Let Love Happen

Chapter 3 - rudolph

Pimple - a pesky red little thing that appears when and where you don't want it to.

"And if you're not so lucky, it's not so little at all," I added as I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror.

The first thing I noticed this morning when I woke up was a painful little bump on my face. And true enough, the mirror confirmed what I already knew.

Hindi naman ako flawless para mag-inarte. I've had my fair share of acne problems especially during my teen years. It subsided as I grew older but every once in a while, a pimple would still appear on my face.

But why does it have to be this big?

And why on top of my nose?!

"Naman! Ang daming pwedeng pwestuhan, bakit dyan ka pa tumubo?" I complained as I searched my pouch for the concealer Ate Andrea gave me.

I wasted the next few minutes trying to cover my zit but to no avail. Finally giving up, I threw the useless cosmetic into my bag and headed out.

I walked as fast as I can when I reached the building, avoiding unnecessary greetings. But when someone called my name, I had to stop and turn.

"Audrey? Ikaw ba 'yan?"

I've heard that voice before, but I wasn't sure who it was until I turned.

"Kelsey!" I exclaimed, pleasantly surprised.

Naging classmate ko siya noong Third Year High School. Hindi naman kami BFF but when you see a familiar face in the most unlikely places, nakakatuwa rin. Kay Tristan lang naman talaga hindi applicable iyon. Isa pa, nakasama ko si Kelsey sa school publication noon at madalas kong kakwentuhan pagdating sa mga feature articles.

"I should have known! So ikaw nga iyong Audrey na pinag-uusapan nilang ipinasok ni Sir Jacob?" she asked and smacked herself with a facepalm before giving me a quick hug.

I replied with a nod and a smile.

"Ano 'yang nasa ilong mo?" was her next question.

"Wala ito, huwag mo nang pansinin. Pinipilit ko na ngang i-ignore," saway ko.

She giggled in response and I joined in.

"Sa Primeworks ka rin nagtatrabaho? Bakit ngayon lang kita nakita?" I asked, suddenly excited. I've been here for a few days and I'm sure that I haven't seen her around nor heard her name.

"Two years na ako rito. Ikaw kasi, hindi ka nagpaparamdam! Kahit doon sa group chat ng batch natin noong High School hindi ka sumasali sa usapan. Production Editor ako. Sa fourth floor kami kaya hindi tayo nagkikita," she gladly informed me before hooking her arm around mine and leading me to the elevator.

The short ride on the lift wasn't enough to fill her in with the major details of how life led me to Dubai and how I chose to come back home. I'm pretty sure she felt that way too.

"Pupuntahan kita mamayang lunch, sabay tayong kumain," she said as she got off ahead of me.

When I reached my floor, I took a deep breath. Some gave me a second glance, but nobody dared joke about my red nose when I arrived at the Business Office. Wala pa masyadong feeling close sa akin para magbiro at kahit si Meg na halatang nagpipigil ng tawa ay hindi umimik.

I headed straight to my cubicle to start just another day at work when I realized that someone's on my table, sitting very comfortably on my swivel chair.

"O andyan ka na pala, Ms. Audrey! Or should I call you Rudolph?" the obnoxious guy suddenly looked up.

Immediately after that, the laughter Megan was holding suddenly burst out loud.

I can tolerate Meg laughing at me. But not him.

Of course, I know that concealers are temporary pero kahit na namumula ang pimple ko sa ilong, I held my head high.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, stone-faced.

"Pati ba naman reindeer ni Santa Claus, aagawan mo ng papel?" he asked back instead, ignoring my question.

"Leave," I commanded in a low voice para hindi marinig ng iba.

"Pero alam mo, among the reindeers, mas bagay yata sa iyo ang name na Grumpy," he suggested what he thought was a brilliant idea.

I stepped closer and dropped my bag inside the drawer of my pedestal table. After that, I faced the computer to turn it on.

"For your information, Grumpy is not one of the reindeers. Isa siya sa mga Seven Dwarfs ni Snow White. Naliligaw ka ng fairy tale, Mr. Know-It-All," I informed him, causing a round of laughter not just from Meg but also from the others.

With that, he stood up with furrowed brows and scratched his head.

"Talaga? Hindi ba siya reindeer?" he questioned nobody in particular.

He acted as if he was thinking deeply, and I took it as an opportunity to pull the swivel chair. Wala na siyang nagawa nang umupo ako doon.

"If you don't trust me, go ask a friend on the internet," I recommended.

"Dwarf nga si Grumpy, Pare," Seth confirmed with a chuckle before beaming at me.

