It seemed to the city that today might just be a perfect day. The sky was blue, the world was washed from a summer shower, and children relishing their freedom from school.

Deariq was in high spirits as he returned to his office after escorting his boss to a lunch meeting. He enjoyed working for Blitzring, the gaming company that the CEO Amanda Dalton had built. As the CEO's secretary, he was able to work with the legend herself, even if he was unable to come close to her level of expertise.

He stepped into the elevator, crowded from people returning to their offices after their lunch breaks.

"...Oh, and did you hear? Dalton caught another one the other day. I saw it earlier," a man stepping on commented.

Ding. The doors shut, and the elevator started its ascent.

"For real? Why doesn't she ever look at her employees if she wants to have fun?" his companion cooed.

Deariq tried to ignore them, clutching his tablet tightly to his chest.

"As if she would want anyone here!" came the reply. "Why are you thinking of this anyway? You have a beautiful girlfriend."

The dude chuckled. "Yeah, but it's Amanda Dalton. You know you want to imagine her, too."

Ding.

"Uh-huh. I'm telling Koto," he said as he stepped off the elevator.

"Don't you dare. That's not cool," was the last that Deariq heard as the two disappeared down the hallway.

He sighed, happy to be in awkward silence for once. Conversations like that were normal for him to hear, but he did not enjoy listening to the gossip. Since Amanda was known as the city's heartthrob, there was no way to avoid it.

Ding.

The popularity of her games had brought attention to her awhile ago, and she stole her way into communities that were not her own. Her charisma earned her invitations to all sorts of parties and friendships with unlikely people. She had seemingly effortlessly become a person of interest.

Ding.

Few people had a bad word to say about her; fewer dared to say it, and those who did had been humiliated by her. The world saw her as a fanged angel--she is cinnamon roll, but she will kill you.

Ding.

What if they knew what she is like when no one is watching? Deariq wondered as he walked to his desk.

Sitting down, he opened his tablet to see what new files he had been sent while he was out. They popped up one after another, drawing out a sigh from him. There were also some paper files one his desk, things that he needed Amanda to finalize and sign.

Lost in his work, he hardly noticed when his boss waltzed past him and into her office. It was not until she started blasting her music that he fully realized that she was there.

Curious, he stood up and took a peak into her office. It was beginning to become a mess, her various items that she had been using throughtout the day scattered about.

The CEO's office was nothing like what one might imagine. With much room and free time, she found it suitable to keep her favorite items in there to use whenever she felt like it. There were books, games, craft supplies, replicas, speakers, and various aesthetically pleasing items, all of which were stored in shelves that Deariq had had the right mind to bring in.

Brigitte, Amanda's parakeet, was trying to talk above the music, adding to the fray. Deariq sighed at the sight, yet left it be and went back to his work.

Leave her be. She'll go back to work when she's out of her mood, he told himself.

The music continued on for almost an hour, which was bearable until Amanda started skipping songs partway through them. He waited patiently for her to cross an "unskipible" song, which would help her ground her mind, but it did not come easily.

Eventually, he started to get a headache from her antics. He stretched and walked to her office, knocking on the door during the silence between skips. The music stayed paused, and he heard a muffled grunt from inside--his permission to enter.

As he suspected, she was chilling on the couch with various items discarded around her. She seemed to have no interest in them and was instead scrolling through her phone.

She's procrastinating again, he realized.

"Um, it's alright if you want to chill, but would you mind putting your headphones on so I can concentrate on my work? It's starting to give me a headache," he asked.

Staring at him, she flipped upside down on the couch. "Yes, I would mind. I like the acoustics how they are now."

Bitting his lip, he tried to think of a solution. Before he could think of one, she continued, "I know! Why don't you go get me a drink from the coffee shop across from the park? It's not good for you to be sitting around all day, anyway."

"Get you... a drink?" Deariq repeated. "What kind?"

"Something with expreso, but no coffee! Hey, you can take my hoverboard if you like."

"Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of my getting some exercise in?"

She frowned, which surprisngly still looked like a frown even though it was upside-down. "Oh, right. You should walk then. Go, go," she shooed him away.

