Shifting Ideas

RING! RING!

Adam looked up. It was already 6:30 at night. Everyone was gone. even the janitors. Leaving Adam, with the night guards. It wasn't bad. But when Adam took a deep breath in, the emptiness that consumed the floor he alone was on, it felt thick and heavy in his chest. Adam shook the feeling off. Since he was off-hours, he moved to the floor. Sitting cross-legged, he continued doing the letters for Agatha's stories. Being on the floor helped him feel more natural, and maybe a bit relaxed...



"Why don't you go home early today, Tsuki?" Ben asked as he came up to the front after distributing the dogs' meds. "There are only thirty minutes left. I can watch the front and close up. You deserve to get a bit of rest today."
 
Tsuki smiled, relieved. She didn't want to admit it, but getting off early sounded wonderful! She was exhausted after all of the emotional turmoil and upheaval of her new job. Thirty extra minutes at home to maybe take a nice long bath or read a book sounded phenomenal. Maybe she'd be daring and read in the bath! Tomorrow she had to get up early to stop by and see Papa before going in to work, so a little pampering the night before would be marvelous.

"Thank you, sir, I'd like that, but are you certain you don't need anything else?" Tsuki asked, slowly reaching for her purse. If he said he did need something, she'd stay. He was a good boss.
 
Ben shook his head.

“Go home, Bella.” Ben chuckled as he saw her reach for her bag. “I’ll see you next week?”
 
"Thank you, sir! Have a fantastic evening!" Tsuki blushed a little at his use of her middle name then grabbed her purse and all but skipped out the door.

She loved the dogs, but oh it was good to be free after such a long day! She wasn't scheduled to volunteer tomorrow as it was her day to visit with Papa, so that should be easier. A quick stop in the morning to ensure the bills were caught up, work at the publishing house, then back to spend some quality time with Papa. She smiled as she got on her bike and peddled toward home. Tomorrow would be a much better day than today. She'd see to it!
 
“Come on!” Adam blinked and rubbed his face. His eyesight cleared a bit but his eyelids still felt heavy. His whole body felt heavy. Slowly, he looked at his clock, 8:30 PM. He could go home. Get some food and sleep, in a nice bed.

Adam’s head hit his chest, and he jumped. Rubbing his eyes furiously, he focused back onto the letter he was writing. He was on the 20th letter and the words were blurring together. Whether he liked it or not, he had to take a break. With a sigh he fell back onto the floor and stared at the ceiling.

“Just a little break,” Adam sighed as he closed his eyes and curled within himself.
 
The next morning, Tsuki dressed professionally in black and white. Or at least as professionally as she knew how. A sleeveless white dress that ended just below her knees, black tights, and a black sweater. That was what business people wore, right? And yes, a lot of people thought skirts and bikes did not mix, but she'd never had a problem. She tamed her long black hair, put on just a touch of makeup, and headed out the door, humming to herself. Today was going to be a good day!

She managed to keep that attitude all the way to the care center where her father was despite the car door that opened right in front of her. She even managed to keep it when they had to discuss a new expense that had cropped up. Riding the rest of the way to work and almost getting hit by what looked like the same car that had almost smacked her with a door nearly killed her good mood, but she finally stood in front of the building fixing her helmet hair and locking her bike. There! Made it without any harm done! That was probably going to be her biggest accomplishment of the day, but that was still a big accomplishment.

The elevator ride took her to the appropriate floor, and she put her purse in her cubicle and grabbed her earpiece, checking to see if she had any notes while the computer warmed up. She'd check her email then go see to Mr. González. She was five minutes early, and that should give her plenty of time to at least skim the email box to make sure there was nothing earth-shattering going on.
 
Adam groaned awake. When he blinked away the sleep in his eyes, he saw it was 4 in the morning. He slept for longer than he wanted, but at least now when he read things, they weren't blurring together. With only a few hours before people came in for work, he could only do some of the letters. It would have to do.

