𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰

25 - Wishes.

The scent of the smoky cabs passing by in their 70’s and the roasted whiff coming from the Nuts 4 Nuts cart clouded Aiden’s nostrils, sending him the sign that they were no longer in the upscale side of the city where their building was situated. His hand clutched his satchel, as well as her hand, as their relatively intimate atmosphere managed to drown out the rowdy clamor of the bustling crowds and the man vehemently announcing the latest print of the Times.

This is the city of New York, no doubt.

After seeing the red glow turn green, they finally crossed the lane, minds forgetting the prior blurs of ink and crisp papers to erase their exhaustion. The cool July air brushed against their locks, ruffling Aiden’s in the process, eliciting a chuckle from Elsa when one of the black strands blocked his eyes.

Unfortunately for the couple, they have indeed missed their secret get-together during lunch, due to a certain creative director asking fifteen drafts from Aiden, and Elsa had to sit through six different meetings. The couple was just glad to seal the day with valuable efforts.

To Elsa’s relief, Aiden agreed to her request to split the bill, before they picked a seat and ate Ramen to their hearts’ content. Soon enough, empty bowls were gently cast aside, so they can finally enjoy each other’s company. “Sorry, just setting tomorrow’s alarm since I haven’t jogged for a week now,” Aiden sheepishly responded, slipping his phone inside the leather sling bag, “So, how was your day?”

Elsa’s smile faltered, completely, which sent waves of concern wafting in Aiden’s chest. His brows quirked and furrowed, his eyes softly urging her to go ahead and spill her situation or her current problem. Just seeing those patient green emeralds, Elsa’s uneasy frame relaxed.

“Have you ever felt like, everyone’s afraid to talk to you?”

Aiden frowned, and sadly he shook his head. “Not exactly, no, I’m afraid. I have the opposite situation.”

Aiden immediately regretted his words, predicting it must have caused the tension with her to grow. He didn’t want everything to be all about him and his noticeable flaws, but Elsa seemed to sense his discomfort. Reaching out a hand, she placed hers on top of his, her fingertips feeling the warmth of his knuckles.

“... I’m the one afraid to talk to someone closely. But... I do know that I can trust and tell you anything, right?”

“Yes, of course,” Elsa’s smile reappeared in her features. Mentally Aiden grinned in victory for returning her happy expression, but his intentions were genuine and not just to flatter her.

“Well then, you can trust me with anything too, you know. What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing, it’s just—today was also observation day, and I was of course doing my duty to survey over how the other teams are doing,” Elsa bit her lip. “Okay, go on.”

“I just wanted to ask how they were doing and they looked... Frightened, afraid, of me. I may be CEO and Chairwoman, but I’m a human too. I hate it when people force me to sit on a pedestal, and then they’ll be afraid I’ll be some kind of angry goddess when a minor screw-up happens.”

Aiden got the picture now, a grin plastered on his face. Leaning forward, he stared at her in anticipation, cupping her smooth cheeks in his hands until he tugged at the corner of her lips not too forcibly.

Soft lashes blinked upon the sudden contact of his thumbs on each corner of her face, yet the sensation made her stomach flutter. The pads of his thumbs were warm.

“You smile around me a lot,” Aiden spoke, “So I’m not saying you never do. But I think you need to smile around your employees more often. Come on, who wouldn’t warm up to that pretty smile of yours?”