Champorado

33

More accurately—Gelo gets yelled at. The author doesn't even look at Jiya behind him.

This problem isn't the first they encountered—mayro'n din on late price changes, book launch disasters, and missed typos—but Gelo always takes it in stride. He usually tells Jiya what to expect, what's going to happen, and how she should react to it. She would say it's more of his experience that's teaching her to handle these kinds of problems as editor, but she also thinks he does it because she gets anxious at the first sign of problem.

But there's something bothering her, and she thinks about this as she looks outside in the phone booth.

Let's make sure we send in the final version.

If the problem was their platform, why did he say this?

She only figures it out while staring at him across her couch, focused on his laptop.

"I sent you the wrong version, didn't I?"

Gelo doesn't look up. "I told you let's move on from this."

Ah, shit. Jiya puts her fingers in her forehead. "Gelo, it was my fault. You should've let me apologize."

"You did."

"You did." He apologized for them both. Jiya kept her mouth shut and looked down, let him do all the talking. Nag-sorry lang siya when the author walked out. "Why did you—why did you cover up for me?"

He finally looks at her, an unreadable expression on his face. "I didn't cover up for you. I sent in the final version when I noticed, and our platform really did switch up preorders. Everyone else was having the same problem."

"Why didn't you tell me." She asks this not like a question but a quiet statement. "We could've been in big trouble because of me if you hadn't noticed."

Gelo grins at her. She's blinded by this. "It was hard not to. There was gelo is a loser in one of the in-line comments. Imagine if that got to our readers."

She flushes. They were talking about friends at the time, she's sure.

"And if I hadn't noticed, then I would've just placed the blame on the platform. Saktong timing." He chuckles.

"Gelo, are you seriously laughing right now?"

"Jiya, relax." He sighs, dropping the smile when he catches her glare and the ice in her tone. "I knew you were going to catch on to that comment. I didn't want to say it because I knew you were going to dwell on it, but it really is a lesson we should keep in mind for next time. Let this go, this was a mistake—"

"A rookie mistake!" She's so frustrated. Ano ba ginagawa niya noon and she sent him the wrong file? "I've been your assistant for years!"

"It happens. Nangyari din kay Claire, and she was my assistant longer," Gelo tells her calmly, giving her a pointed look. "Stop it. Let it go."

"You were yelled at today."

He snorts. "Nothing I can't handle. You yell at me more, and more annoyingly."

Jiya keeps quiet. Guilty.

"Jiya, my God." Gelo laughs. "Every time we come across a problem, I'm absolutely floored at how you always somehow manage to hold on to a mistake for long."

She bites her lip. "Does it bother you?"

"It endears me," Gelo answers quietly, watching her face. "Because you improve and you grow, because you're willing to do better next time, and you do. I can only hope that I'm teaching you well."