"Are you really giving these clothes to me, Miriam?"

I anxiously watched my friend as she carelessly tossed several tops and skirts on her bed. Most of them were formal attires and they looked so expensive. I can't possibly accept them! Nakakahiya!

"Mukhang mamahalin ang mga ito." nag-aalala kong sabi habang tinitignan isa-isa ang mga damit. "Bakit mo ibibigay sa akin?"

"Well, they don't fit my body anymore." She gently caressed the bump on her tummy with a smile. Ngayon ko lang napansing mas halata na pala ang pagbubuntis niya. "Besides, I've already retired from the secretarial work. I won't be needing them any longer."

I nervously bit my nails. "Are you sure?"

"Ano ka ba?" Miriam chuckled heartily. "Para namang iba 'to. Friends give stuff to each other from time to time, you know."

My eyes watered with tears. I mentally thanked the heavens for blessing me with such a great friend. Not only did she help me find a new job, she's also taking care of me in the littlest ways possible.

Niyakap ko naman siya. "I love you so much, Miriam!"

"Girl, huwag OA. You act like I gave you a house and lot." natatawa niyang sambit at niyakap ako pabalik. "Kalma. Damit lang 'yan."

I sniffed. "You know how broke I am. I can't even afford to buy myself clothes like this, so it really means a lot to me. Thank you."

She gave me a warm smile. "You're welcome, Aria."

Miriam Glory Ramos-Cuevas was the closest friend that I had in college. Together with Denise and Prisma, we were in the same class for two consecutive years. Pare-pareho kaming Business Ad ngunit sa aming tatlo, ako lamang ang hindi nakapagtapos.

Despite that, the three of them never stopped hanging out with me. In fact, they encourage me to keep going despite the setbacks in my life. Especially Miriam, who closely monitors all my decisions.

Kahit kailan, hindi nila ipinaramdam na napag-iiwanan na ako.

"Wala ka ba talagang balak umuwi sa inyo, Aria?"

I shook my head frantically in response.

"Huwag mo sanang masamain ang sasabihin ko." Miriam heaved out a deep sigh before continuing. "Don't you think it's about time for you to go home? Whether you like it or not, you have to admit that you're still dependent on your family. Kailangan mo pa sila."

I bit my lower lip. "I don't want to go back, Miriam."

"Girl, lunukin mo na 'yang pride mo. Hindi ka bubuhayin niyan." napapailing niyang pangaral sa akin. "I understand the feud in your family, but it's normal to fight. Whatever happens, they're still your family and nothing can change that. Blood is thicker than water."

My eyebrows creased. "Not in my book. Sorry."

"Come on, Aria. Think about it." she insisted.

"I'd rather starve than come back to that house." I firmly stated then slumped myself on her bed. "I'm always the main topic every time we eat. They keep comparing me to Althea. Tapos sinusumbat nila sa akin lahat ng gamit, pagkain at damit na ibinibigay nila."

My throat hurts. I don't really like talking about this.

"Palamunin daw ako. Walang silbi. Bobo at pangit. They even stopped paying for my tuition in college and said that I shouldn't bother studying. Wala naman daw akong mararating sa buhay kaya mas mabuting maging yaya na lang ako ng mga pamangkin ko."

Miriam consoled me by continuously patting my head.

I sighed. "It's not like I asked to be born, you know? They're the ones who made the choice of bearing a child. Responsibilidad nilang buhayin ako. Bakit kailangan nilang isumbat sa akin lahat?"

"Maybe they're just saying that because you're already an adult and you still haven't settled your life." My friend suggested.

"It's because they fed me the idea that I'm worthless and a failure! Look what happened, I don't have even an ounce of self-esteem!" katwiran ko at bahagyang tumaas ang boses ko. "Ni hindi man lang nila ako binigyan ng pagkakataon na makapagtapos ng pag-aaral. How could they expect me to be successful? That's so fucked-up!"

"I get it. Chill, girl." Miriam combed my hair in an attempt to calm me down. "Sige, huwag ka na umuwi. You'll survive by yourself."

They're still my family and that's an indisputable fact, but that doesn't mean that I'd put up with them forever. I just couldn't take that kind of treatment anymore. Hindi ko kinaya at napuno na ako. Kaya nga umalis na lang ako para wala na silang masabi sa akin.

I hope we can come to forgive each other when the right time comes. Someday, but definitely not now, not tomorrow, not soon.

After getting all the things that I came to pick up, I excused myself from Miriam's home. Bukod sa mga damit na ibinigay niya sa akin, kinuha ko rin ang mga materyal ng kompanya na pwede kong pag-aralan. I'll start by skimming the magazine issues from last year.

I don't want to mess up this time. Sir Lars Altaria was kind enough to disregard my credentials. Despite not having a college degree, he still gave me a chance. I don't want him to regret hiring me.

Kinabukasan, alas-sais pa lamang ng umaga ay bumangon na ako. Ngayon ang unang lunes na susunduin ko si Sir Lars sa unit niya. Napagpasyahan kong pumunta nang maaga dahil gusto ko sana siyang lutuan ng almusal. Mas masarap kasi kapag bagong luto.

I made sure to look presentable today. I put powder on my face and applied some lip gloss on my lips. Nagtali rin ako ng buhok upang maaliwalas ang mukha ko. Sinuot ko rin ang isa sa mga damit na ibinigay ni Miriam sa akin. A pair of champagne blouse and short skirt, which actually looked good on my dark skin.

