Chapter 2

"You're weird, man." Jasper Cheng said eyeing his friend and the driver of the red hybrid car they were in disbelief.

The driver briefly turned to him to give him a frown then focused on the road. "How so?"

"Because you decided to move apartments in the middle of the pandemic when most people would be staying at their homes."

"It's been a year and a half, things are slowly going back to normal-!"

"We're still on high alert."

"Fine, relatively normal. I could use the change."

"Am I that bad of a roommate, Harold?" Jasper said looking outraged.

Harold let out a guffaw knowing that Jasper was hardly offended. "You're the best roommate, Jas, really. But I don't want to be a cockblocker should you and Tracy decide to move in together."

Jasper looked visibly uncomfortable and looked like he wanted to punch his friend's face but did not do so. "Anyway, why here? It's so far from the university…! Oh." Understanding dawned upon him. "I get it. It's not easy being hot." He added in a singsong voice.

"Shut it, man." Harold grunted. "Hey, serious question. Do you think we will ever get back to teaching in the classroom?"

Jasper looked thoughtful for a moment and then sighed. "I hope we do. The online classes are worse than the physical ones although it's more convenient for me. I could at least wear something casual that won't strangle me while teaching."

"And here I thought you would say that the best perk of online classes is that you don't have to wear pants."

"Very funny. I'm sure it was great for you to be away from your overeager fans."

Harold rolled his eyes. "Believe me they're worse online. I mean it has its advantages, like being able to work from home, but being screamed at like my class is a virtual meet and greet can be a problem."

"Hmm, good point. Oh hey, I think we're here." Jasper pressed the car window button and the passenger window rolled down. "This building here right?"

Harold frowned. "I think so? There's someone over there. Why don't we ask her?"

The two men saw a dark-haired woman standing outside of the multistory steel and glass building. She was dressed in a dark blue ratty shirt and jeans that had seen better days, her hair was in a bun and it was not the kind that looked fashionably messy. The lower half of her face was covered with a black surgical mask. When she saw them, she took a step backward, and while they could not see the entirety of her face, they knew she looked uneasy.

Jasper, the more easygoing of the pair, gave her a friendly smile. "Morning. Is this the N Towers?"

The woman blinked for a moment, then replied: "Hi. Good morning," she answered. "Yeah, this is the N Towers. Visiting?"

Jasper grinned widely. "Moving. Thanks."

The woman nodded and then ran off towards a white taxi. Jasper turned to his friend. "Looks like this is the place. Let's find a parking spot and get things going."

They managed to find a parking spot below the building and they got out of the car. They entered the building and managed to find the management and administration office. Inside, they found the building manager, who was a woman in her late 40s. Upon seeing them, she nearly jumped off her seat and hurriedly walked toward them.

Both men found the woman a little too friendly to their liking but kept their cool and polite. The woman then directed them to Harold's new unit and was given a brief tour of the place. Harold liked the interior, especially the bright and warm colors of the unit. His mind was now organizing where to put his things as well as where he would be conducting his online classes. His bedroom would be off limits as he knew how his students' minds worked.

For now, he would need to deal with this overeager building manager who seemed to look like she would pounce on them anytime soon. "Mrs. Gonzalez, thank you for your tour and I'd like to sign the paperwork so I can finalize owning this unit," Harold said, giving her a boyish smile.

Mrs. Gonzalez looked like she would soon swoon while Jasper rolled his eyes behind her. "Of course, Mr. Sales, let's go back to the admin office to sign the papers."

The same boyish smile stayed in place. "Of course." He opened the front door and gestured at her to go out first. She blushed furiously at his gesture and they followed after her.

Ten minutes later, they were back at his unit. Harold tossed the keys aside on the coffee table while Jasper plopped on the sofa. "That was done." He said, sighing in relief.

Jasper let out a wry grin. "Yeah, I thought she would ask you out on a date. Anyway, stop looking like you want to toss me over that balcony; what time would the movers arrive?"

"In about-!" Harold was cut off when his mobile phone rang. "That's probably them."

"Damn, they're fast."

The rest of the morning was spent with Harold directing the movers to put his things and equipment in the new unit. Once the movers were gone, he gave Jasper a wide smile. "Now help me here."

"I hate you, man."

"Aw c'mon, ol' buddy ol' pal o' mine."

"Fine, fine! I'm getting up now, see? So…where do you want this thing?" Jasper asked as he pointed at the box labeled CONSOLE on it.

"Bedroom."

"Of course, you and your games. Next to your job, you're married to your console, or is this your mistress?"

"Move it already."

The two men worked in silence. It was almost mid-afternoon when they finished moving and organizing Harold's things. The two men were back in the living room, discussing on whether to go out for dinner at the restaurant downstairs or just order pizza and have it delivered. As they were too tired to move, they opted on calling a popular Italian restaurant and ordered pizza, burgers, and a bucket of ice-cold beer.

Once their food and drinks arrived, Harold tossed a can of beer at Jasper, who caught it neatly. He opened it and took a long sip. "Ah! This is all worth that weight bearing and moving." He said.

"Sure does," Harold said as he opened the large pizza box and took a slice. "Everything is settled, so I can relax now."

The two men ate their pizza silently, enjoying the savory mix of pepperoni, onions, mozzarella, ground beef, and marinara sauce. Harold glanced at Jasper. "You know my offer still stands. This place is big enough for two people. Or three." He added the last one with a sly smile.

Jasper looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook his head. "Thanks, but no thanks. I am happy with my place. My parents will have my head if I sell the place."

"Ooh, right, your crib was a birthday gift. I always forget that you're the scion of one of the oldest families here in the city." Harold said.

"Shut it," Jasper said curtly.

Harold closed his mouth. His friend's heritage was always a sore point for him; the less it was talked about, the better. "Anyway, you got any classes tomorrow?"

"As usual, yes, and it's a limited face-to-face one. Teaching laboratory subjects require me to be at the university. I mean, it's not bad, but I miss not wearing pants."

Harold laughed aloud. "Look at it this way; you get to see her."

Jasper groaned. "Oh great. More reasons why I want to shut myself in my room."

"Dude, you got to tell her eventually."

"No, I won't. I don't want to ruin everything."

"Seriously? Okay, fine then, don't."

The two men continued to eat and drink in silence once again, both consumed with their thoughts.