Office Diaries - Chapter 82

“This is it!”

Marian clutched the resignation letter in her hand. She didn’t falter in her step as she went into the president’s office. She knew the president wasn’t there anyway. Their boss had gone to the vice president’s office for something urgent earlier and hasn’t returned since.

Puffing her cheeks, she strode across the carpeted room and placed the envelope on top of the pile of documents their boss had been working on. With a final glance around the place she’d spent so much time in her six months working for Liam, she smiled sadly as she turned around and walked out, back to her table.

Yes, this would be the last time she’d be here. She knew it was very unprofessional of her to suddenly quit like this without giving notice long enough for the president to find a replacement first. But as of the moment, she didn’t care. After all, falling in love with her boss, doing the hanky-panky with her colleague, and getting herself pregnant was very far from being professional.

She had long since broken her promise to herself. She had no right to continue working in her position. Marian already accepted how unprofessional she really was. She should go.

“Big Sis, are you okay?”

Startled, Marian raised her head to see Jay frowning at her as the young man approached her table. Seeing him, she immediately straightened on her chair and tried to fix herself. Lately, she knew she looked a mess and it worried the other endlessly. Plastering a hesitant smile, she waited for him to reach her table.

“I’m okay.”

“No, you’re not,” Jay countered and she was subjected to scrutiny. “You looked very tired— and no, please don’t smile when you don’t feel like smiling. It makes you look like an awkward hyena,” he told her pointedly making her scowl.

“I don’t look like a hyena,” she protested as she shifted in her seat so she could kick him, but as usual, Jay was able to sidestep in time to miss her foot.

She knew she would miss this form of affection when she’s being “brutal”. She’s always kicking or punching Jay out of the blue while the latter let her.

“What are you up to Big Sis?” the secretary asked and she sighed and looked away without speaking. “You’ve been glancing at me when you thought I wasn’t looking. Is there something wrong?” he asked again and she surrendered.

She had been found out after all, so she might as well tell him.

Jay, Marian thought, had been a really good friend. She would tell him. She found that she couldn’t leave without saying goodbye at this moment— at least not to her favorite baby brother.

Glancing at her watch told her that it was already almost five in the afternoon. It wouldn’t hurt if they left on time right? Looking at the younger man whose eyes still studied her face, she finally gave him a genuine smile.

“Jay Baby, take me to a restaurant. I’m hungry,” she said and the secretary didn’t hesitate at all. He left his work even if they were still unfinished and took her to the place where she wanted to eat immediately.

Arriving at the place where Liam had taken Marian once before— the one which had become her favorite place, she and Jay quickly placed their orders as they already knew what they wanted to eat without looking at the menu.

“I’m telling you now. I’m not going to allow you to switch plates with me okay?” Jay warned her with a glare and she laughed.

She knew she’d been stealing her poor junior’s food lately. Well, it was his fault anyway. With the way he looked at and ate food, it seemed it was really good. It made her think that what’s on his plate was a lot better compared to what’s in hers even if they had the same food.

“Okay, okay,” she condescended and she watched Jay’s face brightened as he nodded in approval.

“Well, now that’s settled, tell me what’s been bugging you now,” the secretary prompted and she decided not to mince words.

With a smile still plastered on her face, she reached for her junior’s hand and gave it a squeeze as she spoke. “Jay, I resigned…”

====

“You know what?”

Liam raised his head and glared at his best friend. “Don’t tell you you’re so disappointed in me. God knows I’m already very disappointed with myself without you adding in it,” he snapped, making the other sigh.

“Well, whose fault is that? It’s not like you’re doing something about it,” Ken retorted which made Liam close his eyes and sigh.

His head had been hurting since earlier. He’d been thinking a lot of different ways to talk to Marian, but since his confidence had been greatly squashed, he’d been hesitating until he lost yet another chance.

After his meeting with Ken at his office, Liam discovered that his PA and secretary were gone. Losing strength, the young president trudged back into his office and sat there until Ken came a while ago.

“You know what your problem is?” Ken spoke again, and even if he didn’t want to listen to another of his lectures, Liam was too tired to stop him and so he let the other talk. “You always procrastinate when it comes to relationships— thinking that the moment should be perfect before you confess,” his friend continued and he let out another sigh.

Pouting, Liam turned to his best friend. “But isn’t that right? Things like that should be done at a perfect moment. Didn’t you confess to Susie amidst flowers, music and good food?” he asked, reminding Ken that when the vice president confessed to their childhood friend, he had taken her to a romantic restaurant. It was just as what Liam had planned first doing with Marian if the latter hadn’t gotten drunk.

“Dude, it’s different with me and Su. We grew up together. We’ve known each other for years, and we’ve been in love with each other forever. The time at the restaurant was only a formality,” Ken told him and Liam sighed again as he raked his hair with his fingers.

“But— ” he wanted to protest but ken cut him off.

He waved his hand towards him as if dismissing his protests. “There’s no ‘but’ about it dude. Who says love is perfect and therefore should be given a perfect moment to declare? It isn’t.”

“So you’re a love counselor now?” Liam asked grumpily and Ken laughed.

“No, but what I said is true,” the latter stated. “There’s no such thing as a ‘perfect timing’ in courtship. Procrastinate and you will lose everything. Love is something very spontaneous— and it comes only once. If you don’t grab it and hold it tight while it’s still there, it may pass you by,” Ken continued as he turned around to leave.

Before he left the room however, the vice president turned back to the depressed Liam on the table. “Go get her now. That’s my friendly advice,” he added as he winked and laughed as he went out.

As soon as the other left, Liam fell silent as he mulled over things. ken had a point. But then…

Swallowing hard, he raked his hair with his fingers once more. This was the first time he’s been in love and so he was really terrified. He might be very confident when it came to business which was his expertise but he was just the opposite when it came to the matters of the heart.

With Marian avoiding him, his confidence and taken a huge plunge and he feared she wasn’t in love with him after all, unlike what Jay had ȧssured him she was. He feared being rejected and lose even her friendship if he confessed.

“What to do now Kang?” he asked himself mockingly before letting out another sigh of frustration.

At a moment of insanity he was even tempted to call his older brother to ask for a piece of love advice but stopped himself. His brother and his wife had been together since their college days so it was totally different from his situation. Nonetheless, he realized the more he procrastinated, the harder it was to approach Marian and tell her his feelings.

“I feel like I’m in fuċkɨnġ high school,” he muttered under his breath as he sorted out the documents on his table. As he did, a white envelope fell from the stack of papers and he frowned. He couldn’t remember seeing the envelope earlier before he went to Ken’s office.

“Jay?” he wondered, thinking his secretary was the one who placed it there with the other documents as he picked it up and opened it.

It wasn’t sealed anyway so it wasn’t hard. Reading the contents, however, made his body freeze all over; his heart stopped as he recalled what Ken had told him just earlier.

“There’s no such thing as a ‘perfect timing’ in courtship. Procrastinate and you will lose everything. Love is something very spontaneous – and it comes only once. If you don’t grab it and hold it tight while it’s still there, it may pass you by,” Ken had said and he was right.

Marian was leaving.

“No!” he yelled as he stood up. He would never let this happen! “I won’t let you leave. I won’t let you leave me,” he announced as he grabbed his coat and ran out of his office.

Perfect scenario or not, he wouldn’t give a damn anymore. He just wanted Marian.