Chapter 7 Coffee

• Nala's Point of View
• I closed my eyes tightly after inhaling the cigarette that was wedged between my fingers, then I exhaled the thick smoke from my mouth.
• I am currently outside my house to smoke. I don't want to smell like cigarettes inside my house, so I am here outside, as I usually do.
• I just arrived home from work because I finished all the tasks I needed to do before leaving the office.
• “Oh? It seems like you're really exhausted.” I opened my eyes when I heard Lawrence's voice. He was standing in front of me with both hands inside the pockets of his cargo shorts.
• “What's up? Have you found a job yet?” I asked and took another puff of my cigarette.
• "What do you think?” I rolled my eyes and tossed the cigarette onto the pavement, crushing it under my foot.
• “Whatever,” I said.
• “Tsk. I am just kidding. Yes, I have finally found a job, madame.”
• “Really? What kind of job?”
• His eyebrows raised, and he flashed a smile.
• “I got hired as an employee in an upscale restaurant. It's so fancy, seriously! I didn't even expect to be accepted. Luckily, they needed people to lift heavy ingredients for the kitchen.”
• I grinned widely and playfully tapped his arm.
• I jokingly said, "So, when will you treat me?"
• "Can we do it now? What do you want? Drinks or cigarettes?" he asked.
• I glared at him. “Damn, you're too much. I won't be drinking for now. Just going to stick to smoking. Remember, I have a job now?"
• He chuckled. "Yeah, I almost forgot. So, let's go to Aling Perla's store," he offered.
• "Wow, you've got some nerve! As far as I know, you still haven't paid your debt to Aling Perla."
• "I paid already the other day. It's done. No need to worry. I'm on top of things."
• I locked my house before I walked beside Lawrence to go to Aling Perla's store, which is not far from our house.
• "So, how's your new job? Is it cool working for such a big company?"
• I shrugged. "It's actually pretty good, but there's just so much going to be done, you know? But it's totally normal, no biggie."
• "Is that your boss who talked to you earlier?"
• I nodded. "Yeah, that's Mr. Fabellon.”
• "Is he nice? Didn't you get scolded?”
• "I wasn't scolded because I didn't do anything wrong," I stated.
• We passed by the broken lamp post at the corner of the street. We crossed over because Aling Perla's variety store was on the other side of the road.
• "I know that, Nala, but I know you well. You get easily annoyed. I'm lucky that we became friends even though you're so elusive. Maybe you have a crush on me?" he joked.
• I almost tripped on my slippers because of what he said. I looked at him with disgust and punched his strong arm. But instead of getting hurt, he just laughed.
• It is true that I liked him before, but I won't let him know because he will surely just laugh at me. Plus, I got chills because the question came directly from his mouth.
• He bought a 12-ounce Pepsi, one for me and one for himself. He also bought balot and chicharon from the balut vendor who passed by Aling Perla's store. We sat on the sidewalk in the road.
• It is already ten o'clock at night, so it is relatively quiet here on our street. Aside from the occasional barking of dogs and the sporadic sound of passing motorcycles, there is no other noise in the surroundings.
• “Nala...” Lawrence shattered the peace that enveloped the two of us.
• “Hmm?” I responded without looking at him.
• "I want you to confess to me. I want you to tell me the truth..."
• I looked at him. I removed the straw from my mouth that I was using to drink my soft drink and then focused my attention on him, who was just staring at me.
• "What do you mean? What am I supposed to confess?"
• "Regarding Nadine, what really happened? Why was she suddenly taken from the hospital? And what surprises me is why you weren't there? Why didn't you even ask what happened to your sister? She was crying and looking for you while being loaded onto the ambulance, but I couldn't do anything because they said you gave permission for it. Is that true?"
• I couldn't answer. I couldn't swallow the soft drink in my mouth. I also didn't know what to say. I really wanted to tell Lawrence the truth, but it's just not possible. I'm also afraid that his perception of me will change when he finds out that my body will be the payment for all of this.
• “It's true,” I replied after a deafening silence.
• He took a deep breath and nodded slightly.
• "I understand. You're not ready to tell me, right?" I didn't respond. "Okay, I won't pressure you to tell me. I know how much you love your sister and that you make all your decisions with her best interests at heart. But I hope that when you're ready, you'll tell me everything because I'm always here for you. I'm on your side in every battle."
• I smiled, but it didn't reach my eyes. I held his hand and squeezed it.
• "Thank you, Lawrence. Thank you very much for not leaving me. You never made me feel alone. You had so many reasons to leave me, but you didn't."
• He messed up my hair. "Oh, don't cry; you look ugly when you cry."
• “Damn you!” I cursed because he ruined the mood again. He is really unpleasant to hang out with.
• The next day, I arrived early at the office because Lawrence was with me, and it was also his first day at the restaurant. There were only three employees on the floor where Hugo's office is, aside from me.
• I placed the coffee I bought earlier downstairs on the table, far from the important document. I opened the white desktop to start working. I created a schedule sheet for those who will be making appointments with Hugo.
• Currently, I have not yet received the appointments for Hugo because I still need to make some adjustments, but I believe it won't take long.
• “Hi, good morning!” I raised my gaze when a fellow employee suddenly peeked into my office carrel.
• “Good morning,” I said back.
• "Wow, you're up early. Are you going to work already? It's not even working hours yet," she said, glancing at her wrist watch.
• I shrugged my shoulders. "I have to. I don't want to be buried at work."
• "Oh, workaholic. By the way, I'm Miriam Idica, but you can call me Miri."
• I smiled. "I'm Nala Kaydence Cabral, but Nala will do.”
• "Do you have any mixed blood? Like, a mix of different races?"
