Champorado

24

"BAKIT ba nasa laptop ka na naman?" Migo complains loudly, voice rich with sleep. "Boyfriend mo na ba 'yan, ha? Bwisit."

Jiya twists around in her chair and leans over the backrest with a grin, looking at the clock. "Good morning." Seven o'clock na.

"Good morning mo mukha mo, pumunta ka dito. Kailangan mo pa ng tulog." He slaps the mattress pointedly, burying his face in her pillow.

As much as she wants to, she can't. "I have work tomorrow and I need to finish reading this, baby."

He kicks the mattress childishly and throws a pillow in her face. "I'll kill your fucking boss."

She bites her lip, feeling guilty, and turns back to her page count. Nasa three hundred pa lang siya over four hundred, and she knows Gelo is going to ask her for her thoughts tomorrow and hindi pwedeng wala siyang masabi.

Especially since parang naging cold siya bigla after the weekend. Wednesday na ngayon, and for the past few days, sobrang weird ni Gelo and she worries na baka she stepped over the line by bantering with him no'ng Friday night, no'ng pinilit niyang kumain siya ng dinner with her.

Monday morning kasi, she knocked on his door holding her laptop and greeted, "Good morning! I have your proposal ready, galing ko 'no?"

Gelo didn't spare her a glance and said flatly, "Ipapakita mo sa 'kin sa laptop? Print it and submit it properly."

Nagulat si Jiya and she blinked. Before that naman, Gelo said na sayang sa paper kung pwede naman na sa laptop...pero baka bad day lang kaya ang sungit niya, umagang-umaga. She can understand, so sabi niya, "Okay, got it."

Hindi rin siya tiningnan ni Gelo when she put it down on his desk.

No'ng maglu-lunch na sila ni Claire, he abruptly opened the door to their office and tossed the folder on her desk. "Fix it. I have revisions."

Tapos umalis na siya.

Jiya took it slowly, swallowing thickly. Claire gave her a gentle smile and said, "He's just in a mood. Don't worry about it, let's eat first."

Pero hindi kinaya ni Jiya na mag-stomach ng kahit anong pagkain sa ugali ni Gelo towards her, kaya she shook her head and sat back down. "I'll...finish this and eat later."

Claire insisted na 'wag, pero Jiya was stubborn.

She submitted it again bago matapos ang lunch with an apology for the mistakes, and Gelo didn't glance at her.

She sat back down on her desk, feeling anxious. Masyado siyang nag-feeling close sa boss niya. And it was her fault naman talaga, she became too comfortable with him na naging sobrang unprofessional siya. Which is not something Jiya is. Parang kasing kaibigan niya si Gelo...nakalimutan niya na hindi pala.

In-ask siya ni Migo if they could have dinner together, pero tinambakan siya ng mga bagong manuscripts for this week so she said no. Umuwi siya magte-ten na, siya nag-lock ng office nila, and no'ng nagpaalam siya kay Gelo, he only said, "Okay."

Jiya left the building with her stomach still in knots. Hindi siya masyadong nakatulog.

Tuesday morning, gano'n pa rin ang ugali ni Gelo. Dinalhan siya ng coffee ni Jiya and his schedule for his meetings today. "Sir—"

"Gelo," he corrected flatly, still staring at his screen. "What? May na-miss ka, Ms. Valle?"

"No," Jiya said. Ngayon lang siya kinabahan sa harap ni Gelo sa almost one month na niyang katrabaho 'to. "I just want to apologize for last Friday night and my behavior. It was unprofessional, I'm sorry. I'll be more mindful moving forward."