CHAPTER TWO
869 Words
The news anchor spoke calmly, but Brian felt the world around him slow.
His grip tightened around the remote as his eyes stayed fixed on the screen.
Eva.
For two years, she had haunted the one place he couldn’t escape—his mind.
The last time he saw her…
She had left him standing in the rain.
And now—
She was back.
The door beeped open.
“Hey, Brian—are you okay?”
Brian didn’t turn immediately.
“Why are you here, James?”
He switched off the TV.
James stepped in, studying him. “You saw it too, didn’t you?”
No response.
Brian walked past him into the kitchen.
James exhaled. “Wow. Your best friend shows up worried about you, and this is the welcome I get?”
Brian grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “What about your wife?”
“We fought. Again.” James shrugged. “Needed somewhere to cool off. Didn’t expect to run into breaking news on my way here.”
Brian said nothing.
James hesitated—then dropped it.
“That was Eva… wasn’t it?”
Brian’s grip tightened slightly.
“Your wife.”
“Ex-wife.”
“Yeah… that.” James scratched his head. “But are you okay?”
Brian glanced at him. “Do I not look okay?”
James didn’t answer.
Instead, he said quietly—
“She showed up at the gala. After you left.”
Brian said nothing.
James hesitated.
“…she has a son.”
Silence.
The bottle stilled in Brian’s hand.
“Looked young too,” James added. “So I was thinking…”
Brian’s fingers tightened.
“What if he’s yours?” James paused. "Or... do you think she remarried." James added and Brian turned to glare at him.
"Hey man, you have to see the look on your face right now... You look like you could kill me."
That did it.
Brian dropped the bottle onto the counter.
“Go home, James.”
“Brian—”
“I said go home.”
James raised both hands. “Alright. Message received.”
He paused at the door.
“…you sure you’re not still hung up on her?”
Brian didn’t answer.
“Yeah,” James muttered. “That’s what I thought.”
"Take care, man. Don't miss me too much."
The door closed behind him.
The silence settled around him.
James's words replayed over and over in his mind.
She has a son.
She probably remarried.
-
The next morning, still haunted by Eva's sudden reappearance, Brian walked into Denas Entertainment.
Brian stepped into the CEO's office. Mr Denas sat behind the desk.
"Brian, you are here," Mr Denas said as he entered.
"Yes, Mr Denas, you asked to see me," he replied as he walked towards him.
"Have a seat son," Mr Denas said and he bowed taking his seat in front of him.
"And also, you can always call me Peter, you don't have to call me Mr Denas every time," Mr Denas told him chuckling and he smiled.
"All right, Peter."
"Well, what I really called you out for, there is a party I will like to hold at my place tomorrow," Mr Denas began and Brian looked confused.
"I know what you are thinking, we both stay at the same place, yeah, it's actually a party or should I say like a gathering to mark the fifth year anniversary of Denas building," Mr Denas continued.
"Wow, that's nice."
"All shareholders and all stakeholders, members and staff of the group are also invited... But to what I really want you to do for me, is to accompany Avery to pick out her dress for the party tomorrow."
"Okay, no problem Peter."
"Knew I could count on you, saw that you two really got along well at the gala."
"Yeah, Avery is an attractive woman."
"Wow, so you are interested in my daughter."
"Well, I can't say..."
"She was the one who even asked for the favor, but shy as she is, I have to fulfill the duty of asking you on her behalf," Mr Denas said laughing and he smiled lightly.
The telephone ringing disrupted them and Mr Denas excused himself while Brian just nodded.
Oh... yeah... She can come in.
"Well, I guess this is the end of our discussion, Avery should be right downstairs waiting for you, I actually have a visitor I would like to attend to."
"All right, Peter, I will make sure to treat your daughter like the princess she is," Brian said and Mr Denas chuckled slightly.
The door to the office finally opened and Mr Denas looked up to the visitor, Brian preparing to head out.
“Welcome, Miss Eva Jones.”
Brian froze.
Everything inside him stilled—
then collided all at once.
Anger.
Confusion.
Desire.
Regret.
Slowly… he turned.
And there she was.
Eva.
Exactly as he remembered.
And yet—
completely different.
Their eyes met.
His breath caught.
For a moment, the world narrowed to just the two of them.
Two years.
And it meant nothing.
Because she looked at him—
and smiled.
Like he was just another man in the room.
- Writer
