Hold Back
2339 Words
"Cindy! Zack made an early morning call to his secretary as soon as he get off the bed.
"Good morning Mr. Murphy", Cindy replied in a very polite way. "What can I do for you? Do you need anything?" her voice was so accommodating.
He was brewing his own coffee when he decided to give her an instruction. “Good morning! I need you to check up on something ASAP!" his voice was a bit hoarse since he just woke up.
"Do a background check on Lee Prime Builders, and get their president's contact details. Arrange an appointment with him." He uttered while transferring the coffee he just brewed in his cup.
"I will do that sir, but what would be the minute of the meeting if may I ask?" I need to state that to get an appointment." Cindy responded briefly.
He paused for a while, thinking..."Tell them that your president wants to do business with them. “His eyes were pinned on his phone's wallpaper. It was Alyssa, he took a stolen shot of her when she was mesmerized with the sunset.
"Okay Mr. Murphy I will call them right away. Is there anything else you would like me to do?" Taking down notes in her diary to make sure she listed everything.
"And also, arrange a breakfast table for 2, please. I'll be downstairs within an hour. That would be all for now Cindy. Thank you! “Then he hung up the phone and dialed another number.
"Hey, are you up?" He asked with a sweet soft tone.
"Just woke up Zack, still in bed... why?" Her voice came to him like a sweet lullaby as soon as she answered the call.
It was 15 minutes before 8 o clock in the morning and she have slept an hour late since they went back in their own rooms after midnight.
"Get up and freshen up, I'll meet you at the lounge at 8:30 for breakfast.” His hopes were high that things would get better for the two of them after last night.
"You still have an hour before you start your work, so hurry up sleepyhead." He plastered a smile on his face while pulling out his clothes in the cabinet.
A gray shirt and khaki pants was perfectly okay, paired with a hoodie jacket for a breezy morning, he thought as he placed the clothes across his chest to see its combination while his head was clinging on the phone over his shoulder.
"Okay! I'll be there boss." She giggled then dropped the call.
Zack's lips were filled with happiness. He can't deny how happy he was after his romantic date. It went perfectly amazing.
His faith remained strong. Perhaps he can persuade her to choose him over Marcus if she could make her realized how happy she can be with him.
Giving up the fight was not in his vocabulary, he will lure her with his love so she can trust him.
***
She was drying her hair with a towel when she reminisced the moment she had last night with Zack. She couldn't help but smile as she remembered the slow mo dancing at the beach shore.
She had a great time chatting with him and seeing his adorable face the whole night was like spending a moment with an angel under the moonlight.
"What must I do?" she began questioning herself while applying some serum on her face, as her fingers ran through her skin, she was completely alarmed all of a sudden.
She paused while looking at herself in the mirror - and found herself helpless the moment Marcus's name came across her mind.
She has a lot to admit to him, and part of it was to admit that he has fallen in love with another man. But the idea of being honest and vocal was not a good one, she thought.
Because she knew that, the moment Marcus finds out - he will definitely bring hell, in the palm of his hand.
It scares her. She was terrified with the consequences she might going to have, because her feelings bloomed for someone else.
And loving a man behind his back was something she couldn't stand doing. She respect Marcus's feelings, he is her best friend, and she hasn't forgotten the fact that she loves Marcus with her whole heart.
She can't hurt him for being too honest. It will rip his heart, definitely.
She shook her head to erase whatever was on her mind for a moment since she only has a few minutes to dress up before meeting Zack for breakfast. An hour wouldn't be enough to plan everything smoothly.
So she continued what she was doing before her mind wandered, and after she was done with her hair and make-up, she slipped the off-shoulder maxi dress in baby pink, to her curvy body and slid her foot in a very comfy beach sandal.
Doing a full turn in front of the whole body mirror, she found herself gorgeous that day.
It wasn't really the make-up nor the clothes she wore that made her lovely- but it was the love that lies within her eyes and the happiness on her lips that truly brings out the beauty in her.
Her phone rang...
"Yes!" she answered right away, after two rings.
"I'm already here. I'll be waiting for you" Zack hung up and walked towards the hotels main entrance to get some fresh air while waiting for Alyssa.
From a distance, he spotted the area where he set up the table for their dinner date. A smile slipped on his lips when a picture of them together, dancing in slow Mo came across his misbehaving mind.
"Hey, you are here!" a familiar voice came to his senses, when he heard a word from his back.
As he turned his self to check who it was, he was stunned that his eye could not even blink. He wasn't expecting to see him.
His face became gloomy.
It was Marcus!
"What the hell is he doing here?" he said under his breath.
"Nice to see you here!” He said warmly as he handed over his hand for a shake. “I’m Marcus Liam Lee, Alyssa Park's fiancé, remember?" He bragged innocently. His voice was full of confidence. "I believe you are her boss, Zack Andrew Murphy.”
Zack grabbed his hand to return the honor of meeting him but his eyes moved around to check if Alyssa was already in the area. Something came to him - It seems like Aly wasn't expecting this man to arrive either. He thought.
"Of course I remember you!" he exclaimed
"There she is!" Marcus waved her hand so that Alyssa can see her from the lobby. She was actually looking outside when Marcus unexpected appearance caught her attention.
Alyssa was in deep silence for a while before she took a step to meet the boys in her life.
Marcus was so excited to see Alyssa that he couldn't help but embraced her tightly, the moment she stood before his eyes.
He kissed her forehead before resting it on hers.
Then he whispered "God, I missed you!"
She was frozen. And he was jealous that he wanted to grab Aly's arm and draw her near him and tell Marcus the whole truth. But he was thinking about Aly's sake, so he held unto his emotions.
