"Are you sure you don't want to come with us today?"

Raising his head, Sky was greeted by the sight of Dion giving the person across from his desk a curious stare. The assistant professor glanced to his side, following his older friend's gaze, and saw JP make an apologetic smile.

"I get that the bar is far from your apartment," Dion continued. Since this morning, he had been nagging JP to go with them for a drink after work. Although their junior colleague had already declined the invitation earlier, it seemed like the older professor had yet to give up. "But wouldn't it be okay since Sky is coming along with us? He can just drop you home again."

At the mention of his name, Sky glowered at his friend. He had no problem driving the young instructor to his apartment, but first of all, he didn't even remember agreeing to join them at the bar.

Why are you just assuming things and deciding everything for me? He internally complained as he kept sending his friend a dirty look, hoping that he would get the message.

Unfortunately, Dion paid him no mind because his eyes were all on JP. It was Angela who noticed Sky's expression and shook her head. A stifled smile graced her dark pink lips, a sign that she might be entertained by her officemates' interactions.

The Philosophy instructor let out a low, awkward laugh, snatching Sky's attention back to him. "Please don't make it sound like Mr. De Vera is my personal driver or my babysitter."

Diverting his dissatisfaction to the person next to his table, Sky said, "I seem to remember you grumbling about the fact that I don't call you JP, but here you are still calling Mr. De Vera instead of Sky."

A hush fell over their work area, and his remark gained different reactions from his three desk neighbors.

Dion finally regarded Sky. He furrowed his brow, showing his confusion. His face was an open book, and anyone could read his need to ask what was going on between the pair of younger men. Feeling a little vindictive, Sky ignored him.

JP's wide eyes rushed to the assistant professor. He opened his mouth as if to argue, stopped, and pressed his lips in a tight line. Without saying a word, he faced his table back.

And lastly, there was Angela.

Well, Angela munched on her cracker while looking back and forth between JP and Sky, examining her junior colleagues like she was trying to decide what fingernail design she would like to try on next time. She didn't take her gaze off the two younger men, even as she picked up her tumbler to take a drink. The smile on her face became bigger when her eyes met Sky's.

She shrugged before addressing the paperwork on her desk and bursting into a song. "And I don't wanna fight this war. Bullets coming off our lips. But we stick to our guns, and we love like battleships. Like battleships."

All three men simultaneously turned to the female professor. Dion gawked, looking her up and down as though she had metamorphosed into a strange creature from another planet.

Oblivious to their old friend's astonishment, Angela bobbed her head in sync with her chanting a series of "Boom, boo-boom, boom."

Her vocal type was as equally beautiful as her face; Sky would give her that. But he found it hard to fully appreciate it right now when he suspected that the woman was trying to convey a certain nuance with the lyrics.

The female professor started to hum, dialing her singing down, and Dion took the chance to interrupt. "What are you suddenly crying about, Angela?"

Unbothered by the snark, she answered brightly, "Oh, sorry. The lyrics suddenly played in my head, and I just wanted to sing it. I like that song, you know. Battleships by Daughtry. It reminds me of married couples having arguments."

The furtive glance and the meaningful smile she tossed at the certain duo opposite her didn't go unnoticed by the assistant professor.

"Is that so? Well, it's indeed a great song." Dion nodded, albeit still looking baffled.

JP must have also caught on to Angela's drift and thought it best to steer the conversation back to the original subject. "Anyway, as I was saying, I've been into Mr. De Vera's—" He halted and threw Sky a sidelong glance. With a flustered face, he corrected, "I mean, Sky has done so much for me since I came here, and I'm afraid I'm already taking an awful lot of the time that he's supposed to spend on more important stuff."

"Like what?" Angela asked and resumed eating her cracker. She offered the bowl of biscuits to Dion, but the older professor turned it down with a wave of his hand.

Dion gave JP an expectant stare, seeming more interested in the instructor's answer than in Angela's snack.

