3. Office Party

"All I wanted was for everyone to get comfortable and relax, but it appears there is tension among us. What say you, branch manager?"

"Stop putting me in the spotlight. You're the one that suggested this company dinner, Mun."

"Mun!" Mun shouted, spreading his hands wide to the rest of his team members. "You hear that? Our branch manager addressed me informally, so please relax and order as much as your stomach can take. If you want me to kick him out just so everyone can breathe a little, I shall do so, but I assure you, Ari is a gentle soul."

It didn't take long before Mun's charm spread across the table, considering how casually relaxed he was with Ari. Additionally, the table being filled with alcoholic beverages continuously elevated the mood even more to a merry uproar.

'More wine would be better!'

'Beer, please!'

'I'm done for the day, and I can't take it anymore...'

'Let's have more cocktails at this end of the table, please!'

'Is this happy hour?'

"Why don't we make a toast for the newbies!" Mun exclaimed while lifting a jug of beer in his hand.

"Read the room stupid. That honour is as good as death. Half the table are lightweights, and the rest are just scrambling for what they haven't had from the menu."

"It's never too late for a toast!" Mun shouted again as he stood up abruptly and lifted his hand further up. "Everyone! Listen up!"

"Here we go again." Ari shook his head disappointedly. "The cat is finally out of the bag."

"I like beer, and I like food...!"

"Anything else?" Ari asked sarcastically, enjoying the silence around the table as everyone waited for more words from Mun, who still remained in the same awkward standing position after losing his train of thought.

"Statue of Liberty finally holds a beer." Ari's sarcastic remark sent everyone into a laughing frenzy. Mun also joined in the laughter, his other free hand tapping on Ari's shoulder.

"Cheers, everybody!"

"Cheers!" Everyone roared, and the evening continued until their group was the last to leave the pub. Luckily, Mun had booked a private room for the team; hence, their rowdiness hadn't been exposed to the public per se. Still, despite all the chaos, Ari had one thought that kept lingering at the back of his mind.

Where was Rey?

"Hey Mun, don't fall asleep. We have to make sure everyone takes a taxi before we leave."

"I've been monitoring you," Mun mumbled, his head resting on his friend's shoulder. "You keep looking for that guy. Keep this up, and you'll find yourself stalking him again."

"You are such a jerk." Ari lamented, then tightened his grip on his friend's waist. The two were standing outside in waiting while watching the rest of the team board taxis home one by one. Several of them came to bid them goodbye before leaving, while others simply bowed their respect and then left.

"Can you please stand up straight? You're heavy!"

"I'm going to take a nap..."

"Hey! I'm tipsy, too! If you fall asleep, I'll leave you on the street!"

"You're too loud..." Mun groaned, covering his ears. "Fine. I'm not going to sleep so that you know your crush isn't here. Look around, Ari."

"Weren't all new recruits invited to the department dinner?"

Mun chuckled. "I caught him taking the lift about half an hour before we all left for this place. He looked a little anxious, so I assumed the pressure of the first day had taken a toll on him. Apparently, he was actually running away."

"Running away? Why?"

"He said he didn't want to ruin the get-together, so he opted to go home instead. This was after he made a couple of excuses that didn't add up, so I told him to tell me the real reason why he was leaving early."

"I'm guessing it has something to do with me."

"I could tell you his exact words, but I'd rather not. For now, let's refer to him as a homophobe."

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