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Far From The Tree

Chapter 9


HIKARU

I hope you had a good weekend. I'll see you in the morning.

Goodnight.

I reread the message. Once, twice, three times before even leaving my bed to go shower.

I hope you had a good weekend.

I'll see you in the morning.

Goodnight.

Miss Fujioka had texted me. And she'd texted me first.

When it had first come in around 9 the night before it took me a while to think of a response. I'd simply sat on the couch and studied it, my mind swarming with interest. She and I hadn't shared a text message outside of work since the day she first started working for me all those months ago. She'd never messaged me on weekends, not even for work related reasons. Not until yesterday evening, simply hoping I'd enjoyed my weekend, and wishing me a good night.

As I typed, retyped, deleted, and rewrote my reply, all I could do was wonder why she'd messaged me. I wasn't complaining, not even a little bit. But I was certainly curious as to why she'd thought of me enough to send me a text.

See you tomorrow. Sleep well.

Was all I could think of in response. It was the only message I'd typed that felt appropriate. I must have spent at least half an hour toying between sweet dreams, and sleep well, before settling on the latter.

I wasn't good at this sort of stuff. Not that I really knew what "this stuff" really meant. Were we flirting? Was it just me dancing around her? Was she thinking about me? How the hell do I stop myself from thinking about her? I had a million and one questions before I'd even arrived at the office.

The chat with Kaoru the evening before had been a real eye opener for me. I really had been jealous of how close Miss Fujioka had gotten to him and Kimiko. I never got jealous. Even when my college girlfriend started flirting with the guy she eventually left me for I hadn't even batted an eye. And yet, the idea of Miss Fujioka even being friends with someone before me made my blood boil. Whatever this thing was, I had to stop it now before I became some jealous, blue-balled wreck.

Maybe it was the 'forbidden fruit' aspect of our relationship I found so appealing. I knew I couldn't have her, which only made me want her more. That had to be it.

Usually when I was attracted to a woman I simply slept with her, that seemed to put out the fire. Unfortunately for me sleeping with my business attorney wasn't on the cards, which left me with not a lot of options in my arsenal. I could only hope that over time this lust I had would fade.

Maybe I'd see some other woman who peaked my interest and my focus would shift? That seemed like the easiest solution. Only problem was that every time I came across a woman who was interested, I found myself comparing them to Miss Fujioka. An unhealthy habit I'd developed.

Another idea was distancing myself from her. I knew I kept Miss Fujioka at the office with me way more than I needed her to be. Sometimes 3 days a week, sometimes even everyday, I just felt unproductive if she wasn't there. She was smart, maybe even smarter than me – not that I'd ever tell her that. She seemed to order my thoughts, made me think things through more clearly. I was able to face my schedules with more clarity, and the faith I had in her work meant I never had to worry about making deals or losing money. She gave me a passion for this job that I hadn't had in all the years I'd been CEO.

But seeing her everyday also made me want her more. I saw her so often I'd memorized the pattern of freckles on her nose, and the small mole under her right eye for goodness sake.

I had a lot to think about. But the idea of only seeing her for scheduled meetings once or twice a week made my hands ball into fists.

At 8.30 I heard her outside my office door, talking to Hinako just as she did every morning. Her laugh seemed to carry itself through the glass, immediately brightening my mood just a little.

Then she walked into the room, wearing a pair of simple pinstripe trousers and a flowing white blouse, her dainty black heels tapping gently on the hardwood floor as she approached her usual seat.

"Good morning" she smiled, setting a familiar paper cup down on my desk, steam rising from the lid.

"Good morning" I replied, unable to stop myself from smiling back, "Are you proud of me?"

She raised a questioning brow, taking her seat opposite my desk, "For what?"

"I didn't call you this morning"

She breathed out a small laugh, but not one like she'd given Hinako.

Dammit, there's that jealousy feeling again.

