QUEST

CHAPTER 7: KYLE? OR NOT?

ZYLPHIA’S POV

Kyle?

The guy with the green eyes back then?

I tried to wrap my head around more details about him from my childhood.

“You’re wasting the water.” A rather familiar voice pierced through my thinking haze.

“Ohh” I nodded apologetically, as I turned to look at the face of the person.

“Pitha?”

“ Hey there” she greeted unenthusiastically, confirming that she was actually the one.

“Long time, Zyl”

“Yeah. How have you been?”

“Not soo good. you?” she answered, facing the mirror. “ I heard that your company faced a lot abroad, and you’re back to fix it with some major shareholders.” She continued.

“Yeah” I gave her a clipped reply.

Now, we were not so close to exchange company’s secrets and issues, but we were not unfamiliar either.

Thanks for the concern, we are doing fine.” I closed the case, eager to leave the place.

I had always disliked the tension around her, like she always wanted to hold the air.

Wait, how did she get the information? I had tried so hard to keep the situation between five board members, and Rue.

So we were seven in total that knew the official purpose of my return.

Perhaps there is a mole among them.

***

I took a deep breath as I steadied my steps back to the table. This guy gave me one kind of feeling. The one I didn’t want to feel. The one that I had experienced with the other men I had met.

But there was a difference in him. He seemed familiar.

“Miss Roead” His deep and concerned voice came through.

“Yeah..sorry, I think I took a lot of time.” I said, forcing a smile.

“It’s okay, I was about ordering anyway.” He said, flashing his set of white teeth.

I liked that. His goddamn smile.

“Sorry, do you think we’ve met before? I don’t know,” I said, my hands in my hair, pausing a bit. “You seem familiar.”

“You think so?” He said, his look showing that he was trying hard to check his memory.

“I don’t think so, though” he said carefully, after some minutes of wild silence.

“Okay, I’m sorry, I just thought you looked familiar.” I said, trying to clear the awkward air.

“Okay, it’s totally normal” he waved his hands, as if brushing the matter off from the air.

“I mean, it’s normal to mistake this handsome face” he was saying cheekily, with a faint smile on his face.

The awkward air dissipated a bit, and the waiter brought two cups of coffee. Seems like he had also ordered coffee.

“So may I ask what Miss Roead does?” he asked, looking curious.

“Well, I run a small company.”

“And you should call me by my name. I’m Zylphia.”

“What a nice name, Zylph” he said and winked.

Zylph. It was not exactly Zylph, but it was manageable. I liked it, so Zylph it is then.

“Yeah, Zylph is it.” I said with a little smile on my lips.

Oh sorry, I guess we have to call it a day here,” he said, apologetically.

A sound came from his phone which was probably an alarm.

Who sets an alarm for a date? I chuckled at his weirdness.

I was probably as weird as that. I set alarms for everything.

Nice meeting you, Zylph” he said, calmly standing up.

“Same here _ I don’t know your name.” I said, realizing I actually didn’t know his name.

“Dan” he said with a smile, stretching his hands for a handshake.

I took it, responding to his smile.

“Alright, nice meeting you, Dan.” I said, also standing up.

It was really a nice date, at leaset, a little different from other dates.

It was not so cliche.

Not the usual interrogation.

"I'll take you back" he suggested as he signalled his assistant.

The latter came and gave him his car keys.

"Thanks, don't bother" I said, curtly.

"No, I insist" He said, a bit sternly.

"Okay" I succumbed.

Maybe he actually wanted cliche.

"Now, that's the spirit" He said and I chuckled.

"If you say so."

**

After the ride of about one hour, he swerved in front of my house.

I got down and he watched me enter my house, the look in his eyes, doting, as if I were something precious.

Very contrary to what he had told me in the car.