Ghosted

Chapter 33

A/N: The image above does not belong to me. It belongs to the person who uploaded it on the internet.

Third Person POV

Man gave Ben a gentle nudge when his phone alarm went off.

When Ben did not respond, Man rolled on to his stomach and placed an arm around Ben's chest and planted a kiss on his forehead.

When Ben still did not respond, Man gave him several loud kisses on his forehead.

Finally Ben responded with an 'mmmmm' and turned his face away from Man.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," Man urged Ben. "You don't wanna be late on a Monday and on your first day of work no less."

Ben pushed the bed covers away and sat up, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes.

Man sat up as well and leaned close to Ben.

"Good morning, sweetheart," he said, giving Ben a quick peck on the cheek before getting out of bed.

Ben suddenly shot out of bed and rushed to the bathroom, saying, "Last inside is a lame goose."

Ben squealed loudly when he felt Man's strong arms lift him off the floor and carry him inside the bathroom.

"We came in at the same time, so no one is a lame goose," Man declared as he set Ben back on his feet inside the bathroom.

=         =         =         =         =

"Good morning, sir," the cafeteria manager greeted Man from behind the cafeteria counter.

"Good morning, Nelly," Man replied. "Why are you the one manning the counter? What happened to your assistant?"

"She called in sick, sir," Nelly replied. "She's been having flu symptoms since yesterday, according to her."

"Uh oh," said Man. "Does that mean she will be gone for several days?"

"I hope not," Nelly replied. "What would you like for breakfast, sir?"

"I'll have two of your blueberry cheese scones and a cup of green tea," Man said. "Oh, and Nelly, I would like you to meet Ben here. He is our new Supplies department manager."

"Pleased to meet you, Ben," Nelly bowed to Ben. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"I will have what P'Man is having," Ben replied.

"Sure," Nelly said and got busy placing Man's and Ben's orders on a tray and handing the tray over the counter to Man.

After thanking Nelly and taking the breakfast tray from her, Man led Ben to a corner of the cafeteria. There were already a few other hotel employees having their breakfast at the other tables.

"I will be asking my assistant manager, Tay, to give you your orientation," Man informed Ben as they took their seats at their table. "You will be spending practically the whole day with him."

"Okay," Ben said as he lifted the cup of tea to his lips. "Oww. it's scalding hot!"

"Careful," said Man. "Are you okay?"

Ben nodded and grabbed one of the scones and took a bite out of it.

Soon the cafeteria was bustling with employees ready to tackle their Monday morning duties. Some of them were from the night shift who wanted to grab a bite before going home.

Man noticed the night receptionist looking helplessly around for an empty chair.

Man raised his hand to get her attention.

"We'll be finished with our breakfast very soon," Man told Kathy the night receptionist as she approached the table. "Why don't you take this empty chair beside me."

"Thank you so much, sir," Kathy said gratefully as she set her breakfast tray on the table and took the chair beside Man and Ben.

"Ben, this is Kathy, our night receptionist," Man said to Ben.

Kathy held out her hand to Ben and Ben took it.

"Kathy, this is Ben, he's going to be our new Supplies department manager," Man informed Kathy.

"Pleased to meet you," Ben and Kathy said to each other at the same time.

"How did your shift go last night?" Man asked Kathy.

"It was a relatively quiet one," Kathy replied. "Except for one incident."

"And what was that?" Man wanted to know.

"A couple that was returning late from some bar hopping was having a loud argument," Kathy said, "One of them was getting ready to hit the other and I called out to him and reminded him that the hotel did not tolerate violent acts within its premises."

"Good call, Kathy," Man praised Kathy. "And what happened next?"

"Thankfully, he listened to me and the two of them entered the elevator quietly," Kathy replied. "I hope nothing bad happened inside their room after that."

"I hope so, too," Man replied.

"You don't have to wait for me to finish my breakfast," Kathy said when she noticed that Man and Ben had finished their scones and were taking the last few sips out of their tea cups.

"Okay," Man said as he stood up from the table. "You're a good and efficient employee, Kathy," Man added, tapping Kathy lightly on her shoulder. "I appreciate your services to this hotel."

Kathy smiled and Ben did not fail to notice the pink tinge that crept into Kathy's cheeks.