Lying
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
"Are you still awake or did you wake up because of me?" he asked while preparing her breakfast on the side table.
He calmed himself first so that Ariella wouldn't notice. He stood up and hugged her back.
She was a little shocked by what he did but she didn't say a word. She just leaned her head on him for a moment with her sweet smile that she couldn't hide.
"Good morning," he greeted happily.
"Good morning, but you have to eat now. It's already 8:00 in the morning."
It was as if he was lazy today so he went back to bed and lay down again. He was staring at the ceiling when he remembered something so he immediately got up.
"I will eat faster and go back to my office," he said and immediately ate. He ate very little.
"Are you in a hurry? Finish it first before going to work. You won't be able to work if you're hungry," he said.
He just smiled and quickly kissed her on the lips. "I really want to but I am late now. I'll just go to the bathroom."
She couldn't stop him anymore. She just let out a deep sigh as she put the food away.
She went straight to the kitchen. She was a little sad because he didn't even finish the food she tried to prepare for him. However, she understood Anton's reason and could not blame him.
Somehow, she just smiled.
"I have to go, my wife. Take good care of yourself while I'm on duty, okay?"
She nodded with a smile on her face.
He kissed her quickly then left.
It just took couple of minutes before he reached his office.
He took care of so much that he was a little tired. He rested for a while in his office.
Again, he remembered the incident when fate brought them together again.
He opened his account again and just saw her message.
He replied again, and as always, she's online and replied to him immediately.
There is a smile on his face while talking to her online. It made him feel better and his tiredness disappeared.
They talked for more than an hour until Cindy said that she had something else to go to.
It took minutes before he logged out of his account.
When he was resting, there were things that troubled his mind. There were many questions including his wondering why he felt that way every time he talked to Cindy.
Right now, he couldn't get an answer to the questions that were bothering his mind, so he thought of going to a place where he could think properly.
That's where his feet took him to the place he used to go to, so he could think properly.
He could only hear the wind blowing and the waves crashing, so he could think straight.
Not far away, he saw a woman standing there. He thinks she is taking pictures of the view. The sea view is beautiful.
He just ignored her and walked. They are not far apart.
He turned his attention to the sea and breathed in the fresh air. His mind became clear at that moment.
"Excuse me, can you take a picture of me?" said the woman so he turned to her.
They were both shocked to see each other.
"Are you following me?" Cindy asked him with a mixture of laughter.
"No. It didn't occur to me that you are here," he answered then looked back in front of him.
Cindy just nodded.
They were both speechless for a few moments until Cindy asked him.
"How are you and your wife?"
He looked at her for a moment and returned his gaze to the sea. He replied, "It's fine. How about you, with your fiance?"
"We're fine. I can't wait to wear my wedding gown on our wedding day." There is a trace of excitement and joy in his speech. She imagined herself wearing a bridal gown. There was also a smile on her lips at that moment.
Anton just looked at her.
"I'm happy for you," he said.
"Me too. I'm also happy that you found someone to be with you forever."
He smiled slightly without taking his eyes off Cindy.
He didn't notice that Cindy was also looking at him.
She frowned while looking at Anton. Soon he looked away from her and laughed a little.
"So, what brought you here?" he asked.
"Just want to refresh my mind," she answered.
"Why? Is something bothering you?"
"It's nothing."
He didn't say a word again until a few minutes had passed and they were both silent.
"Umm, Anton?"
He looked at her, waiting for what she would say next.
"Can you take me a picture?"
He nodded with a smile.
While he was taking pictures of her, their memories in this place gradually returned to his mind. This was where they often spend time.
He didn't realize that Cindy was already in front of him, waiting for him to hand over the camera.
She pretended to cough to make for him to notice it.
"Oh, here." He handed over the camera.
She immediately looked at his pictures. She was satisfied with the pictures.
"I almost forgot that I have to go now."
He couldn't speak any more as she hurriedly left, but unexpectedly, it rained suddenly.
She ran away so that she wouldn't get wet in the rain. Anton did the same and when he reached Cindy, he put his clothes over her head.
Although she was shocked, she didn't refuse anymore.
He quickly opened the car door and immediately got in. Meanwhile, Cindy just stood there.
"Get in. It's raining hard," he said.
Although she was still debating whether to get in or not, she did. The downpour of rain got even stronger that the surroundings could hardly be seen.
"It rained suddenly," she commented.
"Did you just take a taxi earlier?" he asked.
"No. I'm with my fiancée earlier but he left for a while," she answered while looking out the car window.
"Do you want me to take you to your house?"
She immediately refused. "My fiancée might overthink when he saw you."
He insisted, "It doesn't mean anything. I'm just going to drop you off because it's raining."
"No need. I'll just wait for the rain to stop"
"What if you it don't?"
"It will."
The conversation did not follow what he said. The rain still doesn't stop. They were both waiting for the rain to stop.
"Is it cold?" he asked.
"No," she quickly said.
"It is."
Cindy looked at him for a moment and asked, "Are you feeling cold?"
He chuckled, "No. Just saying maybe it's cold outside." He didn't show that he was feeling cold. It was raining a lot earlier and his t-shirt got wet.
Minutes later, he received a call from Ariella. He just looked at his phone ringing, didn't know if he will answer the call or not.
Cindy noticed it and saw the name on the screen.
"Why don't you answer it?"
Soon, he answered it.
"Hello, honey? Have you eaten?" she asked from the other line.
He just remembered that he hadn't launched yet. He didn't even feel hungry.
"Umm yes," he lied. Ariella would ask a lot of questions if he said he hadn't eaten yet, so he lied.
While they were talking, Cindy couldn't stop coughing. She also immediately covered
her mouth. She signs peace using her fingers.
"Are you with someone?" Ariella asked.
He looked at Cindy. Signaling her not to speak.
