Chapter 16 (2/2)

“I missed this,” he said with a voice that was light.

Jhing frowned while staring at her ma.n.u.script, ”Ha?”

“This. Us. We're talking just like how we used to in the past,” he said.

Jhing almost deleted her new ma.n.u.script because of his words.

Miko chuckled at her actions. “It was only a chat before, but now—” Miko poked Jhing’s arm. “—I can feel the coldness of your skin.”

Jhing did not comment. What to say? She didn’t know.

Thank G.o.ds for The Script broking their awkward silence. A few minutes later, Miko yawned which made her yawn too. When they looked at the clock, they realized it's actually 1 in the morning already.

“Are you copying me?” He laughed and then coughed. “You yawned when I yawned?”

“Che¹.”

“Le.”

Jhing sneezed. She can’t concentrate. 50 pages to edit! When will this end?

She was shocked and tried not to show it when Miko left. Jhing suddenly felt cold and scared. She wanted to ask where he’s going but her ego stopped her. He's going home already. He got bored of you, her mind told her.

Fine. Better. He's just disturbing her from working anyway.

The surroundings were quiet and Jhing tried to ignore this eerie feeling. She was on her last 25 pages when Miko walked towards her with a plastic of junk foods and drinks on his hand.

He threw her one of the chips before saying ”Come, eat.” He also handed her a drink.

“I thought you already went home?”

“You know Jhing,” he said and squeezed her shoulder. “A lot of people died from expecting things wrongly.”

“I'm not asking.”

“Ouch. Are you enjoying being sa.s.sy ah?” Miko opened one of the chips before offering it to Jhing.

When Jhing was reaching her hand out, Miko held the chips away from her. ”Didn't I just give you a chip for yourself? But you still want to take from mine…”

”What will be left of me if you took everything, including my soul?”

Ay whatever.

Us The Duo songs from Miko's was having a remix with their munching of chips. It felt better, but their energy was draining. Even Miko lost all his words. After a while, Jhing turned to his direction and found out that the idiot was already sleeping in his chair uncomfortably.

She shook her head and continued working.

An hour later, Jhing’s heart almost jumped out of her when Miko suddenly shouted, “I'M JUST HANDSOME!”

“Tangina?!”

Her poor heart ached.

“Woah.” Miko gasped. “My dream was really strange. The police were locking me up in jail because the women were fighting over me. Dang, that was scary. And to think the judge was actually you!”

Jhing did a facepalm.

Miko laughed and whispered, “facepalm in the flesh.”

He rolled his chair closer and peeked at the screen. “Are you almost done? Let's play a game to wake me up.”

“Do I look like someone who has time to play a game?”

“Ten questions. No repeating.” Miko ignored Jhing’s comment. “I'll ask first… Did you like my something s.e.xy from Monito-Monita?”

This idiot is so conceited.

“Yeah. I like it so much that I burned it.”

“Because I'm hot? Wow! Great use of symbolism ah.”

“I give up,” Jhing whispered and shook her head.

“Your turn.”

“Favorite color.”

“Seriously, that's your question?”

She looked at him. “How about you? That's your question?”

“G.o.d, you're getting better at this,” He smirked.

Jhing shrugged her shoulders. Why must everything come back to those chat moments? WHY?!

“Blue, sometimes silver. Do you have any weird mannerism?”

Jhing thought for a moment before answering “I don't know.”

Miko smiled. “Whenever you're editing, you bite your lower lips,”  he said and looked at her lips which made Jhing’s heart flutter. She didn’t notice that.

To change the topic, Jhing asked, “Favorite TV Show.”

Miko laughed. “Will you believe me if I told you O Shopping? That show is so cool. Whenever they advertise knives, they make me feel like I want to cook even though I don't know how to. There was even this shower, ohhh, I felt like it will feel good using it.”

“You're so naive,” Jhing commented. “It's just an advertis.e.m.e.nt. They're spouting lies to attract customers.”

Miko shrugged. “What can I do if they're so good at marketing? How about you, what's your favorite show?”

“I thought that we're not allowed to repeat a question?”

“You only thought that.”

Jhing rolled her eyes. “American series. GoT. Castle. Suits. Friends.”

“Oh, do you have any copy of those? I want to watch it.”

“I don't want to. You need to pay me with money.”

“Why not love?”

It was a soft whisper. Miko made sure Jhing wouldn’t hear it, but she did. He was smirking when he said it. Clearly, he was teasing her… or fooling around. Nothing to read more than that.

When the night got deeper, Jhing’s questions did too as she continued editing. “Why are you working here?”

“The former art director invited me to,” Miko answered. “I told you ah, he liked my drawings.” Jhing didn’t react. “So, why aren't you talking to Anna?”

“Anna? Who's that?”

