chapter 13
2313 Words
Ethan stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor as he grabbed his coat. Jason, mid-sip of his drink, raised an eyebrow.
“Where are you going?” Jason asked, leaning back casually.
Ethan tightened his coat around him, his expression unreadable. “I need to leave.”
Jason smirked knowingly. “You’re going after her, aren’t you?”
“Excuse me, Jason,” Ethan said curtly, ignoring the jab. Without another word, he strode out of the bar, determination etched across his face.
---
Meanwhile, Kira was in her small but cozy apartment, bustling around her modest living room as the old man sat comfortably on the couch. Despite his protests, she had insisted he stay over for the night.
“Grandpa, you can’t go home this late. What if something happens on the way? No, no, you’ll stay here,” she said, almost scolding him.
The old man chuckled warmly. “You’re very persistent, young lady. Even my grandson doesn’t fuss over me like this.”
“Well, maybe he should,” Kira replied, placing a steaming cup of tea in front of him. “What kind of grandson leaves his grandpa to fend for himself?”
The old man smiled, shaking his head. “He’s a busy man. But you? You’re different. So caring, so full of life. Why do you live alone, dear?”
Kira paused, her cheerful demeanor dimming slightly. “Well, I don’t have much of a choice. My dad passed away when I was a kid, and my mom... she left us not long after.”
The old man’s face softened, and he reached out to pat her hand. “I’m sorry to hear that, dear. But look at you now. You’ve grown into a wonderful young woman, strong and kind. Your parents would be proud.”
Kira smiled faintly, touched by his words. “Thank you, grandpa. That means a lot.”
The old man sipped his tea and leaned back. “Life has a way of testing us, you know. But it’s how you handle those tests that defines you. Always keep your heart open, even when it’s hard. And don’t let anyone take your kindness for granted.”
Kira nodded, sitting across from him. “I’ll remember that. You’re really wise, you know.”
He chuckled. “Wisdom comes with age, my dear. But don’t just hear my words; live by them. Life’s too short for regrets.”
Kira smiled warmly. “Noted, grandpa. Thank you.”
The old man looked around the apartment. “You’ve made yourself a nice little home here. It’s cozy, just like you.”
Kira laughed. “It’s nothing fancy, but it’s mine. And now, it’s yours too, at least for tonight.”
He smiled, touched by her generosity. “You’re a rare gem, my dear. The world needs more people like you.”
“Stop it, you’re going to make me cry,” Kira joked, dabbing at her eyes dramatically.
The two laughed, the atmosphere light and comforting, as if they’d known each other for years. It was the kind of connection that needed no explanation, just two souls finding warmth in each other’s presence.
Ethan stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor as he grabbed his coat. Jason, mid-sip of his drink, raised an eyebrow.
“Where are you going?” Jason asked, leaning back casually.
Ethan tightened his coat around him, his expression unreadable. “I need to leave.”
Jason smirked knowingly. “You’re going after her, aren’t you?”
“Excuse me, Jason,” Ethan said curtly, ignoring the jab. Without another word, he strode out of the bar, determination etched across his face.
---
Meanwhile, Kira was in her small but cozy apartment, bustling around her modest living room as the old man sat comfortably on the couch. Despite his protests, she had insisted he stay over for the night.
“Grandpa, you can’t go home this late. What if something happens on the way? No, no, you’ll stay here,” she said, almost scolding him.
The old man chuckled warmly. “You’re very persistent, young lady. Even my grandson doesn’t fuss over me like this.”
“Well, maybe he should,” Kira replied, placing a steaming cup of tea in front of him. “What kind of grandson leaves his grandpa to fend for himself?”
The old man smiled, shaking his head. “He’s a busy man. But you? You’re different. So caring, so full of life. Why do you live alone, dear?”
Kira paused, her cheerful demeanor dimming slightly. “Well, I don’t have much of a choice. My dad passed away when I was a kid, and my mom... she left us not long after.”
The old man’s face softened, and he reached out to pat her hand. “I’m sorry to hear that, dear. But look at you now. You’ve grown into a wonderful young woman, strong and kind. Your parents would be proud.”
Kira smiled faintly, touched by his words. “Thank you, grandpa. That means a lot.”
The old man sipped his tea and leaned back. “Life has a way of testing us, you know. But it’s how you handle those tests that defines you. Always keep your heart open, even when it’s hard. And don’t let anyone take your kindness for granted.”
Kira nodded, sitting across from him. “I’ll remember that. You’re really wise, you know.”
He chuckled. “Wisdom comes with age, my dear. But don’t just hear my words; live by them. Life’s too short for regrets.”
Kira smiled warmly. “Noted, grandpa. Thank you.”
The old man looked around the apartment. “You’ve made yourself a nice little home here. It’s cozy, just like you.”
Kira laughed. “It’s nothing fancy, but it’s mine. And now, it’s yours too, at least for tonight.”
He smiled, touched by her generosity. “You’re a rare gem, my dear. The world needs more people like you.”
“Stop it, you’re going to make me cry,” Kira joked, dabbing at her eyes dramatically.
The two laughed, the atmosphere light and comforting, as if they’d known each other for years. It was the kind of connection that needed no explanation, just two souls finding warmth in each other’s presence.
Ethan sat in his car outside Kira’s apartment, the engine idling as he stared at the dimly lit windows above. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, his mind a battlefield of indecision. It had been thirty minutes, and he still couldn’t convince himself to step out.
“What am I even doing here?” he muttered, running a hand through his hair.
