"Okay, that's it. I give up!" I told Keith as I tried to catch my breath. Sweat trickled down my neck and forehead after repeating our routine for more than five times. Just like what I had expected, no matter how many times I repeat the steps, the results would be the same. My feet kept tripping over each other, and my movements made me look like I was being electrocuted.

Keith, our team leader, gave me a look that I knew too well. Being a marketing officer of the company, I got to know a lot of people in the office. Keith was one of the few people from our accounting department that I got close to, and when he gave someone that "look," it simply meant that nothing could ever change his mind. Without even speaking, the way he looked at me was commanding me to keep going.

"No, Keith. I can't do it anymore. Can't you just find someone else from our department? I mean, why does it have to be me?" I asked even when I already knew the answer to my own question.

"Ivy, you chose paper while the rest of the marketing department chose scissors. That is the reason why you are here, so get your ass off the floor and practice," Keith reminded me, and a scowl immediately formed on my face.

A few days ago, our department decided to play the rock-paper-scissors game to determine who would be the representative for our company's Buwan ng Wika culminating activity. Every quarter, SVT Group of Companies organized an event where a main theme and contest would be chosen. For this quarter, Buwan ng Wika was picked, and employees from different departments had to group up to perform a Philippine folk dance. As Keith mentioned earlier, it was me who got (un)lucky. It was as if everyone talked behind my back and chose scissors instead of rock or paper.

If there was one thing I hated the most, it would be standing in front of huge crowds. I could handle talking to twenty people max, but performing in front of more than a hundred people? Not a chance. In addition to that, I had two left feet and a body that's as stiff as a steel post. Like what I had mentioned earlier, my swaying and moving made it seem like I was being electrocuted. And to top it all off, no one in my team was swoon worthy. The chances of me enjoying this would be next to nothing.

Just when I was about to get up and prepare for another round of torture, the door of our practice room opened. All eyes were focused on the guy who emerged. Based on the muscles that popped out against his fitted white shirt, I didn't have to see his face to know that it was Cute Engineering Dude, whom everyone talked about.

And yes, I like him. A little? Okay, fine. I've liked him ever since he helped me when I got lost in the hallways during my first week at work. I'm not sure if he remembers that but, the heck. He was such a gentleman, and the way he smiled made me less nervous that day.

"Sorry I'm late," Cute Engineering Dude said as he looked at everyone in the room. I tried my best to be nonchalant about it and pretended like his presence was no big deal, but I failed. Because the moment our eyes met, I felt like my stomach was sinking. Getting teamed up with him would make my life more exciting yet difficult. I couldn't commit more mistakes if I didn't want to be humiliated in front of him, right?

Yup. That would be as easy as pie. Not.

"You must be Vince from Engineering. I heard that you just came back from your out-of-town field visit. Come in and join us!" Keith said a little too enthusiastically. Vince gave a nod in response, and a small smile formed on his lips.

Even if he didn't introduce himself, everyone in our team knew that he was a member of a dance troupe when he was in college. Keith announced it to the whole team when he was going through the member profiles that he got from HR. With him in the group, Vince could easily use his skills and popularity in the company as an advantage. Maybe that was one of the reasons why Keith was too glad to see him. Vince could easily hide the fact that I was a walking stick.

"Now that Vince is here, Ivy you will be paired with him."

"Wait. I thought we were partners?" You traitor! I wanted to add.

"He wasn't here during the previous practices, so I just filled in for him. Besides, he can help you more than I can." Upon hearing those words, it was as if my world came to a stop. Oh god. What have I done with my past life to deserve these kinds of punishment? Since I couldn't complain about my situation now, I turned to Vince to check his reaction. To my surprise, a huge grin was plastered on his face.

Wait. Why was he smiling? I thought to myself but instead of smiling back at him, I went back to my position and waited for Keith's instructions.

"Hi! You must be Ivy from Marketing. I've heard a lot about you," Vince said as he stood beside me. Since I couldn't bring myself to believe the fact that I was paired with my longtime crush, I panicked and unconsciously showed him my snobbish side.

