“Enjoy,” was what his manager said before hanging up the call. Shane slumped himself on the couch. “Easier said than done,” he muttered with his eyes closed. Just right when he finished his breakfast, which was great, he received a call from Lucy, his manager, telling him about the change on his schedule.
The company would be giving him another week off if he could shoot a TV commercial in three days. But of course, it meant that he would only have three days' rest from now, and he should go back to work again. Then he could have an additional free week after that. Shane wanted to say no, and he would be lying if he had that choice.
Despite being one of the most famous artists in their entertainment company, he could barely have time for himself because of the long lists of jobs he got and never-ending offers too. Yes, he got good pay in line with his profession, but he’s still young, and just like other men of his age, he also wanted to have fun.
Plus, there’s Audrey whom he needed to face. With his busy schedule, she was lucky to come back while he’s on break. He wanted to take some time to settle things between them which had long been postponed for five years. When his parents went back to the Cayman Islands where they decided to settle down for good, Shane had plans to talk to Audrey about their marriage. Years had passed, and he wasn’t able to do so because of his tight and busy schedule, not to mention that he lacked the confidence to face her until he found out that he actually shared a bed with her the first night she returned home.
It wasn’t a big deal. Not at all since they both always shared a bed when they were young. They were best of friends, well, he could say that he’s the only friend that she had back then. Because of her unpleasant physics, Audrey tended to be bullied before, and he was the one who had the guts to comfort her and be with her side. They spent their weekends playing at each other’s house alternately. Which unknowingly pleased their parents.
Their friendship remained strong even when he started his showbiz career. Leading a completely different life path wasn’t enough to pull them apart. They were fine, supporting each other whenever one had troubles and worries. Until tragedy befell Audrey’s parents, leaving her all by herself. At that time, Shane was at the peak of his career and didn’t want to miss any single opportunity. He was aware that he needed to sacrifice in order to achieve his dream. And he chose to sacrifice her.
(Ring! Ring!)
The sound of the doorbell ringing caught his attention. He sighed, pulling himself up, and groggily went to the door to check who was outside through the monitor. Audrey’s annoyed face popped inside his head, knowing that she probably didn’t know the passcode. It was when something hit him: How the hell was she able to get inside when she came?
Peeking at the small screen, his brows furrowed when someone else appeared. Not exactly whom he imagined neither expected. Shane contemplated whether to open the door or not. After some consideration, he decided to let his visitor in.
“Shane! Thank goodness. I thought I’ll spend any longer standing here waiting for you to open the door. You should really share the code with me, so I don’t have to bother you whenever I come to visit,” Stephanie exclaimed when he revealed himself standing behind the door. She flipped her ash-gray-dyed hair to make him notice it, expecting him to compliment her new look.
“What are you doing here?” he coldly asked while looking at her sternly. Stephanie’s pretty face gradually turned pale with his cold treatment. The new hair color looked great at her but there was no way he’d say that. Shane was actually wondering why he fell for her in the first place. Was it because she’s beautiful? Popular? Talented and have a great voice for singing? Whatever the reason was, the important thing for him was to remind himself not to make another mistake and fall into her trap, again.
“I wanted to see you,” Stephanie said while trying to smile brightly. “I heard from Lucy that you’re having a few days off, so I begged my manager to give me a break for the meantime too. I wanted to spend time with you… just like how we used to,” she added, fidgeting her fingers.
Shane brushed his face with his hand. “Listen, Stephanie…” he put his hands on her shoulders, trying to make direct eye contact with her. “We can’t…like before… it’s impossible,” he told her. He pursed his lips when he saw her eyes starting to turn red. Anytime soon, he knew that she’d start crying.
“I booked movie tickets. We can watch your favorite Hollywood movies if you want or check out the newly opened restaurants in the area,” she said, shrugging off his words. Shane let go of her shoulders, sighing. “Why won’t you stop? We’re done, Stephanie. Everything between us is already over. You ended our relationship yourself so please don’t forget about it and quit acting as if nothing happened!” he raised his voice in frustration.
