Eli and Astrid managed to cram more of their project for the next 2 days when Ace got busy with meetings. He sulked at the idea of Astrid being within reach, but he had to attend meetings sessions. By the time he finished his meetings, both were long gone and he fumed at his employees in return.
By Thursday, with constant teamwork and effort, both managed to complete a good quarter of their project. Given the short period of time and the ready material at hand, they decided to continue and wait for Ace who was stuck in another meeting.
Astrid sends him a quick text saying they stayed back to thank him. Imagine Ace's surprise when he saw Astrid huddled close to Eli their noses buried in their work.
`Astrid', he strode close to her and bend down to give her a peck on her cheeks. She blushed in response.