Under The Cherry Blossoms – Chapter 4 : Cafeteria

Lily, backpack slung over one shoulder, heads towards her workspace, weaving her way through the clumps of colleagues trickling towards the cafeteria for lunch. She reaches her desk and there, leaning against the cubicle partition, is Liam.

"Training with Ethan... took a while, huh?" His voice is casual but the trace of an unasked question hangs in the air.

Lily, placing her bag down, responds with a lighthearted laugh. "Sure did, but it wasn't time wasted."

Liam's lips curl up into a small smile, a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks. "I, um... waited for you. Lunch?"

Her response is a bright grin. "You waited? That's sweet, thank you."

Just as they are about to make their move to the cafeteria, a sudden burst of energy in the form of Layla's voice echoes through the room.

"Lilyyyy!" Layla, with her trademark enthusiasm, throws her arms around Lily in an affectionate squeeze. "Time for lunch, let's go!"

Lily exchanges a surprised glance with Liam. "You waited too, Layla?"

"Naturally! I knew you were in training. And... 'too'? Was someone else waiting?" Layla, feigning innocence, looks curiously at Liam.

"Uh, Layla." Liam greets, his voice slightly strained.

Unfazed, Layla links her arm with Lily's, "Why not all four of us go for lunch?"

Lily and Liam exchange a glance, both echoing the question, "Four?"

"With grumpy, of course!" Layla gestures towards the entrance where Melissa stands with a bemused expression.

The realization of Melissa's inclusion draws a laugh from Lily and a muttered, "Great, Melissa too," from Liam, almost inaudible.

"What was that?" Layla turns towards Liam.

"Hmm? Nothing. Lunch, right?" Liam tries to dismiss the question, while Layla's infectious excitement begins to drag Lily away.

Catching Liam's eye, Lily's smile silently encourages him to follow. His gaze lingers a moment longer on Lily before he grumbles to himself, "Oh, Stupid Layla."

The group - Lily, Liam, Layla, and Melissa - thread their way to the cafeteria, a bustling hub of activity and welcome change from the quiet efficiency of their tenth floor workspace. The air buzzes with the chatter of their colleagues and is infused with the mouthwatering aroma of diverse food. After selecting their meals, they slip into seats at their favorite corner table.

"Wow, this cafeteria never fails to surprise me with its variety of options!" Layla exclaims, her eyes wide with delight as she takes in the plethora of food in front of her.

"That's true," Liam nods in agreement, "The range of choices here is amazing."

Melissa lets out a small sigh as she stirs her soup. "Well, Ethan has always said that providing good food to employees leads to better performance."

"But I've never seen him eating here," Layla observes, looking around the cafeteria as if expecting to spot Ethan.

"That's because he's a fancy bitch," Melissa replies, her tone playful.

The table erupts in laughter, even as Lily and Liam widen their eyes at the unexpected comment.

"Oh my god, did I just hear our HR cursing?" Layla giggles, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

Melissa grins, unrepentant, "Relax, we're not in the office right now."

"Technically, this café is part of the office building, owned by Mystique Holdings," Layla counters, matching Melissa's grin with her own.

Melissa throws up her hands in surrender, "Alright, you win."

The banter continues, though Lily is quiet, her gaze far-off as she gets lost in her thoughts about Ethan.

Breaking the silence, Liam pitches in, "I've seen him going to the fancy restaurant downstairs. Sometimes during lunch, I go to Starbucks below our building, and I see him walking outside of it."

Melissa nods, "Oh yeah, that's exactly where he eats."

Layla's eyes widen in disbelief, "No way, that place is too expensive for me. I can't afford to eat there even once."

Melissa merely shrugs, "Just as I said, he's fancy. Trust me, I know him from a long time."

Liam adds, "That restaurant is amazing, though. It's right in front of our building and has such a beautiful ambiance."

"But I doubt anyone would eat there every day," Liam replies, his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

Melissa shoots Liam a smirk, "Didn't we already establish that our manager is fancy?"

Suddenly noticing Lily's quiet demeanor, Layla asks, "And Lily, why were you so quiet? What's been on your mind?"

