I took a deep breath,
trying to shake off the remnants of my earlier frustrations and prepared myself for a treat.
I picked out a cute outfit, wanting to feel confident and
beautiful despite my puffy eyes from crying last night.
After some careful touches of makeup and styling my hair,
I was pleased with the reflection in the mirror.
Today was about me, self-love and self-care, smiling looking at my mirror.
Feeling good, I stepped out of my apartment and was immediately surprised of what I saw.
There, leaning against the wall just outside my building, Leo was standing there.
He looked up as I approached and his expression
shifting from a casual demeanor to one of surprise mixed with concern.
"Melody!" exclaimed, straightening up and rushing over to me.
My heart raced at the sight of him with a conflicting feelings swirling inside.
"I'm so sorry," he started in his voice earnest.
"I've been trying to reach you all morning. I just—"
"Why would you apologize?"
I interrupted with my brow furrowing as I crossed my arms.
His face drop, and I could see the weight of regret in his eyes.
"I didn't realize how much I upset you. I was too busy finishing documents to even look up.
And …. "
"Okay, I understand. You can go now and continue your busy work,"
I said, trying to keep my tone steady. But deep down, my emotions were bubbling over.
He looked at me with a confusion flashing in his eyes.
"Where are you going? You look… really nice today. Is something going on?"
I crossed my arms defensively and feel the heat of my frustration rising again.
"I have a date," I replied flatly and turning my back to him, determined to walk away.
"Wait, what, why?" He quickly reached out and grabbing my hand gently to stop me.
"What date? Are you kidding me? Why are you so mad at me?"
I spun around to face him with my temper flaring.
"Yeah, I'm busy too! But you wouldn't know that, would you?
You're too wrapped up with Clarice!
You think she's so important, so why don't you just go on a date with her instead?"
His expression change and I could see the anger flashing in his eyes.
"What are you saying, Melody! You know it's not like that!"
"But it feels like that!" I shot back with my voice rising.
"You act like I'm nothing to you when you're with her!"
He clenched his jaw because of the tension between us palpable.
"You're unbelievable!. .
I'm trying to apologize and make things up and you just
keep throwing accusations at me!"
I felt the frustration boil over and I snapped,
"Maybe I wouldn't have if we didn't confessing our stupid love and it is really annoying!"
Without a word, he turned on,
striding towards his car with an intensity which had surprised me.
My heart sank as I watching him walk away,
but I couldn't let him see how much I felt hurting inside me because of my ridiculous act.
I turned my back to him feeling a mix of anger and sorrow that wash over me.
"Just go, Leo! Do whatever you want!" I shouted after him,
though part of me regretted it immediately.
He paused, looking back for a brief moment before getting into his car.
He slammed the door shut and drove off,
I felt a pang of guilt and anger twist inside me,
unsure if I had pushed him too far or if he was right about everything.
I take a deep breath and leaned against the wall because of
my emotions swirling within me like a storm.
Because of what happened, I didn't even think about going to the mall anymore.
Instead, I hurriedly back inside my apartment and
the weight of the world that feels crashing down on me.
As soon as I shut the door behind me, I felt devastated.
My tears wouldn't stop pouring, each sob shaking
my body as I leaned against the door,
my heart aching from the fight we just had.
I felt so lost being caught between my anger
I had toward Leo and the overwhelming sadness that came from our argument.
As evening fell and still lying on my bed,
replaying the argument over and over in my mind.
The silence in my apartment was broken by a knock on the door.
I dragged myself up and opened it to find out that it was Zahara standing there,
holding a bag of fried chicken and a couple of cans of beer.
"I figured you could use some company," she said with a small smile,
stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.
I sighed and moved aside, letting her in.
She set the food on the kitchen counter and turned to face me,
her eyes scanning my face,
undoubtedly noticing the evidence of my puffy eyes.
Without saying anything,
she opened the cans of beer and handed one to me before we sat on the couch.
"So," she started after taking a sip,
"what happened?"
I took a deep breath and not sure where to begin.
But Zahara waited patiently, and spilled out everything
the fight with Leo, my anger, the things I said, and how it all fell apart so quickly.
By the time I finished,
I was staring down at my hands, still clutching the beer,
too exhausted to feel the dense of pain in my heart.
Zahara took a long sip, then set her can down.
"Melody," she began gently,
"it sounds like you were hurt, and I get that.
But why didn't you just ask him about the girl?
About Clarice? I mean, directly ask him what's going on."
I blinked at her, feeling a bit taken aback.
"I… I don't know. It all felt so new me and .. and … you know this relationship thing isn't exactly something I'm used to deal with."
She gave me a sympathetic look but understand of what I mean to her.
"I get it, but sometimes jumping to conclusions can make things worse.
Maybe you should've confronted him.
You'd have known the truth earlier without the whole fight blowing up."
I sighed, nodding as I absorbed her words.
"Maybe you're right," I admitted quietly.
"I was so caught up in my feelings, I just reacted.
I didn't even give him a chance to explain."
"Yeah right," Zahara said softly, reaching out to squeeze my hand.
"Relationships are tough, but communication is the real key here, okay?
You need to talk to him, clear the air, and find out what's really going on.
You both care about each other and that is obvious."
"I guess I was too scared to hear the answer," I muttered,
taking a sip of my beer, the bubbles tickling my throat.
"But I need to fix this."
Zahara smiled encouragingly.
"Exactly. Don't let this stew too long. It will gonna eat you away."
I nodded, feeling a little lighter, knowing that she was right.
