Glass No. 2 - Tears

'She wasn't good enough anyway...' Two sillhouettes intertwined with each other.

What had she done wrong? Wasn't she good enough for him?

'Seriously... she thought she had a chance?'

The voice had a smile on its lips as it leaned down towards the other, both lying down on top of a desk. The other's neck craned slightly upward to meet in a passionate kiss.

'Of course she didn't... my heart always lay with you. You knew that, too, which made it all the more fun.'

Just stop it...

It hurts. Didn't he know she had feelings too? Didn't he know she loved him with all her heart? That her feelings were genuine?

Yumiko jolted awake, her breathing heavy. Her eyes felt sore and tender as her gaze focused onto the ceiling, painted black. Globes which would've given off a warm glow at night time were currently switched off, and natural sunlight streamed through in thin beams from an open window above her head.

What a terrible nightmare...

... Then again. How could something be a nightmare if it was reality?

She raised herself a little off of the couch she was laying on, plush and soft to the touch. A black silken vest slid off of her and crumpled softly to the polished wooden floor beneath.

Her head hurt. Her throat was so dry. There was a tall glass of water on a table next to her. Her fingers curled around the glass and gulped it down. The cool liquid rushed to soothe her throat, so suddenly she started to cough and splutter.

"Ugh..."

This woke up Haruki, who was asleep on the bar counter top. He'd pulled himself a chair up to the bar late last night and used his arms as a pillow. His bartender vest currently lay on the floor, as there wasn't anything else in Shiraishi he could offer as a blanket.

Stirring slowly, he straightened up in his bar stool, rubbing one eye sleepily as he looked over his shoulder. One of his cheeks was more pink than the other from peeling away from the bench. Upon laying eyes on Yumiko, his expression brightened.

"Oh! You're awake! G-Good morning..."

She was rubbing her throat with one hand, trying to massage it when she heard someone else's voice, looking up to meet the gaze of Haruki. His brown eyes evoked warmth. Gentle eyes. Her own blue eyes evoked shock and surprise.

"M... Morning..." Her voice came out both quiet and raspy. Her eyes widened as she heard herself and quickly gulped down more water despite her previous coughing. Her cheeks were burning bright red at how unprofessional she had sounded.

"Oh- I'm sorry! I didn't mean to rush you. Please take your time..."

The glass was eventually drained. Yumiko set it down onto the table with a quiet clunk and released a quiet satisfied sigh. Her hands returned to her lap as she gazed down at her office shoes, biting her lip as her eyes shone with withheld tears. The bar was quiet between the two of them.

"... Thank you... for the drink." Her voice came out rather small. Haruki smiled at her warmly, approaching slowly to take the glass to the kitchen.

"But of course. Are you feeling better now?" He began to walk towards the kitchen. Her grip on her pencil skirt tightened, its smooth fabric crinkling beneath her fingers.

"... Maybe... I thought the drinks last night would help me forget... but I guess not."

Haruki nodded, listening carefully to her words as he lowered his eyes down to the cup, beginning to rinse the cup and dry it with one of the clean silken towels beneath the bar.

"It sounds like you're hurting quite a bit." He replied softly. Yumiko tentatively nodded, tucking a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. Aah- her usual uptight bun was coming loose. She blushed as she proceeded to unpin and retie her hair up again.

"... I'll... I'll be fine." She frowned with hair pins in her mouth as her long hair swept up into its many coils for a bun. Her practiced, dexterous fingers pinned the flyaways into place.

"Coming back to a bar after all this time is... character development."

"... Ahh, is that so?"

However she tried to convince herself, everything leading up to last night's events struck her like a train.

[ "Oh- you're starting here today? Well, pleased to make your acquaintance. Let's get along well together, shall we?" Itsuki, her handsome work colleague at an office job with sparkling eyes. She was given the desk next to him.]

...

["That party the other night was wild! Come to think of it, I never saw you drink! ... I guess that's what I like about you, huh? You're so professional yet beautiful... I must admit, that does make my heart race." Itsuki's boyish grin which flashed from his face as effortlessly as breathing.]

...

[She had hid her face from embarrassment. They can't act like this at work! Not when the boss was breathing down their necks!]

...

[She swore off drinking to remain professional for Itsuki. It didn't matter that this job was hard. She could do this for Itsuki.]

...

["I must say... I never expected us to be a thing, you know? Then I look at you and I think- wow, what a girl. It makes every day coming to work so much more enjoyable." So Itsuki didn't enjoy work either? What a relief.]

...

["This project is tough, huh? But you're nearly there! Amazing work. I'll be around the corner sorting out a few things."

Planting a soft kiss on her neck, Itsuki had left her side as she finished up the last of the report that was due on the boss's desk tomorrow. They were the only two in the building, staying back to finish up. Her spirits were high and the kiss had given her determination.

... Finally! She'd managed to finish early! She could even drop the report in tonight!

Printing it out, she held the warm papers in her arms as she walked down the darkened hallway. Her hand rested on the handle when two voices, giggling, came from inside the room.

"Well... aren't you a bold one...? Doing something like this at work... what if someone sees?" A female, her voice deep and rich.

"I'll be gentle... and besides... she's still working on your silly little report, so she won't be here for a while..." A male, his voice intertwined with a boyish smile.

Yumiko stumbled blindly back away from the door as if it had burned her. The frosted window which made up one wall of the boss's office showed two sillhouettes illuminated by the light of the moon on top of a desk. The male on top leaned down slowly to kiss the woman who laid on the desk, reaching up to meet his kiss in return.

... Where did she go wrong? Hadn't she done everything right? ]