"The hell…?" Rayne eyed the box wrapped in a glittery gift-wrap paper and then at the one holding it. "What's this for? It's too early for Christmas and too late for my birthday."
"Oh? When's your birthday?" Harold asked.
"March 5th. Anyway, what gives?"
"Think of it as a get-well present."
"Uh, thanks?" She took the box and stared at it intently.
"You can open it if you want."
Rayne stared at him and then slowly unwrapped the box. Bubbles was looking at the box intently. She briefly gave the cat an amused look. "No, you won't fit in this box, but you can play with the wrap later."
"I've never seen anyone this careful opening a gift," Harold said. "Normally, people would tear the wrapper apart."
"It's a weird habit of mine since I was a kid. I don't open presents like a wolverine and…huh?" Rayne trailed off as she managed to open the plain brown cardboard box and carefully lifted out a sunflower encased in a glass dome with a wooden stand.
The sunflower was bright yellow, and she saw it was on a micro landscape. She also noticed that this was not just a decoration but a lamp since fairy lights surrounded it. She stared at Harold, shocked.
"I guess you like it?" He said, looking at her hopefully.
"Ah well, I…yes. It's beautiful. You shouldn't have, though."
"But I wanted to. Want to test if the lights work?"
"Yeah!"
Harold bit back a laugh as Rayne practically dug out the USB cable and began looking for a power adapter. Her excitement was childlike, and he found it adorable. He had never met anyone who was this enthusiastic about a simple gift.
Once she found an adapter, she plugged the lamp at her bedside table. "Oh, it works!" She said, clapping her hands happily. "Hey, could you turn off the light for a second? I want to see how it looks in the dark."
"Okay."
When Harold turned off the bedroom light, the lamp gave off a dim and soft glow in the darkened bedroom.
"Ooh! This is so cool!" Rayne was saying excitedly. "Thanks so much!" She added as she grabbed Harold's arm and hugged it, then leaned against his shoulder.
Harold was startled at the sudden gesture. He just stood there staring at her with a slight smile. In all the times he had known her, she rarely made any physical contact with him; if she did, it was brief. Now, she was practically clinging to his arm and leaning against him. He brushed a strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear.
"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it."
"It's awesome. I would be able to sleep better during the day. The lamp I use is brighter than my future." She said as she released his arm and turned back on the bedroom light.
"Your future?" He said, sounding bewildered.
"It's a joke. Have you had lunch yet? Let's eat together."
Even if he had an earlier lunch, Harold was more than happy to join her if it meant spending more time with her.
Minutes later, they were eating and having a light conversation about various topics ranging from current events to his work at the university. Harold would still be going to school to teach classes that required face-to-face; at the same time, he would also be teaching online to students who refused or were not able to attend in an actual classroom. Today was one of those days when he would be conducting an online class. Fortunately, the course was in the early evening. He had all the time to spend with Rayne.
"Are you busy this weekend?' Harold asked.
Rayne looked thoughtful for a moment. "Not really; why?"
"The central road is back to being closed during Sundays, and some stalls are back up selling stuff."
"Oh? I'm surprised the city decided to reopen to outsiders."
"Well, we need the revenue, and given how the mayor handled the lockdown, it's not a shock that the national government gave the go signal to open the city."
"True. So you plan to roam around Session?"
"Yeah, would you like to come with me?"
"Ohh, what to choose: to do nothing and nap several times a day or walk along the road to buy stuff? Hmm, I'm coming with you."
"Great. Would 10 am be good for you?"
"Works for me."
"Okay. Want me to pick you up or meet up downstairs?"
"Let's just meet up."
Harold nodded, trying his best to contain his excitement at Rayne agreeing to go out with him. Was it a date? Hardly, but it was a start.
From the other side of the screen, Russell was eyeing his subordinate with a slight frown. He loudly cleared his throat. "Ahem, Rayne, you have had that goofy smile on your face since the meeting started; it's becoming creepy. Your cat is even eyeing you as if some spirit possessed you." He said as he waved at Bubbles, who just stared at him.
