Chapter Text
While everyone else dragged their feet into Monday, AZ kind of liked it.
She found comfort in the routine. 'Yung tunog ng takong na tumatama sa tiles, the clink of coffee mugs being set down in the pantry, the low hum of voices settling into the rhythm of another workday.
From their corner office on the 16th floor ng isang building sa Salcedo Village, the outside world looked steady—tree-lined streets, honking cars, security guards waving people through the doors.
But inside, you could feel the slow buzz of energy rising. Parang unti-unting nagigising ang lahat.
Nagigising sa looming headlines. Umiikot ang puwet sa decks na kailangang i-update. May skincare brand pitch pa silang due on Thursday.
Pero bago niya simulan ang lahat, nag-focus muna siya sa kape at light chatter around the office. The hum of the AC, the quiet tapping of keys, and the warm glow of morning light hit her side of the open floor plan. Outside her window, the skyline blurred into steel and cranes. Makati was always under construction, just like their campaigns.
AZ settled into her usual spot near the window and unpacked her morning lineup: tumbler, AirPods, and a small blue lunch bag na ipinagpilitan pa rin ni Mommy, kahit 26 years old na siya at fully employed. This was her ritual. Her soft start before the chaos of brainstorms, V2s, and last-minute changes rolled in.
“Aba, naunahan mo pa ako ah.”
She looked up. Ralph was standing across from her, Single Origin coffee in hand, hair still slightly damp from the commute. Rumpled na naman ang collar ng light blue polo niya, as if he got dressed in five minutes but somehow still looked like he had it all together.
“Na-traffic ka na naman?” she asked, smiling.
“Grabe sa Buendia. Walang galawan for like an hour. Doon na ata nag-breakfast meeting ang lahat.” Ralph dropped into his chair and stretched. “But at least I still had time to get my coffee at hindi ako late. Small wins.”
He looked at her then and flashed that lopsided smile na familiar na sa kanya.
AZ blinked.
Ayan na naman ang ngiti ni Ralph De Leon. The one specific smile that always caught her off guard. He had no business being that charming this early on a Monday.
Not that she’d ever admit that out loud.
Close sila ni Ralph. Of course they were. You didn’t sit beside someone for two and a half years without falling into some kind of rhythm. As Senior Strategist, Ralph was her go-to—her briefing buddy, her timeline checker, her “wait, may kulang sa insights” conscience. He gave her context, she gave him copy. They built decks together. Rewrote taglines together. Survived red-marked Google Docs and passive-aggressive client feedback together.
He was steady and detail-oriented. Tahimik most of the time, but never absent. Hindi siya 'yung tipo na ma-quip or ma-comment just to fill silence. Pero when he did talk—when he asked if she was okay after a tense call, or when he casually slid her a taho in between Zooms—laging may malaking impact.
And of course, Azriel Martinez noticed.
Hinding-hindi rin niya aaminin ‘yan.
Marami pa kasi siyang napansin sa buong pagkakakilala niya kay Ralph. That one time he bought a Dunkin Donut Munchkin bucket only for her dahil nag-crave siya during a brainstorm session. O ‘yung pasimple niyang pag-adjust ng aircon para hindi siya gaanong lamigin sa area nila. Or ‘yung paghihintay sa kanya ni Ralph na mag-pack up bago pumunta sa elevator—kahit ang bagal na niyang kumilos dahil sa pagod.
AZ couldn’t help but count the little things.
Because, to her, they were starting to feel big.
It was during one of those chaotic, caffeine-fueled pitch weeks when AZ first started noticing it—really noticing it.
The team was running on two hours of sleep, Jollibee takeout, and shared panic. Sa isang sulok ng room, may stress karaoke session na si Will na may vibrato pa sa “Levitating” ni Dua Lupa habang sabay nagpa-panic sa Illustrator file na hindi nagsa-save. Someone spilled Coke Zero on a moodboard. Half the desks had kanin crumbs embedded in the keyboards. Everyone was a little unhinged.
Everyone, except Ralph.
Habang halos masiraan na ng bait ang buong team sa stress dulot ng pitch-week, Ralph was still the same—steady, focused, and maddeningly composed. He had this strange ability to stay calm without being detached, present without being overwhelming. He wasn’t loud, never the type to raise his voice during stand-ups or dominate brainstorms. Pero palaging nandiyan. Palaging handa.
And now that AZ thought about it, palagi rin siyang nandiyan… sa tabi niya .
