The past few days have been peaceful and pleasant. Little by little, I started making friends with my office colleagues, especially after our team-building event. That's when I grew closer to a few of them, including our manager. I never expected him to be so cool to hang out with because, at first, he seemed so serious. It was as if he didn't notice anything around him, even with many people nearby, because he was so focused on his laptop. Even in the cafeteria, when he was with our coworkers, whom he had known for quite a while, he remained quiet.
I usually feel awkward interacting with people in high positions because they often seem intimidating. Although, when it comes to work, they treat us, the encoders and other lower-ranking employees, fairly. I was still a bit uneasy around most of my colleagues during my first few weeks at work.
However, after the company team-building event, things became better. I started interacting more comfortably with my coworkers and even grew close to some of them. I occasionally joined them when they invited me out, especially when there was no work the next day. Although we were becoming friends, I still didn't know them as well as my old classmates.
There were also times when I chose not to go out with them because I had to go home to Ainee's house, as I had promised. Especially during the holidays, even after a long shift, I made the effort to visit them because I genuinely missed their company. After all, they were the only people I could truly call family in this place.
As the months passed, my relationship with my office mates grew stronger. But there was one person who became particularly close to me—someone who gave me special attention. We became comfortable sharing stories about our lives, perhaps because we were both outsiders in this city. It made it easier for us to confide in each other. However, technically speaking, he wasn't really an outsider anymore, as his family had been living here for a long time—he was practically a local. Some people noticed our closeness and teased us, but we didn't pay it any mind. I had been upfront with him from the start that I had a boyfriend, and I never hesitated to share the story of how I ended up here.
Cellphone Beep.
From Sean:
Are you asleep?
To Sean:
Not yet, about to sleep. Why?
From Sean:
Just asking. Am I disturbing you?
To Sean:
No.
From Sean:
What are you up to?
To Sean:
Lying in bed, reading a novel since I'm not sleepy yet… hahaha.
From Sean:
Oh really? You like reading those kinds of books?
To Sean:
Yeah, it's my favorite pastime—wait, scratch that—I'm actually addicted to reading novels. Hahaha.
This was a common exchange between me and Sean ever since I got a mobile plan. Sometimes, when he couldn't help it, he would call just to chat. But I only texted him because I was saving my mobile plan's minutes. Unlike employees in higher positions, whose company-provided phones were paid for by the company, I had to pay for mine myself, so I was careful with my usage. I made it a point to call Georje once a week and my friends Mitch, Zette, or Ali once in every two weeks—whoever was available. Regardless of who I spoke with, they always updated each other about me.
"Lui, it looks like Boss Sean has been giving you a ride home more often lately!" Jessy teased. She was one of the coworkers I became close to since our cubicles were next to each other, and we often took breaks together.
"Well, we happen to live in the same direction, so it's easy for him to drop me off. And I'm not the only one he gives a ride to—he does it for others too, as long as it's on his way," I explained.
"Really? Before, no one would go home with him because he never offered. It's only now that he's asking who wants to go with him. That's what those who have been here longer than us noticed," she retorted. "Hmm, I don't know… but something feels different! I just can't pinpoint what it is, but I can sense there's something unusual about Boss." She added before I could speak.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. He treats everyone the same. If there's one thing I've noticed about him, it's that after the team-building event, he became more friendly. Even though he looks a bit stern, he's actually approachable," I commented.
"Yeah, but you should see how scary he gets when he's mad. I once saw him scolding someone—it was terrifying!" Jessy said, shivering dramatically as if she were face-to-face with her greatest fear while we walked toward the coffee shop.
"Well, whatever the case, what's important is that we do our jobs properly so we won't have any reason to be scared of him. He won't get mad if we're doing things right, right?"
"Exactly! That's why I always make sure to be extra careful. I never want to be on the receiving end of his anger—never!" she said with conviction.
"Hey there, ladies! Good morning!" a familiar voice greeted us cheerfully.
"Speaking of…" Jessy whispered.
"Hi, Boss! Good morning!" I greeted him back.