"I got to sleep in until my alarm went off" she said, "I was almost worried it was still the weekend"

"Don't ever say I don't do anything for you"

"Well, we'll see. I'm sure I'll have my usual 6am wake up call tomorrow"

I smirked.

"Oh!" she suddenly blurted, making me jump in my seat. She frantically reached for her bag and began rifling through it, "I almost forgot. I promised to surprise you"

I frowned, confused, "A surprise?"

She nodded, then pulled out what looked to be a folded piece of green card. She studied it for a moment, smiling to herself.

"A present for me? You shouldn't have" I drawled.

"Not from me" she replied, "From Emi"

She held the paper out for me to take. And confused and cautious, I took it from her, focusing my gaze on the colourful creation before me.

Was that a blue...rainbow?

I turned it on its side, looking at it from every angle. I saw a colourful arch, lots of lines and shapes. If I looked closely enough, I could almost make out some letters.

"She wanted to say thank you for the candy bar the other day" she explained, pointing towards the letters, "That's meant to say 'Thank you'"

"And these faces..." I studied each one closely. A small smiley face with long red hair, next to another with shorter brown hair, then a third who somewhat resembled me.

Miss Fujioka cleared her throat, "I think they're meant to be us"

I blinked. Then suddenly a growing ache in my chest hit me like a bat to the ribs, spreading across my body. I felt my face redden, and my throat tighten.

What the fuck was this fucking feeling?

I think I was...overwhelmed.

I opened the card, seeing more scrawls and scribbles. Then the clearer penned – Emi, in big disjointed letters at the bottom.

"She made this for me?" I croaked, surprised by the heavy twinge to my voice.

Miss Fujioka nodded, "She was talking about you yesterday. I think you made an impression on her"

I swallowed, then carefully propped the card up on my desk. I leaned back in my seat, admiring it. It looked so out of place amongst my modern affects, but for some reason I liked it there.

I was silent for a few moments, willing away the lump in my throat until I trusted myself to speak.

"Why do I feel like I need to make a thank you card to thank her for her thank you card?" I uttered, still staring at it.

Miss Fujioka laughed. The real laugh I'd wanted to hear.

"Don't feel like you have to. Otherwise she might end up making you another one to thank you for yours"

"We might get stuck in some never ending loop"

"Not might. You will"

I grinned, finally letting the foreign feeling of joy show on my face.

"You like it then?" she asked.

"I do. I've never gotten a thank you card before"

"I'll be sure to tell her"

"She's a talented one isn't she?"

"Give her a pen and paper and she'll draw for days. You wouldn't believe how full my fridge looks with all the works of art I've got stuck to it"

"Maybe you'll have to show me the gallery some time" I said without thinking. Then quickly realised I'd inadvertently asked to come over to her place.

Dammit. I guess I'm not going with the distancing solution.

Miss Fujioka didn't seem to notice the depth of my comment.

"She's also taken to calling you a prince" she chuckled.

"A prince?" I smirked, "Because of my incredible good looks, or because of my entitlement?"

"She's a clever girl, so probably a bit of both" She raised a teasing brow and took a sip from her coffee, then gestured to the card, "Don't feel obligated to keep it on your desk by the way. I know you don't like a cluttered work space"

I was already shaking my head, as I reached for my own cup, "Are you kidding me? And miss out on making everyone green with envy over my 'Emi original'? Hell no"

A touched look transformed her face, a smile I'd only seen once before at the store parting her lips. Instantly it became my favourite view. And I had the overwhelming need to see it again, and again, and again.

"Let me know if you get any interest. She could do commissions" Miss Fujioka grinned, averting her eyes to her lap.

"Obviously. And she'll have the best business attorney in the city to handle all agreements"

"Have you met my daughter? That girl can handle her own business deals, no problem"

I was smiling back as I took a sip from the coffee she'd bought me, and simply admired her from over the lid.

