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Summary: How far they had come from hooking up at other people’s weddings, and all without moving a single step. Follows On Casual Commitments and Business Casual. 

It had been late when Erina received the call. 

She and Souma had been sitting on the hardwood floor of the empty space that would become their San Francisco restaurant, taking swigs from a half-empty bottle of Jack Daniels and arguing over paint swatches. 

Cool colors, elegance, royal purple, blue blood. No, warm colors, energy, crimson and gold. 

He had been leaving for Paris in the morning to see to his affairs, and kept trying to convince her come with him. He said he would miss her; that’s when she knew he had to be drunk. Because when had missing her ever stopped him from leaving at the drop of a hat? When they gotten so bad that they couldn’t spend a measly two weeks apart? 

She refused his offer because she had to stay in California if they were to keep to the schedule and open Canvas in seven weeks. She had been losing her resolve with each sip of whiskey that burned down her throat and each kiss he left at the base of her neck. 

A little before midnight, she had sighed and said, “Fine, but I’m only staying for a few days. You’re so lucky I’ve been craving Shino’s.” She’d picked up her phone to book a ticket just as it started ringing. 

“Alice?” he asked with a knowing smile. It was a well known fact that the Nakiri cousins rarely went a day without talking. 

“No, Chef Doujima,” she replied, perplexed. The head of the tourism department seldom called her at all, and always stuck to business hours (in her timezone, mind you) when he did. “I must’ve missed a deadline or something.” She shrugged, then answered. “Hello?” 

“Erina-san,” the man said with a weary sigh. “I’m sorry to disturb you at this hour.” 

“It’s no problem. I’m still awake. Is there something I should attend to?” 

“So it’s no problem when you take business calls after hours,” Souma teased. She rolled her eyes, shushed him. 

“It’s about your grandfather,” Doujima explained. “We were in the middle of a meeting when he collapsed. A heart attack.” 

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