Chapter 9 Together

• Nala’s Point of View
• “I’m leaving now, Nala. Take care on your way home,” Miri bid farewell. She is the last employee on the floor, aside from me. She is working overtime today because she was overwhelmed with paperwork earlier.
• I nodded and forced a smile. “Take care.”
• “Of course. You’re going to introduce me to Lawrence, remember? See you tomorrow!” She waved before finally leaving.
• I glanced at my old keypad cellphone to check the time. Then, I shifted my gaze towards Hugo’s office door, which remained closed.
• It's already midnight, and I haven’t gone home yet because Hugo hasn’t gone home either. I want to ask permission to leave first, but I can’t because it’s against the office rules for me to leave before the boss unless he specifically tells me to.
• I took a deep breath and sipped coffee from a disposable cup. I focused my eyes on the desktop again and continued working on what I was supposed to work on tomorrow.
• In the middle of typing on my keyboard, my cellphone suddenly rang. I immediately answered it upon seeing Lawrence’s name on the screen.
• “Hello?”
• “Where are you, Nala? What time is it? What time are you coming home? I’ve been waiting for you here since earlier! I’m getting worried!” he said straight to the point from the other line.
• I glanced at Hugo’s office before turning my attention to him to answer his questions.
• “Don’t worry, I’m fine. I’m still at the office because my boss hasn’t left yet. I’ll probably go home later. Don’t wait for me.”
• “I’ll pick you up,” he insisted.
• “No, don’t. Go to sleep early; you have an early day tomorrow, right? I already told you that I’m fine.”
• He took a deep breath. ”No. I will pick you up. Wait for me there.”
• “Lawrence, don’t bother. There might still be a jeepney available at this hour,” I said as I glanced at my cellphone once again.
• “Who do you think will drive the jeep at this hour? Stop being stubborn, Nala. I will borrow Lester’s motorcycle, so don’t leave until I get back.”
• I took a deep breath and nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “Okay.”
• I put down my cellphone after the call. I finished my coffee in the glass first and then threw it in the small trash bin under my desk.
• I licked my lower lip and squeezed my head. Lawrence was right. There are no jeeps at this hour. There are taxis, but they are too expensive, and I don’t know if they are safe.
• I know how to engage in fistfights because I have tried joining fraternities in the past, but it has been a long time since my last fight, so I am unsure if I still know how to.
• I believe that I still know how to throw punches, but I think that the strength of my punches is not the same as before.
• I yawned and forced my eyes open as I looked at the desktop monitor in front of me. I thought coffee would wake me up, but it seems like coffee is the reason for my drowsiness now.
• I couldn’t help but keep opening my eyelids because I was so sleepy. Slowly, my head started to slump onto the table before darkness completely engulfed my consciousness.
• I don’t know how many hours I slept, but I was startled awake by a presence in front of me. I furrowed my brow and slowly opened my eyes. A small groan escaped my mouth before my eyes fully opened.
• I blinked several times upon seeing who was in front of me. My eyes widened, and I quickly straightened my posture.
• “H-How long have you been there, sir?”
• “Hugo,” he uttered.
• “Huh?”
• “Just call me Hugo when we are just the two of us.”
• My forehead wrinkled. “Why?”
• He shrugged and avoided eye contact. “Because I want to.”
• “Why?” I asked again.
• “I hate repeating my words, remember?”
• I winced again as I grabbed my cellphone and checked the time. It was already one in the morning. It turns out, I only slept for an hour. I looked at him, his gaze still fixed on me.
• “Can I leave now?”
• “I’ll take you home,” he insisted.
• I shrugged. “No need. I’m fine. Lawrence is probably already waiting for me outside; he’s the one who will pick me up.” I slung my bag over my shoulder.
• “Is he your boyfriend?”
• “Who? Lawrence?”
• “Yes. Who else do you think?”
• I looked at him in disbelief. Then I let out a laugh that I had been holding back. He raised an eyebrow, seeming annoyed by my laughter.
• “What are you laughing at? What’s funny?”
• “You actually mistook us for being a couple?” I exclaimed in disbelief. “Yeah, I’ve heard people say that we look like we have something going on, but I never thought you would think that too. I thought you had a broader mindset than others out there.”
• “Then, if that man isn’t your boyfriend, let me take you home,” he insisted once again.
