The art of romance, flirting and seduction - not specifically in that order - is one that I will never be able to master no matter how much training I get and how much practice I put in.

So the fact that I've managed to have seven boyfriends over the span of 3 years is quite a miraculous feat. One which disobeys every law posed by mankind and Aphrodite alike.

But then again, seven boyfriends in 3 years usually means a lot of disastrous dates, failed make out sessions, narcissistic assholes and... broken hearts.

I still remember the last words each one of them said to me before we ended it. I know I should forget, but I just can't.

"You're a clumsy, uncoordinated fool with hair that can burn my eyes if I look at it for too long. I don't even know why I found you attractive in the first place."

- Henry Russell {13. 10. 2012}

Ouch. Am I right?

"You're really pretty June. And I like you a lot. But I think it's better off if we stay as friends."

- Kurt West {27. 12. 2012}

And that too, right after Christmas.

"You seem to show more interest towards your video games than about our relationship. How about you go marry your Playstation instead?"

- Brad something (I forgot) {04. 05. 2013}

EXCUSE ME? It's an Xbox.

"It's not you, it's me. Haha just kidding it's you. Nerd."

- Quentin Thingamajig (don't wanna remember) {30. 09. 2013}

Well. Rude much? And seriously out of all the lines you could've used.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you June. You deserve better anyway."

- Enrique Dale {07. 06. 2014}

Three words. Worst birthday ever. And I had just learnt that I got accepted into Paristech.

"So yeah, I cheated on you bitch. It's what anybody would do if they were your boyfriend. I'm too sexy for you anyway."

- Nicholas Paradis {23. 01. 2015}

Yes he was attractive. On the outside. Inside, he had a heart made of coal. I hated him the most I think.

"It was nice knowing you June and it was even nicer kissing you, but I think you kinda ruined that for me."

- Felix Irving {11. 11. 2015}

Yup. He's that guy. The one who heard me say Noah's name while we were making out. It was not a fun time for me.

And after all those years of heartbreak and immature boys, I finally decided to stay single.

Then BOOM comes Noah Lee to make me break my pact.

And the worst part is, I was just winging it the whole time. Being awkwardly smooth. That's what Neha called it. Those guys approached me first - as hard as it is to believe - not the other way around.

But Noah's different. He's mature. He knows what he wants. And at the moment, I don't think he wants anyone.

I need to up my game. I'm still stuck on Level 1.

But let's just face it. I'm hopeless in that department. And I always will be.

~ ~ ~

I wish I could say that our 'business meeting' went by smoothly, without a hitch. But then again, this is my life we're talking about.

Needless to say, it was an extremely awkward affair.

Haha. Affair.

That's about the only affair you're ever gonna have with him if you keep this up.

I am not a person who has affairs. Because I'm single and free for the taking.

Taking? What are you? A sushi roll at a Japanese restaurant? Because then I'm sure Noah will start avoiding that like the plague.

Just shut up brain.

"So here you go." He says in that deep voice while handing me the files. "It's pretty self-explanatory. I'm sure you're more than capable of going through it in your free time. And I look forward to helping you gain more experience in this field."

I take the files and place them at the corner of the table as I had forgotten to bring my bag.

You idiot.

He raises an eyebrow, but thankfully doesn't point out my incompetence.

Phew.

We don't say anything after that and settle into an uncomfortable silence.

I look anywhere but his face as I fidget with my fingers and shake my legs.

"Quit that would you? You're shaking the table", his annoyed baritone permeates the void.

"Sorry", I say, subdued.

You're just a highly functioning sociopath who lives off of chocolate and computer radiation at this point. Which is ironic since at least one of those things is gonna kill you someday.

Yeah, you're right I should probably cut down on the chocolate.

I find myself smiling without even knowing.

"What are you smiling about?" He asks haughtily.

"Nothing. Nothing. I was just... having an internal argument with myself. Happens all the time. All that radiation must be getting to me am I right?" I try to brush off what he thinks is partial insanity, as a joke as I chuckle apathetically.

Surprisingly, he lets out a snort as he rolls his eyes.

"I don't thin-"

"Voici! Deux cappuccino et croissants pour le bel homme et sa belle petite amie."

A tall waiter with a thin mustache announces, placing two steaming hot cappuccinos and extra buttery croissants on our table.

Did he just call me Noah's girlfriend?

I try not to squeal as I turn to my food assuming Noah didn't understand what the waiter just said.

Yeah right.

