Root Beer Float (Kaito x Meiko)

Eight

This was it. Today was the day. There was a nervous yet excited chatter spreading through the office due to the rumored promotion. Someone in the office had actually just been fired, so there was an opening. There were seven or eight of us in my division- we generally just responded to emails that people sent with inquiries about the land. But a promotion could mean actually handling money.

Haku and I had conversed about it earlier, who we thought might get a promotion, but deep down I thought it would be me. I had recently secured a location for a popular food chain that was sure to do well.

When it was time to leave, our boss, Miriam, stopped by and let us know that there was a promotion open, and I did not get it.

Haku did.

I half-heartedly congratulated her like everyone else, but on the inside I was completely crushed.

As I walked to the parking lot, I called Luka. "Hey, Meiko. Did you just get off of work?" She asked.

My voice was heavy. "Yeah, uh... I didn't get that job promotion."

The line went so silent for a moment that I thought she'd hung up. But finally she muttered, "Oh."

"Yeah," I said again, swallowing.

There was an awkward pause. "Well, I'll see you when you get home."

"Okay," I responded. "I think I'm gonna drive around for a little bit."

That was a lie. I just didn't want to go home and face her. I hung up and got into the car, my thoughts heavy. This wouldn't have been such a big deal if I hadn't constantly brought it up. I was so convinced that I would get the promotion, that we had begun to rely on it. That's why it was a problem.

As I drove, I did not wander around, in fact, I had a specific location in mind. I pulled up, feeling almost embarrassed, but I wanted to talk to someone other than Luka.

The shop's bell rang as I opened the door. Kaito had his back turned to me as he wiped some tables. "Sorry, we're closed."

"I wasn't planning on ordering anything, but alright," I said, getting ready to leave.

At the sound of my voice, he looked up. "Oh, Mei-chan! It's you!"

"Oh, yeah, nice to see you again!" His purple-haired friend waved from behind the counter.

Kaito walked over. "You remember Gakupo, right?"

"Yeah," I sat on a stool at the counter.

Kaito walked around and put his chin in his hand. "So what's up? This is the first time you've voluntarily come to see me."

I exhaled deeply and smiled back. "Oh, I don't know..."

"You totally do. You wouldn't come see me just because. Is... is something wrong?"

"Yeah," I kept the large grin on my face, so he would know it wasn't a really big deal. "I kinda screwed up, and I just want to forget about it for a while."

"Oh," he said, still contemplating what that meant.

I nodded. "I figured you'd be happy to see me. I know Luka is disappointed, and I don't wanna deal with that yet. Immature, I know."

"Gakupo?" He finally turned to his friend. "You don't mind locking up by yourself, do you?"

Gakupo had a huge grin on his face. "Oh, no, of course not. You two go have... fun. But be safe."

Why would he tell us to be... I realized he was implying something dirty and I turned the same shade of red painted on my nails. Kaito shoved him. "We're just going to get food. And we aren't dating!"