IV

Zen wakes up in a horrible state. His head tinges in pain from the hangover. He looks around and it turns out that he happened to return to his home safely last night even though he was extremely drunk that he could barely remember the events that occured.

Just then, a distorted memory flashes to him. It was him calling someone an angel and that kiss on the cheek. Wait, a kiss on the cheek??!

He covers his mouth in shock. "Oh no, who did I kiss?" He touches his lips subconsciously as he was in deep thought. He remembers that the person in question is beautiful hence why he/she was called an angel by him. But that's all the he could remember.

He doesn't know what this person looks like because his vision was blurry due to his excessive alcohol intake. He grabs his phone to check the time and date. Fortunately, it was Saturday and it meant no work. So he has all the time to relax for two days.

Zen was about to sleep more when his phone rang a notification bell. The notification is from his superior Emma Claire sending her a good morning message.

"Huh. That's weird, since when did Ms. Claire send me personal messages?" Zen widens his beautiful brown eyes upon reaching into one possible conclusion. It was Emma who he kissed!

But perhaps he was being to hasty in concluding so he shakes his head for a while to prevent himself from deluding then types a reply to his screen.

"Good morning too. I'm sorry for last night but I had fun with you. Rest well!" It was brief and direct message but the concern and courteousness was there.

He still couldn't send her intimate messages as she might feel creeped instead and that might ruin their closeness.

Zen bounces in his bed in glee when Emma hearted his message. 'A heart! It means she acknowledges me!' A heart react on a message may not be a big deal to a lot of people but to Zen, who rarely chatted with women sees this as a first sign of love.

Zen is certainly a hopeless romantic beta hoping to taste a life of being in love with a person who really loves him for himself.

****

Monday. 7AM

Zen Alfonso arrives at the office with a huge smile plastered on his handsome face—to top it off, he was even humming a happy tune while unloading his suitcase. This innocent action of him didn't leave unnoticed by his gossip hungry co-workers.

They all took sneaky glances at him wondering why the usual Mr. Alfonso who is known to be quiet, polite and serious at work is humming a tune from a famous song about love. This could only mean one thing.

Karl— a three year older co-worker of Zen approaches him with a hidden agenda. "Good morning, Mr. Alfonso!"

Zen didn't hide away his smile and politely greets him back. But Karl who is a certified no.1 Gossip King— or so he proclaims, finds it unusual so he didn't let an opportunity of learning what might possibly be a juicy truth, pass. "You seem extra happy today, Mr. Alfonso. Did you have fun last weekend?" An emphasis was evident in the words, 'fun' and 'weekend.'

Expectedly, Zen shows all his top teeth by smiling more almost grinning to himself when he reminisces the pleasant memories of his weekend. "Yes, it was fun hanging out with her."

Her? They all thought.

He's got himself a girlfriend, they all concluded.

Some female coworkers were left disappointed because even though Mr. Alfonso is just a new employee, he's got the looks and the charm of a remarkable man enough to be called to be their Mr. Right.

Just as Karl was about to shoot more inquisitive questions, Ms. Claire arrives looking extra dolled up today for an office job.

Though honestly, Ms. Emma Claire looked beautiful everyday with her elegant and modest outfits but today it seems that she woke up three hours earlier to make herself look like a goddess— not that she doesn't look like one to begin with.

"Good morning, Ms. Claire." They all greeted their supervisor as they hide their awe in her beauty by maintaining professionalism.

"You look really pretty today, ma'am." A female employee complimented.

Emma tucks in few of her long wavy hair behind her ear as she smiles gracefully. "Thank you. I had bit complication in doing my hair, what do you think about it, Mr. Alfonso?"

It was a lie.

Emma Claire didn't change the way she curled her hair, what was different today is her makeup and her outfit choice. She knew her technique in curling has already reached its mastery. She just wanted to bait a compliment from Mr. Alfonso.

Zen was a bit apalled that she had asked for his opinion out all of the people outwardly complimenting her but he took this chance to assure his crush. "You look really... nice."

Nice is all he could really say because he was nervous if coworkers find out about their growing relationship. It's not that it's a taboo to be in a relationship within the same company but he's afraid the Ms. Claire might leave him if people had known.

Zen recalls their text messages the morning after the company dinner — also the night he got extremely drunk that he had even kissed someone from work in the cheek.

But luckily for him, Emma Claire told him that it was her whom he kissed. And she reassured him that she didn't mind it at all, in fact, she had enjoyed it as well. She even jokingly replied that too bad there wasn't more.

"Mr. Alfonso."

Zen withdraws from typing more in the computer and looks from where the pleasant voice came from.

"Yes, Ms. Claire?"

"The CEO told me that he needed these papers so go ahead and deliver these to him."

Zen stood up from his seat and poses with an army sign adding with an, "Aye aye sir." He then takes the pile of stapled papers from her hands.

"But before that." Emma says and then whispers very discreetly to Mr. Alfonso. "I know it's not my right to say this but Mr. Claude is very weird so please be cautious around him."

Zen shot a curious look at her and was about to ask but Emma patted his back, ending their conversation, and gently pushes him away which simply made him walk away with questions in his mind.

After peacefully riding the elevator, Zen arrives at the CEO's luxurious office. The office is the same as when he first came in. The place looks expensive but simple at the same time.

He figures that each furniture costs a fortune but he wonders why the furnitures are all countable by his fingers.

Still, what Zen wanted to know urgently is why his superior, Emma Claire, called the boss weird. He could already tell that the boss is weird in his own way, but someone else saying that is just odd in a different way.

"Good afternoon Mr. Claude." Zen politely bows at him.

While he already put down the papers on his desk, Mr. Claude is still frozen in his seat with his fingers touching his cheek.

Zen wonders why the CEO is like this looking so dumbfounded.

Did he hurt his cheek perhaps?

Days passed by, and each time Zen came to deliver paperwork, the CEO is always left sitting still in his black swivel chair with his index finger touching his cheek without sharing an eye contact with him. And his eyes always seem to look down from his eyes.

That's when Zen finally broke the deafening silence between them. He loudly put a thing from his hand unto the desk. The CEO then looked at him surprised.

"Excuse me, Mr. Claude. I don't know what's wrong with you but it's been bothering me for quite a while. So here's something for you. Goodbye." And with that being said, he quickly left.

Mr. Claude was about to stop him from swiftly walking away but he didn't. He looked down at his desk and saw an ointment.

It was an ointment for canker sores.