~Chapter 10~
I was going through the worst overweening emotions. Out of all, anger, annoyance and hurt were bubbling over on the verge of me having a breakdown.
All the events of yesterday swirled through my mind until I reached my workplace. Once I got into my character which my work station gave me, I forgot all about what I had witnessed across the bridge.
I could have been and felt the same the whole day if it weren't for Skye Williams himself. It was an hour or so before noon when I made my way to the coffee room. However, as I exited, I saw him walking toward Ms. Maxwell's office.
My face broke out into a greeting smile when I passed him but he didn't even give me a second glance. He looked right through me and yet acted as if he didn't recognize me. A foreign impassive look was indented on his face and my heart skipped a beat. It was the worst feeling ever.
That's when everything came back rushing to me. The silhouette of a tall woman. Is that why he's giving me the cold shoulder? Pretending to not know me?
As angry as I was, it all subsided down because of the hurt I was feeling. Dumping my coffee in a nearby trash can, I took off in the direction of the restrooms.
Once in, I stood in front of the mirror and sighed heavily. I was confused as to why it was affecting me so much. A simple liking toward someone shouldn't bother me so much but here I was. On my wit's end.
I splashed a handful of cold water on my face to get rid of all the warmth I was feeling. I closed my eyes but was soon startled when I heard the door click shut.
Quickly composing myself and masking my features into one of nonchalance, I turned around to come face to face with none other than 'That Lipstick Girl' as Chelsea likes to call her. From this close, anyone could be drawn toward her exquisite Asian features.
Just like me, she went toward the mirror and examined her face before pulling out a red lipstick from her handbag. Looking at me from the corner of her eyes for a second, she went back to coating her already red lips.
"Hey," I mumbled, smiling at her. I don't know why I greeted her but it must be because I wanted to first-hand witness Chelsea's assumption about her. I wanted to know if she really was arrogant like everybody made her out to be.
When she didn't glance at me nor gave me any reply, I took it as a sign that she really must be arrogant. I squinted my eyes when I realized that she wasn't even applying the lipstick but was rather pretending to. I could tell that because there was a miniscule space between her lips and the stick to fool the onlookers. My eyes widened at it and I stifled a gasp.
I stood still and tried to catch her attention once again. I felt that at this point I was just embarrassing myself. But her putting lipstick in the air topped my curiosity even more.
"Hey!" I said, this time louder and yet she didn't even move a single muscle. Even her ears didn't perk up at my exclamation.
Someone from one of the stalls exited and gave me a weird look and stink eyes. I passed her an apologetic smile before she left the restroom.
With a sliver of my dignity remaining, I decided to pull one last card. A card that my dad taught me with a catch line, saying that nobody could resist it.
I waved my hand and the action must have caught her eyes. She looked at me through the mirror before turning toward me. Crossing her arms across her chest, she raised an eyebrow with the red lipstick still in her hand.
I was amazed that this actually worked. It's a psychological trick. A person wouldn't want to be seemed as deaf and blind. "Hey," I repeated with a smile while she just frowned.
My face fell and this time I really was embarrassed. However, imagine my surprise when her features softened a bit and she lifted her hand to give me a reluctant wave.
This time my smile was genuine and I chuckled which made her body tense. I felt bad so I decided to say something else. "I am Valerie."
I could see the panic in her eyes and she fidgeted with her lipstick. It scared me too because I couldn't understand the reason behind her anxious behavior.
"Hey, you okay?" I asked worriedly and she nodded her head furiously. "What's wrong?" I questioned when I noticed her hastily putting the lipstick back in her bag and making a move to get out of the restroom.
Shooting me another weird look, she was about to leave when I stopped her with my arm. She gave me a what-the-hell look and I could tell that she wasn't much of a talker.
"Um... I am sorry if I made you uncomfortable," I apologized because from what I could remember, Chelsea had told me that not a single soul knows her name except for maybe Ms. Maxwell and the heads. Maybe introducing myself must have put her on edge.
But I was beyond gobsmacked when she gestured something with her hands or more like signed something. That's when I realized that maybe she's mute and everything began falling into place. No one knowing her name, her ignoring everyone and exuding indifference. It all made sense now.