"Maybe tomorrow or maybe the next day,
uhmm I need to think first what I will say to him ughhh this is really sucks"
I said as I buried my face to my pillow.
--------
.I stayed cooped up in my apartment all weekend,
letting the thoughts spiral around my head until it was Monday morning.
I woke up with slight eye bugs, the dizziness I felt from not eating anything hitting me hard.
This sucks! This is what it feels like when you're in a relationship,
I thought bitterly. How I will gonna show my face to him. I'm like a bummer!.
But I couldn't let this go on.
I missed Leo, and more than anything,
I needed to apologize for what I said.
So I dressed quickly and ignoring the way my stomach twisted in knots.
The thoughts of our fight replayed in my mind,
making me feel guilty for lashing out at him.
He didn't deserve that.
When I arrived at the office, the atmosphere was buzzing with gossip.
I overheard snippets of conversation about Clarice being terminated.
My heart sank at the thought.
I had never wished for anyone to lose their job, not even her.
As I settled at my desk, Bryle approached me, his expression serious.
"Hey, have you heard about Clarice?" he asked, his voice low.
I nodded slowly, unsure of how to respond him.
"Mr. Cyprus and I found out that she was the one who deleted your presentation last week,"
he continued.
"Mr. Cyprus planned to figure out who did it and I help him to investigate that matter.
And as I investigating it and it confirm that she made it because she was truly got insecure to you.
It was totally a mess last day, and now she's getting fired."
"Wow," I muttered, feeling a mix of relief and guilt wash over me.
I had been so angry with Leo for spending time with her,
but hearing this made me realize how much he had been working behind the scenes.
"I didn't know. I feel… bad for her."
"But she deserve it anyway" Bryle replied with his brow furrowed.
"But Mr. Cyprus is trying to do what's best for the company.
He's been focused and determined to clean up this situation."
I glanced toward Leo's office, where the door was slightly ajar.
He hadn't even texted or called me all weekend, and the silence between us weighed heavily.
"Look, Melody," Bryle said,
interrupting my thoughts and I suddenly felt dizzy in a moment.
"Are you okay Melody? Your so pale? Are you sick?
"No Bryle, I'm… I'm really okay" I replied
But as I stood up and took a step forward, the room began to spin around me.
I felt light-headed and weak,
and suddenly I collapsed as Bryle holding my hand not fall on the
ground but in my mind the world fading to black.
"Melody!!" I heard Leo's voice call my name just before everything went dark.
The last thing I felt was someone carry me, and then I was out.
As I slowly regained consciousness,
the soft beeping of machines and the faint smell of antiseptic filled my senses.
Blinking against the bright fluorescent lights, I found myself in a hospital room and the
confusion clouding my thoughts.
My body felt heavy, as if I were encased in a thick fog.
Then I noticed him—Leo, sitting beside me, holding my hand with his both hand.
His brow was furrowed with worries,
and his eyes were wide with a mix of relief and concern.
I could feel the warmth of his grip that grounding me amidst the haze of disorientation.
"Melody," he breathed as he almost in disbelief and
saying my name would make everything feel real again.
"Thank God you're awake."
"Leo?" My voice was barely a whisper with cracked and still hoarse.
I tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness washed over me forcing me to sink back into the pillows.
"Easy there," he urged, gently pressing me back down.
"You collapsed at the office. The doctors said you were exhausted and dehydrated.
You scared me."
I swallowed hard that the memories of our fight flooding back like a tidal wave.
"I'm so sorry…" I managed to say with my throat tightening.
"I didn't mean to—"
He squeezed my hand tighter, cutting me off.
"No, You don't have to apologize.
I was so wrapped up in work that I didn't even notice you and you were struggling.
I should have been there for you."
Seeing the guilt in his eyes made my heart ache even more.
"thought… I thought you didn't care for me anymore,"
I admitted, tears welling up in my eyes.
"I do care," he replied softly, his thumb brushing across my cheeks.
"More than anything. I just got so caught up in
everything that I lost sight of what's really important."
I felt a weight lift slightly, the tension from our fight beginning to disappear.
"I shouldn't have said those things," I murmured, feeling the sting of shame.
"I wished I just listened to your explanation and not doubting you"
"It's okay," Leo interrupted his voice steady but laced with emotion.
"We both said things we didn't mean. I should have checked on you.
I'm just glad you're okay now."
As I looked into his eyes, I could see the sincerity in his gaze,
the love and concern that had always been there.
"I really missed you," confessing with a small smile breaking through the heaviness I felt.
"I missed you too," he replied with a soft smile creeping onto his face.
"I was worried sick. You scared everyone, especially me."
We shared a moment of silence that the weight of our earlier conflict melting away.
But then I remembered the situation and conflict towards Clarice before I had collapsed.
"What about Clarice?" I asked, suddenly feeling anxious again.
"Is she…?"
"Yeah," he replied, his expression turning serious.
"She deserves it anyway. It turns out she deleted the presentation on purpose,
and it all came crashing down."
"But I'm really sorry for how I reacted. I shouldn't have lashed out at you."
He nodded as he brushed a stray hair from my forehead.
"We'll figure this out together.
Just promise me you'll take better care of yourself. I don't want to see you like this again."
"I promise," I said and feeling warmth spread through my chest.
"And I'll do my best to communicate better. No more shutting you out."
His smile widened, and I couldn't help but smile back
It feels the bond between us strengthen.
In that moment, everything felt right again.
Despite the chaos that we had unfolded, there was a sense of hope that blooms in my heart,
and I knew we would get through this together.