Man of Fiction

According to Emily's routine, her bedtime was at eleven o' clock sharp. This gives her enough sleep before the five o' clock alarm, and enough energy to carry through her day at the hotel office.

It was past midnight and she was still staring at Gareth, sitting on her dining chair.

Or at least, someone who claimed to be her fictional crush.

The stranger refused to remove his clothes or use her shower, so he remained muddy and soaked in his green eastern-looking uniform. The least Emily Rose could do was whip him up a hot cup of tea. She was hoping the two-year old teabag would not taste awful.

The kettle's whizzing was the only sound that filled their awkward silence. "Gareth" stared at her intently, while she prepared the tea. Emily went back and forth between him and the kettle. She was not used to being stared at, let alone by a handsome man.

Yes, she admits that he was exceptional-looking. If Mob Boy Order would get a live-action remake, this man would be the perfect fit for Gareth. However, she could not shake the feeling that there was something peculiar about him. The first thing he asked were the whereabouts of Rowan, Mob Boy Order's main female character and his supposed love interest. Rowan did not exist. Or was he referring to another Rowan in this reality?

The next sound to fill the silence was the satisfying pour of hot water into a mug that was in a shape of a calico cat's paw. When Emily Rose placed it on the white table, the man's green eyes widened at the sight of the cute mug. He acted like has never seen such a design before. In spite of the shock though, he remained in the same firm sitting position that the Mob Boy Order character was known for; his arms crossed at the front his chest, one leg cross over the other, and his posture straight and proud as ever. This guy was being way too accurate with his Gareth mannerisms that it was freaking her out.

She dunked the allegedly expired Chamomile teabag into the hot water and soaked it in for a few minutes. The rain was still pouring outside and time slowed down as the man's staring game continued. This time, Emily looked back at him. Same serious expression and firm sitting position. It was very Gareth. But before she could assume anything, the man spoke.

"Your chiller is empty." He said, still maintaining his position.

Emily blinked. "I'm s-sorry?" she mumbled.

"Your chiller," he repeated, pointing to her empty refrigerator with his thumb. "You are out of food supplies. I checked while you were bathing." His voice was just as chill as Gareth that it almost brought her into a trance. But she couldn't be distracted. Things needed to be straightened out. "Hold on," Emily raised her hand, hoping the gesture would make sense out of everything. "You are looking for Rowan. Don't you have her contact number or her SoPop information?" It was the only sensible thing to ask.

He became confused, which was another famous Gareth facial expression. He looked like an innocent child, who wondered what he did wrong. It was adorable and terrifyingly accurate. Soon, his face returned to a neutral state and he sat upright, spreading his legs slightly on the chair. His dangly arm reached for something in his pocket. "I tried contacting her, but my Communicator appears to have no signal here." He said opening the device that looked similar to a smartphone. "Where am I exactly?"

Emily's legs turned into jelly once more. It was not a prop, but an actual working Communicator, which is a very known device in the animated show. It sounded like it, too.

She shakily pointed at it. "T-that's real…" she said, trying to maintain her balance. The Gareth guy became confused again, with his lips pursed and his green eyes softened. The same Gareth expression that made her weak. "Of course it is." He said. "Why—"

"Is this a prank?" she immediately accused.

Gareth leaned against the chair, giving Emily another Gareth signature look; the 'I can't believe you are behaving like a wild person,' look, which was a mixture of disbelief, controlled irritation, and judgment. He crossed his arms again, maintaining the look that once made Emily laugh every time she saw it on her laptop screen. "I beg your pardon?" he asked, calmly.

"Did my brothers send you?" she asked, her brown eyes stern. "Am I being filmed right now?"

"What are you talking about? I'm just as confused as you are," the man defended. "I have no memory coming here. The earliest thing I could remember was standing in front of this very building, during this storm."

"Are you serious?!" she almost shrieked, making him lean into the back of his chair more. His eyes widened even more and his mouth pursed once again. It was adorable, but this was a serious situation. "Tell me why you're really here, this instant." She demanded. The stranger relaxed into his chair and it was his turn to give her a stern look, hoping the gesture would make his words more genuine. "I have no memory of being transported here, so I need to contact Doctor Rowan Adonis, immediately."

