Chapter 8
2336 Words
Lily
We had Chinese food as our lunch. Kylie said this place was new but the foods were mind-blowing. And they were. I loved their pork dumpling.
“So, how was it?” Kylie asked while poking her noodles.
“It went well. I could answer all of their questions. I was really nervous when I entered the room. The Director was there but he’s really nice. He told me to calm down so I won’t screw up.”
“That’s great! I hope you’ll pass so you can start work soon.”
“I hope so. What about you? How’s the exam?”
“I think I got them. It’s not that hard after you learn the basics,” she said and pushed her noodles into her mouth. I knew she was going to say that. Kylie was always like this. She easily learned everything in a short time. She was indeed a smart woman. I remembered how everyone praised her as the perfect girl. Beautiful woman with a smart brain. That was why everyone wanted to be around her and be like her. She was always popular since her school days. Unlike me.
And that was why Zack preferred Kylie as well. Oh, stop it, Lily! Get rid of those ridiculous thoughts!
“Let’s talk about something else. Got any crush yet?” I asked.
She almost choked her ice tea. “What kind of question is that?”
“You’re in the university now and currently single, I’m just wondering if there’s finally a boy who is good enough and reach your expectation. We all know your standards are…quite high, little sister.” Right. Kylie had dated some of the boys back in high school but none of them could make her serious about them. Most of them ended in a week or less. I think the fastest one was within…three days? Unlike me, Kylie could tell directly to their face that she was not interested anymore. This caused her to create some enemies but Kylie easily wiped them up. My sister was braver than me.
“No,” she bluntly answered.
“Seriously?”
“What’s your problem? I’m just saying this based on my assessment of the boys around me. So, no, they’re not good enough. Not like any of them could make me interested anyway. What about you?”
“Me? Well, I guess I should say the same too.”
“Really?” I nodded my head. It was not like none of the boys from my university was…bad. There were some though. Handsome. Rich. Athletic. Kind. But that was just it. I was not interested. Not like they weren’t my standard. It was just…
My eyes only followed one specific person.
Which clearly pissed me off.
I wanted to love someone else.
“Is it because they’re not your type or because he was there?” Kylie’s question caused me to push the dumpling into my mouth. Putting the delicious dumpling back on the plate, I simply stared at it. Kylie was the only person who knew about my past. At that time, I intended to hide it from everyone, including my family and obviously, from Kylie. But she was the one who realized something was wrong with me and forced me to talk. Before the senior’s graduation, she cornered me so I spilled everything to her. I remembered we cried together. She was feeling what I was feeling. After the graduation, I heard it from her classmate.
Kylie slapped Zack right on his face.
It became news for quite a long time. She called him a jerk that time. With audiences. Most of Zack’s ladies were mad at her. But Kylie being Kylie. She was not scared with them and told them what he had done to me. Well, at least not the complete story. She never spilled it to them. And it seemed, no one knew about me and Zack as well. Although Kylie had slapped him, Zack never came to apologize and tried to be my friend again like nothing happened. It was like our problem was not a big deal to him. It was to me. Why did he think I changed into this? Well, Mr. Zack Miller made me. I was so mad at him so I promised myself I would never lose to him again. This time, I would be the one who reject him.
It didn’t go well until now.
“Talking about him, he’s working in the same building as mine,” I told her.
“The hell? Are you going to be okay?”
“Well, I don’t know yet if I’ll be accepted or not. I hope I am but not so I can see him every day.” Give me a break. He was at the same university as mine which I had no idea before. And now at work? What was this? Was the universe was playing me?
“I guess. Well, as long you both are not in the same company, you should be fine. I hope,” she said and I nodded my head. I just took a bite of my dumpling when she said, “I hate him, Lily. He’s such a jerk and a loser. He might be handsome but his attitude is just ugly. I hope they kick him out.”
“Ouch.” For the record, my sister never hated someone. Even though people got mad at her for no reason, Kylie never held a hard feeling toward them. This time, Zack had crossed the line by pissing her off. Kylie and I were always like this. We cared for each other. We couldn’t stand it when one of us was treated badly by someone else. Well, mostly me, and Kylie was always the one who helped me.
However…
Even though I told Kylie what happened between me and Zack, there was something else I didn’t tell her. Zack humiliated me, but Kylie was included in the conversation.
I think her sister will be much better than her.
That time, I was deeply hurt not just because he humiliated me but also had the balls to compare me and my sister. I was sure if Kylie knew that, she would send Zack to the moon. I knew Kylie and I was a hundred percent different. Everyone adored Kylie and never paid attention to me. Like I wasn’t even there. Like I never existed. Now, people were looking at me like I was a piece of meat ready to be eaten.
I’d changed. A lot. I was not the same timid girl like before. I changed because of them and Zack. I was thankful though because they transformed me into a better person. I wasn’t that naïve anymore and was more cautious. The previous me, I couldn’t even let out my voice because I was too scared and didn’t have the confidence to do it. Now, I could say anything that I wanted. I didn’t even care what they were going to say about me. I could even stand up to Zack every time he bothered me.
