Reclaiming lost grounds

Caleb’s phone dings with the text from Melanie and as he reads his text, his eyes narrow, and his mind races as he processes the information because he knows that Bistro Bliss is Ryan’s family restaurant, so he is sure as hell that it can’t be a coincidence, so his gut twists with unease, recalling the growing closeness between Melanie and Ryan.

“He is getting too close to her and I don’t like that at all,” Caleb thinks and a pang of jealousy strikes him, so he takes a deep breath for him to analyze his emotion.

“I buried myself into so much work that I stopped trying to reach out to her for two weeks which allowed Ryan to plant himself into her life” Caleb’s rational side kicks in.

“I should have tried to reach out to her again instead of waiting for her to reply my previous messages, but this meet-up should be an opportunity for me to clear the air about my radio silence, for us both to understand what happened on each other side and also for me to show Ryan that I am still in the game.” Caleb’s competitive side whispers.

“See you tomorrow.” Caleb types with a mix of trepidation and determination, and then he sends the text, with his mind already racing with tomorrow’s possibilities

His competitive side takes over and accepts the meeting without complaint with the aim of actually clearing the misunderstanding and creating a space for himself in Melanie's life before he tackles with his competitor, Ryan Blackwood.

He knows that he needs to deal with Ryan from two perspectives, the business perspective and the personal perspective. The business perspective comes first because Ryan is the investment Broker for Ramos Investment, one of his major investors, so even though he can see himself and Ryan becoming a very formidable competitor, he still needs to know whether Ramos Investment is going to be investing in his company or not.

Rachel Lee had told him to give her two weeks for her company to make their findings about the presentation that they had, over two weeks ago, likewise the other investors but it has been two weeks and three days, and several investors had gotten back to them except Rachel Lee and Martins Brooke.

The other investors that got back to them were going to be useful when it comes to the expansion of the Beats but Rachel Lee and Martins Brooke are the two major determining factor that will determine if the Beats will just be a night club, or if it will ever be expanded into something greater, bigger and better.

The club was something that he came up with after his father in a tragic accident and for somebody like him who was born with a silver spoon, his father, Ryan Wellington’s death was a rude awakening for everybody in Caleb’s nuclear family, as everything was taken away from them by Ryan Wellington’s family and it was really hard for them to start from scratch, but they eventually pulled through.

As the clock struck 9 p.m., Caleb finally surrendered to his tiredness. He rubs his tired eyes, the fluorescent office lights blurring into a haze. His body aches from hours of hunching over his desk, fueled by coffee and determination.

With a deep sigh, he pushes his chair back, stands up, and stretches his lanky frame. His joints cracks in protest, releasing tension built up from weeks of late nights and endless deadlines.

“I will rather go home to get a good sleep instead of crashing in the office like I have been doing lately because of how lonely and frustrated I have been” Caleb makes up his mind as he gathers his essentials together on his table and they include a polished leather wallet, his phone, and a crumpled jacket.

The office, which once felt like his haven now felt suffocating to him, so he turns off the lights, plunging the room into darkness before fishing his car key out of his pants and he makes his way for the parking lot.

The city outside seems to hum in contrast, a reminder of the world moving forward while he remained stuck, and as he locks the door leading to the top floor to guarantee extra security, the cool night air envelopes him, carrying the scent of a damp pavement and urban life.

Caleb takes a deep breath, feeling the weight of his responsibilities temporarily lift. He has been staying in his office for two weeks straight without going back home to get some rest because as far as he was concerned, he was going through a major heart break, and as a result, he just locked himself away in the office to sulk despite how much Alistair tried to convince him to move on.

The walk to his car is a blur, his mind is already at home, envisioning the comfort of his bed. He slips into the driver's seat, starts the engine, and lets the familiar rumble soothe his frazzled nerves. The 30-minute drive passes quickly, a mix of city lights and darkness outside his window. Caleb's thought drifts to his empty apartment, the silence a welcome respite from the office's constant din.

Pulling into his parking spot, Caleb feels a sense of relief wash over him. He is finally home and he grabs his bag and steps out into the crisp night air, the stars twinkling above like diamonds. The world seemed quieter here, more peaceful.

Caleb trudges toward his apartment building, his keys jingling in his hand. The elevator ride is a short reprieve, and soon he is unlocking his door, stepping into the warm glow of his living room. He drops his bag, kicks off his shoes, and lets out a deep sigh.

The soft couch beckons, but Caleb knew that he needed sleep, not temptation so he heads straight for his bedroom, shedding his clothes along the way. As he doesn’t bother freshening up because of how tired he is so he collapses onto his bed, the mattress enveloping him like a cloud. Caleb closes his eyes, feeling the weight of his exhaustion lift and for the first time in weeks, he felt like he could breathe.