Started with Goodbye

Chapter 16

I was now inside of our apartment, staring at the bracelet that Asher has given to me, and I know that I should be on our office now, doing all the work that I have left behind when my boss said that I should have a one day rest, but somehow, with a reason I could not seem to figure out, my boss extended my one day rest into a week.

And so, I have decided that the moment he talked to me on the phone that I should just laze around all week long because I do not have much to do. It was boring, but I was trying to find things that I could do for the whole week, and now, all those things that I came up with were now done and I could not seem to find anything to do.

I did not want to bother Asher, nor Aiden, because I think that the both of them were busy right now, given that it was weekdays and they needed some work to do unlike me who somehow my boss has given me a week break. I am too lazy to go out too because I think that I would see the same things over and over again, and I did not have any will to write a story right now, and I did not even know the reason behind that.

I sighed again as I tried as hard as I could so that I would be able to think of something that I could do, but my mind was still blank. Though it is not until the bracelet that I was wearing caught my attention.

Come think of it. I did not have a chance to check it out when Asher gave it to me, because I was so focused on the words that he said. I mean, I really think that it was too plain but I guess that it has something more than that I could not see, and I guess that this is the perfect timing for me to check it out, or should I say, I was just trying to find things that I could do because I was getting really bored right now.

With that thought in my mind, I started to take out the bracelet from my wrist, and check it out so that I could have something to do. I frowned when I saw that there was really nothing on the front of it, but when I looked at the back, I was shock when I saw a statement that was engraved on it.

“Until you meet my yesterday.” I read the statement out loud, and I frowned because I knew that I have seen it before. And I know to myself that I would not be able to forget that statement because in my mind, it was still clear, as if i have seen it just yesterday, when I read it.

This is the statement that Asher C.W. had written for his love. This is also the statement that was written on the description of his painting that was entitled Started with Goodbye. I remembered it so clear that I know that I was not wrong that it was the exact same words that I saw on that exhibit and on that article.

I frowned even more when I thought of something. “I thought that Asher does not know anything about that painter,” I mumbled to myself as I focused my gaze on that bracelet again. “Maybe, he got curious about that painter and he got interested about this mysterious statement, that’s why he requested to engrave this?”

I remembered, clearly, that Asher had told me that this bracelet is personalized, that’s why he also took his time inside of that jewelry shop. I could not be wrong when I heard that because I was sure as h*ck that I was not dreaming when he said that to me.

I was trying to figure out the reason behind that, but I gave up because my mind was blank. I could not seem to find out the real reason, and I did not want my head to get hurt just because of this.

“Maybe, I should ask Asher himself about this?” I asked myself after a few minutes of silence. “Maybe, I should ask him some other time because right now, I did not want to do anything other than lazing around all day,” I told to myself, and I even nodded to myself as I decided to just let it go and I wore that bracelet again.

I started to look at nothing in particular again right after that because I did not have anything in my mind that I wanted to do. I was so bored and it seems like even lazing around all day is getting boring too, but still, I could not come up with an idea on what I should do.

I was about to stand up and prepare a simple lunch for myself, but I stopped when I heard my phone rang. I frowned because I did not expect any call from someone today because first, it was my one week leave, and second, I knew that those two, Aiden and Asher, were busy about their works.

Though, I must have been wrong about my assumption with Asher, because as soon as I went to fetch my phone, I saw that he was the one who was calling me at this time of the day. It seems like he was not busy at all, and because I was bored and could not think of anything that I should do, I decided to pick up that call.

“Hello?” I said to him, unsure if it was really alright for me to answer his call at this time of the day. “Are you not busy with your work?” I asked him, just to make sure if was really indeed alright for me to answer him.

I mean, I just really assumed that he was busy right now, even though I really did not know anything about his work, or his life in general. And it was too funny to think that he was my boyfriend, but I know too little about him.

Though, I did not think about it anymore because I guess that it was more important now that the two of us were together, without a fight and without any problem. I think that it was alright that we are like this, no problems or what's over, and we were happy and nothing else.

Instead of answering my question, he just hummed and asked me, “Are you busy today?” And yes, he did ask me the same question that I asked him just a second ago.

I slightly shook my head, but I realized that he could not see me because he was just literally calling me on my phone, so I answered, “No, I’m not.” I sat on the chair, properly, again because it seems like Asher wanted to say something. The simple lunch should wait because I also wanted to talk to him. “Actually, my boss extended my leave into a week so I was just lazing around in our apartment, and I was getting bored to death.”

Asher laughed, loudly, because of what I said and that also made me smile a little. “Great,” he said to me that made curious about his plans for today. “Then, we should meet now and get some lunch in a restaurant that I know.”

I frowned when he said that. “I am glad that you are inviting me for lunch,” I told him, confusion was written all over my face. “But are you not really busy with work today?” I asked him the very first question that I asked him the moment that I answered his phone call.

I heard that he got silent on the other line, and I thought that he had reconsidered his plans, but after a few seconds, I heard him chuckled as if he had heard something so absurd from me and I also heard him sighed right after that.

