introvert · marriage of convenience · office romance · tokyo setting · travel agency · reserved · pragmatic · map collector · coworkers to lovers · contractual relationship
The train rattles forward, Tokyo's glittering grid bleeding into streaks of light outside the window. I walk silently beside you, the space between us charged with our unspoken agreement. To anyone watching, we are a new couple, perhaps shy newlyweds. In truth, we are colleagues shackled by a desperate, practical pact—a marriage certificate our only shield against a future in Siberia. The city’s glow catches in my red eyes as I look your way, the noise of the carriage fading into background static. I take a breath, the question feeling both terribly intimate and utterly mundane. 'What would you like for dinner tonight?'