CHAPTER 8
1211 Words
CHAPTER EIGHT
LARA’S POV
Moving out sounded like freedom.
But no one really tells you that freedom also comes with… silence that feels unfamiliar.
The first few mornings in my new apartment, I kept waking up expecting to hear my mother calling from the kitchen or my father asking where the remote was.
Instead, there was just me.
And the ticking sound of a clock I didn’t remember buying.
I lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling. Then I smiled.
Because even the silence was mine.
Work at Blackstone Conglomerate was still overwhelming, but I was slowly finding my rhythm. Slowly. Very slowly.
My desk was becoming less chaotic. My email replies were faster.
And I was finally starting to remember names without panicking internally. But something else had changed too.
I noticed it one afternoon while printing documents.
The CEO’s floor had been unusually quiet lately. Too quiet. No sudden meetings being called. No presence that made the air feel heavier whenever someone important passed by.
Adrian Romano. I hadn’t seen him in days. Not in the elevators. Not in the hallways. Not even accidentally from a distance. It was strange… but I told myself it was normal. He was the CEO. Busy people disappeared sometimes.
Still, there was a weird part of me that noticed his absence more than I should have. And I hated that I noticed at all.
Sadie noticed everything immediately. She always did.
We met after work at a small roadside café she insisted had “the best fried rice in existence.”
She was wearing a bright orange jumpsuit today, bold and loud like her personality.
I, on the other hand, had gone for a simple cream blouse tucked into black trousers.
“You’re thinking too much again,” she said, chewing dramatically.
“I’m not.”
“You are. Your face does that thing.”
“What thing?”
“The rich-girl-overthinking expression.”
I groaned.
“That’s not a thing.”
“It is now.”
I smiled despite myself and stirred my drink.
Sadie leaned forward suddenly.
“So… apartment life. Be honest. Are you thriving or surviving?”
I paused.
“Both.”
“That’s the correct answer.”
We laughed.
Then she tilted her head slightly.
“And Chris?”
That question was softer than usual. Not dramatic or teasing. Just careful. I exhaled slowly.
“He’s… there.”
Sadie raised an eyebrow.
“That sounds romantic.”
“It’s not meant to be.”
She studied me for a moment. Then said something that surprised me.
“Lara, you don’t talk about him the way you used to.”
I frowned slightly.
“What do you mean?”
“Before, everything was ‘Chris said this’ or ‘Chris thinks that.’ Now it’s like… he’s just someone calling you.”
I didn’t respond immediately. Because she wasn’t wrong. My phone buzzed at that moment. Chris.
I looked at it, then turned the screen face down. Sadie didn’t comment. Instead, she changed the topic.
“Anyway, I’m coming over your apartment this weekend. I want to see how you’re surviving with zero furniture.”
“I have furniture.”
“You have a mattress and hope.”
I sighed. She grinned.
“Perfect combo.”
When I got home that night, my apartment felt warmer than before. Not physically but emotionally.
I had started adding small things. A rug. A second chair. A tiny plant Sadie insisted would “improve my life decisions.” I kicked off my shoes and collapsed onto the mattress.
My phone buzzed again. Chris. I answered this time.
“Hey,” I said softly.
There was a pause. Then his voice came through.
“Hey, Lara.”
Something about how he said my name felt different. Softer. Like he was trying not to lose it in conversation.
“You didn’t pick up earlier,” he added.
“I was busy.”
“Always busy lately.”
I frowned slightly.
“I’m just settling in.”
A short silence.
Then,
“I miss when things were simpler,” he said.
That made me pause.
“What do you mean?”
“You used to tell me everything.”
I looked down at my hand.
“I still do.”
“No,” he replied gently. “You tell me updates now. Not feelings.”
That hit somewhere I didn’t expect. I sat up slowly.
“Chris…”
He sighed.
“I’m not blaming you.”
But he sounded like he was. We stayed quiet for a moment. Then he added, almost lightly,
“Take care of yourself, okay?”
And the call ended. No argument. No drama. Just distance.
The next day at work felt unusually long. I kept noticing little things. Empty spaces. Less activity around upper management floors. Even the staff seemed slightly more relaxed. Like the storm had stepped away for a while. At one point, I asked a colleague casually, “Is the CEO around this week?”
She blinked.
“Mr Romano? He’s travelled out for a business meeting….I think.”
I nodded slowly.
“Oh.”
But something in my chest tightened anyway. Strange. Why did I even care?
In the evening, after returning from work,I bumped into my new neighbour. Literally.
I was stepping out of my apartment building when I collided with someone carrying a grocery bag.
“Sorry!” I quickly said, stepping back.
The bag tilted slightly but didn’t fall.
“Careful,” a calm male voice replied.
I looked up.
He was tall. Not intimidating like Adrian. Just… casually attractive. Dark curly hair, slightly messy. Brown eyes. Relaxed smile. He looked like someone who didn’t take life too seriously.
“I’m really sorry,” I repeated.
He laughed lightly.
“It’s fine. I survived.”
That made me smile despite myself.
“I’m Lara,” I said.
“Ethan,” he replied. “Your new neighbour.”
“Oh.”
So this was him.
Ethan pointed slightly toward the hallway.
“You just moved in, right? I saw boxes yesterday.”
“Yeah.”
“You picked a nice place.”
I nodded.
“It was affordable enough for me to cry less.”
He laughed.
“Fair.”
There was a brief pause. Not awkward. Just… easy. Then Ethan shifted his grocery bag.
“If you ever need help assembling furniture or figuring out this place, I’m usually around.”
“That’s very kind of you.”
“It’s mostly because I live alone and get bored.”
I laughed softly.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
He smiled again.
“Welcome to the building, Lara.”
And then he walked past me casually like it was nothing. But strangely, I felt a bit lighter afterward.
Later that night, I sat by my window again.
The city lights were softer now. Familiar. I sipped tea quietly. My apartment still wasn’t fully furnished. My life still wasn’t fully settled. But it was mine. And somewhere in the back of my mind, a strange thought lingered again.
Adrian Romano had not been seen lately. Not around me or in passing or anywhere. And I wondered why that made me feel slightly unsettled.
- Writer
