twenty-two

Kao

Present time

A knock on the door took me off my reverie.

"Come in!"

I said as I tried to shake off the remnants of memories I had no idea why I even revisited at that very moment.

"Kaleb."

He smiled at me as he made his way to where I was sitting on the couch.

"How's it going?"

He asked as he nodded at the stick seeds on my shirt which thankfully was almost off it at the moment.

"I had no idea I'm capable of this amount of patience until now."

I tried to joke as I continued picking up the sticks off my shirt.

"I'm sorry if I only came here now. Pete was being a bvtch about me helping you that he swarmed me with things to do. Good thing Rein called, I had to excuse myself and ran here after the call."

I rolled my eyes with what Kaleb said.

I was not even surprised.

Jerk Pete was really out to give me a hard time.

But I tried to focus on the bright side instead.

"How's Rein?"

I asked about Kaleb's wife.

It's been so long since I saw her.

"She's fine. She knows you're here."

Kaleb recounted.

It's obvious how he's very happy at the moment and I was happy for him.

"She's excited to talk to you and see you. But she's off to bed now. In a few weeks she'll finally deliver. So I had to be back to Bangkok. That means, it will just be you and Pete while I'm away. Please promise me you won't kill each other."

I rolled my eyes with what Kaleb said.

He could have just continued talking about his wife instead of mentioning Pete and souring my mood even more.

"Between the two of us, you know very well who's more likely to lose his shvt!"

Kaleb chuckled as he continued helping me out with the remaining sticks on my clothes.

"I know, that's why I'm talking to you instead of him. Can you just please understand him? And let him be? It's not because he's rich now and he's our boss but because you know very well how he thinks sometimes."

I shook my head at Kaleb.

"No I don't."

I told him.

I didn't want to give off the idea that Pete and I were close.

Enough for me to know what Kaleb was talking about.

"Kao, come on."

I raised my eyebrows at Kaleb.

I'm trying so hard to not associate myself with Pete, specially now, and yet, Kaleb here was trying to do exactly the opposite.

"What? As far as I'm concerned I'm just Pete's secretary now, who, if I may mention, is useless at the moment. Why did he even hire me if he's just going to have me sit in his office the whole day with nothing to do!?!"

I ranted at Kaleb before I angrily went back to cleaning my shirt off the sticks.

At least I'm really close to being done now!

"Kao..."

I looked at Kaleb.

He looked as if he's really on to making me understand his boss's stupidity.

Well, it's no surprise to me.

Even back then, it was always Kaleb who talks sense to Pete and I when we're annoyed at each other.

Me, specially, almost all the time.

Apparently, nothing's changed now.

Pete may be rich and he may own the world now but he's still some stupid, grumpy, immature jerk!

More so now, I believe.

"Kaleb, I know he's your friend, but can you stop with always defending him and always trying to explain things on his behalf? We're all grown ups now. It's not high school anymore, it's time for him to grow up."

I heard Kaleb heaved a sigh before nodded and regarded me.

"Okay, fine. I get you. But here's the thing, and I want you to believe me on this. I'm not trying to defend Pete for what he did to you, with this stick seeds and for kidnapping you, I swear, I told him how it's a crazy idea and that he should not push through with it but you know him, and here you are. The thing is, Kao, you have to believe him. And believe me, when I say that he only wanted to help. And that he only wants what's best for you. Then and now, that's all he ever wanted. So please, can you, please, give him a chance to prove himself?"

I blinked at Kaleb when he was finally done talking.

I had no idea when did I start listening to what he had to say.

All I knew was that, my hand froze mid air and instead of picking out stick seeds, I ended up playing with one, rolling it between my forefinger and my thumb.

"He's trying."

Kaleb added and I didn't know what to make out of that information.

"I'm not his responsibility."

I ended up saying for the lack of words to say.

"I know. But you can't stop him from wanting to help you."

I narrowed my eyes with what Kaleb said.

"Why?"

Kaleb raised an inquisitive eyebrows at me.

"Why is he doing this!?! Why is he helping me to this extent? I don't understand Kaleb, after all this time, why now? And why this?!? He won't admit it, but, is he feeling sorry for what I have become now!?!"