"Uh... sorry again but you cannot... talk?" I asked, weighing my arms and she looked at me blankly. She was gauging my lips carefully as if trying to decipher and I gasped. Again. Another realization hit me that she couldn't hear either. And my theory about catching someone's attention through actions actually worked because of her disabilities.
When she must have caught my words, she rummaged through her handbag and removed a pen and paper. She scribbled something for about a minute taking a wall's support and handed it over to me. "Hi. I am Emika. And yes, I am mute... and deaf too. I hadn't expected you to confront me so excuse my rude manners :) Haven't you heard about my horrors?" I read silently.
I passed her a soft smile, to show her that I was in the least bit affected by it, although I was caught off guard. I guffawed when I read the last statement and she chuckled slightly. Once her face relaxed from all the tight lines, nobody could ignore the beauty she really is. Her black eyes twinkled lightly and it was the most sincere emotion I had seen on her.
I wrote down my reply as well. "Don't worry about it. By the way, I am new so I don't know a lot of people to fill me up with the ugly rumors. I mean, I did catch a few things about you but nothing downright worse, I assure you."
And that's how we conversed with each other. Replying back and forth on a piece of paper. From what I gathered, she's from Japan and has had these disabilities since the day she was born. She works in the accounting team and prefers not to go for field work because of the crowds. The reason she doesn't mingle around is because she hates the pitiful stares, which are completely meaningless, according to her and I couldn't agree more.
Her point of keeping distance is that when someone would get close, they would feel sorry for her which she doesn't understand. And then that person would tell everyone and it would increase tenfold. So, she decided to ignore everyone to keep her secret safe. But what she didn't expect was, she would still get the bad attention which she preferred over pity any day.
To keep people at bay, she even resolved to use dark lipstick to intimidate them and it's worked so far. If someone would approach her, she would pretend to coat her lips so the person would leave, not amused by her belligerent ways.
It almost took us half an hour to chat on the huge sheet of paper and I was glad to know that she was getting more and more relaxed every second that passed. It was also a miracle that no one had used the restroom as well because it surely would have piqued Emika's discomfort.
"Gosh, I really need to learn sign language. 'Cause, this is tiring." I laughed, waving the paper in my hand. It took her some time to understand my words but once she did, she grinned at me. "I can talk slowly for you, okay?" I spoke slowly and deliberately, enunciating each word.
Getting the message, she nodded her hand and gently patted my shoulder. My phone pinged and I saw Chelsea's blaring message. 'Where did you disappear off to? Meet us in the cafeteria. I am famished.'
I looked at Emika to give her an apologetic smile when suddenly an idea struck me. I gestured for her to hand me the paper and she obliged with furrowed brows. I wrote, "Would you like to join me with my friends for lunch in the cafeteria? It's okay if you don't wish to because I know it's still hard for you." It was arduous to make it fit in such a confined space but I made it work.
She took the note from my hand and read it. With the way the panicked look was back on her face, I knew what her answer would be. I started shaking my head and waved my arms in a calm down gesture.
"Like I said, it's okay if you don't want to," I assured her, speaking slowly but she shook her head once. She was in her thoughts because her face was blank and concentrated.
I was about to say that it wasn't mandatory for her when she shook her head again. This time her face held a more gritting expression. The determination put her body into action because she fisted her hands to show me while her lips thinned as if to say that she would do it.
Nodding her head, she clapped my shoulders and I had to stifle my laughter. "You sure you wanna do this?" I raised an eyebrow, clearly uncertain and she nodded her head again. "All right. Let's do this."
We linked our arms before exiting the restroom and I could feel the stares on us. I lifted up my gaze from the floor hesitantly and I was right. People were watching us. Sneaking a glance at Emika, I expected her to cower and show even an ounce of fear but her vibes purely exuded confidence and I sighed in relief.
If she's strong then what do I have to worry about? Absolutely nothing, I thought with relaxation.
