February 14, 9:22 PM, Valentine's Day Dinner at La Bella Rosa Ristorante
"K—Kouga, I don't know what to say!" Kagome stuttered, rounded eyes taking in the pair of earrings that lay daintily in their plush, velvet-lined box. "They're lovely." And they were. Stunning, multifaceted aquamarines hung inside a teardrop shaped loop of silver, reflecting the soft light of the restaurant and sparkling magnificently.
"I'm glad you like them," he smiled, moving his now-empty dessert plate out of the way and sliding his hand across the table to capture hers.
Kagome nervously picked one earring up and held it up to the light. "They're almost too fancy for little old me," she giggled. She couldn't imagine herself actually wearing the earrings. They would likely languish in her jewelry box because she was too afraid to lose or break one of them.
"Nothing is too fancy for you, babe." Kouga's smile became a cocky smirk. "You should see what the jewelry stores have in Moscow. If you come to Russia, there's a lot more where these came from."
Kagome set the earring gently back in its box and sighed. "Kouga."
A frown passed briefly over his face as he noticed the shift in her posture.
She continued, "My boss told me yesterday that I'm being considered for a major promotion, and she's doing everything she can to try to make sure I get it. Says that we need more women in top positions, and that in any case, she thinks I'm the best person for the job. So… so I don't think now is a good time for me to leave."
Kouga's lips pressed into a thin line. "So you won't come to Russia with me?"
"I didn't say that," Kagome objected.
"But you—"
"Kouga, please listen."
He let go of her hand and crossed his arms.
Kagome went on, "I said that now isn't a good time. If I get this promotion, it will mean a big salary and responsibility boost for me. With that kind of experience, I'll be employable in a lot more places, including overseas."
Kouga rolled his eyes. "Babe, we've been over this already. I told you, you don't need to worry about any of that."
At that, Kagome glared. "Frankly, Kouga, I don't care what you think I need or don't need to worry about. This is important to me, and I'm trying to figure out an arrangement that could eventually make us both happy. So if you want me to even consider coming to Russia, do me a favor and work with me instead of insisting that the things I care about don't matter."
Silence descended as Kouga stared at her for a moment, lips parted in surprise. "So… so what you're saying is, you would come to Russia if you had a job there too?"
"I—I said I would consider it, yes," Kagome said a little breathlessly. She suddenly felt like she was committing to something big and uncertain, even though she hadn't made any definitive statements.
A genuine grin broke over Kouga's features. "I'll see if I can find you a job after I go back there at the end of the month, then."
"But Kouga, you don't really know the specifics of what I do, are you sure that—"
"Kagome, if it's a job you want, it's a job you'll have. Just wait and see. I have plenty of connections."
"I—um, o-okay." She was reeling. There was no way that Kouga knew enough about large-scale corporate marketing to find her a good job in Russia— his area of expertise was in manufacturing quality control. But now that the idea had been planted in his head, there would be no talking him out of it.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed and are joining me in exasperation at Kagome's attempt at "figuring out what will make her happy," per Sango's advice. Compromise: sometimes it's great, and other times it's the worst thing you can do to yourself. Let me know what you thought in the reviews!