NAMI

The thing about office relationships, you have to bear with them no matter how troublesome they get. So even if there was an annoying person in the office, you can only clench your teeth and continue your work.

"NOOOOOO!"

Tobi Marquis, however, was an exception. He was a childish person in general, so his work progress was often dependent on his mood. So even if we wanted to do our work peacefully, if Tobi doesn't function, we're also affected by his tantrums.

"ARIAAAAAA!"

Katulad na lang ngayon, nagwawala siya dahil sa biglaang pag-resign ng isa naming katrabaho, si Aria. As far as I know, Tobi had a huge crush on her.

"HOW COULD SHE RESIGN WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE TO ME?!" Tobi shouted in the office, his eyes watered with tears. As usual, he's so dramatic.

Nagkatinginan naman kaming lahat at mukhang pare-pareho kami ng naisip. If we don't do something about him, he's gonna spend the whole day wailing instead of actually working.

Nagtipon-tipon kami nina Miss Kyla at Sir Neil sa isang gilid. Si Tobi naman ay may sariling mundo sa cubicle niya at panay parin ang pag-ngawa dahil kay Aria.

"Who's gonna comfort the kid?" bulong ni Sir Neil.

"I babysit him everyday. Please give me a break." sagot ni Miss Kyla at minasahe ang kanyang sentido. Totoo naman. Siya palagi ang nagbabantay at naninita kay Tobi.

Tumingin silang dalawa sa akin.

"You do it today, Nami. Right now, he's emotional and he needs someone with a soft personality. Kapag ako ang kumausap sa kanya, baka sapakin ko na lang siya bigla. Wala akong pasensya sa mga bata." mahabang paliwanag ni Sir Neil.

Miss Kyla nodded in agreement.

It's not like I can refuse, so I had no choice but to do it. You see, I'm actually a pushover. Mahina ang loob ko at takot akong mapagalitan, kaya madalas ay oo lang ako ng oo sa mga bagay-bagay.

Lumabas muna ako ng opisina upang bumili ng maiinom sa vending machine. Nabasa ko sa mga romance novels na kapag malungkot ang isang tao, bigyan mo siya ng matatamis para gumaan ang loob niya!

Bagama't kinakabahan, lumapit na ako sa cubicle ni Tobi. Ipinatong ko ang bitbit kong chocolate drink sa desk niya at napaangat naman siya ng tingin sa akin.

"Tobi, cheer up!" I shyly closed my fists and raised them to pump him up. "Uhm, there are seven billion people in the globe, so I'm sure that there's a person destined to be with you... Baka hindi lang talaga si Aria!"

He sniffed. "You think so, Nami?"

"Yes... So don't be sad!" He didn't seem satisfied with my words of encouragement, so I tried a different tactic. "You're handsome and smart, plus you have a likeable personality... So I'm sure you'll find a girlfriend in no time!"

Nakita ko si Miss Kyla na tila nasusuka sa mga sinasabi ko habang si Sir Neil naman ay pigil na pigil tumawa. Nahalata yata niyang labas sa ilong ang mga pagpuri ko kay Tobi.

"I guess that's true..." sabi ni Tobi at napaisip. Buti naman medyo kumalma na siya. "I'm almost perfect, so I'd probably find a girlfriend soon, right?"

You don't have a girlfriend because of that vain and immature personality of yours, Tobi.

Nakahinga naman kami nang maluwag dahil mukhang panandalian niyang nakalimutan si Aria at bumalik na si Tobi sa trabaho niya.

The storm has finally passed. Whew.

---

The next days that passed were quite hectic. Aria resigned without prior notice and Sir Lars was still in the hospital, so all the work fell on our shoulders. Miss Kyla in particular was so busy that she couldn't even go out to eat.

I volunteered to buy lunch for all of us since I'm almost finished with my work. To my discomfort, Tobi also tagged along with me.

You see, I'm not really that close to him.

