Vermouth

☾︎✯☽︎

I've never been a fan of workplace gossip. I never liked how fast news and rumours spread around work in a short space of time. Everyone will be talking about it no matter how big or small the gossip was.

Ideally, I stay clear and limit my involvement in such and avoid drawing too much attention to myself since I am a private person. Even if I hear the gossip, the likelihood of forgetting about it is pretty high. And one thing I learn in the month and a half I'd been working at the Coup Detat, the circulation of gossip was organised and structured somehow. I heard that there was a gossip group forum of some sort where people are updated on gossip and news around work.

So, you can imagine how annoyed I was when the incident with Lisa became the hot topic for gossip and people could stop pestering me for details for the past week.

I had my suspicions that Jin must have been the news reporter. I've never interacted with him all that much, but from what I'd managed to gather from the little interactions and observations, he spends a lot of time on that gossip forum. And since he was working his shift during the time it happened, I wouldn't put it past him to post about it.

"Hey, Jin?" I approached him when we were about to open up the bar.

"What's up?" he said, wiping the glass with a cloth.

"Did you by any chance spread the news about what happened last week?" I asked.

His face expressed confusion. "What news?"

"You know what," I rolled my eyes. "Everyone has been talking about it all week."

"A lot of things happen around here. You may need to be specific."

"He's referring to the news about Lisa kissing him." Chris chimed into the conversation.

Jin's eyes widened with shock and a snorted a laugh. "Holy shit! You're lying."

"I'm dead serious." He confirmed.

"Why are you acting surprised? You were there that night!" I snapped annoyed.

"No, I wasn't! I woke up with the worst fever and was bedridden all day. I was too sick to come to work!" he retorted.

"Then who was it that we saw that night?" Chris asked.

"That was Sehun."

"If you weren't there, then how come everyone here is talking and bothering me about it?" I demanded. "You spend too much time on that gossip forum. How do I know that you didn't post it there, huh?"

"My brother in Christ! I receive the tea. I don't deliver or serve it. The dancers are the ones who are the true gossip queens around here. They created the forum in the first place."

I let out a sigh, feeling stupid for falsely accusing him. "Just forget it."

"Oh hell no. Tea was spilt, and my cup is half full. Fill it up." Jin said, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "I want details."

"Yeah, mate. What really happened?" Chris asked.

"You're not going to stop bothering me until I tell you, right?" I deadpanned.

They both nodded their heads like a bunch of toddlers. I sighed relentlessly as I took a seat. The two gentlemen stared at me with anticipation as they waited for me to satisfy their curious minds.

"You better not tell anyone about this. Especially you," I said glaring at Jin.

He zipped his lips, locked them and threw the key away.

"I bumped into some girl I hooked up with and I was trying to avoid her. So, Lisa "helped me" the only way she knew how." I said, air-quoting the word "help".

"Jeezus!" Chris' eyebrows flew up astonished.

"Ah! The staged kiss. Classic savage move if I do say so myself," Jin cupped his chin.

Not much of a staged kiss since she literally put her lips on mine. I thought. Just the thought of it was making my stomach tingle for some reason. 

"Why are you avoiding that girl? Is she an ex-girlfriend?" Jin asked.

"No. It's just one of my rules. I don't exchange any contact and personal information to avoid making contact. I make it clear that I'm interested in pursuing a relationship. I don't do long-term hook-ups or situationships. I don't hook up with work colleagues or anyone involved in my work life."

"The first rule is kinda pointless though. I mean you are going to bump into these women one way or the other. You just have to be mature about it," Chris reasoned. "Besides, you're just talking. Not dating."

"Chris, I know enough to be able to tell when a woman wants a relationship or just wants my dick. I'm not about that life." I told him.

"How about the last rule about not hooking up with work colleagues and stuff? That kiss kind of breached it."

"It's just a kiss," I answered dismissively. "Besides, she initiated it."

"Did you kiss her back?"

I was silent.

"I rest my case," Jin replied smugly.

"So, what does that mean for the both of you?" Chris asked.

I pressed my lips and released a sigh through my nose. I was yet to figure that part out myself.

☾︎✯☽︎

I heard that the Coup Detat had a dance practice room. The dancers requested one so they could practice and rehearse for their performances and naturally, Jiyong was generous enough to grant their request. That was where I found Lisa.

"Mushroom Chocolate" by Quin and 6LACK was blasting loudly with the bass and beat roaring in the room by the time I arrived. Lisa was dancing in front of the mirror dressed in a white long-sleeved crop top with a round collar, a pair of high-waisted black shorts and a matching pair of knee-high-heeled boots.

I leaned against the door and watched her move and rock her body sensually to the rhythm and tempo of the music. She ended her routine by spinning on her knees before slowly sliding down on her stomach and turning to lie on her back.

I entered the room. Lisa spotted me entering through the mirror and sat up, meeting my gaze. I walked towards her and lent her a hand. She smiled and took it before pulling her up to her feet.

"Hi," she said.

"Hey," I said, letting her hand go then proceeded to put my hands in my pockets. "Hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."

"No! Psh!" she waved her hand dismissively. "I was just about to wrap things up and head out.

I responded with a nod. She moved towards her duffel bag. She bent down to retrieve her water bottle. I turned my attention anywhere but her butt and cleared my throat.

"What do I owe the pleasure of being graced by your presence?" she turned around, twisting the cap from her bottle and took a sip.

"I think you know what I'm here for," I said.

"The rumours? I wouldn't worry too much about that. Give it a week and it will be old news."

"I know, but that's not what I'm here to talk about."

She arched an eyebrow.

"You kissed me," I said matter-of-factly.

"Okay..." she leaned her back on the mirror.

"I know you did it... to help me with the situation I was in, and I appreciate it..."

"But..."

"It was unnecessary. We're co-workers, after all, so there has to be some professionalism."

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's just a kiss."

"I know, but I feel like there's more to it," I said. "I mean you could have gone about it without kissing me. And it felt like you've been waiting to kiss me for a while."

Lisa stared at me with eyes twinkling with amusement and a sly smirk tugging her lips. "How are you so sure?"

"I'm an experienced kisser. I can tell."

She hummed and nodded her head. "Okay. So, let's say that is the case. What then?"

"I don't want you to get the wrong idea. You're great, but I don't associate with work colleagues that way," I explained.

"Why is that?"

"I make it a policy to avoid mixing work with pleasure."

She hummed again. She pushed herself off the mirror and walked towards me, moving her hips suggestively. I raised an eyebrow, not sure if she was doing that on purpose just to get some kind of reaction out of me.

She stopped in front of me. She wasn't too close, but she wasn't too far either.

"If the kiss was unnecessary as you make it out to be, why did you kiss me back?"

I was silent.

"I don't think I have your level of experience when it comes to kissing, but I can tell when a guy enjoys a kiss," she says tapping her bottle on my chest playfully.

I was at a loss for words not because I didn't have anything to say to refute her statement, but because I didn't know how to refute it. I didn't have an excuse either. And I could tell that she knew she backed me into a corner.

"Tell you what, how about I take you out," she suggested. "Consider it my way for acting out of pocket with my little stunt, hmm?"

I blinked unable to respond.

"I'll take that as a "yes"," she patted my cheek and moved away from me to go pack her stuff.

Once she was done, she moved towards me and searched my pockets until she found my phone. She dialled her number on my phone and called it. She saved my number and returned my phone.

"Expect a text from me when I set up the date," she said, gleefully.

She moved past me and left me alone in the room wondering what the hell just happened.