I woke up feeling exhausted, with a headache like I'd had too much to drink. I found my glasses on the bedside table and put them on. There were empty beer cans on the floor. I felt a little dizzy. I had a drink last night and the beer somehow numbed me. I checked the time on the wall clock and it was past 10am. I remembered I have an appointment with HR after lunch today.

I headed straight to the bathroom to wash up. The water was icy cold. Yesterday, I spent all day searching online for information about Dom, but I couldn't find anything. I felt sad thinking I might never see him again and regretted not talking to him before. I tried asking pride_Chicken for help, but he wasn't online all day, which left me feeling even more helpless and drained. But, I mustn't be consumed by my emotions.

I dressed up after and stood before the mirror, staring at my reflection. I looked okay, nothing special. My clothes were old, but I didn't think I needed new ones. Since I'd be working as a company nurse, I wouldn't get to wear casual clothes often anyway.

I scheduled an online carpool ride to Jana's workplace and arrived right on time. From the outside, the building appeared massive. Jana told me that besides their office, it housed a variety of businesses, including cosmetic brands, online shopping headquarters, banks, restaurants, modeling agencies, and more.

I made my way towards the elevator where I reached out to press the button, only to have my hand accidentally meet that of a guy next to me. He was wearing a mask and a hoodie.

"Sorry," we both said at once. His voice sounded oddly familiar. I glanced at him one more time but I couldn't see his face.

We both stepped into the elevator. I pressed the 8th floor button, but the guy in the hoodie didn't. Perhaps we are headed to the same place? And knowing me, I did not bother to ask. He also didn't seem like someone you'd want to talk to either.

More people got in from other floors, and soon the elevator was filled by the time I reached my stop. I got off, but the guy in the hoodie stayed behind. I glanced at him, thinking we were going to the same place, but when I looked back, the doors had closed. It felt odd.

I brushed off the thought and made my way to the floor lobby. As I approached the front desk, the floor admin greeted me with a warm smile. I was reminded of Manong Guard from the hospital — they had the same welcoming vibe.

"I have an appointment with HR today," I told her.

"Your name?" she asked politely.

"Cali, Cali Versoza," I replied.

She scanned through a list and found my name. "Ah, for the nurse position. Can I see your ID for the pass?" she requested.

I got my ID and handed it to her. She then gave me a keycard and visitor pass. "This is for accessing the doors, Nurse Cali. You'll need to return it to get your ID back. The HR office is right next to the pantry. Thank you," she explained, gesturing where I should go and making sure I wouldn't get lost.

"Thank you." I smiled back at her and went inside.

Jana's office occupied the entire 8th floor of the building, which was quite spacious, bustling with people moving around. It operates in the advertising industry with a staff of over 300 employees. Jana herself leads the Creative Department, where she oversees design projects.

Finding the HR office was easy, all thanks to the floor admin. I knocked, and through the clear glass panel on the door, I saw a woman in her early 30s waving me in.

"Good afternoon, Nurse Cali, correct?" she greeted, inviting me to sit down.

"Yes, I'm here as asked," I confirmed.

"I suppose you're already aware, our resident nurse will be on an early maternity leave. Therefore, we're in need of a temporary replacement. Here are the contracts for you to sign. Feel free to review them and reach out if you have any questions. Your schedule will be Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. Can you start tomorrow?" she explained, handing me the papers.

"Sure, I can start tomorrow," I agreed since I had nothing else to do at home.

"Great! I'll show you around the office and clinic so you won't get lost," she said with a smile, guiding me outside.

As we walked through the office, we first visited the clinic where I met Nurse Lee. She briefly discussed what I needed to know for when I started.

The HR officer also took the time to introduce me to each department and its team members, saying, "Hey everyone, meet Nurse Cali." It was a bit awkward, but everyone seemed nice and welcomed me warmly.

When we got to the Creative Department, I saw Jana. She asked me to wait for her so she could drive me home, but I had other plans in mind so I told her I'd head out on my own.

The tour went smoothly. Everyone in the office was friendly and welcoming. Jana was spot on when she said the atmosphere felt relaxed and stress-free. I could feel the positive vibes from everyone, and it left me feeling eager and excited to start work.

After my office appointment, I returned my keycard and passed it to the floor admin. As I told Jana, I had different plans. I felt overwhelmed by the warm welcome that I found myself missing Manong Guard from the hospital so I decided to pay him a visit and bring along some snacks.

I waited for the elevator to arrive, planning what to buy as I stood there. When it finally opened, I stepped inside and pressed the ground floor button. Just before the doors closed completely, I caught sight of the guy in the hoodie staring at me from outside. Our eyes locked, and I realized I knew him! It was Dom. I tried to open the doors, but it was too late, it had already shut.

