ONE
The tall and exotic building was situated in the heart of the city known as Radiant Gardens. Known for its superior status, it wasn't a mystery as to why Light Seduction was one of the three biggest fashion agencies in the province as they were famous for being a place where aspiring designers young or old could continue to hone their skills.
A long list of names sat on his large black desk. With his elbow propped on the glass surface, his knuckles resting on his cheek, he yawned loudly. His blue eyes gave a quick sweep of the paper, choosing to ignore the mountain of manila folders sitting on the far end of the table. This was pure torture. Not only was he in charge of selecting the most suitable candidates from a massive pool of students' profiles this year, he had multiple tasks waiting for him that he had procrastinated throughout the day.
It was a pain in the arse being a 'CEO in training'.
Unbeknownst to him, the door to his office had swung open to reveal a boy similar in appearance. Like him, he was nicely dressed – a suit, tie, and all. He was leaning against the wall, mentally laughing at how pathetic his brother looked sitting at the desk, trying to hold on to his last bit of sanity.
"Hello, Roxas."
The man sitting at the desk spared a glance at his younger twin brother, Ventus Decastére, an annoying brat who had a similar adventurous personality, but a more flirtatious attitude towards women.
"What do you want, Ven?"
With his hands in his pockets, Ventus walked towards him and once he was in close proximity, he jumped on his brother's table, his legs dangling over the edge as he swung them back and forth like a five year old child.
"I thought you would be at least somewhat happy to see me. It feels like we haven't seen each other for weeks," Ventus said.
"We work in different departments," Roxas said dryly. "It's rare that you would ever drop by. Usually you just get someone else to do that for you."
"Oh, don't give me that distant attitude," Ventus smirked. "Since I'm here, let's go for a cup of coffee or something."
Roxas's eyebrow rose. Only Ventus would be crazy enough to go for a coffee break at one in the morning. "I can't. I have too much to do."
"Ooh, someone's been procrastinating again."
Unfazed, Roxas rolled his eyes. "Can you do me a big favor, Ven? I would really appreciate it."
"Shoot."
"Get the hell out of my office."
Ventus snickered. It wasn't a surprise that his darling twin brother Roxas would be so snappy. He had been juggling meetings and paperwork all throughout the day without more than a minute's rest. Though, if he had used his time a little more efficiently, perhaps he wouldn't be swamped in folders and papers right now.
"Need some help? You can get started on the paperwork while I slave through this massive pile of folders," Ventus suggested.
Roxas looked at him dubiously and said the first thought that popped in his mind, "Are you on crack or something?"
"Excuse me?" Ventus scoffed. "I have time management skills. You do not. I work effectively and efficiently. You do not. I always get my work done before the end of the day. You obviously do not."
Roxas scowled. Ventus hopped off the table and picked up the first manila folder as Roxas heaved a bunch of papers that had been collecting dust underneath his table ever since this morning. Ventus grinned and his blue eyes scanned down the page, briefly reading her information in each category. She was pretty with her light brown eyes and long black tresses that were brushed to one side. Her smile was captivating, and Ventus felt an instant attraction. He was, after all, very much attracted to long haired girls with a pretty face.
"She looks nice," Ventus said, handing Roxas the folder. "Doesn't she?"
Roxas took a quick glimpse then looked at Ventus. "If you mean 'hot', which I assume that you do, then yes. She looks very nice."
"So you've finally caught on, huh?" Ventus laughed as he pulled up a chair.
"This is exactly why I need to stay as far away from you as possible," Roxas said. "Your bad habits are rubbing off on me."
Ventus scoffed loudly. "Oh, please. You're just as much as a flirt as I am."
"No. I'm better. " Roxas smirked, a teasing hint to his tone.
Ventus closed the folder and playfully smacked it against his brother's pretty face. Known for their handsome appearance, the Decastére brothers were delicious eye candy wherever they went. Much to the delight of the female employees, they considered themselves as having a front row seat and flirting rights during coffee and lunch breaks.
After the very mature argument of bouncing back the phrase "I'm better", Roxas began slaving through the extremely boring paperwork, and Ventus plowed through the other folders but spent a little more time with girls with an appealing appearance.
When he was nearly halfway through, Ventus became fairly intrigued by a familiar face. Her smile was faint but noticeable, and her blue eyes were a lighter shade than the brothers'. Shoulder length blond tresses framed her pale, childlike complexion and if looked closely, one would find light rings underneath her eyes which were evidence of a sleepless night.
