During the hours when everyone else could rest, when the office was empty and people were excitedly looking at the lunch menu, Amir was forced to head to Studio Six.

In the farthest room, with black square-patterned soundproof walls, only one light was on—and even that was dim. The last time he'd tried to submit a purchase, his budget had been rejected.


Dust floated in the air. A pile of tripods was stacked at the end of the room, the long rods crossed over each other, alongside several folded softboxes.

Steve's task was to clean everything, separate what was truly broken from what could still be used, and record the damaged items to order replacements.

Amir could've done this after hours, but he wasn't willing to spend an extra hour in the office without getting paid overtime.


He rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, grabbed a cloth from the small table in the corner of the room, and muttered to himself, 'Is this really what a Associate's Degree does?"

Crouching down, he picked up a tripod and checked the top knob, which came off with a single twist


.

'What am I missing? I don't have a bachelor degree!" Amir shouted, tossing the broken tripod into the middle of the empty room.

Only in this room could he let out his frustrations.

Mrs. Berta, had warned Amir that he'd never become a manager without a bachelor's degree. But Amir thought, what's the difference? He could always adapt to his job, always complete Mrs. Berta's tasks. Starting as just the IT guy responsible for computers, he'd also fixed leaky faucets, replaced AC units—basically doing everything that should've been the handyman's job.

And what did he get for it? The title of best employee.

That was it.

"Those with fancy degrees who do nothing? Six figures salary. Even become a manager too," Amir grumbled, scrubbing a tripod crusted with gecko droppings.

Again, he hurled the object into the middle of the room. But then, his eyes locked on a figure standing in the doorway.

Since when was she there?

Erin smiled, her hands hidden behind her back.

"What are you doing?" Amir tried to contain his surprise. Had she heard everything? Did Amir close the door? He couldn't remember, too consumed by his emotions.

"Good afternoon, Amir Winarto. Why are you locked in here during break time?"

"Erin, stop talking. Get out! Close the door!"

"It's been open the whole time."

Damn! Had anyone heard him?

Amir quickly stood up, checking the hallway. Studio Six was tucked at the very end—no stairwells nearby, where people usually passed by.

But if Erin was here, someone else might have been too.

As much as he was annoyed with Steve, he was more terrified of losing his job.

He rushed to the door, glancing left and right.

'Why Amir?"

"Did anyone pass by here? Why are you here?"

"No one. What's going on with you?"

"What are you doing here, Erin? How many times do I have to ask?"

"I was looking for you. You weren't upstairs, and Wahyu said you weren't with Steve's group either, so I figured you'd be here."

"What do you want? I'm busy. Get to the point."

Erin glanced inside, seeing the pile of tripods and rods scattered around the room. "Is this how you hide from everyone?"

"Erin... what do you want?" Before he could finish, Erin stuffed five French fries into his mouth and shoved him aside.

The thing Erin had been hiding was a box of truffle fries.

"Hey!" Amir was forced to chew the fries while Erin casually wandered deeper into the room.

"This work is easy, but it must be exhausting. Let me help you," she said.

"No, no!" Amir quickly blocked her. "You're going back now."

"I don't want to. I'm helping."

"I don't need help. Go!" Amir stepped forward, but Erin stood firm, refusing to budge.

"No."

"Turn around, Erin!"

"Why?"

"Just go do your own work!"

"It's still break time for you."

"Then leave!" Amir stepped forward again, bringing them inches apart—just like that moment on the rooftop, where their faces had been so close. Amir's expression was intense, while Erin smiled playfully, her face full of challenge.

'Get out now," he said.

'No. If you want me out, we're going out together." Erin raised an eyebrow.

It was like a firecracker went off in Amir's head as he realized the double meaning in her words. "You're trying to mess with me, aren't you?"

"Ooh let's get messy. I would love that."

"Erin!" Amir growled, frustrated. "I'm working! Stop bothering me."

"That's why I want to help! I'm great at wiping down sticks."

Amir's shoulders slumped. He couldn't help but be exasperated by this girl. "You really belong with Steve."

Amir turned around, grabbed the cloth again, and resumed his work squatting back in his original spot, Erin seemed unfazed by Amir's scolding. She placed her box of fries on the table and grabbed a new cloth, crouching across from Amir. Picking up a broken tripod, she began to wipe it.

'Are you really okay with me being close to Steve?" she asked.

Amir felt like putting on headphones to drown him out. His earlier anger had stemmed from fear that someone might hear him cursing. But Erin didn't seem to have heard anything, so his frustration still simmered, misplaced and unresolved.

