Kate won't be back until tomorrow; she's sure about that. I already informed her about Marcus, though we were both clueless about the sender of the gift. I texted Marcus but he hasn't replied yet. I didn't try to call him. Maybe this was not the right time to give him a call, or maybe there's no right time. If Marcus was the sender, I'll thank him, that's it. If it's someone else, I should be ready. This person knows how to make me nervous. It's been a month since I received the gifts, and I haven't received anything new again. It's not that I'm expecting or what, it's seemed normal to me though.
"Happy Anniversary, Ashley!" Peter greeted me in the lobby.
I was running late. I forgot to set an alarm, and the traffic jam today was a blast. Vehicles were stuck at the same place for almost an hour. It took my usual half an hour ride to the office an hour and forty-five minutes.
"Hey, thanks, Peter. Same to you. Sorry, I'm in a hurry." I told him, literally not pausing after saying a word.
"Be careful, don't run. You still have two minutes to reach the biometrics." I heard him shouting at me, I made his morning a good one. He was laughing at my face when I walked back towards him.
"Made it?" he asked.
"No. One minute late. Kainis!"
We both laughed. It's our anniversary today, our office anniversary. I can't believe I'm working here for two years now. Two years! Cheers to that.
"That's okay, ano ka ba. Dumihan din minsan DTR."
"Second-time ko ma-late ngayon. May meeting ka?"
It's rare to see him wandering at the lobby with his backpack. He answered with yes, and was just waiting for the driver to pick him up.
I said bye to him, I still need to eat my breakfast. I took the elevator ride to our work station, surprisingly I was not alone this time. The thing stopped at the second floor, and there was Marcus, waiting.
"Hi," he said while stepping in; eyes were even beaming.
I said also hi, after that, we didn't talk. I didn't dare ask him about the gifts or about the message I sent him. On the other hand, he didn't bring up a conversation. Maybe, he wasn't able to receive my message or he didn't want to reply. I stepped out of the elevator first, heard him saying he was going to the next floor.
Checking my phone before taking the door at the left corner, I heard another ping from the elevator. I glanced to see who was arriving late with me; it was Levine.
He was stooping when he got off that thing, trying to get something out of his bag. He was not aware that I'm almost blocking his way, so I moved to the other side avoiding bumping with him. That's when he noticed me. I immediately fixed my stance, why do I need to feel jitters when he set his gaze at me?
I smiled at him, saying nothing. Not even a good morning greeting. Fool, you should have greeted your superior.
He seemed astonished to see me here. "You're late?" he asked, his voice startled me.
I nodded in response, "One minute late. How about you?"
"Not late, I was waiting for Kate downstairs. Unfortunately, she's still on leave today."
Oh, I tried not to let my mouth ajar and say words unconsciously. Does he always wait for Kate? Does he need to always check on Kate? Is he a babysitter or what? I'm not being the jealous type. I'm. Not. Really.
"Thanks." was all I could say when he opened the door, waiting for me to go in first.
I watched his back as he walked past me, making his way to the pantry. Just when I was about to drop my bag on my desk, there's something on it waiting to be opened.
A breakfast meal with a note attached to it.
Not again. Was this from the unknown sender? I checked on the package, and there's no trace of any other name aside from mine.
Have a good day, Ashley. See you around!
Upon reading the note, I looked around the place. Somehow expecting him to be here, standing beside the door, or in front of me. But there was no one in the area, except for Daniel and Sarah who were entering the door, just arrived late. They both smiled at me.
All right. See you around, Mr. Anonymous. I said to myself.
I put down the package and stared at the note for a while. That's when I found something written at the lower right corner of the note, a name for me to read.
"Breakfast?" someone managed to ask me, I looked over my shoulder and found a familiar figure waiting for my response.
Get a hold of yourself, Ashley. This was not the first time that you will have breakfast with him. The only difference now was Kate's not around. You have to share the table for two, so you need to relax if you don't want to be obvious that your heart was almost dancing in joy, and there were continuous backflips inside your stomach caused by excitement.
"I..are you going to eat here? I have something, we can share." I casually offered, trying not to sound nervous. Was I nervous? No, not really. It's just my heart that can't handle the view.
I tried to answer as if I was not surprised by the sudden invite to have breakfast, at least I made it without stammering a little. Plus, I was so shocked by what I just read, the name on the packaging was not the name I expected it to be.
"What do you have there?" he asked, looking directly at the meal placed on my table.
"I haven't checked what's inside."
He then shifted his gaze to face me, one eyebrow arched up, "You bought something without checking it? Cool, Ashley."
Hearing my name pronounced by him was like watching fireworks as it explode in the night sky. His voice will always be chocolates for my ears.
