Love in Relationship (LHR 2 sample)

chapter three

A young man was sitting in the back seat of a Mercedes Benz, he kept staring at the entrance of the hotel opposite him when his phone rang, he looked at the phone screen and picked the call "speak."
"Good evening Mr Brown, I just want to let you know that it was our office that she contacted" a man spoke from the other side.
"So?"
"I showed her the one we have according to her description..." The man was saying.
Michael interrupted "did she like it?"
"Oh she is in love with it" the man replied.
A sweet smile curved on Michael's lips "are you sure?" He asks in a more gentler tone.
"One hundred percent."
"So, how did you give it to her? The price I mean."
"Oh Sir, it was a steal. I could see it on her face when I told her the price, she looked shocked. Perhaps not expecting a house like that to be so affordable."
"Hope you didn't make it suspicious?"
"No sir I didn't, I told her that that's the price, no discount."
"Good. Forward me your account details, I will transfer to you the remains and again, send me the address, I want to have a look at it. I will meet you there."
"Yes sir, I will do just that. You will see me there in twenty" the man said and Michael hung up. His eyes went to the hotel again and he sighed, a message tone sounded and he opened it to see the address and account details.
He showed the address to Gary "drive" he ordered and Gary started the car and drove off. They arrived at the house twenty five minutes later and a man was already waiting for them. When he saw the car entering the driveway, he rushed to it. Gary came down from the car and retrieved Michael's wheelchair from the trunk, he opened the door for him and helped him sit on it before pushing him to the front door and the man trailing after them.
"I'm telling you Mr Brown, Miss Sasha fell in love with it at first sight..."
"She is a Mrs" Michael corrected.
"Ah yes, yes. How could I forget?" He laughed nervously and walked ahead to open the door. When they got in, Michael raised his eyebrow in appraisal "you see sir? Isn't it befitting for your wife?"
"It's too cheap. She will suspect" Michael frowned.
"Of course not sir, how will she know that you called all the agents in Los Angeles and told them to give a beautiful house to her and at a low price? Even a soothsayer wouldn't know this" the man chuckled.
"His right boss. Mistress will never know you went to such trouble and that you are indirectly buying a house for her" Gary added.
Michael was silent for a while before wheeling himself into a bedroom, he loved the structure of the room and for a second, he pictured himself lying on a bed with her in the room, he shook his head at the thought, she left him, there is no future for them and besides, he doubts if she will come back to him, the only thing he can do is love her from the shadows as he had always been doing, there is no need forcing nature to bring them together, she is gone now and it's for the best, hopefully she will marry again and be happy, he wish her that for he can never have her.
"So what do you think sir? It's okay right?" The man's voice interrupted his thought and he sighed before nodding.
"It's okay but I thought she will be going for something bigger" Michael said.
"Boss, mistress don't know you will be the one paying for the house, so she will go for the one she believes she can afford" Gary told him and he nodded rather sadly.
"You are right" Michael turned to the man "you are handing her the keys tomorrow aren't you?"
"Yes sir, I would have given it to her today but I just want to tell you first and for you to see the house."
"Good" Michael sighed "I'm glad I called earlier, I didn't even know she will be looking for a house so soon" he smiled bitterly, somehow he had hoped she would come back and then his mom had visited today and it's a must that she will come to see her, he looked at Gary "let's go."
They left the house and Michael paid the man for the house, tomorrow, Sasha will pay the little she was told to pay and then sign the documents, the house will then become hers. The man also gave Michael some papers to sign as evidence that he paid more than half the money, Michael handed the document to Gary after and he helped him into the car before they left the house.
When he got home, he took a shower and after that, he wheeled himself to the balcony, his mind was running wild and it was not helping that all he was thinking about was her, the one woman he doesn't want to think about anymore, he sighed and went back into his room, he took out a cigarette and a lighter from his side cabinet and went back to the balcony, he lit a cigarette stick and as he brought it closer to his lips, he remembered her yet again 'you smoke? It's not good for your health. Well, I'm not the only one that knows it's not good for the body, even the manufactures said so, look at that pack you are holding, it's written right there, smokers are liable to die young'.
