Chapter 98   - Grow Silent

They said that the couple had gone home together and stayed together before going out the next morning for breakfast.

Who has breakfast at twelve noon? He thought grudgingly. After he had apologized and analyzed the situation, he finally approved the statement. It was short and needed to be crafted in a way that didn't make Julia look bad, and at the same time, told that there was no relationship between them.

It was early in the morning and he was finally going through his messages. He saw Rin's message and quickly opened it.

[Please call me.] She had written. He looked at the clock and knew that she would still be awake. It was eleven and nowhere near the time she went to bed.

[I'm so sorry for this afternoon. Something urgent came up and I couldn't make it at the last minute.] He typed out quickly. He couldn't really call her in front of his staff, so he just texted her instead.

He waited for a couple of minutes. No reply came.

[Are you busy? Please forgive me and do me the honor of being my date on Wednesday. Let's stay indoors and play some games. I am ready to receive any punishment for leaving you hanging.]

He was satisfied with that. He left a teasing comment to make the tone lighter.

[Sorry. I have a date that night. You'll need to find someone else.]

His brows scrunched. There were no emoticons or the light teasing tone she usually used with him. She must have been really upset with him to act this way. And what did she mean by date? Was someone setting her up on blind dates again?

magic [Another blind date? Okay, then let's do it Thursday.]

There. She wouldn't think he was completely possessive.

[No. I am going out on a date. I will dress up and go out with a guy who wants to go out with me.]

He stared at his phone. Though they hadn't said that they were dating exclusively, their conversations had indicated that was the case. Then why was she going out on a date? Why was she punishing him?

There was no way he could continue to talk to her over chat. He needed to hear his voice, ask her what was going on. He would have to explain why he was late. He didn't mind that he would have to cut to the chase and tell her who he was. He really wanted her to be surprised when they met, but this was getting out of hand.

He called her number. For a while, he thought she wouldn't pick up the call.

But then she finally did. "Hello?" she said, her voice emotionless, so unlike the woman he had been speaking to for so long.

"Rin, it's me." She laughed a hollow laugh, making him frown. It wasn't the fun laugh he was so accustomed to hearing.

"I figured," she said harshly.

"I'm really confused. I told you why I couldn't make it… I can explain further. Why are you so mad?" Indeed, he was confused. Too many thoughts passed through his head.

"Confused? I get it, you couldn't make it. But you didn't have to humiliate me." Her voice was suddenly low. She sounded hurt, and he couldn't figure out why she would say that.

"Humiliate you? My phone died!" She had never been so unreasonable before. He admitted that it was his fault for not calling her immediately and telling her, but he had been so flabbergasted by the situation, it had slipped his mind.

"I called you… several times."

"I really didn't hear it. And my friend picked up the phone," he said.

"Friend?" she scoffed. He recoiled. The acid in her voice surprised him. "You don't need to lie to me, I know who she is."

'No, you don't. You don't know who she is. Neither do you know who I am.' Wouldn't it have been easier if she did? It would make everything so much easier. Why hadn't he told her before?

"What do you mean, you know who she is..."

"She told me, of course." Her voice was weird. He ran his hand through his hair, frustrated with the situation. He couldn't imagine why he was having such a hard time communicating with her. It's like their spark was suddenly gone and she was someone else entirely.

"She told you who she was?" Short and crisp. Damnit Cage, ask her properly.

"Yes. I know that you have a girlfriend and that is who picked up the call. You're a big shot somewhere in the city and of course, you are taken. I was a nice diversion when you were having trouble with your ex, but now that you're settled, you don't need to contact me anymore. I understand, and to be honest, I don't care."

But sadly, it didn't seem that way. There was a tinge of sadness in her voice. She seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"I don't have a girlfriend. Who told you this?" What was happening? Was he having a nightmare? Nothing made sense.

"I don't know what she told you, but she isn't my girlfriend." She snorted.

"Really? You're going to carry on? I really wanted to give you a chance yesterday, and frankly, if you had told me the truth, I wouldn't have..." she trailed off. "You were in the shower when she picked up the call. You don't give your phone to just anyone," she said in a low voice. It made sense, her words.

He had given Julia the phone because he trusted her.

"But what do I know anymore? Maybe you are that kind of person."

"Rin, I know you don't believe me right now but this is not the case." He stopped. "I really thought we understood each other." He grew defensive then. What if she was the one lying? What if…

The conspiracies flowed.

"You know what? Think about what you want. I'm just wondering if the blind date you went to was that… maybe you were seeing people yourself!" he accused.

She grew silent.