I ran a hand through my hair as I watched the raindrops pound against the office window. I'd just finished up a far-too-long night of overtime; so late that I was the only person left in the building. It so happened that when I'd got everything down, saved the day's work, and got ready to leave, the storm that was supposed to arrive two hours later blew in ahead of schedule. It was hard to see through the sheets of water covering the windows, and the wind rattled the panes. I sighed and subjected myself to the reality that tonight I'd be looking for a place to cozy up for the night in the office.

As I headed back to the break room, I heard a chair squeak from behind me. "Are you leaving?" a soft voice asked.

Startled, I spun around toward the voice's source and was met with the sleepy-looking, bespectacled face of a female coworker sitting at her desk. Her features were barely visible in the light from her computer screen. I exhaled. "Oh, yeah, hi. I'm sorry, I thought I was the only one in the building," I said, "But no, there's no way I'm going to get home in this storm."

She didn't reply. Instead, she simply tilted her head to look at me with her tired eyes, which were framed by long lashes and were tinged with the soft greenish glow from her monitor. Her hair was messy, tied in a ponytail, bangs swept aside clumsily, and sidelocks flanked either side of her pale face. I could just almost recognize her, but not quite.

"I'm sorry but I'm blanking on your name," I said, a name just on the tip of my tongue, "Miss... Saga... Sato..."

"Sakamoto," she said, "Ryouko Sakamoto. And you're Mashiro Nomura, I've seen you around. We've talked. Briefly."

"Right," I said, and feeling my cheeks flush at having forgotten her name when she remembered mine. "Anyways, yeah, I think I'll be staying the night here. Trust me, I'd go home if I could."

"Well, at least you're not alone," Sakamoto said, crossing one leg over another as she sat back in her chair.

"Do you have any way to get home?" I pulled out a chair from the desk next to hers and took a seat. "Or are we going to be bunking together here?"

Sakamoto sighed and shook her head. "If I had to guess, I'd say we're going to be here all night. I'm just as stuck as you are." She paused for a moment. "Do you mind?" she said. "I'm just going to get up and move my stuff down to the break room. It'd probably have better places to sleep."

"Oh, sure," I said, "I was headed there myself." I rose, and she followed me, and we made our way across the carpeted floor, through rows of desks topped with computers, phones, and various personal effects and papers from each employee. Compared to the droning hustle and bustle of the day, the office was serene at night with only Sakamoto and me here. Making it to the far wall, I grasped the doorknob of the break room and prayed it wasn't locked. Thankfully, the knob turned, letting Sakamoto and me into the room. She nudged past me into the room, shuffling through the darkness. In the corner, Sakamoto flipped on a small desk lamp. She shifted her eyes up to me in the doorway.

"Bright lights hurt my eyes," she mumbled, "So is just this enough light for you?"

"Yeah, it's fine," I replied, looking over at her as she set a small bag on a couch against the wall. She plopped her butt down on it and looked at me expectantly. "Do you want me to sit or...?"

"Oh, uh," Sakamoto hesitated, twirling a sidelock, "I guess. I'm not really tired yet."

"Yeah, me either," I said, making my way over to the couch. I took the seat next to her and let myself relax. Sakamoto shifted, every couple of seconds wriggling her butt into a new spot as if she couldn't get comfortable. The silence was deafening, so I tried to think of something to talk about with Sakamoto. I didn't know her that well, so why not take the opportunity to get along?

"What do you usually do during the day?" I asked, "Like, outside of work."

"Oh, this and that," Sakamoto said, her face contorting. She looked like she had some kind of issue with this question. "I guess I usually go home, read a book, eat some snacks... watch some TV." She glanced at me, fretting as if trying to decide what else she wanted to say. "My life's not very exciting, I guess." She shrugged, a pitifully sheepish smile forming on her face. "Sorry."

"Nah," I said, "You're allowed to have a normal life. You don't need to be any different."

