Even though everything was going smoothly with every potential worker on board, I was feeling restless. The reason behind this was Reyansh's indifference during the discussion. He has always surprised me by knowing more than he should, so it was hard for me to ignore this attitude of his..
The very next day, I went to his place to meet him. I didn't inform Ethan about it. Though Reyansh is his best friend, I sometimes feel very uncomfortable tension between them, whenever I'm around. Moreover, I'm not a kid who needs a babysitter all the time.
I rang the doorbell and within minutes Reyansh opened the door. His eyebrows shot up in surprise when he saw me.
"Grace..?"
He said, as he stood there, blocking the doorway.
After sometime, I had to ask.
"So, are you going to let me in or...?"
"Y-yeah.. please come in."
Reyansh was looking very tired with his baggy eyes and stubbled jaw. The mess all over the living area was a proof of him being busy.
Watson was resting on a single settee. I combed his fur with my fingers as I waited for Reyansh to collect the files and papers, spread over the couch.
"I wasn't expecting anyone."
Reyansh said as he tried picking up everything at once. He dropped a few things on his way to another room.
I picked up the books he had dropped and followed him to wherever he was going. I was about to enter the enter the room he had entered, but he stopped me. He took the books from me and said,
"I'll be needing them outside."
He closed the door and asked me to follow him to his living room.
Can a person get more mysterious?
I followed him and we settled on the couch, opposite to each other. Reyansh began the conversation first.
"So, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
"I wanted to talk to you about yesterday. Not the stalking part; the list part."
"What about it?"
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you aren't satisfied with the possibilities we drew yesterday."
He thought for sometime and said,
"Would you like something to drink? Coffee? Tea?"
"Don't change the topic Reyansh."
"I'm not. I'm just doing what a nice host should do. My mom would kill me if she learns you left without a drink at least... Typical Indian love."
"Reyansh.."
"Seriously. This conversation won't end soon. Both of us will need some fuel to down it."
"...coffee would be nice."
"Great."
After making two steaming cups of coffee, Reyansh took his seat again, and asked,
"So you want to know, why I didn'ttake part in yesterday's conversation, right?"
"Correct."
"That's because I'm very well aware that none of them did it. Interrogating or spying on them will only be a waste of time."
My eyebrows knit in confusion.
"But... H-how are you so sure?"
"Well.. I have some theories of my own."
"Care to elaborate?"
"First of all, who ever is responsible for the car crash, is the very same person responsible for the first attempt. How? Because he has a pattern. He believes he's superior, and contacts you before making his move. Your dispute with Martha is very recent, so it wasn't her."
"What about Natalie?"
"I don't think Natalie can do it. To make it sound more logical; every call you received was in a male's voice. Even if we consider that she might have hired someone for all the attacks, then the question arises; why did she hit you in public ? To attract more attention towards her? I don't think so. She could have simply ordered to kill you... So it definitely wasn't Natalie."
"Jason?"
"No chance. If the attacker had drawn his gun towards Ethan, then it might have been Jason. But I very clearly remember that he aimed at you, so it wasn't him. Jason cares a lot about you. More than he should, if you ask me."
"Did you just say that Jason may kill Ethan?"
"That's not the topic we are discussing."
"Yeah, but-"
"Grace... You know you can't make me do something I don't wish to. It's better if we focus on one topic at a time."
"..fine. what do you have to say about Hayden?"
"I don't have anything against him. I'm aware of what he did, and I'm not okay with it."
One could easily notice Reyansh's knuckles going white, when he said this. His grip on his coffee mug tightened, but steadily, he regained his composure and continued,
"He doesn't has any solid reason for going to this extent. So it wasn't Hayden."
"I've seen Hayden drive around my house multiple times. He was blocking my exit at Jason's party. He also had a same wound on his hand as I gave to the guy, who was trying to kill me that day. Is all this for nothing?"
"No matter how many pointers you have, it wasn't Hayden. You are free to interrogate him, but if you ask me, it'll be useless."
"But you're cancelling out everyone! Who do YOU think has done it?"
"Do you remember the first letter you received? It said, "it's time to pay old debts." So, this has to be someone from your past. I think I'll have to have a chat with your dad about it for some answers."
"Don't you think you are thinking a bit too out of the box?"
"It isn't out of the box, its logical. And even if it do is, out of the box then this will be the most accurate, out of the box thought of the century."
I strongly believe that Hayden is responsible for all this, but no matter how hard I tried to convince Reyansh, he had a counter statement for everything. So at last, I decided I'll confront Hayden myself, not alone, with Ethan.
The next day, as I got ready and was leaving the house, I saw Reyansh walking out of dad's office.
"What are you doing here?"
I asked him as I approached.
His face depicted, that whatever conversation he had with dad didn't end well. When he answered me, he sounded very frustrated.
"Well, your hotshot-expensive-lawyer-dad just won't let me look through his files. Not only that, but he kept giving false answers to every question I asked him."
"Reyansh, calm down... Are you sure dad was lying?"
"That's the problem! I can't tell! I just can't read his face. The logics aren't helping me either. He may be lying, because he has sworn to keep his client's secret. But, he also might be telling the truth, as his family is in danger."
