Another Take

The rain stops pouring now and the skies are clear again. Only the wet pavements, the wet plants, and the smell of rain are the remnants of how the skies cried a while ago. The sun that was once covered in clouds, shows up and smiles bright like she knows that everything is alright now. Sometimes, I wish that people won’t suffer again and live a beautiful life but no, I don’t have that kind of power of making my wish come true because, without pain, we won’t know the value of one thing.

Most of the time, I wish that heaven would grant my prayers of getting my dad back. More than hoping but it doesn’t work that way. He is out of chaos now and happy wherever he might be. My tears stream down for the second time in my cheeks as I reminisced how my dad and I would go for hours and hours of road trips. Without knowing that, that would be the last time we would be together.

Someone taps my shoulder and offers me a handkerchief. “You need water?” the man asks. He wore a leather jacket and his hair is wet from the rain and his eyes are a beautiful shade of dark brown.

“Yes, please.” My voice cracks as I speak while wiping my face clean using the handkerchief he offers.

He comes back with a glass of water and puts it in front of me. I get the glass and drink the water on it while also avoiding his gaze in me. The restaurant we are in is pack with students and office workers. I kind of sense that he is looking for a seat. It would be rude for me not to offer the seat to the man who offers me a handkerchief.

“You could stay in that seat. I am alone here,” I say while pointing at the seat in front of me.

“Thank you,” he pauses and glances at me with hesitation, “so, I am Cyrus, and you are?”

“My name’s Ashleigh. Thank you for the handkerchief.” I wiggle the handkerchief in front of him that is full of stains from my mascara. “I will wash this before I return it to you.”

“Keep it,” he shakes his head, “I heard your name a couple of times. Are you the new model?”

I nod. We both look away from one another and I didn’t know what to say or do.

“So,” we said it together and I nod at him to let him do the honor of talking for a new topic.

“It is okay if you don’t want to answer this. Why did you cry?” His question makes me breathless for a moment, I didn’t expect that he is going to ask for that. “I know it is trespassing of your privacy but I am bothered whenever I saw girls cry. Is it a boyfriend, work, or a family member?”

“Well,” I cough before I continue what I had to say, “I just remembered someone special to me.”

“Oh, he’s so lucky, I bet.” I shake my head in his comment because I am the one who is lucky to have him.

“I am lucky to have him.”

After I said those words, my phone vibrates and someone sent me a message. I open it and Yasmin sends it to me, saying that my presence is needed in the office and Mr. Cabrera needs to have a word with me.

“Sorry, but I have to go back now. Thank you.” He looks at me with understanding and stands along with me. “Aren’t you going to eat here?”

“I’m full. I was just about to go out when I spotted you all alone.” He leads me towards the parking lot. “Can I ask you for a meal next time?”

“That is if we could bump into each other.” I wave at him and drive away from the restaurant.

There is no possibility of meeting him again because this is the last time I will step in this place. I open the door of Mr. Alfredo Cabrera’s office and is greeted with pairs of eyes that become all too familiar to me. The pity and fake sympathy make me want to roll my eyes.

Mr. Cabrera walks to my direction and stops when we are one meter apart. He motions for his grandson to come over and oblige to his grandfather’s every command. I hate him because I know what will get out of Mr. Cabrera’s mouth. If only I can walk out of here without anyone hating me, if only.

“You’ll become Rafael’s girlfriend if you choose to leave this country and I would keep a close eye in you. If you want to know behind your father’s death, then be a good dog and don’t bark. If you leave, bring my grandson with you,” he says and went back to his seat. The smirk in his face makes my blood boil and as I look at his lanky of a grandson, I want to back out but it’s too late as his bodyguards escort us outside the building and send us to the airport.

•••

A year had passed and that Cyrus still invades my mind and robs me of my sanity. That man that will only remain in the past might have a family now and thinking about it breaks my heart. I am certain that the time our path might cross, he may have forgotten about me.

“Ash, you are always holding that thing, that handkerchief. Why won’t you tell me anything about that?” Yasmin asks while raising her eyebrows and putting her hands on her hips. Bossy lady.

“It is better that you know nothing about this,” I show her the handkerchief and her face shows irritation. That easy, spoiled brat doesn’t always get what they want.

“I could always pay people to investigate about it…”

“Don’t you dare, Yasmin, or I might tell Vladimir.” Her eyes went wide and she gives me her famous death glare. As if that would make me fear her.

“Tell me what, Ash?” Vladimir leans on the doorframe of my office.

“Loverboy is here,” I whisper to Yasmin, but it’s no point since they learn how to sense each other’s presence. Typical.

One second, Vladimir is leaning on the door. The next second, he is now beside Yasmin and wrapping his possessive arms in Yasmin’s shoulders.

He looks at me, taunting me using his eyes to answer his question, but that won’t take effect on me. “Nothing. We just talk about your possessiveness and everything. Happy?”

“Not quite. Anyway, we’re going to have a date. And if that boyfriend of yours won’t go on a date with you, break up with him already.”

He’s referring to Alfredo Cabrera’s grandson, Rafael, whose too coward to face his own grandfather and would always comply with what his grandfather wanted. I hate him. I waste a year of showing up with him on every event that I don’t want to. I waste a year of keeping up with his cowardice and cheating. I waste a year for being his trophy girlfriend when I want to be with someone else like Cyrus.