With a hefty sigh, Adam stood up and stretched. His back cracked a bit as he stretched his long body. Then he went to the bathroom to freshen up, grabbing the small travel kit in his desk. His mother always said that having one at work was handy. With a small smile, he agreed. For a quick clean up in the company bathroom, it was perfect. His clothes were wrinkled and his eyes were a bit dark, but he felt better. Maybe even, good. Except for the empty stomach. But that was nothing he couldn't handle. Rejuvenated a bit, he went back to doing the letters till 8.
 
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Tsuki finished glancing over the emails. Nothing needed to be dealt with immediately. Actually, she wasn't certain there was anything she needed to deal with at all. She'd look at that more closely later. For now, she gathered up the cup of coffee she'd fetched from the break room and walked over to Mr. González' office door. She checked the time then tapped on the door precisely at 8 am.

"Good morning, Mr. González," she greeted, letting herself in. "I brought you a coffee. Shall I leave it on your desk?" She stood back, holding the cup securely. The last thing she wanted was a repeat of yesterday's coffee incident.

She took a second to look him over. He looked... completely trashed. What on earth had he done? Slept in the office all night? She didn't see a couch, so if he had, it had either been on the floor or at his desk. The poor fellow was a bit pale and shaky, though still somehow more or less put together. He looked like those people she'd seen at the airport or bus terminals; the type who were on their fourth layover and still had a long journey ahead of them. She made a note to tread very lightly around him this morning and try not to take anything he said personally. Anyone who looked like that was bound to be a little snappy, and she couldn't really blame him.
 
He when the door opened at 8 he looked up from where he sat cross-legged on the floor. He didn't even have time to react as the door opened.

"Good morning, Mr. González. I brought you a coffee. Shall I leave it on your desk?" Tsuki came in. Adam blinked and rubbed his eyes.

"You're really short." Adam gaped as he stared at her white-clad stomach. While he knew he was tall, when he sat cross-legged on the floor, he usually came up to people's thighs. And he has seen how short Tsuki was. It was just that now it was extremely noticeable. "Really, really, short."
 
"Yes, sir, I am short," Tsuki said without missing a beat. Not what she'd expected to walk into, but she pretended like it was nothing out of the ordinary. She started carefully tiptoeing around the papers he had strewn on the floor to reach the desk. "That is usually the first thing people notice." She paused and set the cup on the desk with both hands before turning back to him. "It may or may not come from my father's side, but my mother is not exactly tall, either."

She stepped back around to stand by the door and placed her hands behind her back. "I know it is only 8 in the morning, sir, but do you have any lunch requests? I thought perhaps you could let me know early, and then I can plan it into my schedule rather than asking you at the last minute while you are busy and distracted."
 
As Tsuki talked, Adam watched. Following her every movement. Her comfortable scent had not changed, except that she smelled like the hospital. More so today than yesterday. But she appeared to be fine. She talked as if she was fine. Her trek from putting the strong coffee onto his desk then back to the door was stable. So why did she smell like a hospital?

Then he realized she was asking him something. Something about food and lunch right.

"Food," He blurted out. The unfitting smell in her usually comfortable scent was on his mind. "Um, I want food." He narrowed his eyes and took another sniff of the air. He still smelled that undertone of the hospital and sickness that came from her. "Did you go to the hospital? Are you sick?" He couldn't afford for himself or anyone else getting sick.
 
Tsuki frowned a little as he rambled, blurting out about food. She hesitated then addressed his hospital question first. How had he even known about that? "I am not ill, sir, certainly not enough to be in the hospital. I was visiting someone in care, no it is not contagious, and I shall chose not to ask how you know about my personal whereabouts because that is rather unsettling," she stated. No point in hiding it. "Do you want a particular type of food right now, sir? Breakfast related, perhaps?"
 
Adam blinked as heat rose to his cheeks. "Uh," He didn't mean to intrude on her life. He just wanted to know why she smelled different. Maybe she didn't know that she smelled like the hospital? So, if he told her, then she wouldn't feel so unsettled. But he should answer her question first. He cleared his throat, trying to gain some composure.

"That, that would be nice." He hummed. The hunger hit him hard, mouth already salivating at the thought of food. He felt a bit of drool coming out of his mouth, snapping him from his fantasies. He roughly wiped the drool with his sleeve. "Um, just get whatever you like." Then he looked away and at the pen, he was fiddling with.

