I was caught off guard.
I thought it was an illusion.
But the voice came again-closer this time, carrying the night’s chill.
“Ari, you still gonna hide?”
I turned my head slowly.
Vincent stood there quiet as a mouse.
His short white hair had a silvery frost to it from the moonlight, making his features look even sharper.
He stood tall and straight, half in light, half in shadow.
Quiet, calm. Worn out from travel, looking tired as hell.
I glanced at the door behind him.
He caught my eye and spoke soft.
“Don’t be in such a rush to leave, okay? I had to use Lilian’s birthday as an excuse to get you here-I know that. But I promise, I won’t do nothing to make you uncomfortable again. I’ve been behaving, haven’t I?”
I said nothing. Rationally, I knew I should leave.
But the alcohol in my system was burning.
Burned away all the right and wrong, all the mess.
Screw it.
I refused to leave-plain and simple.
The music outside was loud and fuzzy, making the silence in this room feel even more real.
In the dim light, Vincent spoke soft.
“Ari, you’re really heartless. Left without even saying goodbye.”
“After I came back, I fixed the family mess in six months-the one I thought I’d never get out of. Then I started looking for you. I figured as long as you were alive, I’d find you for sure. I wanted to ask you face to face-did what we had mean nothing to you? How could you just abandon me like a stray dog? But I searched forever, and I still couldn’t find you…”
He paused, a hint of sadness creeping into his voice.
“Later, I started thinking all kinds of crazy stuff. Even guessed you had a terminal illness, drove cross-country to check off your bucket list, then died when you got back… The stupid part? That thought stuck with me like glue. I even made a trip out to that desert highway, swearing to the wilderness that if I could just see you alive and okay, I’d be willing to be a stray dog in my next life.”
“In the end, I found you. You were healthy, working hard, living a quiet life… and married to someone else.”
“I didn’t dare bother you. Thought that was the best I could get. But you didn’t look as happy as you used to be. So I did what I could-bought this company, helped your husband get a promotion and a raise.”
“I learned a long time ago that most things in life don’t go how you want ’em to. But the night I found out you were divorced? I sat on the sofa the whole night through, then drove out first thing the next morning. I still remember the dawn when I pulled into this city-streets were quiet, flowers blooming along the way, my heart pounding so hard I had to hold my hand to my chest.”
“I took over your company, became your boss. You were all tough, keeping everyone at arm’s length. At first, I thought you were shut down ’cause of your messed-up marriage. But then I saw you watching the little birds outside the window during meetings, chewing out subordinates then defending ’em to me, staring at the orchid on my desk when you reported to me… even secretly watered it once when I wasn’t around.”
His gaze softened up.
“So I knew no matter how hard you tried to act different, you were still you. But I didn’t dare rush it, scared you’d take off again. So I took it slow.”
“That night? I was too impatient. Didn’t expect you’d still hold your ground, even threaten to quit. Ari, you’re still the same-you always leave me flustered, not knowing what to do.”
“Ari, please stop hiding from me, okay? Even if we can’t go back to how we were, can’t we at least be regular friends?”
He said it all in one breath, his chest rising and falling a little. He hung his head, looking at me with serious, focused eyes.
I adjusted my glasses and looked up to meet his gaze.
His eyes were deep, hard to read-his face looked determined, but you could see the anxiety and nervousness creeping through.
