Alfa's Reasons
"So he was threatening you with your mother?" he asked.
I nodded, "And telling you was risky. I thought he might even fire you or make things unbearable for you. I only made up my mind to tell you everything when you made me realize that my mom is safe."
"Make things unbearable... wow. Well, truthfully, I wouldn't have believed any of this if you had told me earlier. You know, it's kind of hard to believe that Henry would try to hurt me. He's the brother I see," he said sadly, and I felt it.
"Then what made you believe it this time?" I asked.
"I told you, Henry is far more careful than I am. I asked him to search for any girl named Rose working in any Anambra branch. He brought me three different Roses but never brought you. That means he purposely hid you." He looked at me intently. "Your registered name in the company is Rose, so he couldn't have missed it. Then, that night at the party, when he came to tell me you were playing both of us, I instantly knew he had been lying too. I felt broken that someone I call family could play with my feelings this much." He touched my cheek just like he had the night of the party. "But I was more heartbroken that you also lied. You watched as I struggled with my feelings. I felt drained and could barely stand, so I had to go."
"I am so sorry. Sorry doesn't even begin to express how remorseful I am." I cried.
"You're so cute that it's nearly impossible to stay mad at you," he chuckled.
"What?" I hiccupped as he wiped my tears.
"I will have to confront Henry, and it's not something I ever wanted to do." He threw his head back and took a deep breath.
"Isabelle told me about Mirabel," I said.
"Did she?"
"She told me how you denied your feelings just so she could be with Henry. And now you're about to sacrifice your happiness again. How much will you keep sacrificing for him?" I asked.
"I regret saying no to Mirabel. Maybe I should've accepted or told her to give me time to think about it. Or maybe I should've just told her how much Henry loved her," he said. He was sitting on the floor, legs crossed, with a small table between us, our plates resting on top. In my mind, I kept thinking that this was Alfa—the CEO of Maris Hotels and Suites, one of the youngest billionaires—sitting plainly on my dusty floor in his really expensive suit.
"I keep thinking about how I could've changed her fate if my answer had been different."
"You know, Isabelle also blames herself, saying she should've stopped her that night. The truth is, nothing would've changed. Everyone is bound to their destiny," I said, trying to convince him.
"Maybe you're right. But I would've paid my debt if she had survived."
"What debt? Is it because Henry became a brother and family to you?" I asked, annoyed.
He laughed. "You're really cute, Bunny. Well, not that. When I was out of control, hanging with bad company, Henry and Mirabel kept trying to change me." He placed his palm on the floor, resting his weight on it. "One night, Henry insisted I wouldn't leave the house. His parents weren't around, Isabelle was spending the night at Grandma's, and we were alone. He refused to let me go, and we even fought. Even though I had the upper hand, he was determined to push me back to my room and lock the door. I couldn't jump from the window either—it had strong bars and was too high." He chuckled.
"That night, I didn't leave the house. The next morning, when he opened the door to bring me food, I was so mad I didn't even look at him. I just pushed him aside and left."
"Why were you so determined to leave that night?" I asked, and he gave me a glance.
"We were supposed to rob someone. That was going to be my first time. In truth, I didn't need the money—I was just being reckless. Henry didn't know about the robbery, but for some reason, he stopped me. While I was out checking on the gang, I started hearing news about some robbers being shot dead by the vigilante. At first, I doubted it was my gang, but when I reached the hideout, they were gone." He shifted his position. "I later confirmed that all four of them had been shot dead. I would've been among them if Henry hadn't kept me at home. So, I owe him my life." He chuckled bitterly. "Even now, he doesn't know he saved me. Nobody does. So I changed... and instead of paying him back by stepping aside for the girl he loved, I still lost her."
He looked at me, and I could see the tears forming in his eyes. I even felt indebted to Henry after hearing this story. If it weren't for him, I would never have met this beautiful creature in front of me.
"I'm sorry if I judged you wrongly," I apologized, and he nodded.
"I have to confront him. It's now or never," he shrugged.
"Why now?" I asked.
"Because I have found a happiness I can no longer trade. A happiness I want to be selfish with. And I'm not sharing you—even if the world crumbles." He looked down, and my eyes widened.
"How can you say something like this so plainly—like a girl's whole body and soul wouldn't tremble on hearing it?" I said, already breathing heavily.
"Well, because I want that girl's body and soul to tremble hard. That's why I said it plainly," he smirked. "If only there wasn't a table between us, I would've told you a lot of things,"
I gasped. Would I be considered desperate if I pushed the table away and did all the things running through my mind?
"Baka," I muttered, and he chuckled.
"I might have judged you wrongly, Bunny," he teased.
"What?"
He showed me his palm, which was covered in dust. My eyes widened in horror.
"You're dirty. And I keep perceiving an awful smell—I don't know if it's coming from you or the environment. The floor is dusty, and the only thing I'm giving you an excellent score on is your cooking skills," he said, shaking his head.
I instantly stood up, feeling the greatest embarrassment of my life. How could I tell him that I lost all strength the moment he left me that night? That I wasn't a slob, but I just hadn't had the energy to do anything for the past three days?
"Everything is your fault!" I barked. He looked up at me, confused. "If you hadn't played with a girl's heart so much, she wouldn't have shown you this side of her!" He started laughing.
"I don't mind getting you this flustered for the rest of my life," he said, unfazed.
"Leave me alone!" I barked, and he stood up, dusting off his pants.
"Be ready at 8 p.m., Bunny. I'm breaking all the rules for you," he said.
I felt disappointed. Was my sexiness not showing because I was dirty? While he had been telling me his story, I kept thinking about how today would be our first kiss and all that stuff. I brushed my teeth while cooking and rinsed my mouth well after eating. Now, he's leaving without even attempting to kiss me.
"Is that it?" I asked
"Bunny, you asked me to leave." He jests
"No reconciliation hug or something like that?" I said, trying to be decent and not expose what I really wanted.
"Something like that," he quoted me. "I'll pretend I have no idea what you mean, but I need to remind you that to me, you're still my best friend's girlfriend," he said, and I went red.
"Just leave,"
He chuckled then left. I stood there, staring at the door. Should I be worried? He's never really said how he feels. Maybe all these nice words are just him seeing me as a best friend, not someone to date or be with.
Then I saw a note slip underneath the door, and I picked it up faster than Usain Bolt.
"WEAR A BLACK GOWN AND RED UNDIES," it said. I opened the door, but he was gone. I smiled, feeling unexplainable emotions as once again, he chose the color of the underwear I'd put on.
"What are you planning, Mr. Mysterio?" I smiled, then turned to see how messed up my apartment was. "Time to tidy up again."