Jiro shook his head as he sigh. “Do you think you could get away with just telling your mom that you're gay, without her asking you if have a lover or something? I know your mom!”

“You don't know my mom as much as I do!”

“But for sure he asked you if you have one!”

“Even if I did, do you think I will tell her the truth? Don't you trust me?”

Jiro looked away from him. Danson walked in front of him and made him face him. He held his shoulders, and stared into his eyes.  “Do you think I would ruin you? Do you think I will betray your trust? I love you too much, Jiro. I can't do that to you, all right?” Danson said. Jiro brushed his hands away from him. “I don't know, Danson. I don't know...” he said. Danson gave him a puzzled look. “Look, things are getting out of hand, and I don't know whether I still want to be with you or not. I think both of us needs a break.” he said. 

 

Danson's eyes widened upon hearing what he said. “What?!” he said. “You heard it. I need a break. Let's have a cool off for a while, all right?” Jiro said. Danson could not believe what he is hearing. “You... you want to break up... with me?!” he asked, still in a state of shock. “Look, we both need time and space apart. There's a lot of things going on inside my mind, and the last thing I need is this.” Jiro said. “You're mad at me because of what I did?” he asked. Jiro didn't answer his question. Instead, he turned his back at him, and left.”

 

--

 

“Where's boss? I need to have these photos approved.” Ella asked Annie. “He's inside, but he doesn't want to be disturbed right now.” Annie said. Ella gave her a wondering look. “Is he having a meeting with someone right now?” Ella asked. Annie shook his head. “Nope. When he came in this morning, he told me to cancel all his meetings, reject all phone calls and when someone asks for him, to tell them that he is not around.” Annie said. She stared at the door for a while, and then looked back at Annie and smiled. “I think the boss wouldn't mind if I see him, right?” she asked. “Maybe not, if it's about work.” Annie said. Ella smiled at her, then she reached for the doorknob and opened his office.

 

“Boss...” she called as she got inside his office. She closed the door behind her, and as she looked at Danson, she was shocked to see him. His suit is disheveled, as if he didn't put too much effort in fixing it. He had black circles in his eyes, as if he looked like a panda. And his hair that used to be neatly brushed, is disheveled as well. On top of that, his once clean desk is now filled with documents and papers which he haven't take a look yet, or not needed. “What happened? Why is your office a mess? Why are you a mess?” she asked. Danson, who was folding a paper plane, threw it at the other side of the room, and then he turned to face Ella. “I am a mess, all right?” he said. Ella walked up to him, and had a closer look at his face. His eyes are red and puffy, as if he cried the whole night the night before. “You cried?” she asked. Danson pouted, and nodded his head. “Why? Did you and Jiro had a fight?” she asked. “Worse. He broke up with me.” he said. 

 

Ella was surprised at what he said. “He did? But why?” she asked. “Because I told my mom that I am gay... and he was scared that his dad will finally find out that he is too, and that I am his lover. He said he needed to think things through, and he needs the time and space alone.” he said. Ella felt sad for Danson. She knew how much he loves Jiro, and now that they broke up, she could feel the pain he is feeling. “Oh, Danson...” she said. She hugged him tight, and with that, Danson broke down. “You'll be fine. One day, Jiro will realize that he is wrong. I'm sure one day, he'll come knocking at your door, and beg you to come back to his life. And if not... you know what they say, there's a lot of fish in the ocean.” she said. “Are you saying that to make me feel all right? It's not working, you know!” Danson said as he cried. 

 

Ella pulled away from him, and gave him a smile. “Tell you what, instead of crying over your break up, I think it's better if you enjoy your newfound single life for now.” She said. Danson wiped the tear from his eyes as he gave her a confused look. “What do you mean?” he asked. “How about a girls' night out. We could go to a club, then hunt for cute guys, and you could find a replacement for Jiro.” she said. Danson gave her dagger looks because of what she said. “I have no intentions of replacing him!” he said. Ella could only giggle at his reaction. “OK then. How about singing your lungs out at the Karaoke Bar tonight?” she asked. Then, she winked at him.