"Je vous remercie beaucoup, mais nous ne sommes pas un couple. Je suis juste son patron." Noah quickly corrects the waiter in flawless French complete with the accent and that, coupled with his beautiful velvety voice, makes my knees go weak and mouth go dry.

Now I finally realise why French is called the language of love because he would have women tripping over themselves if he continued to talk like that.

Not that he already doesn't.

I feel heat rise to my cheeks and try to smother it before he notices.

But the waiter does and he gives me a knowing glance as he mutters his apologies and walks away.

"Why aren't you drinking or eating anything?" He inquires.

I glance at him once I've managed to cool down a bit.

His eyes seem to pierce through my very being as he sips on his cappuccino, elegant fingers holding the cup.

I fiddle with the edges of mine as I say, "Cappuccino's really not my style."

"Oh really? Then what, pray tell, is, Ms. Holmes?"

I try not to blush but fail miserably as I stutter, "W- well, I'm more of a hot chocolate kind of gal."

Smooth Holmes. Real smooth.

He chuckles and says, "Hot chocolate? At this time of the year? Those computer fumes really are getting to you."

I gather up my confidence and defiantly reply, "You know, for a businessman, you're really quick to judge others."

"Ms. Holmes, I am your superior. And though I don't like pointing that out to my employees and interns, you're making it quite difficult to restrain myself." He growls in an authoritative manner.

"Then don't restrain yourself. Be free when you're with me. Say whatever you want. Do whatever you want." I whisper back.

He stops sipping his coffee and stares back at me wide eyed. Shocked for half a second and then quickly shakes it off as he picks up his knife and proceeds to slice his croissant.

My blush from before comes back in full force as the hidden meaning behind my statements dawns on me.

Somebody shoot me now.

The rest of our breakfast is filled with sips and quite munching, the clacking of butter knives against plates, the occasional ring of a bicycle as it speeds by and the avoidance of eyes with slight fidgeting of legs on my part.

Out of nowhere, a semi-techno beat accompanied by some synths interrupts the awkward silence of our meal.

I look at Noah to see him reaching inside the pocket of his trousers to pull out his shiny gold iPhone 6s.

Of course he would have the latest iPhone. Of course.

"This is Noah Lee, CEO of Ubisoft speaking. How may I help you?" He answers monotonously like he's said the same thing a billion times already.

No 'Hello'. No 'How are you?'

What is he, a robot?

"Okay... What? Now?" He raises his voice by a milli decibel. "Uh huh. Yes. Okay I'll be right there."

Well at least he says 'Uh huh'. Otherwise I'd be in love with a cyborg.

Wait what? In love? Pffft. What a silly idea. Stupid radiation. Making me hallucinate imaginary feelings.

He ends the call and looks at me with an unreadable expression and says,

"Looks like you're going to have to read those files on the way there."

My eyebrows scrunch up in confusion.

"What do y-"

"No time to explain, get in my car. We're going to headquarters."

He then places an obscene amount of money - way more than the amount that's required - on the table and gives a two-fingered salute and a nod to the waiter.

Awww he's so generous.

"Wh- Today? Right now? What is this? Some sort of crash course?"

He scoffs and rolls his eyes as he grabs my wrist and takes me to his Audi in an act of haste, albeit with a gentle firmness as always, and the touch, though being light and unintentional, sends pleasant electric sparks through my arm and body that originate from my pulse point.

Thankfully, I find myself seated in the passenger seat before my legs can give out.

He goes around and sits in the driver's seat and ignites the engine and we rush off.

"What? No Basile today?" I ask.

"Hmmm? Oh you mean Charlot. Yeah. I didn't want to wake him up early in the morning. He needed the rest. What with his wife being pregnant and all."

My eyes widen and unbeknownst to me, my mouth stretches into a wide smile.

"Tell him I said congratulations. He'd make a great father."

Noah takes his eyes off the road and we make eye contact for a second.

Then as fast as his Audi, they refocus on the street ahead.

"Yeah he would."

~ ~ ~

Ding!

The elevator signals that we've reached the 53rd floor and Noah steps out once the doors open, gesturing for me to follow him.

All I can see is absolute chaos and havoc when I manage to tear my eyes off Noah's backside. What? Don't judge.

"Oh my God! What happened here?" I exclaim.

"That's exactly my question. Vanessa", he asks a woman in her forties. "What seems to be the matter? I was just informed of an emergency in the AI department."

Her face looks shocked at being spoken to or maybe she's just surprised he knows her name, but my assumption is disproved as she says in a tone your aunt might take with you,

"Oh Noah, if you only knew. Some hacker has messed up half of the programs for our Udam tribe members."

