"Uh, boss, I'll go across the street and get you a clean shirt," Val offered.
"No need, Val. I have another shirt in my office," said Jason.
Jason stopped Val as he was about to leave, taking his hand, and pulled him closer again. This time, Alex, Anwar, Erin, Ross, and the new staff member, Roger, who was just about to get into the pantry, saw them.
"Wow, it's really hot outside, isn't it?" Anwar said, looking away as if he hadn't seen anything. Jason released Val's hand, though he didn't hide what had happened. Val looks so shy with a red face.
"Yeah, let's skip the hot coffee. Um, Roger, please grab some iced coffee downstairs," Alex said.
He and Anwar quickly left the pantry, while Ross and Erin were confused about what had just happened.
"We bought a new, high-quality coffee machine. Why aren't you using it? Such a waste!"
Two young women entered the pantry, passing Jason and Val.
Jason pursed his lips and pulled Val out of the room.
"Come on, Val, let's go to my office."
Val stammered. Alex and Anwar watched them, unable to hide their smiles.
"Uh, boss..."
....
The sun began to set; it was time to go home.
Jason and Val were already out of the office, enjoying a snack by the bridge. It had been a tiring day.
Val and the team had spent the day handing out samples to pedestrians in the station area, about five blocks from the office building. That evening, Jason picked him up and they shared some ice cream, standing by the pedestrian bridge, enjoying the warm night air. The colorful lights of the buildings were visible from where they stood—the perfect spot. A few pedestrians still walked past them.
The streets should be quiet by now; it's past the usual office rush hour.
"Hey, this is delicious, boss, new flavor, is it?" Val asked, looking at the ice cream container, more than half of it already gone.
"Yeah, it's pretty good."
Jason smiled, watching Val devour the ice cream. He looked like a kid; he really enjoyed the ice cream and didn't notice it melting down his chin.
"Hey, kid, eat properly, look at this mess," Jason said while cleaning up the ice cream with the piece of tissue in his hand.
"Hehe, thanks, Boss."
Val just smiled, his eyes disappearing into the wide smile. Even after a long day out, he remained cheerful, no matter how tired he was. Jason gently brushed the hair from his forehead, wanting to have a clear view of his face.
"Hey, look at your hair," he said.
Jason was surprised to see how much of Val's hair was left on his palm; he'd only touched it lightly. He was just about to ask him about it, but Val quickly pulled his hand away.
"Come on, boss, let's go to the park, we watch the sunset!" Val exclaimed.
Jason couldn't refuse as Val pulled him down the pedestrian bridge towards the bustling apartment complex across the street.
"It's getting dark, Val, we might be too late."
"Well, at least we can see the light fade there, boss. Come on, we got off work early," said Val excitedly.
Jason struggled to keep up as Val pulled him along, running quickly.
"Hey, slow down!"
Sure enough, the artificial park in the city center, nestled among buildings facing west, was already dark. The sky had completely lost its light, swallowed by the low buildings across the artificial lake.
Val took a deep breath, sitting on the long bench where she usually sat with Jason.
"See? I told you we were too late."
Val frowned, letting out a heavy sigh. He looked upset.
"Ugh, too bad. Look at that building, boss. One day, the sun will be fully blocked by it. We might not be able to see the sunset from here anymore. Such a shame."
Jason smiled. Val looked quite serious.
"You really like sunsets, do you? We could go to the beach to watch if you want. Um, the office is planning a group trip – I heard someone suggested the beach. We should come!"
Val looked over, eyes widening at Jason's word.
"Really, boss? Um, but isn't that just a plan? They haven't decided it yet, don't they?" he asked.
Jason pursed his lips.
"Well, there's an official letter from the director, and it's being submitted to the board. It's highly likely to happen. But even if it doesn't, we can go to the beach together anytime you want."
Val smiled, looking at Jason's bright, happy eyes.
"Boss is the best! I don't really know what the feeling of going to the beach was. Um, once, maybe. We just passed by because we had to pay the ticket to get in, and Miss Jema didn't have enough money for all of us, so we just watched from afar. Even that was really fun, heh. Those kids, seeing the beach like it was something so precious… It's sad, really," said Val.
Jason looked at Val for a moment. He sat up straighter.
"Don't you have any memories about it before staying with Miss Jema? How were your parents was" he asked carefully.
Val pursed his lips and shook his head, his gaze drifting to the small artificial lake with a few cute ducks swimming in the evening.
"I don't remember, boss. I don't even remember what they looked like or their expressions. Lately, I've been dreaming… maybe my memories are slowly coming back to me, or maybe I'm just creating another new memory based on the family photos I saw, because I never really knew them."
After talking like that, Val chuckled.
"Heh, what kind of kid am I?"
"Val." Jason grabs Val's hand.
Val smiled, looking at Jason and smiling.
"It's not a big deal, boss. Not remembering them actually helped me grow into an optimistic kid. Luckily, my adoptive parents were really good to me and supported my dreams; they are so nice," said Val.
"I heard you got a full scholarship; that's all your own hard work."
Val nodded.
"That's true, but if I hadn't had a place to stay, I probably would have ended up on the streets, boss. So, either way, they were really good people."
Jason pursed his lips. From the person he'd asked to investigate Val's family, he knew that since living with his adoptive parents, Val had often been left alone at home. His adoptive parents sometimes wouldn't come home for days, leaving the little kid to do everything from cooking to sleeping alone. He was still very young then. What happened to a little kid left alone at home during rain and darkness, with all the fear, having to huddle alone in his room out of fear? Jason imagined it, and it hurt to think of Val going through all that.
Jason shifted in his seat. He put his arm around Val's shoulders and patted him.
"Hey, great kid, you've done your best. You should be proud of yourself," he said, stroking Val's head.
Val looked up at his boss, his eyes welling up, close to tears. Besides his godmother at the orphanage, no one had ever stroked his head like that. Not even his adoptive parents. Val smiled, lowering his head so his boss wouldn't see the tears welling up. He gently removed Jason's hand from his head.
"Boss, thanks for being so nice."
Jason smiled. He felt a strong urge to protect the young man in front of him, always, no matter what, unable to bear seeing him suffer or cry.
"You're welcome, Val, anytime," said Jason softly.
"Alright, let's go home. You said you'd make that special fried rice tonight, right?" Jason said, standing up and stretching. He reached for Val's hand.
Val patted Jason's hand playfully, and they walked down the path.