A Prelude To Ordeal

The evening breeze gently brushed against our faces as we lounged on the hotel porch overlooking El Nido's scenic beach. The hues of the setting sun painted the sky in warm tones, casting a serene ambiance over the surroundings.

In silence, my girlfriend nestled closer, resting her head on my shoulder. The rhythmic melody of the sea waves provided a soothing soundtrack to our quiet moment.

Noticing her Matcha latte in hand, I reached over and carefully took it from her, placing it on the porch table. A playful giggle escaped her lips as she observed my subtle concern for her drink. I smiled, fingers tracing the contours of her face.

"Well, what can I say?" I murmured, capturing the essence of the moment. "Our company sure knows how to treat us right, giving us a taste of the finer things in life as a token of appreciation for our hard work on those projects."

Erica sat up, her gaze fixed on me. She reached for her latte, her fingers delicately wrapping around the cup. "They should be thanking you more, Jayson," she declared, lifting the latte to her lips. "All of the projects were successful, thanks to you." A sip followed her words, emphasizing the sincerity of her appreciation.

I chuckled, enjoying the warmth of my cafe latte. "That's an overstatement, Erica," I replied, taking a sip to punctuate my point. Her brow furrowed in response, a mixture of disbelief and determination in her expression. Despite the frown, Erica's captivating features remained unchanged – the cute face, chinky eyes, and the cascade of beautiful, long black hair framing her like a halo. Her beauty effortlessly shone through every nuanced expression.

"Helping others finish their projects?!" Her voice carried a note of incredulity as she took an uptight sip of her Matcha latte. "That's not an overstatement, Love. It's -"

I enveloped her in a tight hug, cutting off her words. "I Love You, Erica," I whispered in her ear.

Her response was immediate – a reciprocal embrace. "I Love You more, Jayson," she declared, her words muffled against my shoulder. I pressed a tender kiss to her head, prolonging the moment, before finally releasing her from the hug.

"We're here to enjoy Love, not to stress ourselves out with our jobs," I asserted, reclining against the chaise lounge's backrest.

While we relished our lattes, my attention was diverted by a figure sprinting from the sandy beach toward our porch. Squinting against the sunset's glare, I strained to discern the person's identity.

'Who the hell is this?' I pondered inwardly until a crucial detail emerged. In his right hand, he clutched a laptop. "Nikolai?" I queried aloud, rising from the chair in anticipation.

Erica and I both turned our gaze toward Nikolai, who approached our porch with evident enthusiasm. "I guess he's here to suggest another game," Erica remarked, familiar with my best friend's tendencies. I merely shrugged, making a playful expression. "Well," I said, turning to address my girlfriend.

With a casual nod toward Nikolai, I remarked, "You know this guy is a game developer, so I serve as his alpha tester."

"Hey, Jay!" Nikolai greeted, maintaining his usual demeanor. His curly hair framed a face that reflected his vibrant personality, complete with a few charming imperfections like pimples.

I raised my right fist, signaling for a fist bump from Nikolai. "What brings you here, Nikolai?" I inquired as we fist-bumped. "Remember yesterday at the airport? I suggested you a game where I am currently…" I spoke, finishing his sentence for him, "...working on a cool mod that could revolutionize the whole game of Skyrim. Yes, yes, you have told me that several times last week." I said, gesturing my hands dismissively.

"So… you're going to try it then? With my mod installed, of course!" Nikolai asked, presenting his laptop to me.

'I'll play this game with Erica then,' I thought to myself. "Well, since it's a video game, I technically consider it as not part of work," I said, accepting Nikolai's laptop.

He eagerly smiled and said, "We are Electrical Engineers, man. Developing a mod is not our job. It's my hobby!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, now scram, hahaha, Erica and I are having a moment here, man," I teased.

"Uhm… about you guys having a moment," Nikolai said nervously. "Sir Oscar, Ma'am Porcia, and the other bosses are looking for you and Erica at the celebration hall." I forced an uptight smile.

"Welp! Duty calls Love. We gotta run and continue our moment later." In unison, Erica and I chugged our lattes.

"Hold on a second, guys," I excused myself, quickly leaving Nikolai's laptop inside our hotel room. My mind buzzed with anticipation for later when I'd delve into Nikolai's modded version of Skyrim. I carefully placed the laptop on the table near our bed.

"Alright, let's go," I announced, ready to head to the celebration hall with Nikolai and Erica.