“Bloody hell. That was . . . shit,” he mutters as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.
I pour another shot and offer it to him. “Do you want some more?”
He quickly shakes his head as he pales. He looks sick. I nod easily and drink it instead.
“Your loss. It’s our famous local liquor,” I say lightly.
“Are you planning on getting drunk . . . at this hour?” he asks as he looks at his watch.
“Probably, unless you summon us to show at work.” I lower the empty glass and pour for another shot. I take a huge gulp.
His gaze follows my every movement. His eyes narrow as he watches me. “Actually, I already sent a memo to the admin to let the agents take the entire day off. Until further notice.”
I happily smile and lifts the glass on the air. “Cheers to the earthquake!”
A few seconds later, Elora comes over for a chat. She grins and offers a hand to Devyn for a handshake. Devyn politely accepts it.
“Thank you for calling Global. This is Betsy speaking. How can I be of assistance today?” I warmly say to the client on the other line. “Hi, Betsy. My girlfriend just broke up with me. What shall I do?”asks the man. His voice sounds like he’s on the verge of crying. He is my last client before my lunch break. “I’m not a radio DJ,” I murmur absentmindedly. “What did you say?” I almost face palm. I clear my throat and act professionally. “I mean did you do something which upset her?” “Well I just went out with my friends! What is wrong with that?”he says sharply. “Hmp. So what do you want to do on your account, sir?” “Oh yes,” he falters and there is a stretch of silence. ‘Er . . . I’d like to know my account’s balance.” “Sure. Let me go ahead and check that balance for you. Can I have your account number?” He murmurs his account number and I key in the i
Ghosts, vampires, detectives, nuns, white ladies, and countless superheroes, I encounter all of them as I make my entrance inside the building. I am supposed to have my day off today but I show up to work since today is the most awaited Halloween party. I’m also looking forward on the costume competition. My competitive spirit is up. I want to win this thing. I go inside the elevator to get to the tenth floor where my office is at. I see a guy in a Jon Snow outfit with the hair and everything. A man in a Batman costume is also in the elevator. They are currently having a conversation. They both nod when they see me. “Pete, we’re going out for a drink later, after this. You coming?” Jon Snow asks, trying to adjust his curly wig. “Sure, bro! April is coming along, right? I’ve been trying to score a date with her,” Batman replies, rubbing his own ass. I only shake my head as I stand in the corner. A few moments later, the elevator
I have a lot of regrets in life. But I guess, not coming home quite often for a visit is the thing that I regret the most. I could’ve have hang out with Grandpa more often. But it’s too late now. Grandpa is gone. It replays on my mind repeatedly. He is gone. I wish I can change it and think that this is just a bad dream. I stare into the calm sea as the boat approaches the port. I’ve returned again in Sequim but this time with a heavy heart. The entire ride to my village is spent with me thinking about the old days with my grandfather. Those wonderful and fun memories with him. We were so close to each other. It may be a small town but most of my childhood memories were spent in here. When I reach home, I notice how quiet the house is. Each step I make towards it is a struggle. I tighten the grip on the backpack I’ve brought. I won’t be hearing Grandpa’s melancholy laugh anymore whenever he sees me. When I reach the doorstep,
“Oh.” I breathe in. We are just staring into each other’s eyes for the entire five minutes. “How did you find out about what happened?”“Your friend, Pamela told me.”“Uh, do you want to come in or are you going to be gone quick?” I offer kindly, trying to be polite.“I’ll stay with you for now.” His stare is too intense that it intensified the pounding in my chest.I stare at him in astonishment. My cheeks warm and I feel flustered. Does he… like me? Of course not! Silly me haha. Maybe he is just being kind since he probably heard the news about Grandpa’s death. But why would he go all the way from Seattle to here just to comfort me? Ask the tiny voice in my brain.I awkwardly clear my throat and look away. “We should go inside the house,” I say and gesture towards the house. Devyn nods and I start to make my way inside.
