Protective Instinct (KatherineMinoa & Kilaar33)

[KatherineMinola]

A glance through the picture windows of Sam's Deli might not have picked out the couple sitting at the far-right table for two, their usual table. But a second look would afford the viewer a glimpse of a lovely young woman with long, chestnut-colored hair, olive skin, and sparkling hazel eyes, and a man a few years her senior whose dark black hair and bright blue eyes were a stark contrast to his lunch companion. The duo was at ease, the man listening in rapt attention to the woman, and both completely enthralled by the conversation.

"So, after Mr. Danvers--Mike--finished his meeting with the boss, he came over to my cubical," Sophia Capitani said, her musical voice hurrying in excitement. "We talked for a few minutes, and he asked me out again for this Friday. And our date last weekend was..." Pausing, the young woman took a bite of her turkey and swiss on rye, closing her eyes as she tasted the subtle flavors in her sandwich. She licked her lips then opened her eyes again, smiling at her best friend, and continued, "...exciting, romantic, exhilarating." She looked at her friend, noting his discomfort at the description, and grinned, dimpling. "He took me sky diving."

Sophia burst into laughter as Brack's expression relaxed, and she stretched a hand across the table to pat his hand. "Sorry for making you uncomfortable. It was just too easy." She winked and resumed eating her lunch.

"So, it's your wedding anniversary soon," she said. "Do you have a gift picked out?"

 

[kilaar33]

Braxton -- Brack to anyone that wasn't a stranger reading his name off a piece of paper -- often fancied himself the sort of guy who stuck out like a sore thumb anytime he accompanied someone like Sophia. She was a perfectly typical and sociable young woman. She was immensely attractive. He, meanwhile, begrudgingly wore a white long-sleeved dress shirt and black slacks with all the dapper charm that anyone might expect of a software engineer. Short black locks were a stylish mesh about his head whilst trimmed but elongated sideburns framed a fair-skinned face whose icy blues were perfectly content to listen to this woman talk.

Brack wasn't in love with Sophia, but she was a reprieve. Life at home these days wasn't wonderful. It wasn't miserable either. Much like work, it had become an exercise in thoughtless and emotionless futility. His friend injected a delightful -- if sometimes uncomfortable -- level of unpredictability into the routine. That said, he listened and even nodded without ever letting eye contact divert, yet she wasn't oblivious to the subtler signs of discomfort as she described her romantic weekend.

Brack gave a moment's pause when Sophia trailed off only to laugh, but he stopped short of staring her down. Rather, he gave a glance away, feigning a sudden distraction as a bicycle rode past the large plate glass window visible in his peripheral vision. In reality, he was trying to figure out how to convey to someone that he wasn't being a creeper or protective, but her new boyfriend was the Antichrist.

It was irrational, unfair, and completely cynical, but Brack was good at reading people. Over the years, he had come to appreciate his own ability to size people up fairly appropriately. Michael Danvers was an indisputable scumbag whose tenure with the company wouldn't likely extend any further than the two collective years he'd spent at his previous three jobs. Strange, Brack thought, that someone would move around the country that often.

The remarks about his anniversary prompted a sudden jolt back into reality, and immediately the man pulled back. With corrected posture and an exaggerated grimace, both his shoulders lifted simultaneously in a halfhearted shrug.

"I'm apparently supposed to buy something made out of leather," he posed with purposefully exaggerated seriousness. "It's harder than it sounds."

 

[KatherineMinola]

Sophia blushed beet red in response to her friend's innocent answer. Leather. Good grief, she really needed to stop listening to the water cooler gossip when the hens in PR started cackling about that "50 Shades of Crap" movie. She dipped her head and sipped her lemon-infused water, making sure she had herself under control before replying.

"Hmm...leather gifts," she murmured, sifting her mind for something innocent and loving as opposed to kinky and completely none of her business when it came to her friend's marriage. "How about a nice journal or a purse? Oh! A friend of mine from college makes jewelry, and she just introduced a leather line. Let me send you a link to her Web site." Sophia's fingers flew over her phone's keyboard, and soon a text with a hyperlinked URL popped up on Brack's phone screen. "There are some really nice pieces on the site, and her prices are reasonable."

Sophia smiled, leaning back in her seat, studying her friend. Something wasn't right. He was quieter than usual. Sure, he wasn't always the most social person, but this was ridiculous, even for him. And if there was one thing that she knew, it was when something was bothering her best friend.

Nudging his foot with the toe of her shoe, she teased, "Okay, Heathcliff, what's with the brooding? Spill it. Tell me what's bothering you."

 

[kilaar33]

Brack's device -- a smartphone, of course -- laid face-down on the table nearby, and it suddenly began to vibrate in the moments immediately following Sophia's message. He said nothing, nor did he make a move to retrieve the device. Rather, he gave it a glance, then returned his gaze to her before averting it if for nothing other than to keep from making too direct an eye contact. He couldn't explain it, but it was often difficult to look her in the eye for more than a moment at a time. Part of him thought he might get lost if he looked for too long.

"I'll check it out. Thanks," he offered, hoping the topic would take a turn. And then it did. The silence felt more than a little awkward, inspiring in the man a sense of impending doom mixed with self consciousness. He didn't like it when someone could see the things he didn't want to portray, and more often than not, he was more than adept at disguising his emotions.

Despite it all, Brack gave his best effort towards playing it off. With a trademark smirk and a convincingly halfhearted shrug, he gave a roll of the eyes. "New hires are a pain in the ass, and I'm pretty sure we're about to get our third director this year." Digressing, the man dropped his head long enough to prod his half-eaten turkey and swiss on wheat before deciding against actually having another bite. The thought of that Mike Danvers treating Sophia to a lavish sleazeball weekend had completely robbed him of his appetite, but of course he couldn't tell her that. Why did he even care?

Brack gave it another moment only to let his smirk dissipate into a more normal straight face. "Good to hear things are going well with the new... boyfriend? Is he already to boyfriend status?" God, this was monotonous. In the years he'd known Sophia, Brack had learned to genuinely care. Still, moments like this just felt awkward. He couldn't explain why feigning interest in her love life was so difficult. He only knew it always put him in a bad mood.

 

[KatherineMinola]

Sophie sat for a moment, just looking at her friend, then she smiled gently and shook her head, leaning closer and grasping his hand, her voice gentle and sweet, "Brack, I've known you for a long time, and I know when you're trying to change the subject. But because you're my best friend in the world and because I love you, I'll let it go," she smirked, the returned to her serious mode to add, "but when you're ready to talk about it, I'm here for you, okay?"

She looked into his clear blue eyes, and her breath caught, but she quickly averted her gaze, willing herself not to blush yet again. Sophia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and sipped her water before answering his question.

"Hmm...," she began considering his query about Mike. "I wouldn't say boyfriend, yet. We've only been on one date, so it's in the very early stages yet. But there's definitely potential." She smiled, her eyes sparkling as she looked up again. "Last week, he took me to dinner at Antoni's and then to the theater to see 'Phantom,' and you know how much I love that musical!"

Sophia's eyes lit up when she began discussing the play, expounding upon the actors' performances. As she spoke, her mind took in Brock's expression, noticing that he was still tense when her conversation was meant to put him at ease. What was going on with him? He usually relaxed when she began chatting away, but she could see the stiffness in his muscles and the tight line around his mouth. She hated when Brack was unhappy. He was such a good friend to her, and more than anything, she wanted his life to be perfect.