...Beep

...Beep.

There was a faint beeping sound calling Andrew to consciousness.

It was faint but consistent as the rhythm of a heartbeat.

...Beep.

His mind told him to move, to stand up, but his body wouldn't listen.

...Beep.

"Son, Wake up!"

Andrew was jolted awake when a violent tug on his wrist ripped him away from his bed. He was too late to react. He tumbled down to the floor and a sharp pain exploded on his knees. His young mind was still trying to comprehend the situation when he was dragged on the floor by the same excruciating hold on his wrist.

He struggled to stand on his legs and find his balance while eyeing the back of an old man's silhouette against the bright fluorescent light. The vile smell of alcohol wafted from his whole body and stung Andrew's nose

Beep. Beep.

"Dad?" Andrew's small voice trembled with fear.

"So, you're wasting our money with Rio," he replied. "Eating outside when we have perfectly good food here. How many times do I have to repeat myself?"

He clutched Andrew by the crown of his head and shoved a plate of rice and fried eggs against his face. The silverware clattered down to the floor with a sharp and pitched noise.

Beep. Beep.

Andrew saw the disgust reflected in his dad's eyes as he watched the tears flow down Andrew's cheeks.

"Crying...why are you crying? How 'bout I teach you how to be a man?"

His chest pounded. Its rapid beating drowned out his dad's mumbling. Andrew clawed at the hands of his dad. Andrew stepped on the discarded knife on the ground and dragged it along with him.

They entered the bathroom. The fluorescent light blinded him. His dad filled a tub with running water. Andrew took a huge breath of air. A strong force shoved his face down the water. It filled his lungs, his throat, his ears.

Beep—Beep—Beep.

The beeping continuously got louder, and louder, and louder, and suddenly faster until it filled Andrew's head with a constant, rapid beeping noise that enveloped him wholly until his eyes were pried open as he woke up.

He shot up from his bed. His chest rose and fell with rapid gasps of breaths. He rubbed his eyes to clear his vision. From somewhere in the room, distant voices were calling out to him. He didn't know how many. He dragged his hand along his face and saw the blurred outline of a hand inching towards him. He pushed himself back and slapped the hand away.

"Get away from me!" Andrew's throat burned from dryness. The rapid incessant beeping drowned his thoughts. But he stopped when he recognized a familiar scent, one he smelled every day, but faint. Suddenly, he found himself in someone's gentle embrace. Andrew clutched at the man's shirt. He hummed and Andrew felt the smoothing vibrations on the man's chest.

"It's alright," he whispered between his soft tunes.

There was no more noise around him. No beeping, no running water, no screaming. After a few moments, Andrew had already calmed down, but he was too embarrassed to show himself. This is what he gets for sleeping sober.

Andrew cleared his throat and released the man's shirt. He pushed himself away before raising his head and realizing it was—"Luiz!"

Luiz was sitting in front of him flashing a teasing grin. "Expecting somebody else?" There were creases in front of his suit caused by Andrew's manhandling hands.

Andrew denied the accusation vehemently. "Pfft, what? You crazy. Stop with the crazy talk. Crazy. Anyway, thanks anyway for helping me through that. I must've slept sober—" A fit of coughing interrupts Andrew.

A disheveled and worn-out Allen popped out beside his bed and offered him a cup of water. Andrew snatched the cup and downed it.

"Ew—it's water. I thought it was gin," Andrew mumbled under his breath. Allen sat back on a seat beside his bed with his eyes cast down. This is the most disheveled Andrew has ever seen him. He was still in his clothes from when they fought, and it looks like he hasn't showered. Andrew looked around what seemed to be an expensive-looking hospital room—this better be free. The heart monitor beside him was disconnected.

"You look...dirty," said Andrew. Allen lifted his head and their gazes met.

Luiz stood up and straightened his clothes with his hands, a hopeless case he realized. So, he flashed a rare smile, though awkward, but still there. "I should notify the doctor that you've woken up, and I do hope you two use this time to have a diplomatic conversation. Big brother has been pouting nonstop since last night."