"I'm telling you again, you are overthinking."
"No, Grace. I'm not. There has to be something, and I'll find it out. One way or the other."
Reyansh stormed out of the house. I followed him and found Ethan waiting outside in his car.
Reyansh's anger seemed to be at it's peak, as he didn't say anything to Ethan, and drove away. But Ethan seemed used to this, as he simply saw him driving away, unaffected.
Ethan immediately started the conversation, as I entered his car.
"What was he doing here?"
"He had to discuss something with Dad."
"And it didn't end well, I suppose?"
"Nope."
"I'm sorry if he said something inappropriate to someone. He's too passionate about whatever he's doing. Sportsmanship isn't his best forte, but he cools down with time."
"No need to apologise. I'm used to this craze for work and winning. He's just like dad."
Ethan seemed to have an inside battle before saying the next sentence.
"So.. do you like it? The competitive nature in men?"
The dash of jealousy I sensed in his question made me smile. I answered him in a teasing way.
"Why not! Who doesn't loves a bit of competition in life. It has its own charm. I have a feeling of belonging to such people... I feel comfortable around them."
When I got satisfied with Ethan's priceless reactions, I completed my sentence.
"But I never feel attracted to them. I'm more into the calm personalities. You know, those who respect others decisions as much as their. Those who love children. Those who sometimes kick people out of cafes if they want.."
Ethan had a smile plastered on his face through out the sentence, but the last part made him laugh out loud.
"You just won't let me forget that ever.."
"Not a chance. Besides, would you really like to forget our first encounter?"
"I wish I could, but it's simply too ironic."
A short drive later we reached Hayden's home. He himself opened the door. He was very shocked, but there was also a little bit of relief in his voice. That confused me even more.
Luckily enough, his parents weren't home. As we settled to have the talk it was very clear that he had a lot to say. Though he was thinking very hard before uttering every word. The reason might have been Ethan's presence. I assured Hayden that whatever we talk about, won't reach his parents. As our conversation proceeded, turned out, Reyansh, in fact, was correct.
The wound he had was a sports injury, which we confirmed from Jason. Him blocking the doorway was just a coincidence. And his creepy appearance around my house was because he wanted to apologise, but he always drove away, because I had constant company of either Jason or Ethan. Hayden thought that, him approaching me when they are around, won't be a smart move, so he never really got the chance and finally gave up on it.
Though Ethan didn't buy it, I believe Hayden.
During our ride back home, Ethan had a frown on his face, so I asked him,
"What's bothering you?"
"Are you really going to forgive him that easily?"
"... don't you believe in what he said?"
"Not a bit. As for you, I don't think a person exists, who doesn't owns your trust."
"That's not true. I don't believe everything he said. But I don't think he was responsible for this either. Moreover, Reyansh did warn me that this meeting may not be as fruitful as I was expecting it to be."
"....when did Reyansh tell you that?"
"I went at his place yesterday."
The rest of our ride was silent. I thought he's mad at me so apologized before getting out of his car.
"Ethan I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, but I thought it wasn't a big deal."
"There's no need to apologise, Grace. You have every right to go wherever you want. What's bothering me is Reyansh's behavior. If he knew we were headed in the wrong direction, why didn't he stop us?"
"...so you aren't mad at me?"
Ethan smiled and answered,
"I'm not. Now go get inside your house, before your dad barges out with a shotgun to blast my head off."
"Stop overreacting. You know dad likes you."
"Yeah. As long as I'm doing everything, according to him. I'm not complaining. As I've said earlier, I'll do every possible thing, to be on his good side."
I gave him a kiss before getting out of his car, and said,
"There's nothing you have to do, Ethan. Dad's decision is important to me, but you don't have to change yourself for that. Take your stands, and be the Ethan I love, alright?"
"... I love you too."
With a smirk, I delivered a few more kisses to him, after which he went away.
Two days later, I was driving towards Ava's house. Her parents weren't home, so she invited me to stay overnight.
With all the tension going on, I saw this as the best opportunity to let go a little. And Ave is a great Baker, so there sure will be cookies.
As Ave opened the door for me, a hot & sweet air,carrying the aroma of melted chocolate filled my nostrils. She welcomed me inside and closed the door behind me. She asked me to feel like home, and went to her kitchen.
Within minutes, I received a call from Reyansh. I picked up. Before I could say anything, a voice shouted orders at me from the other side, but the voice wasn't Reyansh's, it was Ethan's.
"Grace! Where are you? We need you at your place right now!"
"Ethan? What's wrong? And why are you calling me, using Reyansh's number?"
"I'll explain you everything later. Answer me first, where are you now?!"
"I'm at Ava's pla-"
"Get out of there immediately!! Do you hear me?"
"Yeah, but why? Is something wrong at home?"
I asked as I picked up my car keys and started to leave.
Ethan did answer me, but I wasn't able to understand anything. The last thing I remember is, someone pressing a piece of cloth over my nose , and within seconds, the only sensation was drowsiness. All I felt was darkness and cold, until someone woke me up, by splashing ice cold water on my face.