untouchable

38

A high-pitched whistle escaped Dani once she sees Jillian walking towards her desk. "Morning, bestie!"

A nonchalant "Morning" was the response she got.

She observes as Jill's eyes roam around the room, seemingly looking for someone.

"Si Ethan? Dumating na ba?" Jill asked as she's settling on her seat.

Dani swerved around to turn her body to Jill. "Oh, mamaya pa siguro 'yon. Mga after lunch or so pa." And once the other woman's brows slightly frown in curiosity, she supplied, "Kasama kasi sa delegation chuchu si pangit."

One of Jill's brow raised as she thought, Wow okay. Totally convenient and totally not deliberate at all!

"I see..." She just replied in slight frustration.

Dani hummed. In jest, she asks, "Bakit? May utang ba sa'yo si pangit?"

"Wala naman." Jill answered as she's booting up her computer. She made brief eye contact with Dani when she says, "We just need to talk," then goes back to minding her own business.

The seriousness on Jill's voice made Dani shiver a little. She rarely sees her coworker like this, she's always been bubbly and jolly. So instead of joking some more, she only nodded and zipped her mouth shut.

Her meddling tendencies were also shut down because she won't want to annoy Jill. But her marites instincts have been going haywire since this weekend when she went out for drinks with Ethan. Of course, Dani knows everything, but still, she won't step out of line even when her curiosity is gnawing at her.

Another thing she's partially worried about is you and Ethan, as you're together at the moment for a work-related trip.

When her best frenemy invited her out for drinks, Dani was chill with it. She can sometimes be a comforting presence over alcohol, sometimes wiser than expected. But the supposedly night out with only Ethan became a night out with you and your friends. It was a funny coincidence.

Again, she doesn't mind hanging out with more people. Dani is a little more extroverted, after all. Besides, it wasn't like they imposed. Shein invited them. So Dani's worries eased a little at that.

But... you were a little colder that night. Well, mostly towards Ethan. You were still your usual self with Dani and your friends. Dani understands you've always been the quieter one on gatherings like these so she thought none of it, but... something about you sort of shifted then.

During banters, your sarcastic remarks to Ethan were a little more personal and hostile. You were never like that, even when you're angry at the job. It's like you're punishing the man for something personal, and maybe he kinda deserved it. He did, after all, dragged you into his own drama unwillingly from start to finish.

Whenever Ethan says a joke on the table, you will shoot it down with a snide comment. Or when you said an actually funny joke that everyone found funny, you will mock Ethan's chuckle. Or when you were passing around the pulutan, you will intentionally skip Ethan. You were being exclusively petty to him that night.

Everyone noticed it, sometimes one of your friends would exclaim "hoy beh!" and smack you lightly on the back of your head as a call out, but your underhanded attacks would carry on. You just don't care. Ethan didn't take any of it personally, head still too deep in self-pitying. It at least distracted him a bit from his personal woes.

Dani was just done relieving her bladder when two more people walked inside the small restroom. She was gonna yell, "Sandali lang!" when she heard familiar voices.