"Good morning, Boss!" Jessy said with a wide grin, suddenly acting as if she was just chatting with a close friend—despite claiming earlier that she was scared of him.
"Coffee?" Sean asked us.
"Yes, Boss, we're getting coffee too," I replied after Jessy elbowed me, signaling that I should answer for us.
"Alright, go ahead and order. I'm just waiting for mine to be served."
"Alright, excuse us for a moment," I said as I walked straight to the counter, with Jessy trailing behind me like a child hiding from something. She was being so silly!
After getting our orders, we returned to Boss Sean's table to wait for them to be served. He had just received his order, but he remained seated as if he was waiting for Jessy and me.
"How was your weekend?" he asked. In my mind, I thought, as if he doesn't already know what I did—he even called me, remember?
"It was good! I got to rest, so I'm fully charged again," Jessy happily replied. I just smiled beside her while Sean sat across from us, waiting for our orders to be served.
"And you, Boss? How was your weekend? Did you get drunk last Saturday night?" Jessy asked him back.
"It was okay. I got to rest and spent time with my family."
Fortunately, our orders arrived quickly, so Jessy and I immediately headed to the office before we risked being late.
I always call him "Boss" when we're in the office. But he doesn't like it when I call him that when we're alone. Also, I try not to get too close to him in the office unless he calls for me. As much as possible, I avoid being too near him—I don't want to be the subject of office gossip. That could be a problem, and even though this isn't my dream job, I still want to maintain a good performance as an employee.
I stayed quiet, just listening to my coworkers while waiting for them to finish touching up their makeup after work. It was time to go home.
"Hey, Lui! There you are. Boss Sean was asking where you were because he wants to give you a ride home. Harold and Chelsea are already downstairs, waiting to hitch a ride too," Jomer, one of my teammates, told me while grabbing something from his locker.
"Oh, okay. Thanks! I'm heading down anyway. Aren't you coming?"
"Not today—I have somewhere to go. I already told Boss. Alright, I'll go ahead and let them know you're coming."
"Thanks. Jess, shall we?"
We walked behind Jomer, but since he was in a hurry, he half-ran toward the elevator and caught it just before it closed. Meanwhile, we had to wait for the next one.
I knew Sean would come up with an excuse to wait for me. This wasn't the first time he had gone down before me but still waited. He always had some reason to linger. I often teased him about how I couldn't afford to pay him for his time and the carpool service. He would just laugh and shake his head at my jokes, though sometimes he would get a little annoyed.
There was even a time when he insisted on taking me to Ainee's house. He wouldn't take no for an answer when he found out I was heading there after my shift for Aunt Azon's birthday. And so, unintentionally, I ended up introducing him to them. I didn't sleep over that night because I felt guilty about making him drive back alone. The trip from Ainee's house to the city was a two-hour drive, including traffic. But Ainee still commutes home from work whenever she has to help her mom take care of her younger siblings.
There were also times when Ainee would crash at my apartment, especially when she had overtime due to urgent deadlines.
"How are things here?" Ainee asked one morning while we were getting ready for work. She had stayed over again because she had been working late.
"Same old, same old."
"Same old, my foot! You've been skipping meals, haven't you? Too tired to eat as soon as you get home?" she lectured me. She was always like this, but I never got annoyed because I knew she was just concerned.
"Nope! I've been eating. You can even check the fridge—it's almost empty. I need to do groceries on my next day off."
"Oh, your phone's beeping," she said, handing it to me since she was standing near where I had left it.
Sean: Hey! Are you ready? Gonna pick you up!
Me: Yeah, I'm ready. Heading out now.
Sean: I'll see you then.
He didn't even wait for my reply before ending the call.
"Wow, so you have a personal carpool service? And it's your manager at that! He might outshine your boyfriend at this rate," Ainee teased while I grabbed my bag and headed out. I just laughed and winked at her before stepping out the door and closing it behind me.
I knew she was just joking, but sometimes, her teasing had some weight to it. Still, I chose to ignore it. After all, I had been honest with Sean from the start—I have a boyfriend. And at any time, he might visit Cebu for a short vacation. It had been several months already, so it should be okay for him to leave for a few days. But Ainee still didn't approve of my plan. She kept saying I should just save my money instead.
