HIS ROOMMATE

SUN SET FIRST

CHAPTER 39

KAI'S POV

I rolled my eyes, but I was still smiling.

“Fine. But you’re cooking. And no, frozen dumplings don’t count as cooking.”

“Deal,” she said, already pulling tape off another box. “Now hurry up. If we leave soon, we can make it for sunset on my rooftop.”

For a second, the ache in my chest loosened. Not gone. Just... quieter.

Two hours later we were on Nancy’s rooftop.

Blankets. Fairy lights. Two mugs of hot chocolate she swore wasn’t spiked. It was.

New York stretched out below us. All noise and light and people who didn’t know my heart was broken.

“Last night in America,” Nancy said, clinking her mug against mine. “Make a wish, Kai.”

I didn’t wish for Adrian. I didn’t. I wished for a version of me that didn’t flinch when my phone buzzed. But For a version that could board that plane tomorrow and actually feel the excitement.

The wind pulled at my hair. Cold, but not cruel. For once.

“You’re quiet,” Nancy said, nudging my foot with hers.

“Just thinking.” I watched the skyline. “About how weird it is. Three years of friendship, one night that changed everything, and now... silence.”

She didn’t push. Just sat with me. That was Nancy.

Below us, a taxi honked. Someone laughed. Life kept going.

My phone buzzed in my jacket pocket.

Once. Then again. Same unknown number from earlier.

Nancy saw it too. Her eyes asked the question.

I pulled it out. No name. Just digits. And the little red ‘1’ on voicemail.

I stared at it until the screen went black.

“Are you going to listen to it?” she asked softly.

I didn’t answer. Didn’t know the answer myself.

The has to be Williams. He had been texting and calling for a while now, even though I have no idea how he got my number. But I won't let him find me, not before I start my life again.

I kept the phone in my hand, thumb hovering over the play button. The wind tugged at the blanket around my shoulders.

“Could be nothing,” Nancy said, but her voice was careful. She wasn’t buying it either.

It buzzed again. A text this time. Same unknown number. No words. Just a period. `.`

My stomach dropped. That was his thing. Williams. One dot when he wanted me to know he was watching.

I didn’t listen to the voicemail. I deleted it. Then I deleted the text. My hands were steady. Surprised me.

Nancy didn’t ask questions. She just reached over and took my mug, refilled it from the thermos. The hot chocolate was definitely spiked now.

“Sunset’s in ten,” she said, nodding at the sky. It was turning gold, bleeding into pink over the buildings.

I looked at the phone. Screen still black. For the first time in months, I powered it off. Didn’t put it on silent. Off.

The ache in my chest was still there. But quieter.

“Okay,” I said. “Sunset first. Plane tomorrow.”

Nancy smiled, small and real. “That version of you? She’s already here.”

Below us, the city kept moving. Honks, laughter, footsteps. Life going on, whether I was ready or not.

ADRIAN'S POV

I sat in my office buried in work... After the dinner at grandma's house that didn't really went well, I realized I was holding on too tight. Ash was right I just had to learn how to let Valerie go... Like she said, it was always Marcus. She liked Marcus not me.

Then my mind drift off to the one person I haven't seen in four days. She haven't called or texted, I thought I could wait and give her space but I just can't wait, I wanted to see her. But before I could dial her number... My personal assistant walked in reminding me of the meeting with the board members...

I nodded at my assistant without looking up. “Give me five minutes.”

She hesitated at the door. “They’re already in the conference room, Mr. Reyes.”

Right. Board meeting. Numbers. Contracts. Things I could control. Unlike her.

I locked my phone before she walked back out. Four days. No call, no text. I told myself space was what Kai needed. That’s what Ash kept saying too. “Let her go, Adrian. You can’t love her into staying.”

But my chest didn’t get the memo.

I leaned back in the chair and rubbed my eyes. Dinner at grandma’s replayed on loop. The way Valerie looked at Marcus across the table. The way she didn’t look at me at all. Ash was right. It was always Marcus. I was just the guy who tried to hold on anyway.

The phone stayed dark in my palm. No notifications. No Kai.

I stood up, straightened my jacket. Work was safe. Work didn’t flinch when your phone buzzed. Work didn’t leave you staring at a black screen wondering if she was okay.

As I walked out, my assistant fell into step beside me. “You good, Mr. Reyes?”

“Yeah,” I lied. “Just need to get through this meeting.”

The door to the conference room closed behind me. But my mind stayed stuck on four days of silence, and the one person I couldn’t stop wanting to see.

The meeting started. Slide after slide. Revenue. Projections. The board asked questions I answered on autopilot.

Mr. Reyes, your take on Q4?

“Steady growth,” I said. “If we keep the current trajectory.”

But I wasn’t there. Not really.

My phone was face down on the table. Every time someone shifted in their chair, I thought it buzzed. Four days. I could’ve texted. I should’ve texted. But what would I even say? “I miss you”? “Are you safe”? “Don’t go”?

I rubbed my thumb over the edge of the table. The wood was smooth from years of meetings like this. Meetings where I made decisions that changed companies. None of them felt as heavy as this silence.

Someone asked about the merger. I gave them the numbers. My voice sounded normal. Professional. Mr. Reyes had it together.

Inside, I was counting hours. Kai’s flight was tomorrow night. If she was still going. If that unknown number was really Williams. If she powered her phone back on.

The meeting wrapped. Handshakes. “Good work, Adrian.”

I nodded, gathered my notes. The room emptied fast.

My assistant paused at the door. “You want me to reschedule your 4pm?”

I looked at my phone. Still black. Still off.

“No,” I said. “Cancel it. I’m heading out.”

For the first time in four days, I wasn’t waiting. I was moving.

But moving where? Her place? I didn’t even know if she’d open the door. Home? That just meant four walls and the quiet I’d been avoiding all day.

I grabbed my jacket, keys already in my hand. One step toward the door and it swung open before I touched it.

Ash stood there, grin already in place. Leo and Mike crowded behind him, like they’d planned the ambush.

What were they all doing here? At my office? At this hour?

“Hey bro!” Ash said, voice too loud for the hallway. That wide smile told me he wasn’t leaving until he got what he wanted.

I shut the door behind me instead of walking out. “What are you guys doing here?”

Mike stepped forward, arms spread like he was about to deliver a speech. “We came to rescue you. It’s been, what, three weeks since you took over your dad’s company? And suddenly Mr. Reyes is too busy for his friends. Too busy for drinks. Too busy for us.”

“It hasn’t even been a month,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I’ve got a lot on my plate. You can’t blame me for that.”

“That’s exactly why we’re here,” Ash cut in, already walking past me into my office like he owned it. He peeked at my desk, at the canceled calendar on my screen. “Don’t even start with excuses. We heard you tell your assistant to clear your schedule. So you’re free.”

Leo leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “Free enough for one drink. One night. Like old times.”

I sighed and dropped my keys on the desk. God, there was no winning with them. Ash had that look, the one that said he’d drag me out by my tie if he had to. Mike was already texting someone about the bar. Leo just waited, patient and smug.

For a second I thought about arguing. About telling them my head was full of board meetings and four days of silence from Kai. But they weren't asking, but deciding. Maybe that's what I need. Them deciding for me.

TBC