• I nodded. "As far as I know, my dad is American, so I guess that makes me a Fil-Am."
• "Wow! I knew it; that's why your eyes are so beautiful and your nose is so sharp, not to mention your incredibly fair skin. Do you already have a boyfriend?"
• "None. I don't have time for that kind of stuff."
• She nodded. "Not that I'm prying or anything. If you don't have a boyfriend, then who was that guy you were with earlier? The good-looking one in the white shirt?"
• I couldn't help but laugh when I found out who he was referring to. "It's my friend, Lawrence. Why?"
• "Is he really just your friend?" she asked again, and I nodded. "Does he have a girlfriend?"
• "He also doesn't have one. I can set you up if you want."
• Miri's eyes lit up when she heard what I said. I knew that's where the conversation was headed, so I beat her to it. This wasn't the first time someone approached me with feelings for Lawrence.
• “Really?”
• "Of course. I also want my friend to have a girlfriend so that his life can have some color," I said and laughed.
• I gave Lawrence's number to Miri when she asked for it. Miri seems nice, so there shouldn't be any harm in setting her up with Lawrence, right? Who knows, maybe they'll hit it off.
• "Thank you so much, Nala! Let's have lunch together later, okay?"
• Because of what she said, my hackles suddenly rose.
• What happened yesterday is something like a 2.0X speed video quickly flashed back in my mind. I don't know how I managed to leave his office after he kissed me, but all I know is that I couldn't focus on my work. Still, I did everything I could to finish it and send everything to him.
• I closed my eyes tightly and massaged my temples. Unconsciously, I ran my fingers over my lips, remembering the softness of Hugo's lips pressed against mine yesterday.
• It wasn't my first kiss, but it felt like the first real one I've ever experienced in my entire life. It was quick, but it truly left a mark on my mind. At first, I didn't know that someone's lips could have a taste, but thanks to Hugo, I learned that in just a few seconds, our lips were touching each other.
• I shook my head. "Enough already, Nala. You can't let that guy's kiss affect you!" I whispered to myself, still with my eyes closed, weakly slapping my own cheek.
• “Why are you hurting yourself?”
• I was jolted from my seat when I heard Hugo's voice. I quickly opened my eyes and stood up.
• “G-Good morning, Mr. Fabellon,” I said without answering his question.
• I can't look at him. Why is he so early? It's only seven o'clock. As far as I can remember, he usually arrives around nine.
• “Good morning.” His cold yet baritone voice filled the entire floor. Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, I saw his feet stepping away, but then he called my name, leaving me breathless.
• “Yes, sir?” I asked.
• “Come to my office,” he demanded, turning his back at me.
• I looked at my desktop with a sigh. I thought I could escape from him. It seems like he has no intention of quieting my mind. What if he kisses me again? Or worse, what if we actually do it because it's part of his offer to me? Can I really handle this craziness?
• “Pst.” I glanced over at Miri, who was in the adjacent carrel.
• “Why?" I asked.
• "Sir, called you again?" I nodded. "Well, you're one lucky Nala. Did you know that not many secretaries get to go in there often? Maybe once a week or even less. But you were let in more than five times yesterday. What on earth happened?"
• "W-Why? What should happen?" I don't know why I suddenly can't sit still because of his last question.
• "What were you thinking? I mean, did you do something not so great yesterday? You were the talk of the office floor because you kept going back and forth to sir's office."
• “I didn't do—”
• “Ms. Cabral, didn’t I tell you to come here to my office?” Hugo's authority over the intercom caught both Miri and me off guard, making us look over there.
• "Wow, sir's voice on the intercom is surprisingly sexy," Miri commented, making me cringe.
• I thought she liked Lawrence?
• I had already said goodbye to her and headed to Hugo's office. I brought my small notebook and pen just in case he had something for me to do.
• I knocked.
• “Come in.” As soon as I heard that, I immediately opened the door.
• Hugo is currently standing in front of the glass wall, just like yesterday. He faced me when I entered.
• "Do you need anything, sir?" I forced myself to speak formally because I already disrespected him too much yesterday. No matter how you look at it, he's still my boss and deserves respect.
• He scrutinized me from head to toe before looking back at my face. I couldn't help but meet his gaze once again.
• “Is that your only corporate attire?”
• “Huh?”
• I checked out my outfit. There's nothing wrong with my white tube top paired with a black long-sleeve peplum. I actually feel more comfortable in this compared to what I wore yesterday. If only I could wear a loose t-shirt here, I would've done it.
• Hugo tsked and avoided eye contact. “How did you go home last night?”
• I whispered, "I crawled."
• “What?”
• “Huh? I said I ride a jeep."
• His eyebrows rose, seemingly unconvinced by my response.
• "Is that all you need, sir?" I asked.
• “No.”
• "What else? Would you like to have some coffee brewed?"
• “No."
• "What? I am not a fortune tel—"
• My eyes widened in surprise as he abruptly pulled my arm and wrapped his hand around my waist before I felt our lips meet once again.
• His eyes were not closed like they were yesterday. They were wide open, as if observing my reaction to what he was doing.
• His kiss was slow but purposeful. It moved as if it had a mind of its own. I was completely captivated by the moment. Before I knew it, my eyes were closing, and I could feel his lips against mine. It was intoxicating. It was mesmerizing.
• Hugo lightly bit my lower lip, causing it to part and giving him the opportunity to slip his tongue into my mouth. I responded to his kiss, feeling completely mesmerized by it.
• He squeezed my waist and pressed our bodies closer together. Our lips briefly parted to catch our breath. He still held onto my waist tightly, and I noticed how tightly I gripped his black suit, which I only just noticed.
• When our eyes met, a smile formed on his lips.
• “There, baby. That was better than coffee."