Stephanie cried as he expected. He didn’t want to be rude to her, but he couldn’t get himself to think of a decent way to treat her after what she did. Letting her inside was already too nice of him, and he may not say it aloud, but he hated her since the day he found out the truth about her motive. He loved her, yet she used him for her own benefits. She could have told him from the start and maybe he wouldn't mind, but she didn’t.
When he discovered the truth, he was devastated. He wished for her to tell him the truth when he confronted her, but she lied. Turning a blind about it for a while, he gave her another chance, but she wasted it when she refused to say anything. Shane gave up on her after he saw her making out with another man. His trust was shattered and his love was tainted.
“Can’t you forgive me? Please… I’ll even bend on my knees if it means you’ll come back to me,” Stephanie got on her knees in tears. Her makeup was ruined and Shane realized that she wasn’t that pretty at all. “I love you. Please be mine again,” she continued.
“Are you kidding me?!” he yelled. How he wanted to drag the lady outside and shut the door, but he was an idiot. He said a lot of things though deep inside he wanted to hug her, wipe her tears away, and kiss her. At the same time, the scene when he caught her cheating kept playing inside his head. He couldn’t forget it. Her face, while she was enjoying another man’s touch, was engraved in his mind, driving him crazy out of jealousy.
“Shane, no. I’m serious. I want you back,” she begged, desperately.
“What do you take me for?” he pulled her up and cupped her face. His hands were shivering in anger. “You’re the one who shoved me away when I was begging you to choose me over that bastard! Now what? You want me back? Just like that? Just because you want me back you expect me to fulfill your wish?” Shane pushed her against the wall.
“Why? Did you get tired of him? Weren’t you satisfied enough? Tell me!” His lips pressed against hers. He was intentionally forcing her but Stephanie showed no restraints. She opened her mouth and flung her arms around his neck. Shane thought he’d feel better once he felt her lips again, and he found out he was wrong. There was no more excitement, ‘cause the moment their lips touched, his brain would play the scene he wanted to forget. He found it disgusting.
(Clank)
‘Shit.’ Audrey was cursing herself when she couldn’t find her phone in her bag nor her pockets. “Ah! Where is it?” She rummaged through her things inside again, and she wasn’t contented, she poured everything in her bag on the ground. “I’ll be doomed if I can’t find it. After all, I don’t want to ring the doorbell and let that guy act like he’s the house owner,” she murmured while picking her things up, one by one, and putting them back. “Found it!” she happily exclaimed when she saw her phone lying on the surface. In fact, it wasn’t in her bag earlier. It fell from her pocket while she was busy looking for it. After accompanying Nathan to his apartment which happened to be nearby, he drove her back. She insisted on getting off at the main gate to take a walk. Nathan agreed and went back to his place to arrange the interior, so they bid their goodbyes. She made sure to ask him about the passcode before getting out of his car. And he told
Folding her arms on her chest while crossing her legs, Audrey patiently waited for Shane to return after dragging Stephanie outside. “Gosh! What’s taking him so long?” she murmured when he still didn’t come back after several minutes. “Did he decide to drive her home or something?” “I didn’t,” Shane said, walking towards her. “Take a seat then. Stop wasting my time,” she retorted. She watched him settle on the couch in front of her. Between them was a small, round, glass table with envelopes on top. Audrey saw how Shane’s face turned pale after noticing the brown envelopes. “Check it out,” she started, ignoring the sudden tension in the atmosphere. “What is this all about, Audrey?” Shane’s question made her laugh, a sarcastic one. “Annulment papers, what else? I know, divorce sounds better but it's not legal in the country yet. Since annulment also means legal separation then we might as well sign the papers, so we could get over with this,” Audrey said, hitting the point instantly