But stubborn as I was, I couldn't shake the idea.
I'll admit, there were times when I compared Sean to Georje—how he made time for me and took care of me even though there was nothing romantic between us. And most importantly, we never talked about "us." We teased each other a lot, but I never took it seriously because I knew I shouldn't, and I didn't want him to get his hopes up.
Sean is a Filipino-Chinese guy, the youngest of three siblings and the only son. He is six years older than me. He finished a degree in Computer Science with a masteral in Software Engineering. His family is well-off and runs their own business, but he chose to work at another company because of a good offer and to gain experience, as he plans to start his own company someday.
Sean and I have a lot in common. He always encourages me to pursue my passions and dreams. When I'm with him, I can just be myself—no pretensions, no worries, and no fiery temper waiting to explode. There's no reason for me to get upset around him. Sure, we banter each other a lot, but it never reaches the point where I lose control of my emotions. Being with him is easy and fun—most of the time, we're just laughing and messing around. But when it comes to serious matters, we both know how to handle them. We share a lot with each other, and because he's mature, I learn a lot from him.
We're not in a relationship, but I can feel that he takes care of and respects me. He makes me feel valued as a woman—I never feel embarrassed or disrespected around him. A lot of people ask about our relationship because they notice how close we are. But we always tell them we're just friends, just colleagues.
Still, to be honest, things feel different when it's just the two of us. He acts differently when no one else is around. But even then, we never talk about it. It's as if we're both waiting for the other to bring it up. Like we're both afraid of hearing the truth, so we just stay silent, observing and letting things happen naturally, enjoying each other's company.
I don't know why—we're open and honest about so many things, but when it comes to that matter, it feels like a delicate topic. Like something fragile that, if touched, might break. And that's exactly what we both want to avoid. We want to keep it placed high up, where we can admire and appreciate it, but nothing beyond that. We can't touch it because it's too risky.
With how often he picks me up and drops me off, he's also started eating at my apartment regularly. He requests his favorite dishes, and I cook them for him. On our days off, he hangs out at my place to watch movies on his laptop since I don't have a TV. I got used to him randomly showing up and disrupting my routine. Sometimes, we go on road trips just because we feel like it—our way of de-stressing from our weekday workloads. Sometimes he pays, but I insist on splitting the bill. But he's not used to women paying, especially since he's the guy and the one inviting me out.
I know Ainee has noticed how close Sean and I have become. Once, she told me she was happy seeing me enjoying life. Over time, my communication with Georje became less frequent. Our calls mostly turned into arguments instead of calm conversations. He never made the effort to find a way to talk to me—it was always me putting in the effort.
One time, his female cousin, whom I had met before, called me on his behalf, saying he was too busy with school. And like a fool, I believed it. So, when he later told me he couldn't take his exams because his aunt refused to give him money for tuition, I felt sorry for him and sent him money.
But soon after, I found out the truth from Ali—Georje was never really back in school. He had used the money I sent to buy LPG and groceries because his aunt had spent all her money on electricity bills. That revelation made me stop calling him as often. I was furious that he had deceived me and made me believe something that wasn't true.
No one asked me why I suddenly changed my attitude toward Georje because they all occasionally talked to Mitch, Zette, and Ali. Even Ali got scolded by me because I thought she was part of Georje's lies. But it turned out he had no idea either. In the end, he was the one who lashed out at Georje for everything that happened.
That day, out of sheer frustration, I drank again. Sean was with me while I let out all my pent-up emotions. Thankfully, he just let me have my moment—he never contradicted anything I said, even if I kept repeating myself because of the alcohol. He patiently listened to every word I spilled.
I hadn't even told Ainee about all of this yet because she was in Manila for a seminar. She had no idea what had happened, as everything seemed fine before she left. Sean was the only one who knew because he was with me when Ali called and told me the truth.
That one simple check-in calls from Ali turned into a disaster—like a bomb dropping, with me as the only casualty, shattered into tiny pieces.