"I wish Lars would come back soon. Palaging mainit ang ulo ni Kyla dahil sa dami ng trabaho at sa akin niya ibinubunton lahat ng galit niya." nakangusong sabi ni Tobi habang nakapila kami sa isang fastfood chain.

I chuckled nervously. "She's really stressed right now."

"Well, we're all stressed right now. I wish she wouldn't pick on me alone. Bakit ikaw, hindi ka pinapagalitan?" aniya at tila masama ang loob sa akin.

That's because I do my work properly, dummy.

"I guess she's being nice to me since I'm a girl." Iyon na lamang ang sinabi kong palusot.

Mukhang naniwala naman si Tobi. "Hmm, I guess so. Girls are really sensitive, huh?"

Mahaba ang pila sa counter kaya naman inip na inip si Tobi. Iyon ang isa sa mga napansin ko sa kanya, hindi siya mapakali at naiinip siya kapag nakatayo lang siya. Gusto niya palagi siyang naglilikot.

Maya-maya, naramdaman kong pinaglalaruan na ni Tobi ang buhok ko. Pinabayaan ko na lang siya dahil baka daldalin lang niya ako kapag wala siyang ginagawa.

"I braided your hair, Nami~ I finally did it right!" proud niyang sambit habang hawak ang buhok ko para hindi matanggal ang tirintas.

I smiled to him. "Sayang, wala akong tali."

"What a bummer." nakangusong sabi ni Tobi at binitawan na ang buhok ko.  "Well, whatever. You look pretty in any hairstyle, anyway!"

Hmm?

Naramdaman ko ang pag-init ng mga pisngi ko. He's always been like that. Tobi just says whatever that comes into his mind. To say that I'm pretty in any hairstyle...

I stood stiff beside him as he continued playing with my hair. Ang haba naman ng pila, sana bumilis ang pag-usad... Parang hindi ko kayang magtagal kasama si Tobi.

---

After that, I became more conscious around him.

Tobi wasn't bad. In fact, he was good-looking and his fashion sense was also admirable. However, he's too childish for me... so I don't want to develop any weird feelings towards him.

But it was hard not to notice him, especially when he kept hovering around me like an annoying bug. Hindi ko alam kung bakit, pero nitong mga nakaraang araw ay ayaw niya akong tantanan.

"It seems that you've gotten closer with Tobi these days." Sir Neil commented with a knowing smile.

Closer, my foot... He's the one bothering me on his own. Seriously, it felt like my soul had already left my body. Dealing with Tobi was more tiring than my job. Ang daldal niya at sobrang likot pa niya!

I was just about to say something when Tobi popped out of nowhere then poked my waist. Why is he tickling me so early in the morning?!

"Please don't do that, Tobi." Para na akong lantang gulay dahil wala na talaga akong energy para patulan siya. "Being around you makes me feel tired. Ang taas lagi ng energy mo, hindi ako makasabay."

Napakurap naman siya sa sinabi ko.

"Really?" he asked in confusion.

I sighed. "I'm sorry, but yes."

"I see." sambit niya at napaisip. "Sorry, Nami..."

Ngumiti naman ako. He's just like a kid.

Surprisingly, it seemed like Tobi became more considerate to me after I told him that. Hindi na niya ako kinukulit at parang mas naging tahimik siya.

But something feels weird.

Lately, he seems so prim and proper. Parang ingat na ingat din siya sa mga kilos niya. Hindi na rin siya madaldal talaga, pero mukhang hindi naman siya galit o malungkot. Kapag nagkakatinginan nga kami, ngumingiti pa siya sa akin.

Wait.

"Is it just me... or Tobi is really imitating me?" I nervously asked Sir Neil and Miss Kyla while biting my nails.

They exchanged glances then burst into laughter.

"It's about time you noticed, Nami." natatawang sagot ni Sir Neil. "He's doing his best to be like you."

"I like him better that way, but I doubt that he can continue being like that. Hindi rin 'yan makakatiis at magdadaldal at maglilikot ulit 'yan." dugtong naman ni Miss Kyla.

