The moment Raymond stepped into the office with his ever-confident smile and a bouquet of sunflowers, the entire energy in the room shifted.
"Kailangan ba talagang dumaan dito?" Aila whispered to herself, nervously glancing at the nearby desks where curious eyes were already darting in their direction.
"Hi, sunshine," Raymond grinned, handing her the flowers. "Surprise."
Aila forced a smile. "Raymond... what are you doing here?"
"Lunch tayo. I figured, you've been working hard, so... I brought you your favorite." He held up a takeout bag, the smell of chicken inasal wafting in the air.
Behind her, she could feel the tension even before she turned.
Ian Santillan, ever the iceberg of the office, passed by with his usual poker face—but this time, there was a slight twitch in his jaw. His eyes flicked briefly to the flowers, then to Raymond, before settling on Aila.
"Mr. Santillan," Raymond greeted, casual and smug.
Ian didn't stop walking. "Visitors should stay in the lobby unless accompanied."
"Oh, don't worry," Raymond replied, voice light, "I'm with Aila."
Ian halted.
Aila cleared her throat, placing the flowers down on her desk. "Raymond, maybe we should just go?"
But Raymond wasn't done. "Unless... may rules na bawal ang boyfriend sa office?"
"I didn't know you were her boyfriend," Ian said coolly, without looking back.
Raymond chuckled. "Let's just say... I'm working on it."
Ian walked off. But the slamming of the glass pantry door a few seconds later echoed loud enough for everyone to flinch.
"Girl... bakit siya mukhang galit?" Maila whispered, peeking from the cubicle.
"Hindi ko alam. Baka gutom lang." Aila replied, trying to sound unaffected, but her heart was racing.
Truth be told, Ian's expression stuck in her head longer than Raymond's entire bouquet.
Later that afternoon, she found herself beside Ian at the water dispenser, filling her bottle.
"About earlier—" she started.
"Who you date is none of my business," he cut in sharply, eyes not leaving the stream of water. "Let's not make the office your playground."
Aila blinked. That stung more than she thought it would.
"Wow. Okay." She capped her bottle tightly. "Noted."
She walked away, but not without tossing over her shoulder: "By the way, I didn't invite him here."
Ian didn't respond.
Later that day, while she was gathering printouts near the printer, she overheard Maila on a call. At first, she wasn't eavesdropping... until she heard her name.
"Hindi, wala naman talaga silang label. Pero si Aila, feeling ko wala talagang gusto kay Raymond," Maila was saying.
There was a pause.
"Si Ian? Bakit mo natanong?"
Aila's heart stopped.
"H-ha? Sinabi niya?" Maila's voice rose a little.
"Tinatanong lang kung... seryoso ba si Aila kay Raymond. Oo. As in, biglang nagtanong out of nowhere. Ang weird nga."
She backed away from the corner, her cheeks warm.
So he was affected?
She bit her lip, torn between laughing and... well, swooning.
The next day, she entered the pantry just as Ian was reaching for his mug. Their eyes met briefly, but he didn't look away this time.
"Morning," he said.
She blinked. "You're speaking to me now?"
He poured coffee calmly. "It's a new day."
Aila crossed her arms. "You know, for someone who claims not to care, you sure looked annoyed yesterday."
"I was annoyed," Ian admitted, taking a sip. "He was loud. Distracting. And wearing too much cologne."
Aila chuckled despite herself. "You're impossible."
"But honest," he countered.
She leaned on the counter beside him. "If I say I'm not into him, would you believe me?"
Ian looked at her over the rim of his mug. "Would it matter?"
She hesitated. "Maybe."
He didn't say anything for a beat.
Then softly, almost too softly: "I'd believe you."
Aila felt something flutter inside her chest.
This was getting dangerous.
That evening, as the office lights dimmed and only a few employees remained, Ian passed by Aila's desk, paused, and said, "You want to walk out together?"
Her eyes widened slightly. "You mean... with you?"
"Well, I'm not inviting Raymond."
She smiled. "Sure."
As they walked to the elevator, a comfortable silence hung between them.
"Hey," she said as they stepped in, "thanks."
"For?"
"Not being an ass. All the time."
He looked at her, eyes tired but warmer than she expected. "You make it hard."
She laughed, leaning against the wall. "That almost sounded like a compliment."
Ian looked away, but his lips twitched upward. "Don't get used to it."
END OF CHAPTER 6
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