loading......99.9% "Beast" [#Wattys2022]

53

"Did you saw Naomi?" 

"What"

"Zen was on the party, Matilda and they both took pictures." Her Friends briefed her.

"This can't be. Zen is at his home."

"You are saying we are lying?"

"Give a look at this."

I looked at her phone, my world slipped out of my two hands. 

"I thought you knew it." She paused. 'He is cheating you with Matilda."

Following night Zen cropped Matilda out of the pictures. There was something to it.

I looked at his pictures, looking at someone. I knew it was her. I just wanted to hear from him. "My baby" I commented on his status.

"I'm at a cousin's marriage ceremony. People congratulated me they forsaken me as a groom."

He is lying to me. I had so much faith in him. 

I will wait until you tell me the truth. You are taking my right to know the truth.

I felt pathetic, I was jealous and angry. I had less male friends so I stole pictures from people that I didn't even knew. You hurt me in different ways and all I did was attach meaning to it. I posted them one by one. Because nothing works as good as jealousy. Zen saw this and he got mad like wild bulls. "I didn't knew you were this cheap. You would have options." He replied.

I looked at this remarks sad and hurt. And then he couldn't keep himself from making me feel more pathetic. 

He placed a heart with all the pictures he posted. He stood close to this one person he was more than friends with. "Matilda."

I stayed quite because the story  behind the party was still not discovered before my right of quitting.

"I had no character because I took pictures from internet? I was not even with them. What should he call himself? I was an innocent victim just because I lied to know the truth, that by all means I had the right to know? He hid things from me. And say they are friends, I didn't even had them as they posted a threat to us. This time I felt numbness."

"Are you here?" 

"No, I'm not, I will be here for my video shooting."

Another lie. I sighed. 

I missed him and I wanted to see him, was that too much for a wish? He came to meet Matilda but I was not even less important in his list.

Days went by, I had things written over my heart. He took me as a sheep. He left me in the jungle and enjoyed the chase. 

*****************

Naomi! Jess called me. "I have been really stressed lately, shall we go out?" 

"I forgot my wallet at home."

"What friends are for?" She looked at me.

"Oh a friend of mine will be joining us too."

It was the same place I came with Zen for the first time, we made memories. My heart ached as if its been left out to be experimented. I missed him. Back in university. Whenever I said his name his scent would come out strong. I stared at his image in my head as I would ask. Why? all these why's were so painful but my feelings were so strong. It was just like. When Zen was cheated. He couldn't do anything because he loved her. I gave him countless chances to be clear with me before I erupted as a volcano because if I did, I will leave no room for explanation.

"Hi" I looked at Jess. Her lips moved. "This is the friend I was talking about."

"What shall we order?" He called me elder sister.

"I'm two years younger than you!"

"Seriously I awed him."

We talked. I told him about this man I loved. "Aww, who is he." 

"He is." I paused. "A secret."

'To be honest with you, he is someone I have to protect. People are after him, everyone wants him but he has the free will to choose. If he was someone, I could have tagged him, 'price unaffordable.' He is miles away and my heart would feel it. He is strong, handsome but this one thing in him makes me hate him. And if I can't tell this to him I will not tell this to anyone. Right now, I wish he, if we walk out of here, he is out there looking for me. I just miss him so much that I just feel like every second passes like hours, every day that passes in calendar, feels like centuries. I looked at them listening to me with all their attention. I smiled, I should stop."

"Is rare. He paused. True love!" 

We paid at the counter as we stood outside to get a cab. We opened the door to sit. My phone ringed and I picked it. 

"Where are you? Zen asked. About to sit in my cab." I answered. "The restaurant we had been to." I answered next.

"Stay there!"

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

He was breathing hardly. 

"Tell the cab to go!"

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

Without asking or saying I did as he commanded.

"Wait you actually did what I told you? He laughed. 

Jess looked at me. "He pulled a prank on us."

"Ah, what's wrong with him." Jess looked at me.

We stood there looking for a car. Nothing but the wind whistles we heard. I couldn't believe I was tricked again.

"That's Zen right?" Jessie's friend said.

"What?" I turned back.

I looked at him, walking in his trousers. He smiled at me. My eyes were filled with tears I was so badly emotionally slapped. My feet started walking on its own, the pace slowly increased and I flew towards him as I curled my hands around his neck. I hugged him. He hugged me back. It was the definite moment I didn't cared about what the world might say. Because from my letters everything was already exposed. 

We walked inside the restaurant as he sat next to me. "This is a dream right?" I pinched him. "He smiled. "No."' I didn't know why, but my heart was so sure you are here." He smiled again. "You are so innocent I have been here for the past few months, I mean I called you daily doesn't that makes sense?" I smiled back. "I ran from the sixth floor." He said catching his breath. Jessie's friend brought him a water bottle. He looked at him fiercely. I could read the look in his eyes what he was thinking. I held the bottle as I looked at him waiting him to question me.  "Give me your hand." He held my hand as he said. "They are so nice." 

"Jess and Naomi, what would you like to have?" Zen asked.

"We just had  pizza." Jess replied.

Zen stood up. "I have to go." I knew he didn't liked the picture of me with someone else. And I thought he had a broad thinking.

Following night, Zen talked about his ex and his past experiences as if he is labeling me for cheating. I felt bitter. No matter even if I write it with my  blood he would still find flaws that I didn't loved him much. My conversations started and ended with him. Days after this day things between us changed. He could happily hang out with his female buddies but I never had anyone outside my family and he didn't trusted me enough.