As Aom turned a page in the agenda and drama proposal before her, Mike sneaked a confused look over at her.  “Uh.. what page are we on now?”  Boss laughed out loud at Mike's sheepish expression and excitedly whispered something to P'Ananda beside her.  Finding that Mike had no intention of releasing her hand, Aom leaned over the table, using her unoccupied hand to turn his pages to the right place.  She was now so close she could feel the heat from his shoulder penetrating hers.  Mike readily crouched over the pages as she turned them and pointed out the right place.  She smiled to herself, he was so adorably near-sighted.  Remembering how bewildered she had made him before, Aom spoke quietly in his left ear that was already near her lips. “Mike?”  Under the table, his hand gripped hers in response “Everything's good like this.... you know what I mean?”  She sat back up and agreed with whatever idea P'Ananda had just suggested, while sneaking looks towards Mike, trying to decipher his reaction to her question.  Not daring to hold her gaze in this mixed setting, Mike hummed softly, pressed his fingertips into her palm, bounced her hand on his knee, then glanced at her eyes knowingly.   Mike understood her... he always did.  

As they listened to what one writer presented, Mike nodded a few times, leaned back against his chair, and rubbed his neck with his free hand.  In the same motion, he dropped that hand to his lap to join the other two already there, simultaneously sliding his chair closer to Aom.  As if absentmindedly, Mike fell to brushing Aom's wrist, palm, and fingers with both his hands.  Aom let her attention drift away from the table discussion to the tender caressing of her fingers.  Suddenly, she realized the room was silent and everyone was looking at them.  “Mike?  Aom?”  They exchanged a blank look, neither had the faintest idea what was going on.

It was all Aom could do to not start laughing at the dreadful pause that followed.  “What do you think?” came the repeated question.

Aom slipped her hand away from Mike's and ran it through her hair, swallowing an amused smile at Mike's raised eyebrow.  Mike flushed as they said together, “Uh... What was the question?” and simultaneously burst out laughing.  Still giggling, Aom saw Mike flash an apologetic look to Jeab who shook her head and joined them.  Aom made an attempt at explaining.  “Sorry we're just... uh...”  Mike reached over to her lap and again secretly drew her hand into his, stopping Aom in mid-thought.  

He effortlessly finished her lingering sentence, as they had both become accustomed to doing for each other in interviews.  “...just really, really tired... but the drama proposal sounds good.”  Aom nodded in agreement.  He could usually guess what she was going to say before she said it and she, likewise, knew what he was feeling before he said anything. She drummed her fingers on the back of his hand, fondling the decorative ring he wore while Boss drew the meeting to a close.  

No matter what anyone would try to call it or make it, regardless of prying questions and forceful suggestions from others, and aside from any rumors or promises or expectations, Aom hoped she would never lose whatever this was with Mike.  There was no need for more words, no words even existed for what they meant to each other anyway. She glanced down at his long, busy fingers, and felt his eyes upon her.  Knowing he was watching, she smiled for him before the ended meeting forced them to part hands and bow with gratitude to the others.  However this next drama ended up unfolding, whenever it ended up working out with their schedules, whatever they had to endure and experience to accomplish it, whatever rumors and questions they had to dodge and answer, she was happy to look forward to this coming adventure, as long as it was with Mike.

Too soon, they were all parting ways and Aom was in the back parking lot, bidding a hearty farewell to their beloved Boss while watching Mike out of the corner of her eye.  He unlocked his car and started to sit down, then looked around frantically, stood up and headed back towards the building they'd just left.  Aom stifling a hidden laugh, cried, “Wait-Mike!” and ran in front of him, intercepting his hurried gait.  

Barely glancing at her, Mike stepped to the side, giving a rushed “I have to find something,” as Aom stayed him with a firm hand on his chest.  “Aom, just a second...I'll-”  

Aom lifted her face to his, met his worried eyes, raised her eyebrows daringly, and gripped his black tank top with her right hand.  “Looking for this?”

Furrowing his eyebrows, Mike mouthed “For-what?” and Aom sang out an excited “Da-Da-Da-Daaa!  Ta-da!”  With that, she pulled out his leather jacket from under her left arm where she had tucked it just before leaving the meeting.  She knew his mind was elsewhere and guessed he didn't mean to leave it there, so when Mike was in the entryway discussing his overbooked schedule with P'Ananda, Aom had gone back quickly to grab it before the room was locked by one of the staff there.  The well-worn garment felt soft and familiar against her skin and had a comforting, sweet, musky “Mike” smell lingering from it.  “I had a feeling you'd forgotten it, so I went back and got it.”   

“Oh, wow, thank you,” he began, but his gratitude faltered when he saw the mischievous sparkle in her eyes.  Before he could assess the situation quickly enough to grab his jacket, it ran off to the other side of the parking lot, waving and bouncing with the impish girl who carried it.  “Aom!” he said as warningly and sternly as he could while holding back a relieved laugh.  She danced around triumphantly as he pointed a disapproving finger at her.  

Begging him to follow, Aom hollered a stubborn “It's mine now!” and vanished into a clump of trees.  Mike threw his hair back, took in a deep breath, and chased after her.  Hidden in the trees, they felt free to be playful and silly together.  Amid varied shouts of victory, frustration, and taunting, they started their all too familiar back-and-forth-circle-chase game around two of the larger trees, running side to side and trying to fool each other.  Clutching his jacket to herself, Aom maneuvered around Mike but one of his long arms grabbed at her belt, pulling it nearly off her.  Thinking fast, Aom tore the tie from her tunic, leaving Mike grasping the soft fabric.  Mike looked down surprised at the belt in his hand and called out to the tree Aom was hiding behind.  “Hey, hey!”  Aom dared to peek around the tree trunk in time to see Mike gesturing back and forth between his jacket and her belt.  “You wanna trade?”  Aom shook her head violently and Mike stuck scrunched his nose up at her.  “Wrong choice, Aom- I would have been easy on you, now you're in big trouble.”  Aom stuck her tongue out in response, Mike returned the expression, both giggled happily, and his fierce pursuit continued.  More than once, Aom feared that Mike purposely let her slip by him, but she would never admit it.