My Boss The Genius
...
...
...
PART TWO
...
...
...
It was raining. She hated rain.
The weather forecast that morning had mentioned something about an approaching storm, but Temari had not paid it any mind as she rushed off for work. Big mistake.
It was pouring in a combination of buckets and cats and dogs, the rain splattering so forcefully on the ground that they rebounded up and fell back down. Spending even a second in that downpour was enough to soak her completely from head to toe, and wasn't it just wonderful that there were no cabs around? It had something to do with the roads being too slippery and dangerous for travel. Psh.
Grimacing, she wondered faintly what she was going to do, standing in the courthouse and looking gloomily out into the rain. Her boss, the genius lawyer Shikamaru, came up beside her at the window, scowling at the rain. "How troublesome," he muttered, and she agreed silently in her head. Troublesome indeed.
She fished out her phone. "I'm going to see if I can call a cab," she said, mostly to herself. Shikamaru stopped her, placing his hand on her dialling fingers. She looked up, surprised, at him.
"Don't bother," he told her. Her lips pursed, but she let her hands fall and stuffed her phone back in her jacket pocket. She knew he was right, that it was useless to try to call a cab in this weather, but had somehow wanted to try it anyways. I mean, what else was she supposed to do? Walk home in this weather? Temari sighed, and Shikamaru looked at her with his drowsy eyes. "You can stay at my place tonight."
Her head shot up, eyes wide. "What?" she asked. Shikamaru's face turned back to the window, watching the rain splatter against the glass. He was handsomely nonchalant, hands stuffed in his pocket, shirt collar unbuttoned, tie loose.
"I said you can stay at my place tonight. Its pretty close," naturally, considering he'd probably be too lazy to walk or drive a long distance to work, "and I don't want you to catch a cold. That would be really troublesome." Temari was surprised at his concern, but mostly touched and feeling rather like she had a chance against this Ino person. Slowly, surely, she was worming her way into his heart and maybe if she worked hard enough she could take it away.
Maybe.
"Sure," Temari answered, trying to sound nonchalant and casual like he did instead of giggly (she did not giggle) and happy like she felt. Shikamaru glanced at her from the corner of his eye, gesturing with his head to the door. She picked up her work purse and followed him out the door, into the rain. Temari would follow him anywhere, she thought; even into a monsoon. The only question was, would he follow her into one too?
She tried not to think on it, wincing from the cold droplets of rain hitting her blazer. Shikamaru appeared unaffected, strolling through the rain as if he was strolling through a sunny day. His strange pineapple-shaped ponytail was now wet from the rain and drooped backwards, looking more like a normal ponytail. Temari's own hair was plastered wetly against her face, no longer sticking up like they were prone to doing when they were dry.
She stepped into another puddle and made a disgusted face, feeling the rainwater in between her toes. Although moving to New York had been a brilliant idea for her and her brothers, Temari had to admit that the weather changes were a major turn off. Back in Australia, it was mostly dry and sunny and hot and so the difference was rather new to her and she was still trying to get used to it.
"We're here," she heard Shikamaru call over his shoulder, and she rushed to catch up to him. He was standing at the foot of a large apartment building that looked very contemporary, the outside made completely of mirrors. They stepped inside, a doorman bowing to them as they stepped past the automated sliding glass doors. The place was expensive enough that they had their own personal doorman. Temari supposed that was to be expected though; he made a lot of money as a lawyer.
They made their way to the elevator, where there was also a liftman – a man in the elevator who operated the buttons. He took one look at Shikamaru, smiled, tipped his hat, and said, "Good evening Mr. Nara." Shikamaru just grunted and leaned against the back of the elevator wall. Temari stepped in unsurely behind him, nodding her head to the liftman. He tipped his hat to her as well and pushed the button presumably for Shikamaru's floor… or maybe just the button for his suite. Temari wasn't sure because she'd never been in Shikamaru's apartment.
And that was when it struck her. She was going to Shikamaru's apartment. She was staying overnight in his apartment. She was going to be alone with the love of her life in his apartment.
If Temari was a lesser woman, she'd faint. As it was, she did not. The only thing that even hinted of her new revelation was the slight twitch of her pinky as it clutched the handle of her tote bag. The men in the elevator certainly didn't notice the small movement, and if they did they would never know what was behind it. So Temari counted her stars lucky when the elevator dinged and she trailed behind Shikamaru as he ambled into a small enclosed space.
There wasn't a hallway, although for all intents and purposes Temari figured that this was the hallway. The door in front of her was Shikamaru's, no doubt as he fished a key out of his pocket and stuck it into the keyhole. Oh yeah, her boss didn't just live in an apartment, he lived in a penthouse. (She sure knew how to pick her men, huh?)