Michael sighed and tossed the cigarette stick into the ashtray, he buried his face in his palms and heaved another deep sigh. He wheeled himself back into the room and helped himself into the bed and then forced himself to sleep.
Waking up the next day, he was surprised when he looked out the window and saw that everywhere was covered in white foam, it was snowing, the first snow of the year, he watched the snowflakes fall from the sky and without knowing, he watched it far longer than he thought. His life was boring and lonely, well his life has always been boring and lonely only that it seemed to be worse now. He has been staying in this house for more than three years but now it feels so big and empty, like a vacuum with nothing to fill it with.
He knew the reason, although he refused to admit it but he knows that it had became like that from the day she left and he miss her, he miss her a lot. It wouldn't have been that difficult if not for his disability, he sighed and stared at his legs, the last time he went for his checkup, his doctor said he will be able to walk again in four or five months time, it is a hope but he was tired of having to sit in a wheelchair for a full day let to talk of for the four months he had sat on it already, he wants to feel his legs again, he wants to walk again, maybe if he was walking, she wouldn't have left him.
Michael shook his head to shake of the thought, whatever that happened is for the best, they were never meant to be in the first place, he just forced on nature by agreeing to marry her but that was that now, nature somehow has righted his wrong and he is not going to go against it again. He finally turned away from his window, he left his room and got to the living room, he sighed when he saw how empty and silent it was, he made his way to the kitchen, he fixed a cup of hot coffee for himself and wheeled out of the kitchen to the living room, he sipped from his coffee slowly and lonely, his eyes darting at every corner of the room, he heaved a sigh yet again and just then, the door opened and walked in Gary who was wrapped like a Christmas bun.
"Man it's freezing out there" he muttered to himself and Michael couldn't agree less because of the cold breeze that entered the house with him. Gary removed his scarf and coat, he turned to the side to hang them, only to realize there was no hanger, he folded them in his arm and turned then only to gasp in shock to see Michael staring at him "b..bo...boss. Good morning, it's snowing."
Michael rolled his eyes and sipped his coffee, he is telling him like he is blind. Gary sighed and dropped his coat and scarf on the chair before placing the fancy bag he carried on the table "I brought breakfast" he looked at the furnace and was shocked to see it was not on, he looked at his boss "it's freezing, both out there and in here" he shivered as he said that "aren't you cold?" He asked when he noticed Michael was still in his pyjamas.
"Turn on the furnace if you are cold and stop asking me stupid questions" Michael replied.
"Ah yes" Gary nodded and turned on the furnace "I will dish out the food now, you need to eat before it turns cold" he made his way to the kitchen.
"Have she moved to the house?" Michael stopped him.
"I...I don't know boss, I woke up this morning to discover it was snowing, so I rushed out to get you something to eat first."
Michael glared at him and he cleared his throat "but not to worry, I had Fish check up on her. I will just call him and ask" Gary added immediately and fetched out his phone, he made a short phone call and then looked at Michael.
"What is it?"
"Well...the mistress is still at the hotel" Gary looked like he was hiding something and Michael felt his heart constrict.
"Well, spit it out already" Michael snapped.
"Fish said she is currently at the restaurant, having a cup of coffee with someone" he paused to observe his boss reaction "he said she was laughing and looked so happy while chatting with him."
Michael's fingers involuntarily tightened on his mug, his inside was in disarray but he tried his best not to let it show on his face or reaction, he brought his mug to his lips and sipped "still the same guy?"
"Yes."
"Who do you say he is again?" Michael feigned nonchalance but he was really dying to know and he hate it.
"His name is Craig Newton, age 29, divorced, father of one. The CEO of Mantis, came to LA for a business deal with the Caritas" Gary tabled out.
Michael sipped from his coffee "well, maybe he is the one for her" his heart broke as he said that and his coffee burned his tongue, but all these, he didn't let his expression change, he didn't want want Gary to see how bad it hurts him and he also don't want to admit to himself that it hurts him.
