Ever So (Saint Claire II)

Part 7

Part 7

I stormed into the office with one thing on my mind. Ang makaharap si Ms. Cee. I didn't even have time to properly dress up. I didn't have my morning coffee or my morning jog. I went straight to my office, in my freaking day-off, wearing athleisure of tight black leggings, white sneakers and cream turtleneck sweatshirt.

Napalingon ang mga kasama ko pagdating ko sa office. Alam na nila na kapag ganito ang mood ko, isa lang ang kahihinatnan. Ang makipagsagutan sa boss, which for a reason, ay sanay na silang masaksihan.

"Babaeng palaban ka nanaman, Euls," komento ng isa sa mga kasama ko sabay iling.

I knocked aggressively on Ms. Cee's office door bago ito binuksan.  "Ms. Cee."

"Oh, Euls!" bati niya na hindi man lang napansin ang pagbabanta sa boses ko.

Kaya siguro kami laging nagbabanggaan pagdating sa trabaho. I'm the more serious one, the more logical. While she's the daydreamer and  head in the clouds kind of boss. Ako ang tagahila sa kanya sa  katotohanan na imposible ang mga gusto niyang mangyari, specially when it comes to projects which are impossible to execute.

"I thought it's your day-off?"

My eyebrow twitched. She really asked about it like she wasn't the reason. Nanatili akong nakatayo sa harapan ng kanyang adjustable ergonomic desk.

"You know why I'm here, Ms. Cee."

The bright smile on her face remained as she motioned for me to sit on the plush chair.

"Is this about the studio interview?"

"I didn't agree on it," mariin kong sinabi nang makaupo. "You know the first interview was bad enough for me."

"But according to the the band's management, you did a great job. You even got complimented for handling the unexpected during the interview."

"Because I had no other choice!"

Ramdam ko ang muling pagtaas ng boses ko so I leaned back on the  chair and with both hands, I tried to mantra my way into being calm. Breathe in, breathe out.

I couldn't let them know that I would rather fly out of the country to make a cover story than face the band. Silly, I know. But that's how I feel.

Ms. Cee watched me from behind her purple rimmed glasses. "It's a cover feature, Euls. The more content we can work on, the better. You  are usually excited for exclusive features like this, specially glimpses of celebrities' normal lives."

Hindi ako sumagot. That's the thing about Ms. Cee. Kahit gaano pa  kainit ang mga ulo namin, gaano ka-pressured sa deadline o sa panic kapag may biglaang problema, nahahawa kami sa pagiging kalmado at positive niya.

And I honestly think she's perfect for this kind of work. Kahit lagi kaming nagkakabanggaan sa maraming bagay, my respect for her didn't falter.

"Am I seeing the Maria Eula being defeated by a project?"

May panunukso ang tono niya, but everyone in the office knew that if there's someone who can wing any interview, that would be me.  "There's no way."

Her smile widen. She really knows how to get me moving. Because I  hate losing. I hate the feeling of defeat and self-pity. But am I seriously worrying about my pride right now than my sanity?

Lumabas ako sa office after the conversation. And even though it's basically my day-off, nagtungo ako sa desk ko para kunin ang ilang files na iuuwi ko.

"Swerte naman," ngiti ni Mara sa kabilang desk sabay tulak ng swivel chair para lumapit sa'kin. "You have free access to Saint Claire's recording studio."