What Could Love Be

Chapter 5: Miscommunication

Knowing where Lydia might have gone, an angry Dennis drove to her house to talk to her. On his way, he spotted Lydia walking towards her home. However, he also noticed someone suspiciously following her, as if he didn’t want her to realise he was tailing her. When Dennis honked his car horn, the person in the black hoodie quickly entered the neighbouring compound. Dennis thought to himself, , I must be wrong; it seemed he was just heading home, too.

Dennis parked and got out of the car he asked Lydia to step in so they could talk. Lydia, furious, refused to hear anything he had to say. At that moment, Dennis, who was steaming hot with anger, lost his cool and shouted, “Lydia, do you know how mad I am right now? I’m trying my best not to raise my voice, but it seems you’re not even trying to understand how I feel. You only care about yourself and what you think you know. I waited in that restaurant and searched for you for over 30 minutes! I even went into the ladies’ room like a madman, thinking something had happened to you in there. If one of the staff hadn’t seen you leave, I’d probably still be looking for you. Do you know what thoughts ran through my mind as I searched everywhere for you? I called you several times, but you didn’t answer. I texted you, but you didn’t reply. I even called Melissa, and she also had no idea what had happened to you. It seems like you only care about yourself and not about others. If something had happened to you, everyone would have pointed fingers at me, saying I was the last person you had met and you never returned. But even amidst all of this, you’re only thinking about yourself and how you feel.

“I took you to that restaurant because I wanted us to have a good time and create nice memories. Yes, I had been there once with my ex, but that doesn’t mean we can’t go to the same restaurant just because someone from my past had been there. It’s the best restaurant I know in terms of service and food.

“You overlooked all my efforts and everything good I’ve done just because you saw one picture. And you thought the right thing to do was to leave without notifying me.”

Feeling childish and foolish at this point, Lydia tried to justify her reaction: “I felt disrespected when I saw you had brought me to the same place you and your ex made memories. Before that, I was upset about your slip-up in the car when you told me that you had taught your ex how to drive.”

Dennis, already exhausted by the argument and where it was heading, replied, “I can’t stop you from thinking what you want to think, and I have no control over your emotions. But I do hope you try to consider how I feel when you react this way. I saw you get home since I picked you up from your house this morning; it’s only courtesy. I have nothing more to say to try to assure you, if you keep putting so much emotion into what you think you know without finding out the facts first. It’s beyond my control. Good night.” With that, he walked to the car and drove off.

Lydia walked inside her house, lay down on her bed, and broke down in tears. She cried, feeling guilty about how she had reacted that day. She kept checking her phone to see if Dennis would call or text her. However, her phone remained silent. Eventually, she fell asleep while crying.

Melissa come downstairs. Her mother called for her from the living room. When she arrived, her mom handed her a note and said, “I need you to help me pick up some things from the market. Your brother is coming home today, and I want to cook something nice for him, but I’m short on some ingredients.” Melissa was excited to hear that her brother would be home, and she told her mom she’d be back soon. She quickly went to her room to change before heading to the market.

As she walked to the market, Melissa couldn’t contain her excitement, reminiscing about how she and her brother used to walk to school and to the market together. Despite their seven-year age difference, her brother had always been like her best friend, defending her from bullies. However, their relationship had changed significantly since they had both grown into adults, with her brother now living on the other side of the city.

When Melissa returned from the market, her mother told her to put the groceries in the fridge. Surprised, Melissa asked, “I thought you wanted to cook?” Her mom responded, “Your brother called and said he had to go to the office for overtime, so he won’t be able to come home today. He’ll be here tomorrow.” “Oh,” was all Melissa could say as she walked to her room, feeling a bit sad.

Once in her room, Melissa remembered she hadn’t heard from Lydia and Dennis since yesterday. She picked up her phone and called Lydia.

Lydia answered the phone excitedly, thinking it was Dennis calling; she picked up so quickly that she didn’t even check the caller ID. “Hello, Lydia, are you okay? What happened yesterday?” Melissa asked. “Dennis said he couldn’t find you.”

Though a bit disappointed by the caller. Lydia went on to explain everything that happened the previous day to her friend and how Dennis reacted. She also mentioned that she hadn’t heard from Dennis since he left.

Melissa replied, “Lydia, I don’t understand why you acted so rashly. Dennis was really worried yesterday; his voice was shaking when he called me to ask if I knew where you were. It sounded like he had been crying. As your friend, I’d advise you to be the one to call him.” Melissa ended the call, feeling a bit angry about how Lydia had behaved.

After hanging up with Melissa, Lydia called Dennis, but he didn’t pick up. Worry began to creep in as she thought he might still be upset with her. She tried calling him a second time, but he still didn’t answer. Overwhelmed with emotions, she began to cry again when her phone rang. It was Dennis. She quickly wiped her tears and answered the call.

“How did it feel?” Dennis asked. Lydia was confused, so he continued, “How did it feel when I didn’t pick up your calls when you called twice?” Lydia replied, “It felt pretty bad and painful.”

Dennis then said, “I called you 31 times yesterday and left about 20 messages, and you didn’t reply to any of them.” Lydia started to cry again and apologised. Dennis consoled her, saying, “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just wanted to let you know how I felt yesterday. I’m not mad at you. I just hope we can get past this phase. We’re grown adults, so let’s learn to talk about any issues we might face in this relationship.” He added, “I love you so much, Lydia; I hope you know that.”

Lydia responded, “I love you too, Dennis, and I’m really sorry once again.” He blew her a kiss, and they ended the call.

Who's there?" Lydia's neighbour inquired sharply; he was a middle-aged man with a slightly greying beard. Peering out from behind his door with furrowed brows and suspicion etched on his face.

A young man clad in a dark hoodie stepped hesitantly onto the porch of the house beside Lydia's, his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his oversized garment. "I'm sorry," he replied, his voice strained with worry. "I thought this was my friend's house. I must have entered the wrong one."

Lydia’s neighbour had noticed the young man had been loitering outside Lydia’s house earlier, and it seemed odd that he was now standing on his porch.

Now that you know, leave, Lydia's neighbour said as he exchanged a wary glance with his wife, a deep frown settling on his features. "That's how thieves operate these days," he muttered under his breath, the words laced with a mixture of caution and disdain. He watched until the figure disappeared into the shadows of the street. He sighed before he stepped outside to lock the gate with a firm click.

Lydia, unaware of the strange encounter, lay in bed, her mind still restless, pondering the situation with Dennis. The emotions from earlier hadn’t quite settled, but a sense of relief washed over her as she remembered their conversation. She didn’t know what the future held, but for now, she hoped things would work out.