Madness [MxM] - Completed

Chapter 4

After he was gone, I dried my polo and wore it again. I looked at myself in the mirror and closed my eyes. I cursed when I remember what he just did. I open my eyes and look at myself in the mirror again.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Crysler?!" I said to myself. There was no way that you are affected by his touch!

I washed my face before going out of the restroom. Damn it! I didn’t want to see his face.

When I arrived at the table, they were already talking about business. I sat silently in my seat and just listened to them without even giving a single glance to my boss.

***

The meeting went off successfully, and we were already back in the office. The ride from the waterfront back to the office was so awkward for me. We were just silent, and I didn't dare to look at his face. I just didn’t want to have eye contact with him. And that was for my sanity.

I was back on my post, and he was inside his office the whole day. Our lunch was just delivered to us. I didn't even know that there was actually a free lunch for me too. I was beyond happy because I could save more.

It was already five in the afternoon, and I was preparing my things to go home. I was thankful that I didn't see him for the whole afternoon. He didn't get out of his office the entire time. I was turning the computer off when the door of my boss's office suddenly opened. I saw how he confidently walks out of the door and then walks towards where I was. I froze where I stood up when I accidentally meet his gaze. I cursed a couple of times in my head, trying to ignore again what I am feeling.

"Are you leaving already?" he asked so casually like something didn't happen this morning between the two of us. Was I the only one who was affected by what he just did? Damn him!

"Yes, Sir,” I said politely while trying to act like I was looking for something in my sling bag. I didn’t really want to bring up what just happened. Damn! I tried to forget about that, but whenever I saw him, my mind would remember it in an instant. The hell with that?!

"Where are we going to eat this time, boss?" Clary suddenly appeared beside my boss while smiling and then turn his gaze towards me. My brows furrowed as I look at her with a confused expression.

"You don't know? Our Boss will be treating us for dinner since it's your first day. It's kind of a norm here in the office for the new employee."

"Oh! Wow! I would love to join you, but I can't. I need to go to the hospital."

"Are you sick?" My boss asked while his brows furrowed.

"No. Not me. It's my mom. I'm visiting her. Can we just move it some other time?"

"Boss. How about Friday? That would be much better since it will be our day off the next day. We can get drunk!" Clary said excitedly.

"Friday is good for me as well,” I said, smiling.

"Then it's settled. Friday it is,” my boss said, earning a squeal from Clary.

***

I arrived at Chong Hua Hospital past six in the evening. I had a hard time riding a jeepney because almost all were full already since five in the afternoon was a rush hour. I decided to buy food first before going inside of the hospital. I was buying two pieces of chicken joy at Jollibee inside Cybergate when my phone suddenly rings. I look at the phone and smile. It was my girlfriend, Janice, who was calling.

[Where are you?] She asked right away the moment I answered the call.

"I'm in Jollibee inside Cybergate. Why?"

[I'm here at your mom's room. Waiting for you.]

"Oh! Have you been there that long?"

[Yes. I've been texting you a lot.] She said, pissed.

"I'm sorry. I couldn’t check my phone. I was standing outside the jeepney. There's no vacant sit inside."

Yeah. I was literally standing on the jeepney's entrance. I didn’t have a choice. If I would not do that, there was a possibility that I could ride the jeep at eight in the evening.

[Okay. Your sister is here. She said she wanted fries and sundae.]

"Okay. Be there after buying our food."

[Okay. I love.—] I didn’t know what was wrong with me, but I ended the call before she could finish it. I cursed myself. What the hell was really wrong with me? Damn it!

I hurriedly pay for my order and takes the food with me. I keep chanting in my head that I was just stressed. It was just nothing, and my boss was just saying stupid things.

"How's mom? Any progress?" I asked my sister the moment I enter the room.

"None, brother. She's still not waking up,” she said sadly.

"Hey." I walked towards Janice and kissed her on the cheek.

"You hang up on me,” she said while glaring at me.

"Sorry. I was getting the food,” I said, showing her the two plastic bags with me.

She was still glaring at me, and I just laughed at her and pinched her cheek. I handed the food to my sister and walk towards my mom's bed and look at her sadly. Her face looked so tired while lying on the bed. Her wrinkles were already visible, and her body was thinner than usual. If my father didn't die, maybe, just maybe, mom would not be here right now.

