"Man, it really has been a while since I left the house for something that wasn’t groceries or a job interview."
As they stepped out of the café, Mara stretched her arms over her head, letting out a light groan.
"You still don’t cook?" Gray smirked.
"Excuse you," she said with mock offense. "I tried. For like, a whole week. But I almost set my stove on fire twice."
"Still an overachiever, I see."
"Shut up and lead the way, color gray." She narrowed her eyes at him.
Gray chuckled and started walking ahead. They boarded a bus and got off at the bus stop near the office.
The walk shouldn’t be long, but they agreed to take the long route and walk for a bit. It felt easier that way. It felt as if they had all the time in the world.
"So what’s the vibe?" Mara asked, matching his pace. "Is your office one of those soul-sucking glass buildings where everyone wears suits and cries in the bathroom during lunch?"
"Stupid, I own a grocery store, not a big business." Gray snorted. "I mean, we do cry sometimes. But our bathroom’s too small for that."
"Okay, sorry." Mara laughed, head tipping back. "I guess it’s just a small office then." She playfully smiled.
Gray gave her a look. "You’re small."
"I am five foot three, thank you very much. Average female height."
"Shorter than me, so you’re small."
"Wow. That’s a strong argument, Mr. Grocery Store Owner."
"CEO," Gray corrected, raising an eyebrow. "Put some respect on it."
She rolled her eyes. "I’m not calling you that. You’ll get weird."
"I am not weird."
"See. You’re already weird,"
He let out a laugh and shook his head. The pace of their walk was slow and easy, like neither of them was in a hurry to get anywhere.
They passed by a bookstore and some closed food stalls. The late afternoon sun peeked through the branches above them, casting light on the cracked sidewalk.
"I still remember that time you got detention for sneaking Oreos into class," Mara said suddenly, bumping her shoulder into his. "And you denied it so hard. You had crumbs on your shirt."
"Okay, in my defense—" Gray clicked his tongue.
"There is no defense," she said, grinning. "You got caught in 4K."
"I was hungry. And those Oreos were double-stuffed."
"Tsk, tsk tsk..."
"You weren’t any better," Gray shot back. "Didn’t you try to dye your hair blue with a highlighter and conditioner?"
"Oh my god, shut up. That was a phase. I was trying to express myself." Mara immediately groaned.
"Yeah, and the whole classroom smelled like permanent marker for a week."
Mara laughed harder at that.
"Also," she added after a beat, "remember that one time you confessed to your crush using a mix CD?"
"Don’t. Don’t you dare." Gray froze mid-step.
"It had, like, six different Linkin Park songs."
"I was going through things."
"You put NumbandIn the End in the same playlist, Gray!" Mara was wheezing.
"I hate you." He covered his face with one hand. Embarrassment settling into his every being.
"You labeled the CD: ’For when words aren’t enough.’ I will never forget that. Ever."
"I was thirteen..."
She leaned into him, barely able to keep a straight face.
"Sure, little boy."
"Shut up." He was trying so hard not to laugh now, his face hidden behind his palm.
They rounded the corner at last, nearing a quiet block with commercial buildings lined up side by side. After a while, they stopped at a big high-rise building. A building that Gray entered every day.
Gray pointed at it casually.
"Alright, we’re here."
"Oh—" Mara blinked.
Then she blinked again.
She stared at the building like it had personally offended her.
"Wait." She took a step forward. "What the fuck? Your office is here?"
"Yup." Gray gave her a smug grin.
She looked at him, then back at the office, then at him again.
"Gray. Be honest. Are you secretly laundering money?"
"C’mon. Just get inside." Gray threw his head back and laughed.
"Fuck... Holy shit," she murmured under her breath.
Mara stared up at the building like it had grown wings and started flapping.
It wasn’t just big. It was ridiculously big.
"You work here?" she asked again, still stunned. "Like... here-here?"
"Yup." Gray gave her a smug little nod as he motioned her to follow him inside. However, Mara didn’t move.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the company name engraved on the sleek black marble plaque near the entrance. A subtle, elegant logo right above it.
Lancaster.
She blinked again.
"Gray. Lancaster. That Lancaster?"
"The one and only."
"Holy shit," she muttered. "You should’ve warned me I was walking into a damn skyscraper!"
Gray snorted. "Hey, it’s not that bad."
"Shut up, yes it is!" Mara glared at him. "Do you know how many professors brought up this company in class? They made us write papers about their mergers and investment strategies. You know how many sleepless nights I spent crying over Lancaster’s quarterly reports?"
"Wow." He gave her a sideways glance. "So you’ve been obsessed with me all along."
"I will kill you," she muttered.
Gray chuckled and they stepped inside.
The place was cold and quiet. Mara looked around and all she could see was smooth floor tiles, mirrored walls, and that faint citrus-lobby scent.
"Damn..." Mara’s mouth parted slightly as she looked around. Even the front desk lady looked like she belonged in a Vogue spread.
"I thought you said this was a grocery store thing," she whispered.
"It is. I also don’t know why, but my office is here," Gray replied smoothly, stepping into the elevator and pressing the button. "We’re going up to the 10th."
Mara stepped in after him, eyes still scanning the lobby like she couldn’t fully believe it was real.
"Okay. What the hell." She turned to him. "When did you get rich?"
"I’m not rich."
"Gray, shut the fuck up."