The Academy In My Head

Happy Birthday, Mr. Blackbourne

"Oh good, you're still here."

Owen looked up and watched as Sang came towards him. "Good Morning, Miss Sorenson. Did we have an appointment?" He asked as she handed him a ceramic travel mug.

"Really?" She asked, arching an eyebrow at him as she blew some air into her mug before taking a sip. "Happy Birthday, Mr. Blackbourne." She said softly. "Drink your coffee. I made it just the way you like it."

He blinked. He was not used to people being around who wanted to wish him a happy birthday first thing in the morning. Well, Sean usually did but after so many years of not receiving a response, he usually left it as a quick message to wish him a happy birthday. "Thank you." He said before taking a sip of the coffee she'd made for him. "It's perfect. Thank you."

"Of course, it's perfect." Sang smiled. "I wasn't your administrative assistant for no reason at all. I learned valuable life skills at your side. Like how you take your coffee and what you like to order for lunch. It's pretty basic girlfriend stuff too."

"But you have a pretty complicated list of girlfriend stuff." He pointed out.

"True but every last one of you is different and it's trickier more than it's complicated." She shrugged again.

He let his gaze drift down her body and back up again. She was dressed rather warmly, and he was almost certain that if he didn't ask her to go with him on his trek out to the dock then she'd probably go ahead and ask him if she could go with him. "Are you free today?" He asked, usually he knew this but at Kota and Sean's insistence, he'd begun radio silence the afternoon before his birthday and was on strict monitoring to make sure he didn't try to get involved in the family business until at least noon the day after his birthday.

"You know, funny that you ask, I am free all day today." She said, green eyes locked on his.

"Interesting. Any reason why?"

"It's my boyfriend's birthday." She said, softly. "I was hoping to have the chance to spend time with him today and have lunch with him. It may be December, but his picnic skills are top notch this time of year."

Owen felt the corners of his lips tilt up slightly. "That's an amazing idea, Miss Sorenson." He sipped his coffee.

"Thank you. He often tries to be alone, but this is not the first birthday that he's had since we've been together, and I've managed to spend time with him each year so far."

"And I appreciate it." Owen said, stepping closer to her. "Spending time with you on my birthday has turned what was usually a nightmare into a very enjoyable day and I would be a fool to not take you up on the offer."

"What a lovely idea. I'd be delighted to spend time with you today, Mr. Blackbourne." She smiled. "I hope there's peaches and tea." She said, reaching out for his free hand with hers.

He took her hand, sliding his palm across hers until their palms matched up and he could easily lace his fingers through hers. "Of course, peaches and tea are a traditional part of any December picnic." He raised her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of it. "I was going to leave soon; did you need to take care of anything before we go?"

"Not at all, Mr. Blackbourne." Sang said, her eyes holding a bit of a teasing glint. "I wanted to be ready to go in case I received an invitation to accompany you today so I'm ready to go whenever you are."

"I appreciate your ability to anticipate the situation."

"And I appreciate your ability to adapt to letting me in to the situation." He inclined his head slightly at her words. "Happy Birthday, Mr. Blackbourne." She murmured.

He studied her for a long moment. "Thank you, Miss Sorenson. It is a day full of potential and the possibilities are looking up since you arrived with coffee."

She laughed softly. "You're welcome." She said as they started to walk, needing to go back into the house so that he could retrieve the items he needed for his usual birthday visit to the docks.

~Fade ~