I am very much excited today. Devyn is coming over to my apartment and he’s going to pick me up for a date. I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that he is now my boyfriend. I want to shout and declare to the whole world that we are currently in a relationship but I can’t because we are keeping our relationship discreet. I mean, technically he’s my boss. Things won’t be normal in the office if my colleagues learn about us being together. The mean girls might bully me and I might become an outsider. Okay fine. That only happens in movies and the only mean girl at the office is my friend, Ashley.I try to adjust the hem of the floral off shoulder dress I am wearing when I hear the knock at the door. I walk towards it, almost skipping in excitement. I turn the knob and open the door. I break into a delighted smile when I see Devyn, my boyfriend, standing on my doorstep. He looks so hot wearing a blue button
Nothing happened between us last night. I mean, Devyn and I did not have sex. After having a dinner with a candlelight with him near the shore, we went back to the suite, kissed goodnight, and slept. Yes. We only slept. I try to squeeze the memories of last night out of my brain as I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling. So this is the flashback of last night’s events. “Cheers!” “Cheers! This is so romantic, Devyn!” I say in delight as we lift our wineglasses on the air. I take a sip and look at Devyn who is sitting across from me on the table. He is smiling at me. “So… tell me about your previous girlfriends. I’m sure they’re all gorgeous,” I say brightly. I put my glass on the table and focus my attention on him. Devyn’s eyes narrow. “Which ones? The serious ones?” I gasp in surprise. I even cover my mouth with my palm. “Oh! You had joke ones?” His eyebrows meet in confusion. It’s pretty obvious that he doesn’t g
I am grinning like a madwoman. I probably look weird as I walk into the company building. I get a lot of attention from people I pass by. I don’t care! Devyn’s huge confession and our romantic island getaway give me positivity in life. I am back to work. Back to the real world. I sigh wistfully remembering about my moments with Devyn. “Wonderful day, Russel!” I chirpily greet our security. His face remains stoic as he gives me a small nod. “We have a storm.” I do not even flinch when I hear another loud thunder. I glance at the dark clouds outside before I face him again. I casually tap his shoulder. My smile is still intact. “Such a wonderful day, indeed!” He looks at me ridiculously and shakes his head as if I am such a disappointment. I only nod at him and with a positive mindset, I continue walking towards the elevator. I finally reach it and push the button. I wait for the door to open. When it finally pings and then opens,
At three o’clock in the afternoon, I am stilly lying on my bed, sighing dreamily as the event of last night keeps on replaying in my mind. I smile to myself and giggle like a schoolgirl. I pull the comforter down and stare at the ceiling, grinning wickedly. My wonderful thoughts are interrupted by the sudden ringing of my phone. I pick it up from the bedside table and stare at it. It’s Pam who is calling me. “I am coming to your apartment,” she says as her greeting. I pause because of confusion. I don’t think we have any plans together for today. I think deeply, trying to remember if I have missed something but I don’t think so. I frown as I blankly stare into space. “Huh? Why are you coming over?” Pam’s line goes dead and all of a sudden I can hear series of knocks at my door. “Open up!” I hear Pam’s voice. I have grown alert and get up quickly. I go out of my room and approach the door. I turn the knob and open the doo
Ashley, Pam, and I give a round of applause after watching the show where Sue was one of the actors. We hang out in their apartment to be able to watch it together.“Wow! You were great back there, Sue!” exclaims Ashley as she gives Sue, who sits next to her on the sofa, a gentle push.“T-Thanks,” replies Sue shyly and returns to her seat.“Congratulations again, Sue,” I greet her. “You really got your first major role.”She looks at me and gives me a bright smile. “Thank you, Betsy! Congratulations as well on your engagement.”My cheeks warm and now all of their attention are turned to me. Ashley takes my hand and she stares on my ring. “How much will it be if you like…pawn it?”I immediately jerk my hand away from her. “Stop it, Ashley.”“Oh come on! I was just kidding!” Ashley laughs and rolls her eyes. Pam and Sue j
We celebrate Christmas together in Sequim. I, Devyn, Dad, and Gloria. I am very happy for Dad and Gloria and they are also planning to get married soon. We all smile while we open the gifts, courtesy of Devyn, in the living room. He just arrived from New York yesterday and I picked him up. Right from the airport, we had a trip to Sequim. He went home to New York to take care of the crises and he reassures me that everything will be okay. While they talk, I excuse myself to visit Grandpa’s old room. As I stand in front of the door, I smile and take a deep breath. I slowly turn the knob and push the door open. I step inside the room. I can still feel Grandpa’s presence every time I come and visit this room. We never take away his belongings. His old guitar is still hanging on the wall. I walk over near his cabinet. I look at the pictures displayed on top of it. I smile as I stare at my photo when I was in primary school. I was grinning wildly while huggi
