Chapter 46
Chapter Forty-Six
Cam
I wasn’t expecting to hear from Tritech so soon, but at three-thirty p.m. on Monday, I got an email from HR.
Dear Camaya,
Thank you for joining us during last week’s boot camp. We are pleased to let you know that we were impressed by your performance. After further evaluation, we are excited to extend an offer for the role of web developer.
I froze at that last sentence. My eyes couldn’t move past that period, and my brain seemed to hang on the words offer for the role of web developer .
I did it. A nobody from Bataan who didn’t have a family or a degree to her name. On my own strengths, I’d received an offer for a full-time job at an international company.
How could it be real?
I started over from the top, making sure that the sender email was correct and that it was, in fact, addressed to me. When those details panned out, I pinched the crook of my elbow to confirm that I was actually awake.
Barely able to think beyond the pounding in my head, I downloaded the job offer and went through the details. I zeroed in on the salary first, and my happiness dimmed. They’d offered the lower end of their advertised range, which was less than what I made in a good month of freelancing.
Was that what impressed amounted to?
Logic told me that my educational background must have factored into my offer. They probably had their doubts about me because I didn’t have a degree. If I were in their position, I would too.
But that didn’t mean it didn’t suck.
Two raps sounded on the door. Standing, I went to open it. Inang stood right outside, holding up a white envelope.
“Is this yours?” she asked.
Immediately, I worried about bills. And then I recognized the handwriting.
“Yep. Thanks, Inang,” I murmured, taking in the pen scratches that formed my name.
“Who calls you Maya?”
My lips twitched. “Some weirdo. Did you take your meds already?”
“Yes. Stop nagging me,” she grumbled and shut the door on me.
Laughing, I sank back into my chair, but my humor faded as I studied the envelope. In its place was a heady anticipation that mounted with each passing second. Heart pounding, I carefully opened the envelope and took out a slip of paper. A receipt.
My breath caught in my throat. I wasn’t just any receipt. It was from that all-day breakfast place Alonzo and I ate at during my first night in Manila. I couldn’t believe he kept it.
On the back, he’d written:
Maya—
I’m mailing this tomorrow (Thurs) & hope it gets to you by Sat. Maybe you’ll stay here longer so it’s there when you arrive.
I hope you will.
We’re going on our first date-date later, but this dinner at Tagpuan felt like our version of a blind date. I learned a lot about you that night.
I want more dates with you.
x Alonzo
I exhaled loudly, my disbelief amped up.
We hadn’t even been on a real date when Alonzo sent this. How could he have known then that he’d want another one?
With fingers that weren’t quite steady, I called him. His phone rang three times, and I realized he was probably in class. I cancelled the call and spent the next few minutes rereading his note. I’d thought nothing would beat the one in his food pack, but this?
It was another level because he’d planned for it.
My phone rang, his name on the screen. I picked it up.
“Maya? Are you okay?” His voice came out hushed.
“Are you in class?”
“I stepped out. Is anything wrong?”
“No. I just got your note and?—”
“Finally,” he said on an exhale. “I was worried it got lost since you didn’t mention it.”
“It didn’t.” Talk about stating the obvious. “Let’s talk later. You should go back to class.”
“Did you like it?”
Like was an understatement. “It’s not a poem or anything.”
He chuckled. “Tough crowd. I’ll try again.”
“I loved it,” I whispered.
“Good.”
“Go back to class.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll call you tonight.”
Damn, but I liked the sound of that—both his statements. “Good luck.”
Ending the call, I put my phone down and smoothed my fingers over the note. The memento of my first day in Manila.
How could something feel like it had happened so long ago but also like it had just been yesterday?
Everything I knew about time seemed to change. Its speed and motion varied, shifting around the axis that was Alonzo. Despite reminding myself not to get my hopes up, I wished I could fast-forward to the day he would get here.
In the meantime, I busied myself with my project, content with knowing that he would call.
Alonzo
My Monday ended later than usual because I took over Fred’s shift in exchange for last Friday. On the one hand, it gave me an easy escape from having dinner with my parents. My dad and I had barely exchanged two words with each other since yesterday’s brunch.
On the other hand, I had to wait longer to talk to Maya.
I dialed her as soon as I got to my room, and she answered the video call with an abrupt, “I got the offer.”