He stole a glance at Erin, who was struggling to squat in her heels, eventually kneeling on the dusty floor. Today, she was wearing a bright yellow shirt—a color that would make most people frown, except when it was worn by someone as beautiful as her.

Even when she wasn't moving, her face was striking. From the side, her features were flawless, like a Barbie doll: her smooth forehead, curled eyelashes, sharp nose, and pouty lips. Erin's skin seemed a bit lighter than when she first joined the office, but nothing else had changed—she was still beautiful, sweet, and undeniably sexy, even if all you could see was her face.

This same woman was the one who often posted dance videos on social media, wearing skimpy outfits. Those videos had even made their way into Amir's gallery, stirring his curiosity whenever the production team reported in the male staff's group chat about Erin's latest uploads. He couldn't keep the videos long, though—someone might see them. But Amir remembered every detail.

And now, the same beautiful and sexy woman that people admired was in this room with him, touching dust, crouching on the floor, and wiping dirty tripods—just to be near him.

Their eyes met as Erin glanced at him. 'You don't want me to be with Steve, do you?" she asked, her tone light but probing.

She wasn't wrong about Steve. He was the kind of guy who chased after any woman, whether or not they were as beautiful as Erin. And someone like Erin? She was practically irresistible. Luckily, Erin had enough sense to stay away. A married man like Steve who looked for thrills elsewhere deserved the title of ‘predator.'

'No, I'm not willing," Amir answered honestly, his gaze locked with hers, feeling drawn in.

Erin blinked, surprised by the depth of his stare. 'Why don't you just let me go, Amir? I'm not your type right."

"Because you deserve better than him," he replied softly.

'What do you mean by that?"

"Not me either, Rin," Amir added, turning back to his work, tossing aside the cleaned tripod and grabbing another.

Silence settled between them for a moment. Every now and then, Amir glanced at Erin, who was now mimicking the way he checked the tripod knobs.

'Amir…" she finally spoke after a while.

Amir mumbled something in response.

'What do you think a mature woman is like?" she asked quietly.

Amir stopped. He looked at her, noticing that she had also paused her task. 'Are you still thinking about what I said on the rooftop?"

Erin nodded.

It had been a few days since that conversation, yet she still remembered. If she wasn't serious, she wouldn't still be dwelling on it, right?

Amir wasn't naïve. He'd had his share of experiences with women in the past, and now he was certain—this girl liked him.

The problem was, he had never been pursued so openly before. Erin's boldness felt like a test, as if she was working towards something more. Her beauty was a trap, and he was skeptical about everything, thanks to the heartache he hadn't fully healed from.

'Should I change my appearance? I can try, but I need to know why," Erin said, surprising him.

Now she was even offering to change herself? Amir felt a twinge of suspicion, as though his parents were about to consult a shaman behind his back, like they had once planned.

"Your body belongs to you. No one has the right to change how you dress," Amir replied, softening his expression to make the conversation feel more casual.

'Then what is it that you don't like about me? Why am I not your type?"

'You should be asking me why you're even interested in me."

'Because I like you," she stated simply.

"What do you like about me?"

Amir caught the way her eyes flicked to his body before she quickly shook her head, and he suppressed a laugh at her spontaneous reaction. 'You don't need a reason to like someone, Amir," she said.

'Okay, honestly," Amir said, putting the tripod down, 'are you trying to take me to bed?"

Erin's eyes widened in shock. 'Are you serious? That's a really good offering. But not now! It's not like that! I'm not like that, Amir. I just want to get to know you better."

'Why, Erin?"

'Because…" Erin placed a hand over her heart. 'I get nervous when I think about you. I get nervous just hearing or saying your name. I don't know what else to call it if it's not liking you."

'I see…" Amir nodded, enjoying the mix of Erin's innocence and the genuine nervousness in her voice.

"But maybe you don't really like me, Erin. Maybe you just like the idea of me—the expectations you have. I might not be as good as you think…"

"That's why I want to get to know you better. You keep pushing me away, so how will we ever find out if we're compatible or not?"

Amir nodded again. He felt like it would take a long time for him to truly open his heart, but ignoring Erin didn't seem like the right approach either. First, because she definitely wouldn't leave him alone. And second, he was curious to understand what she really wanted from him.

He wasn't setting any expectations, but maybe he could give them both a chance. "Do you want to hang out with me next weekend?"

Erin felt like her heart had been struck. She almost collapsed, grabbing the wall for support.

Amir asked her out?

AMIR WAS ASKING HER OUT!

Without thinking twice, she nodded eagerly. "Yes! I'd love to! I really, really want to!"

***