“Sister of Elsa.” He laughed which made Jhing rolled her eyes. “Your neighbor!”

Oh, the one who spilled her address. “Why?”

“That's your question?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow! Can't you ask me something decent?” he complained. Jhing shrugged. Miko continued, “You're not close to anyone…”

Jhing stared at the screen. “Is that a question?”

Miko sighed. “Why are you always in a daze? Are you thinking of me?”

“Why do you keep talking?” She arched a brow.

“Awtsu!” Miko laughed.

“Why didn't you reply to me?”

Jhing looked at Miko. “Huh?”

“The time,” he said. “Why didn't you reply?”

Her heart… a traitor.

“Because you are stubborn. I didn't reply to make you stop.”

“But I didn't stop.”

That was when Jhing noticed she bit her lower lip. She was hoping she still has chips to munch so she can have an excuse for not answering.

”Because you're stubborn.”

Miko laughed. Her heartbeat was getting louder.

After a few minutes of silence, he nudged her. “Uy, it's your turn.”

Before she could stop herself, she asked, “What's the real reason for chatting me?” She wanted to slap herself, but it was too late. But gahd, it was a question she was dying to ask.

With a grin, he answered, “At first, I only wanted to prove to my co-worker that I can make you talk to me. But when I had a problem and you lightened up my mood… Yeah, I just thought to myself…”

”Goodness, this woman likes me.”

“Wow?”

Miko laughed loudly which made him cough. “I'm serious! You were concerned about me that time ah.”

“Whatever.”

“My turn. What part don't you like about me?”

“You love to flirt.”

“Ouch!” Miko clutched his s.h.i.+rt near his chest. “You answered so fast ah?”

Another shrug from Jhing. “What will you have become if you didn't become an ill.u.s.trator?”

“We wouldn't have been together right now,” he said. “Maybe I'll be in a famous architecture firm. Or maybe I'll become the Christian Grey of the Philippines—hot bachelor billionaire.”

Jhing stared at him with bored eyes too long that made Miko frown.

“My turn again!” Miko said. Jhing waited as she typed in comments. “Didn't you like a love story that has a past? Something that has familiarity?”

Jhing stared at him before realizing what he said. Her hand felt cold when Miko continued his words. “We're now in the present. Did I tell you that I time traveled from the past?”

Jhing's chest tightened. She couldn’t move. They both stared at each other’ eyes, both serious and tired, stuck at each other’s stare. Jhing held her breath as if she would die if she breathed the same air as Miko’s.

“Jhing.” Miko’s serious voice made her force herself to not f.u.c.king cry in front of him. “What happe—”

“Flirting so early in the morning ah.”

They both looked at the guard who switched the lights on the whole office; a group of people entered the office with cleaning materials. Jhing looked at the clock, almost 5 in the morning already.

That fast?

Miko laughed and stood up. “‘This guard oh. Don't you know that flirting can be done anytime, anywhere?” People who heard it laugh except Jhing.

Miko then greeted goodbye to sleep on the lobby's sofa.

Her mind haywire; the straight lines got messed up inside her brain. She felt like a zombie while editing the last few pages.

Miko’s face repeated on her head, and his voice, and the way he asked—s.h.i.+t.

Do not cry.

Do not f.u.c.king cry, Jhing.

After finally finis.h.i.+ng the ma.n.u.scripts, she closed her eyes and breathed. She was drained; both mentally and emotionally.

When Jhing reached the lobby, she stopped in her tracks.

Miko was laying down on the sofa. His arm is on his forehead and the other one rests on his stomach; while his foot was on the ground and the other is on the sofa, knee pointed upward. It seems like he still had the energy to pose before falling asleep.

Jhing’s heart started beating fast again when she stared at Miko’s closed eyes. She squatted to see him clearly and felt like everything stopped. The pieces inside were breaking again.

What happened? was his question.

Miko was Jhing's punishment.

Indeed. What happened, Jhing? she asked as she tries to get herself intact. The past few months, she was sure she had a concrete and reasonable explanation for herself… until he appeared.

He made everything in her mind vanished. Forgotten. But she still felt her broken self inside.

What happened?

Why?

Jhing stood up in a second Miko opened his reddened eyes. Because of his magazine model position, his body felt numb.

Jhing didn’t blink as she was afraid the tears would fall, and she didn’t want it to happen. Her brain probably turned into a paste because of editing for almost 24 hours. She was confused about everything. She kept on fixing the strap of her bag even though nothing was wrong with it.

“It's good that you're awake. I almost left you.” She walked towards the elevator.

“But you still didn't leave me,” Miko followed her and went inside the elevator, both leaning on the wall. “Thank you.”

His voice was soft. “For not leaving me.”

Jhing clutched her hand. She hated feeling nice. She hated herself.

Do not f.u.c.king cry.

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