Honestly, the former reason hurt more than any of the reasons I could think of.

"Kao, come on. You know it's not the case."

I scoffed at Keng trying to console me but I shrugged his hand about to reach out to me.

He was stunned but he didn't say anything.

"Really!?! Funny, because that's what I feel. That's how I feel. Is he feeling sorry for my rag rat life after his shot through the roof of success that's why he's doing this? Or maybe he was trying to make me see how his life became better after he left, is that it!?!"

Kaleb inched closer towards me on the couch and held me on either side of my shoulders before he looked at me straight to my eyes and spoke.

"Listen, here, Kao. I know what happened to you was unfortunate and painful, but please don't let it get into you and make you think less of yourself. You're a strong person. You got this. You were able to after all these years. But it's not wrong or bad to accept help from time to time. I did. And it worked well for me."

I raised my eyes at Kaleb who had a smile curved on his face, ready for me.

I heaved a sigh.

Maybe I was just being emotional for what happened earlier and with my trip down memory lane that I felt like crying looking at Kaleb smiling at me.

I shook my head and swallowed dryly.

I should get a grip of myself and stop being emotional with everything that concerns Pete.

"Ugh! Kaleb!!!What are we even talking about!?! I thought you're here to help me out with this shvt seeds!?!"

I tried to joke to lighten the mood.

"Gosh, Kao! You really have a way with changing the subject. But, yeah, sure. Let's finish this before Pete notices that I've been gone too long and take back my paternity leave once he learns about me being here."

I chuckled right after I made a face at Kaleb as we both started picking out the seeds yet again.

"After he dump these on me, and now he forbids people to help me!"

I commented as I continued with what I was doing.

"Well, I'm not being biased or anything. I'm actually not happy with what he did to you. With this fvckers, but, Kao, I'm with Pete for keeping you safe and sound. And thinking about it now, you, picking stick seeds in your room is better than being out there subjecting yourself to danger."

I rolled my eyes at Keng for the nth time that night.

Really, people here were freaking out with my small accidents when back then, my aunt would not even bat an eyelash if she learns about me being hit by a bulldozer or something like that.

And thinking about it now, it somehow brought a smile on my face.

"Wow! You're really happy about your antics huh?"

Kaleb said when he noticed me smiling and I could only make a face at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

I said as I continued picking out the remaking seeds on my clothes as Kaleb and I talked about random stuff from how Pete helped him take the placement exam for college to giving him work and finally asking Rein to marry him and how he was so nervous that she might say no but she said yes in the end and now they are married and starting a family and now he could not ask for anything more.

I was smiling the whole time of Kaleb's recount.

I was really happy for him.

And for Rein.

And for what they had become.

At least, they had a happy ending.

I shook my head mentally.

I am in no place to get jealous or even want what they have for me.

It would be too stupid.

I scoffed inwardly.

I am stupid.

"And done!"

I blinked at Kaleb who clapped his hands and guided me up from the couch to check on me.

"Good as new!"

We both laughed as we looked at the mound of stick seeds on the floor.

I can't believe I spent hours and hours just and had people help me secretly just to take those evils off me.

"Thank you."

I told Kaleb who made a face at me.

"You make it sound like I just gave you a kidney! But you're welcome. Anytime you get stuck with stick seeds, I'm always willing to lie to my boss and help you."

I playfully kicked him on his legs before we both laughed when a deliberate cough trailed us off.

Kaleb and I both looked at the door and there, I stern looking Pete was standing.

He obviously was not happy.

"Shvt!"

I heard Kaleb whispered.

"I can explain."

He said as he walked up to Pete but the former just shook his head.

"No sleep for you tonight. Go straight to the office."

He told Kaleb and glared at him when Kaleb was about to protest.

Kaleb ended up nodding at me with slouched shoulders before he walked away.

I narrowed my eyes at Pete.

This jerk!

I was about to call him out when he just casually strode away leaving my door open.

But not long after, before I could get a pillow and punch it as if it was the domineering billionaire, the devil came back and stood by the door.

He just looked at me with his stoic face before he told me something which didn't just surprise me but confuse me so more.

"Tomorrow, seven am sharp. Don't be late!"

That, and he closed the door to my room leaving me agape.