#3 Ethan
1416 Words
“Is that you, Ethan?” Merek called out from one of the rooms.
I rolled my eyes. “Who do you think it is? Tinkerbell.” I swear he asked the most stupid questions sometimes.
“I didn’t know she came here,” he replied, walking out from the kitchen.
“What are you doing here?” I gazed at my smartwatch. “It’s not five yet.”
He looked at me as if I asked him a tricky question. “I always leave work early on a Friday. I’ve been doing that for the last three years.”
I rubbed my eyes. “Sorry. I forgot it was Friday.” The only time we spent time together, thank god. I couldn’t remember whose half-brained idea it was to meet up every Friday and have a brother’s only get together.
Must have been Merek and I must have been ill at the time for me to agree to such a tortures event.
“Now that you ask, why are you home early?” He asked, throwing my words back at me.
Undoing my tie, I fling it onto the table in the hall, as I strode into the sitting area. Merek followed me like a faithful dog.
I collapsed onto the chair and closed my eyes.
The place next to me dipped and I sighed internally.
Merek will not give up until I say something that will satisfy his curiosity.
“I had a meeting with Ivy Hope today.”
“Why?”
I turned my head towards him, with a look that said, really.
It was his turn to roll his eyes at me. “Don’t get your shirt in a knot. I only ask because Dave is going to see her tomorrow.”
I sit bolt upright. “Why didn’t you tell me!”
“Don’t you read your mail?”
I fish out my mobile from my trousers pocket and flicked through my mail. There was one from Merek sent at four forty-five today.
Sighing, I rubbed my temple. “I saw her at ten past four. So, this.” Shoving my mobile in his face. “Was too late. And,” I carried on through gritted teeth. “I told you yesterday to make an appointment with her at four for today. I also reminded you this morning about the meeting and you nodded your head. I presumed you had arranged it.” Trying to get my anger under control and failing, I went on. “You didn’t mention that someone else would see her-.” I stopped abruptly as I realised, she was expecting me even though the appointment was for tomorrow.
“Did you make a second appointment with her for today?”
“Noooope.” He dragged the word out, most likely worried he'd done something else wrong.
“Then how did she know I was coming at four?”
Merek just shrugged his shoulders.
“Ugh! You're useless.”
“I try to be, even though, sometimes, it’s not easy.” Noticing that I am not smiling he rolled his eyes and slumped back into the chair. “I’m not a mind reader, Ethan, no matter how much you want me to be.”
When I didn’t say anything for a while he asked. “Well, how did it go? Or do I have to ring her to find out.”
“And what? She would tell you.”
With a knowing smile, he said, “Of course.” The smile slipped from his face when I did not move a facial muscle. “She is actually a very nice person, once you get to know her.”
I couldn’t help but raise my brow at him. It shouldn’t surprise me he knew her, he could charm a wolf.
Men either wanted to be his friend or be like him, and females fell at his feet. Yet I couldn’t, for the life of me, imagine the Ice Queen doing just that.
No, it would be Merek bowing at her feet.
“And how would you know?”
“Observation. But enough about me.” I snorted. “Are you going to the charity event?”
Ignoring his comment, I stood up then head to my bedroom, and like a hyper Labrador, he followed me.
“No,” I finally answered, flinging open the door to my walk-in-wardrobe and stepped inside.
“That’s not what Kara is saying.”
“Damn!” I'd forgotten I promised to take her. The girl hardly goes out. If I cancelled, my consciences would slowly eat at me, and I don’t look good thin.
Better not, don’t want to spoil my image.
“No, I can’t take her,” Merek answered a question I didn’t, even, contemplate or ask. “She wouldn’t enjoy her time in my company.”
“You are right about that,” I said with a wry smile. “She’d damage your ego.”
“I am always- Wait! No, she wouldn’t.” I couldn’t help myself, I laughed. Kara was one of the rare few who didn’t fall for his charm no matter what he tried.
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
“Why, then?” Deciding to play ball as I contemplated which blue tie to wear for the charity event.
“Because.” He drew the word out as if I'm dim. “She likes you.”
“Of course, she likes me, I’m her boss.” Once I chose the tie, I turned my attention to the suits adorning the hangers.
He narrowed his eyes at me. “So, you’re not an item?”
I snapped my head around. “And what gave you that ridicules idea?”
“The puppy dog look she gives you.”
I don’t remember her giving me any such look. She always acted professionally in her dealing with me. That is why we were friends. She also knew nothing would happen between us, I made that clear from the start, so she wouldn’t get any ideas later on. I found it's better to keep business and relationships separate otherwise it could get messy.
I sniffed the air. Nothing, except the smell of fresh linen. “Are you on something?”
“Ya. Vitamin pills.” He gazed at me in confusion. “Why?”
I just stared at him, until he rolled his eyes. “You are no fun.”
“We’re only friends.”
“Okay. She’s not infatuated with you, it’s just my imagination.” Not bothering to wait for a reply, he left me with my thoughts.
He’s wrong. Kara doesn’t like me that way, I mean I would know.
Wouldn’t I?
“Ugh, damn him!” I ran my hand through my hair, heading towards the bathroom to take a shower before I changed.
By the time I was ready Merek had left the flat and I still had hours left before the charity event even started.
Why did I agree to this? I must have been high on coffee.
The buzz of my mobile brought me out of my misery.
Kara.
She must have read my thoughts.
“Hi, Kara.”
“Ethan. Ju-ju-just ringing t-t-to remind you ab-ab-about the charity event.”
“You need not have worried,” I said sardonically. “Merek made sure I would never forget.” Bringing up his name triggered what he had told me about Kara’s feeling for me.
“You know, we are going as friends, right?” Silence met my question. Was Merek right? Had she developed feeling for me? If so, how could I have missed it?
I jumped at her laughter. “Did M-M-Merek say something?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. I should not have listened to him. I knew it! Yet he'd planted the seed of doubt.
The little pr-
“Ethan?”
“Sorry. And yes, he mentioned something.”
“Why would he say such a thing?”
“Most likely, to distract me.” And it worked.
I am going to kill him the next time I saw him.
Merek always moved the conversation away from himself. Whatever came out of his mouth was so convincing, it made you forget what you were previously talking about.
He was canny in that way and had gotten away with many things over the years.
“Are you ready?” Deciding to move the conversation away from myself. “I can collect you in 15 minutes.”
“I-isn’t it ea-early to go n-n-n-now?”
Of course, it is.
“It has been a long day.”
I set a time with her and called off.
In the kitchen, Merek had made me a beef sandwich. There were times like these that made me feel like a jerk for the way I thought about him. He couldn’t help the way he acted sometimes. I blamed that on our parents for not disciplining him from an early age. They let him get away with things I never could and at one point I resented him for it, even a little jealous too.
But other the years I have found myself taking care of his cockups, more than I cared to think about. The irony was he came to me when he was in trouble or talked to me about things I did not want to hear instead of our parents.
Sighing, I rubbed my forehead. I loved him, not that I would admit it to him, yet he drove me around the bend sometimes.
I took the plate of food and locked myself in the study to do some work before I had to pick Kara up.
- Writer
