Of all people.
The red door had been staring at Gen all day.
She was currently pretending to listen to Moss explaining why this particular circuit board was so amusing, while she warmed her hands with a cup of cold tea.
"So you see it's really very simple" said Moss forcing her to look away from the foreboding red oblong and make eye contact
"Yes, perfectly simple" the eyes had wandered back to the door, and all the voices had paraded back into her head.
You like him don't you? (It wasn't even a question anymore it was an accusation)
Don't be silly she's in love with Roy you birk!
But Richmond' gorgeous, Roy looks like yesterdays jam
"Shut up, shut up! All of you!" Gen mumbled under her breathe
"What did I say?!" Moss asked slightly hurt
"Nothing!" shouted Gen as she ran out of the room teary eyed.
The door opened and Richmond's head peered around. "I didn't do anything" Moss said defensively before anyone could accuse him of anything.
"I know" Richmond answered simply in his strange captivating voice.
"Oh… well just in case you thought I did…I didn't" Moss trailed off not looking at him as he spoke. Richmond gestured at Gen's office as a way of asking if she was in there. Moss nodded still not looking at him. Richmond strode across the room like a strange broken kind of grace, knocking on the door so lightly that she wouldn't hear but still so that he had done it. He walked in.
Gen was sitting in her chair staring blankly at the tissue in her hand watching her tears falling on it. She looked up as he entered.
"Oh" she exclaimed, trying to mask the fact that she was crying for emotional reasons and making it look as though it was "just a bit of dust in my eye…I didn't hear you--em, what can I do you for? What can I do for y--- oh fuck it." She ended miserably Richmond moved across the room in a surprising amount of time and stood in front of her desk, he twisted his rings around her fingers and shifted his weight from one foot to the next. His hand thrust out of his coat holding what looked like a gift wrapped cd.
"It's cradle of filth it' got me through some pretty bleak times…try track four it sounds—" "Horrible but really it's quite beautiful" Gen finished.
He put it down on her desk and turned to leave.
"Oh please don't" he turned at the door, a confused expression on his face that made him look like a boy.
She stood and walked to where he stood.
"No one else needs to know" Richmond gave her another look that made him seem even more boyish and make her feel like a peter file. She held onto his hand, and feeling stupid letting their arms hang there she began to swing them. They started to laugh and eventually let their arms drop again.
Both sets of eyes fell to the floor struck by some kind of embarrassment that anyone older then 12 shouldn't feel when around someone they share feelings with.
Cautiously they looked up at each other. Holding the others gaze.
Gen took a step closer and Richmond put his arm around her waist pulling her even closer till their noses were only millimetres from each others.
"Oh God what am I doing?! This will never work" she said frantically "Nothing else here does" Richmond breathed onto her face softly and gestured with his head to the room holding Moss and Roy, Gen giggled quietly. Richmond stroked from her ear to her chin then putting just his finger tips under guided her chin upwards and brought his lips down to meet hers.
The kiss seemed to last an eternity even though it was only a few seconds. Richmond rested his forehead on Gen's. Only yesterday they were worlds apart but now shared an atmosphere breathed the same air. Gen closed her eyes and cherished his warmth smiled at the feeling of his trembling leg hitting off hers, but he probably wasn't embarrassed because she was sure he could hear her heart fighting to break free of it's bone cage if only to be closer to him.
So to satisfy her heart she let Richmond hold her close to him closer then she had ever been to another person emotionally or physically. She buried her face into his hair and mumbled
"Of all people"
"Tell me about it" he replied, and grinning from ear to ear, hidden from everything, everthing except the man she was sharing this glowing warmth with, she had become even if only for a few seconds the happiest person in the world.
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