Sakamoto knit her brow with a pout. "It's not really normal to never get out, is it? I mean... I don't even leave my apartment." She looked down at her legs and her thighs, wriggling slightly in place, still fidgeting. "Honestly, I barely know anyone." Her lips tightened and she turned away. "It's pathetic, I know." Her voice was soft, quiet, as though she spoke to herself.

"Hey, it's ok, Sakamoto." I gave her a soft pat on the shoulder. "I mean, we can get to know each other now, right?"

"I guess," Sakamoto said, raising her gaze to mine, "And please just call me Ryouko. The formality stuff's too much for me."

"Alright," I said, "So then, Ryouko, how are you feeling? How's your work going?"

Ryouko shrugged. "Work's alright. I mean, besides having to work overtime and getting stuck." She paused for a moment, thinking. "And I guess I'm just kinda happy I'm not stuck here stormed in alone."

"Yeah, me too," I said, "You know, I was terrified of storms as a kid. I'd run and hide under my blankets the second I heard thunder." I shook my head. "It was so stupid. But they're actually pretty calming now, I've grown to love them."

"Mmm," Ryouko hummed, "Yeah, they're pretty relaxing to me, too. I don't mind them much." She reached up to rub her neck, staring intently at me, studying my face. "Not related, but you're kinda cute, y'know?" She chuckled nervously, still staring. A bead of sweat rolled down her brow, over her reddening cheek. "Sorry. Just being silly. Don't take it seriously." She made a feeble laugh, shrugging awkwardly, and her gaze fell to the ground again.

Ryouko seemed to be flustered, and I was somewhat taken aback. Her usual reserved manner seemed to be absent in that moment. "Ah, no, it's fine," I said, grinning slightly, "Thanks, Ryouko."

A bit of a pause lingered in the air, so I took the opportunity to get up off the couch and go to the counter, where I filled an electric kettle with water and switched it on.

"Tea?" Ryouko asked.

"Yeah. Do you know what kinds we have here?"

She pointed to a cabinet. "I think I have some I keep in there. It should have my name on it."

I opened the cabinet, and sure enough, there was a box of tea labeled 'Ryouko Sakamoto'. I took two cups from the cabinet, poured the hot water in them, and let the tea bags steep. Once they were done, I offered Ryouko a cup of tea, and she nodded her thanks.

"You know," she said between quick sips of tea, "You don't seem like you're bad with women. Do you have a girlfriend or anything?"

I laughed a bit nervously. "Nope, not at the moment. Why?" I asked, feeling self-conscious.

"Nothing," Ryouko said. She gave me a quick look, a shy smile creeping across her lips. "I was just wondering. I don't have a boyfriend, so I guess we're in the same boat." She took a moment to let a deep sigh escape her lungs. "Actually, I've never had a boyfriend."

"Never?" I said, "Like, not at all?"

Ryouko frowned, shaking her head. "Nope, never had a boyfriend."

"Hmmm. What about guys you've been with?" I asked, grinning, trying to coax a laugh from her.

She gave a quiet little chuckle, but then said nothing for a long time. "I, um, I haven't done it with anyone." she admitted, and her shoulders dropped a bit. "Don't make fun of me for it, please." She looked at me with pleading eyes, and then turned her head downwards and stared at the cup. "It's not like I don't want to... I just can't find anyone."

I got a bit flustered, but tried my best not to let my reaction show.

She looked back at me, then gave a pitiful smile. "Guess I sound like a real loser, huh?"

"Nah, you don't," I said, giving her a slight pat on the shoulder. "We're young. Don't worry about it, okay? "

She smiled and sighed. "Thanks," She took another sip of her tea. "You're pretty nice to hang out with, Mashiro."

"Ah, yeah..." I said, nodding "I... I like talking to you."

"Thanks. You're not bad yourself," She said. Ryouko smiled as she rubbed her neck, toying with her ponytail as her cheeks turned rosy again. "I'm just really bad at this stuff, though."

I patted her shoulder, and looked her in the eye. "I'd never be able to do it if I didn't have some practice."

Ryouko blushed, shaking her head. She glanced at me shyly again and muttered, "Well, maybe we can practice..."