He wasn’t sure why he had driven all the way. Maybe it was guilt, worry, or some inexplicable pull that Kira seemed to have on him. Either way, here he was, debating whether to go upstairs or drive away and pretend none of this ever happened.
Ethan exhaled sharply, his jaw tightening. “Get a grip,” he told himself. Finally, summoning all the courage he had, he killed the engine, stepped out of the car, and headed for her apartment.
---
Inside, Kira was in the kitchen, humming softly as she stirred a pot of soup. The old man sat comfortably on the couch, sipping his tea and enjoying the cozy atmosphere.
The door creaked open, and Ethan stepped in quietly. He spotted the old man first, seated in the living room. Straightening his posture, he greeted politely, “Good evening, sir.”
The old man turned, his eyes narrowing slightly. “You’re not the young man from earlier, are you?”
Ethan shook his head, offering a faint smile. “No, sir. That was my brother. I’m Ethan.”
The old man hummed thoughtfully, studying him. “Ah, I see. You two must be twins, then. You look alike, but your demeanor is different.”
Before Ethan could respond, Kira’s voice echoed from the kitchen. “Grandpa, who are you talking to?”
She appeared in the doorway, a kitchen towel in hand, but froze when she spotted Ethan. Her eyes widened in shock, and her brows furrowed. “What the hell are you doing here? And how do you even know where I live?”
Ethan opened his mouth to respond, but Kira cut him off, stepping closer. Then she paused, her gaze narrowing as she studied him. Slowly, realization dawned on her.
“You’re not the guy from earlier…” she murmured, her voice trailing off as she looked more closely at him. “His hair is brown. Yours is black.
Ethan nodded. “I’m not the man you met earlier. That was my twin brother, Evan.”
Kira blinked, stunned. “Wait, you have a twin?”
“Yes,” Ethan said simply, watching her reaction carefully.
Kira crossed her arms, glaring. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re here or how you found me.”
Ethan exhaled, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Mark told me what happened.”
Kira narrowed her eyes, her suspicion not entirely fading. “And you couldn’t just call? You thought breaking into my apartment was a better idea?”
“I didn’t break in,” Ethan said defensively, glancing at the old man, who was now watching their exchange with mild amusement.
“Fine,” Kira huffed, turning to the old man. “Grandpa, this is the man I told you about earlier—the one I bumped into the other day. Turns out, there’s two of them.”
The old man chuckled, shaking his head. “You young people are so full of surprises.”
Ethan met Kira’s eyes, his gaze softening. “I’m sorry for intruding. I just needed to see for myself that you were okay.”
Kira hesitated, her annoyance faltering as she caught the sincerity in his tone. She sighed, waving a hand dismissively. “Well, you’ve seen me. I’m fine. So, you can leave now.”
Ethan smirked faintly. “That’s how you thank someone for checking on you?”
Kira rolled her eyes. “Thank you, Ethan. Now, goodbye.”
The old man laughed heartily, shaking his head at their banter. “You two are quite the pair.”
Kira shook her head, glancing at the old man with a mischievous smile. “No, Grandpa, you’ve got it all wrong. This man here mistook me for someone trying to commit suicide the day we met.”
The old man’s eyebrows shot up. “What? Suicide? Now that’s a story I need to hear.”
Ethan groaned lightly, running a hand over his face. “Must we really do this?”
“Yes, we must,” Kira said, a playful glint in her eyes. She turned to the old man and began recounting the story. “So, there I was, sitting by the edge of a bridge. It was a quiet moment, you know, I got fired and just wanted to vent my anger , enjoying the view—”
“More like dangling dangerously over the edge,” Ethan interrupted.
“I wasn’t dangling!” Kira snapped, glaring at him. “Anyway, before I knew it, this man comes running up like a lunatic, yelling at me to step back, as if I were about to throw myself over.”
The old man chuckled, glancing at Ethan. “So you thought she was going to jump?”
Ethan shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “She looked… distressed. I wasn’t going to take any chances.”
Kira smirked. “And then he got hurt and I had had to dragged him to the hospital, to make sure he didn't dislocate a bone
The old man burst into laughter, his shoulders shaking as he looked between the two. “Ah, I see. So destiny brought you two together in a rather dramatic way.” He leaned back, wiping his eyes. “Interesting. Very interesting.”
He turned to Ethan, his expression softening. “So, young man, what brings you here tonight?”
Ethan hesitated, scratching the back of his neck. “Well… I don’t know. I just… found myself coming here.”
Kira narrowed her eyes at him. “Funny, because I don’t remember telling you where I live. Were you following me or something?”
Ethan stiffened, guilt flashing across his face. He knew the truth—he’d been keeping an eye on her through his men and couldn’t bring himself to admit it. “No! Of course not,” he said hastily. “Why would I be following you? You think I don’t have better things to do?”
Kira crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. “Really? Then what are you doing here? Because this doesn’t look like ‘better things’ to me.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened. “Excuse me, don’t mistake my care for something else. I only came to make sure you were okay.”
“Care?” Kira scoffed. “You don’t care about someone you don’t even know.”
The tension in the room grew as the two glared at each other, their bickering escalating.
“I don’t need to know you to be concerned!” Ethan snapped.
“Oh, please,” Kira shot back. “You just like meddling in people’s lives!”
The old man, thoroughly entertained, chuckled quietly to himself, shaking his head. “You two… you argue like an old married couple.”
Both Kira and Ethan turned to him, speaking in unison. “We do not!”
The old man laughed harder, holding up his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. But I stand by my earlier statement—destiny is clearly having fun with you two.”
- Writer
