Naomi followed closely behind Meredith as they made their way to the conference room. Meredith stopped at the door. She held onto the handle, her hand trembling slightly. Naomi had accompanied her to several such meetings before, but this time was different. The company had recently gone through a tumultuous crisis and she was at the center of it.
"You can do it, ma'am, everything's going to be fine." she smiled warmly.
It had only been a few months since Naomi became Meredith's bodyguard, but their relationship was already very close. Unlike the several others she had before, Naomi's personality was vastly different. Naomi saw her as a close friend, rather than as her subordinate. Naomi genuinely cared about her.
"Thanks, Naomi. A shame you couldn't join me to see Anthony squirm." Meredith said, trying to ease the mood.
Naomi laughed and gave her a thumbs-up. "Go get him, ma'am, show him who's boss."
Meredith nodded. She breathed in deeply and stepped into the conference room. As the door closed behind her, the red lights above them flickered to life.
*************
Time ticked by slowly. Naomi rested against a wall and sipped her favorite instant white coffee that she'd bought from the vending machine a couple of hours ago. It was almost empty; She could see the brown residue clinging onto the bottom of the paper cup.
"Still thinking about Meredith?" A voice greeted her.
Naomi jumped and her eyes perked up. It was a big man, with a towering stature. He wore a grey business suit with the initials 'S.E.B' embroidered onto his right pocket. She huffed as she saw the familiar face.
"Not so loud Sebastian." Naomi shot him a nasty look. "You want the whole company to hear you?"
"Why not?" He exclaimed.
"Maybe they can give you some relationship advice," he grinned.
Naomi attempted to kick his feet, but he anticipated it and skilfully dodge out of the way. Naomi nudged him lightly on the chest and he laughed. He strode to the vending machine and selected a canned soda. It fell with a loud thud.
"So, how did it go? With Meredith I mean." Sebastian opened the canned drink with a satisfying sizzle.
"Not good I'm afraid." Naomi sulked. "After everything that happened in the past few days, all my plans went to shit."
She paused. "I don't know what to do anymore Sebastian."
"But it's all over now, no?" Sebastian replied.
"So?"
"So..." he trailed off. He dug his hand into his pants pocket and pulled out several snippets of paper.
"I knew this would happen, here take these," he held onto them tightly offering them to Naomi.
"What is it?"
"Tickets, to the movie Samurai II. It may not be as grand as your original plans, but trust me Nao, she'll appreciate it."
Naomi reluctantly took the tickets off her friend's hand. She had initially planned to surprise Meredith with an array of luxurious activities, but her plans fell through due to the incident that happened recently. She was doubtful it would work; After all, a movie was trivial in comparison to what she had planned before. Sebastian sensed her doubt and sought to reassure her.
"I've known her much longer than you have Nao. Meredith may look like one hard bitch, but believe me, she does have a softer side," he took another sip of his can soda.
"How'd you know so much?" Naomi asked.
"Oh, you know, we used to do business together," he smirked.
Naomi rolled her eyes. "But you sure this will work? What if she doesn't like it? What if she thinks I'm cheap?"
"Just relax Nao. You're overthinking again." He placed his hand squarely on her shoulder. "Just believe in yourself. You got this."
"You're probably right." She balled her hand into a fist and bumped it with his.
"Thanks again, Sebastian." Naomi shook his hand firmly.
"Don't mention it Nao, give her a good time you hear." Sebastian winked.
Naomi shoved the tickets into her back pocket and hurried back to the conference room.
*************
Meredith stepped out of the conference room looking thoroughly exhausted. Naomi was there to greet her with her usual carefree attitude, putting a smile on her dreadful face.
"Welcome back ma'am." Naomi bowed. "Suppose everything went well?"
"Better than I'd hoped," Meredith said. She curled her fingers at Naomi.
Naomi pulled out a cigarette and offered it to her. She placed it in her mouth and Naomi ignited it with a pocket lighter.
"And Anthony? He didn't do anything?" Naomi asked.
Meredith took a puff of her cigarette and pinched it lightly. "He definitely did. Started to throw a tantrum too until the board called the guards and threw him out. He made my case much more convincing."
She took another quick puff of her cigarette and tapped off the residue lightly.
"That's good to hear," Naomi smiled.
For a brief moment, their eyes met. Naomi instantly peeled away and fumbled out her e-pad. She pretended to look at it, trying to advert her eyes from Meredith's soft gaze. Meredith chuckled silently to herself and tossed her unfinished cigarette aside.
"Let's go home," Meredith chimed. She moved towards the elevator and Naomi, still recovering from her embarrassment, trailed closely behind.
