URIAH SAUNDERS WALTER hates being unfocused.

It's ironic though, because in his situation since he's always so easily distracted by everything and anything. Once something original comes into mind, he gets excited about it. He starts getting motivated to bring that idea to life, but eventually, it diminishes as another as creative thought pops up. And just like that, the cycle repeats. And repeats.

Maybe that's the reason why he appreciates his personal assistant a lot.

"So, what you're saying is . . ." Piper trails off, manicured fingers curled around the black pen and hand resting over the notepad she always stuffs in the pocket of her skirt. "You want to cut off our deal with the Hamilton's'?"

He purses his lips, shaking his leg that's crossed above his other knee. "Is that a bad idea?"

She raises an eyebrow. "You tell me, boss."

Sighing deeply, his leg stops shaking and leans his head back onto his sleek, black ergonomic chair. "I just thought that it'd be a good decision to focus on other bigger deals, but I'm guessing that the Hamilton's are really that much of an important partner?"

"Mhm. We can benefit a lot of investments from this deal when you actually think about it."

"But I already called them, and cut off our deal."

She sighs, rubbing her forehead. "I'll handle that. Just hope they're willing to take it again. Besides, don't you think the more the merrier?"

"In certain occasions."

"Did you forget that it's already the first day of December?" she says, ignoring what he said and stares at him expectantly. "You know . . . the month of Christmas? It's a prosperous time."

He scoffs lightly. Piper's right, and she knows it. Her opinions have always been right, which is why she's the perfect assistant for Uriah. Whenever he's struggling with making a big decision—which happens a lot—he asks for her suggestion. And every time he does, he never regrets it.

Instead of replying to her question, he murmurs, "It's definitely good to be back."

Knowing that he's being sarcastic, she rolls her eyes. "Deal with it."

With a sardonic smile, Uriah leans forward, props his elbows on top of his transparent, glassy desk and sets his chin on the top of his crossed fingers. "And it's definitely good have you as my PA this year again. Oh, how I missed your kindness—"

"Cut the crap, Uriah," she cuts off with a hint of smile, not even bothering to address him as Mr. Walter anymore. "Just because we're best friends doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you at work."

"I'll be looking forward to that, Ms. Chow. And also, how's the progress of the interns? Anyone messing up yet?"

"Dude, chill. The interns just arrived two or three hours ago. Pretty sure they haven't."

He hums, nodding. "I suppose Belle's being the good supervisor she always is. Anyway, time to get back to work."

Piper stands up on her feet and pats down the back of her skirt. She shoves the notepad into the pocket, and holds the pen in her hand. "You're welcome, by the way."

Uriah huffs out a chuckle as he watches her saunter out of the door.

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A freaking pencil skirt.

Who knew that Louise, the one person who wishes to be big someday in the business world, would have an intense dislike for pencil skirts.

Who freaking knew?

She groans under her breath, re-adjusting herself on the chair for who knows how many times, just to feel constricted and tight around her thighs again and again. The feeling of them being squished against each other isn't a great feeling, especially when she has sit down for almost the whole day doing paperwork.

She stops squirming and decides to deal with the discomfort.

With a deep inhale, she turns towards her mahogany desk where lots of papers and stationary lay on it. Just get shit done, and before you know it, you're finally over this internship. Motivated, she nods once to herself and takes the pen from the holder on the top-right corner.

"Oh hey there, fellow co-worker!" a masculine, bubbly voice cheers, interrupting her little zen moment.

Louise stifles a sigh, and slowly faces the person. She takes in the guy's dark brown hair that's neatly swept to the side and slightly upwards, and the Oscar-winning grin that doesn't look like it's going to falter any minute now. "Hey?"

"This place is pretty cool, huh?" he says, excitement clearly shown upon his gentle featured face. "I still can't believe I'm here, you know?"

She stares at him uninterestedly, wondering what could possibly be so exciting about working in a business firm as an intern? It's literally all about paperwork, and coffee runs. All she can do is reply back with a hum of agreement.