I shot them a horrified look. "But, why?"

Why is he imitating me? That's so weird!

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Hindi na ako nakatiis at tinanong ko na si Tobi nang kaming dalawa na lang ang maiwan sa opisina kinagabihan. Pareho kaming nag-aayos na ng gamit noon at naghahanda na pauwi nang tanungin ko siya.

"Tobi, why are you trying to be like me?"

His jaw dropped. "H-How did you know?!"

It was so obvious, you idiot. It was so weird to watch you working properly without saying a word the whole day. Hindi iyon ang Tobi na kilala namin!

"I noticed it and the others confirmed my hunch."

"Sabi mo kasi hindi mo masabayan 'yong energy ko." He shyly scratched his cheek then averted my gaze. "So I thought, maybe I should match yours?"

Huh?

"I mean, I tried matching your energy. You're always prim and proper at work. You don't talk too much and you just smile at us when you see us." Hindi naman makatingin si Tobi sa akin habang nagpapaliwanag. "I tried being like that so you wouldn't feel tired anymore. You said being around me makes you feel tired."

I'm sorry, but that was so cute and thoughtful!

Hindi agad ako nakapagsalita dahil na-touch talaga ako sa sinabi ni Tobi. He's an idiot most of the time but there's a good side on him, too!

A small smile dawned to my face. "Thank you."

He was taken aback.

"Sorry for saying that being around you makes me feel tired. I take that back." Napayuko ako at pinaglaruan ko ang mga kamay ko. "You're such a nice and thoughtful person. Thanks, Tobi."

Nahihiya ko siyang sinulyapan at muli akong ngumiti. Si Tobi naman, tila nahihiya rin at walang masabi sa akin. Pareho kaming nangapa sa mga salita at halos mabingi ako sa lakas ng tibok ng puso ko.

---

"M-Marry me!" Tobi exclaimed then offered a bouquet of flowers to my face. "Nami, I like you!"

For the second time, it felt like my soul had just left my body. I shouldn't have had that nice talk with him last night. I didn't know it would result to this!

Napangiwi ako. "I don't think you like me, Tobi."

"No, I really like you!" His cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "You were so pretty when you smiled at me last night and my heart was beating so fast. Gusto kita, Nami. Sigurado ako!"

Oh, my god.

Napayuko ako sa sobrang hiya dahil nasa gilid lang namin sina Sir Neil at Miss Kyla na nakikinig. How could he say such cheesy things out loud...

"Well, this is an unexpected development." Sir Neil remarked with a hearty laugh. "I think you're a good match, though. Tobi is one hell of a talker while Nami is quiet like a mouse."

"Ano ka ba, Tobi? Dapat nililigawan mo muna si Nami. Bakit kasal agad ang iniisip mo?" panenermon naman ni Miss Kyla.

Tobi gasped dramatically. "But I want to secure our future as early as possible! I really like her!"

I blushed. This is so embarrassing!

"So, Nami... Will you marry me? Please?"

"Uhm," I lowered my gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry, but I would have to refuse. I'm not ready for marriage yet, Tobi."

His shoulders fell. It looked like he was about to cry, too. That innocent face is so hard to reject!

"But, well... If you want, we can date each other first." I suggested then covered my face out of shame. "Let's get to know each other more, okay?"

"Oh," His face brightened. "Okay!"

And the rest, as they say, is history. After three years of dating each other, we decided to tie the knot. Tobi was still childish as ever, but that's what makes my marriage life so happy.

"Nami, I love you sooo much." Tobi affectionately told me one morning then hugged me on our bed.

He seemed apologetic for some reason.

"I dreamed about you last night. You were a frog and I was about to cook you and then I realized that it was my wife... but I still cooked it anyway, because I was really hungry. I'm sorry."

First of all, that's such a weird dream.

Ngumiti ako sa kanya. "I forgive you."

Second, my husband is so childish!

"Uwah. Thank you!" Muli niya akong niyakap.

Third, how could I not love such an adorable person?

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