◆ I Missed You ◆

◇ KEL ◇

Enzo's here. In the estate.

Coincidence? Perhaps.

There should be a significant reason behind Enzo driving all the way out here tonight. Miles didn't specify why. He just said Enzo had "some family issues" to sort out. Hence the guy hanging out alone in Ricchar's patio at this hour, drinking himself to oblivion.

Not a pretty sight. And not the first time I'd seen him enjoying a bottle of strong wine all by himself. I'd figured a while ago that he only drank this much whenever he was under extreme pressure and stress.

Cold, hugging myself and ready to confront the guy, I stepped out of the mansion through the sliding door.

The noise startled him. Enzo fidgeted in his seat, and then sat up straight before I could get near. He cleared his throat after glancing at me, then quickly combed his wavy hair away from his face. "Hi."

Hi? After ignoring all my texts, calls, and emails, that's all he's got to say? Something in me felt weird, knowing he wasn't even going to give me a hug in greeting. Much less a quick kiss on the cheek.

We hadn't talked over the phone since he left New York, that night we hung out at the hotel where he stayed. The last texts I sent him still waited for a reply.

Why's he deliberately avoiding me?

Time to find out. I'd get real answers tonight if I pushed him enough.

I put on a pleasant expression and stepped closer to his slumped figure. Stubble darkened his well-defined jaw, the shadows dimming his cheeks. A few buttons of his collared shirt were left undone, and his tailored jacket reminded me of what he did for a living.

He looked like he'd been negotiating another deal with Miles and Ricchar. If so, what kind of deal?

"What's up?" I nodded to the wine bottle beside his almost empty glass. "Almost dawn."

"Nothing."

Part of my face twitched. Obviously it was a lie. But why lie to me? "You sure?"

"Just business problems." Enzo made eye contact but dropped his gaze when I sat next to him. His gruff voice sounded somber, and he didn't reek of booze, but his breath faintly smelled of alcohol and cigarettes. "Didn't know you'd be here, too," he muttered.

"Likewise."

"I would've left earlier."

What? Seriously? "Why?"

He itched his jaw. "I would've left if Maxim mentioned you're here. Visiting him."

Ouch. So it's true. My suspicions the past weeks. And what he said to me last time. Definitely allergic to me now. But why's he kicking me out of his life? For good? "Right." I forced a smile despite the all too familiar ache in my core. "Thanks."

"What?"

I sighed. "I don't have to ask to confirm it."

"Confirm what?"

"That you want nothing to do with me now."

"No— It's just..." Enzo swiftly raised his hands and then dropped his palms, as if caught in a lie. "I would've avoided this...situation."

Was I that repulsive to him now? The heck did I even do to him? "What's that supposed to mean?" I clenched my teeth till it hurt, pretending to study the dark outlines of the maze.

The first time I'd spent the night in this place was that day we officially met. The mansion and garden still looked beautiful and orderly, retaining their century-old Victorian character.

"Necessary precaution." Enzo sighed.

I scowled at his droning tone.

"Sorry." He cleared his throat. "Just wanna move on. That's all."

Move on? From what? A friendship I once thought was quite special?

Okay. So it didn't matter to him anymore. Our friendship had to be over. "Move on"... The heck did he even mean...

So, all these weeks he'd been ignoring my attempts to pick up where we left off, he was actually trying to forget I existed. Okay. None of the memories we'd made was worth keeping. He didn't need me in his life at all.

Fine. Whatever. It wasn't like I was anyone important.

"If he just told me beforehand..."

I gripped his wrist. Why wouldn't he look at me? My eyes heated up. My chest felt tighter at the mere sound of his voice. "I really wanted to talk to you."

"If it's about the money again, I'm not interested." Enzo simply glanced down at my grip on his wrist.

Ouch. So he really couldn't care less. Although hurt by his words, I didn't want to just let it go. I had to know when we could finally settle the issue. After he had "moved on"?

"If it's about the lawyers..."

"Let's not talk about that. Please." Darn.

He was still serious about that. He still wanted to hire professionals to guide me into the whole legal course of pressing charges against his brother. A lawyer's office actually emailed me weeks ago, asking me to schedule a call and a quick meeting.

Of course I never responded. Free time was a luxury I didn't have lately. "Not right now."

"Then when?" he muttered.

"I dunno. Just... Not now."

Enzo let out another sigh. "How's med school?"

"Good."

In reply, he merely gave a weak nod.

"We're about to start another long training. We're gonna be in the hospital most days. Surgery rounds."

"Oh. Great." Enzo turned to look at me—finally—and then gave me a smile. A genuine smile. One I missed seeing. "Just a year left. Right?"

