Ci Vediamo

02

C H A P T E R 2

MATT WAS FEELING exhausted from work, so he decided to make himself a cup of coffee at the office café station to perk himself up. He carefully selected a medium roast coffee bean, ground it finely, and placed it in a paper filter. As he was brewing his coffee, Denice walked over to the counter.

"Hey, what's up?" Matt greeted Denice.

"Not much, just craving for some caffeine," Denice replied with a smile.

As the coffee finished brewing, Matt noticed that Denice was about to make her own cup of coffee but was doing it wrong. He offered to help her out, but Denice still struggled to understand, so he ended up making her coffee himself.

"Here you go," Matt said, handing Denice the cup of coffee he made for her.

"Thanks," Denice replied gratefully. "Oh, I don't think we've officially met. I'm Denice."

Matt looked a bit confused but tried to recall where he might have seen her before. Then, he remembered that she was the girl who accidentally spilled coffee on him a few days ago.

"Oh yeah, I remember you now."

Denice offered an apologetic look, "I'm sorry again about that incident."

"Don't worry about it," Matt reassured her.

Denice then asked, "So, how long have you been working here?"

"About a Month now. Ikaw?" Matt asked back.

"I took a month-long break last month because my mom passed away, but I'm back now," she explained, trying to smile.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Matt said sympathetically as he picked up the mug and turned around to lean on the table.

Denice also leaned on the table and gave Matt a small smile. "Anyway, are you taking overtime tonight?"

"Yeah, unfortunately. The boss is being a real stickler lately," Matt replied, taking a sip of his coffee.

Denice frowned. "That's not fair. Have you talked to the boss about it?"

Matt shook his head. "Nah, I'm still new here, so I don't want to rock the boat too much."

Denice insisted on talking to the boss for Matt, but he declined, thanking her for the offer. They continued chatting for a bit longer before parting ways to go back to their respective workstations.

As time went on, their friendship grew stronger as they continued to see each other every day at work. However, Denice began to develop deep feelings for Matt. Matt was taken aback when he noticed a change in their boss's behavior towards him—less harsh and strict. It was later revealed that Denice had spoken to the boss on his behalf, even though Matt had advised her to let it go. Matt felt thankful to Denice for her actions, but they were both aware that there was still much work to be done.

A WEEK LATER.

Cavi and Matt were all dressed up and ready to head out for their long-awaited date. Just as they were about to leave, Matt's phone rang, and Cavi noticed that it was a call from someone named Denice. his heart raced as he wondered who Denice was and why Matt had never mentioned her to him.

He handed the phone to Matt and stepped outside to take the call. Denice informed Matt that their boss needed to talk to him urgently regarding an important project that they were working on.

After a few moments of silence, Matt's expression turned serious as he addressed Cavi. He couldn't shake off the guilt he felt for ruining their date once again.

"I'm sorry, Cav," Matt said apologetically. "My boss needs me to come in for something important. But I promise I'll make a way to come back quickly so we can continue our date. Just wait for me."

Cavi felt a bit sad, but he knew his work was important to him, so he just nodded and tried not to show it.

"It's alright," Cavi said softly. "I understand. Just be safe, okay? And please call me once you're done."

Matt was so thankful that Cavi understands him.

And Matt nodded and gave Cavi a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving. As Cavi watched him go, a feeling of emptiness descended upon Cavi. He had been looking forward to their date for so long, and now it was ruined.

As darkness enveloped the city, He lay on the couch by the window, feeling a sudden pang of loneliness. He wished Matt was there with him to share in the beauty of the city lights and the calmness of the night. Then Cavi fell asleep without realizing it.

And woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. It was Matt. He answered eagerly, hoping that he was finally done with work and could come home.

"Are you done with work?" Cavi asked softly.

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and then Matt spoke. "Cav, I'm sorry. I don't think I'll be able to make it home tonight. This project is taking longer than expected, and I need to stay at the office and finish it up."

Cavi's heart sank. He couldn't believe that Matt was still stuck at work. "But Matt, we had-"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, Cav. Babawi ako, promise." Matt said, sounding just as frustrated as Cavi.

He sighed, feeling a mix of anger and sadness. He knew he was busy, but he couldn't help feeling neglected and forgotten. "Yeah, okay. Just finish up your work and come home soon, okay?" Cavi answered, trying to keep his voice calm.

As Cavi hung up the phone, he wondered when things would finally go his way. He felt like he was stuck in an endless cycle of disappointment and frustration, and he didn't know how much longer he could handle it.