Nice To Meet You

Sunny I stifle a yawn as I straighten up in my chair. It's two PM on a Monday afternoon and I just got back from lunch with the girls. This ought to be illegal, I think to myself. No one should be made to return to work after lunch on a Monday. Especially me. Mondays are always so tough for me. It's not that I'm feeling lethargic because I spent the weekend partying. No! Not me. I'd rather jump off a cliff before I subject myself to a party. I'm this way because I slept late—again!—having started a new romance book an hour after my "bedtime." And because the concept of self-discipline is foreign to me, I naturally stayed up all night to finish the novel. By the time I was ready to finally get some sleep, the birds outside my window have started playing the first notes of their morning symphony. I steal a glance at my team and note how everyone is busy doing their own thing. Some are focused on typing away on their computers, some are quietly taking calls, and others are busy tapping on their phones. Maybe later, if I don't get to shake this post-lunch slump off, I'll mess with the agents' heads by pretending to confiscate their phone like what I used to do years ago when I was a call center operations manager in Manila. Before my mind can wander back to the days before I left the motherland for greener pastures in Singapore, another yawn escapes out of my short frame. Given how everyone's preoccupied with their own work and no one seems to notice that I'm even here, I don't even bother with social graces as I open my mouth as big as I can. I stop short of letting out any unattractive sound to go along with my yawn. No matter how hard I try, I can't shake off the last bit of manners that my parents have instilled in me even before I can walk. It feels good to let the yawn out, it's almost like a stretch. The one thing that I can at least be thankful for right now is the fact that I don't care if anyone catches me. I've been working for NewCity Technologies long enough to not give a f**k. There's no one in this entire office that exists whose opinion of me I care about. Nope. Not one. "Hi, I'm looking for–" A man I've never before seen in my life suddenly steps into my open office. He's tall, lean, foreign—in every sense of the word! The peace and quiet that was just in place in my little kingdom a mere seconds ago is suddenly shattered! The stranger's eyes immediately hone in on me mid-yawn and the shock of getting caught with my mouth open in my best impression of a cobra about to feast is enough to make me gasp a lungful of air just before I snap my jaw shut. But it's too late. Some way, some how, something catches in my throat and I'm suddenly choking on my own saliva, fighting for my life. The stranger rushes to my side as I pound on my chest and fight for oxygen. "Oh, my god! Are you ok?" he says when he finally gets to me. He looks at me helplessly, assessing what he can possibly do to help me in my predicament, before he catches my eye. "Don't take this the wrong way, ok?" he warns and before I can even figure out what's going on, he's thumping on my back with his large hand, hellbent on making me cough out my lungs. "There, there. Is this helping? Are you feeling better?" I try to nod my head in between bouts of coughing, a small part of my brain wondering where on earth I got the idea that I'm fine. I reach for my water bottle but before I can grab it, the stranger next to me takes it, quickly undoing the cap and handing it to me. I grab the steel tumbler like my life depends on it—it does!—and gulp down water to clear my passageway. After what I'm sure is a pretty picture of me guzzling, I'm finally able to breathe the normal way again and my heart slows down to its natural rate, confident in the knowledge that today is not the day I'm going to keel over and die. When I finally have my bearings about me, I turn my attention to the stranger that was the cause for all this commotion. He's awfully close, invading my personal space even, and although he only did it because he was swooping in to help, I'm uncomfortable with how tiny and fragile he's making me feel. If it's because he's towering over me, his large fit frame covering me from the curious gawking eyes trying to determine what the hell is going on, and doing all that while smelling delicious, I refuse to know. I give him the fiercest glare I can muster. "Yes?" I ask, ice in my voice. Miss Minchin would be so proud. The man takes a step back, noticing my expression and realizing that I'm safe now, he no longer needs to worry about having my blood on his hands. His expression suddenly turns sheepish and he runs his hand through his hair, momentarily at a loss for words. Of course, I immediately notice that he's not wearing a ring. Sunny, that information is not relevant at all! I admonish my brain. "Hi! I'm so sorry to interrupt. I'm Jeffrey Peters," he introduces himself as he extends his right hand for me to shake. Without