Bowing, he left the office. Once the door shut, the chaotic music scroll resumed. He went on his way, sighing.

The trip was uneventful, but it did take some time. Gratefully, he returned to find that all was quiet in the office. Wondering if she had actually gone back to work, he was about to knock on her door when he saw a note on his desk.

Catch me if you can! Don't let my drink get cold, though, Intern Mansfield ;P it read.

He groaned and opened one of the desk drawers, pulling out a heat-sealing travel mug he kept on-hand for just such times. Once again, he headed out the door.

It wasn't hard for him to find her. She loved to hang out at the playground in the park with the children after they got out of school. He quickly spotted her on the swings, spinning herself in circles.

She saw him approach her, and he held out the mug for her. "What'd ya get me?" she inquired, eyebrows were arched, and lips pursed.

"It's a white hot chocolate with carmel and expreso shots," he replied. "I like it better with regular hot chocolate, but I know that you like white chocolate better."

She took it and unscrewed the lid, saying, "Indeed I do." After letting it steam for a few seconds, she took a sip. Her face melted into a smile. "Yummy! A little too hot, still."

As she blew on the surface, he reached out his hand to her. "Come on. Is there somewhere that you would like to go?"

Smiling, she put the lid back on and took his hand. "Yeah. I know just where I want to go."

Amanda led him through the city, ignoring his questions all the while. When they reached their destination, he stopped in front of it.

"Is this a boxing gym?" he asked.

"Indeed it is," she answered with a smile. "I want to have a good workout, but I don't want to be alone, and the coach is at a match right now. He let's me come and go as I please, so it's alright."

Deariq chuckled and shook his head. "However did you get the owner to give you a key?"

Her gaze drifted away. "It might have something to do with my staying up so late training," she mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing! Come on, stop stalling!"

Reluctantly, he followed her inside. She got him a set of clean clothes to borrow, which were a bit big on him. He was ready before she was, so he decided to try warming up before she got there so he wouldn't look stupid.

Walking to the nearest punching bag, he gave it a solid hit. He cringed from the impact, clutching his hand as the bag swing back to hit him. "Oof," he huffed as he staggered out of the way before it could hit him again.

"Ay, you need to be careful! We need to get your hands wrapped so you don't break a finger," Amanda's voice called out from behind.

He turned to see her walking towards him, and he held his breath at the sight of her. This was a first that he saw her in anything other than the her business and party outfits. Even in ordinary clothes, she was stunning.

"Uh-uhm, right, that would, uh, that would help," he stammered.

Ignoring his comment, she took his hand and began to wrap it with a long strip of cloth. Silently they stop as she quickly finished the first hand and moved onto the second hand.

"Try that," she instructed.

He flexed and relaxed his fist obediently. The wraps were a bit tight, but they gave a nice support to his knuckles. Since his blood circulation had not been cut off, he deemed it to be good and gave her a nod.

Satisfied, she went about wrapping her own hands. Once finished, she led him through some stretches and warm ups.

There is a lot of effort going in before we even start punching the bag, he mused.

"Do you want to go first, or should I?" she asked, turning some kind of buzzer on.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, one of us wears these gloves and the other punches them. We go from buzzer to buzzer, then we switch places," she explained.

I vaguely remember seeing something like that on some show. "Ah, you should punch first then, to show me how it's done," he shrugged.

She nodded, although she did not seem convinced. The buzzer went off, and she started her set. Deariq flinched at the first few hits, but soon got the hang of it.

"So, did you make any progress with the animation team's evaluation?"

Amanda paused, sending him a half-sided glare that made him wish he had not mentioned it. That assignment was what she was supposed to be working on when she got into a mood and abandoned her work.

Resuming her workout, she replied, "They are doing alright, I guess. They are all doing their best, but they could be so much more if they just direct their attention on improving certain areas."

Despite her frustration, Deariq smiled. He was glad that she was venting out her worries to him instead of keeping them bundled up.