“Okay, enough about him. I don’t want to hear a thing about Zack Miller,” Kylie declared. She forked some of her noodles. “Oh, have you heard anything from Matt?” This time, I was the one who almost choked on my ice tea.
“Why do you ask him so suddenly?” Because I never heard about Matt for a long time.
“I never heard anything about him from you since you broke up with him.”
“That’s because we’re not in a relationship anymore.”
“But that doesn’t mean you’ve lost contact with him. If there’s nothing wrong, you two can go back like before, right? But you two are like complete strangers. What happened?”
“Well… Let’s just say, us together didn’t go very well. I don’t want to hurt him and I couldn’t bring myself to like him like I used to like Zack. I put too much expectation on him.”
“Well, what about now?” Now? That was…kind of hard to answer. I tried my best to not get involved with Zack. I tried to forget about him by going to the bar or trying blind dates. Even Tinder. Nothing worked. Nothing ever worked for me to forget about him. Zack was always in my mind. Like his existence had been stamped into my heart and he refused to leave. Even being forgotten.
“Sometimes.” Even after five years, Zack managed to mess around in my head. I’d always convinced myself that he was just playing with me. It was his ego. He thought no woman could refuse him.
“Oh, Lily, come on. What’s so good about him anyway? Did you forget what he had done to you? He humiliated you in front of his buddies like a player does. And he is a player. Spread rumors about what you were doing with him. He has zero respect toward you.” He was but stupid me for still thinking about him. “Let me make this clear for you so you will give up about him and find someone else,” she paused and with her stern blue eyes, she added, “Zack never loved you. He’s just playing with you. That’s what he was doing since the beginning. If he loved you, he will never make a fun of you and he will never talk badly about you with his friends.” Her words were like a big blow to me. I knew Zack never cared nor loved me. But listening to the brutal truth from someone else, it was like a confirmation for me.
Zack did not love me.
“There are hundreds, even thousands of men out there who are much better than that asshole. Who knows? Maybe you will find the guy at your new office.” I smiled at her statement. She was right. I shouldn’t be thinking about the man who broke my heart. After I got the job, maybe I should start looking for someone.
“You’re right. I hope I find him.”
“You will. Oh, if you want Matt back, I will cheer you up. He’s really nice.” Seriously? Come to think about it, Kylie adored Matt a lot since we were little. Because she liked him so much she wanted me to end up with him?
“Kylie, I never see him or even contact him after we broke up. I don’t know where he is now. I never ask his parents too.”
“Well, get ready then because he’s working in California now.” What?
“Really?”
“Yep. I met his mom a few days ago. Said he just transferred here two years ago and working as a manager.”
“Wow. That’s…awesome.”
“Right? You will have a brighter future with him. You still have a chance.”
“Kylie, come on. Matt is handsome. Who would miss him? I’m sure he’s seeing someone now,” I stated and Kylie chuckled. Oh, she knows something, this sneaky little sister of mine.
“Guess what? He’s still single.” What? Matt was? Here I thought he might have found someone else to forget about me. I was sure he could easily find someone. “You must be thinking he should have someone, don’t you?”
“Kylie, guys never being single for a long time. They are so easy to move on from girls.”
“Most of them, yes. Not with Matt, I think. His mom said he never dated anyone for five years. Which means, big sister, after you two broke up he never sees anyone. Or maybe he’s still thinking about you,” Kylie concluded. I didn’t know whether to be happy or not. Maybe because he was busy with his job and his new position so he had no time for girls. Or was it…me?
I love you, Lily. I really do.
I knew his feelings to me was sincere. He was different from Zack. He respected me. He even stood up to the people who were making fun of me. He always protected me. The kind of guy I’d always dreamed of. If saw him again, should I give him another chance? Could I love him properly this time? Did Matt still love me?
“Oh, I can see you’re thinking about him now,” Kylie excitedly said and my cheeks burned. “Gosh, you’re blushing. The Great Lily is blushing over her ex.”
“Oh, shut up!” The Great Lily, huh? Well, that was what most people said to me. They knew me as a strict and confident Lily. There was no more plain Lily. “Well, just think about it if you’re interested.”
“Thanks, Kylie. I’ll think about it.” We continued with our lunch by talking about everything we’d missed from each other’s lives. I paid for the lunch as we both headed to the door.
“Do you want to go shopping?” Kylie asked.
“Nah, I’m going to pass. I want to get some rest and—”
“Watch out!” Too late. I bumped to someone very hard, I almost fell to the floor. Not until the person caught me. I immediately wrapped my arms around his body. Yes, his, because this person’s body felt like a man.
“Are you all right, Miss?” he asked.
“Y-Yeah. I’m really sorry. I didn’t—” I couldn’t finish my sentence when I looked up at him. Even though I didn’t see Kylie behind me, I was sure she was the same as me. Shocked. And this person too. And he never expected to see me here. After all this year.
Was this some kind of fate?
“Lily?”
To meet my ex again?
- Writer
