Under The Cherry Blossoms – Chapter 6: Noodles and Movies

The morning sunlight filtered through the office windows, casting a warm glow on Lily as she engaged in lively conversation with her fellow interns, Aisha and Daniel. "So, you've been learning about TARDIS, right?" Aisha inquired, her eyes reflecting a genuine curiosity.

"Yes, and it's such an intriguing AI," Lily responded enthusiastically, a soft gleam of excitement in her eyes.

Daniel chuckled heartily, his fingers rhythmically drumming on the edge of his desk. "It's true! I mean, who would have thought someone would create an AI and name it after the TARDIS from Dr. Who?"

"I haven't actually watched Dr. Who," Lily admitted, a slight frown forming on her face as she realized the reference went over her head.

"Really?" Aisha asked in surprise, her eyebrows shooting up.

"It's one of the best shows of all time," Daniel replied, a hint of playful chastisement in his tone.

"I'll give it a try," Lily responded with a light shrug, noting to herself to look into the series later.

Days had passed since Lily's training had begun, and she had made a concerted effort to forge friendly relationships with Aisha and Daniel. After all, they were set to become her teammates once her training concluded. She had even shared her notes with them, leaving her fellow interns suitably impressed. Additionally, she continued to encounter the pink-haired lady every morning upon arriving at the office. However, due to Melissa's warning, she chose to give her a wide berth.

As the morning progressed, the interns gathered around their shared workspace, their chatter filling the air. "Man, we hope you'll join us soon," Aisha said, gesturing toward Lily's notebook filled with notes.

"Yeah, given you already know so much, your training should actually end sooner," Daniel chimed in, nodding in agreement with Aisha.

Lily masked the sinking feeling in her heart with a polite smile. The idea of her training ending sooner meant she wouldn’t be able to spend as much time with Ethan, an idea she didn't quite fancy. As she responded in an agreeable manner, her thoughts were already drifting towards her upcoming session with Ethan.

Suddenly, she spotted Ethan striding towards the conference room. He looked at Lily and gestured to his wristwatch, signaling her to join him in the conference room. Lily quickly bid farewell to Aisha and Daniel, went to her desk to gather her belongings, and then followed Ethan.

Inside the room, Ethan was setting up the projector when he caught Lily's eye. "Good morning, Lily," he said, offering her a friendly smile.

"Good morning, Ethan," she returned, her gaze lingering on him before she took a seat.

"Your day going okay so far?" Ethan asked as he clicked through the opening slides of his presentation.

"Yes, it is," Lily responded, her inner voice adding, 'Better now, though.'

"Ready to dive into today's session?" Ethan asked, his eyes flicking back to her.

"Of course," Lily affirmed.

The training session proceeded smoothly. Lily absorbed new knowledge about the company and Project Raviga. Once concluded, Ethan turned to Lily and said, "That's all for today. We'll continue the rest next time."

"Sure, Ethan," Lily responded politely, though she couldn't help but feel that today's session had ended a bit early.

Dressed in a pink scarf, a crisp white shirt, and a grey formal skirt, Lily had chosen her attire carefully that morning. Ethan couldn't help but notice the pink scarf, a stark contrast to the red one she'd worn on the day they'd met.

"You know, the red scarf suited you better," he commented playfully.

Lily blushed, realizing his reference to their first encounter. "I...I know I never apologized for that day," she stammered.

"Don't worry about it," Ethan chuckled, "It was quite a memorable day - you dropping your scarf, me catching it."

"And unexpectedly meeting at Burger King, of all places. I had no idea you’d turn out to be my boss here at Mystique holdings" Lily responded, shaking her head at the memory.

Ethan's expression turned thoughtful. "I’ve always wondered, why were you so upset that day?"

Lily was caught off-guard. Her mind raced – how could she explain that she was upset about the manager's absence when that manager turned out to be him? She thought about the rest of that unfortunate day – the clumsy fall, the spilled noodles, the embarrassment.

"Lily? Are you still with me?" Ethan asked, breaking into her thoughts.

Caught by surprise, Lily blurted out, "Food."

Ethan looked at her in confusion. "You were angry because of food?"

Lily shook her head, struggling for a plausible explanation. "Noodles," she mumbled.

Quickly realizing how ridiculous it sounded, she quickly added, "I spilled noodles on myself and didn’t have anything to eat, which really ticked me off."

As the words left her mouth, Lily mentally face-palmed. 'I wish the ground would swallow me up,' she thought.

Ethan, however, burst out laughing. "Oh my God, I haven't laughed this much in a long time," he said, once he finally regained his composure.

Lily, mortified, couldn't find any words to respond.

Ethan then asked, "Ever thought about what would've happened if we hadn't crossed paths that day? If I hadn't caught your red scarf?"

"Probably would have been less embarrassing for me," Lily said, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

Ethan laughed again, "True, but it wasn’t all that bad."

For the first time, Lily saw a genuine smile on Ethan's face – not the professional, reserved smile he usually wore, but a real, heartfelt one. She couldn't help but return it.

After the training session and a fulfilling lunch break, Lily prepares to leave for the day. However, before she can make her exit, Liam interrupts her, expressing his intention to offer her a ride home.

"Hey, Lily, leaving?" Liam asks, a hint of anticipation in his voice.

