“Are these your bags?” Zofi’s mother asked while looking at the two medium sized luggage bags near her room's door.“Yes plus I have my carry on,” Zofi answered.“No, I meant to ask if these are just the ones you’re bringing? These are very few,” her mother clarified.Zofi smiled. “I’ve always been a light traveler. I don’t bring a lot. I can buy stuff from there,” she said.“But it isn’t just a vacation or a short trip. You’ll be based there,” her mother said.“I know and I want everything to be new,” Zofi answered.“But at least bring some pictures. Here are some good ones from your albums,” her mother asked again.“Pictures? I have a lot in my phone if I want to see your faces,” Zofi answered.“Alright. I’ll return these in your room,” her mother said.A picture slipped from the albums her mother is holding. She picked it up and saw it’s her and Billie’s picture from high school taken during the dance where she dolled up Cindy. They looked so happy in the picture and clueless
It’s already past noon when Zofi arrived at her temporary Airbnb accommodation.“How was your flight, Ms. Zofi? We were expecting you earlier,” the receptionist asked casually.“The flight was smooth but it was delayed so I just arrived now,” Zofi answered.“Our housekeeping is short-staffed today but you will be the next to be assisted,” the receptionist said.“Excuse me, are these your only bags?” a guy resting in the lobby asked. He looks like a foreigner.Zofi smiled but didn’t say a word. The guy is a stranger.“I can help you bring these to your unit,” he offered.“Is that okay, Sir Richard?” the receptionist asked.“If that’s okay with her,” Richard said. He must have sensed that Zofi is not trusting him.“Ms. Zofi, he’s Sir Richard. He’s also our guest. Sir Richard, this is Ms. Zofi,” the receptionist introduced them.“It’s okay, I can wait for the staff. Thank you, Richard,” she said.“Alright then. I’ll go up now. The humidity outside was killing me. It was a bad idea t
Billie peeps through the glass window of Zofi’s previously rented apartment on his way out of the building. He feels a little sentimental just passing by the area.“Billie, good morning,” Mrs. Ruiz, his landlady greeted him.“Oh, good morning, Mrs. Ruiz,” Billie greeted her politely. “I was just checking the unit. One of my friends is interested in renting it. I already gave him your number,” he said.“Is that so? I actually thought you were missing Zofi. I saw you stopped by here yesterday too,” Mrs. Ruiz said. She’s a bit nosy.Billie smiled awkwardly trying to ignore whatever it is that his landlady is implying.“I heard she joined a tech company in Singapore,” she said.“That’s right, she did. Anyway, I’ll remind my officemate to call you today about this unit,” he said to stop the conversation about Zofi“Okay. There were already inquiries for this unit last weekend. Your friend must call me soon,” she said.Billie couldn’t believe Zofi told their landlady where she was
It’s like a dream but it’s not. The sound of that voice has made a magical comeback.“You missed me?” Billie asked first.“You said it first,” Zofi said instead.Both laugh and the wall between them just crumbled.“How are you?” she asked.“How are you?” he asked with more emphasis.“Tomorrow’s my first day at work,” she said.“I thought it was yesterday. I no longer know anything about you,” he said.“You never asked. You stopped asking,” she said.“Why did we let it happen?” he asked.“I don’t know,” she said.“Can we not do that again,” he asked.Silence means they have an agreement.“Why did you call?” she asked.“I couldn’t stop thinking how you are doing now, your new work, your new place,” he said.“Billie, I’m really scared. I’m having cold feet,” she said.“That’s first. I’ve never known you to be anxious of anything,” he said.“I’m alone. For real this time,” she said.Billie breathed deeply. He knew he was one of the reasons she feels alone.“I’ll always be here for y
Billie’s colleagues can’t help but look at him. He’s been humming songs while working all morning.“Better mood, huh? Must have a good night sleep last night,” Rowell, his ever nosy male colleague asked.“My guess is he has a new love interest,” Reese, one of his female colleagues who is friendly but also nosy when it comes to love affairs of everyone in the office.“How about you Rosie? What’s your guess being the most in love with love among us,” Rowell asked.“Stop it, Rowell,” Rosie said in a rather happy tone.“Stop it, Rowell,” Reese imitated Rosie’s speaking manner and voice.Billie laughs with them.“Looks like another one’s happy today. Ah…I’m envious right now,” Rowell said.Reese looked at Rosie and shook her head discreetly.The day’s about to end but Billie is still in the mood. His energy is the same as this morning.“Come with me, Billie. Let’s check this new bar they’re talking about,” Rowell said.“Next time, bro. I want to finish this deliverable today,” Billie
“Hey, ladies! I’m back,” Lizzie greeted everyone. Her skin is so tan from days spent on the beach abroad.“Oh my gosh, Lizzie, you look great!” Julia said.“How’s Thailand?” Dana asked excitedly.“Thailand will always be beautiful, no need to ask. What you should be asking is ‘how’s Mr. Thailand?” Julia said.“You know what? I missed this conversation,” Lizzie.“Really? You never sent us any messages or viewed our messages as soon as you landed there. We only saw your pictures on Instagram. But that’s okay, as long as you’re happy and safe,” Julia said.Lizzie saw Zofi approaching. She called her.“How were these two treating you when I was away?” she asked.“I had an awesome time with them almost every day,” Zofi answered.“Thanks to her and her boyfriend, we spent happy afternoons without having to drink much. They kept us entertained,” Dana said.Ah yeah, I’m also thankful to her too for putting me in my situation. If not for her, I wouldn't experience those unforgettable days,
It’s been a month since the trial period for a long distance relationship of two people who were once in a no-label/unidentified/unclassified relationship started. So far, so good until there’s something missing this morning. “Oh shoot! I’m late!” Zofi almost screamed upon waking up to the sound of the alarm clock. She took her phone wondering if she unconsciously put it on silent mode last night but there’s really no call from Billie to wake her up this morning.She tried calling him but he’s not picking up.Her heart starts to pound.“Where is he?” she asked herself while trying to shake off whatever is trying to play inside her head.She has always cared for Billie but now that they have leveled up their relationship, she realized that even her care for him has increased. Everyone in the office is looking at her as she enters. They seem to be waiting for her.“I’m still on time today, right?” she asked the first person she saw.On her desk sits beautifully a 12-roses bouquet
“Welcome us, Malaysia!” Lizzie, Julia, and Dana shouted upon exiting the airport in Malaysia.“Thanks, Lizzie! You’re so generous and smart!” Julia said.“Don’t mention it. I just thought about it last minute and it worked! Besides, we really need some R&R,” Lizzie said.“Hey, Zofi. Are you alright?” Julia said.Zofi looked at them for a moment.“I’m good. You were talking about something?” she said.The three girls looked to each other.“Let's get breakfast and have early check-in,” Lizzie said.“Yeah, I’m so hungry. I was so excited that I couldn’t eat last night,” Dana said.“Me too and I almost forgot to pack my laptop,” Julia.“Why did you have to bring your laptop, Julia?” Zofi asked.The three looked to each other again.“Did you not read that in our group chat?” Lizzie asked.The confusion in Zofi’s face gave them the answer.“I told you three to bring your laptops so we could work here and stay longer. It’s one of the reasons I provided to human resources so they could ap