"Fallon, could you bring those plans to my desk?"
Fallon's head shot up in the direction of the commanding voice. Kippei Ebihara was looking at her with a stern expression. "Of course, Mr. Ebihara." She shuffled the scattered papers into a stack and tapped them on the desk a couple of times. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and headed toward him.
Even though they had spent a lot of time working together on this performance center project, she was still somewhat intimidated by Kippei. The past few weeks had not been easy. All she had been able to do in the beginning was make him yell. Through time and effort, she had managed to improve enough to cut that down to frequent criticisms and severe looks. Even so, he seemed to call her to his desk quite often.
When she arrived in front of him, he didn't look up. "Let's go in the conference room. We can spread out the designs in there."
Fallon nodded and followed behind him. Her grip on the papers tightened and her breath hitched. This was her third time trying. If this didn't go well, it could cost her the job. And her position.
Mr. Ebihara held the door open for her, and she passed through with subdued thank you.
"Okay, show me what you've planned."
Fallon spread the pages across the spacious desk. "By slanting the ceiling at this angle, the sound will go up and out. And if we utilize this space, we can add more seating without breaking code."
His eyes gave nothing away as he stared. "The lighting?"
"These hanging domes will provide soft light throughout the space and give plenty of light for the performers on stage. It's more cost efficient and aesthetically pleasing than stage lights."
"I see. This color. Are you sure about this red?"
Fallon gulped. 'Oh no, here it comes,' she thought. 'Do it again. It's not good. Were you even thinking?' Without realizing it, her shoulders fell a little. "Y-Yes. I think it will offset the cream and black accents nicely when used for the upholstery." She wouldn't mention she got the idea from the colors of his suit and tie.
He was quiet for moment, and she switched her weight from one foot to the other. Every second was agonizing as her pulse accelerated and her heart pounded. She wished he would get it over with so she could go back to her desk and start over.
"It's good. Keep going with it."
Fallon's eyes widened, and she glanced down to the papers to make sure he was looking at the right ones. "R-Really? I-I mean, thank you, Mr. Ebihara."
"It has a very open feel too it, yet it creates an intimacy between the performers and the audience. It's modern yet classic at the same time." As he spoke these words, he finally focused his gaze on her. "It's like you. I can tell you put your best efforts in to this design."
Fallon could only nod at such a compliment. She leaned over to gather the papers up in her arms.
"Fallon...you've got..." When she stood back up, Mr. Ebihara's hand slowly came toward her face. His fingers lightly brushed her cheek as he tucked a soft, auburn wave back behind her ear. His fingers lingered at the base of her jaw. "Your hair had fallen."
She could feel the heat rising to her face, and she knew she must be blushing. Her heart was pounding, but this time it wasn't from fear. "Mr. Ebihara...?"
"I think the upholstery should be more this color." He fingered the ends of the wayward strands before dropping his hand. "Everything else is good."
That was the first time he had praised her work. Though her pulse was racing, Fallon couldn't help but openly smile at him, a warm glow on her face. He looked down to the side, and Fallon thought she could catch the hint of a blush.
"Continue doing your best then. And keep Friday night open. The director has sent us tickets to the closing night of Lucia di Lammermoor as a thank you for building the new center. Do you have a gown?"
"No, sir."
"Then after lunch on Friday, we will go shopping."
"Really, that's not necessary."
"You can't go in your office attire."
His tone of voice told her it was decided, and Fallon wasn't able to go against that. "Okay, then. Thank you."
They walked side by side down the hallway back to the main office area. A gentler feeling towards him took space inside her heart. Though nervous, Fallon began to feel excited by the arrival of Friday. She didn't know that the same feelings had already been forming inside Kippei. She didn't know that he had already made reservations for a late dinner after. And she definitely didn't know that despite his gruff demeanor, he was even more excited about Friday than she was.