thought, I take his hand and he gives mine a gentle squeeze as he shakes it firmly. I don't know why but it makes me feel like he's reassuring me that yes, I'm alright. I can relax now. I give myself a mental shake. I really need to focus. "Sunny," I tell him. As far as smiles go, this one is epic. It was slow, like a flower blooming in the morning, and when finally all his pearly white teeth show, he outdoes himself even further by giving me the most perfect dimples. On both cheeks. f**k. "Nice to meet you, Sunny," he answers. His voice is a deep baritone and the way he speaks is scrumptious. Like I wish I can literally eat his voice. Plus, I don't think he realizes that he still has my small hand wrapped inside his giant ones. "Uhm..." I say as I look pointedly at our held hands. "Oh! Sorry, sorry," he answers. The tips of his ears are all red. Please don't tell me he's shy because I don't think I can handle it if he is. "Yes, Jeffrey? I'm assuming you're here for a reason," I ask. Who is this guy anyway? How come I didn't hear about anyone new starting work today? "Oh, yes, yes, of course! Uhm, hi! I'm here to introduce myself. I'm Jeffrey—" "Yes, you already mentioned that, Jeffrey." Look, I'm not normally this much of a b***h to people I'm meeting for the first time but I'm still embarrassed about being caught with my mouth wide open and then almost passing out from choking on my own saliva. I know I said I don't care what people think of me but... Ok, I guess today I got proven wrong. Maybe I do care. A little. Moving on... "Jae," Jeffrey blurts. "Huh?" I ask, sounding like the intelligent person that I am. "You can call me Jae instead. I'm sure Jeffrey can be such a mouthful if you have to say it all the time, right?" "J? Like the letter? Isn't that a little obnoxious?" I ask. Also, what does he mean by I have to say it all the time? How often am I suppose to call out his name? Jeffrey has the audacity to laugh as he shakes his head. "No, no. Jae. J-A-E. Jae." I nod. "Uh-hum. Ok, Jae. Although I'm not sure how often we're supposed to talk. I'm so sorry. Can you let me know why you're here, Jeffrey? Not to sound rude but I just need to understand if there's a valid reason for you to say we'll be talking often," I explain. I'm really trying my best to correct my initial snarkiness but Jeffrey here is not making it easy. Again, his ears turn red. "Right. Please, forgive my lack of manners. I'm the new senior manager for IT procurement. Which reminds me... "I'm looking for Regina Guerrero or Nara Moon? I was told that they're the people in charge of NewCity Tech's customer service team for Asia Pac. They're located on this floor?" I almost laugh out loud. Oh, this is great. Great! "You found her. Regina Guerrero. That's me," I tell him. "But there's another Regina here so to avoid confusion, almost everyone calls me Sunny. However, unfortunately for you, Moonie just started her maternity leave so you're gonna have to wait when she gets back—if she comes back—next year if you wanna meet her." Jae's eyes go big and I see him holding back a smile. "What?" I ask, one eyebrow raised. "Sunny and Moonie? Sun and Moon? You guys serious about this?" Jae asks. Ok, I'll let him have this. It is a joke between Moonie and myself how uncanny it is that our names go well together. It doesn't help that I, Sunny, manage the team and Moonie is my right-hand woman. Except when she goes on maternity leave. "As a heart attack. So Jae... do you wanna tell me why you're looking for us?" I ask, bringing the conversation back to the topic at hand. To soften my words, I give him my friendliest, most professional smile. I have a reputation to uphold in this office and it's not being the meanest b***h. Jae doesn't react. "Jae? Hello? Jae?" I wave my hand in front of him to return his attention back to me. To the present, I mean. Am I so boring that even when he's standing right in front of me, his thoughts are already elsewhere? In that case, perhaps it's time to wrap this short albeit odd conversation up. "Well, it was nice to meet you, Jae. Thanks for stopping by and introducing yourself. Although I'm a little surprised because I know HR usually does the rounds with all the new hires and they facilitate the introductions. Anyway, I'm sure I'll hear from you soon but I know you're busy. Don't let me keep you. See you around!" I turn back to my laptop. I pretend I'm busy. I have my damned pride, after all, and if he's gonna be bored by me, I'm not gonna let him know I noticed. Jae blinks. Then he flashes me the biggest smile, complete with the deepest dimples. These damned dimples really will be the death of me. I can already tell. It's not fair how this IT Procurement Senior Manager looks so good, it would have been more believable if he told me he's a model. "It's so nice to meet you, Sunny. I'll see you around. Later." Then he flashes me one last smile before he turns on his heels and exits the room. And goddammit! He has a nice ass too.