104 Crazy Men
After a short while, Kyle emerged with a couple more little things in his hand which were his. It seemed like he was done. Just when I thought the storm had passed by peacefully, my phone started vibrating in my hand.
Ace? Why did he have to call now of all times?
“Aren’t you going to get that?” Kyle asked with fake concern.
“It’s none of your business. You’re done, right? You should leave...and please...never come back here again. If you think you left anything else, I’ll mail it to you...or something...” I told him before heading right into my apartment.
“You should stop dating him. He’s nothing but trouble, Rina,” Kyle warned sternly.
Even I could tell that he was genuinely concerned. However, maybe he was just acting. Nothing about our relationship was sincere so I should probably doubt his words now too.
“We’re not dating. Can you leave now?” I shot back without hesitation.
“So, you’re just sleeping with him without even dating him? Don’t you see how wrong that is? Aren’t you just attracted to him because he’s the CEO?” Kyle asked with a raise eyebrow.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“You dumped me to marry someone else. Don’t you dare tell me what is right or wrong. Stop crossing the line, Kyle. Please don’t ever come near me again,” I said coldly.
.....
“I’m quitting,” Kyle said softly.
“What?” I asked in surprise.
“I’m leaving the company,” he repeated solemnly.
I had no idea why Kyle was leaving the company and it shocked me. He loves his job and his team so much that it was hard for me to believe that he was leaving; however, his reasons are not any business of mine any longer.
“Good luck. I hope we never meet again,” I told him honestly.
Before he could say anything else on the subject, I closed the door firmly in his face and locked it. The hardness of the door against my back as I leaned on it brought me some sense of comfort. He’s gone now, Karina. He’s gone now...
The phone in my hand was still ringing and I quickly answered Ace’s call. This was the call that I had been waiting for for days but now that it was here, I didn’t want to pick up. I also kept Ace waiting for so long on the line. This is all Kyle’s fault!
“Ace?” I spoke through the phone.
“Rina...sorry, thing got a little too busy and complicated over here. Sorry for not keeping in touch,” Ace sounded so apologetic that I didn’t know how to react.
If I was mad at him all of that anger evaporated into thin air when I heard his voice. My heart skipped a beat as I gripped my mobile phone tighter in my hand. I had so many things that I wanted to tell him but now that the time came, I was just tongue tied.
“Rina?” Ace called my name questioningly when I didn’t reply to him.
“It’s ok. Everything is fine here,” I managed to say after recovering from my surprise.
“That’s great. I’m trying to make it back a few days earlier. Being away from you for a week is probably too long,” Ace said with a teasing laugh.
“When will you be back?” I asked as my chest felt tighter.
It would be great if Ace could come back earlier. I had no idea why I felt that way, but I really wanted to see him.
“In two days probably. How’s the storyboard coming along?” he asked casually.
“I just finished it actually. If you don’t mine, can I email it over to you?” I asked.
“That would be great. That way, I can give you feedback right away when I get back,” Ace readily agreed.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmI could tell that he was pleased. Whatever trouble that he faced over there must have been resolved because Ace sounded like he was in a good mood.
“Alright. I’ll send you an email soon,” I said before a small smile formed on my lips.
Talking to Ace made me feel at ease with myself once again. I guess I hadn’t realized how shaken up I felt when Kyle turned up in front of my door out of the blue like that. Although nothing bad happened, it still left me feeling very uncomfortable.
“Do you miss me?” Ace asked after a pause.
“Of course, not...” I muttered as I felt my face heat up at his words.
Ace laughed at my response as if he had expected it. Even if I missed him and wanted to see him, I wouldn’t tell him outright like that.
“I miss you. See you soon, Rina,” Ace said cheerfully.
He sounded much younger when he laughs like that. The line disconnected before I could say anything else. I spent the next couple of minutes just staring at my phone with widened eyes. He said that he misses me, right?
It’s probably not true and he was just saying it to keep on messing around with my head and my heart. Even though I knew this, I couldn’t stop myself from smiling.
After composing myself, I sent Ace an email with the latest storyboard. This better be good enough. I put so much effort into it. The words and illustrations on the storyboard might as well have been draw in my own blood.
...
After calling me that day when Kyle came to pick up his things at my room, Ace disappeared into thin air again. I was left wondering if work got busy for him again on the trip. He did mention that he was working hard so that he could return early. In the end, he never told me when exactly he would be back.
I sighed as I stared at my phone screen. On top of not giving me a call, he also didn’t reply to my work email either. I wasn’t sure if he had time to take a look at the new storyboard that I sent yet or not. As the hours ticked by, I grew more and more anxious. Without his feedback on the storyboard, I felt lost, and I didn’t quite know how to proceed.
–To be continued...