Melissa and Liam turn to Lily with concerned expressions. "Are you alright, Lily?" Melissa asks gently.

"I'm fine, Miss Stone," Lily responds with a smile, albeit a bit distracted.

Melissa, not wanting to push, decides to change the topic. "Okay, Lily, moving on. How was your first day of training? Any highlights?"

"It went really well," Lily replies, her face lighting up at the question. "I learned so much and felt engaged throughout the session."

Layla's face splits into a wide grin, "I knew you would excel!"

Liam offers, "Remember, if you need any assistance or support, don't hesitate to reach out."

"Thank you, Liam. I appreciate that," Lily responds, her face brightening even further.

Once they finish their meal, they all head back to the office, ready to dive back into work.

As the day's work draws to a close, Lily gathers her reports and makes her way to Ethan's office. The low hum of computers and quiet conversations are a stark contrast to the usual office hustle. She finds Ethan immersed in his work, fingers flying over his keyboard. She raps lightly on the door, and his voice, slightly muffled by the partition, beckons her in.

"Come in, Lily," Ethan intones, without looking up.

"I thought I would drop off my reports before heading home," Lily explains, holding up the stack of papers in her hand.

Ethan finally pauses his typing and looks up, blinking owlishly, "You could've shown them to me tomorrow, you know."

"I know, but I finished them, so why wait?" Lily offers with a small smile, laying the papers on his desk.

Ethan's brows furrow in surprise, "Wait, you've finished the Raviga report?"

"I did. It was a bit challenging, but I got through it," Lily nods, a note of pride entering her voice.

"That's a three-day task, Lily. You've done well, but remember not to overdo it. It's your first day," Ethan advises, leaning back in his chair, his gaze never leaving her face.

Lily's smile widens at his words, "Well, they say first impressions are the most important."

"And you've definitely made an impressive one," Ethan concedes with an appreciative nod.

Leaving the reports on his table, Lily bids him a quiet farewell and leaves, the silence of the office engulfing her once more. Alone in his office, Ethan's gaze lingers on the closed door, and he muses, "She's certainly not one to shy away from hard work," before returning his attention to the work before him.Lily, backpack slung over one shoulder, heads towards her workspace, weaving her way through the clumps of colleagues trickling towards the cafeteria for lunch. She reaches her desk and there, leaning against the cubicle partition, is Liam.

"Training with Ethan... took a while, huh?" His voice is casual but the trace of an unasked question hangs in the air.

Lily, placing her bag down, responds with a lighthearted laugh. "Sure did, but it wasn't time wasted."

Liam's lips curl up into a small smile, a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks. "I, um... waited for you. Lunch?"

Her response is a bright grin. "You waited? That's sweet, thank you."

Just as they are about to make their move to the cafeteria, a sudden burst of energy in the form of Layla's voice echoes through the room.

"Lilyyyy!" Layla, with her trademark enthusiasm, throws her arms around Lily in an affectionate squeeze. "Time for lunch, let's go!"

Lily exchanges a surprised glance with Liam. "You waited too, Layla?"

"Naturally! I knew you were in training. And... 'too'? Was someone else waiting?" Layla, feigning innocence, looks curiously at Liam.

"Uh, Layla." Liam greets, his voice slightly strained.

Unfazed, Layla links her arm with Lily's, "Why not all four of us go for lunch?"

Lily and Liam exchange a glance, both echoing the question, "Four?"

"With grumpy, of course!" Layla gestures towards the entrance where Melissa stands with a bemused expression.

The realization of Melissa's inclusion draws a laugh from Lily and a muttered, "Great, Melissa too," from Liam, almost inaudible.

"What was that?" Layla turns towards Liam.

"Hmm? Nothing. Lunch, right?" Liam tries to dismiss the question, while Layla's infectious excitement begins to drag Lily away.

Catching Liam's eye, Lily's smile silently encourages him to follow. His gaze lingers a moment longer on Lily before he grumbles to himself, "Oh, Stupid Layla."

The group - Lily, Liam, Layla, and Melissa - thread their way to the cafeteria, a bustling hub of activity and welcome change from the quiet efficiency of their tenth floor workspace. The air buzzes with the chatter of their colleagues and is infused with the mouthwatering aroma of diverse food. After selecting their meals, they slip into seats at their favorite corner table.