“What are we doing here?” asks Pam as we usher her inside.“To drink beer,” says Ashley mockingly. “What else are we be doing inside a hair salon? Of course we’re here to give you a makeover for your revenge.”“I don’t want a revenge,” says Pam.“Well that’s too bad because we want it.” Ashley grabs her on the arm, almost dragging her inside. I quietly follow them.Pam gives up resisting and goes in. We all take our seats and soon enough, a gay hairstylist approaches us. Ashley and I both turn to look at Pam. She rolls her eyes at us and finally obliges.“What kind of hairstyle do you want, Madam,” asks Peter.“The one that best suits her.” Ashley is the one who answers. “Makes her even more beautiful.”Peter nods and turns his attention to Pam who now sits in front of the huge
Having a love life is really different. I have proven this because while I receive calls from my clients, I am in a great move. The irate clients don’t even bother me anymore. I have a great performance.After my last call, I turn to look at Pam’s empty cubicle. I can’t seem to understand why she’s not working today. I mean, she’s the most workaholic person I know in the entire planet. I push my chair back and stand, getting ready for lunch.Ashley is walking towards me.“Why is Pam absent today?” I ask her and we both stare at our friend’s empty chair.“I don’t know,” replies Ashley with a shrug. “Pat asked me earlier. Seems like Pam didn’t call in and inform the office of her not going to work.”I glance at Sue’s empty chair as well. I only know why Sue’s not around. It’s because she finally quit the job. She wants to focus on actin
Devyn and I hold hands as we both enter Dad’s house in Sequim. Dad is waiting for us inside. Before I open the door, I turn to Devyn. “Are you nervous?” “No, I’m cool,” says Devyn and then turns to stare at the door. “He’s not… he isn’t mad at me, right?” I wince. I remember Dad’s reaction the last time I went home. “I think…not,” I manage to say. I know that it is a bad thing to lie but I just don’t want Devyn to worry about a thing. Maybe Dad has forgotten and he is probably in a good mood because of his flourishing love life. “Right.” Devyn lets out one last sigh and then we both face the door. I open it and we both get inside. I am not mistaken. Dad is really sitting on the armchair in our living room. He is currently playing with a swiss knife on his hand. He acts like he’s honing it with a calm demeanor. “G-Good day, sir,” Devyn greets as we approach my Dad. Dad looks up and gives a small nod. His e
My shoulder sag in disappointment. I start to feel discouraged. “Oh. Do you know where he’s going?”Rudy shrugs. A look of sympathy passes across his face. “I have no idea. I can call him if you want,” he offers kindly.“No, thanks. Never mind.” I force a smile. I don’t want Devyn to know that I am in New York from other people. I want to tell him myself. He may try to avoid me before I can even get a chance to talk to him.I say my goodbye to Rudy who looks worried about me. I go back to the cab who is patiently waiting for me. I quietly get in and takes a seat.“Didn’t go well then,” comments Steve quietly. “So, where do we go next?”“To Sequim,” I say absentmindedly.He chortles. “Well, that’s really far away. How about somewhere much nearer?”I clap my hands and give his shoulder a playful squeeze. &ldquo
My jaw almost drops to the floor. I rub my eyes several times just to make sure that I am really seeing her. What is she even doing here in front of me? How did she find me here? “Ms. Haruko? What are you doing here?” I ask. She calmly shrugs and glances around. “I was in the neighborhood.” I quickly look around in the neighborhood she’s saying. I can see the shack dwellings. Some drunk guy in the middle of the day is even urinating on the side of the pole. I scratch the back of my neck disappointingly and turn my attention back to the Japanese woman. “What can I do for you this time?” I ask. I am sure the Japanese has a purpose of seeing me. She nods. I am really bothered by the size of the fedora she is wearing. I think I can even fit inside it. “It’s not what you can do for me. It’s whatIcan do for you,” she says mysteriously. Yeah right. I already knew this infamous lines of hers.
“Don't wanna feel another touch! Don't wanna start another fire! Don't wanna know another kiss! I'll never love again. I'll never loveagaiiiiiiiin!Ooohhhh. Okay! Next song!Helloooofrom the othersiiiiide! I wish I can say that I've tried. To tell you I'm sorry for breaking yourheaaaaart. Gosh. Singing medley songs is really tiring. Especially when you’re doing it in an acapella way. I can definitely compete with Adele now. My voice has gone hoarse and raspy, fitting for a rock music. I pour another drink into my glass and sip. I have lost track of how many bottles of alcohol I have consumed. I am still devastated because of what had happened to my relationship with Devyn. I am about to take another huge gulp from the glass when another knock on the door has interrupted me. Maybe it’s Polly again. She’s probably going to warn me again about my noise. Doesn’t she understand that I am currently h
I can’t explain how I feel. I feel like I am having a bad dream or an out of the body experience. It is as if my whole body feels dry and trembling. I absentmindedly put the smartphone back on Ashley’s hand and glance around the room in panic. “Where is Sue?” I ask. My gaze lands on her cubicle. “She’s not here,” says Ashley, frowning at me. “We can’t ask Pam because she’s also off today. Why are you looking for Sue anyway?” I ignore her question and turn away. I massage my temple. “I need to go.” “Why? Betsy, what is going on-” I never let her finish because I am already walking out of the office with long strides. There is only one thing in my mind. I need to talk to Devyn. I’m pretty sure the news has reached him. I need to explain! I have to make everything right again. I am hastily wanting my way out of the building that I completely forget about my things in the locker. My cellphone is inside there. I can’t contact Devyn w