It was a late Monday night.
The street beneath the flat was dead silent for once, as there is little excitement for going out on a wet night in late November, pointing to the fact that everyone in the city must have fallen asleep. Her roommate was out with her boyfriend and would not sleep at home, and so the place was also dark and quiet.
Ramona sat in her bed with the cosy blankets surrounding her as she read her favourite books, burned some incense and drank tea, what she is wont to do at such late hour. It is the perfect way to draw to a close another day, so she appreciates the opportunity to do it completely undisturbed, on her own time.
The woman was almost ready to fall asleep before she heard a knock on her front door. It was weird, since she was not waiting for anyone, nor she could think of any circumstance that would bring people around.
"Phoebe? Is that you? Did you forget your key?" She called, hoping to confirm whether it was her roommate.
Her only response was another knock.
It is not her roommate. She will have to check who is banging on her door that late in the night. With a sigh, she brings herself to get up from the bed and tiptoe across the cold wooden floor over to the door.
"Who is it?" She called again, to no avail.
Mona reaches to open it, only to be met by her boyfriend.
"You shouldn't open the door without checking who it was." He points out, deadpan.
The woman was about to counter his petulant argument with a retort of her own, but then she took a good look at him and swallowed it for some other time. He looked so tired. His suit was crumpled all over and his tie was so loose that the knot was coming undone. He had a weary look in his eyes, and the bags under his eyes outlined his pale skin.
"Goro, what on Earth are you doing up here so late?" She asked, tilting her head at him.
"I've just left the office and I didn't want to go home just yet." The man told her in a deep, sleepy voice.
Mona glanced at the clock on the kitchen to check upon the time. "Now? It's well past one in the morning! How did you even get here so late? The Tube is closed by this hour."
He shrugged. "I walked."
"You walked here? It's ten kilometres from the City! At least!" She exclaims, deeply concerned about the man.
Out of the blue, Goro stepped inside the flat ahead of her and gently hugged his girlfriend tight in his arms. She feels him lean down and rest his head in the crevice of her neck.
"Can I stay for a while? I just need you right now." He asked, shooting her such a pathetic look that resembled a lost puppy in the rain.
She wrapped her arms around him and held him steady. She could always tell when something was wrong with Goro, he never talked about his feelings and would keep to himself, but there was always one thing that would make him feel better, being tucked away in her comforting arms.
"Of course. Come in." She invited him.
He nods stiffly and stands around, feeling uncomfortable. "Thank you. I'll be gone in the hour, I promise."
Mona smiles kindly at him and leads him by the hand deeper into the flat, settling him sitting in her bed.
"Think nothing of it. You're always welcome here and you know it." She dismisses his concern. "Would you like a cup of tea? Some water? Perhaps you'd like to have some dinner. I got the curry you like."
He shook his head. "No, thank you. I'm fine."
"Well, then, tell me. What's wrong?" She asked, sitting next to him and wrapping her arm around his broad shoulders.
"It's… It's the company. I sunk a lot of money in it, things are not going as planned, I can't get anyone to talk to me, and I…" Goro sighed as he hid his face in the crevice of her neck, "I'm just very anxious right now, and I can't get my brain to stop thinking. I spent the entire day looking at the numbers and trying to find a way out of this mess, and I… I can't. I can't fall like this, I can't fail."
Mona slightly frowned, understanding that feeling of a thousand thoughts and fears running through her head all at once.
"I get that you're scared. It must be a truly horrible experience to see all those years of hard work wasting away like sand and feeling like there's nothing that you can do to save it." She kissed his head lightly. "But if there's still a way to save the company and recoup your investment, you won't find it by torturing yourself. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and try to relax."
He does as he is told, even if he does not find much wisdom in her words. "I don't want to be a failure, Mona. I don't want to feel like the loser kid I was when I was a teen. I don't think I can handle looking myself in the mirror like this."
"You're not a failure, love. You might have made mistakes along the way, but they don't define you and they're not some inescapable fate." She smiled kindly at her boyfriend, rubbing his arms. "Besides, even if you happen to go broke, at the very least I'll still love you, so you won't be a complete loser. I'll even find you a job, we need someone to run the accounts at work. You'll be great at it."
The man chuckles bitterly. "From investment broker at a unicorn company to accountant at a neighbourhood yoga studio. God, that's pathetic."
"Yeah, a bit, but we'll work together. Which means you can serve me all day, every day. That would be nice, wouldn't it?" She points out, cheeky.
"If that's the sort of work ethic you guys keep over there, I don't even have to check your books to know that this is another business going under." He counters, only half-joking.
"Very well, Mr. Hustler, do you want to sleep in here tonight? I promise that I'll wake you up before the markets open." She offers.
Goro raises his head off her shoulder and nods. "Yes, please."
Ramona carefully grasped his hand and held it. "Come on, let's lay down. You can cuddle me overnight."
He scoffed. "I don't cuddle."
"Keep telling yourself that, baby." The woman responded, placing his hands around her waist.
Both of them got into the warm bed and covered up against the bitter chill of November. The man scooted between her legs, resting his head against her chest with his arms wrapped around the upper half of her body.
Mona bundled her arms around him and held him in her warmth as she slowly started to comb her fingers through his midnight black locks, hearing him hum from her comforting touch that he needed so badly.
"Everything is going to be OK in the end, Goro." She said in a soothing tone, calming him down and keeping his thoughts peaceful. "Remember this, trust on what I'm telling you. If it's still bad, it's because it hasn't ended yet."
The two of them laid there as she continued to comfort him, feeling him burrow his head against her bosom
"I love you so much, Mona. I don't know what I would do without you." Goro muttered softly, drifting on to sleep.
Mona softy smiled down. "I love you more, you foolish boy."