I stuffed two cookies on my mouth as I hurriedly made my way to work. Unfortunately, my alarm didn't go off and I'm already ten minutes late. Ipinagdasal ko na lang na sana'y maganda ang gising ni Sir Lars ngayong araw para hindi niya ako pagalitan.

"Kasalanan din naman niya." I grudgingly whispered to myself. Inis akong napabuga ng hangin. "Suddenly dropping a bomb like that and flirting without warning... Sinong hindi mapupuyat doon?!"

My cheeks flushed at the recollection of our moment yesterday. Geez, he shouldn't go around saying that thin lips make him weak. How could he say that to me, of all people? Alam naman niyang manipis ang mga labi ko. He was lowkey flirting with me, wasn't he?!

"Good morning, Aria!"

Just when I arrived in front of our building, Tobi appeared out of nowhere then began strangling me for no reason. Seriously, I wish he'd stop being a dork and just greet me like a normal person!

"Tobi, please let me go!" pakiusap ko at paulit-ulit na hinampas ang kanyang balikat dahil ayaw niyang bitawan ang leeg ko.

"Three days left before the christmas party!" He ignored me then locked my head on his armpit. "Want me to leak the games so you could win them all and hog the prizes to yourself, Aria? Fufu~"

Napangiwi naman ako. "No, thanks! That's no fun at all!"

Magkasama na kaming pumasok sa opisina at nadatnan namin sina Miss Kyla at Neil. Looks like they already started decorating the office for the upcoming party. Pati si Nami ay tumutulong sa kanila.

"Dumating na ba si Sir Lars?" nagmamadali kong tanong.

"Yup! Kanina pa siya nandito." sagot naman ni Miss Kyla.

I nervously bit my nails. "Bad mood?"

Kapwa naman sila nagkatinginan. When they replied with absolute silence, I already knew. Nilakasan ko na lang ang loob ko at hinanda ang aking sarili bago pumasok sa opisina ni Sir Lars.

I found him seated on his swivel chair. Nakatalikod siya pero 'di nakalagpas sa paningin ko ang pagtipa ng daliri niya sa mesa.

"Sir Lars," I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for being late."

He turned around to face me. "Oh, it's you."

I blinked twice. Akala ko bad mood?

"Aren't you going to scold me?" mahina kong tanong.

"Hmm?" He seemed a bit confused. "Nope. It's still early, anyway."

I glanced over my shoulder then found our colleagues peeping on the door. When they saw my questioning look, all of them burst into laughter. Tignan niyo 'tong mga 'to, pinakaba lang pala ako!

"Kinabahan si Aria!" pang-aasar ni Neil at humagalpak ng tawa.

Napabuga ako ng hangin. "Sabi niyo bad mood siya!"

"Sorry," Miss Kyla made a peace sign. "We love your honest face!"

Bumalik na sila sa kanya-kanya nilang mga gawain sa labas. Si Sir Lars naman, hindi maipinta ang mukha nang muli kong harapin.

He seemed a bit offended. "Am I really that scary for you to be afraid of me first thing in the morning? Medyo nakakainsulto."

Hindi naman ako sumagot. Nag-angat lang ako ng tingin sa kisame.

"Hoy, tumingin ka sa akin." Nagdabog siya sa mesa kaya napilitan akong lumingon sa kanya. He reiterated his query. "Am I really that scary?"

Gee.

"Bitch, I'm asking you. Bakit nakatanga ka lang sa akin?"

"Silence means yes!" mangiyak-ngiyak kong sagot.

Inirapan ako ni Sir Lars. "Wow, ha. Sana naman nagsinungaling ka na lang. Hindi mo man lang pinagaan ang loob ko kahit konti."

Bahala ka diyan. Tatanong-tanong ka eh.

Tumayo na siya sa pwesto niya. "Anyway, we have to get going."

Nagmamadaling lumabas si Sir Lars mula sa opisina niya at mabilis ko naman siyang sinundan. Hindi ko alam kung saan kami pupunta pero baka may importante siyang lakad. Sanay na rin naman akong umaalis kami nang biglaan.