*************
Meredith pushed the button on the wine dispenser and champagne poured into the small wine glass below. She held it lightly and sank back into the comfortable leather seat. She sipped the champagne and stare at the millions of tiny stars that dot the evening sky. Naomi glanced and at the rearview mirror and caught Meredith smiling. She slumped back into the seat and relax her stiff posture, turning back and focusing on the road ahead.
The highway was sparse. Naomi realized it was New Year's Eve and remembered the huge celebration the city threw every year to welcome the occasion. She recalled the amazing performances by various singers and magnificent giant floats that would parade through the busy streets when she was younger. She smiled, hoping that maybe one day she could take Meredith there with her.
"What are you so happy about?" Meredith asked catching Naomi in the act.
"Just reminiscing my younger years, when my parents would bring me to see the New Year's Parade at the City center." Naomi pointed towards the brightly lit city over the horizon.
Meredith admired the view. "What were they like?"
"Just your usual parents. Caring, loving, Overprotective. I was the only child, and I meant the whole world to them." She paused and continued. "Till this day, they don't even know I'm working in a corporation, let alone your bodyguard."
Naomi chuckled and her eyes remained fixated on the road ahead.
"So, what about yours, ma'am?" she gestured with one hand, while the other clutch the wheel.
Meredith took another sip from her wine glass and swirled it slowly.
"My mother passed away when I was barely nine and my father became an abusive alcoholic because of it."
Naomi listened silently.
"He would come home every day, his breath reeking of alcohol. He'd beat me up any chance he could even when I did nothing wrong. When I turned eighteen, I just upped and left, never looked back." She laughed and emptied her wine glass.
"At least he made me a stronger woman because of it."
"I'm sorry ma'am."
"Don't be." Meredith sat the wine glass back down.
The car came to a stop at the junction as the amber lights turned red. Meredith leaned in close and whispered into Naomi's ears softly.
"Besides, if not for him, I wouldn't have met you." She pulled back and Naomi turned around. Their eyes met once again. This time, however, Naomi didn't shy away. They stared longingly at each other and their faces slowly inched closer.
*************
Their intimate moment was interrupted by a pair of blinding lights beaming down the other junction. They grew brighter with every passing second. The lights were rapidly approaching with incredible speed.
"Fuck!" Naomi flicked backed and floored the accelerator. She yanked the steering wheel with all her strength trying to move the car out of the way. But it was too late.
"Brace, Meredith!" Naomi yelled, valiantly trying to steer the vehicle away from the impact.
The oncoming vehicle smashed into their vehicle, spiraling it a couple of meters away. It collided with a streetlamp just at the edge of the asphalt road. The car was in a wreck, the door where the car rammed into had fully deformed, forming a jagged concave inward. A dark shadowy figure stepped out of the other vehicle; his hand firmly grasping onto a gun.
"Meredith, you fucking bitch!" He shouted as he strolled towards the wrecked car.
"Fuck me," Naomi swore. She was still reeling from the pain from the impact. She looked around, her hand grasping her aching head tightly. She saw Meredith lying motionless in the back seat. She wormed her way towards her, past all the debris and soldiering through all the pain from the impact.
"Shit, Meredith are you alright," Naomi stammered. She supported her with one hand and use the other to feel for any injuries throughout her body.
Meredith made an unrecognizable noise. Naomi closed her eyes and sighed. Meredith was largely unscathed but was still disoriented by the impact. She shifted her to a more comfortable position and peeked at the shattered windshield to see the commotion.
"Come out Meredith! I know you're in there!" The dark figure demanded. It was getting closer to the car.
Naomi whipped out her gun and realized the magazine was missing. She scanned her surroundings, frantically trying to search for the missing bullets. They were all scattered around the car. There was not enough time to reload it.
"Damn it!" She slammed her fists into the leather seat. Naomi glanced briefly at Meredith and then back to her gun.
"Don't die on me yet Meredith!" The maniac's laughter became audible.
Naomi balled her fist and breathed in deeply. She looked at Meredith again and stroked her face softly.
"Sit tight, Meredith." She muttered under her breath.
Naomi opened the damaged car door and it creaked open. She stepped outside and pretended to cock her empty gun. She took aim at the dark figure who in turn raised his as well. The crooked streetlamp flickered, revealing a familiar face.
"Anthony!" Naomi shouted; her eyes still trained on her target. "It doesn't have to end this way!"
Naomi discreetly inched forward, trying to close as much distance as she could while keeping Anthony's attention away from her movements.
"Shut up, Naomi! This doesn't concern you!" Anthony yelled. His hands visibly shaking as he aimed the gun at Naomi.
"Why are you doing this?" Naomi asked, continuing her slow advance.