I was expecting Tristan to leave and allow me to work at peace, but he pulled a chair instead and placed it beside mine.

"Last time I checked, si Ma'am Zyrene ang immediate superior ko at hindi ikaw. Why don't you go back to your own cubicle? Sa dulo ang Purchasing, hindi ba?" I asked with a frown.

“Last time I checked, ako ang may hawak ng General Accounting. Magmamagandang loob lang sana ako na ituro sa iyo iyong mga reports na kailangan mong gawin daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually at annually. It's actually you who needs me, not the other way around, " he informed me, looking very pleased with himself.

May point naman siya, but that part of assuming that I need him sounded disturbing.

"Baka lagnatin ka kapag gumawa ka ng good deeds. But if you insist, you can just make a list of those reports with their corresponding deadlines. I’ll figure it out myself," I proposed.

That idea is way better that having him watch over me and let him gawk on my every move. Anyway na-browse ko na rin naman ang ilang reports sa computer noong mga nagdaang araw. Naka-formula naman ang mga ito and I can study the links para malaman ko kung saan kinuha ang figures. Kung may hindi ako maintindihan, tsaka na lang ako magtatanong sa kanya. At least that will require just a little amount of time spent together.

"Are you sure?" he asked, obviously questioning my capability.

"I was trained to work under very minimal or no supervision at all," I boasted, tutal mayabang rin naman ang kaharap ko.

He leaned on the table to give me a closer look. That's the only time I noticed that he's sporting a perfectly tousled hair for a change. The green color of his polo made his smooth tan skin glow with masculine appeal. He smelled nice too, a scent not fit for a jerk.

"Sigurado ka? Hindi mo ako kailangan?" he now asked in a low voice while looking at me straight in the eye.

I met his stare with a poker face, ignoring the way my heart was violently hammering against my chest, and replied with conviction.

"I don't. So, leave."

I refused to look away and he held my gaze for a while before finally breaking into his usual exasperating lopsided grin.

"Fine," he simply said.

But still, he didn't get up to leave. He just took out his cellphone and opened a game application.

"What do you think you're doing? Don't you have better things to do?" I asked in irritation as I watched him cover the phone with a folder, making it appear as if he was reading something when in fact, he's playing Clash of Gens.

"I cleared my schedule for today dahil ang sabi sa akin ni Ma'am Zyrene, i-turn over ko na sa iyo ang lahat na reports na hawak ko sa General Accounting. Turuan daw kita para yung current month transactions, ikaw na ang gagawa."

"Pero hindi mo nga ako kailangang turuan," I insisted.

"Kapag hindi niya ako nakita rito pagdating niya, iisipin niyang hindi ko sinunod ang ipinapagawa niya. I'm obliged to stay with you for at least a day. Iyon ang utos ng immediate superior natin kaya iyon ang gagawin ko, sumusunod lang ako sa instruction," baluktot na katwiran nito.

"So, you're going to just sit there all day and play habang pinagmumukhang tinuturuan mo ako, ganon?" I asked in disbelief.

He tilted his head upward and rubbed his chin as if in deep thought.

"Hindi naman. Siyempre magbe-break naman ako for mamayang ten at three. Fifteen minutes each. Tapos lunchbreak. Kung gusto mong mag-overtime tayo, sabihin mo lang. I don't mind."

I tried my best to keep calm. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes instead. Kung hindi ko gagawin iyon, baka mabatukan ko si siya ng wala sa oras. Pag nagkataon, unang violation ko ang 'causing physical harm' sa Primeworks. Suspension pa naman agad ang katapat noon according to the company handbook na binigay sa akin ni Hailey during orientation.

"Fine, have it your way," I finally said in defeat.

The following hours were torture, as expected. No matter how hard I try to focus, nawawala ako sa momentum dahil sa maya't-mayang pagsiko niya. He would tell me a lot of nonsense about the game he was playing. He kept on babbling about the town hall he has placed at the center of the base, the trophies, the gold, and elixir that he has to protect, na sa totoo lang ay wala naman akong pakialam.

He was doing exactly that when Ma'am Zyrene arrived at nine-thirty. Inakala tuloy ng boss namin na may ipinapaliwanag siya sa akin tungkol sa trabaho.

"O, how is it going, Audrey? Kumusta ang pag-endorse ng trabaho sa iyo ni Matt?" she said to me in greeting when she stopped by my table.

"Actually po-" I was about to say but Tristan took a quick glance at my computer and cut me off.

"So far, so good Ma'am! May ilang bagay lang po siyang hindi masyadong maintindihan sa Bank Reconciliation pero 'yung iba okay naman."

