I was alone thinking I was just fine
I wasn't looking for anyone to be mine
I thought love was just a fabrication
A train that wouldn't stop at my station
Home, alone, that was my consignment
Solitary confinement
So when we met I was skirting around...
Emma paces the length of the office, her hands pressed against her head as if trying to keep her thoughts from spilling over. Their morning had begun with a devastating blow: a notice of foreclosure. It was sudden, sharp, and left them all completely unprepared. None of them had been "girding their loins" for a fight this big.
Lea heaves a deep sigh, her mind a discombobulated mess. She is already drowning in the fallout of seeing Aga, and now her professional world is crumbling. The building owner has given them exactly one week to find another berth for their business.
"Jason, any luck?" Emma asks.
Jason is hunched over his laptop, eyes red from scouring the internet for a space for lease. "There are a few available," he says, leaning back into his swivel chair with a defeated thud, "but considering our current financial capacity, we can't afford any of them. The deposits alone are staggering."
Lea strokes her temples, trying to massage away a rising headache. "He should've told us ahead of time. Not like this. One week?! For Pete's sake, what does he think of us? We aren't prepared for this."
"I can try to file for a loan," Emma suggests tentatively.
"I can't," Lea responds quickly. "I'm still paying off my last one."
"Lalo naman ako," Jason interjects. "I just filed a housing loan. My credit is stretched to the limit."
"Tsk. Paano 'to? Are we just going to close down the business?" Emma's voice wavers.
"We can't! I mean, I can't," Lea says, her voice rising in desperation. "Saan kami pupulutin ni Eli? This is all I have. Considering my age and my background, you both know I can't just go back to teaching. Financially speaking, my savings won't even last a year."
She sinks into a chair, her spirit cast down.
"It's alright. We can get through this. Chill lang," Jason says, trying to cool their jets, though his own expression remains grim.
A heavy silence sets in, thick with the burden of their shared uncertainty. It is broken only by a soft knock on the door.
"Come in," Emma calls out.
A staff member peeks in, looking a bit flustered. She informs Lea that a handsome man is waiting for her in the receiving area. The three of them exchange puzzled glances. Lea rises to her feet, her heart beginning a nervous cadence against her ribs.
She struts toward the lobby, her mind racing with possibilities. But as she rounds the corner, she stops short. Standing there is the one person who has consistently valued her through all the dark years.
"S-Stephen?" she stammers, startled.
Stephen stands there, a gentle smile on his face and a fresh bouquet of flowers in his hands. He looks like a calm sea in the middle of her storm.
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