Hiroshi stared at the screen in stunned silence. Haruki had seen his message the instant it was sent and replied just as fast. Just four words—but somehow, it felt like everything. Like the entire world had tilted in his favor.
"You're smiling again," came the voice of his younger colleague, laced with curiosity. "Who's making you so happy these days?" The young man's tone was light, but his eyes were gleaming with the need for gossip.
"If you've got time to hover, why not go have lunch instead of clinging to me like a leech?" Hiroshi replied coolly. But the smile he tried so hard to suppress only widened, undermining his cold tone and making it sound more like a reluctant invitation.
"My sister-in-law must be gorgeous then," the colleague quipped, clearly pushing his luck before he made a hasty retreat, no doubt sensing the impending storm.
