Secret Admirer

27. Alone

It had been over a week since June had gone back to Buri, and Kayu was left alone. 

Alone wasn't new to him—it was something he had grown accustomed to in the quiet moments of his life—but this time, the loneliness carried a bitterness that he couldn't quite shake. 

Kayu had thrown himself into his work, keeping a careful distance from everyone around him.

The thought of interacting with his colleagues, let alone Ciro, made him feel a strange mix of exhaustion and resentment. 

Ciro had kept his word, ceasing the delivery of flowers and gifts that had once arrived at Kayu's desk almost daily. Yet, the absence of those gestures did little to grant Kayu the peace he sought.

Instead, it aroused curiosity among his coworkers.

"Kayu, did June stop sending you flowers?" someone asked casually one morning by the coffee machine.

Kayu felt his stomach churn, his fingers tightening around the mug in his hands. "Yeah," he said tersely, forcing a polite smile. "Guess he is busy with work."

It wasn't a lie. June was busy—with Buri.

But that single question opened the floodgates to more unwelcome inquiries. His colleagues started whispering, speculating. Some of them stopped mid-conversation when he entered the room, their eyes darting toward him before quickly turning away. 

Kayu hated it. He hated the assumptions, the way people pieced together stories when they didn't know the truth.

He had no intention of sharing what had happened between him and June. It wasn't because he wanted to protect June's image—far from it.

 It was because he couldn't stand the thought of becoming the subject of workplace gossip. He didn't want to hear their opinions, their pity, or worse, their judgment.

"Two more months," he muttered to himself, marking off another day on his calendar. Two months, and he would hand in his resignation, step out of this suffocating office, and never look back.

And yet, even as he counted down the days, a deeper pain lingered beneath the surface. It wasn't June's betrayal that haunted him—it was Ciro's.

Ciro, the man Kayu had once admired, the man he had idolized. The man he had, in his own quiet way, fallen in love with. 

The realization that Ciro's kindness and attention had been a ploy—a strategy to separate him from June so that Ciro's friend Buri could win June back—was like a knife twisting in his chest.

Kayu couldn't reconcile the person he thought Ciro was with the man who had manipulated his emotions. It made him question everything. Had any of it been real? The thought was unbearable.

Kayu threw himself into his work, determined to maintain a sense of professionalism despite the storm raging inside him. He had taken on the task of training two interns who were vying for the role of his successor. Both were promising candidates, eager and capable. 

Kayu had decided to be fair, giving each of them the guidance and opportunities they needed to excel.

In the back of his mind, he was counting down the days until he could pass the torch and walk away.

But there was one bright spot in the midst of it all: Honeybear.

Kayu had met Honeybear on a dating app shortly after June left. He wasn't looking for love—not after everything he had been through. He had made that clear to Honeybear early on.

"I just got out of a relationship," Kayu had typed in their first conversation. "I am not looking for anything serious right now."

Honeybear's response had been instant.

"No worries, Tweety. I am not in a rush either. Let's just see where things go. :)"

Honeybear's easygoing nature had been a balm for Kayu's aching heart. They messaged each other daily, their conversations ranging from silly jokes to deep, thoughtful discussions.

 Honeybear had a way of making even the most mundane topics feel lighthearted and fun.

"So what's your favorite comfort food?" Honeybear had asked once.

"Probably ramen," Kayu replied. "Simple and satisfying."

"Ramen is life," Honeybear responded. "But have you ever tried adding peanut butter to it? Game changer."

Kayu had laughed out loud at that, the sound surprising even himself. It had been a long time since he had felt genuine joy, and Honeybear's playful, spontaneous personality seemed to bring it out effortlessly.

Still, Kayu was cautious. He was determined not to make the same mistakes he had made with June or Ciro. He had learned the hard way that trust couldn't be given blindly, and he wasn't about to let his guard down so easily again.

"I want to take my time getting to know you," Kayu had told Honeybear one evening.

"Same here," Honeybear had replied. "Rushing things only leads to bad endings."

Despite his reservations, Kayu found himself looking forward to their chats. 

Honeybear didn't pry or push. He simply offered a safe space for Kayu to be himself—a luxury Kayu hadn't realized he needed.

At work, Kayu remained focused and professional, keeping his personal life carefully compartmentalized. The interns, Lila and Niran, were eager to prove themselves, and Kayu made it a point to guide them equally. He divided tasks between them, observing how each handled the challenges he presented.

"Lila, can you draft a report on last quarter's performance metrics by tomorrow morning?" he asked one afternoon.

"Of course, Khun Kayu," she replied, her tone confident.

"Niran, I would like you to prepare a presentation for the upcoming meeting. Focus on projections for the next fiscal year."

"Khrab. Got it," Niran said with a nod.

Kayu watched them work, occasionally offering feedback or answering questions. Their enthusiasm reminded him of his own early days in the industry, back when he had been eager to impress and prove his worth.

By the end of the day, Kayu felt a sense of satisfaction. He might have been emotionally drained, but at least he was doing his job well.

That evening, as he settled into bed, Kayu opened his phone to find a new message from Honeybear.

"Hey Tweety, if you could have any superpower, what would it be?"

Kayu smiled, typing back. "Flying, maybe. So I could go anywhere and escape everything."

"Deep," Honeybear replied. "I would choose teleportation. Same vibe, but faster."

Kayu laughed softly, his heart feeling a little lighter. For the first time in a long while, he allowed himself to believe that maybe—just maybe—things would be okay again.