Cyrus felt like he had just won the lottery. It wasn't every day a pretty woman would agree to get into your car with you, especially when the said woman was Sakura Guerro. If he were a child, he would be bouncing on the balls of his feet with excitement but instead of embarrassing himself, he kept up his signature smirk as he opened up the car door for her to get in. He didn't miss the wary look she threw at him and the hesitance with which she entered. When she did, he closed the door and crossed over to the driver's side. It wasn't until he was buckled up that he turned to look at her, only to find her glaring at him.
"I hope you don't think this means you've won." She said, her haughty nature shining through
"Whatever do you mean, Miss Guerro?" he asked her, starting the car up. He wondered if she would have more mercy on him if he pretended to be oblivious
"Nothing." She crossed her arms over her chest, sulking like a child with her face thrown to the other side and he could only chuckle "Thank you still. I don't think I would have had the patience to deal with Tyler this morning."
"Oh, I saw it. If I hadn't stepped in, he would probably be buried deep in the ground by now." She snorted, further urging him to keep talking "Must avoid murder at all costs at the workplace."
"I wasn't going to murder him." Cyrus didn't hesitate to give her the most incredulous look he could muster to which she rolled her eyes "I'm serious. I would have just done something else, maybe bring Jonathan into it."
"How long has he been bugging you anyway?"
"Not that it concerns you, but since you've witnessed it anyways and gotten involved, there's no point in saying it's not your business."
"How kind of you"
"Tyler has been on my neck since I got here. It started off with little things; brushing his hand on my arm, standing extra close. Things that shouldn't have made a difference to anyone else, but they did to me. I saw him for the scumbag of a person he was, but he seems to think just because I haven't tried to knock him unconscious and the fact that he's Jonathan's son, he has the power to do what he likes."
"Good thing I was there. If it's any assurance, I don't think anyone would mind if you did kill him. I speak for Jon and Wallace as well." He didn't hear her laugh, but a quick glance her way allowed him to see the trace of a smile that danced on her lips
Cyrus made sure to let the windows down, choosing to forgo the air conditioning on such a windy day. The smell of the air that filtered in was fresh, still carrying traces of dew. He wanted to believe that it was fate that allowed them to meet up this morning. He had been stepping out to take a morning walk, hoping to come across her, when he heard their conversation. Taking the opportunity, he grabbed the keys and went forth to be her night in shining armour. Even though she didn't particularly like him, Cyrus knew Sakura would choose him over Tyler any day. He would have to get Tyler a gift basket for being such a douche and letting him get this close. A nice one with chocolates, biscuits and maybe a blow-up doll, just so he had something to play with rather than other people.
She didn't say anything more to him and being the man he was, he kept quiet as well, driving the road swiftly on the smooth asphalt. Her hair was down, at the mercy of the wind that came and allowed the smell of her shampoo to drown him. He glanced at her multiple times, loving the way her brown skin drank up the waves of sunlight and made her glow. Through the whole ride, she only focused on the scenery outside, brushing her hair out of her face when it was necessary.
By the time they got to town, he had already grown the urge to run his fingers through her hair. As they got down in front of the local electronics store, however, he decided to not try to make her uncomfortable so soon and let her do what she had intended to come to do.
"My hair is a mess." He heard her mutter, making his eyes look at her as she stood beside him "I should have kept it up."
"I think you look beautiful." Instead of a real smile, she flashed the one he had come to know and with a curt nod, she mumbled her thanks before disappearing into the store. He pondered for a few seconds whether or not to go after her, finally choosing the former
The bell rang overhead as he entered and he was hit with a burst of cool air. It reminded him of his office. With his eyes, he scanned the large shop that was much bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. There was an array of different gadgets, from televisions to computers to mouse and keyboard displays. There was even a wall lined with cables and phones. He had never entered any of the shops in town, so to say he was impressed was an understatement. Then again, if anyone heard about how he felt, they would probably call him pompous and rude, without any understanding of the basics of town life. In the middle of it all, there she stood, talking to a middle-aged man across the counter. They spoke for a while before he disappeared into the back, leaving her alone and nothing to fill the silence but the buzz of the many air conditioners that were running.
Cyrus stood close, right next to her and noticed that she was typing away at her phone. She didn't once lift her head until the voice of the middle-aged man filled the room again.
"There we go; 5 microprocessors for your use and one wireless Wi-fi router as requested." He said, placing the items on the counter with his gloved hand "From Cray Tech, just like you wanted."
"Thank you, Nate. You're a lifesaver." She said and he watched her in interest as she picked up the packs to examine, one by one
"It's what I do ma'am. I'm grateful for your patronage, always." The said man responded heartily, packing up everything into a carton box "Who's your man-friend?"
"Man-friend?" the perplexed expression on her face was a hint to him that she had completely forgotten about him when she looked to the side, her eyes lit up in surprised realization "Oh, him."
There was a massive bruise to his ego and he stewed silently, trying his best to put on a polite smile and failing. "This is Mr Axton, he's like my boss." Was it not she that he had managed to have a decent conversation with on their ride here? That person and this person were so different in behaviour, if he didn't already commit to memory her eyes, he'd have sworn they were different people.
"Like your boss?" Nate said amused, stretching out a hand for him to shake. Cyrus grasped his hand firmly, not allowing any more room for him to be embarrassed
"I am her boss." It was the first time he had said it out loud. He remembered how he had told her of his unwillingness to assert a dominant position in their work relationship, simply because he craved the indulgence of equality, transparency and a sense of collaboration. Would she be peeved at the way he said it? Or take it all now and ensure there would be a boomerang effect? A quick glance at her showed that her face remained passive. She busied her hands with fastening the box in front of her, completely not in tune with what he was going through.
"It's wonderful to meet you, Mr Axton. If you ever need any help with gadgets, knick-knacks or even an electrician job, I'm your guy." Nate said, swiping her card
"I'll be sure to remember that."
The store was possibly the only one of its kind in the town and that meant he had enough business to keep him going. Sakura had definitely become his top one and he swore he saw dollars dancing in his eyes when the payment went through and he gave her a receipt. She mumbled a quick thank you and walked past him, ignoring the fact that he had been standing there waiting for her. Despite the slight irritation he felt, he nodded at Nate who waved ecstatically as they exited. Cyrus' long legs, with wide steps allowed him to meet up with her pace.
One quick assessment of her body language and her facial expression as they walked down the paved sidewalk to their next destination, he knew it was going to be a long morning. He only hoped she wouldn't push him to the point that he couldn't take it anymore