"Worse," he said, sliding it toward her. "Take a look—might need a second pair of eyes before I lose it."
She skimmed a page, her lips parting as the jargon hit. "Wow," she breathed, a mix of awe and dread. "I've never seen anything this tangled. What even is this—some secret code?"
"Right?" Haari snorted, slumping further. "A headache with staples. Habi-san bailed to a meeting, so it's all me now." He paused, then grinned faintly, pivoting. "By the way, did you finish reading those books you got from the book fair?"
Ashi's face lit up, a spark cutting through her worry. "Halfway," she said, leaning on his desk's edge. "Yeah, I've finished about half of them. What about you?"
Haari chuckled, sheepish, scratching his neck. "Nah, I haven't even touched it."
Ashi raised an eyebrow, arms still crossed, her voice teasing but pointed. "Why? You said you liked books—thought you'd at least crack it open by now."
Haari shrugged, eyes flicking back to the file, his tone offhand. "I do, but it depends on my mood. I'm not some kind of bookworm or anything,—just dip in when I feel like it."
Ashi froze, her eye twitching like a fuse had sparked. "Uh," Her voice dropped, an edge slicing through the calm. "What'd you just say?"
He glanced up mid-scribble, catching the storm brewing in her stare. "I said I'm not some bookwo—" Her glare hit like a slap, and his brain screeched to a halt. "Oh! No, no, I didn't mean it like that!" He threw his hands up, pen clattering to the desk. "I was just saying I only read when I'm in the mood. I don't read all the time, but I still like books. That's all!"
Ashi exhaled sharp through her nose, eyes squeezing shut as she pinched the bridge of it. "Is that so," she said, flat and dry, irritation simmering under the lid.
Haari slumped back, a shaky breath slipping out. "Phew.," he muttered, barely audible, wiping imaginary sweat from his brow. " Once again I'm saved. Women are scary."
"What was that?" Ashi's head tilted, her focus still half on the file, fingers tapping the edge like a warning.
"Nothing!" he yelped, bolting upright, spine stiff as a board. "Just, uh—thinking out loud! Project stuff!"
She shot him a side-eye, lips twitching like she might call him out, but let it slide. "Uh-huh," she said, flipping a page with a little too much force.
Ashi tapped a chunk of the file, sliding it toward herself. "I'll take this part," she said, her tone brisk as she flipped it open, pen already poised.
Haari blinked, leaning back. "Huh? What about your own work—don't you need to get back?"
She smirked, not looking up. " It's under control don't worry about it, You have your own work to worry about."
"Okay, Thanks," he said, a grin tugging loose.
" It's nothing " Ashi smiled " We are friends after all so it's normal to help eachother out."
He reached for his cup of coffee, only to find it empty. "I'll grab some more coffee. Want anything?"
Ashi shook her head, her focus already back on the screen. " No, I'm good. "
He shuffled off, mug dangling, the office hum fading behind him as he aimed for the break room.
By eight, the office had dwindled to a skeleton crew—keys clacking, a lone printer wheezing in the distance. Ashi stretched her arms high, a soft groan escaping as she rolled her shoulders. " Looks like we've made solid ground," she said, glancing at the clock. "Should we call it a night?"
He tossed the pen onto the tamed pile—still a mess, but less feral now—and slumped back. "Thanks, Nicawa-san—you're a legit lifesaver."
Ashi stacked her notes, shooting him a half-smile as she straightened them. "Quit with the 'thanks' every five seconds, Kichiro-san. We're friends—helping's not a favor."
Haari grinned, rubbing the back of his neck, a nervous tic kicking in. "Sorry, a good habitmine slips out," he said, a sheepish chuckle tagging along.
Ashi puffed her cheeks, eyes narrowing into a cute, mock scowl. "You did it again. Hmph." She crossed her arms, leaning forward like a puffed-up kitten.
"Hehe," Haari laughed, soft and unguarded, slouching deeper into his chair.
"What's so funny?" she demanded, tilting her head, her pout holding firm.
"Nothing," he said, still grinning, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Just—you're kinda adorable when you're mad. Didn't expect that."
Ashi's face flared deep red, a flush racing up her cheeks. She snapped her head away, staring hard at the wall, her stack of notes suddenly the most fascinating thing in the room. Haari caught the shift, his grin turning sly. Oh, she's toast. He leaned closer,while her gaze was pinned elsewhere. "What's up, Nicawa-san? Why're you dodging me? Are you embarrassed or something?"
She huffed, voice tight. "Why would I be embarrassed? I've got no reason to be."
"Uh-huh," he teased, leaning in more, his tone dripping with doubt. "You say that, but your face's screaming a different story."
"I'm not," she shot back, still glaring sideways, her ears now pink.
"Really?" Haari pressed, his grin stretching, voice low and playful. He shifted closer, elbow nudging the file.