• “I don’t want to,” I said, turning away.
• “I am not going home yet. So, technically, you are not allowed to go home yet as well,” he said, stopping my steps.
• “What?!”
• “I will not repeat it again.” He turned around and walked back into his office.
• My blood boiled at his words. I followed him into his office, furrowing my brows. I no longer cared if he scolded me again. I’ve had enough of this place!
• “Hey, did you know that I can actually sue you for what you’re doing to me right now?!” I exclaimed.
• “I’m not doing anything to you. It’s not as if I am harassing you or something.”
• “I should go home already! What time is it? It’s way past my time here! This is not overtime anymore! And it's not in my plan to work overtime on my second day of work!”
• “Don’t worry, I’ll add this to your salary. Happy?”
• “No! I don’t want to!”
• “I’ll double your salary.”
• “Triple,” I said.
• His eyebrows were raised, and his lips were slightly curved.
• “Triple, then,” he said authoritatively with finality in his voice.
• “I’m easy to talk to. Even if we leave tomorrow, it’s okay; it’s okay with me, I won’t complain,” I said, lightly patting the top of my chest.
• “It seems like just now you wanted to go with your friend, eh?”
• “Don’t worry about Lawrence. I will take care of him.”
• I took my cell phone from inside my bag and opened it. I was about to press the call button to call Lawrence, but he got ahead of me. I just shrugged my shoulders and immediately answered it.
• “Hello, Lawrence.”
• “What’s up? You still haven’t come down? I’m already here in front of the building, but they won’t let me in because apparently non-employees aren’t allowed here. I’ll just wait for you here—”
• “Don’t bother.”
• “What? Why?”
• “Uh, you know what…” I glanced at Hugo, raising his right eyebrow as he stared back at me. “I still have a lot to do here, so maybe I’ll just go home tomorrow.”
• “Can’t you do that tomorrow instead? It’s late.”
• “I can— I mean, I can’t. It’s not allowed. My boss needs it until 6 o’clock!” I lied.
• I bit my lower lip due to the guilt I’m feeling in my chest right now. This isn’t the first time I lied to Lawrence, but it’s the worst lie I’ve ever told him, aside from the agreement I made with Hugo.
• I heard his exasperated sigh on the other line. “Fine, I’ll just wait for you to come home whenever. I can totally wait.”
• “I’m really good, Lawrence. I can handle myself. You can go home.”
• “Don’t be stubborn.”
• “Lawrence Santillian,” I said his full name with an authoritative tone.
• “Aren’t you done yet?” Hugo interrupted, causing me to slightly flinch in shock. I didn’t notice that he was already in front of me.
• I widened my eyes at Hugo due to his sudden interruption. Does he have no manners?
• “Who’s that, Nala?” Lawrence asked.
• “Uhm, it’s just my boss. I just need to finish the paperwork. You can go home now. Take care!”
• I didn’t wait for him to say anything else; I immediately ended the call. I know what I did was wrong, lying to Lawrence instead of telling him the truth. I know he would understand once he finds out that I’m doing this to earn money. I’ll just treat him once I receive my salary.
• “I thought he wasn’t your boyfriend?” Hugo said.
• “He’s not,” I answered, placing my bag on the table before sitting on the expensive couch in his office.
• “But he is acting like one.”
• I raised an eyebrow at him. “What now? Just stop meddling in my life. Focus on how you can finish your work. Hurry up, because I’m about to go home. I badly want to sleep.”
• “Don’t order me; I know what I am going to do.”
• He turned around and went back to his swivel chair, then resumed working. While he was busy typing on his laptop keyboard, I couldn’t help but secretly stare at him.
• When I stare at him, his eyes with a unique color that are covered by eyeglasses really stand out. If you don’t really know the color, it can be described as gray, but the truth is, his eyes are gunmetal blue, just close to being gray in color.
• When our gazes meet, I feel a strange effect it has on my entire being, as if when he looks into my eyes, he can immediately discern my entire being, whether it be shallow or deep.
• If I were to focus on his physique, I would think that he is God’s favorite sculpture because of the perfect angles of his muscles. I couldn’t tell if it was intentionally sculpted through the gym or if his muscles naturally formed that way.
