'Someone up there is laughing, I'm sure of it.' Ichiru thought to herself, cursing her luck as she stared at the man in front of her, 'Please tell me this is not the designer I'll be working with.' she prayed, this meeting already becoming awkward.
"Dr. Kurosaki, so glad you could make it." The director began, happy that one of his most devoted doctors came earlier than expected, "This is Haruhiko Usami, he'll be designing the maternity ward. Usami-san, this is Ichiru Kurosaki, our most devoted midwives in the hospital." he introduced the two to each other, watching as they stared at each other in shock.
'Fuck my life. I'm paying more for that car than I thought.' Ichiru thought to herself, such a cruel trick of fate to be played upon her. 'Of all the cars I had to hit, and it's this guy's. I'm fucked.'
Haruhiko on the other hand allowed his eyes to roam her figure, from the light brown hair to the white doctor's coat that encased her curves that he was able to see. He noticed that she had a set of glasses hanging from her neck, indicating that she was either nearsighted or farsighted. He found himself attracted to this woman, she had what he considered a unique sort of beauty, one calm yet full of energy, something that was vaguely similar to Misaki.
"Thank you for taking time out of your schedule, I look forward to working with you on this project." Ichiru said, snapping out of her shock as she bowed to the older businessman. His bespectacled stare unnerved her, she could barely see any form of life from them, as though he was a walking statue.
Haruhiko nodded in acknowledgement, "Likewise." he said, a little tense, the sound of her voice made him shiver. Earlier when he heard her speak, he didn't focus on her voice since it happened too fast for him to respond.
The director's voice pulled their attention back to the oldest man in the room, "Now that you two are well acquainted, why don't you show him the blueprints for the maternity wing."
Ichiru nodded, "Of course. If you would come with me please, there's a lot that we need to go over." she said to Haruhiko before leading him out of the office. Once she was sure they were alone in an isolated part of the hospital, she turned to him and bowed deeply, "I am so sorry about what I did to your car, I promise to pay back every penny I owe you." she said, feeling really embarrassed for what she did to his property.
Haruhiko blinked at this woman, already he's been thinking of a way for her to pay back the damage. He raised his hand to stop her apology, "It's fine, it was only the back window, easy to fix, easy to afford." he said as Ichiru raised her head to look at him, "I can't accept that, I smashed it, I bought, so no arguments. Just tell me the cost for repair and I'll pay for it." she said, firm with her decision as she stood her ground, refusing to be indebted to this man.
Haruhiko stared at this woman in surprise, only a small number of people would have the balls to speak against him like that. Then again, this woman wasn't exactly ordinary from what he saw earlier, and it was shockingly refreshing.
"What exactly is your salary?" Haruhiko decided to ask, seeing how a midwife's salary is much lower than what he makes in a year.
"Doesn't matter, I'll pay for it." Ichiru said, refusing to back down from this statue.
Haruhiko knew that the two of them will only go around in circles at this rate. So with a sigh, he tried to compromise, "Okay, how about this, since you feel you need to pay me back, instead of money, we should go out for dinner." Ichiru's eyes widen, "Say what now?"she deadpanned, pretty sure she heard wrong.
"Listen, I don't want you wasting your money over something that was clearly that idiotic thief's fault. So final offer, dinner tonight at a fancy restaurant for just us as a way to repay you for saving that woman's purse." he explained, feeling impulsive as Ichiru stared at him in disbelief.
"Why me? What do you get out of this?" Ichiru asked, having had one night stands with men who got dinner out of her time.
Haruhiko mentally asked himself that question, not understanding why either. "For one thing, I don't have anyone waiting for me at home; secondly, I don't want to eat alone tonight." he said, which is pretty true considering the only company he keeps at the mansion is Tanaka and the servants, plus a dog and cat.
Ichiru mulled over her options, she could keep argueing about the money she owes him 'til they are old and grey, or she can suffer dinner for tonight and just get it over with. With a sigh she said, "Just dinner for tonight?"