 

--

 

Neomu neomu meotjyeo nunee nunee bushyeo

Soomeul motshigesseo ddeollineun geol

Gee gee gee gee baby baby baby

Gee gee gee gee baby baby baby 

 

Angela and Hebe were dancing to the tune of “Gee”, while everyone was laughing at the two for the silly dance steps that they make. That night, Ella was able to convince Danson to go out with them. She called on Angela, Hebe, Ariel, Mike and George to join them. “And thank you very much, Girls Generation, Taiwanese version.” George said as soon as Angela and Hebe headed back to their seats. “All right! Who wants to hear Mike He sing?” George asked. All of them groaned and protested, except for Mike and Danson. “Well, I will sing whether you like it or not!” Mike said. Danson was wondering why all of them doesn't want Mike to sing. “Because he really couldn't sing.” Ella explained to her. Danson just nodded his head. “Fair enough.” he said. “OK, anyone here wants to hear the great Ella Chen sing?” George asked. Everyone raised their hands, and cheered on Ella. Ella  groaned and shook her head. “Not this time, all right?” she said. Everyone groaned with frustration. “Oh, come on, Ella...” Ariel said. “If Ella doesn't to sing, then I will!” Mike said. The three protested and threw napkins at him. Mike ducked and covered himself from their attacks. “All right, all right! I won't sing!” he said. 

 

Ella and Danson just watched as their friends attached Mike. “Hey, how about boss?” Hebe suggested. Everyone seemed to agree with him. “Me?” Danson said in a shocked tone. “Yeah, boss. You should sing. Everyone have their turn.” Hebe sad. “Everyone, except Mike.” George said. Danson gave Ella a hesitant look. Ella smiled at him, and gave him a thumbs up sign. He let out a sigh, and dragged himself up from his seat. He took the microphone, and selected a song to sing. 

 

I guess she was restless

And she just couldn't wait

Didn't want to miss a thing

Or be a minute late

 

We all know the feelin'

I used to be that way

That's why I can say to her

Baby I really want you to stay

 

So I'll be standing by

Watching her come and go

And after we've said good-bye

There's still one thing I think she should know

 

Tell her I'll be waiting

And I'll be holding on

Every minute she's gone

She's gone too long

 

Tell her I'll be waiting

If I can be that strong

Every minute she's gone

She's gone too long

 

I know I'll remember

The face I can't forget

And I'll have time to thing about

All of the things we haven't done yet

And maybe it was timin'

Needed a place to start

That's why I can say to her

Baby, you're taking a piece of my heart

 

So I'll be standing by

Watching her come and go

After we've said good-bye

There's still one thing

I think she should now

 

Tell her I'll be waiting

And I'll be holding on

Every minute she's gone

She's gone too long

 

Tell her I'll be waiting

If I can be that strong

Every minute she's gone

She's gone too long

 

I know you have to fly

Everyone needs to be free

I won't stand in your way

I'll be right here

Whenever you need me

 

Tell her I'll be waiting

And I'll be holding on

Every minute she's gone

She's gone too long

 

Tell her I'll be waiting

If I can be that strong

Every minute she's gone

She's gone too long

 

Just tell her I'll be waiting

I'll try to carry on

Every minute she's gone

She's gone too long

 

Every minute she's gone

She's gone too long

 

Every minute she's gone

She's gone too long

Everyone clapped their hands after Danson sang his song. He went back to his seat as soon as Mike jumped out of his to argue with George about him singing next. “So... that song... that's for him, right?” Ella asked. Danson paused for a while then he looked at her. “How did you know?” he asked. “Because the song is about waiting for someone whom you know will not come back anymore...” she said. Danson lowered his head, and let out a sad sigh. He felt Ella hold his hand. He looked up at her, and saw her smiling at him. “Don't worry, I know things will go back to normal. Jiro will understand everything, and the two of you will make up...” she said. Danson let out another sigh. “I really hope so...” he said as he sulked. 

Ella knew that dragging Danson to the KTV bar with her friends is not helping him at all. She have to think of other ways to cheer him up. “You want to sneak out and get some fresh air?” she asked him. Danson nodded his head. “I think I need some fresh air.” he said. Ella nodded his head. She looked at her friends, and saw that they were too busy taking off the mic from Mike's hand. They stood up, and got out of the room.

They stood outside the bar. Danson was silent the whole time, while Ella was trying to cheer him up by telling him funny stories and some jokes. “I guess I should give up now... it doesn't matter how funny my stories are, you don't seem to laugh at it.” she said. Danson gave her a faint smile. “I'm sorry, Ella... I guess, no matter how people try to make you smile, when your heart is hurting, you can't find a reason to smile at all.” he said. “But there will be some people that won't stop till they see you smile, like me.” he said. She slipped her hand to his, and then held it tight. Danson looked at her, and smiled. “I'm glad that you're here with me...” he said. Ella smiled back at him, and then she hugged him. They were in that position for so long, until they heard George calling them. 