A plastic package rustled as JP fidgeted with the unopened potato chips that the female professor had given him a while ago. "Well, like his family and friends. Or, I don't know, what if there's someone he's courting or dating right now?"

Sky's scowl deepened, unimpressed by JP's idea. How did he even come up with that? More importantly, why were they talking as if the subject of their conversation were not present to hear them?

The De Vera heir didn't get the chance to comment on the young instructor's assumption when Dion spoke first, "If Sky is currently courting someone, it only means one thing."

"What?" Angela turned to Dion, curiosity in her eyes.

"He's cheating on his lover, Delilah."

"Cheating?" the woman asked in a high-pitched voice at the same time as Sky demanded gravely, "What are you talking about?"

Another beat of silence occurred.

Dion delayed his response for an added effect.

And then, a third shocked voice posed a question, wanting confirmation. "He has... he has a lover?"

"I don't." Sky's head snapped at where JP was. Defensiveness surged through him as his eyes found the Philosophy instructor's surprised expression. He didn't know why he was suddenly desperate to clear up this misunderstanding, why he badly wanted to prove his innocence to JP.

Because the younger man refused to look at him, Sky directed his frustration at Dion. "I don't even know someone named Delilah," he said, his tone calm but sharp, as he glared daggers at his friend.

"I'm talking about your laptop, man, because you're married to your work," Dion explained, unflinching despite the assistant professor's intimidating gaze.

Everyone paused to let the statement register, and it was Angela who cracked it first. "But Sky's using a MacBook Pro, not a Dell laptop, Dion," she pointed out with a soft laugh, "You're the one who's using Dell."

"Oh, is that so? My bad, I got it mixed up. His lover's name is Apple then, not Delilah."

Stuck between relief at the discovery that his friend was only fooling around and irritation at the stupidity of it all, Sky grunted, "Your joke's showing your age, Dion."

Through the whole exchange, Angela didn't bother to hide her amusement as she broke into a fit of giggle.

The assistant professor shifted his eyes to JP and raised his brow, as if to quietly tell him, 'See? I'm not guilty.' All he got in response was a blank stare from the younger man.

Obviously unaffected by Sky's dig, Dion went back to talking with the Philosophy instructor. "All jokes aside, JP, it's been long since the last time I saw this young man date anyone, so you don't have to worry about taking his time that's supposed to be for his non-existent girlfriend. I can assure you, he's single at the moment."

An unreadable expression settled on the JP's face. When he answered, it became apparent that he was dodging the topic about a certain someone. "Still, I want to finish my lesson plan as soon as possible, and since I can't bring the laptop home with me, I want to stay behind today so I can work on it."

The older professor sighed, defeated. "So it's work over social life for you too. At least Sky has learned to loosen up a bit nowadays, but I remember also having a hard time inviting him when he was still a newbie here." He leaned back in his chair, angling his ballpoint pen at Sky and JP. "You know what? I think you two make a perfect match."

Angela didn't say anything, but the sparkle in her eyes could only mean an approval of Dion's comment.

»»————-　➴　————-««

The surroundings were already dark when Sky stepped out of the CASS building. It was almost seven o'clock in the evening. Most students and staff had left the campus, aside from a few who were scheduled for night classes.

As he reached his car in the parking area, the assistant professor turned his head skywards. He noted that the clouds hid the moon and the stars tonight too. It had not rained for the whole time this afternoon, but going by the cracks of lightning and the gust of wind, it was not hard to guess that another downpour was approaching.

His thoughts wandered back to the CASS faculty room, and the image of a certain Philosophy instructor flashed in his mind.

JP was alone in their office right now. The rest of the teaching personnel had either gone home or moved to the other college buildings since most of them taught minor subjects to the students from different courses. Lectures at night were rarely held in the CASS classrooms, and it was even rarer for the educators to stay in their office during these hours.