Gary sighed and shook his head bitterly when he heard that, maybe he is wrong, maybe his boss don't really love his mistress but too bad mistress already loves him but he will never tell him that because he promised mistress he wouldn't "I will get the plates" he disappeared into the kitchen.
Michael's fingers tightened on his mug and for once, his facial expression changed but only briefly, he regained his composure before Gary walked back into the living room.
After breakfast Gary wanted to leave in other to report to the office "Gary" Michael called and he stopped to look at him with a 'yes boss?'
Michael looked like he was battling with what he wants to say but he finally looked at Gary with a stoic expression "call everyone back."
"I don't understand boss."
Michael bit his lower lip and sighed before closing his eyes and saying "tell everyone to return to the office. They should stop keeping tabs on her."
"What?" Gary was surprised to hear that.
Michael looked at him "I have decided, call them back. They are relieved of that duty. Since she will be starting with someone else soon, I don't want to be an obstacle to that and I also don't deserve to follow her around like that. Things are never going to work out well for us, tell Fish and the rest to return back to the office, no more stalking her."
Gary was still shocked, although this is not the first time his boss was taking that decision but he always let go of it after maybe four or five days, the highest had been a week but why does he feel like his boss really mean it this time? "All right boss but...do you think you will be happy with that?"
Michael snorted "happy? When have I ever been happy?" He gave a low chuckle "I have never been happy so I don't know what happiness feels like but what I do know is that, happiness is not something I'm to experience in this life" he looked at Gary "the word happiness is not included in the emotions I am to experience in this world so it is not written in my dictionary" he shook his head bitterly "I don't know what happiness is so I don't know if I'm going to be happy with this decision but it is the right thing to do."
Gary heaved a deep sigh, he is right then, his boss is really serious this time on letting the mistress go "I will carry out your order sir" he turned and left the house while Michael stared at the closed door, his heart and mind hardening at his decision, it's time he finally let's her go for good, it's for the best, for both of them.

Three days later, Michael had a disturbing dream and woke up, he laid on the bed silently and after sometime, he helped himself sat up on the bed, his back resting on the headboard and his fingers messaging his temple, he let out a deep breath to steady his breathing, after sometime, the aftermath of the dream left his body and just as he wanted to lie back down, his bathroom door opened and out walked the one woman he never expected to see in his home again, he was shocked, when did she enter? How come he didn't hear any sound of water since he was awake if she was in the bathroom and most importantly, how did she get in? Didn't Gary locked the door and left with the key?
His eyes followed the woman who was still oblivious or pretending to be oblivious of his presence, he watched her sat on her dressing table and started applying her facial cream, wait when did she pack all those? If he can remember, it's been a long time she dressed in his room so how did her dressing table got filled with her stuff?
After applying her facial cream, she walked to the bed and laid on her own side, watching her, he noticed she was trying her best to be as quiet as she can, she didn't want to turn on the bed, even though he could see she was not lying comfortably, she was not prepared to adjust herself, he even took pity on her and almost wanted to ask her to lie well when he saw something moved beside him, his eyes followed immediately and he saw a man lying close to him, not just any man but a version of his very self, the man should even be his twin.
His brows creased at that and just as he was trying to contemplate what was happening, he saw the woman move, actually she was getting closer to the sleeping man, looks like she was trying to sleep closer to the man that looks like him, he could see with each closer she got to the man, her whole body was trembling as if she was afraid, his furrowed brows furrowed tightly as he tried to think of why she should be afraid of getting closer to the man when all of a second, the sleeping him woke up when the lady's body touched him and without thinking, he pushed her away from him, as if not satisfied, he shifted closer and pushed her out of the bed.
Michael jumped when he heard the thud sound and he knew immediately the lady had gotten hurt, he expected the man to approach her but rather, he got up and left the room. Michael was surprised why a man should be so wicked and heartless, he chided the man that looked like him in his heart and shifted on the bed to help the lady up when she got up with tears in her eyes, he could see her red temple and his heart hurt, the lady lay back on the bed sobbing silently.
