It was a typical Thursday afternoon at The Book Nook, the kind where the hours stretched lazily and the customers wandered in at their own leisurely pace. I was restocking a shelf near the back of the store, humming quietly to myself, when the bell above the door chimed. I glanced up, expecting to see one of our regulars or perhaps a passerby seeking refuge from the drizzle outside.
Instead, I saw someone I never thought I'd see again.
He stood just inside the doorway, looking completely out of place amid the warm, cozy aisles of books. His clothes were rumpled, his shirt untucked, and his normally pristine hair was a disheveled mess. Dark circles underlined his eyes, which seemed sunken with exhaustion. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. I blinked, certain my eyes were playing tricks on me.
"Ven?" I called out hesitantly, my voice barely above a whisper. It couldn't be him. What would he be doing here?
At the sound of his name—or rather, the name I knew him by—he looked up. His gaze locked onto mine, and for a moment, I saw a flash of something in his eyes: relief, perhaps, or maybe recognition. He gave me a tired smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Seren," he replied, his voice hoarse as if he hadn't used it in a while.
I stood frozen, unsure of what to do. The last time I saw him was during that chaotic business trip, back when I thought he was just another employee like me. A friend, even. And then, he disappeared without a word. The confusion of that time came rushing back, mingling with a wave of emotions I couldn't quite decipher.
"What… what are you doing here?" I finally managed to ask, stepping out from behind the shelf.
Ven—or whoever he was—looked around the bookstore, his eyes scanning the cozy interior as if searching for something familiar to hold onto. "I needed to see you," he said simply, taking a hesitant step forward. "I know I don't deserve it, but I need to explain."
I frowned, a mix of curiosity and caution filling me. "Explain what? You disappeared without a trace. I didn't even know if you were still working at the company after I got fired."
He flinched at the word "fired," his shoulders slumping even more. "That's part of what I need to explain," he said, running a hand through his messy hair. "But first, there's something I need to tell you—something important."
I felt my heart rate quicken, a mix of anger and confusion swirling inside me. "Tell me what, Ven? Or whatever your real name is," I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest. I didn't know what was going on, but I was tired of being left in the dark.
He took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving mine. "My name is Draven Carter," he confessed quietly. "I'm the CEO of the company you used to work for."
The words hung in the air between us, heavy and surreal. For a moment, I thought I hadn't heard him correctly. "What?" I finally managed to stammer. "You're… you're the CEO? But—how?"
Draven—Ven—whoever he was, nodded slowly, his expression one of regret. "I know this is a lot to take in," he said softly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I never wanted to deceive you. I… I just wanted to know you without all the pretense of my position, without the walls that come with being a CEO."
I felt like the ground had been pulled out from under me. This entire time, I had been working alongside the CEO without knowing it. The man I thought was a regular employee, a friend, had been lying to me all along. "Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, my voice shaky. "Why let me think you were just another coworker?"
Draven looked down, guilt etched across his face. "I didn't want to complicate things," he admitted. "I've always been surrounded by people who only see my title, my wealth. I wanted to be seen for who I am, not what I am. And when I met you, Seren, I saw someone genuine. I didn't want to lose that."
I took a step back, trying to process everything. "But you lied to me. You let me think… You let me think so many things that weren't true."
He flinched again, pain flashing in his eyes. "I know. And I'm so sorry for that. I never meant to hurt you. I never meant for any of this to happen the way it did."
There was a long silence as I tried to make sense of his words. Part of me wanted to yell at him, to demand why he had let things get so far. Another part of me, though, couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for him. He looked utterly defeated, standing there in the middle of the bookstore, surrounded by shelves filled with stories of people finding themselves and each other.
"Why are you here, Draven?" I asked quietly, dropping the facade of the name I had known him by. "Why now, after all this time?"
He sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping even more. "I've been trying to figure out how to make things right," he said. "How to fix what I broke. I know I hurt you, Seren. And I'm not asking for forgiveness, but I wanted to at least try to explain."
I studied him for a moment, trying to read the sincerity in his eyes. "And what about my job? Why did I get fired?"
Draven's face darkened, a flash of anger in his eyes that seemed directed more at himself than at me. "That was… a mistake," he admitted. "Something that never should have happened. I didn't know until it was too late. There are people at the company who don't want me to be close to anyone, who want to control every aspect of my life, including who I can and can't be friends with. They saw you as a threat, as someone who could make me vulnerable. I didn't realize they had gone so far as to have you fired until after the fact."
I shook my head, trying to process his words. "So, what now?" I asked, feeling a mix of anger, confusion, and an odd sense of relief. "What do you want from me, Draven?"
He took a step closer, his gaze earnest and pleading. "I just want a chance to make things right," he said quietly. "I want to help you, if you'll let me. I know I don't deserve it, but… I'd like to try."
I looked at him, seeing the vulnerability in his eyes, the raw honesty. For the first time, I saw not the CEO or the mysterious coworker, but a man who was just as lost and confused as I had been.
"I don't know if I can forgive you," I said honestly. "But I guess… we could start with a conversation."
Draven nodded, a faint smile touching his lips. "I'd like that," he said softly.
And for the first time since that fateful day at the company, I felt like maybe, just maybe, things could start to make sense again.