"I, you, smell like disinfectant and medicine. I just remember that smell from the hospital. And people who smell like that," Like his mother. He banged that thought away with the pen he was taping on the floor. "They're usually not well," Adam shrugged. He hoped that unsettled her some, and it made him look less like he was prying into her life. Because he wasn't. It was just an observation. That's all.
 
Tsuki blinked at his admission and instinctively looked down at her arm. She smelled of the hospital? She hadn't even thought she'd been there long enough for the scent to soak into her, but then again, maybe he was just sensitive to the smell of disinfectant? Why? What could he- Oh. His mother, right? The lady González. That must be it.

She cleared her throat before returning to her professional pose. "Thank you for your concern. I apologize for the smell, sir, and will make certain it never happens again. I'd also like to assure you that no one is ill with anything contagious." She took another breath. "I will go and get you something to eat, sir." She stepped out, carefully closing the door behind herself.

Had that been an abrupt exit? Probably, but she really didn't want to continue a conversation about her personal life or smell. That was just... awkward. She hurried out, intending to get some kind of breakfast sandwich and hopefully run across Paige along the way.
 
Adam blinked as he looked at the empty spot Tsuki had been in. She seemed a little bit more settled but then left in a hurry. Did he do something wrong? He did not mean to offend her, but at least now he knew that she wasn't sick. With a shrug, Adam gathered the letters and drafts on the floor. Stretching, he got up and dropped those on his desk as he got some of the work's actual work and his laptop. He circled the spot he was sitting in before, trying to decide if he wanted to continue work there. The unnatural part of him begged to do it there, and today, that part of him was really loud. He sat on the ground, laptop in his lap, and continued working.



"Did you have fun yesterday?" Emma asked Paige as they rode the elevator up.

"I did," Paige smiled. "Tsuki is very nice and sincere." Her smile widened as Emma sighed.

"Well, if anyone could get through her, it would be you." Emma smiled at Paige. Paige laughed as the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

"I try not to judge a book by its cover." They stepped out of the elevator and saw Tsuki down the hall. "Tsuki!" Paige waved at Tsuki.
 
Tsuki's expression lit up in a smile when she spotted Paige and Emma. She kept herself contained but did lengthen her stride a little. "Hello, you two," she greeted as she joined them. "I am on my way to get a bit of breakfast for Mr. González," she explained. "I do not think he's eaten at all this morning, so I offered to go fetch him a bit of food."
 
“Oooohhh! The café is really good.” Paige hummed. “Their muffins are the best!” Emma nodded.

“I wouldn’t mind a danish from there.” Emma added with a shrugged.

“We’ll take you there!” Paige ran back to elevators. Emma chuckled.

“She’s trying to beat the rush.” Emma explained. “But, I’m pretty sure it’s already there.” She whispered to Tsuki.
 
Tsuki giggled as she followed them. "A muffin would be great. I wonder if they have any protein from there? And milk, probably, maybe juice... He needs to live off something other then caffein." She glanced at Emma. "How is your project going? I saw you working on something yesterday."
 
“Just ask Mark. He’s the owner and a good friend of the Gonzálezs. Well, Lucas.” Paige offered before Emma spoke.

“And I was just calling the advertisers for the book. It’s honestly one of the worst parts of making a book.” Emma huffed. “You would think people advertising a children’s book would be less like snakes. But no they’re more like ravenous wolves!” Emma took a deep breath.“But, I’m really excited about this story. It is very sophisticated and something everyone should know.” Emma sighed as her eyes lit up.
 
Tsuki nodded her thanks to Paige, though she couldn't see herself talking to the owner of the cafe. He might think she was after favors and name dropping. Then again, if she made it clear it was for Mr. González, then perhaps he would be more understanding. Maybe she should ask him about opening a tab for him? She couldn't buy his meals every time, but she didn't know if he'd trust her with something like a company card. Maybe if it was one of those that you only put a set amount of money on? Like cash, but easier to refill. She put that aside to figure out later.

"You have to tell me more about this book," Tsuki said, smiling at Emma's excitement. "It must be fantastic to earn that kind of praise!"
 
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