"Oh, how could I forget? My name's Connor," he introduces, still showing off his pearly whites at her, and taking a seat right in front of her. This causes Louise to raise an eyebrow, and he immediately sees this, stumbling back onto his feet again. "Right, uh, you're . . . obviously busy."

"So should you."

He nods, gradually stepping away from her desk and towards his own, which she just notices that it's just two desks away from her. Still so close. "We'll just talk later at lunch!"

"No, we certainly won't," she mutters to herself, now focusing back on the papers on her desk.

Maybe this time there won't be any more distractions.

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Leaning back onto her chair, Louise crosses her fingers, then twists her arms in front of her as a stretch, and a smile of satisfaction etches across her lips that's covered in a flattering shade of red.

She's achieved her goal of workload before noon. And now that it's already twelve-thirteen, she's ready to grab some lunch.

Just then, the phone on her desk rings.

Her eyebrows furrow in surprise. That phone hasn't rang the whole morning until now. Who can it be? Without a second thought, she grabs the receiver and puts it next to her ear. "Hello?"

"Oh thank God," the person on the other side of the line huffs. "I was beginning to think that all the interns went out for lunch already."

Ah, so that explains the annoying ringing that's been going around the room for the past five minutes, she thinks, and now glances around the office.

It consists of ten interns, and all she can spot are two other interns. One of them is Connor, who seems to be waiting for her, but tries to make it less obvious by standing next to the fax machine as if he's waiting for papers that are never going to come.

Then, her gaze latches onto the desk that's right next to hers, which is right in between hers and Connor's. She glances at the name plate in front of the girl's desk. Melanie Fisher. Unlike Connor, she's actually doing something.

"Uh, there are still three of us here."

"Anyway," the masculine voice says, ignoring her, "I need someone to get lunch for me. Apparently, my PA's busy at the moment so I need you to do it."

Louise's face twists into a confused expression, and stares at the telephone. "Who's this?"

" . . . I'm your boss? Uriah Walter."

"Oh," she chokes, as if all the oxygen's been knocked out of her lungs. Out of all people in the building, it just had be to the freaking CEO. Just her luck.

"Chinese takeout will be fine. There's a restaurant nearby that's called—"

"North Dragon, I know," she interjects mindlessly. Just as she realizes what she's done, her eyes widen and heart beats faster. She can't believe she just cut off her boss. That's not okay, is it? "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"No tomatoes or onions, that's all."

He hangs up.

Louise exhales in relief, and sets the receiver back down. "Fuck my life."

"Whoa, there," Connor chimes in, chuckling. "First day of work, and already regretting it?"

She resists the urge to groan, and just grabs her wallet and phone instead. Wordlessly, she strides towards the exit of the office, knowing that he's going to trail right behind her.

Her mind's spinning with thoughts about the CEO. Why couldn't she check the code before answering it? At least that way, she would've known who she was talking to. Why did she interrupt him in the middle of his sentence? Oh, that's right. She loves to show off.

But most importantly, why did his voice sound familiar?

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An exasperated sigh emits from Uriah's lips.

"Where is my food?" he asks himself impatiently, staring at the ceiling. Perhaps he asked the wrong intern to order his food. And now all he can think about is how is he going to deal with this certain intern for their timing, and of course, his lunch.

As if on cue, his stomach rumbles.

He slumps low on his chair, frowning at his desk. He's bored, and there's only one thing that comes to mind. It's stupid, but what is there to lose? He dials a set of numbers that he memorized from heart, and waits for an answer.

"Hello?"

"Piper!"

"Why are you calling me? I told you I'm busy. I can't do your—"

"I know you are. I just . . . I'm bored, and this intern is taking way too long. I'm just wondering whether she ate my lunch or something."

She sighs. "Why don't you ever get your own lunch then?"

"Are you kidding?"

"No, I'm Piper. Your best friend who's telling you to get off of your lazy ass and buy your own lunch just like everybody else who's normal."

"I'm not normal," he quips, pouting. "I'm Uriah. You know, your boss. Who can get you fired for your obscene choice of words towards me."

"You wouldn't do that in a million years," she says confidently. "Besides, your dad loves me."

"Do you think I should fire the intern?"

