Of Gravity and Games.

"There will always be gravity between us."

Two knocks were heard and a door was opened and out stepped Natsume Hyuuga, CEO of Alice Enterprises. In his hands held a violet wrapped gift with a yellow ribbon. He was dressed for a party – a casual red polo and jeans although his face showed no joyful expression to indicate he was going to attend one. He took a quick look at the office and decided it was empty and approached the oak desk in the middle of the room. Before he could set the gift down, he felt a chill run down his spine and he knew she'd been watching him all this time.

A swivel chair turned behind the oak desk and there she was in her glory (or was it arrogance?) "A gift for me, Hyuuga? You shouldn't have," Her tone was that of icy sarcasm, challenging him to a battle.

The boy in turn gave a snort at her statement and played with the violet box in his hands. "You required it," He said with bland interest.

She watched as the gift played back and forth in his hands and silently made a remark how they were so alike with the gift being played with: they were always back and forth in arguments, in stares, in insults. 12 years have passed – if nothing stopped them before, what could stop them now?

The only thing that could stop them was –

The gift that was passed between his two hands clattered to the ground noisily and she looked at him with a scornful glare.

-gravity.

She got up from the swivel chair and walked over in front of him. She crossed her hands in front of her chest and tapped her foot on the floor incessantly. She was Hotaru Imai, Chairman of the Board in Alice Enterprises. She was dressed in a purple ruffled blouse and a black pencil skirt – dressed more for a meeting than a party. She tilted her head upwards to look into his eyes and gave him a cold glare. He stared back down her, expressionless and then her tight lips twisted to one of a smirk.

She glanced at the gift on the floor and looked back up to his eyes. "Aren't you going to pick that up?" She mockingly told him.

His eyes lighted with amusement and he recognized her patterns immediately. She planned to play a game with him, so be it. "And waste all my precious energy? Someone who sits around and does nothing all day would surely have more energy than me," He replied sarcastically. His lips turned to his own smirk.

Her arms then went from her chest to her hips – indicating what he predicted: a game to be played. "Some people should really learn their place before they don't have one anymore." She said wittily.

His eyebrows rise as if wanting to challenge the statement. She raises her own eyebrows mentally asking him if he really wanted to challenge it. He is about to remark but she cuts him off with a painful set of words.

"Would your wife really want you out of a job?" She coldly retorts to his gestures.

He stares back down at her and her piercing eyes. They dance in amusement at the game she knows she has already won. He gives a resigned sigh and bends down to pick up her Christmas gift. Her hands are open now – indicating she wanted the gift to be given to her directly. He takes a quick glance at her fair, small hands and how many years it would take to live this moment down.

He bends and stops several inches away from her face and yet she doesn't flinch – she doesn't even move. The gift was hovering above with a gap of a few centimeters left. He dares to lean in closer and he doesn't notice how she has held her breath. A few more centimeters and they would be kissing.

He smirks and she knows she has lost the game.

"Your husband might be the unluckiest person on earth," He remarked humorously as he pulled away and sets the violet gift on the oak desk. Her face was blank but he knew she was seething with anger. He turned to leave and she sat back in her swivel chair staring at her violet gift. He grabbed the knob of the door and opened it and before he left he looked over his shoulder and gave Hotaru Imai a good mocking victory smirk. Her grip on the arms of the swivel chair tightened and he finally slipped out of the room but not before hearing her last words.

"Merry Christmas to you too," She angrily spats out.