There it was. The name she heard constantly during her high school nights of streaming Mob Boy Order Episodes, escaped the man's lips. It was not just the exact mention of her full name, but the way he said it. Every word before it came off as strict and solid. When it came to Rowan's name, he suddenly sounded tender, being delicate with every pronunciation like her name was the most fragile thing in the entire world. Emily did not know how long she was going to deflect him, but she knew the conversation was going nowhere. She sighed and handed him the cat-paw mug, to which he accepted it with his innocent child look. "I have never seen a mug of such design, before."

"Hey, focus." She said, leaning against the white table behind her. "Your phone doesn't work here?" Emily instantly regretted saying that term.

"Oh that's how you call communicators here." He observed, showing off the device in his right hand. He sipped the tea and his eyes relaxed. "As you were saying, yes I cannot get it to work here. I don't even have my charger with me, so I'm afraid it will not be of use here." She could only nod, amazed by how long he could keep up the spot-on Gareth act. Then he asked something even more ridiculous. "Perhaps you can tell me how to find my way back to Adonis." He asked, his gaze hopeful.

He actually asked her to help him go back to a fictional place. She remained tongue-tied for a while, but she knew she had to say something that would bring progress to the matter at hand. But she did not know how to explain about her world.

Her world. It felt weird thinking about it.

"Uhm, Gareth right?" she said, praying her heart wont flutter at the sound of his name. She needed the upper hand on this.

"Affirmative." He said, taking another sip. That was his signature catchphrase, Emily thought, tempted to gush. No, Emily. You need to be taken seriously, here. You're the alpha.

She scratched the back of her head, slowly saying her next words. "I don't know how to say this but… Adonis doesn't exist here."

Emily watched him lower his mug, staring into nothingness. His green eyes became frozen emeralds when he fell in such a state. For a moment, Emily admired him for he was able to portray something that was done marvelously in fiction. "Adonis…Adonis doesn't exist?" he looked at her in disbelief, almost wanting to cry. The admiration quickly turned to pity. She hated seeing Gareth sad, and this guy was doing a good job at looking upset. The frown that formed in his mouth was delicate but firm at the same time.

"You're in Opal City," she explained. "It's one of the major cities in Hembrandt, which is Agapen's western region."

"Agapen? What's that?"

Emily Rose did not know how to explain it to him, but then she had an idea. She walked past him and headed to the living area, where there was one tall bookcase. Gareth studied her as he drank his Chamomile tea. The young woman reached for a history textbook from the top shelf. She dusted it off and began flipping through its pages. After she found what she was looking for, she returned to the curious blonde and showed him a picture of a map. He saw two large continents and beneath was a caption that said, 'The Map of Agapen.' Using the innocent child face, he turned to Emily for an explanation.

She ignored the lovable expression and pointed to the lower western part. "We are right here," she said, she then circled the two large continents with her index finger. "This whole thing is Agapen, and it comprises two continents; Hembrandt the west, and Lacras the east." The young man gently took the book from her, slightly brushing his fingers with hers. Emily could feel her face heating up. She took one step back and she begged herself to look somewhere else. She ended up catching a glimpse of the clock hanging back at the living room. The hour hand was closely approaching one.

"It's getting late." She told Gareth, whose attention was stuck on the textbook. "Get some rest, we can deal with this tomorrow."

The man still did not say anything. Emily figured that he needed space, so she treaded to her bedroom. Suddenly, she stopped at her tracks. She returned back to him and said, "Uhm, you are free to use the shower. You're going to get sick in your Protector uni—I mean, your clothes."

Finally, he looked back at her. This time, he gave her a smile. It was small but it was enough to light up the whole of Agapen. "I'm perfectly fine," he insisted. "I trained myself to endure the harshest of weather conditions."

That was a very Gareth thing to say.

"That's nice, but I don't want mud in my apartment."

*****

The run on her stocking became bigger. Emily opened her drawer and to her disappointment, she did not have a spare. Hopefully Madame Helga or the hotel staff wouldn't notice.

She put on a brand new blazer, and looked at the mirror. Her dark hair was loose around her shoulders, and there was a gray discoloration happening underneath her eyes. Emily didn't seem to be bothered, since her beauty products back at the hotel usually solved her problematic features. But one thing was for sure; she looked really tired. She has been for a very long time. Emily Rose accepted her new appearance with a nod and she prepared to leave her comfortable bedroom. Before her hand could hold the doorknob, she spotted something very distracting inside her room.

It was her Gareth figurine and wall poster.

