章 2: Chapter II: Offer
"Hello, Ms. Homan." Her boss greeted her with a smile, his hands resting on the wooden table in front of him.
Varie met his gaze. "Hello, Sir Juno."
Her boss gestured for her to sit down.
She followed and pulled out the chair in front of the desk. She swallowed nervously and glanced at the penholder beside his monitor before returning her gaze to her boss, who opened a drawer and pulled out a sheet of white paper.
Her heart was pounding, and despite the coolness of the office, she was sweating profusely.
She took a deep breath to calm herself.
"We received an offer." He pushed the paper forward and turned it toward her.
She swallowed and read what was written.
Corporate Partnership Program.
"ADWA wants you to join their new program."
Varie looked back at her boss.
She knew ADWA. They had once given her a free first-date offer. She'd gone on a date arranged by the company for the experience and because she was peer-pressured. It was a one-time date, and her match had been kind.
Most of her colleagues and peers had signed up with ADWA in search of a future partner. Even high schoolers were signing up just to have a date on St. Gyddon's Day.
But she wasn't desperate enough to escape the single life just yet.
"Sorry, Sir—"
But before she could decline, he offered a sabbatical—no work, yes pay?
Who was she to refuse that?
"Why me?"
She understood that there were few singles in the company, but she wasn't the only one.
"I can't answer that, they choose the candidates for this program."
She didn't refuse. Hello? It was a blessing, plus she'd get a free ticket to meet a potential partner.
"Bring these documents with you. Someone will email you later with the details for your screening tomorrow."
--
The screening process took longer than she anticipated. She thought it would just be a visual check and a basic interview, like the one she had before. Some questions caught her off guard with how deep and personal they were. It almost felt like a mini-therapy session as she was asked about her dating history, and she didn't even know why she started tearing up while remembering what had happened with Josh.
The interviewer did her best to console her, even giving her a salon gift voucher for her first date. The interviewer also told her this wouldn't be a one-time date like her last one.
"We're going to find your match based on your answers," the interviewer smiled at her.
"Oh."
Varie didn't know what to say; her nose was still stuffy from crying. Now, she was second-guessing if she had really moved on.
I should talk to Lily later.
She'd avoided talking about her ex for a long time, so maybe it was time to address it. Perhaps after that, she'd feel better.
"Can I ask a question, please?"
"Yes, Ms. Homan?"
"Why me? There are other singles in our department."
The interviewer smiled. "We found your record and thought you were a good candidate for our new program. Also, do you know a Lily Villegas?"
Huh? Lily?!
"Yes, she's my best friend."
"Well, she referred you to us when we posted about looking for potential candidates."
They definitely needed to talk later.
After a few more questions, the screening was finally over. She returned to the office, and from a distance, she could already see her colleagues through the glass door.
"Owemjii, how's it going, girl!" Garry, one of her colleagues, said excitedly.
"Wow, lucky you, a sponsored date!" Cathy pretended to roll her eyes. "Sana all, Sir's really desperate to get our baby girl married off!"
She just smiled.
"Stop it! You're married! What if you suddenly get pregnant with all that sana-all talk?" Garry teased.
She just laughed with her other colleagues.
After work hours, Garry and Cathy didn't stop asking questions.
"When are you going to have a match?"
"I'm not sure. They said it'll only take a few days."
They all left the building together. Cathy's husband was already waiting for her, while Garry was going to meet his boyfriend who worked at a nearby restaurant. She was left at the bus stop, and since it was rush hour, there was a scramble to get a ride.
Her apartment building was nearby, and she could walk if she wanted to, but she was tired and just wanted to lie down. Even taxis were hard to get during rush hour, so she started walking instead.
Others were walking along the road, so she didn't feel scared, but gradually, they all took different paths, leaving her alone.
She sighed. She had wanted to call Lily to ask if she had a shift today, but even reaching for her bag felt like too much effort.
Ugh, maybe I'll just wait for a taxi here.
She looked around. Fewer people were passing by, and there were even fewer vehicles.
"Varie!" Someone called.
She searched for the source of the voice. If she wasn't mistaken, it was Garry's voice. But she didn't see Garry, only another guy in a black shirt and gray sweats who seemed to be waiting for someone.
Huh?
"Varie!"
She frowned and looked around again, trying to find who had called her.
But Garry wasn't there!
That's when she started to feel scared. She looked around again, but the man she'd seen earlier was gone, and there was no one else in sight. The streetlights and the full moon were the only sources of light on the road.
"Varie."
Now it was more of a whisper. It wasn't like before when it felt like the voice was chasing her.
She walked briskly, then broke into a run, searching for a place to hide. There were no restaurants nearby, so she found a convenience store. When she finally entered, breathless, she bought some food and sat down to eat and rest.
"Lily, I think I was hallucinating earlier," she told her friend, glad that Lily answered immediately when she called.
"What happened?"
"I was walking home because it was rush hour earlier."
"Huh?! Why did you walk? You know it's dangerous right now!"
"I was almost home, Ly."
Even though she couldn't see Lily now, she could imagine the angry expression on her face.
"Where are you now? Just have Yoshi pick you up instead of walking."
"I'm fine—"
"What do you mean, 'I'm fine'? Girl, you said you heard someone calling your name. What if it was real and you were almost kidnapped?"
She weakly laughed. Then Lily scolded her again.
In the end, she agrees to let Lily's boyfriend pick her up. He reminded her,
"You're just like Lily."
He pretended to pout.
"Of course, I'm your friend too. Go ahead, I'll call Lily now."
She bid him goodbye.
Hopefully, it was just a hallucination due to exhaustion.
クリエイターの想い 
GeometAgape
GeometAgape This was originally written in Taglish and I just translated it into English so I'm sorry if the tone sounded weird or grammatical errors.
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