Chapter 15
One of the secrets I would take to my grave is that I attempted to call Leo both last night and this morning. My heart was filled with hope, yearning for an explanation or a glimmer of regret from him. Sadly, my efforts were in vain as he never picked up the phone.
My heart sank to my stomach. Why couldn’t I learn? Just why? After all, he had ignored me last night. Yet, here I was, still trying to reach someone who was ignoring me. My stomach growled. I was hungry. I dropped my phone and raised my hands over my head for a stretch. I had to shove this frustration and hurt away and find something to eat.
I was heading towards the kitchen when I heard the doorbell. I frowned. Walking towards the door, I pulled the door open.It was Lisa. My black hair was in a messy bun on top of my head, and my brown eyes were sparkling. I wore a big crop top and a pair of high-waisted blue jeans.
I suddenly recalled that Lisa had promised I would come visiting the next morning. I smiled. Well, at least Lisa was here. If Lisa was here, I wouldn’t do something stupid like calling Leo 500 times even though he never answered. “Lisa! You came!” I gushed and wrapped my arms around her.
Lisa’s body vibrated as I chuckled. “Hey !!! How are you doing today?” I pulled back, observing my eyes. “You look good today.” I nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. ”I”m much better today, babe. Yesterday felt like a roller coaster, but I”m good.” I stepped aside, so Lisa could walk in before closing the door behind us.
“I was going to make breakfast. Wanna come?”
“You bet! I need coffee. I was editing all night, I’m tired!”
I smiled. My heart warmed. Lisa shouldn”t be here. Lisa should be sleeping. She”s so tired. But, I knew my friend had barely managed to resist the urge to come last night. We walked into the kitchen and I reached for the coffee.
Luckily, I had stocked my fridge on Friday after work, so I had enough to make scrambled eggs, cheese and bacon for two. I considered making toasted bagels because I knew Lisa would love them. It was the best way not to spend my hours crying.
I reached for the coffee and turned on the coffee maker. Even as I whisked the eggs and let them sizzle in the pan, I could tell Lisa’s eyes were watching my every move. I knew Lisa wasn’t going to ask directly but I wanted to talk about it.
I let out a sigh. ”Lisa, I think Leo is avoiding me, and I swear, I’m not even sure why. Like, he ignored the date without showing up, and now he”s ignoring my calls. He”s deliberately shutting me out, and I’m not sure why.”
Lisa blinked. “You called him again?” I bit my lower lip and looked away. Lisa reached to grab my arm. “Look at me babe, you called him again?” I sucked my teeth and nodded. I hated the shame that came with my acknowledgement. I knew it was crazy. I wasn’t stupid. I knew it didn’t make any sense but still I tried.
Lisa”s words were laced with concern as she rubbed her forehead. ”Leo”s actions reveal his true character. There”s no clearer way for him to show you who he really is.” I gazed up at her, my eyes turbulent with emotion, and Lisa feared I might shatter. ”I think you still have feelings for him, so it’s a bit hard to accept, but you have to,” Lisa said, her eyes pleading.
I looked away and blinked back tears. Why? Why did Leo have to do this? Why did he have to stir up so many butterflies and then leave them to die? Why? I blinked away the tears and nodded. ”I”m not foolish, Lisa, trust me, I understand. I know, okay? I know he doesn’t care. It”s just hard to accept that he could do all those things and still treat me this way.”
Lisa didn’t say a word. I just moved and went to hug my friend. I tried not to weep. We made jokes while I made breakfasts and for that day, I knew I would be fine.
Whether I would be okay on Monday morning was a completely different story.
I was not fine by Monday morning. In fact, when I woke up, there was so much dread inside my chest. As I showered, I twirled the dread within me, hoping that it would not burst into a million pieces. I frowned as I got ready, wearing my high-waist skinny jeans and a large white T-shirt.
What would I do when I saw him? How would I react? Should I also pretend like nothing had happened and I hadn’t waited for him? I scoffed. Yeah right. Like the hundreds of messages I had left him didn’t scream about my disappointment as I waited. I put my hair into a bun and slid on a pair of white sneakers.
”Maybe I won’t see him today. ”I will have a great day and everything will be fine,” I muttered to myself. I said it as I stepped outside my house and twisted the key in the lock. What a joke! I snorted. Dude owned the damned place, and he made it a point of duty to ensure that everyone noticed him. It was hard not to because he freaking wanted to be noticed.
I swallowed and continued walking ahead. I got on the bus and stared outside the window, tapping my fingers anxiously on my bag. It wasn’t till they were very close to my stop that it struck.
Why should I pretend that it didn’t happen? Why should I pretend that I wasn’t hurt? I was hurt. He did abandon me. He set up a date and he never showed up. If that wasn’t insulting, I didn’t know what was.
I felt anger rising in my belly. I needed to see him, even if it was just for a moment. I wasn’t going to run. I needed to speak with him and ask him what on earth had happened. I wasn’t going to run away; I was going to find him.
Even if it meant dragging him to the side in front of everyone, so be it. If that got me fired, so be it. I was tired of being a pawn in his game anyway. I would surely find a different job.
I came down from my spot and sighed. I walked towards the tall building, my heart suddenly thudding in my chest. There was an even stronger anxiety, but it was of a different kind. Earlier, I had been afraid of what would happen if I saw him. Now, I was afraid of what he would say because I was going to confront him.