Ashi whipped around to face him, ready to snap. "What's your deal, Kichiro-san? It's—" Her words crashed as their noses bumped, lips brushing in a fleeting, electric graze. Time froze. Her eyes widened, his locked on hers—then they both recoiled, springing apart like they'd been zapped.
She jerked left, he swung right, bright red flooding their faces. Haari's hand flew to his mouth, Ashi's to her chest, the air thick with stunned silence. The file sat forgotten, a mute witness to the chaos.
"Uh—" Haari croaked, staring at his pen like it might save him.
"I—I didn't—" Ashi stammered, her voice a pitch higher, eyes darting to the floor.
They sat there, backs stiff, red as stoplights, the office's hum a cruelly normal backdrop to their meltdown.
The silence stretched, thick and buzzing, as Haari and Ashi sat rigid, faces still blazing red. Her eyes stayed glued to the floor, fingers clutching her chest like a lifeline; his darted to the ceiling, hand scrubbing his mouth like he could erase the last ten seconds. The file mocked them from the desk, untouched.
Haari's brain kicked into overdrive, a frantic mutter spilling under his breath. "Okay, okay—I was just messing around, y'know? Trying to shake off the exhaustion, lighten the mood after that damn file sucked the life outta me. Didn't mean to—that wasn't the plan!" He swallowed hard, sneaking a glance at her—still frozen, still crimson. Crap, I didn't think she'd turn, didn't mean to get that close—oh man, she's gonna kill me.
He cleared his throat, loud and awkward, forcing words out to fill the void. "Uh—Nicawa-san, I, uh—I was just kidding around, y'know? Distraction from this—" he jabbed a shaky finger at the file—"didn't mean to, uh… yeah. Sorry."
Ashi's head twitched, her gaze flicking to him, then away, her voice a tight squeak. "It's—It's fine."
" Huh?"
"I know It was just accident." She shoved her chair back an inch, the scrape echoing like a gunshot in the quiet.
"Right, yeah," he said, too fast, hands flapping in surrender. "Total accident. File's fault—exhaustion's fault. Uh, truce?"
She nodded, stiff, her flush fading slow. "Truce," she mumbled, grabbing her pen like it might anchor her back to normal.
Haari slumped, exhaling a shaky laugh to himself. Saved. Barely. Note to self: no more teasing when I'm brain-dead.
"Finally, it's done!" Haari stretched his arms above his head, sinking into his chair with a deep sigh. "Three whole days stuck on this project... I thought we'd never escape."
"Yeah, that was a nightmare," Ashi groaned, rolling her shoulders. "Honestly, I never want to see anything like this ever again." She leaned back in her chair, exhaling in exhaustion.
He snuck a glance at her from the corner of his eye—her hair mussed, her shoulders loose, a flicker of their old ease creeping back Looks like things are finally getting back to normal...
The next morning hit like a jolt—dreams replayed the kiss, lips brushing in vivid, heart-pounding slow-mo. Haari bolted upright, sheets tangled, face blazing red—No-nope! Ashi gasped awake, eyes wide in her dim room, cheeks aflame—Not again! Their hearts thumped, synced in flustered panic.
At the office, Haari lingered by the glass window, coffee steaming, Rafta chattering beside him. Ashi passed, files stacked high—their eyes locked, a split-second spark—then snapped away, red flooding their faces. Rafta's brow arched, smirk twitching, but he sipped in silence.
Break time found them on the benches, lunch boxes open—rice untouched, silence a choking weight. Haari stared at his food, mind racing. This is bad—awkward as hell. Gotta break it. He glanced at Ashi, nibbling her rice, her eyes down.
"The weather's… clean today," he ventured, voice stiff, grasping at straws.
Ashi jolted, chopsticks pausing, then looked up. "Yeah," she mumbled, gaze flicking to the sky—unchanged, ordinary. No lifeline there.
Silence crashed back, heavier. What now?! Haari's brain scrambled, panic rising—until Ashi's voice cut through, soft, hesitant.
"Um… Kichiro-san?" She fidgeted, fingers twisting her chopsticks, eyes darting to him then away. "Yesterday… with the file… you, uh, really hate paperwork that much?"
He blinked, caught off-guard, then huffed a small laugh, tension cracking. "Hate it? More like it's my mortal enemy—three days of that? I'd rather fight a bear."
Her lips twitched, a faint smile breaking through. "Same… I kept messing up the numbers—thought I'd lose my mind." She paused, then added, softer, "Guess that's why… things got weird, huh?"
"Yeah," he nodded, rubbing his neck, red creeping back but softer now. "Exhaustion's a beast—turns me into a dumbass. Didn't mean to, y'know… freak you out."