Vladimir leads Yasmin to my office door and they leave without closing it. What Vladimir said is true but I can’t just demand attention and time to someone who is not willing to give it to me. That would only make me pathetic and desperate in the eyes of Rafael.

I look at my hands and found that I am still holding the thing that would remind me of that day again. If I accept his invitation to a meal, would it change everything? If I hadn’t left that day, would I be happy? Or would I still be miserable?

Someone knocks on my open door. My secretary, Katarina, walks inside and hands me the papers she’s holding. I look at her as she spaced out and she bows her head the moment she notices that I am looking at her.

“Sorry, Miss Ash, I have been easily distracted these days. Here are the lists of companies that want you to model their products. And here are the lists of movies and films that you might want to take up a role,” she says and avoided my gaze.

“I know that there is still something you want to tell me.” I give her a questioning look and she never meets my eyes.

“There is someone waiting for you at the entrance.”

“Who is that someone who wanted my presence?” I ask as I scan the companies with their product.

“He said he is your boyfriend; his name is Rafael. He is losing his temper and he threatened everyone that goes out of the company.” She plays with her fingers and she flinches as I slap my desk.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She looks at me with tears in her eyes.

I grabbed my handbag and I left Katarina inside my office. What does he want this time? I am so fed up with his controlling demeanor and his constant threatening of the people around me and him being a coward. I run the distance of my office towards the elevator. My colleagues look at me with crumpled faces as I went past their office, running.

The elevator door opens the moment I arrive in front of it. My heart is beating louder and louder as I keep on checking my watch. I panic as I feel that the elevator is going slower than usual and the panic in me heightened when it finally arrives at its destination.

The guard looks at me with sympathy in his eyes and points to the man who looks miserable. Miserable than me. Good for him.

“What are you doing here?” He stands from sitting on a wooden bench in front of the building and hugs me.

“I said, what are you doing here?” He buries his face in my neck and he tightens his hold of me.

“I am sorry.” I roll my eyes at him for always saying sorry for the things he will repeatedly do.

“Are you done? Let go, Rafael, let go.” He loosens his hold on me and I move backward to get out from his embrace.

“Please, baby, let’s talk. Don’t give me that harsh treatment…”

He stops what he is about to say when he looks at my calm face.

“So, this is about me again? If so, leave.” He scrutinizes me like he can’t believe that I can make him leave.

“Please, I already said ‘I’m sorry’! Isn’t it enough?!” His face turns red and he paces back and forth, familiar signs of him when he is about to rage. He gives me an incredulous look and I give him my most calm face. I am sick of letting him slide with his actions without facing the consequences.

“We all know who needs me, so don’t you dare question me about the things that you could only answer. So, now, I will be the one asking you. Is it fun to cheat on me and bear the consequence?”

My subconscious laugh at how the colors in Rafael’s face drains. “How did you know?”

His fearful eyes look at me as I shake my head in disappointment. “Not playing dumb at all? Or playing safe just to forgive you? I thought you are one of the smartest men like how you describe yourself but all I see is a dumb man who doesn’t know how to keep his affairs.”

“You--”

“Say it. I dare you to say it and I can assure you that you won’t get even a penny in your grandfather’s pocket.”

That makes him silent and makes me smile. A spoiled rotten brat that is easy to play with, if not for my ounce of respect to his grandfather and him threatening my mother’s health, I would rather spend time alone.

“Forget it. My image is ruined now and nothing to restore and Lolo won’t make me his heir. So, what’s the point in asking forgiveness to you? Nothing, I have been wasting my time on you anyway.”

“So, why do you come here then if you say you’re just wasting your time?” I laugh at his attempt in sarcasm, “You need to seek lessons about sarcasm first.”

His face turns red again and my colleagues gather around us. Everyone is murmuring but I care less about it cause I am still clutching my stomach as I watch Rafael’s panicking state.

“You should have your reasons for coming here. By the way, I am giving you an offer of breaking up with me.”

The rage in his eyes comes back and he sneers at our audience. “NEVER!”

“If you say so, just don’t blame me if I will be the one breaking us apart. Because to tell you the truth, I am sick of your foolish game, threatening the people around me and get away with it. With your cheating and lying and reasoning that makes me look pathetic. I am done with how you treated girls that didn’t do anything to you. I am also sick that you only need me to make you an heir.”

He never looks back as he runs towards his car that is park away from the building. Well, I didn’t expect him to be this desperate. My colleagues gaze at me with smiles on their faces and almost everyone cheers. I shake my head as someone congratulates me for winning the argument.

Lunchtime is almost over and I haven’t eaten anything yet since this morning. My stomach churns and my vision gets blurry for a moment. Gosh, that’s what I get for not eating breakfast. Some of my co-models and office workers are making their way inside. Instead of getting back inside the office, I go to the restaurant in front of Lolli Mag.

I scan the places for possible seats but all I can find is the seat in front of the window that has the view of our company’s entrance. A man has his back on me and as I approach him, my heart keeps on skipping a beat and beating louder again. No, this can’t be, he’s not here.

It is nearly a foot away and his physique becomes familiar to me now. Cyrus? I stop in my tracks and turn around to escape but his voice makes me frozen in place.

“Running away again, sweetheart?”