I Found You

chapter 2

Tine's face hangs low as he gobbles his lunch silently in the office canteen. Pear makes a gesture from a side which Tine can skilfully dodge but Pear is the only person who's borderline nice to Tine in the entire office so he waves back at her, as always.

"I promise I'm not here to make fun of your mistaken mail identity incident" says Pear, suppressing a genial grin.

Tine sighs, "yes you are. but it's okay."

"Okay partly, yes" Pear rolls her eyes, "but also because you somehow always forget that i don't like how you eat alone in the office. You could hang out with me and my friends, you know. They're not bad people."

Tine is sure they are not. But his problem is more complicated than a simple averse to "bad" people. He wants, no needs to avoid people in general. Not that he says it to Pear. Ever. Luckily, Pear does get the sign sometimes and resists herself (a very difficult task rather) from prying at Tine. Like this moment when she feels giddy by the thought of whatever Tine and the 'stranger' at the other side of the wrong email must have conversed about but she chooses to stay quiet and simply believes when Tine tells her that he just apologized to that person and that was it, because Tine never lies. It's another thing that Tine does hide things. Hides most of the things really, including the fact that the stranger did send a mail again which Tine only read but did not reply to.

From watsyourproblem • (gsnothome@gmail.com)

To Teepakorn•(t.teepakorn@gmail.com)

Please don't apologize. It's not always I receive wrong emails from a boss pleading his employees to do a job he literally pays them for.

Tip: don't be too polite. They are never going to take you seriously. The world is an ass. why being kind when it's not going to get you anywhere?

Your stranger / well wisher
S

Tine huffs indignantly as he recalls the mail while Pear keeps humouring him with the office gossip he has established he finds no interest in. In a corner of his mind, he is still thinking of better ways to counter the stranger's mail, to tell him/her that they are stupid to take his professionalism for politeness and that he does not need anybody else to teach him the ways of the world. But Tine, for some reason, cannot speak rudely, not even to an absolute stranger and hence, the unanswered email. He has bigger problems to deal with. As if in a cue, Pear gently shoves his elbow and gestures at the door of the canteen.

"That woman keeps staring at you". She whispers.

Tine turns his head, freezing at his place as he sees Pam waving and smiling awkwardly from a distance. He wants to run away but he remembers he is an adult and how often do they have a privilege to do that?

"Hi, I hope it's okay to visit you here" says Pam, her sweet voice hits Tine with a slow pang.

It is not. Visiting one's ex fiancé after dumping them five months before the wedding, in their office is not okay in any universe.

"Y- yeah" Tine smiles awkwardly, gesturing at the empty chair, "please have a sit."

They sit in silence but Tine's mind runs a hundred miles per km speed. He can smell the peachy fragrance of Pam's perfume and notices the lovely curl of her perfectly shaped lips and for a moment, he wishes he were still allowed to compliment her about those little things.

"How are you Tine?"

"Alright." Tine mumbles and hopes for the conversation to end but then asks after a pause, "uhm - how are you?"

"Good. Uhm.. I was just passing by from here and I haven't heard from you in a while so thought.."

"okay" Tine says, his voice somewhere far away.