Right There Waiting

My online boyfriend suddenly sent me a photo of his lunch—a steaming hot steak fresh off the grill.

[Praise me, baby! I'm being a good boy and eating my lunch!]

I was just about to send 'good boy' when my eyes darted downward, and I saw the conspicuous red letters on the edge of his plate.

Mike Tech.

What a coincidence—I worked at Mike Tech too…

My heart skipped a beat as I froze right then, my mind going blank.

But could it be?

My online boyfriend, whom I had met over a year ago… was right there beside me?

At lunch, I was hiding in the office cafeteria, leisurely slicing into my steak.

Remembering how he always told me he never had time for lunch, I sent a text to remind him.

[Eat no matter how busy you are. Be a good boy, okay?]

My phone screen lit up again in less than ten minutes.

[Yes, baby. I'm eating like a good boy. Praise me~]

There was even a photo with it, and I tapped in to see that it was a steak, fresh from the kitchen and piping hot.

I was just going to praise him, but the more I stared at the photo, the more I found it strange.

After looking at it for a long while, I finally noticed why it looked familiar, as the red letters Mike Tech was imprinted on the edge of his plate.

Wasn't that where I worked?

I looked down at my plate, and then the photo on my phone, my steak suddenly losing its flavor.

The cafeteria was strictly reserved for employees, and no one else could get in.

In other words, my online boyfriend might be working in the same building!

Even as I turned numb, his texts came one after the other.

[Why aren't you answering, baby? (pout)]

[I'm really eating, you know (Sob)]

[Was it something I said? (Nervous)]

I had yet to recover from the shock, as I was aware that he lived in the same city, but not that he worked in the same building too!

[Baby, where do you work?]

[Baby, are you in Mike Tech right now?]

I kept drafting and deleting those messages repeatedly, having no idea how I should phrase my question.

And if I asked, he'd definitely ask where I work.

Wouldn't I be dead if he worked in Mike Tech too? What if he traced the clues and reached me?

Just remembering the cute emojis and how I flirted with a male colleague made me embarrassed.

Before I could think of anything, he sent more texts.

[Why are you ignoring me, baby? Are you having lunch with another man!!!]

[What happened? You're scaring me…]

I had to salvage the situation and calmed myself as I replied: [I was eating, so I didn't see the text. Good boy (headpats)]

He was at once pleased.

[Hehe. Just had my fill—I'm going back to work.]

I breathed a long sigh and looked around the cafeteria.

The other employees had mostly left—it was just other ladies and a white-haired geezer, and I didn't think there was any resemblance at all.

Forcing myself to calm down again, I decided I had three begging questions.

First of all, who was he?

Second, was he reliable?

Third, if we did meet in real life, should we keep dating or end it all? After all, it would be so awkward to meet him every day.

Just looking back in our past year, I realized how fiercely we guarded our respective privacy.

We had never sent photos of our faces or exchanged names and addresses, and the only clue I had was the pictures he sent of his abs after I insisted.

But how would I identify him with that? I couldn't lift the shirt of every male employee in the building, could I?

Returning to my cubicle, I couldn't help but shudder as I looked at the male colleagues, always bantering and teasing each other around me.