"Saan po tayo ngayon, Sir?" magalang kong tanong.

Pinatunog naman niya ang aming sasakyan nang makarating kami sa parking lot. "We have a seminar to attend today."

Sir Lars insisted on driving, which was rare because he's usually too lazy to take the wheels. Hinayaan ko na lang siya dahil hindi ko rin naman alam kung saan gaganapin ang seminar na pupuntahan namin.

"Nasa mood ka mag-drive?" I queried out of curiosity.

"Not really," He replied then halted the car when the stoplight turned red. "But you got bags under your eyes, so I don't think you're in any condition to drive. Puyat ka, 'no? Bakit?"

Whose fault is that?!

"I stayed up all night reading." I let out an awkward chuckle.

He shot me a sideward glance. "Reading what?"

"Manga." I lied.

"Oh, manga. So you're into that." Sir Lars mumbled nonchalantly.

Napakamot na lang ako sa ulo. There's no way I'd tell him that I couldn't sleep because of him. Baka mamaya isipin pa niya, may gusto ako sa kanya!

Nanatili kaming tahimik sa biyahe. Pasipol-sipol lamang si Sir Lars habang nagmamaneho. For some reason, I found the silence awkward. What's wrong with me? It's not like we always talk when we're together. In fact, I'm already used to the silence between us.

Kaya bakit ako naiilang?

"You like hentai, Aria?" Sir Lars blurted out of nowhere.

I shot him a mortified look. "Where did that question come from?!"

"Eh?" He giggled. "If you read manga, then you must like hentai."

I went on muttering incomprehensible words, which made him laugh. Sir Lars seemed genuinely amused at my reaction.

"That's not something you can casually ask to anyone!" I cried.

"I told you, didn't I? I love making people feel uncomfortable." The side of his mouth lifted. "Anyway, there's no need to be shy."

Out of embarrassment, I covered my face with both hands.

Hindi ko na siya kinibo hanggang sa makarating kami sa venue ng seminar. Si Sir Lars naman ay nakangisi lamang at mukhang natutuwa na naiinis ako. Nagmartsa ako papunta sa isang bakanteng upuan habang siya naman ay nanatiling nakasunod sa likuran ko.

"You mad?" natatawa niyang tanong nang maupo kami.

My cheeks reddened. "I'm embarrassed, Sir."

"Oh, don't be. What's there to be embarrassed about? Dapat nga hindi ka na nahihiya sa akin. You've already seen me butt naked-"

In a swift, my palm landed on his mouth. "Sir Lars!"

"Okay," He chuckled heartily. "I get it. Calm down, you dummy."

I cleared my throat before removing my hand. "You seem to be in an awfully good mood today, Sir Lars. Did something nice happen?"

He winked at me. "Ganyan talaga kapag nadiligan."

Huh?

"Hindi niya ako sinipot kahapon sa usapan namin sa park pero pinuntahan ako ni Gen sa unit ko kagabi. Ah, my heart is so full." paliwanag ni Sir Lars na noo'y hindi mapigilan ang kanyang kilig.

"Oh," Iyon lamang ang nasabi ko. "Good for you, Sir."

Bumagsak ang tingin ko sa sahig. Habang hindi ako makatulog kagabi kakaisip sa kanya, mukhang puyat naman siya kakagiling.

"No!" I simultaneously slapped both of my cheeks. What's with those negative thoughts?! "Get a grip, girl. Know your place!"

My boss tilted his head in confusion. "Aria?"

"Don't mind me, Sir." I tapped his shoulder dramatically then raised my thumb. "I'm happy for you. Keep grinding for the future!"

Humagalpak naman siya ng tawa. "Siraulo!"

I couldn't help but smile at the sight of his blissful expression. Yes, this is how it should be. Although he's a bit cheeky and playful at times, Sir Lars is one of the kindest people I know. He deserves it.

Nang magsimula ang seminar, tsaka naman ako dinalaw ng matinding antok. Tinatawanan pa nga ako ni Sir Lars dahil ilang beses nang bumabagsak ang ulo ko. Kalaunan, hindi ko na talaga ito nagawang labanan at tuluyan na akong nakatulog.

