"Don't come down." I hissed.
He came down anyway, walked round the car and stopped right in front of me.
"Why shouldn't I?"
It was a little windy and his hand moved, tucking away hair from my face.
"Don't do that." I hissed again and he smiled.
"Why not?"
"Move and don't follow me."
"All these don'ts," he tsked. "Demi is my friend too."
"Is or was?" I crossed my arms.
"Exactly why I should see her now, it has been a while." He placed his hands in his pockets and shrugged.
I ended up choosing the apartment on the sixteenth floor—the view did it for me. After going over some rent/lease details with William, we were back in the lobby and on our way out. Knowing I'd only be laying in bed or on my couch for the rest of day, I decided to text Demi and finally make due on our plans to meet up. Less than five minutes later, she'd sent her address and William had offered to drop me off since it was on his way. But now he actually wanted to see her too. He must have lost his sense of reasoning somewhere along the drive from the Illston tech apartments to Demi's modern house.
Before I could say anything else, he'd already reached the front of Demi's house and was pressing the door bell. Left without much of a choice, I caught up with him just in time for the front door to open. Demi looked surprised seeing us both. I'd be too.
"Liam?"
"It has been a while, hasn't it?" He smiled.
"Talking about a while, it's been years! Come here." She laughed pulling him in for a hug. As they separated, her eyes found mine, full of questions. Questions that could have been avoided had the infuriating man next to me, just listened and drove off.
"I know and I can't even say how sorry I am," he smiled sheepishly, "how have you been?"
"Well, pregnant," she laughed again and gently patted her belly.
"You look great."
"More like a yoga ball," she snorted, "are you both coming in?" Her eyes twinkled, landing on me again. I immediately shook my head.
"I actually have a few other places to be right now but I was dropping her off and couldn't miss the opportunity to try and redeem myself somehow." The asshole slipped his arm over my shoulder, pulling me to his side as the words 'dropping her off' left his mouth. I elbowed him but he didn't budge. Dropping her off...it now sounded so...homey. I elbowed him again and this time, he did release me.
"Alright," her smile widened, "but soon we all have to meet up, get the gang back together."
"Definitely." He smiled and nodded then exchanged goodbyes with her before walking back to his car. I caught his wink at me right before he entered. I glared at car until it disappeared round a bend down the street.
My gaze returned to Demi who was already staring at me expectantly. With whatever stunt William just pulled, the truth now seemed unbelievable and farfetched even to me.
"Would you believe me if I said it's really not what it seems like?"
Demi laughed.
"No, but I'd still take your word for it. Come on inside, come meet Deji." She ushered me in.
"Your home is very beautiful D." I smiled taking everything in.
"Thank you thank you, courtesy of Deji really. He's an interior designer." She explained then introduced me to her husband. We were only three on the table but it was a very lively lunch. I was certain Demi and Deji never ran out of things to laugh about. After the lunch, Demi and I huddled in the living room, getting into our girls time. She showed me her wedding album which made me slightly emotional seeing proof of how much I'd missed. But I was really happy for the present.
"I'm so sorry about your company," Demi frowned.
"I was in a really bad place then but I left it all in last year." I smiled lightly.
"Cheers to only wins and no losses from now on." She smiled and squeezed my hand encouragingly. Some memories from college flashed through my mind. Demi had always been full of support, advice and a positive energy.
"Now tell me more about this Liam dilemma." She smirked.
"Oh God, when I realised he was buying the company, I don't know if I was more embarrassed, angry, shocked or irritated."
"And what are your feelings now?"
"I'm still irritated and angry ninety percent of the time." I laughed.
"And the other ten percent you guys are kissing." She smirked again. I gave her a run down of the last few months working for William and her eyes had comically widened when I divulged this afternoon's kiss to her. I had to tell someone, anyone that William and I kissed. For some unfathomable reason, it was eating me up inside and there was really no better person to tell than her.
"Today was really the first time."
"And it really meant nothing to you?"
"Nothing at all."
"Then what about him? What if he wants to get back together?" She mused and I scoffed.
"Don't you remember our breakup? He wouldn't have done and said all that just to come fall for me again."
"I do remember but I also remember thinking it was very out of character for him. He just suddenly isolated himself from all of us. What if there was extra stuff you didn't know about? It was very odd."