"Don't worry. If you're concerned about me seeing ghosts, I'm not really scared of them. What can they do to me? Actually, it would be nice if some of them would actually appear to keep me company," JP had jokingly told Dion and Angela before they had left him.

That might be the case. Things like ghosts were just another figment of humans' wild imaginations, after all. Nonetheless, Sky knew there was something that could certainly terrify JP.

Deciding that his worries would not change anything, Sky opened the door of his car and tried to get inside.

Try, he did.

His right foot stopped dead on the running board, his hand froze on the car's door, and his eyes widened in shock as the heavens let out the loudest thunderclap immediately after a vast floodlight had rolled by for a second. It was as if a huge camera had flashed on the whole city, which was then followed by a collision and explosion of giant fuel trucks.

For an instant, Sky thought his heart had ceased beating, only for it to make a sprint again.

"Oh my God, that surprised me!" exclaimed a female student passing by the parking area. She and her friend were looking above, as though to check if the sky would discharge another massive lightning and thunder.

The assistant professor's mind raced, but his whole body was quicker to take an impulsive action. He slammed the door of his car closed, his feet acting on their own as he went back over the same ground. Slipping by the main pathway, Sky fished out his phone from his pocket and dialed Dion's number.

It rang once before it was picked up. Sky didn't wait for the other person from the opposite line to give his greeting as he abruptly said, "Sorry, Dion, something came up. I need to go back to the office, so I won't be able to join you, after all." His words were rash; his steps, just as hurried. He didn't take a pause, didn't slow down to appreciate the beautiful flowers all over the campus, like his grandmother would often suggest to everyone.

"What? Why are you suddenly ditching us?" Disappointment painted the older professor's voice.

Feeling guilty though he was, Sky stuck to his plan. His concern for someone else overrode his regret for standing his other friends up.

"It's really important. I'll just make it up to you, guys, next time." Without waiting for another reply, he hung up and shoved his phone back into his pocket.

The rain began to drizzle down. Sky picked up his pace, not only to avoid getting wet but also to make sure he could get to his destination as soon as possible. He hoped he wasn't too late.

Rules and regulations were forgotten; he didn't put the brakes on even when he reached the CASS building's corridor. It was only when he was at the door of their office did he pause to catch his breath.

At first glance, the faculty room appeared empty. Everything was quiet. There was no indication of any employee working at the tables, no taps on the computer keyboards. Yet, the switched-on light was telling that someone had been here. Maybe, still here.

Sky tentatively made his way in between the desks and drawers. Turning the corner to check their work area, the sight that awaited him brought him up short.

There was the person he was searching for, at the foot of his desk, sitting on the floor, curled up like a fetus in a woman's womb. His face was buried against his knees. His trembling arms were wrapped around his bent legs.

"JP," Sky called out hoarsely but gently, careful not to scare the young instructor any further.

JP flinched and raised his head, revealing the dread in his round, glassy eyes. The color of blood had fled from his panic-stricken face. "W-why are you still here?" he asked, his voice on the edge of breaking.

The scene pulled at Sky's heartstrings, left him with the sudden desire to cover JP like a baby in a warm blanket. He wanted to protect the younger man from whatever was sending him into a cold sweat.

With all the possible haste, the assistant professor crossed the little distance between them. He crouched in front of the instructor, while the latter kept his shocked gaze at him.

Sky didn't have any blanket with him or anything he could use to wrap JP with, so he was left with no other option but to gather his colleague's smaller body in his arms.

He smelled like summer rain, Sky noted as he guided JP's head into his shoulder. The pleasant kind that could make people think of the beautiful nature. Earthy like the woods, fresh like the green grass, sweet and powdery like the flowers. It reminded Sky of his grandmother's most prized floral garden at home.

JP was passive as he continued to shake in the assistant professor's embrace.

Moving his hand to the back of the young instructor's head, Sky caressed JP's hair and whispered, "It's okay. I'm here. You're fine now."