“Hey, guys... what are you doing here?” he said as he broke the two. He smiled at them, and put his arms around them. “Let's go back inside. Help us take the microphone away from Mike and save us from becoming deaf, all right?” George said. Ella and Danson nodded their heads. “Time to go back inside.” Danson said. Then, they went back inside the bar.

==

“Ella, I've got a personal question to you that I want you to answer truthfully, all right?” George said. It's midnight, and the two were lounging at the living room after they have gone from the KTV bar. “Shoot. What is it?” Ella asked. “Are you in love with your boss?” George said. Ella looked at her best friend for a long time, and then burst out laughing, which made George puzzled. “Why are you laughing? I'm serious!” George said. “Look, Danson and I are just friends, aside from the fact that he is my boss.” Ella said. “Come on, you two are too close for comfort. Not to mention, the paparazzi have been insinuating things, and that wedding announcement his mom made...”

“It was all a big misunderstanding”

“All of a sudden, you asked us out, and you brought him with you.”

“All of us needed a break.”

“You hugged him!”

 

George pointed at her accusingly. Ella shook her head. She turned to him, and then pulled him to a hug, which shocked George. “There.” she said as she let him go. “I hugged you, feels much better?” she said. “This is not the issue of who you are hugging or not, all right?!” he exclaimed. “Then, what are you trying to prove?” she asked him. “That you are in love with your boss.” George said. Ella paused, and looked at him. “And you have not realized it yet.” he continued.

 

--

 

Office hours have ended. Friday night.

Danson got out of his office, and saw Ella fixing her bag, and was almost ready to go home. “Ella, do you have plans tonight?” he asked. Ella looked up at him, and shook her head. “Nope. I'm planning to stay home since I'm alone. Ariel and Mike are going south for a vacation, and George said he have a hot date tonight.” she said. With that, Danson smiled at her. “Cool! Do you want to go out tonight? Coffee or clubbing later?” he asked. Ella smiled at him, and then she put her hand on her waist. “So, is this your way of trying to move on?” she asked. Danson smirked at him as he folded his arms. “I can't always sulk because of our break up, right? I want to enjoy being single for once.” he said. “Well, I'm glad you finally figured it out. Shall we go?” she asked. Danson said. “Let's have dinner first. I'm starving.” Danson said. 

 

They went to one of the restaurants within the block to have their dinner. After an hour, they finished eating, and left the place. As they walked towards Danson's car, Ella noticed a familiar car which is parked at the other side of the street. “Isn't that Jiro's car?” she asked. Danson looked up, and at that very moment, Jiro came out of the cafe, with a younger man walking beside him. “Yeah..” he said. He had a bad feeling about the guy whom Jiro is with. He saw Jiro clinging onto the guy, and the guy was flirting with him. After a while, the two got inside the car, and sped away. “Who is he with? Is he a friend?” Ella asked. Danson shook his head. “I don't know who the guy is, but I have a very bad feeling about them...” he said. Ella threw him a puzzled look. “Get in the car.” he commanded her. Ella was surprised at his angry reaction. “Where are we going?” she asked the moment they both got inside the car. Danson started the engine, and began to drive. “To Jiro's pad.” he said. 

 

==

 

Ella let Danson drag her up to Jiro's pad. She couldn't ask him anything about why they are here, because Danson is already steaming from anger. They stopped at Jiro's door, then he began to fumble for the keys in his pocket. “I don't think this is a good idea, Danson... you two broke up, remember?” he said. Danson could only glare at her. As soon as he got the key, he slipped it on the door, and turned it to open. He stormed inside the pad, and then headed to Jiro's room. 

 

He swung the door open, and he saw Jiro on bed with the guy he was with moments ago. And they were both . Jiro was surprised to see his ex-boyfriend in his pad. “D-Danson?” he said as he sat up, covering his body. Danson closed his eyes. He knew something fishy is going on. He was hurt, he was angry, he wanted to punch Jiro and hurt him in the same way that he did. He wanted to cry, but he can't cry in front of him. “How could you do this to me?” he said softly. As he opened his eyes, he saw Jiro shaking his head. “We're through, all right?” he said in annoyed tone. “You said you want space and time? Is this the space and time you're talking about?” he shouted with anger. 

