My Boss is a Freak (Published under Pop Fiction)

53: Mira

Three months after the opening of Medialink's Canada Annex, at heto kami sa Medialink Philippines, back to normal na ang lahat. Which meant meetings, drafting and finalizing reports, and the occasional presentation about the company's financial state. The busy yet predictable days were almost enough for me to forget the constant ache of missing the guy who had put me here in the first place.

Almost.

"Mira." Vince's voice woke me up from my stupor. There I was, in his car, as he drove me home from work as usual. I looked at him, and his face, so like his brother's, made me miss my boss even more.

"Yes?"

Vince let out an almost inaudible sigh. "I wanna say sorry to you."

"Para saan naman?" tanong ko sa kanya in a mildly surprised tone. "Look, if this is about forgetting that I'm allergic to some seafood, sabi ko naman sa'yo, wala kang kasalanan."

Last week kasi, dinala muli ako ni Vince sa isang surprise dinner. Long story short, we ate this dish that turned out to be made from stuff I'm technically not allowed to eat. Ang ending? I became an overnight patient of AMMC due to allergic reactions.

The corners of Vince's mouth quirked up in a smile, which almost instantly vanished. "It's not that. Though I'm really, really sorry about that, too."

I frowned in confusion. "Kung hindi 'yon, e bakit ka nagso-sorry?"

Wala naman akong maalalang ginawang hindi maganda ni Vince sa akin. The whole time we've known each other, he's been nothing but kind, concerned, and considerate to me. Ako na nga lang ang nakokosensya dahil sa kabila ng lahat, hindi ko pa rin magawang ibalik ang affection na patuloy niyang ibinibigay niya sa akin.

There was a few minutes of silence on his part, as if he was gathering the courage to continue speaking. Finally, he said, "I am the reason why Vren left abruptly for Canada. Or, more accurately, my selfishness is the reason why my brother left."

Ako naman ngayon ang hindi agad nakapagsalita.

"I don't understand, Vince," I told him when I finally found my voice again. "Ikaw ang dahilan kung bakit umalis si Sir Vren?"

He nodded, not looking at me, unable to say more.

"Bakit mo naman sinasabi sa akin ito ngayon?" muling tanong ko sa mahinang boses.

"I'm not blind, Mira. And I'm done being stupid." Vince stopped the car. "Matagal ko nang alam na hindi mo ako kailanman magugustuhan. I only kept trying because who knows? Maybe the whole thing's not completely hopeless. But it is." He finally met my eyes, smiling so sadly it made me want to hug and comfort him. "It's always been Vren, isn't it?"

"Vince..."

I opened my mouth to speak, to ask him how he knew, but no words came out. Vince smiled yet again — this time a knowing, even teasing smile. Then, he inched towards me and planted a kiss on my forehead.

"You're a great person, Mira. My brother is the luckiest man alive."