Reflections of the Heart?

Zora

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Zora just frowned, she thought of the person she had seen - of his face. She just couldn't see it really going anywhere either. There were too many things that would have to change for it to work, and she doubted any of those things would ever change. She hadn't even consider there being a future with this person, so the whole point didn't make sense to her. The pool only had served to bring up feelings that were best buried.

"The pool is a very strange thing. The person I saw... there is no plausible future with him either, it's ... it just can't be... it wouldn't ever work..." she sighed, wishing she had been left in the dark about her apparent feelings.
 

Romi

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Alright. Nope. There was no way he couldn't ask. Not with that. It couldn't ever work. It just couldn't be.

So Jude thought back to if you let the fear of failure stop you, you're just another fuckin' loser and asked.

"It isn't Broen, is it?"
 

Zora

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Zora's gaze snapped in surprise to Jude's instantly when he said Broen's name, and then she felt herself pale and then slowly nod. "Yes, It was him I saw in the pool," she admitted truthfully. "I don't know why I saw him though, it's not like he's nice to me or anything, I suspect he barely even respects or likes me..." she said with a shake of her head.
 

Romi

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God. Of course. Of course it had to be Broen. It took every single bit of willpower Jude had to keep it together and not groan out loud. Even so, the intense grimace no doubt showed on his face.

"I can almost guarantee everything you just said is true. Broen is very, very serious about that don't catch feelings. Like, I cannot express that enough. If he suspected..."

Jude paused for a moment, grinding his teeth. "Well, I don't know what he'd say or do, but it would probably be bad, and you have enough other things to worry about."
 

Zora

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"That's the thing... I don't have feelings for him, not romantically anyways..." Zora said being completely honest with Jude, seeing and understanding his grimace. Maybe, on some level, she cared, but not like that... "I care, yes, in the "I'd hate for him to die or get hurt" level, but as a partner... no, that's not something I've ever thought about..."

"I.. Broen is not ... someone I could ever care for like that, that way.. ." Zora said dismayed, shaking her head at the idea. She also knew all about his rule about catching feelings. "That is why... the pool has to be wrong," she insisted, not about to entertain the idea that it might be right, because in her mind it couldn't be - ever.
 
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Romi

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Maybe it was just the closest thing? Jude felt like he had a headache coming on just from thinking about it. At least she had a healthy helping of denial. At least it wasn't that far. Because if she'd leaned forward and said something like I know he said no feelings, but maybe it could be different with me? Jude probably would have died then and there.

"The best way to deal with it is to choke it out. Find someone else who you might work with, and, uh, flirt with them and see how it goes." Technically the best way to deal with it would probably to stop sleeping with Broen, but he was already skirting dangerous enough territory with his boss, and he sure as hell wasn't going to go that far. Talking about flirting? Sure, he could manage that. Talking about her sex life? Jude wasn't sure any number of lines from Broen was going to get him to that level.

"What about Mister Damascus?" He added.
 

Zora

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"Mr. Damascus? Donny?" Zora said looking at Jude. "The weapon's maker, you mean?" she said thought about him, they already flirted, bantered back and forth. She wasn't sure that made too much difference. She could certainly try flirting more, but she wasn't sure that was the problem. How can you replace feelings for someone who you didn't know you even had? Zora now wished she had not looked into the pool.

"Don't worry about me, Jude. I am not going to confess anything to Broen. The truth is I am not looking for anything serious - not with anybody, ever... if I am honest," Zora said with a small smile, trying to reassure him. "Something really special would have to happen for that to ever change... So it's a moot point, and really not one worth entertaining." Zora said as she looked at her wine glass, thinking about her bodyguard, and not being able to see it. A lot would have to change, like for starters, he'd actually have to care, and Zora was pretty sure the only thing he cared about was his paycheck and doing his job well.
 

Romi

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"Donny," Jude confirmed. "He's nice. Nicer than he looks. I mean, I know he looks pretty sketchy, but he's a nice guy, and Shay--friend of mine--says he's a good person."

God there was a lot to unpack, wasn't there?

"It's probably just... how much you're around him," Jude speculated. "He's spending like, every waking moment with you, yeah? Unless you send him away." Like right then. Probably he was asleep, knowledgeable that only a complete idiot would attack her in public with such a large group. The larger concerns were when she was home alone, or at work in a semi-private setting. Someone coming at her during a business meeting had been a pretty large concern of his.
 

Zora

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"I know Donny is nice..." Zora said with a tiny smile, "I've talked to him - and I have flirted with him before." Zora told Jude teasing him, remembering his suggestion. "However, Donny... well, he's like me in a way... I don't see him looking for anything serious either..." she said with a shrug, not unopposed to the idea, but not serious about it either.

"We do spend a lot of time together. It's probably just that..." she conceded uneasily, thinking that that was probably the reason. It had to be, surely? It had to be a side effect of them being together all the time. She doubted that if it weren't the case, she'd probably never have noticed him - or him her for that matter. They moved in different worlds, and the only reason their paths had crossed was because of what was happening now.
 

Romi

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She wasn't looking for anything serious, and Donny probably wasn't looking for anything serious. But she had still seen Broen, and Jude was more than eager to stifle that flame before things got any worse. He was entirely confident that nothing good lead down that path.

But at the same time, she was also his boss - and the whole situation was an absolute mess.

"I don't want to tell you what to do or anything," Jude said, picking his words carefully. "But you can be in a relationship without it being serious. Like, seeing each other more regularly. Dating. You know, that sort of thing."

Considering Jude had literally never dated, it was not just shaky ground, but shaky ground perched atop some stilts. He was talking out of his ass, trying to figure out what might shake off the whole crush she had going.