MIMI

Unfortunately, the next morning, he was back like an incoming plague. In all his charismatic, handsome doom, the man was sitting at her kitchen breakfast bar, working on his laptop.

A twitch developed in Mimi"s eyes as she watched Tobias sit comfortably in her kitchen.

He was like a beaming, handsome insect that wouldn"t fly away. And no repellent to fend him off.

Mimi took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen where Tobias stood at the counter, reading from his laptop. A cup of coffee lifted to his lips before his dark eyes rose to meet hers. He continued to drink even as he watched her approach.

Feeling his intense gaze, she felt a little self-conscious. Her cheeks oddly felt warm. Plopping herself on the counter, Mimi folded her arms and looked at him.

"Toby, we have a problem?"

Tobias answered with a low grunt, his gaze fixed on her.

"You"re smothering." Mimi pointed out in a flat tone.

"Am I?" An eyebrow on his face rose.

She nodded her head rapidly. "Yes! Every second I turn around you"ll be there! I wake up in the morning and bam---you"re there in my kitchen waiting!"

Tobias hummed thoughtfully, his hands folded across the counter.

"How else would you like me to court you?"

Mimi was shocked by his unexpected question. She rubbed her chin. "Maybe try sending flowers with chocolates like they do in the movies."

Tobias nodded.

"Oh, and a big stuffed animal filled with sweets!" Mimi"s eyes turned brighter. "And when I"m at work, send one-hundred baskets of different types of cookies!"

The joy shining in Mimi"s sparkling eyes couldn"t be hidden at all, shimmering like two bright stars. Tobias stared at her clear violet eyes and smiled.

Amus.e.m.e.nt lit his eyes and the eyebrow on his face rose again. "Is that what you want?"

Mimi looked at Tobias and nodded enthusiastically.

"Then…" Tobias suddenly leaned forward, his breath fanning against her face. It smelled like dark, rich coffee. "If I do these things for you, will you fall in love with me?"

Mimi paused. The original joy in her eyes faded and was quickly replaced with clumsiness. For that short moment, she forgot Tobias was courting her. She even was swept up into it and encouraging him!

"That…" Mimi struggled to respond.

A corner of Tobias"s lips curled at her fl.u.s.tered appearance. He gently knocked his head against hers before pulling back and looking back at his work.

"For the time being, I"ll give you your s.p.a.ce. I know your feelings can"t be rushed."

Mimi froze. She bit her bottom lip and lowered her eyes, dark lashes covering her dimmed gaze.

"What if…I never fall in love with you?" The moment she finished speaking, she instantly regretted it. She knew these words to him were hurtful.

But, she needed to know.

Tobias fell silent. He swept his gaze to her and simply stared.

After what felt like an hour, he finally said in a soft voice filled with warmth, "It"s hard for me to wait for something that may never happen. But, it"s even harder for me to give up when you"re everything I want."

Mimi raised her head to stare into Tobias"s affectionate gaze.

"I mean it, Mimi. No one can change my love for you. No matter what happens later, I will still love you."

Mimi blinked at him. The fading blush on her cheeks was reignited once again. The corners of her lips tugged into a pout.

She turned her gaze away and mumbled, "Since when did you become such a smooth talker?"

Tobias chuckled and sipped his coffee. "Who knows?"

Mimi"s face scrunched up even further and she silently grumbled to herself.

At this rate, who knew how things would end.

…

As promised, Tobias gave her s.p.a.ce. The times he did see her would only be a few times a week or occasional glances at work. Other than that, he stopped showing up at her apartment in the morning.

Mimi was grateful for that. At the same time, however, her heart felt conflicted.

Just as she was feeling this way, her usual meetup with Lee Odo arrived. She hadn"t seen the old man since the night of his event. Truthfully, Mimi still felt a sense of guilt whenever she recalled that night.

At EMIRI, Mimi and Lee Odo sat across from one another – both staring at the menu. Everything was going as usual, however, when their food arrived Lee Odo suddenly said something startling.

"What?" Mimi looked up from her plate with wide eyes. "You"re retiring?"

Lee Odo nodded, a smile on his face. "That"s right. I had planned to announce this a few nights ago, but of course, with such unexpected events, I was unable to."

Mimi stiffened from his words and shifted her gaze away, hands clenched into fists on the table. The guilt in her heart grew as she remembered that night. Lee Odo observed her expression and sighed.

"There"s nothing to be so sad about boy. It was bound to happen sooner or later with my old age." He chuckled, his eyes filled with serenity. "I was always consumed by work and I never had the time to step back and look at my life or my family. Even the beautiful world around me I never got to notice. And, the beauty of time itself."

Reaching across the table, Lee Odo pats the back of Mimi"s hand comfortably.

"Time has truly shown me what matters in my life." He said in a calm voice. "I"ve always considered you as a grandson, so I"ll tell you this, don"t waste your time either boy."

Mimi stared at his crinkled, warm eyes, and felt a sharp pain in her heart. She was slightly stunned by his words, but following that, her eyes curved into a smile. She set a hand on top of his and patted it.

"It"s been great working with you, Mr. Lee. I wish you a long and happy retirement."

The old man laughed and helplessly shook his head.

"Thank you." He patted her hand one last time before returning to his food.

Mimi hummed and grabbed her fork, turning back to her plate. Slowly, to keep her hand steady, she proceeded to feed herself without trembling from the emotions she felt. Throughout the entire meal, her taste buds barely registered the food in her mouth as she bit, chewed, and swallowed.

When they finished eating, Mimi was silent throughout the entire car ride. Her mind was processing Lee Odo"s words until the very next day where she sat in her office.

"Mimi, are you even listening to me?" Emilia"s lips formed in a pout.

"Eh?" Mimi broke from her dazed state and looked up to see Emilia Yimo looking at her with an accusing gaze.

She scratched the back of her head, "Haha, what were you saying just now?"

"You"re unbelievable! Did you hear a word I just said?" Emilia frowned.

The corners of Mimi"s lips curled. "Nope. Not a single word."

Emilia huffed and stomped her foot. Mimi chuckled and casually waved her hand.

"Aw, don"t be like that. Come on, sit on my lap, and repeat what you said, I"ll listen to you this time."

Emilia"s expression changed and her ears started to flush red. "Mimi!"

Just as Mimi was about to tease the blushing girl once more, the office door suddenly burst open. Jean came rushing in, out of breath.

"Jean, you alright there?" Mimi raised a curious brow.

However, Mimi"s teasing tone quickly died down when Jean raised her head to reveal tear-filled eyes and a pale complexion. Mimi immediately stood up from her chair and walked towards the woman, while Emilia placed a comforting hand on her back.

"What"s going on Jean?" Mimi frowned, her expression grave.

Seeing her pale face close-up brought a pang of concern.

What happened that could make Jean cry?

"Ms. M-Mimi…" Jean stuttered before tears gathered in her eyes and quickly began to fall. She tried her best to compose herself.

Although Mimi started feeling uneasy from how serious she looked, she tried to calm her down.

"Jean, don"t cry. Just take a few deep breaths." Mimi spoke in a calm tone.

Under Mimi"s gentle rea.s.surance, her tears quickly stopped flowing.

"T-Tobias and Alec…"

Jean took a deep breath.

"They were in a car accident."

"W-what…" Emilia stuttered in horror.

Once those words left Jean"s mouth, Mimi was stiff with shock. She narrowed her eyes. The light in her normally clear, bright eyes instantly dimmed. She stared at Jean with a dull expression. Suddenly, everything went quiet, besides the sound of her heart pounding in her ears.

Tobias and Alec…were in a car accident.