"All hands are on deck at this point to try and recover the files and salvage what's left of them."

Now I know the copious amount of coding and debugging that comes with programming a single function of an AI character.

To think of all the hard work gone down the drain because of this hacker, being in Noah's place I would've jumped out the window.

But to his immense credit, his face remains passive with a hint encouragement as he tells Vanessa to resume what she was doing.

He then looks at me with that same eerily calm expression and runs a hand through his hair, tousling it an extremely sexy way, but I prevent myself from venturing down that dark avenue.

Now's definitely not the time June.

I hear him mutter a rough 'Fuck!' under his breath. Well that was hot.

NOT. THE. TIME.

That's the first time I've heard him swear. But then again, I would've done way more than that if I was in his shoes.

Being the CEO in times like these must really suck.

I'm shaken out of my train of thoughts as I feel his slightly calloused hands on my shoulders, shaking me.

"Ms. Holmes. I need you to focus. I'm confident in your abilities as a competent programmer and we need all the help we can get, even if it's from an intern."

"You think you can go around and help out wherever it's needed? I'll be doing the same as well. Normally, I would accompany you to keep an eye on you. But I know you'll be able to cope just fine."

Then the corners of his mouth twitch and my heart just melts a little more as he pulls me closer and whispers in my ear sending shivers down my spine.

"You've proved to be quite the feisty and independent woman you claim to be."

He pulls back and there's a twinkle of something in his eyes as he turns me around and lightly directs me towards a row of people in unrepressed panic and monitors flashing.

When his words finally sink in, I smile like an absolute idiot.

Did he actually just off handedly compliment me?

My heart beats a little faster as I manage to compose myself to an extent and turn back.

In an outburst of new found courage, I look him right in the eye, wink, and say, "Didn't know you were a fan, Lee. You didn't have to take me out to breakfast to get in my good books."

I walk away with a little more sway in my hips and spring in my steps, leaving an awestruck and mildly amused Noah Lee in my wake.

Now that's what I call smooth.

~ ~ ~

All that could be heard on the 53rd floor was the incessant clack of fingertips pressing down on keys and the inhale and exhale of breaths.

Under Noah's calm and composed leadership, the Udam crisis - as I termed it - was now somewhat under control.

Now you're probably wondering what this Udam thing is. Because I definitely was.

And so when Noah came to check up around my area, I gathered every last semblance of my remaining dignity after that wink incident and asked him.

"Hey, Mr. Lee." I start out.

He quirks his eyebrows and let's out a sigh, "One does not say 'hey' in a professional work environment Ms. Holmes, but yes, what is your enquiry?"

Does he ever not talk formally?

"Well I was wondering what Udam meant? Everybody around me has been saying it for the past..." I glance at my watch. "Five hours?! How is it already twelve?"

"One question at a time please. We're planning to launch our latest installment of the Far Cry series. This one's called Far Cry Primal. It takes place in 10,000 BCE during the beginning of the Mesolithic."

"Oooo nice. I've played Far Cry 4 and it was quite good. But personally, I found it lacking in something."

"As much as I appreciate your feedback Ms. Holmes, please don't interrupt me", he reprimands.

I lower my voice and say, "Sorry sir."

"Thank you." He clears his throat and resumes.

"The player controls a member of the Wenja tribe, the good guys, if you could say that. And the enemy tribe is called Udam. They are cannibals who try to kill and eat the members of the Wenja tribe and therefore, take the role of the AI in the game."

I nod my head in understanding. "Nice. I love the concept. It's different. Unique."

Is it my imagination or did he just puff up his chest slightly as he says, "Thanks. It was partly my idea."

"Who's the other part?"

"A... friend...", he answers cryptically.

I decide to leave the matter. God knows I don't want a repeat of that interview argument.

"Thanks for answering my questions Mr. Lee. If you don't mind I'll get back to work." I turn back in my chair.

"Wait." He says his deep voice amplified by the walls of the workplace.

A few curious heads turn to see what the commotion's all about, but resume their posts upon meeting Noah's hard glare.

He then looks at me and his eyes soften just a tad bit.

And my heart rate speeds up.

Hhnnnnn

"I was planning on you coming here only on Monday and that too, to do some lighter tasks, but this impromptu crisis ended up throwing us a curveball and you've adapted to the current situation in quite a versatile manner."

"I have to say I'm impressed. So why don't you finish up your work and meet in my office at 12:30 to have lunch. My treat."

