One

Four

Kate won't be back until tomorrow; she's sure about that. I already informed her about Marcus, though we were both clueless about the sender of the gift. I texted Marcus but he hasn't replied yet. I didn't try to call him. Maybe this was not the right time to give him a call, or maybe there's no right time. If Marcus was the sender, I'll thank him, that's it. If it's someone else, I should be ready. This person knows how to make me nervous. It's been a month since I received the gifts, and I haven't received anything new again. It's not that I'm expecting or what, it's seemed normal to me though.

"Happy Anniversary, Ashley!" Peter greeted me in the lobby.

I was running late. I forgot to set an alarm, and the traffic jam today was a blast. Vehicles were stuck at the same place for almost an hour. It took my usual half an hour ride to the office an hour and forty-five minutes.

"Hey, thanks, Peter. Same to you. Sorry, I'm in a hurry." I told him, literally not pausing after saying a word.

"Be careful, don't run. You still have two minutes to reach the biometrics." I heard him shouting at me, I made his morning a good one. He was laughing at my face when I walked back towards him.

"Made it?" he asked.

"No. One minute late. Kainis!"

We both laughed. It's our anniversary today, our office anniversary. I can't believe I'm working here for two years now. Two years! Cheers to that.

"That's okay, ano ka ba. Dumihan din minsan DTR."

"Second-time ko ma-late ngayon. May meeting ka?"

It's rare to see him wandering at the lobby with his backpack. He answered with yes, and was just waiting for the driver to pick him up.

I said bye to him, I still need to eat my breakfast. I took the elevator ride to our work station, surprisingly I was not alone this time. The thing stopped at the second floor, and there was Marcus, waiting.

"Hi," he said while stepping in; eyes were even beaming.

I said also hi, after that, we didn't talk. I didn't dare ask him about the gifts or about the message I sent him. On the other hand, he didn't bring up a conversation. Maybe, he wasn't able to receive my message or he didn't want to reply. I stepped out of the elevator first, heard him saying he was going to the next floor.

Checking my phone before taking the door at the left corner, I heard another ping from the elevator. I glanced to see who was arriving late with me; it was Levine.

He was stooping when he got off that thing, trying to get something out of his bag. He was not aware that I'm almost blocking his way, so I moved to the other side avoiding bumping with him. That's when he noticed me. I immediately fixed my stance, why do I need to feel jitters when he set his gaze at me?

I smiled at him, saying nothing. Not even a good morning greeting. Fool, you should have greeted your superior.

He seemed astonished to see me here. "You're late?" he asked, his voice startled me.

I nodded in response, "One minute late. How about you?"

"Not late, I was waiting for Kate downstairs. Unfortunately, she's still on leave today."

Oh, I tried not to let my mouth ajar and say words unconsciously. Does he always wait for Kate? Does he need to always check on Kate? Is he a babysitter or what? I'm not being the jealous type. I'm. Not. Really.

"Thanks." was all I could say when he opened the door, waiting for me to go in first.

I watched his back as he walked past me, making his way to the pantry. Just when I was about to drop my bag on my desk, there's something on it waiting to be opened.