But it was a different story when we were inside the cafeteria and my group's eyes fell on us. Their expressions were priceless. In no time, I was standing at our table, holding Emika's hand to show her my support and assurance.
Chelsea seemed horrified, Keith frowned at us while Shivaay looked as if he might have a spasm. It was the last thing I'd expected from him but his next words tensed up my body. "What the hell is she doing here?!" He screamed with wide eyes.
"Dramatic much?" I spoke through clenched teeth and glared at him.
I thought Shivaay would be empathetic and welcome Emika with open arms but here he was looking frustrated and flushed at the same time. "I-I-I... you - never mind," he sputtered and looked down at his hands.
Determined to corner and demand answers from him later, I decided to let it slide for the moment. "Hey, guys," I chirped, ignoring their blatantly flabbergasted stares. Emika had a bemused smile, not in the least bit intimidated. I swear, this girl's made up of cement. She's the suavest person I've ever met. "So." I sighed. "This is Emika. Emika this is Chelsea, Keith... and Shivaay," I mumbled Shivaay's name because he was still looking shocked and flustered.
It was like a bucket of ice cold water was thrown on him. A realization hit me and I smirked slightly because I knew the reason for his hostility. Someone's scared and I might just have the leverage.
I started drumming my fingers on the table and it seemed to have brought them out of their concentrated reactions.
"H-hi... Em-Emika. I mean, Emika... yes," Chelsea stammered, sighing and waving at her comically.
"Emika, hey!" Keith exclaimed kindly but there was a tinge of wariness in his voice.
I expected Shivaay to utter his response but he just stared at his lunch quietly, not even daring to look up. I swear he needed a thwank on that stubborn head of his. I nudged him with my elbow harshly and he glared at me. I pointed toward Emika with my eyes, scowling and he exhaled a deep breath.
"Hello Emika," he grumbled and stressed onto her name and went back to gobbling down his food. She smiled which he didn't seem to notice but like usual she was chill.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Chelsea inquired with a confused frown.
"Actually, um... she can't talk and... hear," I answered on behalf of her. It seemed to have jolted them out of their reluctant and sceptical attitudes if their gasps were any indication. "Yeah..." I nodded my head slowly.
A chatter broke out on our table, Shivaay included, who was spewing panicky words. Emika signed something and we all stared. Rolling her eyes, she was about to write it down when Shivaay interrupted. "I know sign language."
Chelsea, Keith, Emika and I gave him weird looks. "Whoa, man. How?" It was Keith as he shut down his laptop. He seemed to be pulled in with everything that was going on at the moment.
He shrugged. "My grandmother's mute so I know a great deal about it," he replied simply. "And that was a 'what the hell, people!' sign. If I am not wrong?" He asked her and she smiled amusedly.
She understood him because she was carefully gauging his lips which made Shivaay blush but he tried to look unaffected.
"Wow, I always thought you had some... weird issues for not replying to anyone, you know?" Chelsea mumbled, laughing awkwardly.
Emika waved it off and our lunch time went on quite smoothly. There were a few stares from all around the cafeteria but they had dimmed after some time. I told them everything I'd come to know about her so far.
"So Emika, I've never seen you around much. Like in here and I don't think your workstation's with us either?" Keith voiced out the same question all of us were curious about.
Emika started writing something on an empty paper when Shivaay butted in again. "Never mind that. You sign, I'll translate." I saw light pink coating his cheeks which nobody saw except for me because my entire attention was on him.
She did as she was told to and so he translated. "The boss... you mean Ms. Maxwell?" She nodded.
"I am sure that was the sign for shark." Chelsea sniggered and I shook my head at her.
"Okay, so Ms. Maxwell and the heads... have known about her problems... and so she assigned Emika a different office room... to avoid everyone's jabs and all... but now she has come to love her own space. Also, during breaks... she sometimes... joins the heads... and most of the time... prefers... to be alone." Shivaay seemed pretty proud of himself when Emika gave him a thumbs up.
"Oh, whoa! Now you can always join us for lunch. We'd be happy for the company," Chelsea chimed in good naturedly and I've come to adore her open nature so much. She could so much as dislike a person and yet start overlooking their roughness or worst demeanors. Her acceptance is what makes her a beautiful person.