I'm speechless. He's literally showering me with subtle compliments and I really don't want the water to get clogged at this stage.

But something else is.

I get through the lump forming in my throat as I croak out, much like a toad, "Um yeah sure. Whatever you say. I mean okay. Yeah. Lunch sounds good. As long as we keep the vegetables to a minimum. I mean. Yes."

Smoother than a knife slicing through a warm croissant I tell you.

Zip it brain.

He looks at me with a hint of amusement and says, "Good. My office. 12:30. I'll order the leafiest salad I can find. Don't be late."

I wear a look of mock outrage, "Excuse me, Mr. Lee. I'll have you know that I am very good at being on time."

"Yeah. Of course you are", he says in an unconvinced tone.

"Hmph", I huff and dramatically turn in my chair, which, due to the force of my actions, causes me to spiral like a futuristic ballerina.

But a million times less graceful.

Even in my bout of dizziness, his husky chuckle pierces through the blur as he walks away.

Once I get my bearings under control and my head stops feeling like a broken record, I scoot back to my spot and resume my coding, heart still racing a mile a minute.

if (self.attacking) {
NSLog(@"AI: Now defending");
[self.layer setPlayer:self attacking:NO];

Wait did he just say the leafiest salad he could find?

~ ~ ~

Thankfully, there is no leafy salad on the menu as I sit down across from him in his now, somewhat familiar office.

There isn't much to talk about as all that coding has left me famished and unable to function until I have eaten to my heart's content.

Weirdly enough, I think it's the same case with Noah.

Except for the fact that he eats with class and you eat like a beggar who hasn't had a meal in 10 days.

I blush and slow down my inhalation of the meal in front of me.

An aesthetically as well as materially pleasing plate of sushi rolls wrapped to perfection. Ordered from the nearest Japanese restaurant.

What a coincidence.

And you said he'd avoid it like the plague. He's eating i-

DON'T. GO DOWN. THAT PATH. JUNIPER. ENOLA. HOLMES. DON'T. YOU. DARE.

I almost choke on my food when I realise where my train of thought was heading.

And then I feel something lodged in my windpipe and my ability to breathe is constricted.

Correction. I do choke.

I sputter and start coughing like there's no tomorrow. I stumble out of my chair and try to inhale but I just can't.

Noah lifts his head up to see what the commotion's about, his face morphing into an expression of alarm and concern, and immediately rushes to my side, alert as ever.

I would've thought it was extremely sweet but I was trying not to go unconscious at the moment.

"Oh my God June! Are you okay? What am I saying? Of course you're not. Think fast Noah."

His face scrunches into a look of concentration as he thinks.

And then it's as if a lightbulb goes off in his head.

"Okay June. I'm going to have to touch you to be able to help you. Are you okay with that?"

Such a gentleman.

Hell yes. But I couldn't really say that so I nod frantically, face undeniably red while tears form in my eyes and my hands clutch my throat.

He then goes behind me, his warm solid front pressing up against my back and wraps his arms around my waist.

I'm floating. Partly because of him and partly because of that goddamn sushi in my throat.

He places the thumb side of his fist below my ribcage, and presses into that spot with a quick upward thrust.

And as with everything else when it comes to me, he does so with a gentle firmness.

If I had any semblance of thought left before, it would've all evaporated after this.

He repeats his actions again and again until finally, the food particle is dislodged from my throat and lands in my palms.

Both of us stand there for a while, breathing heavily. Me, because I was gulping in precious oxygen and him, most probably from exertion and relief.

His arms are still wound around my waist but not as tight as they were moments before, his front still presses into me and his forehead rests on my shoulder, while he lets out hot puffs of air that send pleasant shivers down my back.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Am I... interrupting something?"

I let out an unladylike squawk as Noah untangles himself from me hastily.

I turn around and see a young man, probably about the same age as Noah, with an extremely handsome face. Almost as if he was a statue, and not a human.

His chestnut brown hair was pushed off his forehead and his brown eyes twinkled mischievously as a smirk pulls the corner of his pink lips.

He had pretty eyes, but they weren't as nice as Noah's (at least according to me). And he was also a Korean with fair skin that was a bit more tanned than Noah's.

He raises his eyebrows, winks at me and then turns to Noah.

"Hey bro. Had I known the CEO could get it on with various gorgeous women, I would've worked harder for the post."

He radiates a playboy sort of image with the way he said that sentence so casually.

Bro? Since when did anyone call Noah Lee bro? Unless...

