Each Silent Emotion | Complete

5. She, might be the reason

In frustration Moon ran her hand through her curls, her phone in her right hand tightly gripped as she knew how late she was running, and with the five missed calls from Nia in her call log she was extremely late as per the five missed calls in the past 20 minutes.

Moon was f****d.

Moon hadn't waited on her laptop to power off—she was even sure she made it sleep, like most times— closing it mid process of the screen going black, Moon shoved it into her bag pack along with the Pc charger.

With hasty movements, Moon swung the bag pack over her shoulder, slipping each arm through the straps. Her gaze was on the ringing phone she left on desk, waiting on Nia to pick up.

18:30PM

That was the time that stared back at Moon as she stared at the screen, Nia along with ringing displayed across the screen. For a person that called her five times she was taking a bit to long to pick up, her last call hadn't even been over ten minutes ago—Nia had her phone right beside her and she knew it.

In frustrating, Moon repeated pressed the elevator button, as if it was speed up the process—and well, ease up a bit of her frustration.

A majority of the company employees had already knocked off by 17:30PM, in the other departments but the one she belonged to—despite working over time, Moon was the first to pack and leave when their CIO released them for the day, tomorrow was a day as well and she couldn't have agreed more.

Genius guy he was.

"I'm so sorry, the meeting ran for longer than expected and the bosses were there—I could escape."

Moon mumbled as she ran down the stairs as fast and safely as possible—she wasn't going to strain her ankle or even worse, break something.

Waiting around for the elevator was taking quite a bit of her time and a tight set of time she had at her disposal to be patient, the stairs it was.

"I get that and it's fine, I could get my coffee grinder from Aster early tomorrow morning as I head to work—"

"No, let me get it. I won't take too much time, I'll jog there that's if Aster is still at the shop." Moon spoke, speed walking from the stairs to the exit—she had worn boots today but that wouldn't stop her from running, if she had to.

She would do it in a heartbeat.

Moon hadn't met Aster since Monday and today was Wednesday, two days of busy working and knocking off super late—for this reason alone she hated starting up new projects, there was too much to do at the beginning with tight deadlines.

Unexpected deadlines and unreachable goals at that.

Her heartbeat had gravely increased after running down those stairs, and her trying to act as though it wasn't killing her already to Nia, made it even more difficult.

She was f*****g breathless, that was a bother now—she was on a mission with strict time.

But Nia's silence made Moon take the phone away from her ear checking if it had accidentally cut off the call, or not, and by the minutes still being recorded—Nia was still there.

"Nia, can you hear me?" Moon asked speed walking down the streets with her phone pressed against her ear.

18:45PM

Moon stared at the time again, she still had about ten minutes to reach Aster before she closed and went home. Once Nia had kindly commanded Moon to stop by after work, Moon was daydreaming all day but then she was asked to stay for a few if that turned to more than an hour—texting Nia if Aster could stay a little over her usual 18:30PM closing time, adding 30 minutes to it.

If she hadn't showed, she could leave and that exact same text she sent to Aster, it would have been rude to use Nia as the middle man when she had her number.

"You just want to see Aster, that much my dear friend?" Nia laughed on the other end of the line. Nia knew Moon was developing a crush on Aster, she could see it, even if Moon first interpreted her own feelings as curiousity.

There was only one person who could tell her what it was, and it was herself—but Nia, the right fit.

Nia called bullshit. Missed a whole day of work because she was drunk dazed over the weekend, and she was jogging in boots to this woman because she couldn't let her go home alone—probably in hopes of walking her home too.

Moon was wrapping herself around Aster's pinkie fingers, Nia found it funny.

"What!" Moon spoke in a high pitched tone, she was running out of breath and her cool over Nia's accusations. The complexity of the situation was Nia could tell or hint at it to Aster, she didn't want that happening. "I just want to help my dear friend have her coffee early tomorrow, it is a crime?" Moon added ignoring the laugh on the other end as she was mid sentence.

A few shops stood between her and Lily Gold, relief was slowly washing over her as she ran passing one building after the other, that meant she was closer to Aster.

"Yeah, tell yourself lies. I'm assuming you're there now, I'll be hanging up now."

"Well—" Moon swallowed her words as the other line cut, her eyes squinted at Nia's name with the minutes they spent on the call—Nia hadn't even let her say goodbye, ouch.