"First of all, that's a ridiculous question. No. Second of all, is she hot?"

"What?" he huffs in disbelief, then shakes his head. "No. I mean, I haven't seen her yet, but—God, Piper. You already have a girlfriend. Keep it in your pants, will you?"

She scoffs. "I'll have you know that we haven't had—"

"No, thank you," Uriah interjects, his cheeks reddening. "I don't want to hear about your sexual activity. Please stay away from my interns and employees."

"Oh come on," she drawls teasingly. "A little office romance won't hurt you, will it?"

"Piper."

"You're such a bore, Uriah. You won't die if you have a little fun."

Suddenly, he remembers something.

You won't die.

He remembers how he almost did, just two days ago. How he was forced to go to the party just to find his brother. How he was pushed into the water. How he was suffering, and decided to just . . . let go.

He remembers how he was saved the one and only Louise Santiago. And how he underwent a lot of emotions just by seeing her again.

Just then, he hears two knock on the door, coming back to reality.

"Piper, I'll call you back later. I think the intern's back," he informs, eyes glued to the door.

"Hm, bye," she responds before hanging up.

He places his phone back down to his desk, and calls out after clearing his throat, "Come in."

Behind the door reveals the woman who he thought would be the last person on earth to ever enter his office.

The wind gets knocked out of him, and he resists the urge to drop his jaw or widen his eyes in the slightest. He blinks once. Twice. And she's still standing there, back straight and shoulders back as always. He can't take his eyes off of her, almost as if he's caught in her luring gaze.

Even though he's already seen her just like two days ago, he can't seem to stop staring at her. She looks the same, except more mature and beautiful. Her brown eyes hold the same guard and softness. Her features are defined, especially her cheekbones. And her jawline is sharp as her gaze. Her hair that's jet black with brown highlights has grown longer; so long that it ends right below her chest, no longer shoulder length. Oh, and her curves. Her hips. Her legs.

And damn it, just like they first day they met, he's intensely attracted to her all over again.

Soon enough, he hears her soothing voice. "It's you . . ."

Snapping out of his thoughts, he gulps and then stands up, smoothing out his suit. "Yeah, it's me."

She doesn't speak for second as she continues to stare at him in disbelief. After what feels like five seconds, she scoffs, and looks away with the beginning of a smile. She then saunters towards his desk. "I can't believe the guy I saved from drowning is my boss."

His eyebrows knit in confusion. "Just your boss?"

"Yeah," she replies mindlessly, laying the plastic bag from the restaurant down on his desk. "The world really is a small place, huh?"

Maybe she's just pretending. He shakes his head, telling himself not to think about it too much. "I guess. Anyway, I never really had the chance to say thank you that night, and—"

"It's no big deal," she waves him off, focused on the lunch boxes, separating hers from his.

"But it is to me," Uriah says. "I mean, you can't even swim, and risking your life is a pretty huge deal."

Louise's head shoots upwards, curious eyes meeting his. He stares at her agape, red lips for a fleeting second. "How did you know I can't swim?"

How can I not know? Confused, he replies, "Because—"

"Right, you probably heard it from my conversation with Alison." Then, she straightens her back, and nods to herself. "There. And don't worry, there's no tomatoes and onions in it."

"Thank you," he says, glancing at her lunch and beverage on the side. He notices the difference between their drinks—his being coffee, and hers being hot chocolate. A faint smile of recognition falls on his lips. "You still take your hot chocolate the same as always, huh?"

Louise looks down at her drink then back up at him as her face scrunches up in confusion. "How do you know?"

He rolls his eyes. Okay, that's enough pretending. "Seriously, Lou, you can quit the act already," he says, strolling around his desk so there won't be anything separating them.

She looks only more bewildered. "What are you talking about? I'm not—"

"Just because we're working together now doesn't mean it has to be awkward, you know."

"I don't understand."

Now standing in front of her, he can't help but feel everything at once. He feels the connection between them, a magnetic pull towards her. He shouldn't be feeling this way, though. Instead, he should be over it. He's never felt anything like this in years after her.

But maybe that's why. It's the truth, she's the only one who can make him feel like this.