"More or less." I grinned back at him.

"Congratulations in advance."

"Thanks. Mom and Jill want to...um...throw a small party after the graduation ceremonies, for the senior batch. It's also Baby Meesha's birthday and christening that weekend. Maybe, er, you could drop by, if you're in New York that weekend." Drats. Here goes nothing... "I mean, if you're not too busy then."

"Thanks." Enzo smirked. The enthusiasm in his voice sounded forced, as if the off-the-cuff invitation bothered him.

"You'll pop by?"

"I'll try."

"Okay."

And then silence. Complete, utter silence.

We stayed motionless in our seats, waiting for each other to strike up another conversation. Enduring the growing awkwardness took real effort, but I could wait another hour if I had to. I just wanted him to talk. Have a chat with me as if we're back to being good friends.

Enzo cleared his throat and glanced at me. "Sorry I didn't answer your emails. Just really busy."

"Yeah. I know." The emails, I could forget about easily. But all my ignored messages and calls? Did he expect me to believe he just didn't have a minute to spare? Just one text? For old times' sake?

Maybe I did or said something terrible last time we talked in person that he couldn't even stomach sending me a quick text. Why wouldn't he just say so? "Are you upset with me?"

"No."

"Did I say something wrong last time?"

"No," he said louder. "Sorry." Enzo bowed his head, covering his face with his palm. "I just..."

I bit on my lip, waiting.

"It's just harder to move on if we kept in touch."

Ugh. There's that phrase again... What exactly did it mean to him?

"Why? Move on from what?" I scoffed and waited again. A moment turned into almost a minute of awkward silence.

But he didn't even move an inch. He just kept staring at the dimness before us.

"You said we're friends." I frowned when he glanced at me. The feigned indifference in his reaction just left me more desperate for a proper explanation from him. "But now we're not anymore?"

"It's not that."

"So what is it, then?"

Enzo sighed and massaged the bridge of his pointed nose. He reached for the wine bottle and drank what's left of the liquor. He gulped it too fast I thought he might cough up some.

"Why can't we talk anymore?"

"Ti prego, Mykaela..." [Please, Mykaela...] He got up quick and turned away from me.

My gut coiled. "So we're just, not friends anymore?"

Enzo halted in his steps.

Maybe because of my louder voice. If I had the courage, I would stand right in front of him—maybe even hug him—just to stop him from walking out on me. But obviously, to him I was now the worst plague ever. "Why can't we talk?"

Silence. Enzo stood still with his back to me. When I asked the question twice, he remained speechless.

When my patience ran out, I got up from my seat and stood before him under the dim lamplight.

The shadows hid his picturesque features, only adding to the unbearable air of mystery surrounding him now. I didn't like it one bit.

He used to be a good friend. Someone I could trust. At one point, we talked almost every day. Texts. Emails. So on.

I thought he was someone who didn't mind my personal issues and bothersome dramas about adulthood and life... Someone who liked listening to my senseless, immature rants whenever I had a bad day. Some days I could easily tell how he felt about things, his work and business deals, his issues with his family and everything else.

Now? He was nothing but a distant, quiet, difficult puzzle I didn't have the time to figure out. He wouldn't even answer a simple question, just to help me understand what happened to our friendship. The tears rushed out before I could even try to get a grip.

Great. So much for a quick chat to catch up. I wiped my eyes dry as I stood close to him, not wanting to give him the wrong idea. I wasn't begging for him to open up to me.

But, yeah, he owed me a real explanation. "If we keep talking..." Enzo sighed, murmuring the words while he stood just a few steps away from me. "Everything's gonna be harder to just...forget."

"What?" I stopped breathing.

Forget? So now he just wanted to forget all about me. Just forget everything about our friendship.

Okay, then. Message loud and clear.

Enzo propped his hands on the sides of his waist, his lips thinning into a tight line. Although his frown denoted frustration, his eyes showed me a gentler emotion.

"Why?" I tried to keep my voice steady. Calm. But inside, my chest wanted to implode. "Why d'you wanna forget everything?"

Part of his jaw clenched. "Because now I know it will never work out."

"Huh?" I pulled a face. I backed off a bit to digest what he said.

Awfully vague, but it was all he could give me, apparently. Never gonna work out? Maybe he just meant to say he couldn't keep up a friendship with me. Because he simply feared for my safety? Or it could be something else.

"And I have to convince myself, before I tell him he's a selfish wanker 'cause he's making you wait for nothing permanent."

"What?"

Permanent? The heck? What on Earth did he just say?

"Where you going— Lorenzio."

"Sorry. I gotta go."

◇