Her name was just as foreign sounding as he remembered. Naminé Sparks – a girl he went to school with during junior high and part of high school. Ventus's eyes landed on Roxas without a turn of his head. The former wondered if his brother would remember her. They did have a history together after all.
"Hey Roxas," Ventus said, turning the folder around.
"What?"
"Do you remember her?"
Roxas glanced to the side and upon seeing the small photograph, his heart leapt unexpectedly. He nodded once and went back to his paperwork without a second look. Ventus, very amused, inched the folder towards him just to see if he could get a better reaction out of his seemingly calm brother.
"You okay?" Ventus smirked. "You don't look so well."
"I'm fine, Ven," Roxas said dryly.
"So…you remember her?" This time Roxas had no reaction. His eyes were glued on the paper, his hand writing like mad but Ventus had no intention of dropping the subject anytime soon. It was his job to make his brother's life as difficult as possible. Wasn't that what siblings were for? "Come on, Roxas. I know you remember her," Ventus probed. "Remember that time when you asked her to homecoming but we all ended up going as a group anyway? So much for your—"
"Ventus," Roxas said sternly, startled by his own low voice. "Yes I remember her, okay? If you're going to continue being a dick, then get the hell out."
"Well, she fits the qualifications almost perfectly. The work that she submitted with her profile is pretty outstanding for a girl her age," Ventus explained. "I think it'll be good for the company if we accept her as an intern this year."
A pause.
Ventus inched his chair forward. "Can I ask you one last thing?"
"What?"
"Do you guys still talk?"
Roxas sighed loudly. "Does it matter?"
Ventus shrugged, "Nah, not really. I got my answer anyways." Roxas scowled but said nothing as his amused brother moved on to the next folder. Feeling Roxas's stare on him, Ventus looked up, his eyes wide with innocence. "What?"
"Fuck you."
"What? What did I do?" Ventus asked, trying to suppress his smile. When his brother said nothing, he laughed loudly, fueling Roxas's irritation even more.
~x~x~
She could still hear her heartbeat beat rapidly in her chest as she recalled herself expertly weaving through the students yesterday at school. Her bottom lip was curled inwards as her dark blue eyes frantically searched for her name on the multiple lists. After three years of tears, hard work, and dedication, there was no way her name could not be on any of these lists. So when she finally caught a glimpse of the name Naminé Sparks scrawled underneath the list for Light Seduction, she uncharacteristically squealed in delight.
Her reverie was suddenly interrupted as she heard loud snapping in front of her. Blurred fingers came into sight, and soon she was looking at the annoyed face of her step sister, Kairi Knightley, a feisty, sarcastic, and outgoing redhead who had, without a doubt, also made it on the same list.
"Did you hear what I said?" Kairi snapped.
"Yeah, yeah, of course I did," Naminé said as she averted her eyes elsewhere.
"Really?" Kairi said doubtfully. "What did I say then?"
Naminé eyed the dress Kairi was holding in her right hand. The former quickly glanced back to her and smiled, "You're wondering if that dress is too expensive and if it's suitable for the party on Saturday."
Kairi sighed loudly and plopped down beside her, her cheeks enlarged. "And your opinion is?"
"I think it's nice. It's very…you."
Kairi held up the dress and pouted as her eyes gave another sweep of the expensive, strapless, light pink dress with a rectangular jewel placed underneath the chest area. "You think? Don't think my boobs will be too small?"
Naminé laughed. "You should get it."
Kairi lightly slapped her sister's leg. "What about you? Don't tell me that you're going to walk out of here empty handed."
Naminé stood up. "Nah, I'll get something for sure. It's a big party, and I don't really wanna look underdressed."
"It's a big and expensive party." Kairi corrected. "C'mon, let's find you something!"
As the girls rummaged through the multiple dresses in the boutique, Naminé became more and more entranced. It had been God-knows-how-long since she had a proper shopping trip. Blame the assignments and exams for that.
Naminé picked out a knee length stunning white dress that had gold sparkles embedded within. She placed the dress over her and looked down. It appeared to fit her perfectly and as she heard footsteps coming behind her, she turned around and saw Kairi who had multiple dresses draped over her arm.
"What do you think?" Naminé asked.
Kairi thoroughly looked at the attire and shook her head. "You always wear white. Why not try something different?"
Naminé frowned. "But I like white."
"Nothing wrong with that," Kairi held up a dark blue dress and shoved it to her. "Try this one. I think it'll look amazing on you! Besides, it totally matches your eyes," she smirked.
