Chapter Eight
1105 Words
“Hello,” the voice said.
Dylan pressed the phone close to his ear. He could swear he heard her voice.
He cleared his throat and tried to speak when his driver interrupted him.
“Sir, there's a car coming, you're in the wrong lane,” Dylan's driver screamed.
He snapped out of his thoughts to see a fast approaching car, he swerved and tried to steady his heartbeat.
He'd been thinking about his mother and the voice he'd heard on the phone earlier disrupted his attention.
He'd been driving to see his mother who had been admitted into the hospital when the call came in. He didn't answer calls from unsaved numbers but he had answered this one because he thought it came from the hospital. Not until he heard her voice.
“Hey, watch how you drive,” a driver beside him snapped. “Do you wanna kill someone? Do you wanna kill yourself? Huh.”
Dylan sighed and muttered an apology. It was his fault. He had not driven in a long time and just today, he had instructed his driver to let him drive. Now, it had turned out to be one big bad decision.
Slowly, he continued driving and after what looked like a thousand years, he arrived at the hospital Catharina texted him. He left his driver in his car and walked quickly to the receptionist who directed him to his mother’s ward.
He walked toward it, knocked slowly before opening the door.
His mother was sitting on the bed and sipping a cold juice. Catharina sat beside him and they were laughing about something they seemed to be discussing before he came in.
“Mom,” he muttered, quite surprised. “I thought you had an accident.”
His mother smiled at him, stood up from the bed and hugged him. “Dylan,” she muttered. “I missed you.”
“Mom, I thought you had an accident,” he repeated.
“Well, I did.” She said, pointing to a little bruise on her forehead. “But Catharina drove me here on time,” she replied, smiling.
He turned to Catharina. “You mean you called and texted me because of just a bruise on my mom's forehead.”
“Just a bruise?” She raised her eyebrow. “You're so insensitive Bryan. She was in pain and she needed to see you.”
Or you needed to see me. He thought.
Dylan rubbed his temples and sighed. He couldn't believe this.
He turned to look at Catharina who was staring at him. She was wearing one of her revealing clothes again. And he couldn't lie, she looked incredibly beautiful but it didn't change the fact he felt nothing for her.
“This was the only way to get you to see us, Dylan,” his mother muttered. “Look Dylan, Catharina misses you, she says you're all about work and that you barely have time for her.”
“But isn't that what we’re supposed to be all about? Work?” he replied. “Catharina is the HR for goodness sake.”
“You know it isn't true. You know she's more than your employee.”
Dylan gritted. It was something he hated to be confronted with. She wasn't just any employee, she was the girl his mother wanted him to marry. Scratch that; she was the daughter of their biggest investors and his family wanted them to get married.”
“I'm not ready to get married, mom. I have my career right in front of me,” he feigned the excuse.
He meant to say: I don't love her mom. I don't want us to get married.
Catharina’s face went pale, she avoided his eyes, sighed softly and gently pushed a stray strand of her hair.
“And who says you have to get married now?” His mother said. “You can start courting.”
Dylan felt uncomfortable. He didn't like the way the conversation was headed. Minutes ago, he had never expected to be in this scenario but here he was and there was little he could do about it.
“Come on, mom. You need to do better. We've had this discussion a gazillion times already. Ain't you both tired of it? I'm not ready to get married now.”
He turned to leave but Catharina held his hand. “Wait, don't go.”
He glared at her, hoping she'd get the message and leave him alone but she didn't. Catharina was stubborn, just like he was but they both wanted different things.
“Not today. I need to sleep. I’ve had a long day and I'll be at the office tomorrow,” he muttered.
He meant to say: leave me alone, I need to call that number. I'm sure it was her.
“Please,” Catharina begged. “Five minutes. I just want to spend some time with you.”
Dylan's mouth parted to produce words but he didn't know what to say. Just when he was about to speak, his mother stood up and quietly exited the room. “I think I'll leave you two to have that discussion,” she said, winking at him.
Dylan sighed as his mother left the room. He stared at Catharina who still held him.
“You’re a beautiful and intelligent lady, Catharina.”
She blushed to her ears. “Thank you.”
His face turned serious. “That is why you shouldn't settle for someone who doesn't love you. Like me,” he muttered, watching her eyes for a reaction. “Look, I feel nothing for you and there's nothing I can do about it no matter how hard I try.”
Her eyes became teary but she tried to blink the tears away. “But you haven't tried yet. We have never been in a relationship.”
Dylan sighed and rubbed his temples. “Nothing can work between us, Catharina. I'll always see you as my younger sister, my employee and nothing else.”
The tears finally flowed from her eyes but Dylan didn't mutter a word. He simply freed his hand from her and walked toward the door, but her voice held him back.
“This isn't the end, Dylan. I won't let you go until you fall in love with me and if I don't get you, no one will.”
Dylan turned to meet her bloodshot eyes. “Is that a threat?”
She shook her head and smiled bitterly. “No, it's a promise.”
“Then good luck trying,” he said, shutting the door.
- Writer
