"You're mine now."
My heart gave out.
My world froze.
The air thickened, the office lights dimmed into a surreal haze, and my ears rang like an alarm going off in my brain. My body just stopped. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. It felt like my soul had fled without warning, leaving behind only the husk of a man unsure if he was living or dreaming.
Did my ears deceive me?
Did she really just say that?
Was this a dream?
Or a nightmare?
My mind raced like a collapsing avalanche.
"Wh-what?" I murmured, barely managing to squeeze the word past my dry throat.
She leaned in closer, her breath brushing against my lips. We weren't touching, but the heat between us. God, it was unbearable. Her eyes glittered, trembling with something I couldn't quite understand. Was she crying? Desperate? Longing? Did she want something from me? Did she remember that night?
That night...
She reached out, fingers brushing against my tie, playing with it like it was hers. A toy. A symbol of power. Her voice returned, soft and sultry, dipped in something that pulled at my gut.
"You heard me."
I couldn't think. My head felt like it would explode from the contradiction of it all. Was this her new seduction game? Another cruel trick in the labyrinth of her unpredictable mind? She had just fired me. Yet here she was, claiming ownership over me like I was nothing more than a thing she could twist and break at will.
"W-wait," I stammered, my hands trembling as I gently pushed her back. "Wait... I don't understand. If this is about that night... it meant nothing, okay? Let's just forget it ever happened."
My sentence hadn't even ended when her voice exploded through the room like a thunderclap.
"DUMBASS! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?"
I flinched. She was blushing, but not shyly, furiously.
"IDIOT! WHY ARE YOU REVIVING THAT CONVERSATION!?"
Her face was red, her chest heaving, and I stood there stunned, helpless before the storm of her contradictions.
"YOU'RE MINE. BUT NOT IN A ROMANTIC WAY! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! SOMEONE LIKE ME WOULD NEVER FALL FOR SOMEONE AS LOW-CLASS, AS STUPID, AS COMPLETELY USELESS AS YOU!"
The words stabbed like daggers. Each syllable stripped away a layer of my dignity. I stood there, unable to move, unable to speak. My lips moved without sound.
So she didn't want me. Not in that way. Then what did she mean...?
Her hand rose mid-air, threatening a slap that never came. She stopped herself, face flushed, and for a moment her eyes softened into something unreadable.
"Dummy... what I meant is, you're no longer part of this company. You're now my personal slave."
The world snapped like a taut wire.
What?
The floor beneath me collapsed into nothingness. My thoughts blurred into dust. My mind screamed.
"STARTING TOMORROW, YOU'LL BE HERE WITH ME. IN MY OFFICE. DOING EXACTLY WHAT I ORDER YOU TO DO. I WON'T LET YOU SLITHER AWAY THAT EASILY."
Her laugh was the soundtrack to my descent into hell. Menacing. Sinister. Teasing.
"NO. NO. YOU'RE GOING TO EXPERIENCE HELL FIRST. AND IT'LL BE IN MY HANDS."
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. This woman... this monster in a designer suit and blood-red lipstick... she just sealed my fate with a smile and a leash.
"EVERYTHING GETS WORSE WHEN WE CROSS PATHS. SO FROM NOW ON, WE WON'T CROSS ANYMORE. YOU'LL BE BY MY SIDE. ALWAYS."
That logic... that twisted, terrifying logic...
I didn't even resist. I didn't argue. Maybe because working here had always been my dream. Because I'd already sacrificed everything to be here. And maybe... just maybe... because a part of me wanted to stay near her. Even if it meant becoming her prisoner.
"Okay, since it's finalized... get out. I don't want your filthy aura poisoning my office."
She turned away like I was nothing. And I... I bowed. A silent signal of surrender. She smirked, victorious.
"Oh, Haruki," she purred.
Her voice pulled me back. I looked up.
She sat atop her desk like a queen on her throne, legs parted ever so slightly, shirt unbuttoned enough to reveal a glimpse of the name etched over her chest, her last name. Her fingers spun a dog leash, the silver glint circling like a ritual. And then, she waved goodbye.
Back at home, I was nothing. I was lost. Daichi-san tried his usual antics, dressed as a samurai ghost, a dancing clown, even rolled himself down the hallway like a sausage roll all to make me laugh. The whole household was roaring with laughter. Sayaka-san tried to gently coax a smile from me with her warm tea and kind words. Nami's playful teasing turned into actual concern. She pulled pranks, pouted, and shouted just to wake me up. But I couldn't smile.
I felt cold.
Hollow.
That night, I found myself alone on the bench in the backyard. The stars were twinkling like shattered glass scattered across the heavens. The full moon hung like a sad witness in the sky. The wind whispered secrets I didn't want to hear.
"You're zoning out again."
Hinata.
I turned. She sat beside me, her expression etched with a rare seriousness. The moonlight painted her face in silver, casting soft shadows beneath her lashes. Her eyes, usually full of mischief, now brimmed with concern. Real, pure concern.
I turned away. My face grew hot.
"Why won't you look at me?" she asked, surprised.
"Sorry," I muttered. "I didn't mean to make you worry."
She looked at me quietly. Her voice trembled.
"To be honest... I never thought someone like you would be fired. I may not know you very well, but... I know you're one of the hardest workers in that company. And when I heard what happened... it really broke me."
I turned to look.
Tears shimmered in her eyes.
I wanted to say something. Anything. But I lied instead.
"It was... a false alarm," I said, forcing a smile. "Things were just... misinterpreted."
She lit up, her sadness melting into relief.
"Good. But... if anything ever happens... if you ever need someone... you can run to me. Always."
Our hands brushed.
Neither of us moved.
Her warmth crept into my skin.
Our eyes locked.
The night paused.
My heart thumped so loud I feared she could hear it. We leaned in. Slowly. Every inch felt like a lifetime.
Then.
"OOOOOH MY GOD. ARE MY EYES SEEING THIS RIGHT?! NAAMMIII! QUICK! CALL YOUR MOM! OUR BABY GIRL IS GROWING UP!"
It was Daichi-san.
His voice echoed across the yard like a foghorn of doom.
"Quick! Get the wedding bells! Get the kimono! Get the bouquet! I'M NOT READY FOR THIS! I'M STILL YOUNG!"
Hinata and I jumped apart like we were electrocuted.
"DAD! YOU IDIOT!" Hinata shouted, her face beet red.
"SORRY, SORRY! I'LL GO BACK INSIDE... but not before taking a picture; oh wait, no camera. Darn it. Okay, BYE!"
He vanished into the house.
We sat in silence.
Then, we laughed.
A quiet, nervous, genuine laughter that made the air feel light again.
Later that night, she stayed beside me. The stars kept watching.
I felt something warm.
I turned.
Hinata had fallen asleep, her head resting on my shoulder, breathing softly.
She looked peaceful. Content.
And for the first time in a long time, I smiled.