"I mean, I know what's wrong with most of their works and how to fix them, but I don't want to control them," she continued. "They didn't ask for my help. They I don't want anyone to feel like they are bad at what they do because I mention a thing or two. They are still putting out good content, but it is because some are fixing the mistakes of others without telling them what they did wrong. It's frustrating!"

Panting heavily, she stopped at the sound of the buzzer. After resting for a bit, she motioned for them to switch positions.

Before she could continue her rant, Deariq said, "You are worrying too much that your interference will be a bad thing."

The buzzer soundes, and he began his workout. "I mean, remember when you enlisted me as your secretary? There I was, a useless intern in the strategy department who kept butting heads with his coworkers. I was in the middle of getting lectured by my supervisor for "trying to tell people how to do their jobs," and you took one look at me to decide what I was capable of."

Clearing her throat, she stated, "Well, of course I would. You're a good worker, and you were just trying to do the right job in the wrong position. Those buggers were just mad because you were right about their mistakes."

They chuckled at her words.

"My point is, you stepped in and followed your instinct, and it turned out for the better. Isn't it better to help them than to hope that they will figure it out for themselves?"

"Maybe, but what if I end up making them do things exactly as I want them to? You know how OCD I can be. I don't want them to lose their styles," she frowned.

"Trust in them, and trust in yourself to know when to back off," he panted.

Biting her lip, she gazed at him. "Thanks, Deariq. I enjoy our chats cause you can always calm my nerves. You're like my emotional support dog!"

Instead of being happy as some might, he frowned. The buzzer sounded, and his arms dropped in relief, but it did not relieve his mood. He felt as those how she just described him was worse than being friend-zoned.

Today is the day.

"Amanda, there's something that I've been wanting to tell you for awhile."

She stared at him, her eyes serene like pools of water. Fists clenched, Deariq breathed in the courage he needed to follow through with this.

"Before I met you, I admired you from afar. I joined Blitzring because you inspired me. Then, I became your secretary, and we became friends. When you were captured by Dark Wing, I was...terrified. I realized then that I didn't want to live in a world without you.

"I don't know how else to put this, so I'll just say it: I love you, Amanda. I get jealous when you go on dates with other guys. I want to be the one who takes you out on the weekend and make you smile and give you presents."

A chuckle escaped her. Her lips curled into a smile that he had never seen before. It can so suddenly that he had no idea what emotion it was for, and he stared at her, confused.

"My sweet Deariq, I know how you feel; I have known for quite some time now. It's funny how everythin you just listed that you want to do with me is stuff that you already do," she pointed out.

"But--you knwow what I meant! I want to be more than just your employee or your friend!" he declared.

She delayed her reply, looking down at her hands. "I know. And...it took me some time, but I figured out how I feel about you. You're the kind of person that I want in my life forever."

His breathe caught in his throat, and his stance relaxed. "But, I'm not good with change. I'm not ready to change what we have now. There are things I need to do first," she said.

"Well, that's okay," he said, his eyes flickering. "I have waited this long, I can wait until you are ready, if that is what you wish."

Amanda shook her head, pulling the paddles off of her hands. She stepped towards him timidly.

"No, I don't want things to change between us, so, please, forgive me for this."

Before he could react, there was a flash of light by her hand. Grabbing the object that appeared, she pressed it to his forehead. His head flashed, the light drawing into the object before dying.

As his eyes rolled back, she tucked the object into the pocket of her shorts. There was another flash, and again, she pushed the new object against his forehead. This one spread light into him, dissipating afterwards.

He blinked his eyes, correcting his vision to see Amanda smiling at him.

"I'm glad that I can be you support, boss," he cooed, rubbing the back of his head.

Her smile matched his. "Oh, let's do the punching bag next."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

Amanda turned on the light of her house before shutting the door. She went right to her bed and pulled out a scrapebook from beneath her mattress. Grinning, she brought it to a small table that had crafting supplies scrattered on it.

Opening the book to a blank page, she slipped the card out from her pocket. Carefully, she mounted it onto the page with slips of paper to hold down the corners. After decorating the page, she wrote the title First Day Boxing! to the entry.

Her work finished, she shut the book with a sigh. "Not yet, Deariq. I'll return these memories to you when the time is right."