I want to kick him in the shin after that comment. How dare he! Forte ko kaya ang Bank Recon!

"But I'm a fast learner naman po," I supplied defensively to save face.

Ma'am Zyrene smiled and nodded at me before turning to him.

"Huwag naman information overload Matt ha, baka ma-overwhelm naman si Audrey," she reminded and turned to me.

"Hayaan mo, later on magiging familiar ka na sa mga reports na iyan. Easy as a pie na iyan sa iyo gaya ni Matt," she said before she left.

I purposely stomped on Tristan's foot immediately after Ma'am Zyrene was out of earshot.

"Pahamak ka talaga!" I accused.

I'm starting to run out of patience, especially when he just chuckled and tapped on his watch.

"Breaktime na, join me for coffee?" he suggested with an innocent grin.

I almost said yes to that invitation. Pouring a cup of steaming hot coffee on top of his head would definitely be fun. But I reminded myself once again that being suspended on my first week on the job is far from impressive.

"I'm good. Go ahead," I simply uttered kahit ang gusto kong sabihin ay "Take a break and don't ever come back."

My stomach growled as soon as I said that.

"Your tummy doesn't agree with you. Halika na," he said with a mocking laugh.

Hindi alam ng lalaking ito na para sa ikabubuti niya ang hindi ko pagsabay sa kanya ng merienda. Maraming tinidor at kutsilyo sa foodcourt at baka kapag nakita ko ang mga iyon ay hindi ako makapagpigil. Mabuti na lang at tumayo si Meg papalapit sa amin at sumingit sa usapan.

"Miss Audrey, magtitimpla ako ng coffee sa pantry, gusto mo ipagtimpla rin kita?" she kindly offered.

Nag-alangan ako dahil nakakahiya but when I offered to make my own cup, she insisted on doing it and left in a hurry.

"You think she can come up with your perfect blend of coffee?" he asked afterwards.

I ignored his question and turned to face the computer again. I'm a coffee addict and he knows it. More than that, he's aware that I'm very particular with my blend. That's why I seldom ask people to make me a cup, because only a few knows how I want it. Unfortunately, he also knows that he's one of the few.

"I can make you a cup," he said when I didn't speak.

What he said almost made me stop what I was doing but I resisted the urge to look into his eyes and find out if he's serious. I knew better than to fall into his trap. Who knows kung ano na namang kalokohan ang nasa isip niya? Baka kung ano pang ilagay niya sa kape ko.

"No, thank you. I'd rather drink poison," I told him without looking up.

Hindi siya sumagot at nalaman ko lang na umalis na pala siya nang dumating si Meg dala ang kape na tinimpla niya para sa akin.

"Thank you, Meg. Really," I said as she put the cup and saucer on my table and took a seat across me.

I tried not to grimace as I took a sip. Matabang sa lahat ang timpla niya.

"Okay po ba ang lasa?" she asked.

I nodded and smiled. She may be bad at making coffee, but I can tell she has a good cheerful heart. Tawa niya ang madalas na nagpapasaya sa Business Office at kahit na madalas maarte siyang magsalita at kumilos, she's very kind.

"Oo, thank you. It's good," I lied, taking another sip.

I took out a pack of chocolate chip cookies from inside my bag and shared it with her. I was enjoying her funny stories when I caught a glimpse of Sir Jacob passing by the hall.

I abruptly excused myself and followed him. Noong assembly ko pa siya huling nakita pero hindi ko siya nakausap ng maayos. Hindi ko naman alam na ganoon siya kahirap hagilapin dahil kabi-kabila pala ang meeting niya sa labas.

"Sir Jacob!" I called out before he could even close the door of his glass-walled office.

"Ms. Lazaro! Looking good! Kumusta ka rito?" he asked and opened the door so I could get in.

"May kasalanan ka sa akin, Sir," I declared, making his brows shot up.

"Ako?"

"Why didn't you tell me na dito rin nagtatrabaho si Tristan?"

He gave me an innocent look before shrugging his shoulders.

"Didn't I? Oh yeah, I must have forgotten to mention that little detail," he told me.

"Little detail?! Sir naman! Diba alam mo namang we're rivals in College?" reklamo ko sabay padyak.

"But you were best of friends in High School, hindi ba? 'Yun siguro ang mas naalala ko. And besides, they asked me if I could recommend the best students I know at kasama kayong dalawa sa mga naisip ko kaya ko kayo dinala rito."

"You should have at least warned me. He's making my life miserable!" I whined.

He sat on his chair, folded his arms, and looked at me.