Hearing her silent sobs, Michael felt his heart breaking, he shifted closer to console her, to touch her but then something unexpected happened, she vanished into thin air with the contact of his hand, Michael lay frozen on the bed wondering what just happened when finally he remembered that what happened just now had been experienced by him, he remembered the day he had woken up to see Sasha sleeping in his arms and how he had pushed her off that night and walked out of the room.
His heart broke as he realized that what just happened was what he had done to the woman who was his wife, and to think he had thought that the man was wicked and heartless which means that he is wicked and heartless because he did just exactly that. Michael fell on his back in the bed and wondered why he treated his wife like that before drifting off to sleep out of weariness.
By morning, he had mostly forgotten what had happened last night, he took a hot bath and brushed his teeth before leaving his room. Gary was already downstairs setting the table, Michael thought about telling him what happened last night but decided against it "it's just a dream" he told himself and wheeled himself down using his personally constructed slide for his wheelchair.
"Good morning boss" Gary greeted immediately he saw him but to Michael, he wasn't seeing Gary but a beautiful blonde woman who was setting the table, she turned and smiled to him and he could see some red spots on her arms which looked like it was caused by a hot oil, at impulse he wanted to get closer to her and have a look at her hand but then someone walked through him at the foot of the stairs, he looked to see the person and was shocked to see it was him again, the man that looked just like him. The man was dressed like he was going out, he dropped his briefcase on the sofa and reached to do his cufflinks, he heard a mumbling and turned to look at the lady to see her lips moving but he couldn't hear what she was saying.
He looked back at the man who has finished with his cufflinks but rather than accept the lady's offer to eat a very delicious looking breakfast she had made, he picked up his briefcase and walked to the door, pausing briefly to say something he couldn't hear and walked out the door without even sparing a glance at the lady nor noticing her burns. Michael turned to look at the woman but she wasn't smiling again and her eyes were brimming with tears, his heart broke immediately and he wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her, his heart goes out to her, feeling her pain, what kind of a stupid man wouldn't eat the food prepared by this woman? He thought but before he could get close to her, she vanished, just like last night.
"Boss are you okay?" He heard Gary asked and looked at him only to see him holding his hand, Michael was shocked, what happened? And then he remembered, just the day after their wedding, such incident had happened, he had walked downstairs to see her setting the table, she had invited him to eat but he ignored her and she had offered to help him with his cufflinks and he had still ignored her only to walk away after dropping that when he gives a rule, he expected it to be followed.
Oh God, he had hurt her, rejecting to eat her food that day had hurt and to think he called the version of him stupid, which means he is the stupid one to have rejected her food, his mind was still wallowing in self blame when he heard Gary "you don't look so well boss, come have breakfast" wait, does it mean Gary didn't see what he just saw? He looked at Gary but his face was showing genuine worry for him. Michael let Gary wheeled him to the dinning table all the while thinking about what is happening, why is he reliving times with Sasha in the house and why is he only seeing when he hurt her?
But is there a day that he didn't hurt her? Oh no, he wouldn't want to see such thing again, but God, what is wrong with him? Why is he seeing things when Gary is not and they are in the same house, is he going insane? He thought.
He let Gary serve him his breakfast, he picked up his spoon to eat and when he looked up, he saw her again, she was sitting opposite him, eating too. But rather than eating a nice food like the one she had prepared for the ghost him earlier, she was eating cereal, why is she eating cereal when she made a nice food for him earlier? He studied her, she had lost her smiling face and was looking rather worn out, he reached out to grab her hands in his but before he could touch her, she vanished like always and his hand ended up touching Gary's own, Michael quickly withdrew his hand to subside the awkwardness and gulped while trying to decipher what is happening to him but he just couldn't say to Gary, no matter what, he mustn't tell Gary because who would believe him? His mind is just playing games with him, he concluded and forced himself to eat his food without thinking about the mysterious lady who had been disturbing him since last night, he will find a way to stop seeing it or who knows, it might disappear just as it came.