Double Trouble

“I swear, he was going to tell me something important!” I cried to Jill. That’s the nice thing about friends—you can just unload and be your freakish self. And I did.

“At the office? Come on!” Jill was playing devil’s advocate and supporter at the same time, assuring me that all was not lost with Marcus.

“Now he thinks I’m dating Paeng. Eh, hindi naman talaga,” I said. “Hello! We were on our way to a client meeting!”

The day after he saw Paeng and I together, I tried texting Marcus, hinting at that coffee date. After all, he said he was dropping by my desk to ask me out for coffee, right?

To my frustration, Marcus replied with the usual “I’m so busy with work” stuff. The big surprise of the day, though, was an email I got from him, late that Tuesday night. He wrote: “Hey there, sorry about that. Guess I’ve been so stressed lately and I just wanted to catch up.”

Can Marcus really be jealous? I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, really.
How did this happen? How did it happen that I now have two guys within close proximity, and I still don’t know what to do?

Awkward Encounter

Received another good morning text from Marcus. With possibly, hidden meanings?

Him: Gd morning, C. Bn so busy talaga. Cofi tyo nxt tym. Ingat.
Me: Wen tyo cofi?

Not surprisingly, I got no reply. Aaargh!

I’ve been suitably distracted by Paeng, who’s not half bad as a work partner. My female instincts say he’s crushing on me, big time. The attention’s nice, but sigh! If only he were Marcus!

“Hey.”

I’d just finished typing a proposal in my desk, when who should drop by? It was Marcus himself, in the flesh! I instinctively tucked in my tummy. God, this guy is really making me nuts.

“Hey!” I tried to keep my tone light. “O, how was your date?” Yuck, why did I have to ask that right agad?

“Ah, ‘yun?” He looked embarrassed. “Honestly? It was kinda boring.”

My heart jumped. “Really?” I sounded a little too thrilled.

“You know me,” he said, bending down towards me and lowering his voice, causing my heart to skip faster. Gosh. So sexy. “I’m better off with someone like y—”

“C.! Let’s go!”

I tore my eyes away from Marcus, only to see Paeng come up to my desk with his wide smile.

“Oh? Aalis kayo?” Marcus straightened up as his eyes flitted from me to Paeng.

“We’re going to a—”

Before I could say, client meeting, Marcus said quickly, “I was just gonna ask you to have coffee…guess you’re busy, C.” With that, he walked away.

Monday Blues

“Hey, C., need a ride home?”

Paeng, again. Dropping by my desk after five to see if I wanted to hitch with him. As luck would have it, my apartment is on the way to his house. He’s makulit, but harmless. And, I have to admit, I don’t have the heart to be mean to him in any way.

Besides, the attention is flattering. And honestly, I need to be distracted from my praning thoughts about Marcus.

I’ve just realized that I’ve forgotten to ask him about the girl he was with the weekend I saw him at the mall. Perhaps, the real reason why we’re no longer meeting up for our regular coffee dates is the fact that Marcus is already seeing someone else.

Frightening thought. Gosh, if only he weren’t so cute and sexy!

“C.?”

Paeng was still waiting to find out if I’d be going home with him. I’ve never taken up his offer. I always seemed to have extra work left over at the end of the day. Tsk. Bad time management!

Today, though, I noticed that Marcus was still in the office. Visions of us in some steamy, sexy session got the better of me.

“Sorry,” I told Paeng apologetically. “I really should stay.” And wait for Marcus, I told myself silently.

Change Of Plans

It’s funny how things happen when you least expect it. I never got to talk to Marcus this week. Oh, I tried, really! I was busy, he was busy. And something came up. Okay—someone. His name’s Paeng. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not in love with him. I should say, it’s the other way around. Here’s what happened:

I was strategizing to the max about passing by Marcus’s desk (He’ll have no choice but to say hi to me, right?) last Wednesday. I was doing a last-minute check on my makeup at my desk, before I went sashaying down Marcus’s area.

“C.?”

I looked up and there was this lanky, mestizo, curly-haired guy clutching a thick folder and smiling widely at me. Cute na rin, but not my type.

“I’m Paeng, Ms. Slavedriver’s new assistant.” He offered his hand, and when I shook it, he smiled even wider. “She’s on leave for a week—I guess we need to work together planning the new events.”

Because I really didn’t want to experience Ms. Slavedriver’s wrath, I had to postpone my “spontaneous” meet-up with Marcus and ended up spending the whole afternoon working side-by-side with Paeng. Who, by the way, kept glancing at me in this mushy, pleased kind of way.

Afterwards, he even brought me a Coke from the vending machine outside. How sweet.

Ano ba yan? Na-in love at first sight, yata.

Dyahe Dilemma

The story so far: C. has finally gotten out of her shell and has accidentally spilled her guts to Marcus, but will it all be in vain? For one, she’s had to endure the sight of him with (possibly) a new girlfriend. Secondly, C. has a persistent new suitor! Will she risk more or settle for less?

Avoiding Marcus like the plague. Dyahe, eh. After I’d told him that I was willing to date him, how am I supposed to face him now? Besides, he still went on that blind date he was telling me about. And that girl he was with the weekend I saw him at the mall! Sino siya?

“The only way you’ll know is if you see him,” urged my best friend Jill when I called her from work. “Otherwise, you’ll be unable to function na!” Go, pass by his desk!”

Well, I thought. It wouldn’t hurt to see Marcus’s face again. God, I missed him! And I was dying of curiosity about his blind date. Did it or did it not work out? Didn’t want to ask him through text—I might sound desperate. And will things really change because I’ve sort of admitted I’m crushing on him? Jill was right, there’s only one way to find out.