"I think this is the place?" I shielded my eyes from the sun with one hand and used the other to bunch my scarf around my neck. As much as I loved the holiday season, I was so not a fan of the subzero winds and the hidden patches of black ice that lined the streets and sidewalks of New York City.

You slip on one of those puppies and your chances of faceplanting in the middle of a crowd of people and completely embarassing yourself in front of total strangers exponentially increases.
Trust me.
Worst. Thing. Ever.

"Well the building has a huge sign of that gold logo plastered over the front door so I'm gonna say that you're right," Mark said as he took one of my hands into his and tucked both into his pocket. Warmth instantly spread up my arm and heated my entire body even though he was only touching my hand. I have zero control over what my body does when he touches me. If it were up to me, I wouldn't make my face light up like Rudolf's noise every time we kissed, which was actually quite often since Mark was a er for skinship.

"You ready?" he looked at me out of the corner of his eye as his grip on my hand tightened a little. I heaved out a big sigh, shrugging in the process.
"Probably not, but if I hold it off for any longer, it's never gonna get done."

We walked up to the front door, our strides perfectly in sync with each others even as we entered the building. Our snow covered shoes squished slightly as we walked along the carpet, leaving trails of water behind. We looked seriously out of place with our heavy winter gear on and necks swallowed up by thick scarves while the people sitting behind the doors in the individual rooms along both sides of the building were dressed in nice looking business suits and fancy ties.

For a bank, this place was huge.
Like I half expected there to be a food court hidden in the back folds of the building somewhere since this place only had one floor.
The room we were standing in right now was the main one that stretched back until it hit the wall that had the CE logo and company name hanging from it. A lady who looked like she could be the campaign model for the women's suit line at Brooks Brothers made her way to us as quickly as her two high heeled shoes clad feet would carry her.

I almost laughed out loud when she lost one of her shoes and nearly faceplanted.
That would've been gold.

"Welcome to CE Bank!" she flashed us a huge smile while she talked. It was amazing that she could still form coherent words with like that. "How may I help you?"
"We're looking for someone named James Fung," I replied, sinking my free hand into my other pocket to make sure the seal was still in there. "Is he here?"
The lady (still smiling) nodded at us, gesturing at one of the rooms to her right, "He's in room 507."
I said a quick thanks to her then pulled Mark in the direction she pointed in. The closer we got to the room, the faster my heart started beating. It was literally like running a marathon.

Mark knocked on the door before he opened the door and stuck his head through the crack he made for himself. From where I was outside, I could see the guy sitting behind the desk inside the room look up.
"Can I help you?" he asked. His voice matched the one we heard over the phone.

So far so good.

"Actually, I don't need help," Mark stepped into the room and pulled me along with him, closing the door with his foot the second I slipped in, "but she does."
The guy behind the desk looked at me. For a split second he looked strangely familiar, but I definitely didn't know him, and he sure as hell didn't know me.
Our eyes finally met and every single opening sentence I rehearsed in my head on the subway ride here abandoned me. I had too many things to say and no idea how to start it.

But I was here.
Escaping was not an option now.

A wave of nervousness washed over me as I shoved my hands into my pockets and started shuffling my way towards his desk. My fingers brushed over the seal nestled deep in the bottom pit of my pocket and pulled it out enough so I could see it.
Since I have nowhere to start, I might as well start with this.
It couldn't hurt right?

I pulled the seal completely out of my pocket and put it on his desk. The second I took my hand away, I saw his eyebrows furrow and his mouth slowly drop open.

"Do you know anything about this?" I asked, watching his facial expression change from confused shock to sudden revelation. He tapped the seal lightly with his finger, looking up at me. "Where'd you get this from?"
"I found it."
"Where?"
"Why do you wanna know?"

He sighed, leaning back on his seat. I could see a faint smile tug on his lips. "Looks like we both have things to hide huh?"
"Looks like it."
"Listen," he leaned forward again, his eyes never breaking contact from mine, "if this is what I think it is, then my answer and my help are both completely dependent on your answer. So you either start talking, or we're gonna be here for a while."

I was at a dead end.
There weren't any other options, and for some reason, I felt like I could trust this guy.
After all, it was his business card that was found with the seal.

"Ok fine," I gave in, shooting Mark a quick glance over my shoulder, "I found it in a jewelry box that used to belong to my mother. Your business card was hidden in the lining."

James rocketed out of his chair at my answer, almost knocking it over. "Oh my gosh, the last time I saw you, you were still inside of your mom! It's been 20 years! How is she?"

Memories flashed in my head, causing me to involuntarily wince.

"She's um....she's dead," I barely mumbled out. James's excitement quickly melted back into his serious face.
"That's right. You wouldn't be here otherwise," he said, his eyes fixed on the seal. "How did I not catch that before?"
"What are you talking about?"

Author's Note
chapter title: One Step!-BACK-ON [x]