That afternoon.
Val sat silently leaning against his bed. He wanted to do something out of boredom, but his body wouldn't let him do anything other than just sit idly in the bed, not even play a game on his phone it made his headache worsen. His gaze was fixed out the window. His phone had been ringing constantly. Texts from Jason kept coming, not letting him rest peacefully.
"Don't forget to take your medicine."
Before Val could reply, another message came. This time, a photo of Jason in a meeting room, looking bored. Val smiled.
"This doesn't seem like it'll end quickly, so boring."
Val smiled, replying to Jason with a cute sticker.
Jason, sitting in the meeting room, chuckled softly. His sound made the chairman, Ian Garber, look at him sharply.
"Ahem."
His voice made Jason sit up straight, changing his expression as if nothing had happened, and looking ahead to where the directors were presenting their annual work results on a large screen.
"So, for today's consumer satisfaction level..."
The meeting ended shortly after.
Jason pursed his lips as his grandfather kept talking to the directors, but he remained there, even though it was time to go home. He couldn't wait to go home and see Val, to check on him.
"That's good work, Mr. Pree. How about a collaboration between teams? I think Jason should also learn a lot from the sales and procurement teams."
A man around Ian Garber's age, Pree from the sales division, chuckled.
"Don't underestimate him, sir. I think Jason's also a quick learner. He mastered the market research team faster than you expected, didn't he?"
The two older men chuckled.
"I think he still has a lot to learn," one said.
Jason pursed his lips, looking impatient as his grandfather gestured for him to enter the elevator.
"What are you waiting for? Let's go home," his grandfather said.
"Grandpa, you know I have to go back to my apartment. It's not the weekend yet," Jason said, reluctantly joining his grandfather in the elevator. Only he, his grandfather, and his assistant, Mr. Tyus, were inside.
"This kid… Am I forcing you to come home? We're going to your apartment."
Jason's eyes widened. Did he hear that right?
"What do you mean? Don't joke around," he said.
Ian Garber chuckled.
"You look so surprised. Am I that scary? Why don't young people these days ever let their old man visit their houses? What are you hiding there?"
Jason pursed his lips, looking annoyed at his grandfather.
"I'm not a kid anymore, Grandpa. Have you forgotten about that? I don't mind you coming over, just don't complain about sleeping on the couch and waking up with aching bones, because I've rented out all my rooms."
"Well, you can replace me to sleep on the couch, would you?"
"No way. I need plenty of sleep, especially since the chairman gave me a bigger workload. My brain and body need maximum rest."
"This ungrateful child!"
The elevator doors opened at Jason's floor, but Ian Garber's voice stopped Jason before he could step out.
"Oh yeah, don't forget about the company dinner next week. Everyone has to go, no exceptions,"
Jason pursed his lips.
"Yeah, yeah,"
Jason turned away before the elevator doors closed. He checked his phone, reading a message from Val that he hadn't seen yet. A cute, lovey-dovey sticker; he must have sent it by mistake again, that clumsy kid.
At the apartment.
Val accidentally replied to Jason's message while answering a call from Ilyana.
"Hey Il,"
"I'm at the door, can you come out for a sec?"
"Coming!"
Shortly after, Val, slightly unsteady on his feet, opened the door. Ilyana was standing there, one large bag on the floor and another in her hand, staring at Val intently.
"Hey Il,"
Ilyana looked at Val's bandaged right hand, his face pale. The girl felt guilty about it.
"I just stopped by the office to hand in my resignation. Is your hand… is it still hurt? I'm so sorry, it was an accident."
Val smiled, waving his hand dismissively.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it, Il."
Ilyana stared at Val for a long moment, her eyes welling up again. She reached out and gently stroked Val's cheek, gazing deeply into his eyes, not much talking.
"Do you want to come in?" Val asked. Il shook her head, lowering her hand.
"No, it's okay, I'll be going now." Ilyana looked down.
Val gripped the doorknob, the situation feeling incredibly awkward. The young woman looked like she'd been crying; her eyes were red and swollen, even with makeup covering it up, it was pretty obvious.
"Eh, Ilyana"
…..
The quacking of ducks; several ducks swimming in a neat line across the artificial lake near the apartment complex. It's so quiet and peaceful with the sound of the wind passing by and stroking Val's hair lightly.
"Plop!"
Val tossed a small stone from his hand onto the still water, momentarily creating tiny ripples that, though almost invisible, reached the shore. Maybe, it was like him; he was a nobody, almost nonexistent if not for the people he knew now, but he did make small waves in the lives of those around him. He was an orphan who struggled hard to achieve his dreams, though he wasn't quite sure what those dreams were. For him, surviving each day was the most wonderful thing he could get; he never thought beyond that, just trying harder than anyone else.
The image of Ilyana's deeply saddened face was still vivid in his mind. She'd thrown herself into the street, walking aimlessly without looking left or right, before Val grabbed her just as a motorbike turning into the alley was about to hit her. They both fell hard onto the roadside.
Ilyana, who had everything – or maybe that was just Val's perception. Seeing her sadness made him realize he might have caused her suffering, but it was probably only temporary; everything would pass quickly. He was just, some ripples in her life that soon would be over and calm again. The trace he had on her, will soon be gone, just like the wind that comes and go no matter how hard it's blew.
"Hey, this lake's pretty nice," a voice suddenly startled him from behind. Val thought the place would be deserted by now, as it was getting dark. He's not expecting someone to be there beside him.
"Boss."
Jason approached and sat beside Val.
"Hey, the sky's beautiful from here, huh? The stars are so clear from here, its pretty romantic. It makes you think about weird stuff, is it?"
Val smiled at Jason's teasing remark and threw a small pebble at him.
"Don't make fun of me, Boss."
Jason took a deep breath.
"It's a shame Ilyana's gone. Are you sure you don't regret it, Val? Ilyana was beautiful, sexy, smart, kind…"
"Boss," Val interrupted Jason.
"Alright, that's enough, let's go back to the apartment. I just got home and didn't see you in your room. Look at you, you're still running a fever, and instead of resting you're sitting out here in the breeze. What if you collapse on the way? Who's going to take you home? You're planning on skipping work again, aren't you?"