Between Hate and Love

Chapter 6

I woke up early, fully sober.

Nakailang sampal ako sa sarili ko para magising dahil sa kahihiyan na ginawa ko kagabi. I also had a cold shower and a cup of coffee before commuting for work. Venera had stuff to do and told me I was out of her way, so she would not be able to bring me to the office.

It was seven in the morning, but I was already waiting for a bus to get to Khal’s office. Sa tindi ng traffic sa Maynila, kahit dapat sana thirty minutes lang ‘yung biyahe ko, baka abutin ako ng mahigit isang oras.

I didn’t want to be late. Khal already hated me, ayoko na lalo siyang magalit.

After last night, Venera found me crying at the spot where Khal left me. Hendrix and she brought me home together. Naawa sila sa’kin, pero alam ko’ng naiintindihan nila kung bakit matigas sa’kin si Khal.

They did not scold me last night. They did not say anything. Basta hinatid lang nila ako pauwi at sinigurado na ayos lang ako, then they left. I couldn’t thank them enough for taking care of me, even though I was the one who made things hard for me… for all of us.

Isang oras ang inabot bago ako nakarating sa opisina dahil sa traffic. Gladly, I went early, so hindi pa rin ako late. I was actually an hour early pa. I went straight to Khal’s office and cleaned it, even though it was already clean. I swept the floor and put the papers and books to their rightful place.

Seeing the whole room, I couldn’t help but feel saddened. The room was spacious, and I was trying to see if he was keeping something in there that reminded me of him. But I couldn’t think of anything.

There were not even books on his shelf that we both read together. It was like he removed me from his life and the room was nothing but him.

Pero sino nga ba ako para mag-expect na mag-iwan siya ng kahit anong bagay na magpapaalala sa naging relasyon naming dalawa?

I sighed deeply. I still have more than thirty minutes before nine.

Kaysa magmukmok, I met Hendrix at the cafe and thanked him for last night.

“It’s fine. Just… I know both of you are hurting. It pains us to see both of you like this,” Hendrix muttered.

Nakatambay lang ako sa cafeteria, waiting for time to pass by. Gladly, Hendrix’s work would start anytime he wanted to, that was what he told me.

“Do you think he’ll forgive me?” I asked, holding the cup of coffee. My second coffee for the day.

Hendrix looked at me with pity. He had been in Khal’s company for five years and the two of them weren’t that close, but he had a high position in the company because of his skills. That was what he told me too.

“He’s distant with everyone, Angel. Kahit ako, hindi na alam ang liko ng bituka niya. Five years did him a lot of changes.”

It was stressing me out. Wala pa akong isang buwan sa Pilipinas, pero parang naka isang taon na ako.

Hendrix extended his hands to reach mine. He gently squeezed it, giving me an assuring smile. “This will get better, don’t worry. You’ll win him over again.”

Napangiti ako. Tama siya. Things will get better.

Hindi ako dapat panghinaan ng loob, kasi nga two weeks pa lang ako sa Pilipinas. At saka, I didn’t really have to worry that much. Walang ibang babae si Khal, and he seemed to be hating on everyone, so it was… kind of in my favor.

My thoughts got entangled when I saw Khal standing just half a meter away from our table. Mukhang hindi maganda ang mood niya. His eyes were looking at my hands that was being squeezed by Hendrix.

I cleared my throat and took my hands back, drinking the remaining coffee in my cup… which turned out none. Ubos na pala! So, I acted as if I was drinking something then, wiped my face using my hands.

Heavens! I was panicking.

“I have a file from Mr. Aziz. I want it done by afternoon,” Khal said. His eyes were piercing, as if ready to cut my hands by the way that he was staring at them.

Before walking away, he turned to me again and said, “Get me my coffee and go back to the office. I’m supposed to see you sitting and doing your job inside the office, not flirting with someone here in the cafeteria.”

I tried my best to suppress my smile and not to giggle. I pursed my lips and looked at Hendrix like a little kid. “What?” he asked me.

“He’s jealous!” I muttered, but only to his ears, because there were other people inside the cafeteria.

Hendrix shook his head at me. “You’re unbelievable.”

Yes, I might be out of my mind. But Khal’s eyes and the way he stared at Hendrix’s hands that were holding mine was something. He was like that back then, jealousing over Hendrix.

“This means he’s still jealous of you! Kahit na si Venera naman talaga ang gusto mo, and he knows it, ‘di ba?”

Hendrix sighed and urged me to just follow Khal because he looked mad. “Ayokong mawalan ng trabaho, Angel.”

I giggled as I went to the coffee machine. I made Khal’s coffee and brought it with me to his office.

Once I placed it on his coffee table, I went to my seat, which was just separated from Khal’s office via glass window walls.

I did what he asked me quietly. I made the report. I had to summarize it first and recheck Khal’s copy of it, he had notes in there and I had to follow everything that was written in there. I guess it was a contract and some changes had to be made.

“Still not done?” Khal asked, shouting from where he was.

“Just a few pages more, sir,” I responded.

I looked at the clock and it was almost a quarter to one. I scanned the pages and although a few was left, the notes for the changes crossed out the whole page.

I was stressing out a bit. I didn’t notice that Khal was already leaning towards the entrance of my mini office inside his office.

“Give it to me within an hour,” he said in a stern voice. His arms were crossed and he really looked like one of those scary higher-ups in the movies.

“Yes,” I replied, trying not to stare too much at him.

“What?” he asked.

“I mean, yes sir,” I responded.

One thing he made clear to me on my first day was to call him ‘sir,’ because clearly, he wanted to remind me of our difference.

By two in the afternoon, I was already done. I scanned the file and rechecked it quickly before giving it to Khal.

I stretched my aching back and felt the rage of the worms in my stomach.

I was hungry.

“Here’s another file, I want it done before six,” Khal stated, which almost made my jaw drop. It was a hundred-page file, and my head was already spinning from hunger.

“But… Aren’t we gonna have lunch first,” I argued, trying to convince him that we should at least rest a bit. Heavens! He loves to rest back then.

“Time’s tight. If you can’t do it, might as well resign now.”