“I’m so stupid!” Audrey kicked a stone out of frustration. She was already far from the house but hadn't left the estate yet. “Why did I run away? For Pete’s sake, that was my house. Ah!” She pulled her hair after realizing what she did. “Aw!” she flinched when she felt the stinging pain from her brims. Since she didn’t want to go back until three days when she expected him to sign the annulment papers, Audrey took her time sitting on the rock while thinking about what she should do next. She planned to stay at Nathan’s place, so she called him to pick her up. Besides, she would need to try out some new recipes with him. It would be more convenient for both of them if they’re together. Convenient as in, someone would clean up after her mess in the kitchen. She waited for less than fifteen minutes before her phone rang. She answered it without looking at the caller ID. “Nate, that was fast. I’m heading to the gate n
‘Is it because of him?’ Shane couldn’t help but think about the reason why Audrey wanted to get an annulment. He could give her what she wanted but something was bugging him since he got to meet Nathan. There were so many questions he wanted to ask her. So many events in her life for years she needed to fill him in with. He was sure that Audrey would have stayed with him if that blonde guy didn’t come to pick her up. Seeing how she could smile when she’s with him, he chose to let them be. As for her request, he was afraid he couldn’t sign the annulment papers she was talking about. At least not yet. He needed to find a way to talk it out with her and as long as the problem he caused wasn’t settled yet, he didn’t have any plan to give in to her demands. Shane went back to his car and fumbled his phone. He checked his contacts to find someone to talk to. A heave of a sigh escaped his mouth when he remembered having no friends who’re not ce
Audrey’s eyes lit up when she stepped inside the door. She was in the same place a few hours ago, and she honestly thought it was a different room. Nathan did a good job of matching the white, black, and gray furniture and ornaments in his living room. The place looked bigger though she was certain it wasn’t that spacious before.“Whoa! I like it here,” she mumbled, striking an elegant pose on the couch. “How do I look?” she asked when Nathan passed by.“Like an idiot,” he answered without any doubt.“Ah! How could you say that to your boss? 50% salary deducted, amp!” Audrey snorted, flipping her head to the side. A clear glass vase caught her attention. There were no flowers in it, just red liquid. “What is this?”
That feeling when you were taking your time while enjoying the fantastic ride of endless good things in your sleep and then suddenly a loud noise banged your eardrums leaving you with no choice but to open your eyes and see what was the cause of such disturbance. Anyone would definitely feel bad, not to mention when it happened early in the morning.Audrey felt exactly the same when she was in the middle of munching a giant chocolate wall in her dream. Her mood drastically dropped from 100 to -1. Without opening her eyes, she roamed her hands on the side where her ringtone could be heard. She had no idea of who was calling her that early and she was ready to pull the trigger of her very own mouthchine gun."Good morning, chef Audrey. This is Secretary Lim of Gourmet Gold Enterprise," a man's voice greeted her from the other line."Good morning, how can I help you?" she responded.'Gourm
The gentle breeze and the sweet scent of budding flowers in the garden mixed in the air pulled a wide smile on Shane's face when he opened the window of the room after turning off the Aircon. The melody that the birds tweeted on the tree branches made the morning jolly and full of life.He woke up early to buy some groceries and fill his fridge. He had been living along in Audrey's villa ever since she left. He hired two or more cleaners in the agency to come and clean the house regularly. As for his meals, he learned to cook in the past few years.The food he cooked wasn't as excellent as those he usually had in restaurants but was enough to fill his empty stomach when he's home and starving. Although Shane still preferred to eat homemade dishes, he was unlucky to have no one to ask. And sometimes, Lucy would drop by, bringing him some warm soup."Let's take more of this, Nate." Shane halted from pushing his grocery cart when he heard Audrey's voice. With what
The furrow on Audrey’s face wouldn’t disappear even after they came back to Nathan’s flat. The latter noticed it and couldn’t help but ask, “What’s the matter, Auddie?”. She shrugged and gave him a small smile while saying, “Nothing,” as a response.“Are you still worried about that guy in the supermarket?” Nathan blurted out.Audrey squinted her eyes, putting down a bag of potatoes on the kitchen counter. “I bet I saw that guy somewhere though I couldn’t exactly tell where. He looks so familiar,” she murmured and went back to unpacking the groceries they bought.“Don’t you think it’s your husband?” Her mouth hanged opened on what Nathan said. ‘No way!’