Chapter 36: Chapter 36
“What else does he want from me?”
Angel’s cries echo through the walls of her small apartment. She pushed Kyle away, questioning his actions and the secrets he revealed. Angel went inside her room. The same room where they both enjoyed each other’s taste is now the room where her tears are flowing like a river.
“Let me in,” Kyle knocked on the door, but all in vain.
“Leave me alone!” Angel shouted.
Kyle did not force her to open the door. He knew she needed more time to digest all the information he said. It is upsetting for Kyle to think that the truth he just revealed is just half of what is left unsaid- there are so much more to come, yet Angel can’t handle a piece of it.
Kyle left the apartment to give Angel her peace. She heard him go, but and though her heart would have to do anything to stop him from leaving- her mind had taken over her and made her not move an inch from where she is sitting right now.
Angel thought about how her father would have felt while she loved the son of the man who made her an orphan. She can’t deny that this truth has made her look at Kyle in a different light.
And yes, it has been so many years in the past. However, Angel still tastes the bitterness of these memories as if it was just yesterday. How she stood there while her parents were dying in the accident, her mind went blank, and all she could hear was the beating of her heart and the heavy rain on the story afternoon. Kyle’s words had brought Angel to memory lane at the time of her cries in front of their former proud home. The only tangible memory she had of how precious her life was once. And Yes, not all of her memories with her parents are indeed all dandy and happy. These are still memories that she treasures.
Angel vividly recalls when she was forced to change her name because someone said it would be safer for her. She cries back to the day when all she does is a growl in silent pain and sorrow when no one else is around to comfort her. Yes, Kyle has been accommodating those years, but being an orphan is a high price to pay to become a friend.
Slowly, with a heavy heart and heavier eyelids, Angel did not notice that she fell asleep wishing to dream about her parents as if that would help her have a lighter heart.
After a long tiring drive, back and forth from Angel’s secluded apartment to his high-end home, Kyle practically threw himself on his king-size bed. He looked at his phone for several minutes, waiting for a name to pop up, but it was in vain. He thought maybe he should call her, but at the last second, he decided not to.
In the coldness of the night, this man has opened a can of beer, took a sip, and then a deep sigh has left. Troubled, but he knows he cannot do anything about it. What he said is the truth; hiding it for more than ten years is enough- especially with the fact that he can’t control his feelings toward Angel anymore.
His feelings.
Feelings that, at first, he saw as just being friendly.
Feelings that he doubted not only once or twice at the start.
His feelings stood the test of time and the test of blood.
What should he do with these feelings, he asked himself.
While this young man was pondering on his dilemma, a doorbell rang, followed by the sound of someone putting in his door lock password- the action that gave him a clear idea of who was at the door.
“What are you doing here?” The first thing that Kyle said to Steven when he came in.
“You should at least face me when you said that,” The sarcastic reply that the person gave while sitting opposite to where Kyle is seated.
“You can’t blame me; you are like a bad omen to me, a messenger from the shadows who always carry bad news,”
“Wow, I never saw you as this poetic. Something is obviously wrong today,” Steven said in another sarcastic tone that annoyed Kyle, but he was too tired to rebut.
Silence follows.
“Anyway, whatever it is – It will just pass,” Steven said with a smile. Something in that smile comforted Kyle. Steven and Kyle are more than ten years apart. In the traditional Korean culture, Kyle is always rude to Steven because he seldom uses honorifics when talking. Steven doesn’t mind this because he understands that Kyle sees him as a person he can trust.
Steven walked towards the refrigerator, took another can of beer, opened it, and placed it in Kyle. He tapped the young man’s shoulders and said,
“There is more for you to think about,” Steven said in a calm but sad tone as he placed an engagement invitation in front of Kyle.
Both Steven and Kyle were lost for words as they looked at the engagement invitation card that says
You are cordially invited to
Kyle Esteves & Samantha Givins’ Engagement
Just when Kyle thought that this day was already bad, it became worse.
Just like a deja vu, Kyle once again received this kind of invitation that bears his name as a soon-to-be groom ten years ago.
Ten years ago, he messed it up, and Kyle knows better than to make the same mistake as he did ten years ago with Stacy Sue. Kyle knows that the price to pay for the same mistake will be much higher this time. A high price that even he can't afford.
Kyle will never understand how hurtful his actions have been toward her. How deep was the scar he had created in her heart? Kyle knows that another messing up from his side would cause chaos or maybe worst-somebody else’s life.