I was startled and wondered why he was here. Was he following me? Upon reaching the ground floor, I hesitated, then decided to go back up to the 8th floor, hoping to find Dom. But, unfortunately, luck wasn't on my side this time. The elevator malfunctioned, closing the door shut and trapping me inside. It took almost an hour to be fixed.

And just when I reached the 8th floor again, I saw Jana waiting for me. She looked worried, but my mind was elsewhere. I tried to look for Dom, but he wasn't there anymore.

"Cali!" Jana's voice cut through my thoughts as she grabbed my arm, pulling me back to reality.

"I saw him here," I said, feeling frustrated.

"Who?" Jana asked, looking confused.

"Dom. He was here," I replied.

Jana tried to calm me down. "You must be mistaken. There's nobody named Dom here," she said.

"I know what I saw. He was here," I insisted. I couldn't be wrong. It was really him.

I could see the worry in Jana's face, "Maybe you're just tired. Let me drive you home," Jana said, leading me to the elevator.

Jana drove me home, and I couldn't shake off thoughts of the guy in the hoodie. Even though his face was covered, I recognized his eyes. But perhaps Jana was right. If there's no one named Dom there, who could he be? It must have been someone who looked similar, and I must have been mistaken. I turned to Jana and said, "I'm sorry if I acted so weird."

Jana pulled over and faced me, her expression filled with concern. "Maybe you should take a break. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pushed you into this," she said worriedly.

"No, don't worry. Things have just been messing with my head lately, but I'll be okay," I reassured Jana.

With what happened, I realized Jana was right, Dom is just a fragment of my past. I shouldn't let him get to me. Just the thought of him makes my world feels like it's falling apart, and it's frustrating knowing there's nothing I can do but feel this pain. I don't want to feel like this again. I need to move on.

"Are you sure about that, Cali? Forget about the referral. It's okay. I just don't want you to get burnt out because of this," Jana said, trying to convince me to back out.

"I'm good," I replied, assuring her I could handle it.

She sighed, "As you say," she replied, and started driving again.

As usual, we picked up Bambi from school before heading home. He was excited to share his school stories, bragging about getting stars and A's from his teacher. It was nice to see him enjoying school. It brought back memories of my own childhood.

We arrived home just in time for dinner. Jana offered to stay over so I wouldn't feel lonely, but I declined, insisting that I could handle myself. With work starting tomorrow, I need to get myself together. But, I didn't have much of an appetite for dinner, so I just grabbed a snack.

I sat on the sofa and turned on the TV. As I flicked through the channels, a news program caught my attention. The anchor was interviewing a guy who looked strangely familiar. There, I squinted at the screen. "Dom?!" I exclaimed, but then shook my head. Not again.

I couldn't believe my eyes as I watched the news. The guy on the screen introduced himself as Domino Vasquez, a young CEO of a cosmetic company for men. "Domino, Domino, short for Dom? Wait — could it really be that he is Dom?" I whispered to myself in shock.

As the interview continued, my suspicions grew stronger. The news anchor asked about a past accident, and Domino admitted to experiencing trauma-related episodes since then. pride_Chicken told me about it and it all seemed to fit. It really had to be him.

I hadn't watched TV in ages, and now I was stunned to learn that the Dom I once knew was now a famous CEO celebrity. It was a surprising discovery that left me both amazed and intrigued.

The interview went on for some time before it finally wrapped up. I learned that Dom was the CEO of Mino Cosmetics, a cosmetic brand for men and their headquarters were in the same building as Jana's office. So, I was right about earlier. It was really him.

I wanted to tell Jana, but I decided to keep it to myself. I didn't want to worry her anymore. I think that it might be better if Jana didn't know Dom's real name or what he looked like. She might have already run into him, and it could get awkward if she found out they worked in the same building all along.

Plus, if she knew, she might push me even more not to take the nurse role, and I didn't want that as deep down, I still hoped to see Dom again. I know that I wouldn't be able to do that if Jana finds out.

I switched off the TV and headed to my room. As I lay in bed, I couldn't help but wonder what I would do if I ran into him again.

Feeling lost and uncertain about what to do, I got up and switched on my laptop to distract myself. But instead, I noticed a message from pride_Chicken.

pride_Chicken: Sorry, I was busy with church yesterday. I thought you two already met up? Anyway, his name is Dom, Dom Vasquez.

I knew it was already late to get confirmation from pride_Chicken, but somehow, this brought me a sense of peace.

heyitsnursecali: Thanks!

It was true. Dom and I met up. The first time, he wasn't aware that he betrayed me. Next, he seemed to have forgotten about me. Now, he appeared to remember me. So I'm wondering, should I play dumb and pretend not to know anything the next time we meet? It's a question that lingers.