[Worky Beast — Project Management App | Chat App: 5 Online, 1 Offline]

William: Lunch?

Rachelle: Sure! But @Sebastian, though… ^^ 

William: Is he still alive? LOL

Rachelle: Hopefully hehe

Patricia: Kick-off meeting today. They’ll lunch at LGB! The Office Witch sure knows how to treat her protege. I won’t be worried about @Sebastian baby getting hungry :)

Rachelle: Sooo jealous😋

Cooper: ???

Rachelle: Of the lunch! Come on! I know I won’t refuse lunch there even if Ms. Lovelace sits next to me😤

Cooper: Speaking with formality for free lunch?😉

Rachelle: FYI, she wants to be addressed that way. 

William: So he’s not joining us for lunch?

Sebastian: TT.TT

Sebastian: Sorry guys…

Patricia: Ms. Lovelace isn’t the only one who can get reservations at the exclusive LGB! 

Rachelle: Reservation is hard to get! How to be you, sis? ^^

Patricia: How else?

Patricia: [photo_patricia_lgb_chef_date.png]

Rachelle: 🤯

Sebastian: Your third BF this year…😮

Patricia: What can I do? I’m in love :) 

Rachelle: You change BF as often as you change stilettos. Meanwhile, our @Sebastian’s love life is as dry as this Chapter 5: One Night Stand I’m proofreading. 

Sebastian: Haha. So brutal!

Patricia: I buy stilettos. Men come to me.

William: You will join us at The Bar with your new BF? This Friday?

Patricia: Better, luv. Let’s all hang out at The Tarragon 😘

Cooper: That’s a fancy joint.

Patricia: What do you think my new bae is for?

Rachelle: 😊

William: Got that @Sebastian? You’re coming with us.

Cooper: I can see greener pasture over there for your gay heart😎

Sebastian: 😭

Sebastian: If only…

Patricia: Of course, our @Sebastian will join us! Right, luv?

Rachelle: He ignored you! Tehehe

Patricia: Grrr 😘

Meanwhile, Sebastian put the phone down. He was sipping lukewarm coffee while updating the workflow in the Worky Beast app. Savoring lukewarm coffee became a habit, which resulted from his laziness in getting a new cup, especially when engrossed in his editorial job. It didn’t matter if the coffee wasn’t fresh brew; he just wanted the taste of caffeine, enough to keep him going.

He sighed. He’s thorough when it comes to doing his tasks. He never went on leave without notice. Even on leave, he made sure that the line of communication was open. But there’s one person who wasn’t around. It’s that guy named Solomon from MANGOxRANKO. 

He stroked his left temple with his fingertips out of annoyance. He already sent Solomon an invite to their workspace, an email update regarding the project, and a few chat messages. But no response from him. He thought, “What kind of lead game developer skips a very important meeting? He wasn’t even online!”

He turned his attention to the smartboard, displaying the kanban view of Project WriteSmitten. In this way, they could visualize the workflow. 

As the meeting continued, Sebastian’s thoughts suddenly wandered off to that night Henry arrived at the resort, to that moment they saw each other for the first time after college graduation. He massaged his temple. He tried his best to ignore the image of Henry popping up in his mind. But, for some reason, he felt like he missed something important. 

Ms. Lovelace interrupted his pensive mood. She had that resting-bitch-face expression she's known for and asked, “Is everything okay, Mr. Loyess?”

Sebastian was caught off guard especially when he was suddenly placed in the spotlight. He felt ashamed. He turned to face the crowd, offering them an apologetic smile. He began stammering, “Ah.. yeah… Just some cla-clarifications…”

Ms. Lovelace raised an eyebrow, “Of the kanban board?”

“I mean… not with that but with the one I’m working on,” Sebastian smiled awkwardly and cleared his throat, “It’s the campaign—”  

“Alright,” Ms. Lovelace responded immediately, dismissing his lame excuse, “It’s 11:55. I think we can have lunch at Lunch•Grind•Break. That’s the lovely restaurant across the building.”

Everyone felt relieved that the morning meeting was over. Their attention shifted to talking about lunch instead of Sebastian’s awkward moment. The good thing about Ms. Lovelace is that she never skimps on lunch. She was the one who secured their reservations. That restaurant is always packed with diners, yet she always gets a reservation. 

Before leaving the meeting room, Sebastian updated his status in the group chat with “AFK; Lunch at LGB”.