I shouldn't have been encouraging this, but it seemed to be out of my control. I was finding myself battling against my urges, wanting to dive over the desk and take her in my arms. I wanted her laid back against it, her chest heaving as I pulled open her blouse. I wanted to trail my lips over her heated skin, coaxing moans and cries from her lips before I claimed them with my own. And all she'd done was smile. Apparently with Miss Fujioka that's all it took. One goddamn smile.

"Anyway" she breathed, "What's our plan for today? You wanted to work on the presentation meeting yes?"

I nodded slowly.

She doesn't need to be here for that.

But I want her here.

"Actually" I replied, "I was wondering...what exactly you would prefer to do"

She tilted her head quizzically.

Maybe she'll make it easy for me. Maybe she'll do the distancing for me...

My knee bounced under the desk, "You were right when you said I wouldn't be needing you for preparations. So...if you'd rather be back at Ouran Legal then I'd understand"

Miss Fujioka seemed to think for a moment, her expression unreadable. I hated the silence as I waited. Silence meant I was free to let my mind wander. And when I was around Miss Fujioka, my mind wandered to very specific places, and not appropriate ones. What the hell was wrong with me? I felt like one of those seedy business men you hear about, who perv on poor unsuspecting female co-workers.

"My schedule today has been cleared" she finally answered, "If you don't mind me still joining you that is?"

No.

I mean yes.

Fuck.

My eyes flickered to Emi's card on my desk, our collective faces smiling back at me. I wasn't sure whether to feel delighted or stressed out. But I couldn't deny the relief I felt at the thought of spending the day with Miss Fujioka. I smiled back at the card, then turned back to Miss Fujioka.

"Sounds good" I replied.

She grinned back.


HARUHI

Mr Hitachiin had been acting strange all day. Not once had he brought up the text messages from the evening before, which both relieved and concerned me. Maybe all my worrying had been for nothing...perhaps I was making a mountain out of a mole hill.

But that fear I'd been experiencing as I made my way to his office was quickly replaced by a surprising feeling of comfort once I unveiled Emi's gift to him.

I'd expected him to shrug it off and stick it in a draw without a second thought. But his reaction was nothing like that. In fact he seemed to be warmed by the gesture, gazing at the card with gratitude and awe in his hazel eyes. I'd been shocked in fact, as his reaction had been much like mine when Emi had first given me a homemade gift.

He'd even placed it on his desk for everyone to see, regardless of how neat and organised he always kept it. The card looked so out of place, and yet he continued to glance at it every so often as if it were his most prized possession. It made my heart swell seeing him so grateful for something my daughter made for him, and knowing her hard work had been appreciated.

"Any plans for lunch?" Mr Hitachiin asked, as we made our way out of the program department where his security system was being developed. We entered the elevator together, doors sliding shut on the two of us. We'd spent the morning talking with programmers and going over the system, making sure it was 100% ready for when Nekozawa came to see it in action the following week. Thankfully there were no surprises, meaning we would be ready. I had faith in Mr Hitachiin's security program, and I knew Mr Nekozawa would too when he saw it.

I shrugged, "I was just going to head to the cafeteria"

"Alone?"

"There's usually someone down there I know. Will you be going?"

Mr Hitachiin tsked, tucking his hands into his grey trouser pockets as the elevator came to a stop on the top floor.

"I don't usually eat downstairs" he said, leading the way to his office.

"What do you usually do?"

"I book a table at Tanoshī"

"Alone?"

"Sometimes"

"Isn't that expensive?"

He chuckled to himself as he pulled his cell out of his desk and scrolled his finger down the screen. "I can afford it" he replied.

"But...isn't that boring?"

He raised a brow, "Boring? Am I supposed to be having 'fun' during lunch?"

"Well...not necessarily. But wouldn't you rather eat with everyone else?"

"What's the difference between sitting in a crowded restaurant on my own, verses sitting in a crowded cafeteria on my own?"

I shrugged, "I'm always down there. You could sit with me?"

He pursed his lips for a moment, thinking to himself, then nodded as if coming to a conclusion.