It took a second, and then I grinned. “Of course you did. Congrats, Maya. I’m so proud of you.” My brain was already working a mile a minute. Did that mean she would be coming to Manila every month? When was she starting?
“I haven’t accepted it yet.”
I sat on the edge of my bed and tried to keep my disappointment from showing. “When do you need to decide by?”
“Monday at noon. Apparently, they have priority ones and twos. All the ones got the offer today, and if any of us say no, they’re opening it up to the twos next week.”
“That’s practical.”
“So, you’re not going to convince me to take it?” she asked, her brows knitting together.
It killed me that she had any doubts about my feelings for her. If I allowed myself to be selfish, I would have begged her to take the job, but she needed to make that decision on her own.
Still, I couldn’t leave her wondering where I stood.
“Maya. Do I want you to accept the offer? Hell, yeah. First, because you wanted this enough to go through that boot camp. Second, because it would be a great career opportunity for you. But honestly? I also just love the idea of you coming here every month.”
“They lowballed me.”
I frowned. “What?”
“The salary they offered me—it’s on the lower end of their range they listed.”
“Shit. I’m sorry.” I scratched my head, hating that she didn’t get a better offer. If only I could talk with her hiring manager to negotiate. Anything to fix the situation.
“I’m just going to have to prove them wrong,” she muttered. “If I say yes.”
She got my hopes up with her first sentence and dashed them with the second.
“I understand why you’re having second thoughts, and that’s completely fair.
I won’t try to talk you into saying yes, because it’s your career.
Whatever you decide to do, I plan on seeing you as often as I can—if you let me. ”
“You’re so annoying,” she said halfheartedly.
I smiled. “And yet you’re still talking to me.”
Her eyes slid away from mine. When she spoke, her voice was softer. “It feels like a huge commitment.”
She could have been talking about the two of us, but I said, “Is there a probation period?”
“Six months.”
“There you go. Think of it like they’re on probation status with you too. You can learn more about the company and the job, see if it’s something you want to do mid- to long-term. It’s not like a marriage that you can’t get out of.”
“Technically, you can get out of a marriage,” she argued.
“Technically,” I agreed. “Though I’m an in-it-for-life type of person.”
She pressed her lips together and couldn’t seem to meet my gaze.
Wanting to make her smile, I said, “So you loved my note, huh?”
There—a smirk. “A for effort.”
“I’ll get an A plus yet.”
She snorted. Then she asked, “Have you talked to your dad?”
“Not yet.” I’d told her what happened last night, and she’d been outraged on my behalf. She’d also been touched by Mama’s words, though I’d skipped telling her about the last part of our conversation. We agreed that I needed to find an opportunity to talk to Papa when neither of us was stressed.
“Let me know if you want to practice with me. Did I tell you how I practiced my interview skills with Nikki and Eric?”
“Thanks for offering—I’m just not sure I can practice that. We’ll see.” It felt awkward rehearsing what I’d say to Papa, though I could imagine Maya channeling her grumpy energy for that scenario. “And no, you didn’t. That’s cool of them. Did Nikki say yes to Eric, by the way?”
“Not yet. I’ll bug her again tomorrow.” She sighed. ”I might threaten to disown her if she says no.”
“That would last a day.”
“Give me some credit. One week, tops.” After a beat, she said, “Five days.”
I laughed. “You two love each other too much to go that long.”
Maya winced, and I immediately flashed back to our conversation about the L-word. Just like that, my mood sobered.
“Maya—”
“That’s such a stupid concept,” she blurted out. “ Love . It’s illogical.”
“It is. But I think things don’t always have to make sense or be perfect for them to be worthwhile. To be real.”
Her forehead creased as she stared at me like she was trying to reconcile my words with her own thoughts. It struck me just how much I wanted to prove to her that love was worth the risk, and that she could have it if she wanted to.
“Yeah, well. Hopefully Nikki feels the same,” she murmured.
I stopped myself from saying more. My chance would come soon enough. “When is their date supposed to be again?” I asked her.
The lines on her forehead eased. “The event’s on Saturday, so she needs to make up her mind ASAP.”
“Speaking of Saturday, any chance you’d want company this weekend?”
“I wouldn’t say no.” A small smile lit up her face, and that was enough to have me grinning.
“Good.”
My plan to win Maya over was officially a go.