18:56PM

The time read, she made it with four minutes to spare which wasn't much but on time was on time—thankfully. Moon slouched over slightly as left hand rested on her knee, running wasn't all bad for her but these boots weren't made for these physical activities—her feet would hurt tomorrow.

Collecting herself, Moon wiped off the cloud of sweat that formed on her forehead with the long sleeve of her black shirt. Slipping the phone into her pocket, Moon pushed past the door letting herself in and not wasting a moment rushed to the front desk.

Luckily for her, Aster had just come out the back door to the staffs room with her bag pack hanging off her shoulders. Her forest green apron gone unlike most days she caught her in the shop.

"Hello, sorry for being late." Moon signed her facial expression apologetic. Her hands fell to her side watching Aster offer her award winning smile, before slouching down to a drawer—probably retrieving Nia's grinder.

"It's fine, Moon." Aster signed soon after placing the grinder in Moon's hands. They could finally go home but why did it feel as though neither of them wanted to, not yet.

Moon brought out her phone again, opening something in her notes app she turned the phone, letting Aster read.

'Let me walk you home, or as far as you let me go.'

Aster had her gaze on Moon's phone as she reached out, holding onto the phone and Moon's hand as she typed her response below. Moon liked Aster's hand over hers, her fingers brushed against the back of her hand—her touch was warm as always.

Aster's touch remained on her as the woman turned the phone towards Moon, to finally know her response—briefly Moon stared into Aster eyes before turning to the screen, her touch was unnecessary right now but she didn't seem to want to let go—Moon didn't want her to.

'I'd love that, Thanks.'

And that's how Moon found herself watching Aster lock up her shop, Aster's bag pack with Moon—who instead on holding it briefly so it didn't weigh her down, in true sense she wasn't giving it back until Aster reached home—slipping her hands through the straps, Aster's bag rested in front of Moon as her back was already taken.

"No!" Moon took a step away from Aster as the woman tried taking her bag back, Moon wouldn't let her, taking a step back as Aster came forward and going to the side as Aster tried grabbing the straps.

Aster gave up—Moon jumped, literally, in success.

The two walked beside eachother down the street with Moon walking by her right, she was the thing between Aster and the busy road. Moon was a fast walker most times but right now her steps were small and no hast as those of Aster, comfortable silence between them.

Moon would occasionally glance to her left watching as Aster walked, and that's when she noticed the woman preoccupied with by a game on her phone, barely paying attention to her surroundings.

Quickly Moon placed her hand around Aster, pulling the woman towards her body in an attempt to avoid the children skateboarding towards her.

"You should be careful." Moon mumbled her hand still around Aster's waist, as the woman was still pressed against her, Aster was staring straight ahead her mind going through it as Moon rested her head on her shoulder—she could see Aster tightly gripping her phone and at that, she let go of her.

"I'm sorry." Aster signed when she turned towards Moon, who simply held a smile on her face. Aster turned to her phone typing something as neither of them walked, Aster was staring down to her phone and Moon at her.

'Do you have plans Saturday?'

"No." Moon replied staring at Aster, Aster didn't hold her gaze as she turned her attention to her phone once again typing something.

'You're going to an event with me.'

Moon raised her eyebrows a bit surprised by the message written in their chat. "Are you asking or commanding?" Moon asked with curiosity, Aster pursed her lips in an attempt to fight back her smile.

"Commanding." Moon spoke the words interpreting the sign Aster did, in response to her question.

Oh, she liked this.

Moon held up her hands and act of showing she had surrendered, she wasn't going to go against commands. "I'll go with you." Moon spoke, carefully staring at Aster to take in her reaction.

And to say Aster wasn't relieved would be a lie, she literally sighed as relief washed over her—she hadn't been rejected as she thought would happen, and she was happy.

Moon took a step towards her, narrowing the space between them much more than it was. Her phone that was in her right hand was taken from her, Moon had her gaze on the phone as Aster stared.

'Put your phone away before you trip and fall.'

Aster didn't have to be told twice, instantly she slipped her phone into Moon's left pocket—sadly this skirt she had on did not have pockets—blush covered cheeks as she tugged at Moon dress pants slipping her phone carefully.

Moon chuckled. Aster was so f*****g cute she couldn't help it but bring the woman's arm, once she finished her ninja attempt of slipping her phone into her pockets, and brought it around her own left arm.

Their arms interlocked, their shoulders touching and Moon's phone in front of Aster with a sickeningly cute text, taking Aster by surprise deepening her blush.

'I'll make sure you won't fall alone.'