Where Snow Can't Follow

Looking out the window, the warm summer breeze carried away my exhaustion along with the lingering chill of Atlantia.

What a lovely place.

"Tony's house is currently under renovation, so you're going to have to stay at my place for a few days. Your room's ready for you, so just go upstairs. It's the second room on the right, and it's right across from my room."

The room had a great view with a huge floor-to-ceiling window, but the décor was… Something else.

Pink. Everywhere.

I wouldn't even be surprised if I saw a rainbow unicorn somewhere. What, did he think I was a child?

In any case, I was too tired to play the straight man, so I freshened up and collapsed on the bed.

In my dreams, I returned to the day when I first met Lucas in high school. He leaned on the windowsill, wearing headphones as he read a book. The wind rustled the trees outside, tousling his hair and the hem of his snow-white shirt.

It was like a scene straight out of a movie.

Back then, the girls silently bet on who'd have the courage to confess first, and I was the one who stepped up without any hesitation. "Lucas, I like you."

I looked up at me, and a mocking sneer appeared on his face. "Are you a pig, Susan?"

That was enough to wake me up. Gosh, was I really that embarrassing back in the day?

Besides, if my memory served me correctly, he only gave me a smirk back then without saying a word.

Charles' voice came from outside the door right then, "Are you a pig, Susan? You've been asleep for an entire day and night! Get up and eat already!"

Charles was the one who prepared the meal, and it was quite good, to be honest. I shouldn't have expected less from the man who opened his own restaurant after being dissatisfied with the food he was served in restaurants.

On the topic of his past endeavors, he had earned himself a reputation for being… Spontaneous.

He liked playing drums, so he started his own band.

Once, he went on an expedition to collect a rock of some kind, and he had to be rescued by a rescue team on a helicopter.

At one point, he dropped out of university to pursue car racing, too.

If one got started on the amount of things he did that didn't conform to societal expectations, then they wouldn't be able to stop. It came to a point where his family simply couldn't take it anymore and sent him abroad in the hopes of teaching him responsibility.

Naturally enough, he found out that my brother was working over here, so he moved his branch company over as well… Needless to say, my parents were horrendously terrified that my brother, their one and only son, would be brought astray as well.

I, on the other hand, quite envied this way of living. He must have no regrets, living like that.

"Charles, what have you been up to these past few years?" I asked, curious.

"Business," he replied, without even looking up. "So… Why did you come all the way here?"

"To learn business from my brother."

Our conversation seemed painfully dry.

He furrowed his brow and thought for a moment, before he said seriously, "Since Tony's not here now, I'll teach you instead!"

-

And so, I started learning the tricks of the trade from someone who used to be a problem child.

As it turns out, a troublemaker in childhood was really something else when turning serious in adulthood… In multiple senses of the word.

I started working as Charles' assistant—following him around, serving drinks, making copies, running errands, things like that.

It was a bit of a waste for my fancy degree, to be honest.

Once, a girl who had just joined the office as a secretary snatched the coffee from my hand and strutted into Charles' office with a face full of makeup, a plunging neckline, and a clear agenda.

"Sir, your coffee."

Charles didn't even bat an eyelash. "Before you fake-trip and spill coffee over me, I have to remind you that my entire outfit comes to around 30 thousand dollars total. It's all handmade and takes at least three months to craft, so I suggest you weigh your options.

The girl quickly withdrew her foot, but then when she leaned down to place the coffee on his desk, she still made sure to lean forward as much as possible.

Without skipping a beat, Charles took out a handkerchief and covered his nose. "Woah, did you douse yourself in poisonous gas before you came here? My sinuses are acting up because of you!"

By the time she emerged from his office, her makeup was smudged with tears.

As the unwitting observer of this entire exchange, I could barely hold in my laughter.

"Susan, did you ever spend time in the military?"

I stiffened, not quite sure how to respond. "For a few weeks as a mandatory course for university… Why are you asking?"

"Well, I was just considering transferring you to the security department, considering how you stand at attention so well. Is that fine with you?"

"No, please don't!"

"Then get in here already!"

At that moment, I wanted to call my brother and ask him what had happened to Charles these past few years for him to develop such a sharp tongue.

Sitting at his desk, he casually crossed his legs, long fingers tapping the keyboard as his sharp eyes scanned the screen, his lips curled in a smirk.

"You wrote this quarterly report?"

I felt a little uneasy. "Yes, sir."

"It's pretty well-written..." He nodded.

"Thank you, I'll continue doing my best!"

Then, he looked up at me. "It reminds me of Romeo and Juliet.

"Rewrite this. I want it done before I get off work."

I was heartbroken, but backing down wasn't my speed. It was just a report! No way I'd let it defeat me!

And so, I kept writing until it was 10 at night.

"Are you still not done? It's way past dinner time, I'm hungry…" Charles grumbled, sitting in his luxurious chair, and I felt like I was sitting on needles.

An hour later, the food he ordered finally arrived.

"Come on, eat up! You won't be finishing anytime soon, so what's a few more minutes?"

Please, could someone put a mute button on him?

How could someone be so annoying?!

-

By the time I got home, it was already way past midnight. I barely had the energy to wash up before collapsing onto my bed.

Lately, my time and energy have been so drained by work that I haven't even dreamed in a long time.

Halfway through the night, I heard my phone ringing through my sleepy fog. It was the lawyer I had hired before going abroad. "Miss Stone, Miss Harper has refused to compensate you, but Mr. Carter has agreed to pay it in her stead if you go and meet him in person."

What, so now he wanted to see me? What was he playing at?

"Do I look like I need the money? Tell them that it's a matter of principle, and that I'll sue Lulu for deliberately damaging private property if I don't get any compensation. They'll do what's best for them."

By the time I hung up, I was completely awake.

Feeling parched, I went downstairs to get some water. That’s when I noticed the dining room light was still on.

I nearly screeched out of fright, but it was just Charles sitting there, hard at work.

"Only guilty people are scared of ghosts, you know."

I mentally grumbled, pouring a glass of water for myself and walking over to him.

"Oh, are you modifying my quarterly report?"

He shook his head and sighed. "I do have to show this to the company's shareholders, after all. If I showed them your report as it was, they might've gotten heart attacks over our company's imminent demise."

I wanted to tear him to shreds, but I quickly reminded myself that I was currently living under his roof.

"Fine, do that. I'll go back to bed."

When I turned around, I slipped, landing right in his lap. My lips brushed against his chest, and my upper body pressed against his chest. No matter how you spun it, this compromising position was far too intimate for a man and woman in the dead of night.

To make matters worse, I landed in a terrible spot.

His gaze flickered to my lips, and his breathing grew heavier. I could even hear his heartbeat and smell the fresh scent of aftershave.

"W-Well, I'm glad the water didn't spill!" I quickly found an excuse to stand up, yet his hand was still resting lighting at my waist.

"You know, I never realized people could slip on thin air." He withdrew his hand and turned away, fingers typing quickly on his keyboard.

"Good night, sleep tight! I'm heading back to my room!"

And with that, I bolted back upstairs.