"Settled then" he said.

"You're coming to the cafeteria?"

"No. We are going to Tanoshī"

He slung his tote over his shoulder, and passed me as he headed to the door. He barely looked at me as I rushed to keep up with him, before he could reach the elevator without me.

"What?" I questioned.

"I have a table booked already. No use wasting it" he replied, "Plus, you just volunteered to join me"

"Actually I invited you to join me"

"Same difference"

"No. Not same difference. I only have an hour lunch break, you can have as long as you like"

"You think I'll reprimand you when I was the one who invited you out?" he smirked toyingly as he turned to face me, the elevator beeping as we passed each floor, "Besides, it'll give us an opportunity to talk"

"We always talk. We could have talked in your office after lunch. Which we probably will knowing you"

"Knowing me?"

"2pm every afternoon we have coffee and a briefing" I crossed my arms over my chest, my brow raised accusingly.

He simply smiled back, his bottom lip disappearing between his pearly veneers. The way he was looking at me made me suck in a breath and squeeze my thighs together. You could almost mistake that look of his as flirting.

Was he flirting?

"You should be thanking me. I'm giving you a longer lunch break, and great company" he flashed me a wink just as the doors slid open. It was only then I realised we'd been leaning in towards each other, and now we were barely a breath's distance away. I resisted the urge to lick my lips as they turned dry with anticipation. Although I wasn't sure exactly what that anticipation was for.

Mr Hitachiin smirked, then simply stepped out into the lobby, and waited as I hopped out behind him, my heels clicking on the marble floor as we headed for the exit.

"I suppose this beats soup" I murmured, scanning the menu and ignoring the extortionate prices coupled beside the listings.

Mr Hitachiin sniffed in amusement from across the small table, "Order what you like. I'll stick it on the company card"

"I don't think this counts as a business expense"

"It is if we call it a meeting?"

"Probably best not. I know your accountant, and she won't be best pleased if you dip your sticky hands in the company finances"

He rolled his eyes and smiled, "Fine. Does that mean we're splitting the bill then?"

"Hell no" I frowned, "You invited me. Lunch rules dictate the one who invites, pays"

"And whose rules are those?"

"The rules of etiquette Mr Hitachiin"

"I must have missed that lecture"

"I highly doubt your mother didn't teach you the proper way to take a woman to lunch?"

He raised a brow, "Actually, she taught me to respect a woman and their decision if they wish to pay. And not to assume that just because they are a woman, that I as a man should always buy her companionship by picking up the bill"

"Your mother is a clever woman"

"That she is"

"I'm still not paying though"

"Thought as much"

I smiled to myself, immediately hiding it behind the menu as I felt my cheeks redden.

This wasn't the first time I'd had lunch with Mr Hitachiin, but it was the first time having lunch with him alone. Usually we only ate together during meetings with clients, and during those we never really had to speak directly to one another. This felt different. There was no client sat beside us, nor anyone we were expecting to show up. Just the two of us sat face to face on a couple's table at the back of a restaurant.

Was this...a date?

I froze at the thought, the words on the menu turning into a blur. No. No this wasn't a date. What a ridiculous thought. We were just having lunch together. Just two people who needed food. That was it...

Not that the justification made me feel any less nervous.

My knee continued to bounce beneath the table as the waiter showed up moments later, and having not chosen what to have, I said the first thing I could remember from the menu. Seafood stir fry or something.

Great. My breath would stink for the rest of the day.

"I'll have the same" Mr Hitachiin nodded, passing the menu to the man without even looking his way. I swallowed, doing the same but adding a quick 'thank you' before he scurried off to grab us the drinks.

"You don't usually have that" Mr Hitachiin said, resting his head in his palm. It was casual, I noticed. Something he never did during meetings with clients. And yet I still felt like I had his full attention.

I shrugged, "Usually I order whatever I can eat without making a mess or taking too long"

"That's not a priority now then?" he flashed his cocky grin at me.