"Yes, I'm finally done with work, so I'll head home now," Lily replies, gathering her belongings from her desk.

"You know, I can drop you off..." Liam begins, only to be interrupted by the ever-enthusiastic Layla.

"Lilyyyyyy!" Layla exclaims, rushing over to Lily and enveloping her in a hug.

"Not again!" Liam silently laments. "How does Layla always manage to appear right at the moment I want to ask Lily to spend time with me?"

"Hey, Layla, what's up?" Lily asks, slightly amused by Layla's enthusiasm.

"Come on, the three of us are going to a movie," Layla excitedly announces.

"Huh? What?" Lily responds, feeling a bit surprised.

“Yes, you, me and grumpy. Today is Friday, the weekend starts tomorrow, so we can go for a movie,” Layla clarifies.

"Oh yes, it's movie night?" Lily replies, her smile growing wider with excitement.

"Yes, there's a Sandra Bullock movie playing. I think the three of us should go and see it," Layla suggests happily.

"Haha, sure thing," Lily agrees, looking forward to the movie outing.

"Sandra Bullock?" Liam interjects, his annoyance evident.

"Yeah, do you want to come too?" Layla asks, teasing Liam.

"No, I'm not interested in watching a cliché movie," Liam replies dismissively.

"Oh well, your loss," Layla teases, her playful nature coming through. "I'll take grumpy, and we'll be waiting for you at the car." Layla then leaves, leaving Liam to grumble to himself.

"Haha, she interrupted you again," Lily says to Liam, finding the situation amusing.

"I know," Liam grumbles in a low voice.

"So, what were you saying?" Lily asks, curious.

"Ah, nothing, nothing. Enjoy the movie," Liam replies, trying to hide his disappointment.

"Oh, um, sure, Liam. Thanks," Lily responds with a smile as she picks up her Hello Kitty bag and leaves.

As Lily walks away, Liam watches her with a mix of admiration and longing. "Oh, Stupid Layla," he mutters quietly to himself, realizing another missed opportunity to spend more time with Lily.

Liam gathers his belongings and heads back to his desk, resigning himself to a quiet evening. However, a small part of him can't help but hope for another chance to connect with Lily outside of work.

Lily, Layla, and Melissa hop into the car, ready to head out. As they approach the exit, Lily's eyes catch sight of Ethan walking alongside a familiar-looking guy. She points him out to her friends, curious to know his identity.

"Guys, who's that walking with Mr. Harris?" Lily asks, her curiosity piqued.

"Oh, that's Mr. Charlie," Layla replies, her eyes focused on the road.

"Charlie? That name sounds familiar," Lily remarks, trying to recall where she might have heard it before.

"He's the owner of Boltons, the hotel where your welcome party was held," Melissa explains, helping Lily make the connection.

"Ah, right. Thank you, Miss Stone," Lily acknowledges Melissa.

"You know, you can call me Melissa, Lily," Melissa offers.

"I know, but 'Miss Stone' just has this mature vibe that feels right," Lily explains, causing Layla to burst into laughter.

"Grumpy, she's old, the same age as Mr. Harris," Layla playfully teases, earning herself a cold stare from Melissa.

"I mean, Melissa is older, the same age as Mr. Harris," Layla quickly corrects herself.

"Better," Melissa says, her pride evident in her smile.

"Hahaha, I'll try calling you Melissa, Melissa," Lily interjects, joining in the playful banter.

"See, you did it! Not that hard," Melissa laughs. "Outside of work, we're friends, Lily, so feel free to be open around me, okay?"

"Of course, Melissa. But I'll still call you Miss Stone at times because it just feels right sometimes," Lily winks mischievously.

"Yes, yes, she is Miss Stone," Layla chimes in, playfully supporting Lily's decision.

"You drive," Melissa hushes Layla, redirecting their attention.

"So, Miss Stone, do you know Mr. Harris outside of work?" Lily inquires, genuinely curious.

"Why do you ask?" Melissa responds, intrigued by the question.

"Well, out of everyone in the office, you seem to know the most about him. Plus, you're the only one I've never seen call him 'Mr. Harris'," Lily explains honestly.

"Okay, okay, it's true. Me, Ethan, and Charlie went to the same high school," Melissa reveals.

"Wait, Charlie too?" Layla exclaims, surprised by the revelation.

"Yes, I told you, but your dimwit brain forgot," Melissa snaps back, though her tone softens with laughter.

"I did? Oh, wow, my memory," Layla laughs, admitting her forgetfulness.

"Well, that's good to know," Lily comments, appreciating the newfound insight into their connections.

"Haha, yeah, I was fortunate enough for Ethan to find me and offer this job, not gonna lie. I was going through a rough patch back then. But now, it doesn't matter," Melissa shares, realizing she might have overshared a bit.

Lily isn't sure how to respond, but fortunately, they arrive at the cinema hall, and Layla takes charge. "Oh well, it doesn't matter. Sandra Bullock is waiting. Come on, you two!" Layla declares, parking the car and getting out.

Lily and Melissa burst into laughter, following Layla's lead as they make their way to the movie theater, ready to enjoy the evening together.

After the trio enjoyed watching a movie and having dinner together at a nearby restaurant, Layla dropped Lily off at her home. Exhausted, Lily immediately fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

To be Continued on Chapter 7