THE loud hum of cars from the street. Dogs barking around. It's tempting to inhale the smoke wafting from the barbecue stand nearby. But my attention wasn't on that. Continuously taken aback, I couldn't remove my eyes from Boss Rustan.

 "Boss..." I stammered.

 Boss Rustan stood in front of me, still giving me that smug look.

 "I couldn't live with my conscience," he said, "after hearing your story from your workmates, I understood. You are working hard to earn money because you and your sister desperately need it. And me, cutting one of your monetary means is just so obnoxious. I should have known better."

I swallowed hard. I didn't know what to feel. Should I be happy that I still have a job or should I grimace because, once again, it seems like fate is finding ways to bury me in humiliation? It appears I won't be able to face Boss every day without thinking about what happened between us.

And it's as if he read my mind...

"And I know, you will be awkward about what happened between us yesterday," he averted his gaze. "Let's just try to forget about it."

I cleared my throat. My mind and heart were in conflict. I needed money. We needed it desperately, Beatrice and I. I wasn't sure if the money I'd get from Fino would be enough. With that guy's attitude, it seems like it'll be a struggle to obtain it.

Is this about throwing away my pride again? But wait, do I even have any pride left?

"You don't need to decide now," Boss Rustan said.

The smugness on his face remained unchanged. "Just come to work tomorrow if you want to renew your contract. No pressure. I am just willing to..." he glanced away again, "help."

I swallowed hard, nodding at him. He turned away from me, and I watched his broad back as he walked away, heading to his car. He got in without glancing back and eventually disappeared from my view.

I took a deep breath.

Whatever...

"DO you have a job already, Ate?" Beatrice inquired. She came out of her room just as I was leaving in my uniform.

I was already tying my shoes. I didn't gaze at her. "I've returned to work."

"Wow? Were you called back by your boss who's unfriendly but handsome?"

I looked at her, puzzled. "How did you know Boss is unfriendly?"

She shrugged. "I talked to him yesterday, he came here looking for you. I told him you weren't here yet. I even invited him to wait inside, but he was so darn snooty, like he's not used to seeing shanties."

Beatrice's nostrils flared as she furrowed her brow. "He said he'll just wait for you outside."

I nodded slowly.

But it was really strange. I've been thinking about this since yesterday. I felt like it wasn't just because he claimed to have a guilty conscience. It's like... there's something else. I had a strong feeling.

Why did Boss suddenly become nice to me? Did he enjoy it too? I wanted to slap myself.

"But you're pretty sassy there, Ate, huh?" Bea's eyes widened. She always exaggerates when she tells stories. "It's really strange. Your yummy Boss even purposely looked for you, even though it's just you—BoZx-underscore-Lara-mysterioux."

I just shot her a look that seemed to say, you think you know it all. Until now, she couldn't resist poking fun at my youthful follies. I really regretted sharing those stories with her.

I went straight to the table and reached for my coffee, starting to sip it.

She followed me, showing no intention of letting up. "Did you cast a spell on him, Ate? Or did you give him a taste of how good the Alonzos are? Spill it!"

She chuckled. "Oh, sis, you're something else. I might find out later that he's already watering your garden, making him all whipped for you!"

I almost spat out my coffee, coughing uncontrollably. This girl had no shame.

"Delulu," I said, giving her a disapproving look.

Her imagination was wildly vivid. She outdid me in that department.

She laughed heartily. "It's okay, Ate. You can have him all to yourself. Well, he’s better compared to Kuya Enrique, who would really make your head hurt. He's a mama's boy, you see. He seems overly innocent when it comes to the ways of the world."

She grimaced. "And being a good boy is a red flag. He turns all mopey whenever he does something wrong, even if they were the ones at fault. Such weirdos." She rolled her eyes.

"Hey, can you stop? The man is doing nothing."

As I continued sipping my coffee, my mind began to flood with thoughts of Enrique. I wondered how he was doing. The last time we talked was a week ago. He had an exam, so we didn't communicate much during his exam week. That's our arrangement. I don't want to disturb him. I don't want to be a hindrance to his studies.

But how ironic it was.

I don't want to interfere with his studies, yet here I am, cheating on him. Maybe it's better to just be an obstacle to his studies...

I let out a sigh.

Surely, he'll hate me when she finds out about my foolishness...

“LARA?!'" Badette exclaimed loudly. That's why everyone turned to look at me when I finally entered the restaurant's entrance.

"Wow, you're making a comeback, girl?! Serving cunt, aren’t you?" She rushed over to hug me, and I just chuckled while returning the tight embrace.

Soon, they all gathered around me.

"How did you come back, Lara?" Shobe asked in amazement. I had asked her to submit my resignation letter for me because I couldn't face Boss yesterday.

Badette pounded her head, "Dumbass, of course, Boss felt sorry for her…”

"Ouch! Why do you have to hurt me?" She retaliated against Badette, and just like that, they were bickering like cats and dogs again, playfully fighting. I shook my head, amused.

"Good thing Boss Peter's dramatic, persuasion worked on Boss Rustan yesterday, Lara. It’s almost like a scene from MMK." Chan said.

*MMK is a TV series that usually depicts true-to-life sob stories of different people

"Huh?"

I blinked, looking around for Kuya Peter, who was nowhere to be seen. He was probably in the kitchen, busy with cooking.

Chan had a mischievous grin on his face. "Boss Peter is the reason how Boss Rustan found out everything that's been happening to you. I always thought Boss was tough as nails, but apparently not. He has a soft heart too," Chan explained.

I couldn't respond because, honestly, I couldn't believe Boss Rustan's behavior toward me yesterday either. I'd understand if he didn't want to talk to me after our video, but what happened was completely unexpected.

"But then again, I can't blame Boss Rustan. With your beauty, who am I to say that my heart wouldn’t soften,"

I rolled my eyes. "You really had to slip that line in, huh?"

He chuckled lightly and gave me a sly wink. "Of course."

I rolled my eyes at him once more before heading to the locker room. Later on, I planned to express my gratitude to Kuya Peter.

THAT evening, the restaurant was empty of customers, a common occurrence due to the pandemic curfew and the bad weather since noon. This was why we decided to close up early. Plus, Boss Rustan hadn't shown up for work.

"Are you leaving soon, Lara?" Kuya Peter asked. It was just the two of us left in front of the closed restaurant.

"Uh, yes, Kuya," I replied with a smile. "I'm waiting for my boyfriend."

I lied.

The real reason was I didn't have an umbrella. There was no one I could borrow from. Badette and Shobe were huddled under a single umbrella. I didn't want to join Chan. That guy would just tease me. And as for Kuya Peter, he was on his motorbike. Even if I wanted to ride with him, I didn't have a raincoat.

When Kuya Peter bid me farewell, I stood there for a few minutes, watching the rain. It was getting heavier by the moment, as if it had no plans of stopping. I let the coldness it brought embrace me, and then I decided to confront the rain.

I was instantly soaked, my uniform clinging to my body. The surroundings grew even colder for me.

I really loved bathing in the rain. It felt like it washed away all my damn problems. I used to do this a lot when I was a kid.

It worked.

My mood lightened up, and I started to smile genuinely, not forced.

I looked up at the dark sky, and all I could see was darkness… It felt like I was staring face to face with my future. Dark. Uncertain. Dangerous.

But I was surprised when an umbrella suddenly appeared above me. Blinking, I quickly turned around.

I was taken aback by what I saw...

It was Boss Rustan. Slowly, his white long sleeves were getting soaked by the rain, which allowed me to glimpse his broad chest. His forehead was furrowed, a familiar look for him.

"You'll get sick," he said in his baritone voice.