"I was not," refuted Allen, but without any heart.

Luiz ignored him and stepped out of the room with one last glance at the couple. "Also, he hasn't had any sleep because he required himself to watch over you."

Allen sat in his seat with a frown, leaning forward with his arms on his knees, playing with his fingers. He cleared his throat. He glanced at Andrew's ear.

"Do you feel any pain?"

Andrew felt his bandaged right ear with his hands. It wasn't painful but it was weird, because of the muffled quality of his hearing. "It doesn't hurt but am I going to go deaf? A disability discount sounds nice, though."

Allen shook his head. "A portion was bleeding out because of the bullet, so stitches were required. The doctor said that there would be no hearing loss, but we'll have you undergo some tests to confirm."

Andrew nodded. He brushed away a piece of dirt he found on his bedsheet. And he saw his face reflected on the metal handle of his bed. He was horrified at the grotesque blackness that devoured his left eye.

"Oh my gosh. I have a black eye—why do I have a black eye? I was punched in the jaw, not in the eye. I can't go out looking like I lost a fistfight. Do you know how much skincare I use to maintain my chocolate complexion?"

Allen blinked at Andrew's outburst. But a small curl appeared on his lips. His tensed body sagged down in a round of chuckles.

"I do not," he replied, watching Andrew with gleaming eyes even though its recipient was too self-absorbed to notice.

Andrew turned to Allen and glared at him. "A lot. It's a lot."

Allen took Andrew's fingers away from his face and brought it down to the bed. Andrew felt every movement of Allen's thumb caressing his fingers.

Allen looked up and locked eyes with Andrew. "For what it's worth. You still look brilliant to me."

Andrew still felt numb to the face, so he wasn't sure if the shock he felt was displayed.

"I... Ah—would like to apologize for my behavior last night. If I had just reacted the way a normal human being would when someone is in danger, you wouldn't be spending the night in a hospital bed."

"Thank you for apologizing. It was a dick move."

Allen nodded with a heavy scowl on his face as he started gnawing on his lower lip. "And what you spoke of last, had made me recall the six years we've worked together. All of the moments that I could remember, trying to see where I got it so horrendously wrong."

"Were there a lot?"

"Oh, there was plenty." A chuckle fell from Allen's lips, but his face fell into seriousness again. His eyes dropped and stared at their fingers.

"But the memories that shined the most to me—all the moments that replayed over and over again in my mind were...moments of you, Andrew."

Andrew was at a loss for words. It was the way Allen carried his voice as if he spoke the absolute truth of Andrew, to the strong, glittering gaze he directed at Andrew so intently that...Oh my gosh, Andrew didn't like these emotions at all. Why is stupid Allen being so dramatic suddenly?

"And I'm sorry that I have made you feel anything less than the amazing secretary that you are. It... This is going to sound absurd to you, but I was already impressed by you from the start. This kid was fresh from college with a degree so far from his job, but it was this specific quality that had brought our team together."

"Well, I am amazing," murmured Andrew, jokingly.

"And I thought I was pushing you to greater feats. I thought that by assigning greater responsibility unto you, you would flourish. So that, not a single person in that building would ever doubt your capabilities again. But now I realize... I succeeded because of you. I owe all of it to you, Andrew."

After a moment of panic, Andrew had blurted out whatever his brain could cook up. "Well, if you're feeling so grateful. I take cash."

Allen stood up, bent over, and cradled Andrew's head gently between his hands. Allen gazed at Andrew's. "No, listen, Andrew. I know you use humor to stave off discussing emotions like how I ignore it through work. But this is important."

"Um. Rude much?"

"What I'm trying to say is...I need you."

"You need me?"

Allen nodded, decisively. "Yes. I need to make up for what I've done. To you and the employees of Lopez Co. And I can't do that without Andrew by my side. Not secretary Andrew, but the real Andrew Garcia. This Andrew Garcia. And after that..."

Sadness painted Allen's eyes but vanished as quickly as it came.