• My gaze returns to his serious face as he looks at his laptop. His thick, furrowed eyebrows give him a commanding presence. His straight nose, accentuated by the nose pads of his glasses, adds to his allure. And those perfectly shaped, sinful lips of his have brushed against mine multiple times.
• I’m not surprised that many people are attracted to him. Even my fellow employees can’t hide their admiration for Hugo. If they were the ones given the offer, they would accept it without hesitation. If it weren’t for my sister, I wouldn’t be willing to risk my dignity for it.
• I tilted my head slightly when I realized that I wasn’t being discrete with my observation of him. Hugo looked up and smirked at me, knowing that I was caught staring. I turned my gaze away to hide the sudden flush of my cheeks.
• Why the hell am I blushing?!
• “Are you done staring at me?” he teased. “What do you think about my face? It’s handsome, right?” he added.
• “Wow…” I whispered. “I wasn’t staring at you! Don’t flatter yourself!” I denied, even though it was clear what I had done earlier.
• Even if it’s obvious, I will never admit it!
• I rolled my eyes at him and took off the pumps that had been hurting my feet all day. I laid down on the long black sofa and comfortably propped my feet on the armrest.
• “What are you doing?” Hugo asked in disbelief.
• “Lying down, what else do you think? I’m going to take a nap. You never said I had to work while you’re working, right?” I replied with my eyes closed.
• I really wanted to sleep because I’ve been feeling sleepy for a while now. But he’ll probably wake me up when he’s done working, right?
• I adjusted my position on the sofa, finding even more comfort with the air conditioner’s cool air circulating in the four corners of the office.
• I didn’t realize how much time had passed. I only woke up when I felt a gentle tap on my foot.
• “Wake up, sleepyhead. You are drooling.”
• The sound of Hugo’s voice woke me from my peaceful slumber. I slowly opened my eyes and scanned the office before eventually returning my gaze to him.
• “What time is it?” I asked in a hoarse voice as I rubbed my eyes. I was still lying down.
• “It’s already 4:30. Fix yourself, and I’ll take you home.”
• He loosened his black tie. He was only wearing a white button-down long-sleeve shirt, tucked in his black slacks with a black leather belt.
• “Didn’t you sleep?” I asked as I sat up, causing the black suit to slide off my legs and onto the floor.
• I only just noticed the suit crumpled on top of me. I glanced up at Hugo, but he had his back turned to me. Judging by the scent of the suit, it belonged to Hugo. Did he put it on me?
• “No. I don’t sleep.”
• I was taken aback. “What? Are you being literal? You really didn’t sleep?”
• “Yeah,” he answered. “It’s been 2 days since the last time I slept for 4 hours only,” he added, like it was nothing.
• My eyes widened, and I stood up, reaching out to hold both of his shoulders firmly to get a better grip.
• His forehead furrowed in response to my actions. I looked into his eyes, and that’s when I noticed that there was no life in them. His eye bags were not apparent from a distance, but upon closer inspection, one could see the slight signs of fatigue that didn’t really detract from his appearance.
• “Why aren’t you sleeping? Is there something wrong?” I asked with concern.
• “My personal life is not part of your job,” he replied coldly, removing my hand from his shoulder.
• I watched as he packed up his laptop and other belongings.
• “Let’s go.”
• He passed by me and quickly exited his office. I hurriedly grabbed my bag from the top of the glass center table and Hugo’s black suit from the floor. I chased after him as he walked at an incredible speed. I caught up to him just as he reached the front of the elevator, waiting for it to open.
• As we entered the elevator, I handed him his suit.
• “Wear that,” he said, which made me frown. He wasn’t looking at me as he spoke.
• “Why?”
• “I can see your red brassiere from here. It’s been showing since earlier!” he said, giving me a disapproving look. “Don’t ever repeat wearing such a thin tube top behind that peplum of yours if you can’t fulfill the responsibility, darn it!”
• My eyes widened at his words. I quickly understood what he meant, causing my gaze to shift towards the lower part of his pants. Was that what he was angry about?
• As the elevator dinged, Hugo quickly stepped out. I didn’t know what to do. I followed him and placed his suit on my chest. He was right. My thin white tube top made my red bra from the thrift store quite obvious.
• I bit my lower lip in embarrassment.
• You’re so embarrassing, Nala! What if that guy thinks I’m trying to seduce him?! Ugh!