Like clockwork, he would save her a seat during meetings, even when the room was packed and people were squeezing into corners. Hindi na siya nagugulat kapag may bakanteng upuan sa tabi ni Ralph na tila reserved lagi para sa kanya. He would pass her a clean copy of the agenda before she could even ask. Printed on crisp bond paper, with just the right margins, and—on especially stressful days—highlighted pa ang mga sections na sa kanya naka-assign. One time may extra G-Tec pang nakasingit sa gilid ng papel. Fine-tip. Black. Her favorite.
Another time, habang nakatitig siya sa layout na hindi gumagana no matter how she tweaked it, Ralph simply nudged his mouse toward her screen and demo’ed a shortcut. No lecture, no mansplaining. Just a subtle move, and suddenly her file started behaving. She blinked, stunned. He just raised his brows like it was nothing. There, kalma lang kasi.
Ralph wasn’t flirtatious. Hindi siya 'yung type na nagpa-pogi sa Zoom or nagpapatawa nang sobra sa Slack threads. He didn’t call attention to himself. But there was a quiet kind of charm in the way he moved. Observant, deliberate, and almost painfully thoughtful. May finesse, as Will would say.
Actually, si Will nga ang unang nag-comment. One late night habang nakatunganga sila sa V18 ng deck, he glanced over and muttered, “Alam mo, nagiging Boy Scout si Ralph pagdating sa ’yo. Laging handa. Laging nandyan.”
Tinawanan lang niya si Will sabay hampas ng planner niya, but she felt the heat crawl up her neck.
“Girl, that’s the third time today,” Bianca said under her breath, barely glancing up from her tablet. “Ano bang rewards system ni Ralph? May crush points ba kada assist?”
“Syempre si AZ,” River chimed in from his desk, not looking up from his sketches. “Number one sa priority ni Ralph ‘yan, eh.”
Mika, who rarely weighed in on anything romantic, once whispered while waiting for the elevator, “Girl, hindi mo ba talaga npapansin? Like, kapag ikaw ang nagsasalita sa client calls, bigla siyang nagiging attentive. Hindi lang attentive, parang may cheat code siya for you. One time tinanong ko kung alam niya kung nasaan 'yung revised slides. Sabi niya, ‘AZ saved it kanina, naka-rename na.’ Parang may mental AZ tracker siya.”
And then there was Esnyr—their new hire, barely four months into the agency—who blinked wide-eyed after Ralph handed AZ her coffee order during an especially chaotic morning.
“Um…is Sir Ralph always like that po with everyone?” he asked shyly, eyes darting between them. “Or…sa inyo lang po?”
AZ laughed, brushing it off with her usual line. “Mabait lang talaga ‘yang si Ralph.”
But back at her desk, she stared at the cup in her hands a little longer than usual. It was her go-to drink. Exact milk ratio. No sugar. Her name was spelled correctly, too.
Nauubusan na siya ng idadahilan.
She tried to rationalize. Maybe Ralph was just naturally helpful. Maybe gano’n lang talaga siya as a person: organized, considerate, and reliable. (It’s the Atenean in him, she’d joked one time.) She told herself he probably treated everyone on the team that way, hindi lang niya napapansin.
But deep down, she knew better. She’d been in this industry long enough to tell the difference between generic professionalism and quiet, intentional care.
Ralph’s kindness wasn’t generic.
It was targeted…to her.
He remembered things about her that no one else did, like how she needed five minutes of silence before presenting, or how she used bold text to track client names para mabilis i-spot sa thread. He didn’t joke about it, didn’t turn it into flirtation, didn’t try to leverage it into anything more. He just took note of it.
And honestly? That was the part that scared her most.
Because AZ had spent the last few years building careful boundaries. After what happened in her last agency, she learned the hard way how easily lines blurred between late nights and long stares, between “we’re just teammates” and “what are we now?” She promised herself no more workplace crushes, no more what-ifs that dissolved into HR nightmares.
So she kept her head down. She stayed professional. She made sure her smiles stayed within the appropriate limit.
But Ralph...
Pahirap siya sa buhay ni AZ lately.
Ralph never crossed any line. He never asked for anything in return, never demanded her attention, or pushed past what was comfortable.
He was just…there.
And that, somehow, was the scariest part of all.
“O, ano na naman?” Ralph asked one lunch break, raising a brow as he peeled the lid off his microwaved sinigang.
AZ blinked, caught mid-stare. “Nothing. I was just wondering…” She tilted her head, kunwari curious. “Anong conditioner ang gamit mo? Parang ang shiny ng buhok mo today.”
He paused, then laughed—a low, boyish sound that hit her like a pat on the chest.
“Ang random mo. Creamsilk, ‘yung may keratin. Charlie bought it for me,” he said, still amused. Nag-beep ang microwave. Ralph stepped aside to get his food, and AZ moved in to heat hers.