Emika nodded her head and mouthed a 'thank you' with a grateful smile. Shivaay looked like a lost puppy while giving her the furtive glances every now and then.
"Okay anyway! I've got to tell y'all something," Chelsea interrupted everyone with an enthused jump in her voice.
"Go on, Chelsea. We're all ears," I encouraged her with a wave of my hand and stole a fry from Shivaay's tray. For all I knew, he could have killed me with his strong glare.
"First off, you start calling me Sea. I mean, come on! Am I the only one who loves nicknames?" She pouted.
"Yes, you're the only one." Shivaay rolled his eyes.
"Oh, don't be callous, Shiv," Chelsea teased.
"I can try," I piped in before they went on like Tom and Jerry. "Okay, Sea?" She laughed and winked at me. Keith, like usual, was silent and went back to doing his freelancing work on his laptop but he was listening to everything with half interest.
"You were saying?" Shivaay grumbled in agitation.
"Oh, yeah! So we're gonna go grab some beers on Saturday. Keith and I," she said, jerking her thumb at them both. "So, you are all joining us. And no, it's not a request. You too, Em." She grinned and Emika just shrugged.
We were surprised by Emika's response but by now I should have learned that she's not what she showed herself to be like.
"Sure," I drawled. "But what's with the sudden celebration?"
"Nothing really. I just figured the campaign's going on smoothly and all so... why not? And who even needs a reason to drink?"
"Agreed," Shivaay mumbled, raking his hands through his hair exasperatedly. What's the matter with him?
"I'm in. I could totally use something strong," I seconded. Something strong to forget about Skye's indifference and the heavy work in the office, I wanted to add.
"Cools. So what exactly is the department doing now?" Keith asked, his eyes glued on his screen. "Because Sea and I just know that we are to design the stuff for outdoor and digital media."
"Tvc has been filmed and we're in the making of a radio commercial. Sebestian is deranging our ass for a legit script," Shivaay said with a roll of his eyes.
Emika was pointing to Shivaay and he looked at her like a kid on Christmas.
"Me?" He asked vehemently and she nodded. She signed something and he translated it quickly. "Guys, Emika thinks that I am stupid!" He grinned and everybody guffawed at him. When the realization of her words hit him, his smile fell and he narrowed his eyes at her, who was smirking in amusement. "Not cool and not funny." He first pointed at Emika and then at us with a scowl.
As we were about to disperse back to our cubicles after lunch, I grabbed Shivaay's arm with a sly look. "You like her, don't you?"
All the color drained from his face but then he gave me a weak glare. He huffed out in annoyance and nodded.
"Then what's with all that vexed face?" I circled my finger around his face and crossed my arms behind my back.
"Because I was just so surprised to see Mikasa and I am angry because I didn't know anything about the girl I like up until today," he spoke in a low and subdued voice.
"Oh." I nodded my head because I totally understood his frustration. As I was mulling over it, I was suddenly confused. "Wait... Mikasa? Now who's she?!" I all but exclaimed, getting strange looks from my colleagues.
Shivaay slapped my arm lightly, looking at me frantically. "Keep it a notch down, will you, VVJ?" He gritted and I smirked. "I didn't know Emika's name before today so I named her Mikasa. In my mind, of course. I don't like the 'That Lipstick Girl' insult."
I hummed teasingly. "So you do have a real superficial anime character, huh? And you secretly call her Mikasa?" I laughed and he pushed me away with a shove.
I laughed even more when I saw the faintest of blush on his face. Two times in a row. Well, someone can make him keep his sarcasm at bay, I thought as I walked away from him and toward my desk before sitting down.
As I was working on the script, my mind went back to Skye and his conspicuously pococurante behavior toward me. He's never done that before. Even a small smile on occasions but nothing less than that.
Something's wrong. Something is definitely wrong. Is it because of that silhouetted woman? How can I figure that out though? I was starting to get a bad feeling out of this so as to block it out, I put all my undivided attention on my work at the end.
A drink. A drink on the weekend sounded even more appealing now.