 

Ella walked up beside Danson, and held him by the arm. She's afraid that he might do something that he will regret. “Look, I can do whatever I want, all right?” Jiro said in an annoyed tone. “So, just because we broke up, you can whoever you want? Huh? Well then, you, Jiro! you!” Danson said. He walked towards him, and slapped him in his face. When he was about to slap him again, Jiro held his both hands so that he can't hrt him. “Stop it, Danson!” Ella said. She managed to pull him away from his ex. The guy beside Danson glared at him. “Look, ... no matter what you do, Jiro will not come back to you. He is not in love with you anymore. I'm the one he loves.” the guy said. Danson glared at him, and then glared back at Jiro. Jiro could only lower his head. “You... you... love this ?!” Danson shouted. “Of course, he is! Why would you think he will always make an excuse not to see you? Do you think he is going overseas for some business? Of course not! He is out with me all the time! And you being with that y girl all the time is not helping at all. Good thing you told your mom about you being gay, and he got a reason to break it up with you.” the guy said haughtily. Danson looked at Jiro, and this time, he smirked him. “You heard him.” he said. “You don't love me anymore?” he asked in a hurt tone. Jiro nodded his head. “So, I guess you have to leave. We're through. I'm with Zax now.” he said. No matter how much he calmed himself down, he just couldn't. He clenched his fist, and then threw a hard punch on Jiro's face. “Thank you for breaking my heart!” he shouted at him before storming out.

 

--

 

They ended up at his pad that night

 

Danson took the bottle of whiskey, and poured himself another glass of wine. He gulped down his drink, and then poured the content of the bottle on his glass again. “Danson, stop it.” Ella said, pulling the bottle away from him. He let her take away the bottle from him. After he finished his drink, he slumped on the bar counter, and then broke down. Ella could feel the pain he is feeling right now. She was in a similar situation months back, and she knew that Danson needs her now more than ever. She rubbed his back to comfort him. “Danson...” she called. “He doesn't love me anymore...” he said softly. 

 

Ella sighed as he sat beside him. “It's his loss that he let go of a wonderful man like you. He could never find another you, Danson.” she said. Danson looked at her with tears in his eyes. “It's not really helping, Ella.” he said. “Then what do you want me to do to make you feel better?” she asked. Danson sat up from his seat. He grabbed another glass, and poured the whiskey on it and gave it to Ella. “Drink with me. Share my misery.” he said. Ella took the glass, and drank up it's contents.

 

A few drinks later, the two were already drunk. “That stupid must think Jiro is a good lover... he isn't! He's a lousy lover!” Danson slurred. Ella could only laugh at him. “You're just jealous... that he is ing your ex...” she said. “I can with every hot guy I know... I just chose to be faithful to him... stupid him! Stupid me... I wasted my youth on that one guy...” he said. He then slumped on the counter again. “You'll find a better man... believe me... the next one you'll meet will be much better that Jiro... especially in bed...” Ella said. Danson could only laugh at her. 

 

He laughed, and laughed, until he began to cry again. “I still love him...” he said as he cried. Ella reached for his face, and wiped the tear in his eyes. “I love him... I still do... and if he ask me back... I will still take him back... I love him... I love him... I love him...” he muttered until he fell asleep. She watched him as he sleeps. Her fingers trail onto his cheek. For her, Danson is a perfect boyfriend. Anyone would be lucky to be loved by him, and it's a pity that Jiro just dumped him to be with another. She moved closer to her, and then, she kissed him on the lips. With that, Danson opened his eyes, and then he looked at Ella. 

 

When Danson woke up from her kiss, she realized that what she did is wrong. She was too embarrassed for kissing him, she didn't even know what came into her that she kissed him. “I... I have to go...” she said. She stood up, but stumbled when she tried to walk. Danson held her hand. She looked at him for a long time, and he stared into her face. “Stay with me... please... this night would be hell for me if you leave me...” he said. Ella shook her head. “I can't... I can't...” she said. She doesn't know how he did it, but before she knew it, she was already in his arms. She felt her world swirling, and before she knew it, he was kissing her lips.

 

And before she knew it, they were in his room, he was taking their clothes off, and Danson was already making love to her.