"Eek! Bubbles off the table!" Rayne said as she gently took the cat and placed him on the floor. The cat, she swore, was glaring at her. She turned to her boss and gave him a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that."
"Oh, no worries, I love cats. It's too bad Victor is allergic to them."
A lispy voice shouted in the background. "Antihistamines were invented for a reason!"
"Well, there you go, problem solved," Rayne said.
Russell snorted. "We were planning to adopt one this week anyway. You haven't answered my question; what's with the silly smile on your face?"
"What? My baby Rayne is in-love?!"
Rayne jumped a little at the sight of Victor. While he does sound like a stereotypical gay man with a lisp and pitch change in his voice, he hardly looks like one. Victor has short brown hair, blue eyes, and a well-built physique, which caused many women to develop a crush on him until he started speaking.
From the moment Rayne met Russell's husband, she found him to be the more playful of the pair. At times, he was more motherly than her mother, which meant he nagged more. Victor loves to nag her, from her hair to her nonexistent love life.
"I am NOT in love, Victor." She said through gritted teeth. "I'm just happy. Is that bad?"
Russell rolled his eyes. "No, but you're not this happy, and you have been tuning me out during the meeting."
Rayne gasped and put a hand on her mouth. "I'm sorry!" She said through her hand.
"Nah, I'm just joshing you. The look on your face earlier was priceless."
Rayne was now looking at her boss through narrowed eyes while he was laughing. She would have quit long ago if Russell was not such a fantastic boss. He sometimes loved to joke around with his employees, although they could not tell if he was serious.
"Seriously though, you look pleased. You got a date this weekend?"
"Uh…no."
"You suck at lying," Victor said. "Who's he?"
"Ugh, fine. But it's not a date. It's an outing between two friends."
Victor rolled his eyes while Russell was stifling his laughter. Rayne was now glaring at them, outraged that they were laughing at her expense. Why can't they accept that her so-called date with Harold was not something to make a big deal out of it? It was not like they were going out on a romantic stroll. What was so romantic about walking along a closed road with stalls six feet from each other? Instead of thinking about her companion, she made mental lists of what to buy on Sunday. She appreciated the company, but it was just that companionship, nothing else. It was an outing between two neighbors and close friends.
Then why was she so excited and impatient for Sunday to come? She let out a silent sigh as she pushed her feelings aside.
"You guys done?" She asked dryly.
"Yeah," Russell said playfully. "Kidding aside, you have fun."
"Mm, I'm glad you're going out and socializing. I thought you would spend the rest of your life in your place with that void fluffball as your companion. Who's the guy?"
"My next-door neighbor, Harold."
Russell's expression went from amused to outrage. "You're going out with that barbarian?!" He nearly boomed at her.
Rayne blinked. She had never seen her boss this mad before. "Are you still sore from being referred to as an old man?" She asked as she stared at him in disbelief.
"Still sore?! I'm downright offended. What's worse is that SOB has not apologized yet."
Victor frowned as he stared at his spouse for a second then realization dawned on him. "Ooh, that hot-looking man who thought you were baby Rayne's boyfriend?" He burst into loud guffaws that had both Rayne and Russell stare at him.
"You knew what happened?" Rayne asked.
"Russell darling, you hardly look old, especially when it comes to holding grudges, and Rayne baby, if that's the man you choose to go out with, I'm all for it."
"I AM NOT DATING HIM!"
Victor raised an eyebrow. "Alright, fine, you're not dating him, but if I play my cards right, you will."
"Hmm."
"Anyway, have a good time," Russell said grudgingly.
After that, Victor left while Rayne and Russell resumed discussing work, much to her relief. Work distracts her from her thoughts; right now, she needs to stay focused on her career and forget that she has conflicting emotions churning inside her.