Jase shakes his head, like he’s annoyed. “The worst part is that it’s true. You probably really could.”
FOUR
KIJA
Ican hear Grace’s cackling laughter as I approach my office.
It’s early.
Too early for Grace to be so jovial. She can’t even be through her first cup of coffee yet, because I have it clutched in my hand. One of our many agreements is that I provide her with tasty “treatos” in exchange for her unending devotion and stellar work ethic. I am more than happy to ply her with goodies because I’m very aware that I would be lost without her.
A sudden wave of panic washes over me, worried that I’ve missed a meeting with some office in another country where it’s still yesterday. I know she wouldn’t let that happen, though. She’d have called me, giving me a plausible excuse and a plan for making it look like I was the one right on time and they had gotten it all wrong.
The brightly-colored floral arrangement catches my attention as soon as I walk into the reception area outside my office. It would be impossible not to notice the way it stands out in a riot of pink, yellow, and orange against the otherwise muted monochromatic surroundings.
And there’s Grace, giggling, hands clasped over her heart as she gushes about the bouquet and callsLux‘cariad.’
Lux?
Lux, who for some reason is standing at Grace’s desk, giving her a charming smile and telling her she deserves to have beautiful things in her day.
He’s right, of course; she absolutely does. But why is he the one delivering them? What does he know that I don’t?
They both seem to realize I’m there at the same time. Lux’s eyes roam over me in a way that is so entirely obvious that I’m almost impressed at his total lack of subtlety. I’d been a little worried about what I was wearing today, but suddenly I feel pretty good about everything.
Grace clearly sees what he’s doing, too, and snickers as she reaches for the to-go cup I’ve still got ahold of. “Look at this lovely surprise I’ve got!” she exclaims, gesturing toward the flowers before she takes a sip. “Ah, coffee and flowers. What more can a girl ask for?”
There’s a moment where we’re all looking around at each other, unsure of what to do. I can’t go into my office because Lux is blocking the door, Grace is peering at me like she expects me to say something, and I honestly have no idea what. Finally I clear my throat and manage, “Good morning, Grace. Lux. The flowers are beautiful. Is there a special occasion I missed?”
Lux shakes his head. “No. Just because I wanted to let her know I appreciate her.”
“As everyone should,” Grace preens, nose in the air to sniff at the flowers again.
“So you’re trying to make me look bad because I only brought in a lukewarm caffeinated beverage?” I chuckle.
“Like you could ever look bad,” Lux mumbles.
I almost didn’t catch it, but Grace obviously did because the grin that lights up her face is absolutely devious. I don’t know what’s going on, and it’s starting to make me nervous. “It was nice to see you, Lux. I’m just going to…” I wave in the general direction of my office and take a step towards the door.
“You, too, Kija-hyung.” Out of the corner of my eye, I can see him give Grace a little bow. “Have a wonderful day, noona.”
“You, too, Lux-ah. Thank you so much again!” Grace calls as he takes one last look over his shoulder before he disappears down the hall.
Setting my bag on the floor, I have to wonder what all of that was about. I know Grace is well-liked and respected by the idols when she gets a chance to work with them, but most don’t ever get to interact with her. While I know she’s fond of the members of RYSING, I certainly didn’t realize that she was acquainted enough with anybody to be socializing or getting fancy flowers from them.
I’ve only managed to pull my chair out when Grace appears in my doorway. She immediately makes her way to the couch, sitting down with her coffee. “What a fantastic surprise this morning,” she says. “The bouquet, I mean. I expected the coffee. You need to step up your game.”
“I didn’t realize it was a competition,” I grumble. “Or that you handed out ‘cariad’so freely. I thought I was special.”
She reaches over to pat my cheek,tsk-ing at me. “It’s cute when you’re jealous.”
Scowling, I start to argue that I’m not, but Grace scoffs because she knows what I’m about to say. Instead, I point to her coffee. “You better enjoy your dalgona today, because that cup is your last.”
“Mmm-hmm,” she hums, taking another sip. “Do you want to know what’s on your schedule today, or do you want to sulk some more? Think fast; I have these beautiful blooms to enjoy.”
“You are unbelievable,” I tell her, but still settle in so she can catch me up.
???
