin when she gets up from her seat. To her it was an innocent act of just grabbing her journal from the shelves behind but what she didn't notice was how with one wrong step she could've been straight onto his lap. Her long hair slightly brushing his face as she tip-toes and grabs the book make him suck in a sharp breath. 

"Nathan? Are you okay? Is something wrong?" She questions with a frown, settling down on her chair again. He shakes his head, snapping out of the momentary gaze. 

"I'm alright. So yeah the story is about two people falling in love under unusual circumstances. It's an important book to me, I'd like it if you approve it." He says crossing his fingers discreetly. 

"Okay, can you elaborate on that. What unusual circumstances? Is it gender-specific love? Is it homosexual love? Is it based on patterns in the past or future patterns? Explain it to me." 

"Uh so far I've decided to keep it homosexual, it's based on future patterns, not all stories are connected to some deep rooted childhood stories. It's kinda different from my previous stories because first, romance isn't my cup of tea and second I've never written a story with both same gender protagonists so it's kinda difficult for me." He scratches the back of his head nervously. 

"Mhm. Are you by any chance weirded out by it?" She raises a brow at him, ready to kick him out if he turns out to be homophobic. 

"No, God no. I'm pansexual myself Ivy, why would you even think that?"

"Oh? I didn't know that. Well good then." She beams at him briefly before jotting down something in her journal. He smiles out of relief that the idea wasn't rejected completely. 

"Okay, let's start reading now." She gestures for him to come closer as she starts scanning the pages, a soft smile that formed on her face getting a little bigger by the end. Nathan smiles curious of what she thinks about it and also because of the amount of concentration she puts in her work. Had it been any other moment he wouldn't dare be this close to her since she had non-verbally but clearly defined the boundaries of physical affection but right now she was very much intrigued by his writing and the emotion he put in his work. 

Taeho on the other hand, grabs his bag, pulling out a small packet of doritos he starts to observe the two. The scene almost looking like a movie theater where a friends-to-lovers movie is playing and right now the male lead is very much attracted to the female lead but it obviously covering it up in the name of friendship. He rests his feet up on the table, one over another watching carefully as the two chuckle over something she must've said which he found oh so witty. 

She keeps the stack of printed paper down, smiling widely at Nathan. 

"You did great Nathan." She exclaims, forgetting about her own insecurities at the moment as she proudly pats the older boy's head, caressing his hair slightly. 

"T-Thanks." He replies with pink colored cheeks, startled by the sudden act of affection. 

Nathan: 1 / Han: 0 

"Oh by the way, I didn't know you had tattoos?" She asks still a little cheerful as she clears her desk ready to leave for home. It wasn't that late so she'd be fine alone too.

"Oh I wasn't wearing shorter sleeves so you didn't know but I have quite a lot of them. A few around the upper part and one on my ankle." He shrugs before stretching his body upwards after sitting for so long. 

Ivy's eyes unintentionally move from the desk to his flexing arms to his eyes, staying there for a few seconds before he looks away, too shy to maintain it. She chuckles, amused.  

"Okay, I'll be going home now. See you tomorrow." She waves at him before stalking to the door. 

"But we're supposed to work on the last book's final edit in English tonight." He exclaims running up to her to block the door. She sighs looking up at his gorgeous face which was not so surprisingly even more pretty this close. He smiles cutely and she shrugs turning around but he stops her again. 

"We can do it at my place!" He exclaims, mentally prepared to show her all his cute plants and dog. 

"No, I'm not going to your place." 

"Yours?" He asks in hopes that they'll atleast be closer then and maybe also because Han's never been there. 

"Alright but no messing up the place like your office." He nods seriously before extending his pinky out for a promise but she rolls her eyes at that, finding it uselessly because he'll mess it up anyways. 

"Promise," he whispers grabbing her wrist and locking their pinkies together. She doesn't get time to react as he was already running out with his papers dropping here and there. 

"Don't touch me next time." She snarls pushing past him but the reality wasn't that. 

Actually she didn't mind it this time.