Project: Socialize (Chapters 198-Continued) [Hiatus]

316. Promise

[Alevian's Perspective]

I became one with the darkness that resided in the interior of my car as I drove down the hallway. The evenly spaced streetlight shined into the car, providing a slim band of illumination in the vehicle briefly before the light disappeared behind me. My right hand was on the steering wheel while I rested my left elbow on the hand rest by the door and leaned my chin into my left hand.

The muffled sound of my car engine hummed softly as the vehicle vibrated slightly while operating. The time was nearing 10:30 PM, so the road was on the clearer side as it has been long past rush hour. On either side of the elevated highway were noise barriers that partially obscured the sight of the beautiful nighttime city. From over the noise barriers, the many skyscrapers and tall residential towers were still visible.

I did not pay any attention to those buildings as I kept my gaze trained on the road directly in front of me. The touch screen monitor just to the right of my steering wheel was illuminated, depicting the GPS system that is currently running with the map of the city as well as a path highlighted. On the top right corner of the UI, there was a small bar showing the soft, ambiance music that I had playing in the background.

Both my GPS and the highway signs indicated that my exit was nearing. Therefore, after driving for a few more minutes, I merged right, following the ramp off of the highway and back down to ground level in Nocsinis. Navigating through the wide streets of the district, I soon neared my destination. In the not too far distance, the hotel owned by the Edel Group shined in the nighttime sky as its lights continued to remain on, signifying the wealth of the corporation as well as contributing to the image of prosperity for the metropolis.

I drove into a nearby parking garage, entering after letting the sensors scan my vehicle to automatically pay for the parking fares. After killing the engine and exiting, I looked at my reflection in the tinted windows of my vehicle. Without much further thought, I started walking towards the exit, leaving behind my vehicle and the parking garage as I neared the hotel.

The doors automatically opened as I neared and walked past the baggage carriers who were on standby just by the entrance. The extravagance of the interior did not surprise me as my time in my current position had led to me being familiarized with the many different extravagant locations of Palisia.

The black, long sleeve dress shirt, slacks, and dress shoes that I wore for work allowed me to blend into the lobby's population. I did not receive any suspecting gazes from anyone, but even if I did, that was none of my problem.

At the center of the lobby, I paused and looked around, searching for someone. Soon, I found her. Erith was sitting in one of the couches in the lobby with her back straight and posture fitting for such a formal and high end establishment. She was alone, with no one else around her except for the occasional man that would cast a quick glance at her before continuing along their way. On her face was a blank expression that I realized to be the expression she often used when she was slightly troubled.

Slowly, I walked up towards her, approaching her couch from the side before stopping a few steps by it. Erith heard my footsteps and slowly turned her head to face me.

"You're late," she said, smiling slightly as she saw me.

"I never planned to attend the reunion," I answered.

"Right..." The corners of her lips slightly twitched as she slightly lowered her head, looking away before redirecting her gaze back at me. "You should've came. It was lots of fun."

Erith paused, looking hopefully up at my expression. However, my countenance was unchanging and depicted the same amount of interest as it had originally: zero. Her eyes were on the moist side as her hopeful smile gradually faded as she realized that silence was my response to her words.

"Everybody changed a lot," she continued while keeping her eyes fixed on mine, almost as if she was pleading with her gaze.

Once again, my response to her words was silence.

"They even talked about finding you and Alvelyn."

This time, her gaze indicated her desperation and despair. By leaking the information that she believe would peak my interest, she hoped to elicit a reaction from me. However, the response she received did not change. Slowly, the smile faded in its entirely as she continued to keep her eyes trained on mine.

A spell of silence was cast over us as neither of us spoke. The only sound that permeated this silence was the soft sound of the indoor waterfall located quite some distance from us. I stood there, casting my cold gaze at her with my arms resting naturally at my sides. In response, Erith returned my gaze while remaining seated when she curled her hands that were resting on her lap into fists.

"I got a promotion," I said to her monotonically and with no emotion.

Erith looked away and at the coffee table directly before as she nodded in response.

"You know the promise we made," I continued.

Erith nodded once again. Again, there was a period of silence as the two of us remained quiet. Erith didn't move or look in a different direction as she kept her eyes focused on the void directly before her while her head was lowered in a melancholic manner while she waited for my next words.

"It's over between us," I finally said after breaking the silence.

"Yeah," Erith whispered in a barely audible soft voice as she nodded her head slightly once again.

The silence returned once again, encasing the two of us in a world of our own. I simply shut off all emotions as I stared at the girl who gazed into the void in melancholy. Her bangs covered her profile, so I am not sure what expression she had on her face. However, I believe I have a fair guess of what expression it would be. Although I know this hurt her, it was something that we had originally agreed on when our relationship started. Therefore, it was a contractual agreement that has now been fulfilled. I do not owe her anything, or at least that's what I've been telling myself.

"Do you need a ride back?" I asked her.

"No."

Erith took a deep breath before shaking her head and turning her head to face me. On her face, there was an obviously forced smile. The corners of her lips twitched slightly as she closed her eyes. However, her attempt at obscuring the tears that had started to form failed miserably as her amateur attempt at acting fractured and fell apart as strands of tears started flowing down the corner of her eyes. She realized it too and decided to just look at me with her teary eyes.

"Goodnight," I said, nodding to her. "Stay safe."

Then, I turned around and walked away. After about ten steps, I could hear from behind me that she had broken down completely as her sobs and weeps became louder and louder. An attendant rushed past me, inquiring if she was fine and offering her tissues. However, I simply continued to walk while heading in the direction of the same doors that I had entered. Each step that I took seemed to grow heavier and heavier as more and more people turned their head and directed their attention to the young woman who was weeping behind me. However, I did my best to ignore them and continued walking. I ignored the sharp, piercing gazes of blame that was directed towards me, ignoring the sound of her weeping. In my mind, I reiterated the contractual nature of our agreement over and over again.

The automatic doors soon closed behind me, and I took a few steps forward, clearing the hotel's entrance and made my way off to the side. With a sigh, I reached into my pocket and retrieved the pack of cigarettes and lighter. I retrieved a cigarette from the small box, held it in my mouth, and returned the box to the pocket that I had retrieved it from. With the lighter, I lit the cigarette before taking a deep breath while returning the lighter to its pocket. I removed the cigarette from my mouth with my right hand and exhaled deeply while staring up at the nighttime sky above. The light pollution from the city made it rather difficult to see the stars.

Author's Note:

I'm so sorry to only post this after having you guys wait an entire month. Please forgive me.

Also, please vote and comment.