"I have a surprise for you, Xiu", as the waiter walked to our side carrying our dinner cart I got flustered thinking how she was going to react. I had only one thing in my mind, hearing a yes from her. She looked up at me when the waiter started serving the dishes on the table.
"Enjoy your meal", he bowed before walking off.
"Shall we start?", Xiu asked smiling. I nodded and she took the cover of the plate, that was placed in front of her, off. The ring was positioned right in the centre of the plate, encircled by fresh red petals. To say that she wasn't a bit taken at the sight would be a flat lie.
"What's this, Junho?", she looked up, expressions unable to read by me. I grabbed the ring and took her hand in mine.
"I've been planning this for months. Will you marry me, Xiu?", my heart was beating out of my chest with excitement and nervousness at the same time. I was sure of one thing, Xiu I knew was never going to reject me. That's where I went wrong. I could never recognize her sole intentions behind dating me.
"Have you gone crazy?", yanking her hand from my hold she widened her eyes at me. Yes, I was crazy about her. I was crazy about her love for me. Her love? At least, that's what I thought.
"What do you mean?", I asked dumbfounded.
"Where did this marriage thing come from?", she frowned at me, her eyes widened. That instant I saw a new side of her. Her eyes were devoid of the love that I had been seeing in them for me.
"We've been together for a year. I think we should step up our relationship", I reasoned out.
"Step up? Is marriage a business deal for you? I can't go around marrying anyone whenever they want. I've my personal life and this isn't something you get to decide alone", she sighed in utter disgust. She was not the Xiu I used to know.
"Anyone? Am I nobody to you?", I felt a stinging pain in my heart with every word she was uttering, every glare she was shooting at me.
"I didn't say that but---", before she would go on with her so-called reasoning, I cut her off.
"But what? I love you, you love me. That's enough for us to tie in a new relationship. Why are you being like this all of sudden? I can't understand. Did I do something wrong? Just name it. I'll try my best to reassure you that---", I was speaking in a monotone when her shrilled voice interrupted me.
"Can you just shut up for a moment, Junho! Now that you've surfaced it up let's end this", I felt my world tearing down hearing her painful words. The bitterness laced in her voice was putting my strengths to an end. That annoyed look, the irritated tone, everything was hurting me to death.
"End what?", I finally asked after absorbing her words.
"This relationship", she replied coldly as if she never loved me, as if she was toying with my feelings all along.
"But you love me", I seriously got skimped for giving my love, trust, time, feelings to someone who never gave a shit about me! Tao is right. She never cared but why does it still hurt?
"I've lost my feelings for you", that was another case, right? Sometimes we do lose feelings for a particular person with time but there's still an emotion left, care. Her vanity depicting egotism was implying something else.
"Where did you lose them? When we were making out in one of the luxurious restaurants in Paris or let me guess when you had enough taste of my d-", I couldn't bring myself to say what I wanted to because I loved her. She was mistreating my feelings. The only girl I loved with all my heart was shaking my mind, making me lose my sanity, hurting me to death!
"Cut this shit, Junho! We are done!", I was getting yelled at by someone who always fed me with love words and sweet kisses.
"Why me? Why did you play with my feelings, Xiu? Did you even love me ever?", I asked when she picked her bag up from the floor.
"Oh, God...you don't have to take this breakup on heart, Junho. We are young and wild. We have a long life ahead of us. I had a good time with you but I can't call it to love I don't know why. Don't you think it would be boring to stick with one ice cream flavour without tasting the rest of the flavours in the world?", she raised her brow. I laughed in incredulity. Everything felt fake. Fake emotions, fake love, fake humans.
"We can be frie-", she turned to her heels only to see me smiling like a freak.
"F*ck off", that wasn't me speaking but my anger. She rolled her eyes and walked out of my sight.
I poured myself a glass, then another, one after the other, emptying the bottles. I kept taking large mouthfuls until all the bottles, I kept ordering, were no more occupied by the liquor. I remember I called for someone to serve me. The face is blurred in my mind. But I do remember her tossing some sassy comments on me. I have a high tolerance for alcohol but I almost lost it after the ninth bottle. I don't remember what happened after I pinned the girl on the wall. I also lost my ring that night.
After turning my laptop on I slid into my emails to have Alice's new one on the top.
"No. Arrange it in ascending order based on the ages of entities in the list."
I type and hit the send icon. I feel like Xiu has killed the nice and humble in me. I also don't know why I'm being like this. Well, I literally don't give zero f*cks now! All the girls are the same!
Alice's POV
"What! Ascending f*cking order! Is he a psychopath or something! Why doesn't he directly tell me what he actually wants!"
I bite on my inner cheek, eyes closed. Heaving a long and heavy sigh, I revert my gaze to the screen and initiate my next task. After finishing it, I send it to the wazzock. Some minutes later, Tao, with a group of people dressed in suits, enter his office.
Time skips
"Aren't you going home?", it's been more than an hour since I'm waiting for his reply, my head leaning against the back of the chair. I flutter my eyes open to find Bengwin standing beside my table.
"Home?", I get a glimpse at the time on the screen of the laptop. Quarter past five.
"I've sent the list to Mr Geon. Waiting for his reply", yawning I look at him. He's wearing his coat now that makes him look effortlessly handsome in the suit.
Damn, Alice. Get your acts together!
"I think he's in a meeting. You can check his schedule", he says.
"Okay send me", if I had his schedule I wouldn't have gone through the doldrums of two damn hours.
"What?", he asks confused.
"The schedule", I reply as I get up from my chair doing some stretches.
"I don't have it. You should be the one having it since you're his secretary", is there a joke pasted on my face? No. Then why he's looking at me as if I'm the ridiculous person of this world?
"What's so funny?", I ask.
"Alice, you sure you're not the Alice who lost in the wonderland?", his eyes looking softly in mine, lips curved in a sweet smile. Wait, since when I've started noticing men's features!
I smile like an idiot as he takes a quick look at his wristwatch.
"I'm getting late to be somewhere. I suggest you quit your waiting and leave for your home. And if you're not going to do so, at least, visit him", and give that a*shole another reason to get mad at me all over again for not having his schedule? No thanks!
"Would rather sit here and wait", knowing my response he mouthed an okay, bid goodbye and left.
I sit down back on my chair. I can't even use my phone! What if that cocky shit lands out of nowhere! God, I've never been this badmouthed! Earth to you Geon Junho!
Time skips to the night
Where's everyone? Why this jammed place looks like a spooky haunted building all of a sudden! And why all the damn lights are off! Okay, I dozed off and it's not my fault. Only if he had replied to my email I would...wait when did it start raining?
I swear I don't believe in ghosts and all the paranormal activities but if someone tries to mess up with m---
"Holy fuck! Hit on the motherf*cking break, man!", while searching for the phone in my pocket, I gasped, jumping in fright when I heard someone's voice.
"What are you doing here?"
"Mr Geon?", the flashlight of the phone he is holding illuminates the dark around us.