If You Were Mine

Twelve

STEVEN

I was staring at one page from the stack of papers Emily left my desk hours ago. "Oh, she's good." Killian's took the exact words from my mouth. I noticed Emily had good handwriting, neat, girly cursive, the kind you won't tire of reading letters from. Just saying. Not that she's going to write me any letter, unless one of her resigning.

Nakatitig lang kaming dalawa ni Killian sa mga pages na nasa kamay namin as I passed him another one. Useless move kasi sa totoo lang, the handwriting was the only thing in these papers worth looking at, the rest... "I don't even know most of these words." Killian commented again. Ako, wala akong masabi.

Emily submitted a deposition transcript that was entirely written in Spanish.

"Si tita Isabel lang yata yung makaka intindi nito. My Spanish sucks." To think na Killian and I have Spanish roots. Hola! Como estas? Me llamo Steven. Embarrassingly, that was the only thing I can remember because the language spoken solely by our grandmother was not passed down to her kids and grandchildren.

"Surprisingly, hindi ka annoyed." Killian smirked when he returned the two pages he was scanning on my desk.

Honestly, how can I be? I've been waiting for this for three years. The small part of the real Emily underneath the award-winning personification of restraint and emotionlessness. That woman mastered the art of giving me a poker face 98% of the time she's in front of me. Admittedly, minsan I give her absurd things to do just to get any sort of emotions from her. Minsan deliberate ko na syang iniinis by being a jerk harap-harapan, pero wala. Kahit gaano pa kami katagal magtitigan just so I can see some twitch on her face, nothing. Her few smiles are cordial, minsan directed pa sa ibang tao. I would have even liked it if magagalit sya sakin. I'm sure having me as her boss exasperated her a lot. Oo na inaamin ko na yon as it was a fact always pointed out by Killian, Stacy and Kyla.

Kaya din ako inis na inis whenever I hear Emily laughing with someone else. Parang kanina with Carlo. Hearing them laugh together and talking so casually frustrated me a lot. A lot more than it should.

That's why when I gave her a more than friendly smile with teasing that provoked a frown, it was so satisfying, plus the fact that she called me by my first name. Na never nyang ginawa. I've replayed the way Emily said 'Steven' over and over inside my head and buti nalang Carlo and Killian led that meeting so I was left alone with my thoughts. Thoughts that I shouldn't be thinking about my assistant.

Emily calling me Steven honestly shifted my disposition. I was in a very irritable mood this morning dahil dun sa putanginang nangyari sakin sa korte. I don't know for how long I was parading my ass in court for everyone to see my gray boxer briefs because of a big hole in my pants. Hindi ko alam pero maybe that's the reason why madaming babae yung nakatingin sakin kanina whenever I stopped to talk to someone. One of the old clerks even winked at me. Kung hindi lang dahil sa client ko who fell behind me to answer a call, I wouldn't have known about my ripped slacks.

The bad mood continued when I found out that the bag Emily usually kept in the back trunk of my car with a spare suit wasn't there. I had to go back to the condo so I can change losing precious hours that I could have some work done.