He doesn't want to put her into so much trouble.
"You didn't tell me you are coming." Alyssa began talking and her voice was sounded a bit harsh.
"He is my boss by the way” She introduced Zack to him.
"We've met!" He replied
Zack suddenly invited Marcus for a breakfast. "Join us, please! We have a reserve seats here in the hotel."
Alyssa was anxious. “What are you trying to do, Zack?" she asked her self quietly.
"It's a pleasure to have breakfast with the CEO." Marcus exclaimed while he was holding Aly's hand.
"Shall we?" Zack led the way to the banquet hall.
***
After breakfast, Marcus grabbed Alyssa's stuffs and escort her to the hallway of Building B to finish her mural art.
She started painting when something came to her mind that made her body flinched out of fright.
She took out her mobile and dialed Marcus's number to validate her worries.
"Hon! what's up? Are you done?" Marcus asked. He was waiting for Alyssa at the coffee shop nearby.
"Did you book a room?" Straighftorward she asked.
She was sweating too much in a cold atmosphere and her heart skipped a beat as she waited for his response.
"Nope! I will be staying with you. Besides, its just one night right?" He was 100 % confident that Aly will let him stay with her.
"Don't worry, I promise to behave by your side.” His voice was sweet and it seems sincere.
"Okay! I know you will keep your promise, like always."
"You know me so well. I promise!"
"I got to go now! Bye." Alyssa hung up and released a deep sighed before going back to work.
After a couple of minutes, since she started painting. Her phone rang and she was excited to accept the call, because of Zack.
"Hey! How are you?" she asked casually.
"I miss you!" A soft voice came to her.
He was so vocal and she was moved. "Zack!" she mumbled
"I just want to hear your voice, before i lose my sanity" his voice cracked, and Alyssa felt the sadness in his tone.
"I know I shouldn't feel this way... jealous! I have no right to be...but I just can't help it" He confessed with all honesty.
"Zack!" Alyssa muttered, trying to hold back the feeling of yearning for him.
"Just give me some time to make things right. I care for Marcus too. It's not easy for me to leave him, so please understand" And her eyes started no turn red, for trying so hard to hold back the tears.
"Please don't cry! I'm sorry. Don't mind me dear, I'll be fine" His voice provided comfort to her pained heart.
Time passed by so fast. She didn't even notice that it was already 5:30 pm. She was busy finishing her wall painting.
"It's beautiful!" Someone behind her exclaimed upon seeing her artwork.
The lake seems to be so peaceful, and the flowers are so lovely under the bright sky.
"Thanks Cindy." She narrowed down her head to hide the sadness in her eyes. At least her artwork could hide her sorrows.
"Mr. Murphy wants you to have this." She handed her a small box with a card envelope.
"We will have a dinner party tonight at the pool area, be there to meet him before we leave tomorrow." Cindy took her steps away from Alyssa right after she delivered the gift from Zack.
Alyssa slowly untie the ribbon of the box and opened it. Her eyes couldn't hide her happiness when she took out the Bracelet Rosary he gave him. It was made of Swarovski crystal.
Perfectly beautiful.
Her lips began to form a smile and her eyes twinkled as she wore the bracelet on her wrist.
"Lovely!" She whispered with gladness. Suddenly she remembered the card envelope.
"To my Princess,
You are more precious than those crystal gems, but they are as beautiful as you.
Don't forget to always wear a smile on your face. Be happy and stop crying.
Everything is going to be alright!
Love,
Zack
Her tears rebelled.
"I missed you!" Marcus appeared suddenly from behind. He wrapped his arm around Alyssa's neck and kissed her cheeks a few times.
Quickly Aly hid the box and the card inside her bag, and secretly wiped her tears.
"Did you get bored?" she whispered in a soft voice while holding Marcus arm.
"Not really, I slept in the couch while watching football. “And he turned her back to face him.
"What do you want for dinner?" he asked sweetly as he cupped her face.
"We have a farewell party tonight at the pool area, we can join them for dinner and drinks, if it...”
"If it’s okay with me?" Marcus finished the question for her.
“Of course yes, I don't see anything wrong with that, have fun tonight before we leave tomorrow." His smile was plastered perfectly on his face that Aly was convinced that he was a good man, after all!
He kissed Alyssa's forehead with sweetness. "Relax, there's a lot to prepare for our wedding once we get back, so enjoy this moment." and Alyssa gave him a quick nod. Her eyes were watery and she started sniffing.
You look pale and sick! Marcus noticed as he looked closer to her face.
"I haven't got a complete sleep these past few nights" She explained.
In an instant, Marcus became worried and he started to panic over her condition.
"Hey! I'm okay, don't worry...Let's go" Then they started walking towards the elevator when they bumped into someone who just went out of the lift.
"Mr. Murphy!" Marcus exclaimed.
Zack's eyes grew big and his eyebrows furrowed when he saw them together, side by side...And Alyssa's arm was wrapped against his arm.
"Are you okay Alyssa?" He noticed quickly that she looked terribly sick
"Do you need to go to the doctor?" He can’t help being concerned to her, even in front of Aly's Fiancé.
"I got her." Marcus said in a low tone. "I can take care of her, like I always do" he said. And Zack's face turned gloomy.
"I'll just take a rest. We will be at the party later tonight." Alyssa looked at Marcus and said "Shall we go up, I'm really tired?"
Marcus nodded and walked straight inside the elevator, as soon as it opened.
Zack was so anxious about her condition, but most likely, he was extremely jealous. He wanted to be with Alyssa but he has no right over her.
- Writer
