Natalie rushed to her office just in time. Her unfinished work lay on her table and she quickly proceeded to work on it. She only had a day to finish it, and then tomorrow they would invite Mr. Arthur, their client, to lunch and let him see the partial progress of their project. So Nathalie did her best and worked around the clock.
However, she was distracted. Her mom's words early in the morning still rung in her ear, loud and clear. She couldn't seem to get it off her mind.
"Think of all the loans you're still paying. All those bills you're still struggling to pay. The rent too! Think about it, sweetie. You can save if you move in with him. Don't be shy. It's him who suggested it."
Natalie shook her head. There was no way she would move right into the refuge of a stranger. Yes, her mother was right. Kenzo was her brother. But he was not even her real brother. And besides the fact that they somehow recently shared the same parents by law, they were still complete strangers. Wouldn't it be weird to live with him? She kept questioning herself as the hours ticked by. And then she snapped out of those thoughts and got mad at herself for even considering it.
There was no way… no way. No fucking way.
"Think of all the loans you're still paying. All those bills you're still struggling to pay. The rent too!"
Her mom was right. She was broke. Chasing after her dream had cost her a fortune, so many debts to pay after college, the ones she could spend her entire lifetime paying.
"But no, no, no…" She said out loud without even realizing it.
Her office mates turned to look at her, wondering what was wrong. She bowed her head at them, feeling embarrassed, and apologized with a shy smile.
~
Meanwhile, Kenzo sat in his office early in the morning, sipping a cup of coffee while staring through the glass window. The sky shone brightly today and the sight alone made him feel light. A good inspiration to start working on loads of paperwork that still needed to be done by the end of the day. When he finished his coffee, he got back to his table and started working on his laptop.
But then, the thought of Natalie living in his own apartment kept distracting him. Was it just right to suggest it? Didn't he sound weird telling her mom about it? Well, all he wanted was to help her anyway. It was no big deal. His apartment could fit at least three families and there was still enough space everywhere.
Natalie could live in it, and it was still possible that they might not see each other despite living under the same roof. She could choose not to, if she just wanted. There were two kitchens, two dining areas, and they could spend their time separately and privately. So what was there to think about?
Kenzo hoped she could make up her mind soon.
~
"Can you at least have lunch?" Calvin asked, standing in front of Natalie's table.
Natalie stopped her work and looked up to him. "Oh is it time already?"
"I can see how important that work is that you even forgot about hunger."
A smile crossed Natalie's face. "I just lost track of time."
"Is that so? Would you mind joining me for lunch at the cafeteria?"
"Yeah, sure. Let's go." Natalie closed her laptop and sat up from her seat.
She and Calvin headed to the cafeteria three floors down and ordered their favorite chicken dish. When they sat at their tables, Natalie didn't expect Kenzo would be there. He was walking towards them, a platter in his hands, and sitting on the vacant seat next to Natalie.
Calvin dropped his head in courtesy and greeted him.
"Do you mind if I join you?" Kenzo asked.
"No, not at all. Feel free to join us." It was Calvin who answered.
Natalie tried to avoid his eyes. She felt a little awkward but Kenzo didn't seem to be bothered. He acted like nothing happened and ate his food comfortably.
"So Natalie, how's your project going?" He asked.
Natalie cleared her throat before she answered, "I'm almost done with it. I'll send it to you once I finish."
"Good." Kenzo continued munching on his food. Calvin ate his food too, also unbothered.
For some reason, Calvin and all the other staff in their office still had no idea about the relationship between Natalie and Kenzo. No one knew they were step-siblings, and Natalie liked to keep it that way to avoid attracting attention.
They ate in silence. The only sounds coming out of their mouths was the sound of their food crunching between their teeth.
Kenzo finished his meal first before them. He drank his glass of water and wiped his mouth with the napkin on the table.
"So, did your mom already tell you?" Kenzo asked.
Natalie almost choked on her food. She didn't expect he would blatantly talk about it at work, especially in front of Calvin, who seemed to be pretty confused and interested.
"I surmise she did." Kenzo answered his own questions, "Just give me a call once you make up your mind." He checked his watch and sat up. "I should get going. Time's running."
Natalie just nodded her head.
"Yeah, thanks for spending your time with us, Mr. Anderson," Calvin replied respectfully.
Kenzo smiled and started walking away. But he abruptly stopped and turned around to look back at Natalie.
"Hey Natalie," he called out, "We're good, right?"
Natalie returned his gaze.
"Well, despite the awkwardness that still lingered in the air after what happened to them last night and the fact that he was acting like it didn't happen, yes, yes, they were cool."
Natalie gave him a smile of reassurance, "Yeah, we're cool." She told him.
Kenzo nodded, "Good to know. See you later!"
When Kenzo left, Calvin stared at her with curiosity.
"What's that all about?" He asked, brows furrowed.
Natalie waved him off with her hand. "Oh it was nothing. Just a little misunderstanding about our project."
"Really? Does he know your mom?"
Natalie laughed, "Well, he happens to know my mom. It's about our project. We don't seem to agree on it pretty well, so things had to be involved."
"So your mom is involved in the project?" Calvin was asking too many questions, then he realized what he was doing. "Oh sorry, was I being intrusive?"
"Oh no, it's fine. It's actually nothing." Natalie smiled reassuringly. Good thing, Calvin stopped asking any more questions, because she had no plans to spill her private life to anyone, especially to someone who worked with her.
~
By mid-afternoon, Natalie was done with her work. She finalized a few more and then by five, she went to Kenzo's office, bringing her laptop and submitted her progress. Kenzo studied it carefully. He looked like a critic or a judge, trying to find any small details that seemed to be wrong.
Natalie sat on the chair in front of his table and fixed her eyes on him, observing his every move. Based on his looks, it was obvious that he wasn't satisfied with it.
"It's good, but there's still room for improvement. I want you to revise this one right here and get back to me once it's done."
Feeling so exhausted, Natalie took her laptop and started revising the part that he had asked for. She did the revision on Kenzo's table in almost three hours.
Kenzo didn't leave her, but he dozed off on the couch by the window, waiting for her to finish. She didn't feel any hunger anymore, but by the time she finished the revision, her stomach was growling. Kenzo woke up and she showed him her output.
"Perfect! This is exactly what I wanted." He said happily.
For the first time, Natalie heard her first ever compliment from him. Hearing it and seeing him happy at what she had done drained out all the tiredness from her body and she suddenly wanted to explode in happiness too.
"Are you feeling hungry?" Kenzo asked, having no idea at the euphoria that seemed to invade Natalie's heart.
"I could eat outside." Natalie told him.
"Let's go eat outside." Kenzo changed her statement.
"No, I still have to drop by the store to buy some stuff."
"I could take you." He offered almost immediately.
"Actually…"
"Are you avoiding me? I thought we were good."
Natalie cleared her throat. He was right. They were good. So what was the problem?
"Yeah, we are. Okay then, let's go." She said and agreed.
"Wait, one more thing. How do you like moving in with me?" Kenzo asked her on the spot.
"I haven't decided yet." Natalie shakes her head as she answers him.
"Well, think about it. Are you scared?" Kenzo asked her.
"Scared?" She laughed sarcastically, "What's there to be scared of? We're siblings."
"Exactly. So come, live with me." Kenzo smiled back at her.
Natalie was speechless, she didn't know what to say to him.