I woke up from my nap when I felt someone wiping the side of my mouth. I immediately opened my eyes in panic, and I almost fainted in shame when I realized that I was salivating during my sleep. Not to mention that I was leaning on Sir Lars.

"I'm sorry for being alive." I remarked without batting an eyelash.

A playful grin dawned on his face. "Don't say that. You're an interesting person and you keep me entertained everyday, Aria."

I sighed. "So even my existence is a big joke to you, Sir."

"What? No!" He burst into laughter. "You're such a pessimist."

A few hours passed, and the afternoon was quite uninteresting for me. As much as I wanted to take the seminar to the heart, it was all about feature writing and I'm honestly not that into writing.

My secretarial duties include transcribing, setting appointments, recording meetings and the such, but I'm rarely asked to contribute to the actual magazine. So no, journalistic writing isn't for me.

Alas-tres media na natapos iyong seminar at nagkasundo kami ni Sir Lars na ihahatid niya muna ako pabalik sa opisina dahil may pupuntahan pa siya. Hindi ko alam kung saan pa ang lakad niya pero ayaw ko na rin namang sumama. Kailangan ko nang bumalik dahil may mga naiwan pa akong gagawin.

Sa gitna ng biyahe namin, napansin kong natatawa si Sir Lars sa hindi malamang dahilan kaya tinanong ko siya kung bakit.

"Wala. May naalala lang ako." he answered without making eye contact with me. "By the way, do you have an Instagram account?"

"Meron, pero hindi ako active." pag-amin ko.

"Oh, is that so?" He pouted. "Still, let's follow each other."

Tumango naman ako. "Sige, mamaya. Wala akong data ngayon eh."

"Gosh, you're so poor." komento ni Sir Lars habang hindi inaalis ang tingin sa kalsada. Ang pasmado talaga ng bibig ng taong 'to.

"May wifi naman po kasi sa opisina kaya hindi ako nagpapa-load." sarkastiko kong katwiran.

Ipinagkibit-balikat na lamang niya ito.

As soon as he dropped me to our building, my boss left. I returned to the office shortly, where I found my colleagues still busy with the preparations for the upcoming party. Bigla tuloy akong na-excite.

"Hi. Is there anything I can help with?" I politely offered to them.

"Kaya na namin, Aria! Salamat," nakangiting sagot ni Nami.

"Seriously, how come you're allowed to slack off while we're not?" I gasped when Tobi suddenly appeared beside me then shoved his phone to my face. "What treachery is this, Aria? You're even allowed to sleep during work hours. Napakadaya mo!"

My jaw dropped. He just showed me a picture of myself when I was fast asleep during the seminar! It seems that Sir Lars posted it on his IG story, and there was a caption that goes like this: Look at this sleeping beauty, slacking off and leaving all the work to her boss...

Nataranta naman ako. "Nakakahiya!"

"Heh! Mahiya ka talaga!" Tobi childishly exclaimed.

"Leave her alone, you idiot. She's directly supervised by Lars so she's allowed to slack off as long as he doesn't mind." pahayag naman ni Miss Kyla at tsaka piningot si Tobi paalis.

I immediately connected my phone to the wifi then messaged my employer on his account. Agad din naman siyang sumagot sa akin.

Direct Message (Via Instagram)

Ariadnaaa: Sir Lars!

AltariaLars: oh, it's you

Ariadnaaa: Delete mo story mo!!!

AltariaLars: haha balakadiyan

Sinubukan ko pa siyang pilitin pero hindi na siya nag-reply sa akin. Gusto ko na lang mamatay sa sobrang hiya. Naglalaway pa ako doon sa picture. Kaya siguro siya natatawa kanina!

Sa sobrang sama ng loob ko, pumunta ako sa profile ni Sir Lars para sana maghanap ng pwedeng pang-ganti sa kanya kaso wala akong nakita. He looks good in all of his pictures! This is so unfair.