I sighed and held her hand, giving it a light squeeze, telling her that we were still here, waiting for her to wake up.

I turned and faced my sister and Janice. They were already eating the food that I bought. I shook my head and walked towards them.

"Aren't you going to invite me to eat?" I said while raising my brow.

"Oh! Sorry. We're already famished, and we don't want to disturb you while you're looking at your mom."

"I'm famished too,” I said as I sit beside Janice. We were eating silently when Janice suddenly asked something.

"How's your first day of work? How's Sir Dark?" I stiffened by just hearing his name coming from Janice's mouth. The scene that happened in the restroom instantly invades the thoughts that made me cursed in front of her.

"Can we not talk about work?" I said coldly.

"Hey! I'm just asking. Did something happen?" she asked while looking at me worriedly.

I tried to compose myself and shook all those thoughts away again. Damn it! This is crazy!

"None. It's nothing," I said, trying to end the topic.

"Did he shout at you already?" her brows furrowed while looking at me.

I sighed. Why couldn’t she just drop it? I didn’t freaking want to talk about work because it would lead only to him. My boss!

"He did. But it's really my fault. I forgot his coffee this morning."

"Oh! I already told you. You can't forget his coffee. He can't work without drinking it in the morning."

"Yeah. It slipped in my mind. I'll remember that from now on."

"Anything unusual?" she asked again. Unusual? Everything that happens this morning was freaking uncommon for me, but the hell that I would tell her that. I was even confused with myself already for acting that way towards my boss. Damn it!

"Nothing,” I said to dismiss her.

"Okay. Just tell me if you're having a hard time adjusting. I'll help you,” she said and then kissed me on the lips. I was startled. It was just a peak on the lips, but it felt different, and I didn’t know why. Damn! What the hell was really wrong with me? We even did something more than a kiss yesterday, but I didn't feel this kind of indifferent feeling.

***

The day passed like a blur, and I tried to ignore these strange feelings inside me towards my boss. Each passing day that passed, it became stronger, and it was making me mad. Each passing day, I was starting to doubt my identity already.

There was a lot of question that was running on my mind. Why I had this strange feeling towards my boss? I am a man, and I know I preferred women. I even have a girlfriend. I just couldn’t believe that for the past twenty-one years of my existence, why it only occurred right now that I had an interest in a man? Was this some joke? I need to stop this kind of feeling. This was crazy.

I tried my best not to look at him in the eye, especially if he would call me inside his office. He just let me, though. He didn't even try to do something indecent like what happen in Waterfront. I think he just really wanted me to discover myself. I already had an idea of what he was trying to say. But I was not particularly eager to acknowledge it. I just couldn’t accept that I was turning to someone who my girlfriend hated the most.

I just tried to focus on my work instead, so he would not cross my mind even for some time. And I almost forgot that today was Friday. And that he would treat us to dinner today. Looking at Clary, who was smiling wide while walking towards me, made me remember it right away. Damn it!

"The boss said that you would be the one to choose where we are going to eat,” Clary chirped.

"Why me?" I asked while my brows furrowed.

"Like, duh! You're the newbie. So you choose,” she said and then chuckled.

"Okay. Who is coming with us, by the way?"

"Me, my boss, who is Sir Light, Sir Dark, Amara, and Dane." So where six. I thought it was just the four of us. Good thing that Amara and Dane will be coming too. Amara is Sir Light's assistant. While Dane was their boss friend from HR.

"Oh! Okay. That's actually good."

"Do you have any restaurant in mind?" she asked again.

I tried to think of what I wanted to eat. I actually wanted to eat plates of plates of seafood. Since my boss was stressing me out, I would let him pay a lot for our dinner. It was for making me feel something strange.

"Are you fond of seafood?"

"Yes, of course. Why? You want seafood for tonight?"

"Yep. Let's eat at Diamond Tong Restaurant. "

"Oh! I know where that is! My friends told me that they have unlimited crab, shrimp, and scallops! And that's also near ICON Club! Perfect! Let me tell the boss—"

"I heard everything, Clary. It settled then,” my boss just appeared behind Clary.

"Okay, boss!" Clary said excitedly again. I was excited a while ago. But seeing my boss right now, who was looking at me with a smirk, my excitement died in an instant.