They were both located by her bed. The tall Gareth figurine wore the same green Protector uniform she saw last night. He posed with his golden Qishi fist, standing beautifully by her bedside table. Above her narrow bed was a twenty-inch animated poster of Mob Boy Order, featuring the three main characters including Gareth. Emily looked at them and remembered that her drawers contained artbooks that were just filled with Gareth.

Emily passed by the living room, to see Gareth in her oversized white hoodie. She found it amusing that something that was too large for her, fitted him perfectly. But the cute Danooki cartoon at the front challenged his serene aesthetic.

Gareth eventually noticed his host and smiled. Emily could not help but smile back, forgetting how exhausted she looked earlier. "Your world is quite small," Gareth commented, raising the history textbook she gave last night.

"You finished that?" she asked, astonished.

"To be honest, I was not able to sleep." He said, apologetically. "So I decided to study this place. Compared to my world, this one is a lot simpler." She cannot believe that they were talking about worlds.

Finally, he noticed her work attire. "Are you going somewhere?" he asked, politeness present in his voice. It was Emily's turn to look apologetic. "I have work in two hours," she explained, grabbing the same workbag that she forgot to organize. "I will be home as soon as possible. So I hope you don't mind staying here. You can use my tablet and use the Internet—" She had Gareth wallpapers saved in that.

Luckily, Gareth didn't seem to follow. "You're going to work by yourself? I will not allow it."

"Pardon?"

He moved closer to the young girl, whose face felt hot once again. Her response was to look down and she found herself staring at the Danooki icon at the center of the hoodie. "If it is not any trouble, allow me to accompany you." He said, putting his hand to his chest like a butler serving his lady. "I don't think I will be able to make any progress in here. It would be best if I venture out and learn about how this world works first. Besides, I can't help it. It's part of my job to accompany young ladies such as yourself. Please reconsider."

Emily was grateful, but she hesitated. Gareth may be a person but bringing him along would be like bringing a puppy or a toddler. If he really had no knowledge of her world, she shouldn't let him dally around the rambunctious streets of Mavon City by himself. But instead of telling him that, she said, "Uh, sure. Come along."

So stupid, Emily. So stupid!

Emily and Gareth walked quietly to the bus stop, and they were able to catch the morning bus on time. So far, so good.

As usual, the bus was full and all they had to do was stand. Emily assumed her balancing position before the bus could move. However, she saw Gareth tapping the shoulder of a random man who was seated. Suddenly, Emily Rose was on edge and she almost lost her balance.

"The rules on this transportation specifically states to give your seat to any woman, elderly, or person with disability present." Gareth explained, his voice audible enough for the passengers to hear. "My companion is a woman, so it will be greatly appreciated if you offer this seat to her." All eyes shifted to Emily, who felt her cheeks growing warm again. The man Gareth spoke to immediately stood from his seat and bowed apologetically. After he left, Gareth looked at Emily and gestured to her to take a seat. Emily looked around, and people were still looking at her. She found a middle-aged woman in the crowd and locked eyes with her. "Ma'am, please take my seat." She said, her hands showing the way to the vacant seat. The woman had a wash of relief shown on her face and thanked Emily before she quickly took the seat. She had no idea why she did that, but being the center of attention was something she couldn't handle.

Emily checked on Gareth, who was confused by what took place. He proceeded to the next male who was comfortably seated with legs spread wide, taking up a lot of space. Gareth repeated the same things he said earlier, but this one did not look pleased with his nobility. But the blonde would not have it. "Sir, you could face undesirable consequences for ignoring just rules, such as a fine or a permanent ban from riding here." Gareth explained politely, but edge crawled into his tone. "You have utilized the seat long enough. My companion said her travel time would take an hour and a half at most. It would be troublesome for her to be tired before she could begin her job that she said would take at least nine hours to finish." The women on the bus could not help but smile. Emily just did not know how to process the situation.

Soon the man gave up his seat with a loud grunt. Gareth turned to Emily again, who had no choice but to take the seat he gallantly fought for. When she took it, Gareth smiled again. Somehow, Emily felt good. Not because Gareth was being Gareth, but the service he has done. It was a small act of kindness, but to Emily it oddly meant so much. It has been a long a while since anyone has done something for her (and the last person who did something for her was her mom, filling her application for a doctor's appointment at the age of 21). She was used to doing things by herself, but most of the time she couldn't because she was afraid to step on other people's toes. She has had enough of petty conflict, but avoiding certain battles resulted in getting nothing beneficial for her. She kept telling herself that she was fine with it, but she also wondered if that was really true.