"Ms. Holmes, meet my colleague and annoying bastard of a best friend, Alexander Byun. We met during our college days. He's the Head Animations Artist here." He huffs indignantly while he says it.

At that, Alexander bows and takes my hand as he says, "Enchanté mademoiselle, pleasure to be in such beautiful company."

I don't seem to blush at his words. Weird.

"Like my boring friend just said, I'm Alexander, but please, call me Alex. And what's your name?"

"June." I say.

"June. Well that's a wonder-"

"Byun stop flirting with my intern." Noah interjects in an icy tone.

"Your intern? I see. Okay chill man, she's all yours Lee. I was just joking. Anyways, I saw your little bout of passion in the office earlier. Even though I shouldn't have looked. You guys seemed to be really into it." He says with a knowing smirk.

Bout of passion? Wait. OH. MY GOD.

I feel my face heat up to unreasonable temperatures as I look over to Noah and see him flustered as well.

"Woah. Woah. Woah. Slow down Alex. We weren't having- I wasn't- She was choking for God's sake and I was trying to save her life." He says, frantically trying to correct his assumption.

"Right. 'Saving her life'. Is that what they call it nowadays? " Alex says, unconvinced.

Noah turns to me, eyes screaming for help.

I unclasp my palms and show Alex the piece of fish that was previously in my throat.

"See. I really was choking."

Alex makes a disgusted face and upon seeing the monstrosity in my hands, I throw it away. On the floor. Much to Noah's chagrin.

Alex looks fairly convinced now and I really should've kept my mouth shut but,

"Plus who does it with clothing anyway. Wouldn't that be, like, a major hindrance?"

I hear Noah choke on air as Alex looks at me like he knows all my intentions.

Great. Just great. You just had to open your mouth.

I blush so hard you can't tell where my forehead ends and my hair begins.

I then grab what's left of my lunch and sprint out of his office at light speed avoiding all eye contact.

Now that's what I call awkward.

~ ~ ~

I spend the rest of the day avoiding both Noah and Alex like the plague as I explore the rest of headquarters.

And as the clock strikes 5:00, I realise it's time to go home.

Not wanting to be rude, I suck it up and make my way up to the 71st floor to thank Noah for lunch and to say goodbye.

As I was about to knock on the door, I notice a slight gap.

Upon closer inspection, I see someone else in the office with him.

Unable to resist, I poke my eye through it and watch the scene unfold.

I see Noah's silhouette talking to another silhouette of a slim, young lady.

"Baby, I missed you so much. It's so hard to stay away from you for so long", says a feminine voice, slightly higher pitched than mine.

"I know sweetheart, I know. I missed you too. You don't even know the half of it." Noah's deep voice says affectionately.

"Oh I do babe. You don't know how badly I wanted to kiss you. I couldn't stop thinking about you", she says.

At this, their silhouettes look at each other and Noah growls out possessively,

"Same."

And then he pulls her to his chest, arm around her waist as she softly laughs and their lips meet.

As I see their two silhouettes merging into one, my once whole heart splits into two as I quickly turn away, tears streaming down my face as sobs wrack my body.

My legs carry me as far away as possible from that damned office as I keep replaying the whole thing in my head. Again and again.

It's like I'm on autopilot as I flag down the nearest taxi and mutter my address.

It starts raining and as I watch the drops make their way down my window, my tears do the same to my face.

I close my eyes and try to pretend it was all an illusion.

But I know it wasn't and it hurts me so much.

So much for being awkwardly smooth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Sorry for the late update! But boy is this one long chapter. Sorry for taking up so much of your time with this read, but I really hope you liked it. I had lots of fun writing this chapter and I think it's one of my favourites so far.

Do tell me if you want shorter chapters. I am super willing to listen to any sort of feedback you may have. It's my first time writing a... novel? Yes, a novel. And I would like to take your opinions into account.

So this is the first major cliffhanger of the story. Sorry not sorry. Who is this mystery woman and why is June so heartbroken? You'll find out soon in the next chapter.

Guys, if you can, give me a rating for this story in terms of what kind of audience can read it. 'Cause I don't honestly know at this point.

Things got unintentionally steamy in this chapter with Noah performing the Heimlich maneuver on June. And how do you like Alex? The newest member of the Oxymorons cast! Were you swayed by this Casanova?

Just so you know, that is the actual procedure for the Heimlich maneuver so you too, can now save a life and land yourself in an awkward situation just like June. See, I'm a generous author. Just kidding ;)

Vote, comment, add it to your reading list, library etc. You can also follow me if you want :)

Whether you follow me or not, I love you for just reading this <3