Naminé held the dress up and glanced up and down. It was sleeveless and would reach a little above her knees. The bodice was decorated with tiny, star-like beads which were placed in an S pattern. It appealed to her, but it was just a little out of her comfort zone.
"No buts!" Kairi said loudly as soon as Naminé opened her mouth. "Go try it on and thank me later." The former snatched the white dress out of Naminé's hands and draped it over her arm. "No more white."
"But—"
Kairi held up her hand and Naminé sighed loudly as she was ushered to the dressing room.
She blinked several times, unable to believe that the girl in the mirror was her. The dark blue dress Kairi had rudely shoved in her arm was a comfortable fit. Though it was a little short in Naminé's opinion, it looked very nice on her, emphasizing the little curves that she had which embarrassed her a little.
Naminé stepped out of the room and saw Kairi who was sitting outside swinging her legs back and forth, phone in hand, texting a friend.
"How does it look?" Naminé asked.
Kairi looked up and jumped to her feet. "It looks amazing! You have to get it!"
"I really like it too," Naminé grinned. "Yeah, I think I'll get it."
That night, as Kairi was singing loudly in the shower, Naminé turned on her laptop and logged onto Skype like always. Her eyes immediately went to the contacts list, and her heart dropped slightly upon noticing that he wasn't online. She stood up and grabbed a small white towel that was sitting on her bed and wrapped it securely around her wet hair before heading to the kitchen. As she poured herself and Kairi a glass of milk, that was when she heard it – the beep coming from her laptop.
She rushed back to her seat and smiled as she noticed the one unread message.
Roxas: Naminé? 10:45 PM
Naminé: Hey Roxas! 10:46 PM
Naminé switched on her desk lamp as she heard Kairi coming out of the shower.
"The milk's on the counter!" Naminé shouted.
Roxas: Gratz on your acceptance 10:48 PM
Naminé: Haha are you sure you didn't pick me just cause we know each other? 10:50PM
"You didn't even heat it up!" Kairi said loudly.
Roxas: Ha-ha. Very funny. No I did not loser. -.- 10:51 PM
"I didn't? Sorry, my bad!"
Naminé: So what's with the party on Saturday? 10:51 PM
"Naminé, do you want something to eat?" Kairi asked, poking her head in their room. "I'm kinda hungry but I don't wanna cook something if you're not."
"Sure, why not. What are you in the mood for?" Naminé asked, turning to look at her sister.
Kairi tapped her chin, her eyes fixed on the ceiling, "Soup!"
Naminé glanced at the clock. "It's already eleven though."
Kairi frowned. "So? We're hungry!"
Roxas: Sora is coming back for a year and his birthday is on Saturday, remember? My mom wanted to do something special for him and my dad thought it would be a good idea to invite the new interns too. 10:53PM
"Okay, sure," Naminé chuckled. "Cook whatever you want."
"Uh, you have to come help me!" Kairi yelled as she walked to the kitchen next to the bedroom. "Get your butt over here!"
Naminé: Sora's coming back? REALLY? He didn't tell me anything. 10:56 PM
When Roxas didn't reply right away, Naminé opened up an Internet browser and started surfing the web - more specifically the online shopping sites. She heard Kairi take out a bunch of pots and pans from the kitchen and a quiet groan escaped her lips before another light beep came from her chat.
"Naminé, hurry up!"
Roxas: He probably wants to surprise you when he gets there hahaha 11:00 PM
"Naminé, hurry up!"
Naminé Ugh I have to go. Kairi wants me to help her cook. 11:03 PM
Roxas Haha okay. Have fun with that. :P 11:04 PM
"Naminé!"
Naminé Lol thanks -.- 11:04 PM
"I'm coming!"
She minimized her browsers and stood up, rolling her eyes as she heard Kairi loudly nagging from the kitchen.
From halfway across the city, Roxas was sitting at this desk, frustrated as he finished filling out the rest of the documents that needed to be finished for the day. He placed the pen on the table and sighed loudly as he leaned back on his chair. Roxas glanced at his expensive laptop and watched the busy group chat that consisted of his closest friends. Naturally his eyes wandered to Naminé's, and though he knew she wouldn't reply, he clicked on it and started typing nonetheless.
He stared at it for a few seconds, wondering if it sounded too formal, or perhaps a little flirty? Either way, he disregarded the thought and pressed the enter key, knowing that she would be thinking the same thought as him: friendly with a sprinkle of flirty-ness.
