A distant memory
1252 Words
Julian's pov
His name brought back all the bad memories of that particular night. My lips never mentioned his name to my family nor did I try to contact him.
Four years passed by and his name never reached my ears. Slowly, he became a distant memory.
I had forgotten about him!
My gaze landed on Tris' smiling face and fear crawled over my skin. What if Kyren finds out about him?
No! That can't be!
Tris was my son, and I would not let anyone find out the truth about his Dad.
It wasn't my rage, it was my stubbornness.
He broke my heart four years ago and even took my virginity. All these years I raised my son alone and went through so many difficulties. Life was never easy for me after he left.
He just can't barge into my life again and shake things up!
But most importantly…
My heart was afraid to fall for him again!
“Mommy!” Tris mumbled.
I lifted him in my arms and kissed his forehead softly.
“Do you want to see Mommy drawing in her room?” My cute tone asked.
He nodded his head.
I wish I could tell my family to look for another tenant, but Kyren was Noah's best friend, and my opposition against him would only make them suspicious or turn me into a bad person in their eyes.
He was going to stay upstairs anyway…as long as we stayed out of each other's personal business.
My feet stepped into my bedroom carrying Tris in my arms and closed the door behind me.
Tris loves watching my illustrations.
“Mommy”
“What is a teninat?” His eyes widened with immense curiosity.
A smile glinted on my lips.
“It’s not teninat, tenant."
“A person who will be staying in the room upstairs and he will pay us good money. We can buy a lot of snacks with that money.”
“Really?”
“Yes, sweetie!”
His small palms clapped with a smile.
Tris watched my illustrations for half an hour and then fell asleep whereas I worked till three in the morning.
***
The next day…
I arrived at the office and Freya rushed over to me with tears in his eyes. She must have heard about me and Ethan.
“This is all my fault!” She apologized.
“Don't worry about it.” My lips smiled.
There was no point in arguing about that sc*mbag. He was never worth any of my attention in the first place.
“He called me last night and started cussing you…”
My palm clutched either of Freya’s shoulders and she started crying even louder. Her heart was guilty.
“I am not weak, okay?”
“A man can't hurt me anymore, so stop crying, please.”
She nodded her head, brushed through the tears rolling down her cheeks, and hugged me tightly. Freya was my only close acquaintance in the office. The rest were just either competitive or jealous.
“Are you done with Mrs. Natalia’s book illustration?” Her curious tone inquired.
I took out the illustration from my violet bag and showed it to her before showing it to our boss, Mr. Green.
“Damn! You did fab.” She was impressed.
“Thank you!” I bowed.
“Go and have a nice talk with the devil!” She whispered sarcastically.
Mr.Green was 25 years old. He became CEO at a very young age and made a name for himself in the art world.
His paintings won a lot of praise from people all around the world. He also writes books and plays piano.
Man of many talents!
His handsome face was no less than a celebrity and even his physique was beyond perfect. God showered him with both looks and talent.
But…
What's the point?
He was arrogant, full of himself, cold, and never easy to please.
Rhett Green is my worst nightmare!
My feet stepped into his cabin and his blue eyes glared at me.
“I am done with Mrs.Natalia’s illustration.”
“Let's see.” He tilted his head slightly.
My hands passed him the illustration and he stared at it for five minutes…
“Do it again!” His devilish voice commanded.
Rhett Green never accepts an illustration before rejecting it six times. Five more rejections to go.
“Yes, sir.” My lips answered.
I took the illustration from his hands and slowly approached the door. The moment my fingers cupped the doorknob, his voice echoed through the cabin.
“Julian”
My heart dropped to my stomach!
I turned to him with a smile on my lips and the look in his empty blue eyes sent chills down my spine.
“Yes?”
“Take a day off.”
“Huh?” My eyes widened.
“You look exhausted and I don't want you to work on a project with dark circles under your eyes. That would only ruin the illustration!”
For a moment it felt like he was concerned, but no.
“Sure, sir.” My lips agreed.
Upon stepping out of the office, my cell phone started ringing. I took out my phone from my bag and Noah's number flashed on the screen.
“What does he want now?”
*Sigh
“What is it?” My lips answered the call.
“Come with me to the airport.”
He opened his mouth.
“Why?”
“To pick up Kyren.”
His name made me nervous again.
“I don't want to! I am busy!” My words refused straight away.
“Then I'm taking Tris with me, okay?”
“No, don't take Tris!” My lips shouted.
“Just go alone, Noah!”
He always asks for company, stupid!!
“I want company…so it's either you or my cute Tris.” He was being stubborn.
A breath slipped free of my lips.
“Fine! Pick me up from the office.”
My thumb pressed the red button on the screen and cut the call.
***
Later at the airport…
Noah and I were waiting for him in front of our silver car. For some reason, my heart was anxious and beating faster than usual.
“Do you remember him?” He asked.
“Of course!” My voice replied.
“That b*stard cut contact with me after he moved to New York and suddenly contacted me two weeks ago!”
“You weren't in contact with each other?”
My eyes widened.
“Nope!”
No wonder Noah never mentioned his name in four years. Even after such a long gap in their friendship, they were still best friends.
“He is CEO of a big publishing company in New York and wants to open a branch in Florida since he grew up here.”
“He really became wealthy.”
Just when Noah was telling me more about him…my gaze noticed him coming out of the airport wearing all black.
The night he broke my heart, he was wearing black.
A thousand emotions captivated my soul and my eyes filled with tears. I was defeated against my past once again.
My eyes clenched the tears in them as my lips sucked in a deep breath.
His long fingers slicked back his red hair and our eyes met from a distance. Kyren Maddox was more handsome than ever, but things had changed, and so was I.
- Writer
