One

Two

We arrived at the office thirty minutes after lunchtime, and we still haven't eaten ours. I entered the lobby first and was welcomed by Robbie.

He's my first friend when I started working in this company. We got interviewed on the same day, ate lunch together that day, and the rest was history. Since then we started seeing each other in the lobby, elevator rides, and even at the cafeteria. That's how we got close to each other. He asked for my number, I gave it without thinking of something else; set aside malicious thoughts. We always talk, about work, about the meeting we both first attended, and about how happy I was to be part of a nice team at work. Robbie's a good friend. He's always been nice to me since day one.

"Hey, Ash. How's the meeting?" he asked when he approached me with a smile. I informed him this morning that I was assigned to attend a meeting with Levine.

I told him it was okay, the usual. I backstopped for Levine, I do call him Sir Levine sometimes. The moment I mentioned Levine's name to Robbie, he arrived at the lobby.

They exchanged hi and hello. But I don't think Levine knows him personally, and I also don't know if he's aware that Robbie works here. But Robbie knows Levine, I was told things about him, like he was so smart, and this and that. Save the part the I secretly like Levine. I haven't told anyone that I like him a bit, yes just a bit. Let's just say at my age, I still believe in crushes. Oh well, I haven't met my first love. So who knows if the feeling I have for him is already loved.

"I'll go up, need to check my e-mails. Ikaw?"

"Aren't you going to eat lunch first? Hindi ka ba napapagod? "

"I'll have it later."

"Here comes promotion." it was a compliment, but the way I delivered it seemed Ike I was pulling a joke off.

His lips curved up for a moment, nodded at Robbie, like it was his way of dati bye to him, and then he went off to ride the elevator without even saying anything to me.

"Feeling ko mapo-promote na siya as section chief dahil dyan. I should be more careful when talking to him, maybe he doesn't like it when I talk to him that way." I told Robbie, still looking where Levine has stood. Instead of siding with me, Robbie ignored my statement. He asked if I had my lunch, and when I said no, he volunteered to have lunch with me.

"He's a very serious person. Workaholic? How old is he, by the way?" Robbie asked while handing me a glass of water. Finally, he said something about Levine, perhaps has been fed up about hearing his name the whole time since I started eating.

"Twenty-six or twenty-seven? I'm not sure. I heard he's waiting for the bar results. I didn't know that he pursued law school."

He took Political Science in college, and when he graduated I haven't heard anything about him. I was startled when I learned he's working here. Luckily, I was assigned to their staff. My feelings for him grew here, every time I see him in the morning, after work, or just whenever he walks past me to go to the pantry; I'm keeping my eyes on him. Always. And I hope he doesn't notice, because I know he's not the type of person who gives a damn focus on his surroundings. He minds his own business based on my observation. I do check on him when we were in college. We may not be classmates, but I still got the chance to see him around the campus. I've never heard any issues about him being linked with a girl. Or was I outdated?

"Woah. Mr. Attorney pala dapat tawag ko sa kanya. He must be very studious."

I agreed with Robbie. I stopped talking about Levine when I noticed that Robbie was not in the mood to absorb more information that concerns Levine anymore. He didn't sound interested at all.