"After that," Allen took a deep breath as if he needed to steady himself. "I promise to bid you goodbye. No hard feelings. Just goodbyes." Allen brushed away a lock of hair that has been bothering Andrew for a while now but didn't want to ruin whatever was going on.

"What about the whole boyfriend thing?"

Allen blinked at the younger man. "If it's alright with you I would love to continue having you as my fake boyfriend. That is until we fulfill the agreed conditions, or I inevitably become a monster again. Then I'll gladly hold my end of the bargain. And again. We say our goodbyes, hopefully as friends and not strangers."

Andrew puckered his lips, narrowed his eyes. He knew he should be reading between the lines, but his hearing was muffled, and he just experienced a terrifying kidnapping, then offered employment to said kidnappers.

Allen cleared his throat. "So, it's like VP Allen and Secretary Andrew Garcia's last project together. Are we in agreement?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever. But like didn't I punch you last night? How come you don't have any marks on your face? While I have this bitchin' redness all over my face."

After a moment, a short beat of silence. Allen exhaled and let Andrew go. "It was a pretty weak punch," he replied, glancing sideways.

Andrew rolled his eyes. He sat back on his bed.

"So, is this what you've been pouting all of last night?"

"Oh, um. No. It's nothing." Allen's pale cheeks reddened at his reply. He rubbed the back of his neck as he sat back on his seat.

"Then what was it? Hey, if we're going to do this special project, we're doing it like we're in big brother's house or something. We need honesty, so spill."

Allen bent his head down and mumbled something incomprehensible. "It's petty."

"Hmm! I am the queen of pettiness. One time you told me my necktie looked like it came from Sonna's garbage bin, so I used your card and bought myself a new phone. So, com'n. Spit it out. I won't judge."

Allen groaned. "Alright, alright. It's just. The first time you called me by my first name was because you were outraged. It's stupid, I know. Forget it."

An embarrassed smile slowly crept up on Andrew's face. He wasn't embarrassed, but he was embarrassed for Allen. This earned Allen a cackling laugh from Andrew. One that had Andrew in tears.

"Stop laughing."

"That possibly can't be the first time I called you by your first name."

"Well, it certainly is to me."

"Oh yeah... I have spit out your name so many times when we talk about you behind your back. I had so many good burns! Like this one—forget it, you had to be there."

Allen's scowl got deeper and fiercer.

Andrew snickered. "Alright, alright. I'll call you by your first name from now on, alright?"

"Whatever."

"Allen... Oh my gosh, why are you blushing?"

"I am not blushing!"

"Yes, you are!"

"Congratulations for getting back together!"

The pair swiveled their heads to the source of the remark.

Mrs. Lopez burst into the room with a huge grin on her face. She dashed to them and enveloped them both in her arms.

"I am over the moon that my wonderful couple has once again been reunified! Alfonso, you must be famished."

Mrs. Lopez grinned at Andrew and waved over her husband and Luiz carrying paper bags of food. With the doctor standing meekly at the door, massaging his legs. Looks they've been there for quite a while.

"They're your favorites," said Mrs. Lopez. "Fettucine from the Pacific Hotel, Seafood Pasta from The Rolling Scones, and Allen's Kiwi shake. He sent me the recipe and I made it myself."

"Oh wow, Mrs. Lopez. You didn't have to."

She pinched Andrew's nose and snickered. "It was actually your beau who practically ordered us to obtain these items by reason of wanting his Alfonso to wake up to his favorite meals."

"That's... really thoughtful." Andrew felt heat pool in his cheeks.

"That is the least he could do after his abysmal behavior. Don't worry, dear. My husband and I are amenable to Allen prostrating himself on the ground and begging for you to take him back. And the way he was tearfully staring into your slumbering face, I thought he would. I even had my camera ready—What Luiz?"

Luiz cleared his throat to prevent Mrs. Lopez from embarrassing his son any further. While the said son's whole face was beet red. He stood up and motioned to leave, but not before fixing a small table onto Andrew's bed. Then he left the room.

"Honey, I think you've embarrassed our son in front of his lover."