"Bakit, Ms. Lazaro? Would it have changed your mind if you knew he was here? Ganoon ba siya kaimportante sa iyo para baguhin niya ang desisyon mo? I thought you came here to work and fulfill your dreams?"

I was taken aback by his response.

"Don't tell me you're going to quit just because of him," he added as if challenging me.

I heaved a sigh of frustration and realized that I'm acting childish.

"Of course not," I finally said.

And with that, he smiled.

"Good. Now go and give Tristan a run for his money. He's just giving your life a little challenge. I know you're mature enough to face it."

I nodded and cracked my knuckles.

"There's one more thing, Sir-" I started again but he already guessed about my other concern.

"Ignore the rumors on favoritism. You got hired because you're highly qualified and not because of me. I recommended you but I didn't have the last say on this. May Board of Directors na nag-deliberate with regards to hiring you, dumaan tayo sa proseso. Alam natin pareho ang totoo and that's what matters. Just do your job and show them how brilliant you are."

I couldn't resist but smile back at him when I heard that.

"Coffee break is over Sir, I shall go back to work," I told him, and he beamed at me approvingly.

"That's the Eliana Audrey I know," he remarked.

I thanked him and walked back to my office with revived spirit. I tried hard to analyze the reports saved on the computer. Sanay naman ako sa self-study. Kahit iyong trabaho na dinatnan ko sa Dubai, wala namang nag-turn over sa akin dahil resigned na ang may hawak noon bago pa ako dumating at masyadong busy ang iba para tutukan ako.

I'm not sure if I have offended Tristan pero hindi na siya nagpakita that day, not that I was looking for him. I actually felt relieved lalo na at nakakairita na ang paulit-ulit niyang pagtawag sa akin ng Rudolph sa tuwing may sasabihin siya.

After eating out with Kelsey, I spent the rest of the afternoon studying the procedures on Payables. I'm starting to fully understand the flow of disbursement when I received a link Megan sent through the internal company messenger.

'What Kind of Princess Are You?' the title says, sounding quite intriguing.

"Breaktime naman Ms. Audrey, pampasaya lang," Meg told me from her table outside my cubicle.

I looked up and realized that it's already three. Hindi ko na namalayan ang oras. Hindi ko na rin napansin na tumayo na pala ang iba para magmerienda at kami na lang ni Meg ang naiwan.

"Thanks, Meg," I told her and opened the link.

The online quiz was filled with random questions about personality and various situations. It was amusing, I had to admit.

"Sino ka, Ms. Audrey?" Meg wanted to know.

"Si Snow White daw ako. Sabi dito, I'm kind-hearted, helpful, dependable, and very thoughtful. Possibly vain but sensitive to the needs of others. I care a lot for the people around me and radiate positive energy," she went on as she walked towards my cubicle.

It sounded accurate kung iyon ang lumabas na result kay Meg and I somehow felt excited. Meg stood beside me when I was done answering and we both waited as they calculate my answers.

But when the result came out, I swallowed hard.

"Mulan?" even Meg sounded confused.

I was expecting a Cinderella, actually. Or Rapunzel. Why Mulan? She was the girl who disguised herself as a man to counter an invasion.

"You have a heart of gold but afraid to show emotion. You use your strong convictions to cover up your weakness. In most situations, you'd rather appear fierce than show vulnerability. Strong women are appealing, but sometimes you must take your mask off and let them see the princess in you. Don't hold back, let your true self shine. And don't be afraid to love lest it bring you a broken heart," Megan read.

It sounded as if I was an impersonator. I know I'm no longer the sweet, sensitive girl I used to be, but I have my reasons. I've learned the hard way that you cannot let your emotions get the best of you.

"Ang deep naman 'nun, Ms. Audrey," Meg commented afterwards.

"It's just a quiz, Meg, let's not take it too seriously," I said, unsure if I was convincing her or myself.

Even as the break ended and we all went back to work, my mind lingered at the thought of me being Mulan.

Am I really wearing a mask to hide my true feelings? Nagtatapang-tapangan lang ba talaga ako para hindi ako makaramdam ng sakit? Am I using anger towards Tristan as defense mechanism?

My heart wanted to agree but my mind violently opposed.

Of course not. I really do hate him. I'm not supposed to feel any emotion other than anger.

And come on, that stupid quiz doesn't mean anything. Who will not be afraid to love if you know it will bring you a broken heart? Bakit ako magpapakat*nga? Why would you risk your heart when you already knew that it's bound to be broken?

Who was that quiz kidding?

I know better.

I'd rather be Rudolph with a red swollen nose, than be a Princess with a painful broken heart.