“Third day in a row kang nagbaon, ah. Himala,” he added, glancing at her container.
“Sira. Mommy insisted, eh. Besides, nakakaumay na rin yung sisig. Hindi ako gaya ni Will na kaya yatang ulamin ang matika everyday.”
“Na-miss ko ‘yung caldereta ni Tita Bing,” he said absently as he opened his container. Then, catching himself, “Wait—si Tita ba ang nagluto nung baon mo last time?”
“Yup. I also told her na ipagluto ka ng caldereta, hinahanap mo kasi. Tinawanan lang niya ako.”
“Sabihin mo miss ko siya—” Ralph paused, realizing. “Este... miss ko na ang luto niya.
AZ laughed, more than she meant to. “Noted.”
It was nothing, really. Just one of those light, easy exchanges between workmates that would’ve been forgettable in any other office, on any other day.
Pero maghapong bitbit ni AZ ang conversation na ‘yon.
It stayed with her during the client call, when she stumbled on a line she’d rehearsed in her head over and over since morning. For a split second, her voice faltered. Nabitin ang confidence niya.
And just as quickly, she caught Ralph looking at her.
He didn’t laugh. Didn’t look away. Didn’t even blink.
He just gave her this tiny, almost invisible nod, as if saying, Go on, Z. I got you.
And maybe she was overthinking it — maybe it didn’t mean anything—but for a second, in that steady look of his, something shifted. She felt this warm and safe feeling in her chest.
AZ looked away before it could mean too much.
One Friday evening, halos wala nang tao sa office. Most of their teammates had already packed up for the weekend, pero nandoon pa rin si AZ, nakaupo sa desk niya—head down, shoulders tense, eyes locked on her screen. Beside her, Ralph sat just as focused, elbows nearly brushing hers as they went through the final edits of the branding deck.
“Shit, gabi na pala,” she muttered, arms stretching overhead. “Ang bilis ng oras.”
“Gano’n talaga ’pag napapasarap ang kwentuhan at trabaho,” Ralph said, still typing, a small grin tugging at his lips. “Parang hindi mo na napapansin ’yung oras.”
“Char,” she replied without thinking, a reflex more than anything.
“Hindi ako nagjo-joke,” he said, tone steady—almost too sincere for a line so casual.
She looked up, caught off guard by the way he said it.
And for one quiet second, parang huminto ang lahat.
The hum of the office lights softened into the background. Outside, the Makati skyline glowed in stillness. Even the cursor blinking on her screen seemed to hold its breath.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. She felt her heartbeat catch in her throat.
She swallowed. “T-thanks,” she said, her voice coming out smaller than she meant.
Ralph met her gaze and nodded, his eyes softer than usual. Then he turned to his monitor, back to business. “Tapos na ’to. Ise-send ko na kay Robi.”
He clicked send, closed his laptop, and stood up, arms stretching behind him with a quiet groan. “Tapos ka na ba? Gusto mo sabayan kita pababa?”
AZ glanced at the time, then at him. “Hindi ka pa uuwi?”
“Siguro mamaya pa. Nagpapa-final pass pa si Mika ng pitch deck for tomorrow,” he said while grabbing his water bottle. “’Di ko na kaya gawin sa bahay ‘yon—baka makatulugan ko lang.”
Naalala niyang coding day ni Ralph tuwing Friday. Which meant he commuted from Parañaque to the office.
“Mag-Grab ka rin ba pauwi? Or dadaan ka pa sa One Ayala?” he asked.
“Grab na lang siguro. Nakakatamad maglakad.”
“Same. Naka-book ka na ba? Kung hindi pa, hintayin na lang natin sa lobby. Samahan na kita.”
She hesitated—not because she didn’t want to—but because lately, these small moments were beginning to feel...different. Heavier, somehow. May something talaga kaso nakakatakot biglan ng kahit anong label, kahit siya lang ang nakakaalam.
Still, she nodded, keeping her tone easy. “Sure. Thanks. I’ll just pack up my stuff.”
True to his word (as always), sinamahan nga niya si AZ hanggang sa lobby.
They didn’t talk much during the elevator ride, but AZ felt the difference. A small shift in the air between them. The silence was comfortable. Settled. Like their bodies knew something their minds weren’t quite ready to name.
And maybe that was enough for now.
Pagdating nila sa building, humarap si Ralph sa kanya. “Message mo ako pag nakauwi ka, ha.”
AZ blinked, caught a little off guard. “Message kita sa Slack?”
Tumawa si Ralph, sabay kamot sa batok. “Pwede rin. Pero ‘di ba you have my number? Text mo na lang ako pag nakauwi ka na.”
