Kevin sat in his office working on his new designs. He was working on a new building plan a big client had asked him for which took most of his time. There were papers scattered all over the floor, folded up in a ball form all over the room. He was seated behind his desk on a high chair, as the white paper laid on a board. After giving it the finish touches he wanted, he smiled at himself.
Just then his phone rang. He took a look at the caller ID and realised it was Bismark, his best friend and business partner. He rolled his eyes and picked up the call after it had rang a few times more.
"Hello," he said.
"Hey man. Are you at home?" Bismarck asked him with a sort of excitement in his tone.
"No. Why would I be home when I have work piled up here? You know you should be helping me with this but instead, I am left to do all the work all by myself, again," he replied, sounding a bit annoyed.
"Oh come on, Kev. You need to take a break one of these days. You are always working and you know that is not good for your health. Anyway, that is not the reason why I called. Since you are in the office, then please turn on the TV," Bismarck said.
"You know how much I hate having the TV on especially when I am working. So, why would I want to do so now?"
"Can you just turn it on and flip the channel to Happy TV? There is something important I would like you to see," Bismarck said, raising his voice a bit in the process.
Kevin let out a small grunt and turned on the plasma TV that had been placed on the wall opposite his desk. Then flipped the channel to the station Bismarck was talking about. There was an interview going on and it seems they were talking about fashion. Kevin was not really interested in that kind of thing and wanted to turn off the TV till something caught his attention about the woman who was being interviewed.
He had his eyes fixed on her for a minute. The way the woman spoke and laughed and sometimes looked like she was shy to even answer some of the questions reminded him so much of Chantel. His heart skipped a beat when he thought about her. Ever since she left the country, Kevin had never been able to forgive himself for what he did to her. He was a coward back then and wanted to right his wrongs. But when he finally decided to man up and accept his responsibilities, she was gone. Gone. Just like that. Away from his life. Never to be heard from again.
"Thank you so much, Chantel for coming. It is such a honor to have you here with us," the interviewer said.
"Thank you for having me. I must say, you guys are the best. And I hope you will be coming to my first fashion show next month," Chantel replied.
"Of course. We will be covering it live, so don't worry."
Both women laughed. Then the lady interviewer turned towards the camera, " Viewers, we have been speaking to Chantel Asare. If you missed the show, then don't worry. Because we will be bringing you the repeat on Monday, same time...."
Kevin's heart skipped a beat again when he heard her name. Chantel? Chantel is back? When did she return? These questions kept running through his mind until he heard Bismark's voice again. He had completely forgotten he still had the phone to his ear.
"Can you believe Chantel is back? She is back, man."
"What time did the interview start?" Kevin asked, after he recovered from his shock.
"I can't really tell. It could have been an hour ago, I guess. So, now that she is here, are you going to look for her?" Bismark quickly asked.
Kevin slowly sat down on his desk. "I-I don't know. I don't think she would want to meet me after everything that happened between us. She definitely hates me."
"You can't be sure about that. She always adored you. I am sure she will forgive you. Just take the initiative and look for her."
"I can't. I am sorry, but I won't be able to face her again. You know what, I have to go," Kevin replied and hung up before Bismark could say anything else.
He leaned back on the chair and crossed his arms. It's been fifteen years since he last saw her. She still looked beautiful as always. Her gorgeous smile and her beautiful skin was still the same. Should he go and look for her? And if does, what will he say to her? Will she easily forgive him? Kevin laughed sadly. He could hardly forgive himself, how could he expect Chantel to forgive him so easily?
He slowly shook his head and tried to go back to his design. But he found himself thinking about her. About Chantel. His thoughts kept going back to the interview and how gorgeous she was looking. He threw his pencil on the table in front of him but it landed on the floor. He flipped over one of the picture frames that was on the side of the table, beside his paper board. It was a picture of Chantel. He had taken it with his phone when they had gone out on one of their dates. She was smiling.
He caressed her face and smiled bitterly to himself.
"Why did I do what I did? Why was I such a coward? I'm sorry, Chantel and I wish I could tell you that in person but I can't. Because I am afraid. I am afraid that you will reject me. I am afraid to see the hate in your eyes. I won't be able to stand the hate you have for me. I am still afraid, Chantel. What should I do?"
He put the frame back on the table and flipped it upside down again, with the front on the table. He looked away, trying to fight the tears that threatened fall from his eyes. He stood up and faced the large window behind his desk. He looked outside and clenched his teeth. A tear dropped from his eyes and he quickly wiped it from his face.
"I'm sorry," he whispered and looked out.
He wanted to follow Bismark's advise and go after her but something held him back. Maybe he is still the coward he has always been. He smiled bitterly and again and shook his head.