Upon scrolling further, a group photo caught my attention. It was taken last year in a church, and it seemed to be the baptismal of someone's daughter. I instantly recognized Sir Lars who stood next to the fair and petite woman holding a baby in her arms.

Katabi naman niya si Sir Genesis sa kabilang dako niya.

"Wow. They're both so good-looking." I whispered to myself, my eyes fixed on their smiling faces. "Like a match made in heaven."

Mabilis kong tinampal ang aking noo. Seriously, what's wrong with me today? I've been feeling this sense of uneasiness ever since this afternoon. Ano ba talaga 'tong nararamdaman ko?

"Don't tell me... I'm jealous?" That question subconsciously escaped my lips. "Huh? Does that mean that I like Sir Lars?"

I gasped dramatically then slumped myself on the floor.

"I like him?" I repeated to myself. "No, no. That can't be. We've only been together for months. How could I possibly like him? Doesn't that make me a simp? Oh, gosh. Am I actually a simp for hot guys?"

I was still in the middle of my internal panic when Tobi approached me to bother me once more. "What's up? You wanna take a shit or something?" he shamelessly asked then joined me on the floor.

I waved my hand. "Shoo. Go away, Tobi."

"Eh?" He pouted in disappointment. "You're so mean. Should I go tell them that you like Sir Lars and that you're a simp for hot guys?"

Nagkatinginan kaming dalawa. Wala munang nagsalita sa amin.

Napakurap ako ng ilang beses. "Huh?"

"Huh?" gulat din na reaksyon ni Tobi.

Halos maiyak ako nang mapagtanto kong narinig niya ang mga sinabi ko kanina. Hinablot ko ang kamay ni Tobi bago magsalita.

"Anong dapat kong gawin para hindi mo 'to sabihin kahit na kanino?" I earnestly asked him.

An evil smirk formed on his face. "Call me Master."

"Master Tobi."

"Nice. Now kiss my ass-" Before he could even finish his sentence, I smacked him on the face then scurried off. To hell with that crap!

"It's okay. Everyone knows that Tobi likes fooling around. Wala naman sigurong maniniwala sa tsismis na sa kanya galing." sabi ko sa sarili ko habang paalis ako ng opisina. "More importantly, I need to think carefully about this."

Since I had to commute to get home, I made a detour to the supermarket. I bought some of my comfort food such as cup noodles, yogurt, and banana. These will help me clear my mind for the rest of the day.

Anyway, it was already past 5pm when I got home. I felt stickier than usual because I didn't use the company car today, so I decided to take a bath before eating.

"Ah, taking off your bra after such a long day... Men will never understand how heavenly it feels." I started undressing myself.

I lowered my gaze to my chest and felt randomly disappointed.

"Is there any point in wearing bra with a chest this flat, though?" napapailing kong tanong. "I feel like people wouldn't notice the difference, anyway. Hindi na siguro talaga lalaki 'to kahit anong dasal ko."

After an hour of self-pity in the bathroom, I finished cleaning myself. I was drying my hair in front of the fan when somebody knocked on my door, which put me on alert.

"I'm not expecting anyone tonight. Who could it be?" I cautiously searched for something that I can use to defend myself. Nakita ko ang walis na nasa isang tabi at mabilis ko itong hinablot.

With ginger steps, I went closer to the door. When another knock came, I charily twisted the knob then took a defensive stance with my broom.

"Yo." The debonair figure of Sir Lars greeted me at the doorway. "I hope you don't intend on using that broom to murder me."

Due to the panic, I accidentally closed the door again.

"Wha-" I struggled to find the right words. He's the last person that I want to see tonight! "What are you doing here, Sir Lars?!"

He clicked his tongue. "Open the door first! You're so rude."

Labag man sa aking kalooban, napilitan akong pagbuksan siya. Hindi ko pa man tuluyang nabubuksan ang pinto ay mabilis na niyang kinurot ang aking pisngi at maingat akong hinila palapit sa kanya.

"You dare slam the door to my face, bitch?" aniya at mas lalo pang kinurot ang pisngi ko kaya naman muli akong napadaing.

"Sowwy!"