I didn’t want to hear that he didn’t care about me. Even though I knew that was the fact, I desperately hoped he wouldn’t say it. My heart shivered as I climbed up the steps. The same steps where he had acted all dramatic just a few days ago and asked me to the restaurant.
Smmf. I walked into the office and headed towards the reception desk. Today, Lily dropped my silky blonde hair. It looked so beautiful, I couldn’t help the slight tinge of jealousy in my thoughts.
I swallowed and tried to sound casual. I walked towards the desk and leaned against it, a small smirk on my face. “Hi Lily, good morning.” Lily glanced up from her desk and narrowed her eyes, her red-colored lips pressed together in a thin line. “Do you want me to pretend this is normal?” she quipped.
I pressed my lips and leaned back. I had always wanted to establish some sort of friendship with the girl. If we were enemies, it was Lily’s fault. She had decided to be passive-aggressive from my first day at SoundEase. There wasn”t much I could do.
Eventually I gave up trying to be friend with her. Except, now I had an urgent question and needed the girl’s help. I rolled my eyes.
“Okay fine. It’s not normal. I need to ask a question, Then ask,” Lily quipped, my eyes hooded in disdain.I resisted the urge to reach across the desk and squeeze my thin neck. I swallowed and gave a painful smile before nodding. “Fine. Have you seen Mr Woodrow around this morning?” I asked.
A small smirk played on Lily’s lips, and I folded my arms across my chest. “Why, so you can wrap your hands around him and play another cute whatever like you did the other day?” I nodded towards the class door.
I rolled my eyes. Of course the girl was talking about when Leo had asked me to come with him to the restaurant. I wanted to tell Lily it had ended so poorly and I would appreciate a huge break. However, I doubted the girl would even answer me. Lily hated me for some reason.
”He”s never going to fall in love with you. You”re not his type,” Lily added, and my lips pressed together so thin, I worried about myself.
I had many thoughts at that moment. Asking Lily about Leo was a mistake. I should have asked someone else or just gone to his office. I also hated how Lily”s words stuck. She was right. Leo would never love me. This truth was hard to accept.
However, I wanted to retort and ask Lily what I thought was Leo’s type. I bit my tongue. It wasn’t worth it.
My eyes scanned the empty reception room before turning back to Lily”s face, and I smiled a small nod. ”Thanks, Lily. You”ve been very helpful,” I replied, the smile never leaving my face and sarcasm dripping from my lips.
I turned to leave when Lily let out a huge sigh. “Arrgh! He isn’t around and he isn’t coming in today!” I groaned. I paused in my steps, my eyebrows furrowed together. I turned around. “What do you mean he isn’t coming in today? He comes in everyday?” Lily pursed my lips and shook my head slightly. “Girl, I”ve done enough!” I returned my head back to laptop.
I frowned. What if something is wrong with him? Leo always showed up on time. I turned around just as the elevator doors slid open and Jack stepped out. I smacked herself across the forehead. Why did I spend so much time asking this silly receptionist? Jack was Leo’s PA. He would know what had happened.
He hurriedly walked towards him. “Jack!” I called, my voice eager and desperate. Jack turned towards me and adjusted his glasses. His nose was scrunched up as though he was angry or disgusted by something. Nevertheless, I wasn’t in the mood to find out. I wanted to speak to Leo and I needed to know what was happening with him.
”Yes, I... I don’t think this is your workstation,” Jack mused, pressing his lips together in a thin line. I swallowed and placed a strand of dark hair behind my ear. “It’s not. I believe it’s in your schedule, and you’re aware because you were probably the one who even made the reservation. I was supposed to have dinner with Mr. Woodrow on Saturday, but he never showed up, and I never heard from him. Lily,” I turned, pointing at the receptionist.
“Lily just told me he isn’t around and he isn’t coming in today.” Jack’s beady eyes widened, and he blinked. Dropping his hands, he looked at me as though I had just mentioned I swallowed a house and it had melted in my belly.
”Wait. He didn’t go on the date?” He balked.
I leaned back and looked at him. It seemed like he was just teasing me! How could he not know that Leo never showed up for the date? After all, he”s responsible for Leo”s schedule. How could he not know where Leo went? I chuckled to myself.
”Alright, Jack. You don”t need to explain. I get it,” I said, letting out a sigh filled with sadness. As I turned to walk away, my mind replayed our memories together. I struggled to accept that his indifference was real. Even though my heart ached with the weight of his lack of concern.
I paused when I felt Jack’s hand hurriedly grab my wrist.
“No..no.. wait! He seriously didn’t come around?”
I blinked, eyeing the assistant suspiciously. He had beads of sweat lining his forehead and wetting his dark brow. His black eyes held a tinge of anxiety and I wasn’t sure why. Perhaps because he was telling the truth and didn’t know Leo never really came there?
“Wait. You’re being honest? You didn’t know?” I blinked.
“No! I didn’t! I spoke tohim by past four to confirm pushing a meeting to today and he agreed. However, I haven’t spoken to him since Saturday and I haven’t heard from him. I’m currently canceling meetings in panic!” Jack cried, running desperate hands through his hair.
I frowned. That made no sense.
“Then where could he be?” I cried.
“I don’t know!”
Suddenly it felt like the world had stopped. He didn’t leave me stranded. He was going to come. Something happened. Something had prevented him from coming and suddenly I could feel the dread rising in my belly. I tried to shove the thought away but it formed a huge lump and wedged itself in my throat.
What if something had happened to Leo?