Started with Goodbye

Chapter 17

“He haven’t called you yet?” Aiden asked me that made me shook my head and sighed. “Even a text? You haven’t receive anything from him?” she even asked again that made me sigh for I did not know how many times ever since that day has started.

The ‘he’ Aiden was pertaining to was Asher who haven’t called me ever since that day that I asked him that question. Now, I have been thinking if what I did was right or not. I have been thinking if it was right for me to ask such things to him.

“Asher, why you always looks so sad whenever you are looking at me?” That was the question that I had asked him the time that we had a lunch together at that restaurant because of the curiosity that I was feeling at that time.

I could not stop myself from asking him that, and what I just promised to myself that I would not make a move that I did not know, or should I say, I was not certain if it was really alright or not. I did not even thought twice before I asked him that, and now, that was the only thing that has been the reason why he hasn’t called me since that day, nor he texted me to tell me that he just alright.

It was like just like that, everything become ruined again. It seems like everything had fallen into pieces, and he did not even told me what was wrong. He did not even told me what had gotten into him that he had to act like that.

I sighed again as I remembered how he ignored me that day, right after I asked him that question. Though he did not really ‘avoid’ me, but I could tell that he felt uncomfortable when I asked him that question. I could tell that he did not want me to know why he was looking at me like that.

His silence right after I asked him that, and his silence when we were walking on streets, which is very unusual because we always had an idea in mind so that we could talk about things, were enough for me to tell that he did not want to answer that question.

Ever since that day, and ever since he managed to walk me through my apartment building, I did not hear any words from. I did not hear anything from him, and he did not even bothers to answer my call or my texts, that I have been doing these past few days.

I was starting to get worried of him, but I could not do anything because first, his phone number was the only thing that I have right now, and second, I did not have any little clue about where he was living, nor where he was working right now.

I heard Aiden sighed, and yes, even though it was Friday today, she was on our apartment saying that she does not have any work to do in her office, and her last client for the photoshoot was already satisfied with the results so they did not have to further discuss it anymore.

“So, what did really happened?” she asked me as soon as she sat down on a chair in front of me.

We were now currently at the dining area of our apartment, which I found odd because whenever I was thinking of a problem, a problem between me and Asher to be exact, I was always on this area of our apartment as if I had found comfort in here when in reality, it is not. Because all I have been feeling right now was nervousness, worry, and anxiousness, and I could not seem to stop myself from doing so.

“Your relationship with Mr. Asher is new, but you are already facing a problem like this?” she asked me, almost because of disbelief. “It seems like I did not get the reason why he suddenly ‘disappeared’ without even saying something to you. Did he even told you what was happening before something like this had happened?”

I sighed as I leaned on the wall that was behind me and looked at nothing in particular. I did not bother to answer Aiden’s question because I have also been thinking of this for the past days that Asher have not called me, but I could not seem to find any answers for it.

So, instead of answering her questions, I just asked her the question that have been running on my mind ever since that day. The same question that I asked Asher, and the same question that made him avoid me for who knows how many days has it been.

“Aiden,” I called her name, still not looking at her and continued to stare at the wall behind Aiden. I heard her hummed to tell me that she was listening, so I asked her, “How do you feel when someone looks at you with a solemn expression on his face, even though the both of you just met and did not know anything about each other?”

“I don’t get you?” That was the time that I looked at Aiden, and I could clearly see the confusion on her face. “What do you mean by that?” she asked me, a frown had started to form on her face as if she was trying to figure out what the h*ck I was saying to her.

I sighed again as I leaned on the table between us, before I started to tell her the ‘reason’ why Asher has been acting like that, or should I say that is what I think the reason why he did not called me these past few days.

“Ever since I met Asher on that grocery store, and up until that day that he asked me out for lunch, I could clearly see that he was looking at me with a sad look on his face as if anytime soon, he would shed a tear but he was trying to stop himself from doing so,” I told her that made her look at me, the frown was still seen on her face. “I could not be wrong when I clearly saw that look on his face, and I know that it was not my illusion when I saw him like that.”

“Is that the reason why he have not called you?” she asked me that made me look at her again. “Was it because you asked him something like that and he just disappeared out of nowhere, without you knowing anything?”

I nodded my head at her. “Yeah, I asked him that because I was so confused and curious at the same time.” I sighed again as I pinched the bridge of nose because I felt like I might have a head ached because of this. “I promised to myself that I will not ask him anything and will try to unfold everything as time goes by, but I did not manage to stop myself on asking him something like that.”

Aiden hummed again as if she was considering everything that I told her, before she asked me, “Are you really sure that you never met him?” I looked at her again when I heard her say that. “I mean, that might be the reason why he looks so sad, right? Or should I say that was the reasonable explanation why he looks at you like that.”

I shook my head at her because of what she said. “I already told you right from the start that if I ever met Asher before, I will manage to recognize him,” I told her as I looked at nothing in particular again. “He was not the type of person to forget, after all,” I added.

