Beautiful Dreamer

16. Blurting It Out

'Still as awkward as ever. I didn't even know whether to offer a handshake or a fist bump or... But wait... How did he greet me? I could have sworn there was a contact of some sort.

Darn, it! I'm being awkward again... Where the heck is Mun, and how long does it take to order a milkshake?'

"You've lost weight."

Ari looked up in an instant. 'Did he just say something?' "Pardon?"

"I don't mean to pry, but your new place of work must be putting a strain on you."

"Oh no. I'm still on break from my job hunting...but I guess it's about time I found something to do."

"Your absence was heavily felt when you left. It took a while to adjust to the changes and..." Rey stopped when he noticed Ari's expression continuously growing flustered. Reaching out to pat him gently on the shoulder, he asked Ari if he felt okay. "Earlier on, you appeared spaced out. It seems I had a valid reason to have asked about your drastic weight loss."

"I'm not sick, just a little insomniac." Ari let out a nervous laugh and then brushed Rey's hand away, which left him with a residual warmth. Rey's sudden interest in his well-being confused him as much as it made him nervous. 'Isn't he grossed out? He is always on guard, so why does he seem relaxed around me all of a sudden...touching me casually like that?"

"Maybe that was why Manager Mun wanted to see you first before meeting me."

"Mun was promoted?"

"Yes. It didn't take a week before other departments began falling apart, so someone had to be chosen to fill your space. Manager Mun wasn't the first choice; however, later on, since he'd closely worked with you, it became a matter of applying your techniques."

"That's a relief to hear," Ari replied passively. "I knew he could do it."

"Yes. He assigned independent individual tasks to eliminate dormant and delayed projects and dismiss unnecessary tasks. Everyone was up in arms, of course, but there was still a little resistance here and there. Either way, he has executed his duties perfectly and is slowly growing to fit your shoe manager, Ari."

"I'm no longer your manager."

"You remain my mentor."

"You wish."

Rey chuckled, an act that surprised Ari even more than he already was. "That week we took on sir Ned's project, I hadn't realized how much I had learned from your leadership and guidance until I had to put the skills to the task. Afterwards, it dawned on me how much of an impact you had in my career as..."

'How did we get to discuss work? I haven't stared at a computer for months, and all he wants to yap on about is work and more office matters.

Mentor my ass! That's all he sees of me? Well, I should be happy about it, yet I feel choked and want to scream. Maybe this is why I always end up saying something silly to him.

Still, he remains surprisingly comfortable around me, unlike before or is he playing oblivious to my feelings towards him? Does he need me to spell it out for him?

Darn it, Ari! Say something! Don't just sit by flustered like a fool!'

"Ari, you're sweating bullets again." Mun's sudden appearance came as a relief to Ari.

"You took so long." 'On purpose, I'm sure.'

"Yeah, I was clearing our bill. I was supposed to treat Rey to a meal after he'd successfully brought back an old client. Remember Mr. Liwaswalva?"