The door unlocked with a click and he opened it, heading inside. She followed after him, her heart hammering in her chest. This was it. This was it! If she couldn't seduce him now, over the course of the next few hours, than he was undeniably lost to her. But Temari was nothing if not determined; so what if this could cause irrevocable amounts of awkwardness between the two of them? She'd never know if she never took a chance. And Sabaku no Temari had once chosen between staying in safe, familiar Australia and the concrete jungle that was New York City. Look where that led her.
This whole 'playing it safe' thing was never her style anyways. She was always a person who knew what she wanted, and went out and got it. And she wanted Nara Shikamaru.
"I'm home!" Shikamaru called out into his penthouse, and Temari wondered if that was a habit for him. But then she stepped out from behind him, and saw just who he was saying 'I'm home' to.
His penthouse was open-spaced, the kitchen, living room, and dining room blended together in one large, open, airy room. It was because of this that Temari saw Shikamaru's large, flat-screen TV and the comfy couch across from it, housing two individuals. The one of the right was brown-haired, rather large with broad shoulders. Temari figured he probably played football in high school, with his size. Beside him was a smaller, yet more familiar person.
'Ino.'
"Took you long enough!" she reprimanded, only to hone in on Temari standing beside Shikamaru. Her blue eyes quickly took in their current state; soaked blazers and shivering body parts. "Oh! You're all wet!" No shit Sherlock, Temari grumbled in her head, but couldn't find herself able to really hate the paler blonde when she rushed forward, clucking her tongue like a mother hen. She turned to Shikamaru, glaring. "Why didn't you offer her your coat?"
Shikamaru shrugged. "It was wet. Seems a bit counter-productive to offer her a wet coat when I want to keep her dry," he replied. She smacked him in the shoulder, scowling.
"It's the gentlemanly thing to do!" she told him. "God, Shikamaru!" Ino then turned to Temari, her face morphing from its angry state to one of lots of smiles and bright, cheery happiness. "I'm so sorry about him; he wouldn't know where his own arm was if I didn't keep hitting it all the time." Shikamaru was the one to scowl this time, but Ino ignored it and led Temari further into the apartment. "Here, let me show you to the guest room. It has a bathroom that you can use to shower."
Temari was led down a short hallway and to a door that Ino opened, displaying a rather neat and stylish room. It was definitely Ino's doing, as Temari could tell from the beautiful flower arrangements scattered throughout the room. The washroom was off on the left, which Ino pointed out.
"There are shampoo and conditioner bottles under the sink, and towels in the linen closet. I'll bring some dry clothes for you to wear," Ino told her, smiling kindly. Temari muttered her thanks, still unsure how to act around the other blonde. But Ino seemed oblivious to it, beaming at the other woman and sweeping out of the room, probably to look for said dry clothes she promised. She closed the door behind her, and Temari suddenly found herself in a very quiet room with her thoughts.
Cringing at the wet clothing sticking to her skin, Temari began to ease the hair bands out of her hair, heading into the washroom and closing the door. She wondered what Ino and that other man were doing here, in Shikamaru's apartment on a Friday night. Maybe they had a weekly ritual? A lot of girls in Temari's high school had movie nights or sleepovers and she supposed maybe this was a variation of that. Ino certainly seemed comfortable in Shikamaru's house, finding the guest room with ease and pointing out key items in the washroom without even being in it.
Temari stepped into the shower and sighed, the hot water relaxing her muscles and giving warmth to her chilled skin. She also wondered who the other man was, the one sitting beside Ino when they walked in. Maybe another childhood friend? Could he and Ino be together, and that was why Shikamaru wasn't acting on his feelings for Ino? Because he didn't want to cause strain in their friendship? If that was so, then Temari thought she definitely had a chance with him. He was probably hurting and looking for someone to help ease the pain. She hoped so.
Temari paused in shampooing her hair, grimacing. Was this what she had been reduced to? Wishing that Shikamaru would feel miserable just so she could be with him? Have a chance with him? Part of her thought it was despicable. She was an attractive woman; she should be able to make Shikamau fall in love with her without trickery or deceit! But then again, love wasn't just about attraction. It was something undeniable and unexplainable. Something illogical that was based purely on feeling, purely on emotion. And anyways, if a man loved someone it wouldn't matter to him how attractive she was, because his love for her was going to make her look beautiful to him anyways.
She sighed and turned the water off, stepping out of the shower stall into the shivering air. The mirror was fogged from steam and she wiped it clear with her towel. For a moment, Temari stared at her reflection, at the wet clumps of her golden blonde hair and the teal-blue shade of her eyes. For a moment, she wondered if she was beautiful; she wondered if Shikamaru thought she was beautiful.
Shaking her head to stop those thoughts, Temari wrapped a towel around herself and stepped into the guest room. A pair of neatly folded sweatpants and a t-shirt were placed on the bed, no doubt put there by Ino. She put them on, clinging to the clothes when she discovered they held the lingering scent of Shikamaru's cologne. Temari figured Ino's clothes wouldn't fit her; the other blonde was thinner and shorter than she was.