Either way, sitting on a bus ride was a lovely change of pace.

Problems arose when they arrived at Blates Luxury Hotel. Where was Gareth going to stay? Where was he going to go? What was he going to eat? Perhaps she could give him some money, or they could meet up at the Fast food nearby—

"Emily Rose," Gareth said. That was the first time he said her name, and her heart skipped a beat. He stood straight and placed his arms behind his back. "What are your instructions?"

She has never called the shots for someone, before. This was fairly new to her, and her mind raced again. Then she came up with the most absurd plan, ever. She pulled out her tablet—cleared of Gareth's pictures thanks to the seated bus ride—and handed it to him. "There's a café in my hotel," Emily said, reaching for her work I.D. "You can use the Internet there to research more about this place. I will go to you around lunchtime. Do you know how to use it?"

Gareth took the tablet and he unlocked the screen with ease. "This browser application is where I can type research questions right?" he asked. Emily wanted to sigh in relief. Thank goodness the world of Mob Boy Order was not that different from hers.

She sat down on her desk, not feeling sore for the first time. Bus rides normally made her feel that way, but today she actually felt good. After doing a series of computer work, she peered at the clock and saw that her boss was one hour late. She grew concerned, for Helga was never tardy nor did she miss a day of work. After realizing her absence, Emily's phone buzzed. It was a text message from Helga.

'Where are you? I told you last Tuesday that we were going to have the meeting today. Get to the café in five minutes.'

Shoot.

Emily ran to the elevator and pressed down. Her feet tapped along with her anxiety. She whined to herself about why the company elevator was so slow, and why it was even slower during urgent times. Finally, the doors opened and she hopped in. The anxiety still shook her body as the lift went down. How could she have forgotten about something so important? And just like that, the good feeling crashed. She was back to the old routine. Great.

Emily ran as fast as she could to the café, alarming some guests and hotel staff. Blates Luxury Hotel was widely known for its high-class ambience, so having a frantic assistant running around like a lunatic defied such a reputation. She could not help it. She only had a minute to get to the café.

Blates' Café was very quiet for the day. Jazz music warmed the atmosphere, but it was not enough to push down the anxiety in her body. She searched for her superior, until she saw her with the other department heads. Madame Helga spotted her immediately and her green eyes widened, demanded that she came at once. Her boss was relatively cool and collected; seeing her intense usually meant things were not going her way…thanks to a certain subordinate.

She sat herself next to her superior, who sighed in frustration. "Okay, now that we are all here, let us begin." The Assistant Manager said, flatly. While the other department heads were giving their own reports, Emily took the time to fix her appearance that was disheveled during her run. She caught some of the people at the table, giving her judgmental looks again. Emily was tempted to ask if they have ever struggled in an entry-level job before. They always expected her to be perfect on the first try and the thought of it made her face heat up again—and it had nothing to do with Gareth, this time.

It was Helga Rooney's turn to speak, telling her colleagues what has happened during the month. Unexpectedly, she turned to Emily. "The contracts, please."

Emily's heart dropped. "W-what?" she asked, almost mumbling. Her straight posture began to cower, anticipating for an attack.

"The contracts that these gentlemen need to sign, regarding the new regulations for this hotel." Helga reminded, icily. Emily did not know what to say to her or do. Should she stand up go back to their office and get them? Or does she directly tell her about the mistake? She contemplated on her next moves long enough for Helga to drag her outside the café.

"What has gotten into you?" Rooney scolded in whispers. "Why would you go to this meeting empty-handed???"

"I'm sorry," Emily blurted out. "I thought the documents were already with you."

Rooney scoffed, incredulously. That meant Emily said something that was of below intelligence. "I handed them to you! Yesterday!" she was raising her voice this time. "A sharp memory is the number one requirement for this job! How can I rely on you when you can't even do this one little thing for me? This is your sixth month and you're still not focused!"

Emily did not say anything. People were staring at her again. This time, they were not the same looks she saw on the bus this morning. She would give anything to have that kind of attention, over this.

"Look at you!" Helga ratted on. "Your outfit has no coordination and your hair is out of place again! You're just all over the place! Do you even want this job? Because your mannerism—"

"Why are you yelling at her?"

The two females turned to see a leering Gareth.

Emily Rose gasped. She forgot—again—that she left him at the café.

Rooney relaxed her body and faced him, pretending her outburst never happened. She was about to say something, but Gareth got to her first.

"Ma'am, I think you went way too far."