She shook her head quick, a flush dusting her cheeks. "You didn't! I mean—it was… weird, but not… bad-weird. Just… caught me off-guard." Her voice dipped, eyes meeting his, shy but steady. "We're good, right?"
"Totally," he grinned, relief flooding, his shoulders loosening. "Back to normal—file's the only casualty."
Ashi laughed, light and real, chopsticks tapping her box. "Good. Next time, we burn it instead of finishing it."
"Deal," Haari chuckled, digging into his rice, the silence gone—replaced by their old rhythm.
Next Day.
Ashi caught his stare, her stretch pausing mid-air. "What?" she asked, half-smirking, half-wary, like she might puff up again.
"Nothing," he said, quick but casual, leaning back with a lazy grin. "Just—nice to be free. You're not gonna miss this beast, right?"
"Pfft, no," she said, laughing soft as she shoved the file aside like it might bite. "This thing can rot in the archives. I'm celebrating with tea and a nap—maybe a book that's not gibberish."
The office's soft hum snapped as footsteps echoed—Rafta swaggered in, coffee cup swinging, his grin wide and lazy. He clocked Haari and Ashi's slumped, bleary vibes and shook his head, chuckling. "You two look like you've been chewed up and spat out. That file finally dead?"
"Barely," Haari muttered, rubbing his neck. "Three days of hell—done now."
Ashi nodded, stifling a yawn. "Never again. I'm banning files from my life."
Rafta snorted, leaning on Haari's desk. "Perfect timing then—new Indian joint just opened across the street. Spicy food, cold drinks—stress killer. Let's go."
Haari blinked, hesitant. "Now? I was thinking couch and—"
"Nope," Rafta cut in, waving off the excuse. "You're not moping indoors. Fresh air, curry—c'mon."
Ashi frowned, crossing her arms. "I've got tea planned, Densi-san. And I'm beat."
"Tea?" Rafta scoffed, grabbing her bag and Haari's jacket in one swoop. "Tea's for grannies—you're coming. No arguing—move it!" He herded them like stubborn sheep, ignoring their grumbles, and marched them out.
The shop buzzed across the street—bright lights, cumin wafting out, Bollywood tunes thumping low. They slid into a booth, Rafta sprawling like he owned it. The chef, a burly guy with a flour-dusted apron, spotted Rafta and flashed a thumbs-up. "Back already, huh?"
"Best samosas in town," Rafta called, grinning. "Hook us up!"
Ashi raised a brow, smirking. "You really don't think anything through, do you?"
"Why bother?" Rafta shot back, sprawling deeper. "Life's simpler when you roll with it—planning's for suckers."
They ordered—Haari grabbed some chicken tikka, Ashi went for paneer masala, and Rafta piled up a towering masala dosa. The food arrived quickly, sizzling hot and rich with the aroma of spices. Haari tore off a piece of naan, taking a bite before groaning in satisfaction.
"Alright, I admit it—this is way better than takeout. You win, Rafta."
"See?" Rafta said, chomping a samosa, crumbs flying. "Told ya—stress gone. Work's crap anyway. We've got one life, no replays, no 'oops, lemme try human again.' So quit wasting it on files—eat, laugh, live!"
Ashi snorted, swirling her paneer. "Deep stuff from the guy who lives off memes and naps."
"Hey, memes are philosophy," Rafta said, pointing his dosa at her like a sword. "And naps are self-care. You should try it—might fix that grumpy cat face."
"Grumpy cat?" she fired back, laughing. "Says the guy who'd sleep through a fire alarm!"
Haari cackled, nearly choking on tikka. "She's got you there—I've seen you snooze through Habi-san yelling."
"Skill, not flaw," Rafta said, unbothered, licking chutney off his thumb. "You two nerds overthink everything—files, books, whatever. Me? I'm living the dream—greasy fingers and all."
Ashi grinned, shaking her head. "Dream's one word for it. Mess is another."
"Mess is the dream," Haari said, joining the roast, wiping sauce off his chin. "But yeah—this? Way better than decoding hell."
Rafta raised his lassi, smirking. "To epic nights and epic fights—with files. Drink up!"
They clinked glasses—lassi, soda, water—laughing loud, the project's ghost fading in the spice and chaos.
As they stepped out of the shop, the warm air of the evening wrapped around them. The streets buzzed with life—cars humming, people chatting, neon signs flickering. Rafta suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes glinting with mischief.
"Hey, Haari, wanna play a little game?" he said, stretching his arms with a grin.
"Huh?" Haari raised an eyebrow, already sensing trouble. "We don't have time for that. We need to head back."
"This one won't take long," Rafta assured, already walking toward the corner of the road. "Come on, it'll be fun."
"But—" Haari started, sighing as he followed anyway.
Ashi trailed behind them, hands tucked into her pockets. She wasn't sure what Rafta was up to, but she decided to just watch for now.