His Wicked Heart (EDITING)

Chapter Eight

kilig
(n.) a feeling of exhilaration caused by a romantic experience

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PAST
ONE YEAR AGO

GENEVIEVE

I had been distracted, very much. I absentmindedly took a sip from my coffee; the excessive sweetness almost made me cringe at the taste as I stared at my desktop. I have been reading the documents for the hundredth time, again and again, and it seemed each word was literally flying right above my head.

I stared at the screen for a moment before a sigh of frustration leaves my mouth. Shutting down the computer, I stand up from my chair.

I needed some kind of relief because, one, I had been working for seven hours straight without any break, and two, my thoughts were roaming elsewhere-everywhere but here.

"Damn it." A knock on my door made me glare toward the door. And I had already sworn that if it was about-please help me on this, Gen-again, I would lose my cool. I would break things. God, why can't I get a little peace in life?

"Gen?" I heard Val's voice and thanked the universe. "I'm inside. Come in," I replied, and the door opened.

Val came into my room, closed the door behind her, and plopped herself on the couch nearby. She looked as tired as me, her eyes closing as she rested her head against the headrest. "What's up?" I asked from my desk.

She blinked her eyes open and stared at me. "Shit happened." I chuckled, "It always happens. What's new?" She rolled her eyes, "Nothing is. Everything is boring."

I nodded in agreement. Then I sighed and walked toward her. "Are you done with your work?" I asked. She shook her head and groaned in frustration. "No. I have a lot left. But I need a break, really."

I looked at the clock, saw it was 7 o'clock, smiled, and then looked back at her. She had a confused look plastered over her face as she stared at my expression. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "What?"

"Let's take a break then."

"What-we can't leave the office right now."

"My treat."

There was a moment of pause afterward. Then she chuckled, sighing before smiling up at me, her tired look fading for a moment. "You're a saint, you know that?" I laughed at the words, "Yes. Yes, I do."

Taking a small break after seven hours of work wouldn't cause a world war, and I badly needed a break, as did Val.

We left for the nearby cafe afterward.

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We sat at the table in a corner. After ordering our drinks, we chatted for a while. "How was your day?" Val asked me before taking a sip from her drink. I sighed, "Not good, really. A lot of paperwork is due. Moreover, my day is already wasted being with Polina."

"What's up with her?"

"She also has a lot of overdue work, and she asked for help. I didn't know it'd take so much time."