Quiet Tension

Together

"To thank you for a wonderful long weekend," he says, not too loud to make it awkward, but certainly loud enough for everyone that has gone silent to hear. "I'm glad to see we were able to expand our relationship."

I feel my flush creep down from my hairline to my neck, where the splotch of makeup I know is there seems to pulse in a "Everyone sees me and everyone knows you two had sex!" kind of way.

"Simon," I say, voice low.

"Ivy," he says, leaning forward to kiss my cheek. "Happy Monday," he announces to everyone, who go back to their duties, but not very loudly - eyes are still on us.

If possible, I flush even redder, probably to match my hair, and my grip on the flowers tighten, wrinkling the paper.

"Careful," he says, smoothing a stray hair behind my ear as he stands up. "I'll find some water for those, yeah?"

Frowning, I glare up at him. "I am not keeping these," I whisper-shout.

"Yes, you are, my love," he says, already moving to walk away. "At your desk, so everyone can see them and know..." he leans back to me, "who you belong to."

Oh my god. I feel my face grow hot, turning quickly away. I hear a chuckle as he walks towards, I assume, the break room kitchen.

Flora sidles up to my desk. "I see you two have made some progressions," she says, smiling.

"So much for dinner tonight," I mumble. "We were going to show up there together, not... this."

"I think it's sweet," she says. Pausing, she says, "As long as he didn't cross an inappropriate boundary, for which I will send König on him and scold him from the sidelines."

"No, no," I say. "I just asked him we not show up here together, so..."

Flora's eyes fall to my neck, her dainty fingers, but massive wedding ring, reaching out to adjust my collar slightly.

"Good thing they keep this room pretty dim for the computer screens," she whispers knowingly. "You know, I had to pull out the waffle-knit and keep it zipped all the way up for the first few days after I got back from my honeymoon."

I'm humiliated, but it's hard to be too humiliated with Flora perched on my desk, a smile bigger than even Simon's on her face.

Simon returns, then, with a drinking glass full of water.

"Flora, I assume you have that special mix for flower vase water that you can bring in tomorrow?" Simon asks, assertively, as he takes the flowers from me and starts to unwrap them.

Incredulous at the demand, Flora stands up to her full height, which, next to Simon, is not much, but they feed the men of the 141 something that Amercian farmers could only hope to replicate. "Excuse me?"

"Doesn't König get you flowers all the time?" I hear the brief snip of scissors against stems behind me as the mentioned man sidles up to his wife.

"I do," König says, his hood swaying as he nods. "Much bigger bouquets than that, though."

"Stop trying to one up him, he'll buy her a whole flower field to prove a point," Flora says, grasping onto his bicep.

"I'll plant a whole... flower farm," König replies, only for Flora and I to start laughing.

"I'll bring in a packet tomorrow," she says. "But you owe me a croissant."

"Of course," Simon says, carefully dropping the flowers in the glass.

"You'll be joining us tonight?" König says, looking down at me. "Flora has been talking about how excited she is about it all morning."

I nod. "Yes, I'll be there."

"Good," he says, turning to his wife. "I would hate to see her unhappy."

Now it's her turn to flush pink, and she pushes him away from Simon and I, and I choose to hope that was not a threat from König and more of a flattery towards Flora.

Simon comes around to face me again. "I've got to take care of some business with the 141 today, but I'll be sure to come over before dinner. How is 4 o'clock?"

I renew my scowl as I look at him. "It's fine."

Taking a gloved finger, he presses it to my forehead, smoothing out the wrinkles of my frown. "Try again."

"That's fine," I say with a sigh, allowing him to rub away my anger.

"Wonderful," he says, tilting my jaw up to his for a brief flip of his mask and a kiss. He walks away, joining the team at the door, and they head out.