Aiden sighed as she crossed her arms under her chest, as she thought, deeply, about my problem with my boyfriend who did not call me these past few days, which we both found odd because of how sweet he is to me.

“Then maybe, he is from another world?” she told me that made me snap my head towards her, and glared fiercely at her. “I mean, you are so sure that you have not met him. We could not think of any reason why he had to go away just because of that question, that was the next reasonable explanation for this.”

“You think that someone who lives on another world is a reasonable explanation for this?” I asked her in disbelief, but she just shrugged her shoulders at me. “I thought that you are really serious because of this talk, but I guess that you cr*ziness is beyond my reach now.”

She slammed her hands on the table between us, and I was thankful that it is wooden or else, we might buy another one if it was broken, then she looked at me with her almost serious expression on her face, but I knew better than believing that she was indeed serious right now.

“Look, Hera,” she told me as her hands were still on the table between us. “Don’t you find it odd that he was acting like that but then you did not really know the real reason behind that? It is a plus that he does not want to answer you or anything.”

“As much as I wanted to know reason, and as much as I wanted to know your opinion,” I told her as I rubbed my forehead because I was starting to feel a little pain, and it was all because of Aiden’s out of this world, literally and figuratively, explanation. “I know that it was not an acceptable reason, you know? How the h*ck did you even thought of that?”

“Look, all the reasons and your explanations were just pointing at the same direction, and that is Asher is not originally from our world,” she told me, but I just shook my head and rolled my eyes because of how ridiculous her explanation is. “Don’t you want to consider that thought? It is not really that impossible, you know?”

“You just watch too much science fiction movie that’s why you are saying that,” I said to her as I waved her off. “Wake up. Will you, Aiden? You are being illusionary right now, and I did not want to send you off on a mental hospital because of this.”

I continued to wave her off, but I was stopped because she suddenly grabbed my hands and looked at the bracelet, almost intently. I looked at it too, and I sighed because I thought of Asher once again.

“Did he give this to you?” she asked me as she removed the bracelet on my hand, and I just nodded my head at her to answer her question. “It has a larger size than your wrist, you know?”

“I know,” I told her as I slowly nodded my head. “But it was still alright for me to wear it, so I did not remove it from my wrist anymore.” I saw her sat down from her seat earlier, the bracelet was still on her hands.

Aiden just nodded her head at me as she kept on checking that bracelet. “This is a true gold,” she said to me in shock that made me shook my head at again, a small smile was formed on my face.

“He gave me that on our first date,” I told her, as I was taken back by that day that the both of us tried the things that caught our attention. “It was a personalized one, actually,” I added that made her raise her eyebrows at me.

“That means that he’s really rich,” she told me that made me look at her with my deadly stares. “Kidding aside, this bracelet is beautiful, gorgeous even.”

I smiled because of what she said and just look at her, while I wait for her to finish checking the bracelet that Asher had given to me.

“Oh?” Aiden said that made me look at her again with a confused expression on my face. “There was something written in it.” She looked at the words that have been engraved on the inside of that bracelet.

I saw how her eyes widen in shock, but I did not pay any more attention at her when she looked at me with that grin on her face as if she was saying that “See, I was right all along?”

“This statement proves that he was indeed on the other world!” she said to me that made me roll my eyes at her again. “Look!”

“Sh*t up, Aiden.” I snatched the bracelet away from her hands as I started to wear it again. “Stop with your nonsense speculation because it does not really help me. To be prank, it was just making my head hurt than it ever was.”

I stood up from my seat and started to walk inside my room. I could still hear that Aiden was calling my name, but I did not pay any attention at her anymore. I just wanted to take a rest because it seems like thinking too much had tired me out.

I took a sit on my bed first, and just like I always did these past few days, I called Asher’s number but it was still the same. He did not pick it up and the like just ended like that. I tried to text him too, but he did not reply to it even if I wait for it for a long time.

I sighed again as I lie on my bed, and tried as hard as I could so that I could have a sleep, even though I think that I could not do it because of the countless thoughts that kept on running on my mind over and over again.

That is how my weekend, and my one week leave, had happened. I did not manage to talk to Asher, and the only time that I saw him was when he gave me that bracelet and he threat me to a lunch that had changed everything.

It was now Monday and my boss already called me, so early in the morning, that I needed to return now, and so I did. I immediately prepared everything that I needed to bring on my work, and I also started to dress myself up with my work attire.

I went out of my apartment and locked the door, because Aiden already left earlier, and went down on the lobby of our apartment building, but I stopped on my tracks because it seems like my eyes were playing tricks with me.

I even rubbed it, because I thought that the person outside the building was just my illusion, but to my excitement, and to my disappointment too because of how long he had been out and did not even bothering to tell me what just happened, he was really true.

He waved his hands at me, and all I could say was his name.

“Asher.”