“It is fine,” he assured me, but I was still hesitant if it was really fine for the both of us to get a lunch. “I am not busy right now. Isn’t it the reason why I called you?” he asked me that made me think again.

He had a point. After all, I knew that he was not a type of person who would prioritize his personal life than the tasks that he really needed to do. Also, he had a point that he would never call me if he was really busy right now.

I slowly nodded my head at him again, but I almost slapped my forehead as soon as I realized that he was still on the phone and not in front of me. Maybe, I was still in daze because of what I thought earlier? Or am I really just excited because he was the one who called me? I did not know, but all I know is that I was grateful that he had invited me to have a lunch with him.

“Alright,” I told him after a few minutes of silence. “Then, let me prepare my things first. I promise that I will be outside real quick.” A smile crept into my lips as soon as I said that to him.

He just hummed again and said, “Then, I will go now to your apartment building and meet you downstairs.” I nodded my head, again, and I was about to hung up the call but I stopped when I heard him say, “Take care.”

I laughed, loudly, because of that and playfully said to him, “I should be the one who should be telling you that, and not the other way around.”

I heard him stopped for a minute, before he let out a chuckle again. “Right,” he mumbled but I heard it loud and clear. “Then, maybe, I should say to you that I will meet you downstairs.”

“Alright,” I said to him as I started to stand up and prepare myself for our lunch. “I will not take that long.”

We bid each other a goodbye right after that, and I prepared as soon as I hung up the call. It did not take long for me to choose a dress that I would wear, and it did not also take long for me to prepare all the things that I think that is important for me to have.

I went out of my apartment as soon as I checked that everything was alright now, and just like what Asher said, I saw him on the outside of that apartment building, waiting patiently for me to come out of my apartment.

He was looking up at the sky, before he turned to look at my direction, and a smile was immediately seen on his face as soon as he saw me. I also saw him waved his hands at my direction, and the my s*lly side also decided to wave my hands at him.

I immediately walked on his direction, and gave him a smile. “Hey,” I greeted him, still wearing a bright smile on my face.

“Hey,” he also said to me that made me laugh a little. “Are you ready to go?” he asked me, and I just nodded my head at him as I still did not look away from his face. “Then, we should go on the restaurant now. It is not far from here so we can just walk.”

“Alright.” I nodded my head at him. “Then, we should go now. I am really hungry right now and I think that I can eat a large portion of food if I want to.”

Asher laughed because of what I said, before he ushered me to walk beside him while talking about the things that he did earlier before he called me for lunch. I also told him what I did, even though I knew that he would just laugh because I was just clearly lazing around, and I even think of doing that if he did not call me.

We reached the restaurant in no time, and I could say that it was not that fancy nor a plain looking one. For me, it was a perfect restaurant that you could really enjoy the ambiance with the person you are comfortable with.

“I heard from someone that the food here is really good so I thought that it would be perfect if the both of us would try it,” he said to me as he was looking at the restaurant in front of us, before he looked at my side. “Then, let’s go inside now?” He smiled at me, and I did so too, before I nodded my head at him and let him lead me inside.

The inside looks good too and I could already smell the delicious food that this restaurant could over, and that alone made me let out a sigh as I closed my eyes to let myself feel the welcoming atmosphere of the restaurant more.

I heard Asher chuckled because of what I did and that made me stop on what I was doing and look at him with a slight blush on my face. He just shook his head at me as if he could not believe that I did that, before he said to me that we should take a sit now so that we would be able to order something.

I immediately agreed with him, and let him lead me to a table for two on the side of the restaurant where a large glass window was located. We could see the quiet street outside, but that scene alone made the restaurant even more beautiful.

“I am starting to like it here,” I told him as we finished telling the waitress our orders. I looked at the outside then at him, but I frowned when I saw that he was smiling so sadly at me. “Are you alright? Do you feel sick right now?” I asked him.

That was the only reason that I had in my mind when I saw him looking at me like that. After all, I could not seem to think of any reasons why he had to show me that sad smile of his, other than that he was feeling sick.

It seems like he snapped out of his thoughts because of what I just said when I saw him shook his head to wake himself up. He even let out a sigh as if he was trying to tell to himself that he should not show an emotion like that to me.

“I am alright,” he told me as he gave me a smile that I could not describe now, and that also made me even more suspicious if he really was telling the truth.

I was about to ask him again, but I was interrupted when the waitress showed up again with the food that we ordered. I did not have time to ask him questions anymore because he already changed our topic, saying that we should try the food now while it was still hot.

I just agreed with him, but I was still confused, and curious at the same time, on why he was suddenly acting like that. It seems like there was something more than that I could not point out, and he did not want me to know it.

Come think of it. I also saw that kind of look when we first met, and the second, or should I say, I always caught him wearing that sad look on his face while he was staring at me. It seems like he was longing over something that I did not have any idea on what it was.

Out of curiosity, I could not stop myself anymore when we finished eating our food, that I could not really enjoy because of my worry for him, and I asked him, “Asher, why do you always looks so sad whenever you are looking at me?”