Taking comfort in the knowledge that she was wearing something out of Shikamaru's closet, Temari quietly opened the door, ready to join the others in the living room. She could hear Ino's loud voice from her spot in the hallway. It got steadily louder as she got steadily closer and it wasn't long before Temari could make out Ino's words.
"Chouji, don't touch that hot chocolate! That's for Temari," she heard Ino yell.
"But I'm thirsty," the man, Chouji, said.
"I already made you hot chocolate! Don't complain just because you finished yours," she replied.
"Have mine," Shikamaru said, and Temari hid around the corner, peeking into the living room where she saw her boss slide his mug across the table to his friend. Ino, a shock of pale blonde and sky blue, whirled on the genius lawyer with a glare of death on her face.
"Don't spoil him!" she said, only for Shikamaru to shrug at her. He was fresh out of the shower from what Temari could tell, dressed in a similar pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt as her. A towel was slung around his neck and his hair was wet, water droplets falling from the tips of his loose black hair. Temari thought that he looked breathtaking like that, slumped against the couch, relaxed and content.
Apparently Ino thought otherwise. She scowled at the little drips of water landing on her arm. "Why is your hair wet?" she asked, turning to him. "You know you'll get sick if you don't dry it." Shikamaru simply shrugged and yawned. Ino's eye twitched. "You're such a lazy bum!" she shrieked, grabbing the towel around his neck. Ino climbed up the sofa, sitting behind Shikamaru, her legs on either side of his arms. She didn't see the triumphant smirk that appeared on his lips as she began towel-drying his hair, grumbling under her breath. She didn't see Temari either, hiding behind the corner. But Chouji did.
"Would you like to join us?" he asked, and she jumped. A flush settled over her cheeks, and she stepped into view.
"Yes, thank you," she said, trying to regain her bearings. Ino brightened when she appeared, but did not stop towel-drying Shikamaru's hair, or move from her spot behind him.
"I made you some hot chocolate!" she said cheerily, and Temari smiled a little unsurely at her, easing into the armchair beside the couch. The mug was still hot to the touch, but she didn't mind as she sipped a little bit. The TV was muted, but turned on and switched to the weather channel. Shikamaru un-mute it and the drone of the weatherman fluttered through the room.
"… the storm's looking to last the weekend, so it wouldn't be a good idea to go out partying Saturday—"
"Oh phooey," Ino huffed. "Hina-chan and I were going to go to the flower store and pick out her bouquet." Shikamaru chuckled and reached up to pinch her leg. She yelped.
"Just call her tomorrow or something. You have the internet and a phone. Google all the flowers," he said. Ino brightened at the idea, hugging Shikamaru's neck, seemingly oblivious to the fact she was choking him.
"That's brilliant, Shikamaru!" she squealed. "No wonder you're a genius." He rolled his eyes and she grinned excitedly, hopping off the couch. "I'll be right back; gotta call Hina-chan." She disappeared from the room into the kitchen, presumably to use the phone in privacy. Temari tried not to fidget nervously when she was left in the room with her boss and his best friend. Neither seemed to feel awkward, though, Shikamaru lounging on the couch and Chouji licking his lips.
"You gonna drink that?" he asked, pointing to her mug of hot chocolate. Temari blinked, a bit surprised, but shook her head. He smiled at her in thanks and took the mug. Ino bounced into the room a second later, a determined glaze to her eyes. She didn't even notice how Chouji acquired his new cup of hot cocoa.
"We need to make sleeping arrangements!" she declared resolutely. Shikamaru peered lazily at her through his dark lashes.
"Okay…" he muttered, which turned into a signal for Ino to go on a tangent.
"Temari can take the guest bedroom, because duh, she's the guest, and I'll take Shikamaru's room and Shikamaru and Chouji can sleep in the living room," she said. Shikamaru sat up straighter, narrowing his eyes.
"Why do I have to give up my room?" he complained. Ino shot him her patented Flowery Death Glare of Doom; that is, a facial expression that was meant to look sweet and innocent but was actually quite menacing.
"Because I'm a girl," she said, "and you're a guy. And guys are gentlemen's to girls. And although I know you're the most ungentlemanly lazy bum on the planet, I'm going to convert you into one if it kills me. So I get your bed and you sleep on the couch."
"But the couch is mine," Chouji whined. Ino shot him a smile, a genuinely sweet one.
"Of course, Chouji, never mind." She turned back to Shikamaru with her Flowery Death Glare of Doom. "Chouji gets the couch and you sleep on the floor."
He scowled. Ino smiled. Chouji sipped his hot chocolate. Temari wondered why she was still here. She looked out the window.
It was raining. She hated rain.