I Found You

chapter 12

a week later

It has been two and a half hours since Tine started cleaning his office (cubicle). he only has today for packing up and shifting to the main chamber beside Joss's office. his office looks messy but he looks messier with sweaty hair sticking out in all directions, sleep ghosting over his eyes, dark halos sharpening around them and moist cheeks. he is working, as if under a spell and does not notice when Pear barges inside the office.

"jeez Tine you look like a zombie who has just cried cats and dogs because even after becoming a zombie, he's very much having human problems" Pear states, a little worried.

may be because that's exactly how I am feeling.. Tine wants to say but just like always, his words die on his tongue.

"hey you okay?" Pear asks again, holding his arm.

that seems to pull Tine out of his trance. "huh? yeah I'm okay.. just tired."

Pear sighs, "it's so sad that just when you started warming up to me, you were promoted to become my cold blooded boss."

Tine chuckles, "that's the last thing I will be. you know that."

"then let me help you in packing. your office looks like the battleground of my girlfriend and my ex."

Tine grimaces, "yeah i heard that Earn knocked his teeth. is Fong okay?"

"don't know. don't care" Pear shrugs, "where should I put these files?"

Tine gestures at one of the labelled cartons before Pear takes the responsibility of keeping the conversation alive on her own small shoulders. Tine doesn't mind. listening to Pear takes his mind off of important things. he'd rather think about Pear's broken beige espadrilles than his own broken heart.

"wow. never seen a handkerchief framed in glass box. Google can't possibly give these ideas. where do you get them then?"

Tine laughs and subtly slips the glass box in the carton labelled 'personal'.

"it's just a souvenir" he says.

Pear squints her eyes and smiles, "or.. it's another one of your mysterious stories i will never get to know about."

Tine opens his mouth but only ends up sighing and shrugging his shoulders, "I - really it's nothing."

Pear nods, though still smiling and gets back to her ministrations but Tine gets hooked to what invades his mind after what he said.

he is reminded of all his silly attempts to find the owner of this handkerchief which consequently, buds an idea. Tine jolts around and watches Pear who has resumed her lamentation over her espadrilles.

"what?" Pear asks baffled.

"the office directory" Tine utters, "you remember that was where i got the email address from?"

"the wrong email address. yeah what about it?" Pear supplies confused.

"All the mail addresses there must be officially connected to our company, right?"

"so?"

"so there must be full profile based information of each of them, right?"

"where are we going with this Tine?"

"it means if i want, i can get an access to S's information. he must have some business with our company or else he wouldn't be there in the directory."

"S what? I don't get you."

Tine doesn't hear the rest of what Pear says and hassles his way towards Joss's office. he needs the contractors' directory now and if he can't be allowed the access, at least Joss would tell him how gsnothome@gmail.com is connected to the company. Tine feels so stupid that he never asked S what deal did he have with Velence. but then, that was the point of their relationship - to know little so little about each other.