I traveled to his home using the company car. Mabilis lang akong nakarating sa condo na tinitirhan ni Sir Lars dahil maaga pa at wala pang traffic. Binigyan naman ako ni Miriam ng duplicate key para hindi na ako mahirapang katukin si Sir Lars kung tulog pa siya.

When I arrived at his unit, I didn't bother to knock because I assumed that he's still asleep. I carefully made my way inside, ensuring not to make any noise so that I wouldn't wake him up.

With ginger steps, I went to his room to check on him. As expected, my boss was still in deep slumber. Napansin kong wala siyang suot na pang-itaas at nanginginig siya dahil malamig sa kanyang silid.

Out of goodwill, I raised the temperature on his room then covered him with his blanket. I was just about to leave when I suddenly heard some footsteps emerging from outside.

Sa sobrang taranta ko, napatalon ako papasok sa closet ni Sir Lars na noo'y katabi ko lamang. Sino iyon? May iba pa ba kaming kasama rito? Hindi ko rin alam kung bakit ako nagtago!

I inhaled sharply when somebody entered the room. A man of tall stature, muscular build and fair complexion. Gwapo siya, pero hindi iyon ang mahalaga ngayon! Sino kaya ang lalaking iyon?!

I think he just got out of the shower. I could even smell the body wash that he used. Pati ang kanyang buhok ay medyo basa pa.

My eyes widened when he joined Sir Lars on the bed.

"Babe," The man nudged my boss on the neck. "Isa pa tayo."

I gasped. Oh, christ. What did I get myself into?!

"Hmm." Sir Lars murmured sleepily as he rolled over.

I screamed internally when they began doing what they had to do. Morning sex, of course. They started kissing and touching each other in such a romantic way. I, on the other hand, kept squirming inside the cramped closet because I had no idea what to do. A pair of leaf-printed brief even fell on my face, which didn't help at all.

Nagdasal na lang ako sa pwesto ko habang naririnig ko silang dalawa na umuungol at nagmumura. Kahit ako, hindi ko na rin alam ang ginagawa ko sa buhay ko. Matutulala ka na lang.

This is so traumatizing! Don't get me wrong, I already made myself clear that I'm not homophobic. If anything, I've tried watching gay porn before and it was hot. But to witness it in person, how am I supposed to respond to this emotionally?! I'm still a virgin!

"You should go." I snapped back to reality when Sir Lars spoke in a business-like manner. "My new assistant will arrive here soon."

Uhm, nandito na ako kanina pa.

"Okay. Kailan ulit ako pupunta?" nakangising sabi ng lalaki.

"My schedule this week is packed, Gen."

The stranger pouted childishly. "Can't you make time for me?"

"I can't. I have lots of work to do." matigas na sabi ni Sir Lars.

Hindi ko na masyadong inintindi ang usapan nila dahil problemado ako kung paano ako lalabas dito. This is so embarrassing. I don't even know how to face my boss right now! I literally watched him have sex with his man! Pwede bang maglaho na lang ako?

Nang makaalis ang lalaki, hindi ko parin alam kung paano ako lalabas. Hiniling ko na lang na sana lumabas muna si Sir Lars ng unit niya pero mukhang malabo itong mangyari dahil kinuha niya ang tuwalya niya. Oh, my god. He's gonna open the closet!

I had no choice but to brace myself. Bahala na talaga.

When Sir Lars opened his closet, both of us were stupefied.

His eyes widened in astonishment. Sir Lars didn't break his eye contact with me, and his mouth froze in an attempt to speak. I was the one who broke the awkward silence.

"I promise not to tell anyone. Please don't fire me."

He subconsciously dropped the towel on his hand.

"Oh, I swear to God. I didn't mean to watch your live sex, Sir." I nervously bit my nails. "I'm sorry. Please let me explain myself."

His face instantly reddened in shame.

Namutla naman ako at hinanda ko ang sarili ko.

"Bitch," His eyes twitched. "Why the fuck are you here?"

Sa sobrang takot ko, bigla na lamang akong napaiyak.

"I didn't know what to do. Hindi ko po sinasadya." I explained in between sobs. "I'm sorry for invading your privacy, Sir Lars."

Seriously, I messed up. I feel so bad.

Nobody wants strangers watching them in that kind of situation.

I couldn't stop crying out of guilt. If there's one thing that I hate about myself, it's the fact that I get easily riled up by my emotions. Kung gaano kababaw ang kaligayahan ko, gano'n din ako kabilis na umiyak o magalit.

It seemed like Sir Lars was totally at a loss of words. For a moment, he stood quietly in front of me, his debonair figure towering over me. When he finally recovered from the shock, my employer knelt in front of me to level our gazes. He gently took hold of my hand.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that." malumanay niyang sabi sa akin. "Hush, Moya. There is no need to cry. I'm not mad at all."

I burst into tears. "How can you not be mad?"

"You just happened to be at the wrong place and time." A small smile dawned to his face. "Anyway, what do you say? Was it gross?"

"It was hot and way better than all the gay porn that I've watched."

He chuckled heartily. "You dummy."

Today, I discovered an unexpected side of Sir Lars Altaria.

He was so wild that he'd probably make a good BL actor.

---

I was smiling the whole time while writing this chapter.

Care to share your thoughts?

Stay safe and warm, everyone! Godspeed.

Yours Truly,
Aomine-san