Oo nga pala. Nasa contacts niya si Ralph. Mga two years na rin. Pero hindi pa niya nagamit kahit kailan—at least, hindi outside work.
Naalala niya tuloy kung paano napunta ‘yon sa phone niya.
She was still new to the agency then. Barely two months in, fresh off a bad pitch that had left her humiliated and teetering on the edge of resignation. Sa sobrang sama ng loob niya, umakyat siya sa rooftop para lang umiyak mag-isa. Akala niya walang susunod.
But Ralph did.
He didn’t say much at first. Tahimik lang siya na umupo sa tabi niya. Hinintay hanggang siya na mismo ang magsimulang magsalita. At noong nagsalita siya, nakinig si Ralph—talagang nakinig. Tapos dahan-dahan siyang nag-explain kung anong puwedeng i-improve. Walang paninisi. Just honest, steady feedback.
Before they went back downstairs, he had said, “If you need help with anything, message me.”
“Saan?” tanong niya, medyo malat pa ang boses sa kaiiyak. “Sa Slack?”
Ralph had tilted his head and smiled like she was missing something obvious. “Teka, pahiram ng phone mo.”
She’d handed it over without question, and he typed in his number, saving it under RDL.
“Ayan,” he said, triumphant. “Text me if you need someone to bounce off pitch ideas with.”
She’d stared at the contact name and laughed. Couldn’t help it. The image of Kaye Abad in that old RDL Babyface commercial popped into her head.
“Sorry,” she giggled, wiping her cheeks. “Naalala ko lang ‘yung RDL Babyface astringent. Ngayon ko lang na-realize na ‘yan ang initials mo.”
Ralph had rolled his eyes, amused. “Ang random mo talaga.”
Simula noon, para lang sa work siya nagte-text. Mga draft revisions, last-minute client comments, deadline reminders.
Pero ngayong gabi, si Ralph na mismo ang nagsabi.
Text mo na lang ako pag nakauwi ka na.
At bumalik na naman ‘yung init. ‘Yung pakiramdam na hindi niya agad ma-pinpoint. Parang may marahang kumakatok sa dibdib niya, asking to be let in.
She wasn’t sure if she should hold on to it or let it pass like all the other almosts in her life.
But she nodded anyway. “Fine,” sabi niya, kunwari nonchalant. “I’ll text you. Sana gising ka pa by the time makauwi ako. Baka nakatulog ka na sa upuan mo.”
Ralph let out a soft laugh, head tilting back slightly. It was that low, lazy kind of laugh that warmed her all the way down to her toes.
God, she really loved that sound.
Later that night, nakahiga si AZ sa kama habang nakapatay na ang ilaw sa kwarto, tanging phone screen na lang ang mahinang nagbibigay ng ilaw sa paligid niya. Nakapikit na halos ang mata niya, pero hindi pa rin niya maiwasang basahin ulit ang message na sinend ni Ralph pagkatapos niyang sabihing nakauwi na siya.
Glad you’re home. Ingat always, Z. Happy weekend.
She typed back: Ingat ka rin pauwi, Ralph. Tama na trabaho, hindi ka tagapagmana haha. Happy weekend!
Simple lang ang reply niya. Wala namang kakaiba. Dinelete pa niya ang emoji. Matipid lang ang “haha”. Pero may kung anong bigat sa dibdib niya pagkatapos.
Hindi niya sigurado kung may ibig sabihin ba talaga ang lahat ng ’to.
Maybe this wasn’t anything serious.
Maybe it really was just a small crush.
Maybe Ralph was just being kind, the way he always was with everyone.
But maybe— just maybe —it could become something more.
Kasi hindi naman palaging may grand gestures. Hindi lahat ng love story ay nagsisimula confessions habang umuulan, sa sigawan, o sa sakitan ng damdamin.
Sometimes, the best things begin quietly.
They came in the form of small habits. Katulad ng pagtabi niya ng extra sauce packets tuwing lunch. O ‘yung pagbubukas niya ng Google Docs kahit tapos na siyang mag-edit, para lang makahabol pa si AZ ng last-minute revisions. O ‘yung palaging timing ng tulong niya—lagi siyang nandoon kahit hindi pa siya humihingi ng assistance.
Sometimes they came in messages sent after work, asking if she’d arrived home safely.
Dumarating sila sa paraan ng isang taong palaging nakakapansin, kahit ikaw na mismo ay nalilimutan mo nang pansinin ang sarili mo.
AZ tucked her phone under her pillow and exhaled, letting her body sink into the quiet comfort of her sheets.
She found herself looking forward to Monday.