SAME STUPID HEARTBEATS

"Welcome back, Miss Jhin!" they said in unison. I am the Head of our Accounting Department, but I do not differentiate myself from them, for me we are just the same.

"Thank you!" I replied smiling at them.

"How about our presents?" I laughed at their question.

"Oh, I don't have anything for you today. I can't bring the sea here." They laughed.

"Miss Jhin, you're getting dark." Sally.

"Ignore it." me.

"Maybe you had a Boylet in your province, right?" John. (Boylet means Young Boyfriend)

"Boylet your face! What do you think of me? An old maid?" I laughed.

He smirked! "You're close to thirty Miss Jhin and you still don't have any boyfriend" John.

I smirked back at him. "I'm only twenty-seven. All right, John... Do you want to work overtime later?"

"Miss Jhin is really funny." Marie kicked him.

"You even mentioned Miss Jhin's age." Marie smiled at me.

"Miss Jhin, anything for me?"

"Which one, the binagol?" I said laughing.

He nodded. "Come closer, squeeze my chest. If it feels like it" (Binagol is a delicacy known in Tacloban City, Leyte) Binagol is a Filipino sweet steamed delicacy made from mashed giant taro corms, condensed milk, sugar, coconut milk, and egg yolks. It is distinctively placed in half of a coconut shell and then wrapped in banana leaves and twine. The name means "to place in a coconut shell", from the Visayan bagol, "coconut shell") – c/o Google Search.

Marie laughed out loud because she is also a Visayan-Waray like me. "My chest is even bigger than yours, so I'll just squeeze mine." (Visayan-Waray are two different dialects from the Visayas in the Philippines)

"Aliens have conquered us again, back to work people." John. Because they do not understand our dialect.

Marie and I just laughed. I rolled my eyes and noticed that there was an increase in our department. There are seven of us in our department and we are now twelve because the five cubicles have been taken.

While I was away John took my place. I feel like a teacher because my desk faces all of them. It was as if I was monitoring what they were doing.

"Good morning, everyone?" I greet them.

"Good morning … Miss Jhin!" they also greeted me.

"Miss Jhin, I would like you to meet our new five teammates." John.

This was followed by the new five. It was as if my world had stopped, I can believe that Marknell was one of them. And he was also shocked to see me.

I averted my eyes from him. I felt tightness in my heart, flashbacking everything he had done to me before.

"Miss Jhin? Are you alright?" John.

"Ah, y-yes." I cleared my throat.

"This is Kevin, Milka, Jenny, Bran, and Marknell." John introduced them to me. "She is Miss Jhin the head of our department. She doesn't want to be called Ma'am so you can call her Miss Jhin."

They greeted me, but I could only hear one voice... from Marknell! I suddenly burst into tears. Just shit. I immediately turned my back on them. "Go back to your work," I told them. I calmed myself down. Marknell is just a past, so there should be no feeling whatsoever. I should no longer be affected.

I tried to be busy to get him out of my mind. Since I lost a month, I had a lot of work to do. I will work overtime. Hays.

***Lunch Break***

I was still immersed in what I was doing, so I didn't realize it was our lunch break and I also avoided looking at Marknell. John approached me at my table. "Miss Jhin time's up. C'mon let's eat, first!" and he pulled me upright. "I'm not hungry yet John, just go ahead okay?" I went back to sitting.

"Didn't you also tell us, to be able to focus -you must not be hungry while working? C'mon stand up." He insisted.

"Fine!" I stood up and Marknell and I accidentally looked at each other, my heart pounding again. I averted my eyes from him and headed to the exit.

Our canteen is on the second floor and we are on the third floor. We are using exit stairs to go down instead of elevators for exercise purposes.

And in our canteen, there is a Videoke for everyone who wants to sing.

I frowned when I recognized who was holding the microphone. The man with me in the elevator! In which department is he? My mind asked. But I chose to focus on ordering my food. We sat down; we got our orders. Kara, the canteen crew approached me and she gave me a bunch of food.

"Kara?" I asked her curiously. "Is there a party?"

"I was paid already for you Miss Jhin." she pointed to the overconfident man in the elevator. I turned to him and he smiled and waved at me. His trip is really strong!"

"OMG! He is so damn hot! He fell in love with your beauty!" John exclaimed! His gayness has come out!

When I looked back, Marknell and I met again. Our eyes also met for a few seconds before I pulled back. I stood up and picked up some dishes, I handed them to my colleagues, including Marknell's table. There are four on each table.

"Miss Jhin, don't miss it anymore, grab this opportunity to date, someone! He is so handsome and he smells like money." Marie giggled.

"Men are men, after they get what they want, it is a goodbye for you." while looking at Marknell.

"Not everyone is the same." Kevin depends on his kind. I just smiled at Kevin and went back to our table.

CHRISTOFF DA MOVES

"Hi Jhinkee" he greeted me using the microphone so all the people's attention was on him.

John, Marie, and I looked at each other. I shrugged when they are teasing me.

I could not swallow the Pancit I was eating. I looked at him. "I said... I like you," he says. I spit out the Pancit. (Pancit is a Filipino dish that usually consists of noodles cooked with soy sauce along with some variation of meats and chopped vegetables.)

Some of our colleagues shouted. Hopefully, the floor opens up and I fall. What is the man's trip anyway? Marknell was silent as he continued eating.

"I like you. Will you be my girl?"

The screams grew louder. I can't stand it anymore. I stood up and grabbed the microphone from him and turned it off.

"Are you tripping me, what's your deal?"

"I am not tripping you. I said I like you!"

"You know if you're bored in your life. Just me leave me alone, okay? You can get me with your Pancit, swallow it if you want." I am just holding myself not to punch him. I turned my back on him.

"Hey wait..." he held my arm.

"Let go of me if you don't want to break a bone." I threatened him.

He raised his hands. "Wooha! Hey, relax... I just wanted you to be my girl, that's all! Because I like you."

My eyes rolled. And step away from him. I lost my appetite. I heard the whispers of my companions. They sound like bees.

"I really like her," I told Jhinkee's colleagues when she left.

"If you like her then Good luck to you, she is so very hard to get." replied one of them. Is she a lesbian? I thought. I hope she's not. They still do not know who I really am, perhaps she will change her mind about me when she finds out I am an heir?

"Anyway, what department are you from?" the man asked me again. Department? I just smiled at him and said goodbye. I don't want to embarrass myself just because I really don't have any idea.

"He is so weird. He suddenly d-disappeared! But in fairness, he's so handsome, macho and so yummy!" John giggled and dreaming.

"Stop being gay, go back to your work." I pushed John away, he was really very talkative.

"You are a man-hater." He concluded.

"No! I am a gay-hater." I answered.

"OMG," it seemed to break his heart. But it is only part of his act. I just shook my head and took a deep breath. Marknell and I caught sight of each other again. Hays. What a day!

I'm LEAVING the building early. I decided to take overtime next time. I no longer have energy because of what happened today. I saw Jaybee waiting for me next to the Security guard. Manong also knows him because I introduced him before. They thought he is my boyfriend at first. "BFF!" I happily hugged him. "I thought you wouldn't pick me up now?"

"You'll be angry." he gently patted my forehead.

"I miss you so much! I have something for you, at home." I am so excited.

"I miss you too." he looked at my skin and I knew he was just holding back a laugh.

"Thank you for your compliment." I rolled my eyes. "Let’s go?" I anchored to his arm. And we said goodbye to Security Guard.