"You're not a prospective client. I don't have to impress you"

"No, you don't. You already do that with your work" he replied, "So make as much mess as you want"

Once again, I felt heat rise to my cheeks. Goddamn it. Without the menu I had nothing to hide behind, so I quickly opted for looking out the window, hoping to find something to distract myself with. My eyes landed on a flashy looking car across the way. One as red as my cheeks I assumed.

"So have you made arrangements for the gala?" Mr Hitachiin spoke up a few minutes later, once our silence had been interrupted by the waiter carrying our drinks to our table.

I nodded, "Yes. My friend Renge will babysit"

"Renge? She's your friend from Ouran?"

"Yes" I replied, "Or as Emi calls her – Auntie Ren Ren"

Mr Hitachiin smiled a little, then began tapping the table rhythmically. Something I'd noticed he did when he was feeling anxious about something.

"Something on your mind?" I questioned.

He pursed his lips, thinking.

"Would you say that we...were friends?" he asked, his eyes meeting mine in a speculative side glance, which made me wonder if this question was a test.

I furrowed my brow, "Is there a correct answer?"

"Yes. The honest one"

I bit my lip.

Were we friends? I liked to think we were. I was certainly closer to him than I had been with any of my other clients. And...I liked him. Sure, he was a little rough around the edges, he could be rude to other employees, he dismissed waiting staff without a second look, he called me early in the morning before I was getting paid to answer. But, he bought my daughter a candy bar, he always made time for coffee with me in the morning, he'd ask me how I was, and he'd replied to my text message...

Did that constitute as friends?

I shrugged, "I guess so"

"You guess so?"

"I mean, I won't be inviting you to my next nail appointment if that's what you're asking"

"That's not what I'm asking" he shook his head, an amused look on his face, "I heard you and my brother were...close"

His tone suggested he was pointing the finger at something. I wasn't sure I liked the implication.

"Close?" I raised a stern brow, "He asked me which brand of baby rice was the best to start a weaning baby with"

"I'm not accusing you of anything" he quickly waved at my tone, "What I mean is, you, Kaoru and Kimiko seem like you've become friendly"

I shrugged, "We have something in common I suppose. Everything they're going through right now, I went through before. I remember how scary it was with Emi at the beginning, I just want to make sure they don't feel like they're wandering blind like I did"

He nodded and ran a hand through his hair, "Thank you for that" he replied, "They've appreciated the help"

"But?"

"But what?"

"I feel like you started this round of questioning with a different intention in mind"

He made a face.

"What?" I questioned.

"You"

"What about me?"

"You. Stop doing your lawyer thing. You're too good at it"

I chuckled.

He sighed, leaning back in his seat, "I don't know where I was going with this..."

"Maybe I can work it out?"

"You think?" he smirked.

I nodded, "I have a super power remember? My lawyer thing"

"Go ahead"

I forced myself not to grin, and looked down at him, feeling somewhat superior for a moment. Maybe it was because we were technically out of work right now, but I felt like I could tease him to my heart's delight. Like I could with a friend.

Oh.

Friends.

"Yes" I said.

His head tilted, like a puppy being tempted by a treat, "Yes what?"

"Yes" I nodded, "We are friends"

He didn't answer. Not with words anyway. Instead he looked me over for a moment, his eyes trailing from my lips to my hairline. Then he beamed, his usual arrogant grin spreading those perfect cheek bones. He folded his arms on the table and leaned towards me.

"Friends" he repeated, in a tone that hinted something a little more than the word he'd spoken.

I swallowed, my mouth going dry as I glanced at his lips. Those full, tempting lips.

"You sure this isn't some test?" I narrowed my eyes.

"If it was" he breathed, "You pass"


Hi everyone, I hope you're all doing well!

I'm so excited for you to read this next chapter, I'm having so much fun sharing this story with you, I'm loving every moment!

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Take care, be safe, look after one another,

- Yuli xxx