The following days found Christine shutting down. She was quiet. She hardly smiled. And, much to Erik's dismay, she hardly spoke to him.

Always quick to blame himself, Erik assumed she must be embarrassed and regretful of what had occurred. It had been rather awkward, after all. Clearly he had made her uncomfortable. So in an attempt to rectify, he assigned himself the task of giving her space. Perhaps if he was not a constant reminder of the issue, she could recover more quickly. Maybe even forgive him. And maybe, just maybe, things could get back to semi-normal.

It proved to be a truly Herculean task.

Every day when he caught sight of her sad eyes and drooping frame, his heart shattered. He wanted nothing more than to apologize to her, to kneel at her feet and beg forgiveness for his heinous actions. He longed for her laugh. Her smile. Her words for god's sake. But he resigned himself to wait. She clearly had no interest in hearing from him. All he could do was make himself as unimposing as possible, and hope for the best.

This morning was shaping up to be especially challenging.

When Christine met him by the elevator her eyes were red and puffy, as if she had been crying. He swallowed hard as he felt a deep pain in his chest.

"Good morning," He tried gently.

She gave a half hearted smile, not quite meeting his eyes. Erik followed her wordlessly into the elevator.

How many times had they been in this exact position? He certainly couldn't keep count. They had talked here. And laughed here. She had accidentally touched his hand here and he had been breathless. And now they stood in awkward silence here. He couldn't take it. He wanted her back. At least as his friend again, if nothing else. Maybe his silence wasn't the solution. He had done the wrong, wasn't it only right that he try and fix it?

He braced himself and drew breath to speak, to lay bare his sins and apologize for each one.

But as was her custom, Christine beat him to it.

"Do you think I was wrong to cancel the Simon contract?"

A full stop. Her words hung in the air as Erik's face went blank, trying to digest them.

"The…Simon contract?"

She nodded, eyes downcast.

"Is that what you've been upset about?"

Another nod. Then a shaky breath. "I just can't stop thinking about what that man said. How he won't be able to feed his family. And I know he was…well, crazy. But he had a point. And there were other people who were fired too and I just can't help thinking…" she paused, biting her lip as a tear rolled down her cheek, "That is really is my fault."

Erik was reeling. She wasn't angry with him. She hadn't been reflecting on regret and embarrassment, she had been struggling with her own guilt. A terribly selfish wave of relief washed over him.

At his hesitation, Christine continued to speak. "It's not that I regret defending you. I would do that again in a heart beat. But…I don't know, maybe there was another way to handle it. Maybe I could have stood up for you in a way that didn't cost anyone their jobs and…and…"

A quiet sob rattled her frame. Erik snapped out of his reverie.

"Hey, hey, it's alright," he cooed softly. He carefully pulled her towards him, wrapping her in a gentle hug. She immediately melted into him, burying her head in his chest.

"None of this is your fault."

"Yes it is," she argued, voice muffled in his shirt. "If I had thought of something else, or…or just…" Another bout of sobs cut her off.

"Hey, look at me." He pulled her back, placing his hands on either side of her face. His thumbs gently brushed her tears away as he looked into her eyes. "You did nothing wrong. You said it yourself, that guy was a douche." This brought a tiny smile to her lips. "Even if I wasn't in the picture, you had to do what you knew was right."

She let out a sigh. "Ya…I guess."

When she looked at the ground he tilted her chin back up to meet his eyes. "I know. It's unfortunate those people lost their jobs. But that was due to their employers incompetency, and had absolutely nothing to do with you."

Slowly, she nodded. Erik smiled, glad to see her accepting his reassurance.

He was still holding her face. Neither of them moved. She glanced at his lips.

Then the elevator opened with a ding. They quickly separated as a handful of people filed in. A few of them gave the pair sweet, knowing smiles as they shuffled in next to them. Erik cleared his throat uncomfortably. Christine was grateful she didn't recognize any of the faces as her employees. They made no eye contact for the rest of the elevator ride.

Erik was now acutely aware of two fundamental truths. One, Christine's face felt just as amazing in his hands as he had imagined. And two, he absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, could not do this anymore.

The following weeks set Erik's realization in stone. Each day was more miserable than the last. Other than the peppering of respite brought on by Christine's laughter, he found himself the unhappiest he had been in a very long time. A heart as scarred as his could not withstand the torment of having her so close.

The only issue was how to tell her. A standard letter was the most straightforward approach. But he had a feeling that would just offend her more than anything. She deserved better. She also deserved an explanation, which he was not sure he'd be able to give.

