Hello There, Stranger (COMPLETED)

Part 2

Erika stood in front of the mirror as she made a last check of her appearance before heading out. It had been days since her unfortunate mishap happened as she tried to move on and bury the shame away. She was surprised to realize how stupid she can get sometimes, hypocritical that she upholds her chastity against Elliott but just gave it away to a mysterious stranger that she can't seem to remember fully, like a memory that became hazy, and the worst part was that she didn't even know his name! She breathed, this self-loathing had been eating her up for days now and it had been bothering her ever since, if only she could turn back time and correct her mistake but she knew no matter what she did it was going to be just wishful thinking, it did happen no matter how many times she tries to deny it she can no longer take it back.

She locked her apartment securely and headed towards the bus stop as she finally started her first day at work as an adult, entering the workforce as a proper contributor to society. She landed this job a few weeks back after the rigorous interviews she had to go through when the decision was finally out and she got it, her happiness couldn't be contained except for some chaotic things that hit her life lately but overall, she's excited for the possibility it can bring for her. When she reached the office, she adjusted her ID sling and calmly took some air trying to ease herself. A few unfamiliar faces greeted her, and she responded warmly, she was ushered to the conference room for the morning briefing and there were at least five newly hired employees who were there with her too.

"Hi, bago ka rin dito?" A guy decided to sit beside her.

She nodded, smiling at him. "Yes, first day ko din, ako nga pala si Erika" she introduced herself.

He took her hand and gave her a proper handshake. "Noel, nice meeting you Erika" Anito.

Biglang naputol ang kanilang pag-uusap ng biglang pumasok ang isang magandang babae, she was wearing a tight skirt that exposes her long legs paired with her black blazer on top of her white blouse. She's pretty, probably in her late twenties, she warmly greeted everyone showcasing her smile.

"Good morning and congratulations on your first day as an employee of SG Corporation. I'm Sarah, the head of Human Resources, and today I will give you an onboarding about the Vision and Culture of the company, we will also be touring the floor and meeting the team leaders so you will get to know them. At the end of our orientation, I will be assigning you to your respective department." Sara explained and right on queue she started to present the history and goals of the company, how long they have been operating, and what are their products and services, pretty much the standard procedures for ushering new employees in. After the tour was done it was already lunchtime that everyone decided to head to the pantry to have their much-needed break. Noel was walking beside Erika when he spoke suddenly.

"Ano sa tingin mo, what department do you think they'll assign us?"

Napaisip si Erika saglit. "I'm not sure they'll refer to our Resume, right? Pero sana mapunta ako sa advertisement. Mas may alam ako diyan eh" sagot nito.

"Sana team tayo noh? Para naman may kasama akong bago." Saad nito kay Erika.

Erika smiled unsure of how to respond but nodded anyway.

They ate their lunch in peace as they shared interesting stuff about themselves. Nalaman ni Erika na magkasing edad lang pala sila ni Noel, it's his first job too and just trying to navigate how things work.

"Do you hang out during the weekends? Like bars and clubs? I heard maraming magagandang establishments sa lugar" He asked while he munched on his food.

Muntik ng mabilaukan si Erika ng maalala ang nangyari sa kanya ilang araw na ang nakalilipas. She smiled awkwardly trying to hide her guilt. "Not really, but I do go out every now and then if needed" she replied hiding her face while she sips some water.