"Oh, no. I didn't buy it. Someone gave it to me," slowly, I picked up the note that was attached to the packaging, and read on, "..it says here, it was from Robbie." I declared, even I was surprised by what I just read.
Hesitant, I managed to still look at him. I don't know why I was feeling jitters all over my body. Was it because of the note, the name of the sender, the sudden invite for a breakfast, or was it because Levine was in front of me, and we were talking.
"Forget it." he muttered and looked down, the words were almost gibberish but I managed to apprehend, he added, "I'll have my breakfast outside. Keep that, it's intended for you. Robbie wouldn't like the thought of you sharing that meal with me."
"He won't mind," I said abruptly, without even thinking of what was coming out of my mouth. "Robbie won't mind." I reiterate, this time making him realize that it was a statement, emphasizing the fact the Robbie wouldn't mind. Besides, what he doesn't know won't hurt him.
Our gazes locked for a brief moment. Quite embarrassed of what I had just said, I kept looking at him, eyes pleading. Felt like I was preventing him to go, I was convincing him to stay, even just for now.
"I'm used to eating alone." he said dryly, looking away, he announced, "By the way, he's a nice guy. You look good together."
Should I take that as a compliment?
He didn't seem cheerful at all, the way he said those words sounded the same, the way he speaks when discussing work, reiterating a subject matter, or even with exasperation. That guy doesn't possess various kinds of emotions and with that, he went out, away from me, away from my thoughts. Great, I just screwed things up. Was I the one who got rejected or I did reject his offer?
x
I asked my mom to cook it for you.
Does it taste bad? I can give you another meal, tomorrow. Or we can just eat out.
~
That was Robbie's reply when I texted him to ask about the note, the meal, the sudden gift giving. Was he trying to impress me? If so, not working.
I put my phone down. Contemplating what I have done earlier, my behavior towards Levine, my initial reaction when I read Robbie's name on the note, everything, seemed to happen in a fleeting moment.
The circumstances weren't expected, this anonymous sender was killing my curiosity, and if it was Robbie, I swear I would punch his face hard, it would finally make him realize that spending his money for me was not the answer for the chance he was seeking.
And if Robbie was the one sending those gifts, I should prepare myself for what's coming. He might be unpredictable sometimes, but with this anonymity that's been keeping me up late at night, I think I was not ready for what might come up. This wasn't just about receiving and thanking the giver for what has been given. There must be something he wants from me in return. For now, his intentions were not clear yet; I should learn how to deal with this soon.
It was after eight in the morning when I caught sight of Levine again. He entered the room with some of our officemates. The way he smiled, something in his eyes made him happy enough, and probably not even an urgent report would make him frown today.
When I noticed him approaching our working area, I feigned busyness; checking the reports that were on my desk, scrutinizing every paper, but not paying attention to the words written on it. What an act, Ashley!
"I saw Robbie, he was looking for you." heard him saying, definitely he was talking to me. Without turning to look at him, I answered by saying I could send Robbie a message.
Silence fell around the area, it was only the two of us in our division. It's either some of the team was coming late or they already went out to attend their respective meetings.
I continued the pretentiousness that I was doing when Levine arrived. For two years of staying in this office, I can swear that he was not the type of person who would love to start chitchat, not with me. Maybe he doesn't find me entertaining. Maybe he finds Kate the most fitting person to talk to. Maybe.
There was something that made me look at him, searching for his eyes that were fixed somewhere. He placed a bottle of drink, juice I think, at the center of my table, right in front of me, stopping me from using the keyboard, letting me look at him with curiosity. He did that effortlessly. He seemed relaxed as if he had done this before to me.
"What's this?" I asked although I know it was a drink. I waited for him to meet my gaze.
"I just thought you need a drink," he answered without giving me a look.
I was planning to say something more, but he left me hanging. Someone from our division arrived, as though I was not here; invisible, Levine approached the person. Heard him inquired about the news.
"Haven't heard that news. Was it about the bill?" Brian replied that's when I decided to go back to feigning busyness.
But I still deliberately look for Levine, hoping that this time he would be reasonable to explain why he had given me this drink, and why he was acting like a shit towards me lately.
The day passed like a blur, I was too occupied to notice that Robbie was already waiting for me, I was informed thru text, he was here inside our office. That made them think that something was up between us. Eyes were all on me, waiting for me to feed them with the details they were dying to learn. Bet I'll be the talk of the town this week.
"Wish Kate was here. He's the number one fan of your secret someone, Ashley."
"But that someone was not Robbie, Daniel," I answered firmly, letting him know there's nothing to hope for from Robbie.
