One

Three

"Are you sure it's not from you?" I persistently asked Robbie.

He denied giving me something last week, but after a minute of bugging, he admitted it.

I was so confused, I thought the bouquet of fruits was from Robbie. Last week before the meeting in Bataan, just to inform you of what had happened, I was sick. I cannot get out of bed for two days due to menstrual cramps. I was out of the office for three days. I only informed Kate and Robbie about the sickness. And to my surprise, I got this box of something sweet from the same person, I guess, when I got back to work.

There was a note attached to it saying, I hope you feel better. x

Now, after a week, this new surprise happened. I didn't dare talk about the box of sweet goodies with Kate, I forgot to mention it to her because when I got back from my sick leave, a meeting was convened right away. And there, I was sent to attend a meeting in Bataan.

"Robbie, don't just give me that look. I need an answer." I forced him to speak.

He offered to walk me to the train station. He said he has a lot of free time today, I accepted his offer. I'm not used to walking home alone, honestly. I hate it when everything around me was quiet. I always enjoy being with someone's company. He does this all the time, but we often walk home with Kate.

But not today, Kate has to work late. She's having a leave next week, and she needs to submit her draft reports this week.

Robbie was serious about denying, and laughing from time to time. I did suspect it was from Robbie, I don't know why but I consider him as the sender.

"Look Ashley, I was not the one who sent it. I do like you, Ashley. But I won't go with giving you gifts secretly. I would hand it to you personally, I could walk you home every day and have lunch with you always. I can do all those things every day, repeatedly."

Startled with his confession, which left me speechless, I ignored his gaze. Not here, and not this time. Today's not the right time to deal with his sudden confession.

"You got sick. I texted and called you, right? I did ask you every day if you were doing okay. I knew you went to Bataan, but I didn't think about giving you something as a welcome back gift. I wish I did."

I hate seeing him serious and intimidating. I can't stand the way he looks at me right now with eyes full of affection. I honestly did think about him admiring me. He's just so friendly, and that's what I thought so.

"Oh, Robbie enough with your jokes. I'm being serious here."

"I'm also serious about liking you, Ashley. I won't do this if I don't. I hope you get what I mean." there's a hint of seriousness in his voice. The way his eyes were fixed on mine indicated that he was indeed serious.

I stopped walking. He did the same. I took a deep breath before finally saying something to Robbie. "Okay, I understand what you're trying to imply. I can walk myself home from here. Thanks for your time, Robbie. I think we should see each other tomorrow. You may now go." I explained after momentarily avoiding his gaze.

There's a blank look on his face. "Were you disappointed that it was not from me?" he asked in a low voice.

I'm not. A part of me wanted the gift to be from someone else. If it's from Robbie, I'll still be glad.

"Don't think about it. Let's just forget that this happened, okay?"

But he insisted. "I want to know the truth, Ashley. Will you give me a chance if I ask for it? Well, I can give you flowers if you like. Or I'll send another basket of fruits for you."