“Samantha, are you okay?” I almost dropped the bowl of soup I was holding on my boss’s foot, because I was so startled when he suddenly spoke beside me. “You look distracted, what happened while I’m gone?”“Nothing, boss, um, were you there earlier?” I couldn’t look directly at him, “Should I heat up the food, or do you want something else to eat?”“No, just microwave the leftovers, I have tons of paperwork, bring that to my office after, thanks,” I couldn’t reply, and he just went straight into his office.Two days have passed since he kissed me, and I can’t be at ease when he’s around. I feel awkward, of course, he’s my boss, and then that happened? I know it wasn’t meant for me, that’s what’s embarrassing.But from his actions, it seems like he doesn’t remember what happened earlier. The next day, when we saw each other again, it was because he woke up late that night. I even heard him in the kitchen. I finished my work quickly and went to my room, not knowing how to face him.Mayb
“Kalix, come on! What’s wrong! Stop torturing yourself! It’s not your fault that your family died! It was her fault for being so stubborn and not asking you first!”“Shut up, Fin, will you?” I couldn’t walk properly due to my hangover. “I hate when you nag early in the morning,” I said and grabbed a can of beer from my fridge.“Kalix!” Fin shouted and stole the can from my hand. “I said stop it!”I muffled and looked at her, “Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do? How the fuck did you even get in here? You have no right to tell me anything. Shut the fuck up, will you?”I saw tears welling up in her eyes, but I didn’t care. No one, when I say no one, not even a single soul, can understand what I feel right now. The guilt that is building up every passing day, the regret I’ve been drowning in, and the misery that I have to chew on every morning.“I’m just concerned about you. It’s not really your fault that your family died! She should have asked you first before coming to a conclu
“James! What’s up, dude? It’s been a while, how’s life going?” I paused in sipping my drink. I saw Archie along with Silver—my college block mates. “Are you here alone, buddy?” I greeted him with a handshake.“Yeah, just buying some time, Silver,” I greeted him too. He nodded while still looking at his phone. “How are you?” I reciprocated, even though I didn’t really feel like engaging in conversation. Just a small talk will do; hopefully, they’ll leave soon.“Doing fine. Hey, James, I’ve heard some rumors,” Archie said, diverting my attention from my drink. “I won’t believe it, especially if it didn’t come from you,” his voice carried a hint of amusement and sarcasm.“I actually don’t care, Arc. People tend to gossip every time,” I replied, taking a shot of the alcohol in my hand. “Another serving,” I signaled the bartender for another round.“I mean, is it true that your third business failed again? Why was that again? You failed to maintain the good hygiene of your company? I can’t
“What are you doing here again, J?” I couldn’t help but laugh at whatKalix said when I entered his office. My cousin was always busy, nothing new there. He was always busy, it seemed like he did nothing but work. He might as well replace the security guard of this company. “Come on, Lix, I know you like me being here. I’m the one who makes you happy while you bury yourself in your work,” I teased, but he just rolled his eyes at me and continued working at his desk. “Don’t you have a business to run, J? You’re like a mushroom, popping up out of nowhere,” I sat down in his receiving area and poured myself some tea. He always had some, of course, he’s a businessman. “Well, my secretary can handle that, and if not, he will call me,” I glanced at Kalix, took a sip of the tea, and winced a bit because it was hot. “Spill,” he suddenly said, which made me laugh. “Don’t look at me like that, it makes me shiver. I have my gun here, so don’t try anything.” “Fuck you,” I replied, raising my
“Bossing, do you have anything for me to do? I’m so bored, I’ve cleaned every corner of the house, cooked meals for the next four days, went grocery shopping, and bossing doesn’t have work today, which means it’s my day off, but I don’t want to go out, I’m feeling lazy.“It’s your day off, Samantha. Why would I let you run some errands? We have talked about this, right?” he replied while focused on what he was watching on iflix. “Go out and breathe some fresh air.”I sighed and sat on the sofa beside him, then glanced at what he was watching. I couldn’t help but laugh. “Wow, you’re watching that, bossing? You’re so uncool, that’s for kids, how old are you, thirty? Forty?”He immediately looked at me, with accusing eyes. “You’re exaggerating! I’m only twenty-nine! I work out and take care of my body, why would you assume that I’m older than my age, huh?”I raised both my hands, still laughing. “Okay, sorry, sorry, you’re just so fierce when it comes to your age.”“It’s because, what if
“What else do I need?” I asked Charlotte. We were at the national bookstore because I needed to buy school supplies.“Binder, like that one, ball pen,” she replied, rolling her eyes at me, while browsing through books. I had the basket, and as I roamed around, I left her there. I didn’t know what kind of magic my boss used, but two days after I agreed to go back to school, she came home last night with my certificate of enrollment.She said that to keep me away from any issues, she made me a scholar, a full scholarship. This morning, before she went to work, while I was preparing breakfast for her, she handed me her ATM and told me to buy what I needed.At first, of course, I didn’t agree. I didn’t know what I needed. I’m an undergraduate Business student, but I can’t remember why I chose t
“Maybe you should switch faces with your cellphone screen, huh?” I ignored what James said and continued tinkering with my new phone. “It’s not for the clueless, you know.”“If I slap you right now, would you shut up? I’m quiet here, why don’t you go over there? You stink, you smell like a woman,” I retorted sharply.“Wow, you smell so nice, it’s embarrassing. There are so many girls swooning over you—”“Who told you I’m a girl? Get out!” I shouted, ready to kick him, but he stood up and quickly moved away from me. “Ugh, so annoying,” I muttered, then refocused on what I was doing.I was in Kalix’s office; he was late for his lunch, so I brought it for him. But this freak—James, that is—said he was in a meeting, so he was also waiting.“I heard you’re back to school, are you planning to cut classes already?” I rolled my eyes, took a deep breath, fate was testing me again, and the demon was here again.“Yeah, and I’ll come to tie you up,” I replied. “Yes! I retrieved it, damn it,” I had
“How’s your second day?” Boss immediately asked as I slipped off my shoes and collapsed onto the long sofa upon finally entering. “You look exhausted. Is it really tough catching up with the lessons you’ve missed?”I nodded and shifted in my seat. “It’s not just the lessons that are challenging to grasp, but also some of my classmates, can you believe it?” I sat up and faced him as he continued to glance at his phone. “There’s this kid there, almost the same age as my sibling, just a bit older. And you know what? He’s bitter. He’s been picking on me since yesterday, but luckily, I’ve got a thick skin and a quick mind. I already know what he’s up to, so I manage to avoid him. But still…” I shifted positions, catching his attention, and he finally put away his phone. “It’s exhausting, you know? Constantly wondering if he’s going to do something or if he’s just in a bad mood. Just the thought of having to deal with him for a few months tires me out,” I slumped back onto the sofa.“But yo