"Why are you still putting up the act?" he asks, starting to get slightly annoyed. "Yeah, okay, I get that we still haven't gotten closure about what happened three years ago—"

"Wait, three years ago?" she repeats, eyes wide. "I had an accident three years ago."

Uriah's jaw drops a little. Is that what she calls it now? An accident? He takes a step closer to her with a frown. "Look, I know the break up was a little unpleasant, but calling our relationship an 'accident'? That's a little cruel, don't you think?"

"Relationship?"

He exhales, running his fingers through his hair. "Yes, I just said that. Now are you seriously going to repeat a part of my sentence every time I say something?"

Then, a flicker of realization dawns in her eyes. "Oh, you're talking about before the accident—"

Uriah closes the distance between them by stepping in. Louise tries to step back, but her back makes contact with the edge of his desk. And now, she's trapped in between them.

The connection he feels now is stronger. When their skin touches, he becomes alive and the adrenaline in him is rushing everywhere in his veins. He tries to control his pounding heart, but it doesn't work.

It's no use denying the fact that his feelings for her hasn't been completely gone yet.

He stares into her doe eyes, and slows down his breathing. As for Louise, she looks absolutely cluttered. He knows her like the back of his hand; well enough to know that Louise Santiago doesn't do cluttered. She hates being confused. But he loves how he's the only one who can make her like this.

"What are you doing?" she whispers, her eyes fluttering at their proximity.

Her breath fans over his face, and that does nothing but makes him want to lean in until there's nothing in between them anymore.

So that's exactly what he does.

He grabs her face gently, and crashes his lips against hers. A kiss that isn't the slightest bit of slow, or steady. Rather, it's rushed yet passionate at the same time. It's the type of kiss that can clearly show how Uriah craved for this moment ever since she left. A kiss that even she can feel what he's trying to say.

Eventually, Louise caves in.

Uriah smiles into the kiss as one of his hands travel behind her neck, and runs his fingers through her hair. Oh, how he missed this. The taste of her cherry lip gloss. The feel of her soft, silky hair, and her hot, captivating lips. The sound of her gasps and moans. He places a hand on the small of her back to pull her closer, and deepens the kiss.

Nothing has changed between them. The flame is still there. If anything, it's only become greater. Intensely great. Uriah isn't surprised when he feels Louise's tongue delving into his mouth. It's all too familiar. He recognizes it; every stroke, every movement, everything.

Then, he pulls away. Their chests heaving, breaths mingling, cheeks blazing, fierce gaze at each other. He had to otherwise he would've gotten carried away, which is something he doesn't want at the moment. He may be impulsive, but he has control.

Louise blinks, and soon enough, it's blank again. She realizes that her fingers are still gripping his collar, and abruptly drops them to her side. The corners of Uriah's lips tugs upwards into a goofy smile as he takes a few steps back.

"Why did you do that?" she asks hoarsely. All the respect and politeness for him has disappeared now. He can tell that she doesn't see him as her boss anymore. Not after they made out in his office. No, she sees him as Uriah, himself.

He shrugs, and then strides towards his chair. "That was closure."

"For what?" she responds exasperatedly. "I'm just an intern, and you're . . . whatever just happened—"

"Pretend like it never happened?" he cuts her off, plopping onto the chair. "Because that's what you do, right? You're pretending not to know me."

When she turns around to face him, she plants her palms on his desk, and narrows her eyes at him. "Look, I really don't know you. I don't care about what we were in the past. What I do care about is my internship, which I'm surely going to lose any second now, just because you—"

"You won't lose this internship," he promises, not bothering to deal with the 'I don't know you' crap anymore.

Taken aback, she says skeptically, "Really?"

"Yeah, why would you? I was the one who made the move."

"Yeah, but I kissed back."

Uriah's lips twitches, and then he tilts his head to the side. "Do you want your job or not?"

She scowls, removing her hands off from his desk.

"Thought so. Enjoy your lunch, Ms. Santiago."

"You too, Mr. Walter."

He watches her walk out of the door, and all he can think about is: how's that for an office romance, Piper?

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when i said that uriah and louise are a hot mess, i meant it