Anthology

Of Editing and Last Meetings

Akala ko 100th ficlet na 'to, yun pala 95th pa lang. Anyway, here's a small thing inspired by a book I read lately. Yes, kakabasa ko lang ng November 9 ni Colleen Hoover last week. (Just don't ask my reaction about the book, you won't like it.) Natuwa kasi ako dun sa bidang lalaki na si Ben Kessler. Writer kasi siya so.. napaisip ako ng what if.

This is TSIB editor x writer au featuring Andreau and Zade.

Hope you enjoy! If you have ficlet prompts, whether AU or a what if, just comment below! Any pairing from all of my stories! :)

**

"I'm sorry.. what?"

Andreau tried, oh boy, God knows how he tried not to scream that sentence aloud.

Kanina pa niya pinipigilan ang sarili na mainis sa kausap niya. He understood all of a sudden why he'd been pre-warned by his agent about his new editor, Zade Pascual. Sure, sanay na siya sa quirks ni Zade, like her pop culture handicap and really frank ways, at tinanggap na niya 'yon sa halos five months nilang magkatrabaho. (The first time she commented on his manuscript hurts a lot. Ibang klase rin ang lowkey na panglalait ni Zade. Hindi lowkey 'yon for his standards) But this time, when she laid the final blow about his book certainly erased all the nice feelings he'd been having for her.

Almost all of his writer friends recommended Zade because she was the best in the business. Yeah, right. The best, meaning 'Shit your book is so terrible what kind of writer are you??' brutally honest. At this point medyo nagsisisi na siya na sinulat pa niya ang librong 'to. He's a guy who wrote a romance novel for fuck's sakes. Ramdam nga niya ang doubt ni Zade sa first two months nilang magkatrabaho. Hindi ito naniwala na kaya niyang magsulat ng isang romance novel na nakakakilig at papatok sa mga babae. (Pinabasa niya muna 'yon sa Ate Marisse at Kesh niya. They are his first fans, so may kaunting bias ang reaction nila.)

"I did what you said, Ms. Pascual. What do you mean by dated?" he said, gripping the side of the table a bit too hard, as she flipped through the various pages, and he spotted red ink splattered across the text. That surprised him a lot. This was what, the seventeenth time they met, pero ang edits at comments na nakita niya sa manuscript.. parang unang beses pa lang niyang mabasa ang kwentong 'yon.

"This is love we're talking about. Paanong naging dated 'yon? Romance books are selling like hotcakes everyday. Now tell me why do you think the concept of my book is dated, Ms. Pascual." He already lost it

Zade looked up all of a sudden, hand smoothing down the top of the script. "..I didn't mean to offend you, Mr. Cortez. It's just that.. upon reviewing your manuscript last night.. I think na medyo gamit na yung love at first sight trope -- I certainly don't believe in that, even though I'm a girly girl but..." she trailed off, looking so flustered for some reason.

Ito na dapat ang last meeting nilang dalawa, at napansin ni Andreau na sobrang weird ng editor niya buong meeting. She was never shy around him, and.. she seemed kinda.. nervous, which made him really confused. And her comments, too. Weeks ago pinagtalunan na nila ang love at first sight trope na ito.. why rehash it now? Parang pinapatagal lang ni Zade ang meeting nila -- oh -- and he smiled to himself, as she rambled off, though wala nang kwenta ang mga pinagsasabi niya.

It all made sense now. Huling meeting na nila ngayon.. merely a week and a half before maprint ang libro. Tapos biglang ayaw na niya ng pages, ng plot at pati ng mismong libro.

God, she's so cute.

"Would you like to have coffee?" he said without thought.

Whatever ramble she was saying was cut short, and Zade looked very confused and a little helpless. "Uuhh.. I ordered earlier, in case you didn't notice." She even raised her mug, half full with black coffee. "I might die of caffeine overdose if I ord--"

Scratch that, she's adorable.

"Hindi na mainit yan, Ms. Pascual. I'll buy you coffee." She just gaped at him, so he added, "If you like?".

Zade snapped her mouth shut and cleared her throat rather soundly. "Wow.. you mean.. coffee now or.. I don't really--"

"As in a date. Wherein we won't talk about my manuscript or your hatred for love at first sight tropes," he said with a smile. "Is my book really that bad?"

Finally, she looked at him in the eye, laughing. "No, it's not. It's actually.. good. Might be a bestseller."

(Spoiler alert: months later, Andreau Cortez became a bestselling author.. and his girlfriend/editor was there to celebrate it with him.)