He pacified himself with the thought that there was no rush. It would certainly have to be done, and preferably as soon as possible, but technically there was no time table. He could draw it out, take his time to find the right words.

Then one morning Christine met him at the elevator with a grin and little black box, promptly throwing a wrench in that plan.

"Happy six month-iversary!"

Erik's face fell. He stared wide eyed at the little box. Why had he not realized? Well, that answer was obvious. He had been far too preoccupied.

Christine noticed his expression and frowned. "What's wrong?"

He remained silent. She rolled her eyes and smiled again as she stepped forward. "I promise it's nothing crazy this time. Just a wallet. I noticed yours is looking a bit ratty." She laughed, still holding it out to him. When he didn't take it her smile faded. "Erik?"

He sighed and looked down. "Thank you. But, um…I don't think I can accept this."

"Oh my goodness will you cut that out already?" She said with a laugh. "I told you, we do it because we want to!"

He shook his head. "No, Christine, it's not that."

"Well what then?"

His feet shifted and he took a deep breath. "I…well I'm thinking about leaving."

Every trace of humor on Christine's face disappeared. Her arms fell to her sides. "Leaving?"

He nodded.

"What…why?"

This was where it got complicated. He couldn't tell her why, not really. So he thought of something on the fly.

"It's not personal, I do like it here. It's just…well it's like I told Nadir before I even started, I'm a musician. I'm happiest when I get to work with music and…I can't do that here. So I think it's time I start looking for…s-something else."

Her mouth was agape and she stared at him with a look of utter bafflement.

He continued, "I'm not saying it'll be right away…I'll give you time to find someone else of course. But I just don't think I should accept your gift when…when I don't plan to be around much longer."

For several long, torturous heartbeats, she was silent. Her expression didn't change. Erik wondered if she would yell at him. Maybe she would tell him to just get out now and not waste her time any further.

She sighed, took a step forward, and held the box out once again. "Well, the gift isn't because we assume you'll stay. It's to thank you for time you've already devoted to us. So you should still take it."

Her voice was cold and clinical. Erik wished she would have yelled.

"Christine, I-"

"Take it."

He accepted the box with a sigh and slipped it into his pocket without opening it.

"Christine, please-"

"I need to get going."

She stepped around him into the waiting elevator. The doors began closing and she made no attempt to keep them open for him. Two quick steps and he barely managed to slip through. The ice between them was palatable.

Christine did not speak to him for the rest of the day. Even when he tried to coax her out with a question, she flat out ignored him. After the third such occasion his temper flared, and he thought about telling her how unprofessional she was being, since she had seemed so concerned with that in the past.

But he knew she wouldn't care. She was not angry with him as his boss. She was angry with him on a very personal level.

But what else could he do?

Even James noticed the coldness between them. When Erik asked her where she wanted to go for lunch and she responded by addressing James instead, the poor driver didn't know what to do. He gave Erik a sympathetic look and followed her instructions.

The day seemed to stretch on that way forever. For once, Erik wasn't entirely blaming himself. The anger, he deserved. He could understand her offense at him so suddenly making this decision. Especially when they had become such good friends.

But the silent treatment he felt was uncalled for. Christine was behaving downright childish. And if this was how she planned to act, then perhaps he wouldn't wait for them to find someone else. Perhaps he would just submit his official notice and be done with it.

This was the decision he came to on the silent elevator ride to the garage. Christine had upped her game and was now proactively giving him the occasional glare. Erik took a page from her book and ignored her. When the doors opened they went their separate ways without a word. Erik didn't watch her get into her car as he normally did. If she truly needed help she'd scream.

He got in his car and slammed the door. He turned the key to start it, put his hands on the wheel, and didn't move. His teeth clenched. God, that woman was infuriating. Who did she think she was? She may have been his boss, but that didn't give her the right to act this way. He growled and slammed his palms against the steering wheel. Then he did it again.

Maybe he just wouldn't come in tomorrow. If his presence was not even worth her acknowledgment for an entire day, then it surely wouldn't be missed. He threw his car in reverse and laid on the gas with another growl.

Christine was standing in his rearview camera. He slammed the brakes so hard they screeched.

She stood with her hands on her hips, staring straight at him through the screen. He put it back in park and threw the door open.

"What the hell are you doing? I could have hit you!"

Her face spoke only of anger. "Why are you leaving?" She yelled.

