Four years later..

To say that Irene is a nervous wreck is an understatement. Irene is not one who is conscious of her appearance but she tried to look her best today. Instead of her usual pantsuit she is wearing a skirt with her blazer and a silk long sleeves inside and she let her luscious hair down for a change. She did notice the strange looks that some employees are giving her but she does not care, she only care about impressing Wendy. Wendy..her mate. Her instinct keeps saying that Wendy is hers. But she tries so hard to go against it. There is too many wrong things she did to Wendy and she is intent on making it up to her before she can claim her as her mate. This time will be different. This time she is all in.

While Wendy is getting briefed by HR on her position. She try to focus on her work, try being the operative word as she keeps on thinking how she would approach Wendy. As soon as we gets wind that Wendy is on her way to her office she immediately pretended to be busy with work. But at the corner of her eye she saw her approaching..Wendy who is dressed in her light pink blazer and matching skirt, So y,she thought with piqued interest. Time has made her better, gone is the young cute girl that she knew and is now replaced with someone of appeal and charisma.

“Hello Irene, do you have time to go over the details of my job?” Wendy starts seriously.

Irene tried to offer a warm smile, well as warm as it can be, her nervousness and the fact that she not use to smiling is not helping at all. “Good morning Wendy, it’s still early, we have 30 minutes to spare, would you like to get coffee first?”

“No thank you, I’d like to get started if you don’t mind”

“I haven’t seen you in years Wendy there’s no how are you or good to see you again?”

 Uhmm no. Wendy thought“To be honest I really don’t care for that, I came here to work and that’s what I’ll do. We are not friends Irene”

Ouch, I deserved that “Id like to think that we are friends at some point in the past” her gaze is warm.

“You are right, it’s in the past. So can we move on and get to work?” She tries not to be swayed by those dammed eyes

“Have you really moved on?” Irene looked at her intently. She try not to show it but Irene’s brown orbs are really unnerving.

“What do you mean?”

“This cold treatment that you are doing, this is not you, you are the nicest person I know, are you perhaps still mad at me with what happened in the past?”

Ughhh why cant she just drop this? “I’m long over it Irene. People change, that’s what happen. If you’ll excuse me, Ill look for my desk and try to be productive since my boss still seems to be too caught up in the past” 

Wendy smugly pat herself for not making a fool of herself and standing up to Irene. It’s not easy since Irene still has that intimidating aura mainly due to her otherworldly beauty. But she doesn’t get to break her heart and act like it never happened. Never again Irene Bae.

=====

The tension is palpable. They are on lunch, correction working lunch and Irene is staring intently at her per usual. When Wendy returned to Irene’s office earlier to request access to her Calendar, Irene said that they can discuss more about work on lunch. Since it’s work, Wendy had a hard time declining the offer. So here they are sitting face to face on a cafe near their office. Her phone chose the perfect timing to ring “Excuse me, I have to take this”

“Hello”

“Hey Ms. Wendy” Eric greets

“Hey yourself” she smiled

“Are you free tonight? I want to take you out.”

“Yeah sure, say 7pm?” She looked at Irene and she is not sure if it just her imagination that her eyes suddenly became lethal.

“Cool, I’ll come pick you up”

“Alright, see yah” 

Eric is a friend from Canada he went back almost the same time as her. He contacted her and ask her for a date. She is shock at first as he looks at Eric like an elder brother. But Eric is a sweetheart so it would not hurt to try.

“Boyfriend?” Irene ask in a deadly tone.

“Not yet, but his getting there”

“Marcus and Susan said you don’t have a boyfriend when did this happen?” She asked in a serious tone

“You talk to my parents about me?” She asked incredulously bothered that she ask about her.

“Well I remember you exist you know. Not some people I know” she bit back.

“Whatever” she continued eating.

“When did you two meet?” Irene obviously has not given up.

“What is this? An interrogation?” She exclaimed, but Irene continues to be dense.

“I was just curious, I have not seen you in years. I suppose I missed you.” And she had the gall to smile sweetly.

Not today Irene, once is enough.

“I’m not interested Irene, you can drop this nice girl act cause it wont work on me”

Irene moves her chair close and leaned into her “then why do you tense up when Im close to you?” She touches my cheeks gently I look away to avoid her touch. “Or your breath hitches when Im near you?”

Fine maybe I still do, but it does not mean I have to act on it. “Dream on” she dropped her napkin on the table and rise to return to office. She missed the smile that Irene is trying to suppress who is just two steps behind her.

=======

“Done early?”

Wendy was surprised to find Irene on their living room after Eric dropped her off. They just went to eat dinner, Eric tries to further the night but she reasoned that she needs to rest as she have work the next day. “What are you doing here?” She asked.

“I discuss some things with Marcus, since you are home early why don’t I show you around? Im sure there are lot of changes around that you have yet to see”

“I’m tired, I think I am done for the day” she reasoned.

“That’s okay, if you are that afraid to be alone with me. I understand.” There’s mischief in Irene’s eyes.

“Okay fine. But I am driving” she yielded.

=======

They are driving down the highway when Irene starts a conversation. 

“What happened with your first boyfriend, Mark was it?”

What the hell? How did she know?

“Your mom, she told me when I asked about you” she probably noticed my shock.

She tried to calm herself “Mark was great, first love and what not. I guess school load got the best of us and we just drifted apart. We are still cool, we talk from time to time.

“Hmm funny, I though i was your first love” there’s those intense eyes again.

I don’t want to go back there “yeah that’s funny”

The rest of the ride is quiet, they arrive at Han river. Wendy is being reminded of her young memories as they take a leisurely stroll. There are stalls that sells food and small trinkets. It’s endearing to see how relax Irene can get when she is alone with her. As she was checking out items on a stall she noticed that Irene is paying for her purchase on another.

“What you get?”

“I have something for you” Irene took her hands and put a simple silver bracelet with delicate chains and an infinity shaped like a heart in the middle.

“A heart? It’s cute. Thank you”

“I thought it’s something to remember me by” Irene kisses my hand. She continues as we walk “we come full circle, this is where we had our first kiss, I remember everything like it was just yesterday. I’ve been dreaming and thinking of those times. Now you are here for real”

Wendy swallowed to relieve the sudden dryness in my throat “but you did not want me then, you act all perplexed and mad every time we kiss. You drove me away Irene”

“You were so young then, and I am confuse. Plus the fact that my sire is your father. I have to decide for your own good” she looks away.

“Then I guess you made the right decision” Wendy tried to smile. “Let’s go, I am honestly done for the day”