My life is still a work in progress, suspended in that fragile space between youth and whatever comes next. I've survived the days where my mind simply shut down under the weight of it all—the loss, the noise, the fear. Yet, even in the dark, I found beauty.
That beauty had a name. I didn't notice the shift at first, but eventually, the end of the day became the only time I truly breathed, because that's when I talked to him. We were separated by distance, tethered only by pixels and light, but he became my sanctuary—the shoulder I rested on when the world felt too heavy to carry alone.
But what if suddenly he is just gone like that? Yes, that same person suddenly just went silent and it's been a year now.
And then just when my life suddenly is moving forward, I am finally now part of the Audit team in the Main office but why does my first assignment just happened to be in this city? Ohoo, even the glass door of this Branch feels too heavy than it looks.
So well, I adjusted my laptop bag hanging on my shoulder and smoothed my blazer, clinging to the professional, refined image of an Auditor. I am nervous, but I can survive a month. I just hoped he wasn't here anymore.
"Hello, Ma'am. Welcome to the North Branch," a secretary greeted me. "Our support team is already in the conference room."
I nodded, my heart hammering a rhythm of dread against my ribs. As I walked through the office, I scanned the desks.
Wohh. Empty. He is not here. A small "nail" was pulled out of my heart, but the relief was fleeting. Wait, why am I so nervous in seeing him again? He is the one who ghosted me. I shouldn't mind anymore right? I came here to work, not to find ghosts.
We reached the conference room.But as the door opened, that same nail was driven right back in.
Among the unfamiliar faces were three I knew all too well. And there he was, sitting at the head of the table. He looked the same, yet different—sleeves rolled to his elbows, hair a bit messier, a broader frame. But his eyes... they were different.
The room went silent. I felt his gaze—heavy, startled, and unmistakably confused. I could only hear my heartbeat going faster. It's like the flashbacks came together in fast forward.
"El? It's you!" Chian stood up, breaking the spell.
"Chian," I said, forcing a smile. Arkie stood up too. They were both still here.
"It's good to see you again, El," Chian said, shaking my hand. Arkie followed: "We meet again."
"Yes, I'll be in your care, then," I replied, carefully keeping my eyes off the man at the head of the table.
"Oh, you already know each other? Perfect," the secretary beamed. "Then, Ma'am, let me introduce our Assistant Manager, Mr. Riley Danra."
He stood up. There was no screen to shield us this time. No distance. Just a year of silence and a connection that was severed but never closed.
"Welcome to our branch. It's good to be working with you..." He paused, his voice lower and raspier than it had been over the phone. "...Ma'am."
The 'Ma'am' stung worse than the ghosting. It was the sound of two people pretending to be strangers.
"Yes, It's nice to be working with you too..., Sir," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. I reached out, taking his hand. "I'm the representative from the Main Office. We have one month to close these books, so let's get started."
I looked him straight in the eye. He didn't let go; instead, his grip tightened, a silent contradiction to the professional distance in his voice. Chian and Arkie watched us, their confusion growing. They remembered the "ship" from a year ago, but they had no idea just how deep the wreckage actually went.