"Oh, okay," I told him, and I tried my best to avoid talking to him at all costs. I didn't want to be cold towards him, but I don't know...Dreaming that I was close with him was one thing, but standing really close to him right now was another. God knows how long he had been my office crush. He was the first guy that I ever liked in our office—not just because he was cute—but now that I had seen him up close, for some reason, everything just became a blur.

"Are you usually like this?" Vince asked as we tried to follow the steps for cariñosa, a Philippine folk dance which usually involved a handkerchief or a fan. Since Keith wanted to make our performance livelier, he added a couple of modern dances to our routine as well.

"Like what?"

"Cold. Snobbish. Out of reach." Vince paused, seeing my furrowed brows. When I didn't bother to correct him, he continued, "Should I still proceed with the list?"

"It would be too much of a cliché if I told you that you only know my name and not my story, but fine. To satisfy your curiosity, I'm really not like this. I just don't like being here. I mean, a girl with two left feet doesn't really belong in a dance group, right?" Vince seemed like he was about to come up with a response, but Keith started to order us around.

I was just saved by the bell, right?

~

"Ivy, get a grip, will you?" Shane told me for the third time. We were at a coffee shop near our office, and I couldn't even focus on the cup of caramel macchiato in front of me. I blinked my eyes continuously and shook my head as I tried to forget all of the embarrassing things that happened to me a while ago.

"Ivy! How many times do we have to repeat these steps for you to get it right?" Keith asked when I made another mistake. As much as I wanted to leave our practice to save face, I muttered my apologies and tried to follow the steps again. But who was I kidding? The fact that Vince was standing right next to me made me lose my focus. I was too self-conscious around him, so instead of improving, I just kept making more mistakes.

"Keith, don't be too hard on Ivy. I'm sure she would catch up soon," Vince said as he placed his arms around my shoulders. I stiffened because of the unexpected physical contact, and my heart started to hammer like crazy. Shit. What is wrong me?

"Vince, you better make sure that happens, or else..." Keith then proceeded to teach the other steps for our routine. Vince, on the other hand, turned me around so that I could face him. I averted my gaze almost immediately, but his sweet voice did not help at all.

"Hey, it's okay. We'll make it through together."

"I don't know...I guess I'm just not cut out for this."

"Don't say that. I'm sure you'll get better in no time." Vince sweetly smiled at me—that smile I had always admired from afar. I felt like I was dreaming because of the nice things Vince was telling me, and I could only give him a nod in response.

But not all things go according to plan. Instead of showing Vince that I can do better, I just kept on making mistakes, and he just kept on catching me when I fell.

If my heart was the thing that fell, would he be able to catch it as well?

"Seriously, Ivy!" Reese said a little louder than necessary, and I was brought back to reality. I shook my head once again to free my mindfrom those useless thoughts. I took a sip from the now-cold coffee in front of me and sighed deeply.

"You're dance partners with your longtime crush. You should be happy right now. Why are you acting like you've got the biggest problem in the world?"

"Cause I have the biggest problem in the world! He just found out that I can't dance. How am I supposed to face him again?" I asked Reese as I buried my face in my hands. Every moment from our rehearsal kept replaying in my mind. The wrong turns, the miscalculated steps, the ungraceful slips, and the sparks that I felt whenever our hands touched. With the way that I acted a while ago, I was pretty sure that Vince was just trying to be nice. If he were still in his right mind, he wouldn't even spare me a glance anymore.

"Don't you think this is the perfect way to get close to him?" Reese asked all of a sudden, which confused the hell out of me.

"You said he was a great dancer. Ask him to give you one-on-one lessons. It would be hitting two birds with one stone."

"What? No! It's already embarrassing as it is. I don't think I could humiliate myself in front of him even more." I gulped down the remaining contents in my cup. There was no way I would make a bigger fool out of myself in front of him. What he had seen earlier was more than enough.

"Well, it's just a suggestion. I'm not telling you to ask him to be your boyfriend, but this could be a way for him to be your guy friend," Reese said. "Think about it."

"I don't know. I just want to get this over with," I said as I grabbed my bag and bid good-bye to Reese and Shane.

Tomorrow is another day. Things would probably get better by then. Or maybe not.

***

Definition of Terms:

Buwan ng Wika - a month long celebration done in August to promote the national language of the Philippines. It is often done by staging plays, wearing traditional native costumes, playing traditional games, etc.