"I'm not saying it was Robbie." but his expression was stating otherwise, "Or it could also be him. Whoever it is, we're here to support his cowardice." there's something in Daniel's voice that made me arch an eyebrow at him.
He sounded like he was up to something. I still wanted to talk to Daniel, but seeing Robbie waiting for me, I immediately put everything I need inside my bag. Ready to go, when Mr. Avoiding-eye-contact approached my table.
"Going home?" he asked, now looking directly into my eyes.
"Obviously, and someone is waiting for her. She's in a hurry. Just so you know, Lev." Daniel answered for me.
The two men in front of me were exchanging glances. Eyes were seriously talking to each other. For a brief moment, they stayed like that until Daniel broke the awkward silence, "Back to the drawing board." he said, and ignored us, made himself busy, not paying attention at all.
"Need anything from me?" I asked Levine, who's following my gaze.
"I need you to finish the report today, I'll be needing that for the staff meeting on Friday. It's not a request, Ashley."
Great, that authoritative tone of his.
If my jaw could drop itself to the ground, I would probably be picking it up now. I was about to protest with Levine's favor, should I consider that a favor, but it was too late. He was out there, making himself occupied by having a phone call. That quick!
"Seriously, Daniel, what's with him?" I muttered with exasperation. I checked the clock, it was already past five. If I need to submit the report today, I'm required to stay for another hour. Dammit!
Daniel looked over his shoulder, smiling at me. "He missed the boat, Ash. No wonder why Peter calls him a slowpoke." heard him tsked.
I don't understand what he was saying. And I was not planning to understand Daniel at this point. These guys are good at pissing off each other.
Instead of pitying myself, I looked for Robbie. Found him in the waiting area, beside the entrance door. He welcomed me with a grin." Not happy to see me?"
I shook my head and quickly explained that I need to work late today. I didn't mention Levine and his urgent assignment. I would bet that he does not have a life after work, that's why he wants us to join him. Maybe Daniel will also work late with us, seeing him with a load of paper on his desk earlier might mean over time.
"I can wait for you. Until six or seven?" his voice soften, as though he was already expecting my answer but still trying his best luck. "I can also work late, Ashley. Just text me if you're done with the urgent task. I'll be downstairs waiting."
I looked back, checking if Levine or Daniel was out there watching our mini scene. I wish I could say what's on my mind, and refuse to work late but I have this obligation as an employee. My mind was telling me not to complain because surely my heart wants what's going to happen.
"Robbie, you don't have to wait. I'll see you tomorrow. We can have lunch together. My treat." eyes beseeching him, I tried my best to give him a reassuring smile though I was a bit reluctant with my suggestion. I don't want to lead Robbie on, but this was the best way to win this argument.
The expression on his face was quite predictable, he was planning to argue with me once more. But then before could open his mouth to say something unfavorable, I escorted him out.
"You owe me lunch and dinner tomorrow. We'll take a rain check on tonight's plan," he said.
Confused about what he was talking about, I inquired about the plan he mentioned. But he kept it a secret, not giving up any details about his plans for tonight. If he just informed me beforehand, I would not stay that long working. I said goodbye to Robbie before strutting back to the office.
I was grabbing the door handle when it opened itself for me.
"Hi." Daniel greeted me, holding his bag in one hand, and loads of paper in the other. How did he manage to open the door?
"You're going now?"
"Yeah, need to pick up my mom. Sorry, Ash."
What?
Before I could react, he hurriedly headed to the elevator doors. I was left dumbfounded here. Did this mean I need to work late with Levine? Oh, man! Not with his current mood. He must have been conflicted with deadlines to act that way; being grumpy, but he's good at feigning nonchalance.
I brushed off the thought, I headed back to our office and was welcomed by the boss.
She was smiling at me, that genuine smile that all of her employees adore about her. She looks young at her age, no one would think of her being single at forty. I admire her dedication to work, but is she happy with this kind of life? Home. Work. Meetings. Home. Work. All in repeat.
I smiled back at her, brushing off the thought I have in mind about her.
"Hi, Ashley. Working late with your team?"
Oh, no. Working late with the head of my team.
"Yes, Ma'am. But it's just me and Sir Levine who's left to work late."
Sir Levine! Ha, Ashley. How was it? Do you see the difference in calling him Levine in your mind and adding Sir to it whenever you say mention his name inside your office? why would you complain about working late if it was your superior's instruction? Self, it should be clear by now that Levine's your boss.
"He's still here? I thought he has a flight tonight, wouldn't he be late?"
From what I've heard, I've become apathetic of my irritation and became worried about the scheduled flight of Levine.
I was not informed.
x