"To ever get into that, I'd need to have certain feelings, none of which, I wish to have or feel, for him again."
"Then you're on a dangerous rope now. Love and lust, they could also blur easily."
Demi had unknowingly plucked all my worries out and laid them out before me. Every single one of them. Deep down, I was terrified.
"We simply won't kiss again." I grinned.
"That's bullshit and you know it." She laughed.
"Probably," I laughed as well, "but I believe I'll be fine." I said with a conviction I hoped masked my fear well.
"If you really believe it, then so do I. Now how are your parents? And your sister? Her cookies were the best that Christmas I stayed over and that Seattle weather..."
Time flew by as we continued to reminisce, laugh and catch up. When I returned to my apartment later in the day, I was exhausted but positively exhausted.
I turned the stove off ready to dig into my mac and cheese dinner. Barely a bite in, my phone rang and I sighed deeply before dropping my spoon. I answered and spoke without waiting for the man on the other end of the line to start, "I see you've called to apologise then."
There was a bit of shuffling before the, "for what exactly?"
I could just picture the smug look on his face at that moment.
"You say I'm stubborn but I think you're much more headstrong." I said and he chuckled. The soft lilt of his voice made me remember this afternoon. Kissing in the empty apartment. My cheeks warmed. I was honestly ridiculous. I moved and sat on the edge of my couch.
"But I actually want to apologise," he paused, "the day those headlines came out, you asked if it was such a bad thing to be associated with me. It is and isn't. It is in a way you'll probably never understand. What I'm saying is, it was more about the situation than you. It's just very complicated." He rushed out with a sigh at the end, leaving me stunned and very confused.
"You are very weird William." I said after a few seconds of silence. I could still recall his reaction that day but I knew it had been majorly my fault anyway.
He only chuckled softly again.
"Why do I feel like you keep apologising for all the wrong things?" I released a breath.
"I can only apologise when I have an explanation or at least half of it."
"That was barely half of an explanation."
"And that's the problem, there are too many complications."
I thought deeply about what complications could mean and it occured to me that they could mean anything. Demi was right this afternoon. His behaviour then had been out of character and odd. So odd it had felt like I was staring at someone else.
"You...you aren't in the mafia or something right?" I asked.
He laughed for the third time.
"Goodnight Ophelia, go to D&L on Monday and the rest of the week. Try not to get fired." His voice was dimmer but I didn't get to question it. The other end of the line already went off.
I dropped my phone and tried to perfectly recall all the moments that led up to our breakup years ago. But I stopped myself halfway. I didn't want to go in any further. I went to bed with a blank mind but colourful dreams still came my way.
***
"We've been separated far too much this past month." Heather laughed as we hugged.
"Tell me about it." I chuckled.
"How was it over at Illston tech? We could barely discuss anything over the club music that night."
"One word Heather. Circus. Illston tech was a circus." And we used the next half hour to catch up before I went down to the fourteenth floor.
"Girl, I wasn't even sure you still worked here!" Jo threw her arms around me in a hug which I received warmly.
"I hope you are back to stay chica?" Bella asked, joining the hug.
"Group hug!" John exclaimed and joined. Shortly after, we broke apart and I ended up on the chair that was briefly mine. We quickly fell into a tirade of discussions about different topics.
"There's still so much to discuss, we should set a date." Jo said as she walked me to the elevator twenty minutes later. Bella and John had to leave to attend a meeting on a project they were working on together.
"We should," I nodded, "besides I still need those after details from the club." My brows raised suggestively and she grinned. We waved each other goodbye before I entered the elevator.
The day spanned on mundanely. What William said Saturday night over the phone was still at the back of my mind. But neither he nor Lilian were around today. So I kept his words there, at the back of my mind. At half past six, Heather and I clocked out and left the office.
I rubbed my palms together as I neared my apartment minutes later. The form of a woman with blonde hair, a few shades darker than mine, crouched in front of my door surprised me. I warily approached my door and finally close enough, the woman's bent head sharply elevated. Her eyes were rimmed red with tears but the cerulean blue irises, much like mine, were still very familiar.
"Cecile?"
***
Is the tea about to be spilled? Who knows? *inserts evil author laugh*
Catch you next time amigos!❤