Christopher let the dog off the leash once they've reached the meadow.
"I have packed a few treats so hopefully I won't have to run a marathon to get him back." Christopher grumbled as Bark Twain shot off into the wild chase with the wind.
"Hopefully." Emilia nodded as she stepped into the meadow. She bend over and smelled the flowers. "How was your work today?" She asked which was so contrasting to what Christopher expected. He expected yet another philosophical thought with thread of existential dread, rather than the very down-to-Earth question about him. He rarely ever had anyone ask about his day at work.
"Busy as always." He replied, not revealing how much he struggled without the assistant at hand and how much of his day he spend replying to emails and that he run late to every meeting because he forgot to check the room he was meant to be in, or mixed the rooms up. "Actually, there's a gallery exhibition opening in a few weeks. I thought you might be interested." He dismissed his thoughts as he recalled the invite he stumbled across in his mailbox which made him think of Emilia.
"An exhibition opening?"
"Yes. I'll forward you the email so you can check out the artist. It's in at least couple of days so if you're feeling well enough, we could go. But only if you're interested."
"Okay." Emilia nodded in agreement. "Sounds good."
"I think you might like it." Christopher stood so close that she could smell his cologne. "But as I've said, only if you're feeling up for it and if you're genuinely interested. As per our deal."
"Thank you."
"How was your visit to your family?"
"Quite okay." Emilia lied.
"Did… did they worry over your absence?"
"I don't think they've noticed. I wasn't gone long enough for anyone to really notice." Emilia stretched the truth.
"I should've probably informed them of what has happened." Christopher said in sudden realisation.
"No." Emilia shook her head. "It wasn't long enough to cause them any concern. I rather them not worry over me." She lied again. There was no one Christopher could inform of her abduction. There was no one that would care. "Did you read the news today?" She changed the topic.
"Does scanning the stock market trends during my toilet break count?" Christopher asked as he tilted his head. Emilia sneered at his abrupt TMI comment. "Why are you asking? Am I involved in some ridiculous scandal now?"
"What?" Emilia was surprised at his question. She never thought of that side of Christopher before. She should have. She was digging through his public identity for ages before the first event. "No." She smiled. "I saw an article on Crimson Tech and I thought it was quite nice. Also, I saw an article on some emerging tech that you might find interesting as it is similar to what your company is working on."
"Is the article about Crimson in the business insider?"
"Yes, it is."
"Ah, okay. I've already reviewed it before it was published. But I am quite interested in the latter. Could you pass it onto me later on? I'll try to read up on it once we're back home."
"Of course."
"It's rather cloudy, isn't it?" Christopher continued their conversation which still surprised Emilia.
"A little." She looked up at the sky. "Stratus clouds. Although, nimbostratus clouds are coming in this direction. It's going to rain."
"Barky!" Christopher called out to the dog who was still running berserk. "Come here! It's going to rain!" He frowned as he took a step into the meadow and he sunk into the mud. He regretted not changing his shoes now. The dog obviously didn't listen to him. He took out the treats and tried to coax the pooch into coming closer but to no avail.
"Shall I…?" Emilia offered.
"No. Stay there. It's slippery as heck here. You might slip and hurt yourself more."
Emilia pursed her lips and watched Christopher's futile attempts of catching Bark Twain.
Christopher momentarily vanished out of her sight as he slipped and fell on his bottom.
Emilia approached him cautiously.
"Are you okay?" She asked with worry all over her face. The mud was all over his perfect suit, splattered onto his face and hair.
"I did it the second time now." Christopher laughed as he slowly lifted himself up.
"When did it happen?"
"I've started walking him when you were in America."
"Thank you." Emilia smiled.
"You'd think I would have learnt by now to get changed before the walk, but no."
"Humans are naturally creatures of habit." Emilia watched him with amusement. He didn't seem angry or upset about his fall. "Why do you wear just black?"
"It's a habit. It's easier than trying to match different colours. With all black, I know that my shirt and tie will match the suit regardless."
"Low effort to look sleek." Emilia nodded in approval.
"Do not judge." He mumbled before he went into the sprint, running after their canine. Emilia looked behind him in surprise, not expecting the sudden action. She burst into laughter as Bark Twain treated Christopher running as an invitation to play.
"You aren't going to catch him if you keep running!" Emilia shouted behind him.
"This is the only way that worked so far."
"Come on, hold it." She instructed as she passed the bonsai to him as he passed a bit closer.
"No running, Emilia. You're still recovering." Christopher urged her as Emilia took the leash off him.
"Bark, heel!" She exclaimed and then let out a loud whistle. The dog halted in its run. "Heel!" And another whistle. To Christopher's surprise, it worked and Bark run up to Emilia in excitement. "Treats?" She reached out a hand. Christopher dug our dog treats from his pockets and passed them to Emilia who managed to get Bark back on the leash. "Good dog." She scratched him behind the ear as his tail wagged in excitement.
"When did you work this out?"
"During our last walk."
Christopher took the leash off her whilst still carrying the bonsai after mumbling "I've got this."
They've walked towards the mansion, speaking so casually that anyone would have thought that they're really married. As soon as they've stepped inside, the rain started pouring down. This brought a smile to Christopher's face. Emilia's knowledge seemed endless.
Christopher went to get changed out of his muddy clothes, changing into exactly same suit as Emilia fed Barky.
They've continued their conversations throughout l dinner. Emilia showed the article that she spoke about earlier and explained the potential applications, which Christopher considered carefully. She didn't even know that he took every word on board and that he was going to see if there are any projects he could use the technology in.
After dinner, Christopher helped Emilia change the dressing on her wrists which were healing very well. She didn't protest any more but instead she thanked him profusely and listened to him explaining the article about Crimson Tech that she found in the business insider magazine, before he mumbled something about 250 odd emails he had in his mailbox a few hours later that he was yet to reply to. As he bid her good night, his words started cycling in her mind. The university encouraged her to restart her studies as the new term starts as it was mere two weeks left before the break. She had the time. And she had the skills. She could easily act as Christopher's assistant in place of Patrick, until someone else was employed or Patrick was forgiven. That thought played in her head through the night as she struggled to sleep.