Haruhiko nodded satisfied that she finally agreed, "Just dinner and your company, that's all."
Ichiru nodded with a faint smile, "Am I required to wear something formal?" she asked, wanting to know the dress code for tonight.
Haruhiko nodded, "For that kind of restaurant, it's preferable."
'I feel like I'm talking to an ass right now. Fuck my luck.' Ichiru thought to herself before sighing, "Very well, name the time and place. Although you might need to pick me up at my house." at his raised eyebrow, she answered his unsaid question, "My car's in the shop."
"Ah, so that's the reason why you were running to work in the first place." he said wondering why a devoted midwife such as her didn't have a car.
Ichiru nodded wryly, "Yeah, today is not my day." she said, cursing her luck even more for not having a vehicle that could've saved her from this situation in the first place.
"What time do you get off work?" Haruhiko asked, wanting to know what time she'll be off her shift for dinner.
"I'll be off at seven, but I'll be ready at my house in thirty minutes." Ichiru answered, estimating the amount of time it will take for her to get ready for dinner.
"Sounds perfect, I'll pick you up at 7:45." Haruhiko said, as though he finished conducting a business transaction. Typical.
Ichiru smirked slightly, catching the businessman tone from this guy. This man's just too proud and has to have that stick pulled from his ass. Though it might take a few tries...and a good grip before it's out.
"Fantastic. Now, let's continue our tour." Ichiru said, going back to business as she led him around the hospital, pointing out the key factors for the maternity ward. Haruhiko was mildly paying attention to her words and explanation. His main focus was how she carried herself, her posture, her stride and how she spoke; it was no secret around the hospital that she took pride in her work, that she is so committed to her profession that she slept in her office at some point. This was yet another person that enjoyed her role in life, how happy she was to be a bringer of life to newborns. He found himself smiling lightly, another person to be envious of.
"...do you have any questions?" Ichiru's voice pulled him out of his thoughts, realizing that they reached the end of their tour.
"None so far. I believe it will be finished in two months though." Haruhiko said as they walked to the elevator, concluding their tour as he had a couple more meetings after this.
"Two months is plenty of time. This will truly make new mothers happy, you will not believe how many babies are delivered in a week, especially multiple births like triplets, now that is a nightmare delivery for me." Ichiru said, making Haruhiko snort out a laugh which he tried so hard to keep inside. Not meeting this woman until hours ago and she makes him laugh. Which is rare considering his personality.
Haruhiko pressed the down button as he waited for the elevator to arrive, "So I'll see you tonight." he said, turning to Ichiru who stood off to the side of the elevator doors, "Yeah, I already cleared my schedule, so I'm free for tonight." she fished a piece of paper out of her pocket and pen that was pinned to her collar before writing down her address and holding it out to him, "Here's my address, it's close to the hospital." she said as she gave the paper to Haruhiko.
When Haruhiko's fingers brushed against hers, he felt a form of electricity run through his entire body. This is something that surprised him greatly, being electrocuted was supposed to be painful, but this kind of electricity was pleasant. What felt like an hour turned out to be a second as the elevator dinged, signalling its arrival as Haruhiko took the paper from Ichiru before placing it in his pocket.
"I'll pick you up tonight then." Haruhiko said, bidding her goodbye as he stepped into the elevator before he pressed the parking lot button as the doors closed.
Ichiru stared at the elevator for a moment before looking at her hand in confusion, "What was that just now?" she asked herself quietly, curious about the tingling sensation his hand left behind. Deciding not to dwell on it any longer, she walked off to perform her duties in order to take her mind off of tonight's dinner.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed and followed this story. It makes me happy to know that you gave this story a chance. Yes these two had a rocky start, but it will developed gradually in the next chapter where it will feature the dinner scene.
Let me know if this made you smile because I'm outta juice for tonight.
