Chapter 49 The New Guy

KIA

While I waited there waiting for the bus, the brisk, chilly wind rushed by me. I wanted to get away from Ares at home, so I purposefully arrived home late today. Since Miaree and Marcy were unable to join me for dinner, I went to a restaurant close to our university by myself and had supper there.

It is already rather late; I wonder if he made it home safely...

I cautiously opened the door, only to discover to my astonishment that no one was there. He predicted that he would be tardy tonight. How long will he be staying late tonight to finish his work? After I had entered our home, I positioned my bag on the couch. I made the decision to start making dinner for us as I waited for him this evening. I just had the thought that maybe he would be really exhausted later, in which case it would be too cruel of me to not make anything for him to eat or drink.

I hurried into the kitchen and promptly began preparing a late meal for him. I was so focused on the meal that I lost track of the time. I checked it, and it showed that it was already 11:08 pm. I had just finished setting the table when I became aware of a scratching sound emanating from the direction of the door.

“Ares!” I hurriedly made my way towards the front door and waited for him to come in, but he did not end up entering the house.

I assumed he had returned...

I stayed on the sofa and waited for him for another hour, but no Ares showed up. I was getting really anxious. I quickly grabbed our telephone and attempted to contact the business they work for.

[Hello? How may I help you?] The voice on the other line appears to be that of a male. His voice seems pretty familiar.

“Kyle? Are you talking to me?" I asked.

[Y-yes!]

"I only have one question concerning Ares. He has not yet returned to the house. He never stays out this late, even when it's as late as it is now. I was wondering if he was still working for the company with you.

[Has he not already said to you that he intends to spend some time at his parent's home? Do you want me to call him, or are you going to—]

"Not necessary!" Thank you for your time!” I cut in and then disconnected the phone as soon as I could.

I don't understand how he could just walk away from me here without saying anything...

Actually, everything that is happening to us is my responsibility. Why was I such a rash decision-maker yesterday? I let it all out on him as a result. It’s not his fault… Why didn't I listen to what he had to say? Why…

Is he seriously considering never coming back to me again? What exactly am I supposed to do in your absence, Ares? I’m still not ready for you to leave…

* phone ringing *

I suddenly paused from my drama and immediately grabbed my phone, hoping that Ares was the one who was calling me. But I was disappointed when I saw that it was just Miaree.

[Girl!] A loud shout came from the other line. As usual, this is how she starts her story.

“What?” I answered in a lame tone.

[What’s with that energy? Are you tired of talking to me, bestie? Should I stop calling you from now on?] She said, it was like she was in a drama or something.

“Oh, cut it out. What do you want?” I asked.

[Well, I was about to tell you about something but let’s just talk about it later, I’m curious now about why you were acting like that…]

Miaree is indeed my best friend. Those words, where she shows that she cares for me, have a big impact on me, and I am very grateful for them. How I wish Ares was also like this and thinking first what will I feel when he will leave me…

“It’s nothing—”

[Nah, ah! That doesn’t sound like nothing to me. Come on, tell me.] she insists.

“...It’s because of Ares—”

[I knew it! It was his fault. Who else could it be rather than him? What did he do to you? Tell me! Did he cheat—]

I was caught off guard by her question. I don’t know how to answer. She’s my best friend and she deserves to know what is happening to me but I can’t just reveal the things that are happening to my relationship with Ares without even clarifying it to him first. My friends will just hate him if I do that, and I don’t want that to happen.

“No… We just got into some misunderstandings. It just turned worse when I overreacted to some things that I shouldn’t have done. I shouldn’t have done it in the first place. I should have tried to understand him.”

[Girl, what the fuck? Stop gaslighting yourself! Whatever you feel in that situation, whatever that is, your feelings are valid. That’s how you reacted because that is how you felt about that situation. So, please stop blaming yourself. It’s not your fault that you both had a misunderstanding. Both of you just need to have proper communication, especially with those big-deal things.]

I don’t have any ideas right now about what to do anymore. I took a deep sigh as I turn on the speakers for a call and place the phone beside me. “...I’m tired. I just want to rest now…”

I heard Miaree sigh. Maybe she was starting to understand what I was feeling right now. I can’t stop blaming myself for what happened. We might be fine right now if I hadn't shown how I felt.

[Bestie, you’re right. You need to rest first, and let’s stop talking about that right now. How about I tell you now what I was about to tell you earlier? just to change the topic and make you forget for a moment about your problem. Will that be okay with you?]

“Yeah—Yeah, no problem.”

[Ehem—Ehem… So, remember the guy named Dave that night?] She spoke in a very intriguing tone, which caught my curiosity right away.

“Yeah, what about him?”

[Girl, you won’t believe what I was about to tell you—]

“Cut it out, just say it already!” I shouted.

[Well, he was the new guy that we were talking about the last time we went to Enchanted Kingdom!]