"Seriously, am I not welcome to your home?"

I had no choice but to let him in. The way he looked at me... It felt like he was about to skin me alive if I humiliate him any further. Geez, did he want to be accommodated that badly?

"Oh," His eyes roamed around my unit. "You live alone?"

Hinimas ko ang namumula kong pisngi. "Yes."

"Were you kicked out from your house?"

"I was the one who left!" I defensively answered to him.

"Oh? How interesting." He took a seat on the floor then crossed his arms. "Okay, let's do this quickly. Undress yourself."

"Huh? Bakit ako maghuhubad?" I inhaled sharply. "With all due respect, Sir. Can you please tell me what brought you here?"

"Nothing urgent. I only came here for your body measurements." He yawned lazily. "Done asking questions? Now, strip."

I shot him a horrified look. "What kind of perverted thing are you up to? What do you need my measurements for?" I questioned.

"For heaven's sake," His face crumpled. "There's no need to look so mortified. You need to chill, I don't even get boners from tits."

Nanghina ang mga tuhod ko sa sinabi niya. Too vulgar!

"Oh, Aria. You're so fun to tease." Halos mamatay naman siya kakatawa sa reaksyon ko. "Kidding aside, I'm really here to take your body measurements. There's a formal event next week, so I plan to get your gown customized ahead of time."

I heaved out a deep sigh. "You could've just texted me!"

"That's boring. I wanted to bother you." he stated nonchalantly.

I was rendered speechless. I stood there gaping at him, unable to react on this situation. How am I supposed to respond to this?

Abot-tenga ang ngiti niya nang maglabas siya ng medida.

"Either you strip or change into thinner clothes. Suit yourself."

I hesitantly complied with the latter. Nagpalit ako ng mas manipis na damit para mas tama ang makuha niyang sukat sa akin. Nang balikan ko si Sir Lars, tumayo na siya at hinanda ang medida.

"Alright, let's make it fast. Gabi na, magpapahinga ka pa."

Out of embarrassment, my gaze dropped on the floor. He was just about to wrap the measuring tape on my chest when I spoke.

"Siguro pinagtatawanan mo na ako sa isip mo." bulong ko.

His hands came to a halt. "Why would I laugh at you?"

"Because I'm already an adult but I still look like an elementary student. Parang plywood iyong dibdib ko. Sobrang payat ko pa. Ang liit ko at ang ikli pa ng mga biyas ko." I enumerated.

He didn't say anything, but Sir Lars kept his eyes on me.

"You have told me many times that you like making people feel uncomfortable. But to do something like this... You sure love exposing people's insecurities and poking fun at them, Sir Lars." I said in between sobs.

"I don't get it." His brows furrowed. "Why are you so upset?"

I broke down into tears. This is so embarrassing.

"It's normal to have insecurities, but aren't you being too hard on yourself? No offense, but I think your body deserves more love." Napabuga siya ng hangin. "There's nothing wrong with your body, you know. In the end, it all goes down to preference. Personally, I find flat-chested girls attractive."

"That's because you're into dudes, Sir Lars. It's the same as saying that you're attracted to girls with manly chests. Is that supposed to make me feel any better?" umiiyak kong sabi sa kanya.

"What?" He chuckled. "That's such a weird way to put it, you idiot."

He held both of my cheeks then leaned his forehead on mine. "We really need to work on that low self-confidence of yours."

My heart thumped. His face is too close...

"You're beautiful, Moya. Is it that hard to understand?"

My lips quivered. "Am I really beautiful?"

"Yes," He stared intensely at me, almost breathing that word.

This is too much for me to handle. I don't even know why we ended up in this position. All I know is that his cavernous brown eyes are dangerously beautiful, enough for me to get lost in reality.

"Sir Lars," I held his shoulders for support because my knees were about to fall. "Right now... You're lowkey flirting with me, aren't you?"

A lazy smile formed on his face. "Who knows, Moya?"

---

Sorry for this lame chapter. Still adjusting because it's been so long since I last updated this story. Hope you understand.

Thank you for giving this story a chance.

Yours Truly,
Aomine-san