"Wow, this cafeteria never fails to surprise me with its variety of options!" Layla exclaims, her eyes wide with delight as she takes in the plethora of food in front of her.

"That's true," Liam nods in agreement, "The range of choices here is amazing."

Melissa lets out a small sigh as she stirs her soup. "Well, Ethan has always said that providing good food to employees leads to better performance."

"But I've never seen him eating here," Layla observes, looking around the cafeteria as if expecting to spot Ethan.

"That's because he's a fancy bitch," Melissa replies, her tone playful.

The table erupts in laughter, even as Lily and Liam widen their eyes at the unexpected comment.

"Oh my god, did I just hear our HR cursing?" Layla giggles, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

Melissa grins, unrepentant, "Relax, we're not in the office right now."

"Technically, this café is part of the office building, owned by Mystique Holdings," Layla counters, matching Melissa's grin with her own.

Melissa throws up her hands in surrender, "Alright, you win."

The banter continues, though Lily is quiet, her gaze far-off as she gets lost in her thoughts about Ethan.

Breaking the silence, Liam pitches in, "I've seen him going to the fancy restaurant downstairs. Sometimes during lunch, I go to Starbucks below our building, and I see him walking outside of it."

Melissa nods, "Oh yeah, that's exactly where he eats."

Layla's eyes widen in disbelief, "No way, that place is too expensive for me. I can't afford to eat there even once."

Melissa merely shrugs, "Just as I said, he's fancy. Trust me, I know him from a long time."

Liam adds, "That restaurant is amazing, though. It's right in front of our building and has such a beautiful ambiance."

"But I doubt anyone would eat there every day," Liam replies, his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

Melissa shoots Liam a smirk, "Didn't we already establish that our manager is fancy?"

Suddenly noticing Lily's quiet demeanor, Layla asks, "And Lily, why were you so quiet? What's been on your mind?"

Melissa and Liam turn to Lily with concerned expressions. "Are you alright, Lily?" Melissa asks gently.

"I'm fine, Miss Stone," Lily responds with a smile, albeit a bit distracted.

Melissa, not wanting to push, decides to change the topic. "Okay, Lily, moving on. How was your first day of training? Any highlights?"

"It went really well," Lily replies, her face lighting up at the question. "I learned so much and felt engaged throughout the session."

Layla's face splits into a wide grin, "I knew you would excel!"

Liam offers, "Remember, if you need any assistance or support, don't hesitate to reach out."

"Thank you, Liam. I appreciate that," Lily responds, her face brightening even further.

Once they finish their meal, they all head back to the office, ready to dive back into work.

As the day's work draws to a close, Lily gathers her reports and makes her way to Ethan's office. The low hum of computers and quiet conversations are a stark contrast to the usual office hustle. She finds Ethan immersed in his work, fingers flying over his keyboard. She raps lightly on the door, and his voice, slightly muffled by the partition, beckons her in.

"Come in, Lily," Ethan intones, without looking up.

"I thought I would drop off my reports before heading home," Lily explains, holding up the stack of papers in her hand.

Ethan finally pauses his typing and looks up, blinking owlishly, "You could've shown them to me tomorrow, you know."

"I know, but I finished them, so why wait?" Lily offers with a small smile, laying the papers on his desk.

Ethan's brows furrow in surprise, "Wait, you've finished the Raviga report?"

"I did. It was a bit challenging, but I got through it," Lily nods, a note of pride entering her voice.

"That's a three-day task, Lily. You've done well, but remember not to overdo it. It's your first day," Ethan advises, leaning back in his chair, his gaze never leaving her face.

Lily's smile widens at his words, "Well, they say first impressions are the most important."

"And you've definitely made an impressive one," Ethan concedes with an appreciative nod.

Leaving the reports on his table, Lily bids him a quiet farewell and leaves, the silence of the office engulfing her once more. Alone in his office, Ethan's gaze lingers on the closed door, and he muses, "She's certainly not one to shy away from hard work," before returning his attention to the work before him.

To Be Continued on chapter 5