Chapter 14 - What If
1032 Words
"Are you sleeping?"
Anna changed her position to the left side to look at her interlocutor well. It was eleven, bedtime.
Dave glanced at her and replied, "Not yet. Why haven't you slept yet?" he asked back. Half an hour had passed since they decided to sleep and filled it in silence. But apparently, that was just a plan, as they had not yet reached the dream world.
"I don't know. It's hard to close my eyes," Anna admitted. She had a theory. It was probably related to his existence. She rarely brought a man to sleep in her apartment. Only Matt. And even then to take care of her when she was sick.
"Because of me?" He guessed right. Or not?
But that was just a guess. Anna didn't even know the exact reason.
"If so, what are you going to do?"
Dave mumbled, then replied, "What else? I'll leave your apartment."
"In this hour?"
"Yes. I don't want to be a gadfly to you."
Anna smiled, amused at his last sentence. A gadfly? She rarely heard such a word. "How about the other way around? You're not a gadfly and not the reason I can't sleep?" she asked again, with another assumption.
"Then we have to find out the cause." He stared at her eyes from his place, even though they were about five meters apart. "Did you have trouble sleeping, Anna Byrne?'
Oh, Anna Byrne. When would she get used to her new name?
"If I had known, I would have dealt with it."
Dave was silent for a moment, thinking about something. "You want to play a game with me?" he suggested.
"What's that?"
"We're playing What If. You have to answer the questions."
That didn't sound bad, right? They just needed to take turns asking and answering. No need to move from their position. "Okay."
"I'll go first." Dave volunteered. He suggested it, so he should have the one who started it to give a clear idea of what he meant. "What if you're a celebrity? Maybe a model."
Her face suddenly turned horrified at the thought. "I might resign soon. I love sweets."
Yes, food was the reason behind it. How would Anna handle her stress if she couldn't eat sweets? She might be more depressed.
Then silence. It should have been her turn to ask.
"Oh, it's my turn. Sorry," Anna said after realizing her mistake. Her brain immediately thought of something. "What if you're not a Byrne?"
"I'll work hard to be a Byrne."
"Why?" This was how it was when playing something with women. They had a lot of curiosities and questions not related to the game.
"I want to make my life and my family in peace. That may be hard to admit, but getting rich will make things easier."
Anna nodded slowly. That was right. Someone once said, "If you are not good-looking, then be rich."
But was he a combination of the two? That made him the best combo, right?
"It's my turn," he said, breaking the daydream she had just begun. "What if you weren't a celebrity assistant and didn't work in the entertainment world? What would you do?"
"Wow, you took two assumptions," she commented. Then she presupposed the situation. She always wanted to be a screenwriter. But if she couldn't work in the entertainment world, she would be... "A writer?" She sounded doubtful. It was the closest job to her dream.
"What kind of writer?" Apparently, he asked for details. He was really thorough.
"I love reading novels, so a novelist. And sometimes I try to write one."
"Really? Why don't you try publishing that?"
"I haven't finished one yet. How can I publish that?"
"Try it, and I-"
"You'll support me, right?" she cut in. She somehow knew what Dave was going to say. It was like the last conversation about the scenario.
"Sure. It's your dream, and I have to support you."
Anna chuckled at how passionate he was about her. "Are we going to stop playing?" She changed the topic. It had been going on for quite a while.
"Okay, okay." Dave forced himself to stop. "Next question."
"What if your ex comes back?"
"Before or after marriage?" Dave asked a question, clarifying her supposition. Really thorough.
"Is that different?"
"Sure. I must stay away from her if I'm a married man."
"Why? Are you afraid to fall in love with her again?"
"No. I've made a commitment, so it won't happen. What I'm afraid of is you. I'm afraid you'll have a misunderstanding and trigger something bad in our marriage."
Something warm rose to her chest. Dave included her in his presupposition, and his words sounded sincere. "Then what if you meet her before marriage?" she asked for another assumption. She was curious if the second scenario happened. How would he react?
Dave mumbled dreamily. He looked serious, contemplating the answer. "I'll ask why she came back. Then we'll see what happens next from that."
Anna looked at that and thought he must have fond memories of it. It must be so. No one would say that if their relationship left more scars than laughter.
"It's my turn, right?" He looked at her meaningfully. "What if Matt wasn't dating your best friend?"
Oh, she dug her own grave. Revenge. Of course. She had asked Dave something personal. "Nothing. He was probably dating another woman."
"No," he corrected immediately. "I mean, he was completely single. What were you going to do?"
That was a tricky question. Anna had experienced it in the past. But with her having also experienced his wedding celebration, the answer might be different, right?
"I don't know. Maybe confess my feelings?" Anna said doubtfully.
"Then why didn't you try that before?"
Anna was silent. The question hit her hard. The only reason she only kept her feelings was... "I don't want to ruin our friendship."
That was a terrible excuse, wasn't it? She might be a coward who chose to maintain their friendship even if it hurt her. Yeah, she would be honest. She was in pain several times as she could only stare at him from afar.
- Writer