Erik stopped. His brow furrowed. "What?"

She took several long strides forward until she was right in front of him. "Why. Are. You. Leaving?" She demanded.

Erik scoffed and tossed his hands in the air. "I told you-"

"No!" She snapped. "Don't you dare insult me again with that load of rubbish!" She took another step. "Tell me the truth."

He sighed and looked away. His voice was quieter when he spoke, "I don't know what else you want me to say."

Three more steps and she was barely a foot away from him. He couldn't look at her.

"It's because of me, isn't it?"

His head snapped up.

"It's because of my father's damn policy, isn't it?"

His heart began racing. "Christine I…I don't…"

Another step. She was only a few inches from him now. "Erik…" her voice broke, anger replaced with uncertainty. "Please don't tell me I'm the only one who feels this…"

There it was. Out in the open. No going back now. Not only that, but she had said it. Erik's chest suddenly felt infinitely heavier. Time felt slower.

His expression melted into one of pure longing. "No…no, you're not the only one."

Her eyes closed in relief and she let out a deep breath. "I don't want you to leave…"

Erik gazed at her face for a moment. The slight freckles on her cheeks and her long lashes and the perfect pink lips he had so often dreamed of. He closed the space between them and took her face in his hands. "Christine?"

"Yes?" Her voice was pure air.

"I think I'm going to break policy."

"Oh please do-"

She barely mumbled the words as his lips swallowed them. Soft and tender and better than he ever imagined. Gentle, at first. Christine's hands found purchase at his sides and tugged him closer, fists bunching in his jacket. He drank her in desperately, and she gave readily.

"Christine…" He breathed against the corner of her lips. "Christine…" he whispered over and over as his mouth wandered her awe filled his body and he would have been numb with disbelief had she not been so potent. She hummed and leaned into him as her hands slid into his hair.

"Erik…someone might…"

The words were lost to a sigh as he kissed the base of her neck. He understood them all the same.

Reluctantly, they separated in order to move to the safety of his car. Christine sat in his passenger seat and they leaned close to each other over the console. She held his hand and stroked his palm. He captured her lips for a few moments more. They could have continued that way forever, but they both knew they now had a serious problem to figure out.

"What are we gonna do?" She whispered.

His eyes watched her fingers trace shapes on his hand. "I imagine you'll need a new body guard."

"But I don't want a new body guard. I want you."

His insides tightened at her words. "I know…but you know it can't work out that way…"

She bit her lip and turned to look out the window. "Maybe…we don't have to figure everything out right away…" she whispered to the glass.

"What do you mean?"

She turned back to him. "I mean, maybe we can just take a little time to figure everything out. And in the meantime, you can stay my bodyguard…and we can be together…and we'll just…be discreet."

He cocked his head with a sly smile. "Seems kinda sneaky."

She grinned and leaned over to kiss him. Erik accepted gratefully.

"I know. But it would give us time to think of a plan. Maybe I could even work on dad, get him to forget that stupid policy."

A hum vibrated her skin where his mouth met her neck. "Well, I am rather good at sneaking."

She laughed and turned her head to kiss his exposed cheek. "Excellent. So it's settled. Our plan is to take our time thinking of a plan."

His chuckle felt wonderful against her skin. It was quiet for a few moments, the only sounds being their heavy breathing and the movement of his lips.

She spoke her next words hesitantly.

"And…maybe if it's alright with you, I think I'd feel better if we…well, took things slowly."

He lifted his head to look at her eyes.

"Just until we know what we're going to do and…once I tell my dad, so I don't feel like I'm lying to him and all…"

Erik smiled gently and leaned forward to kiss her nose. "Of course. Whatever makes you most comfortable."

She ran her thumb across his lips with a grateful smile. "Thank you."

They didn't manage to leave the car for another hour. Mouths longed to explore and hands longed to wander, both restrained by the tentative boundaries of newness. When her perfect lips met his neck Erik inhaled sharply. She hummed, pleased with this reaction.

Erik was the first to break the harsh reality.

"It's getting late…"

Her disappointment manifested in a breath right beneath his ear. A shutter ran up his spine.

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow?"

He nodded. She gave him one last kiss. Then another. And another. He laughed against her mouth.

"Ok I'm going, I'm going," she said, mostly to herself.

Erik watched her walk to her car. She turned around to give him a little wave before she got in. His heart melted.

All the way home, and all through the night, Erik wore a grin that made his cheeks ache.