Wonderings: A New Friend

[Amelia]

I opened my eyes and saw Kael close to my face. I immediately pushed him away. I looked at him and he seemed angry. What happened to me? Why am I in his car? The last thing I remember was I almost got hit by a car. Kael grabbed my arm tightly.

“So what? You’re not going to let me kiss you? Did you like it when that rat Terrence kissed you? Do you like him?” He spouted. I couldn’t understand what he was saying. Who’s Terrence? I must’ve passed out and I didn’t remember what happened. I kept quiet. Kael didn’t ask any more questions. He drove so fast I felt like he had a death wish. He stopped in front of an apartment building. 

“Get out.” He said. I did so and as soon as I closed the door, he left. Kael had given me an apartment to stay in. This building is close to DRIVEA that’s why Kael let me stay here. He doesn’t know that I actually didn’t live here. I go back to my house every night. I also know that he has a tracking chip built in on the phone he gave me. I always pass by here to leave the phone and then I come back in the morning to pick it up. 

I unlocked the door and left the phone on the table. Before I could leave, the phone buzzed. It was a text message from an unknown number.

“Are you feeling better? Sorry I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself. I’m Terrence; I’m the one who almost ran you over. Sorry about that. Maybe we could meet and I’ll tell you what happened to you. I’m sure you have questions.” Terrence? That’s the name Kael mentioned a while ago. I took his number and jotted it down on a piece of paper. I’ll save his number on my personal phone. I never use this phone for anything anyway. I just keep it on me because of Kael. 

I locked the door to my apartment room and left. I arrived back at my house a little while later. I took my personal phone and saved his number. I decided to send him a text message.

“Hi Terrence. I’m okay now. Sorry if I caused you any trouble. Would you mind deleting my previous number? I don’t use that phone for personal stuff. Amelia.” I left my phone on the bed and I took a bath. When I got out of the bathroom, my phone buzzed.

“I’m glad you’re okay. It wasn’t you that caused trouble; it was your stupid boss.” I was surprised by his text. 

“Do you know each other?” I replied. I was about to make myself some dinner but I didn’t have the appetite to eat anything so I decided not to do it. My phone buzzed again.

“Unfortunately yes, our families have been partners ever since but he’s the first one to refuse cooperation with Grimes Corporation. It pisses me off because I have to deal with it.” My eyes widened. I’m texting with Terrence Grimes?! Apart from Kael, Terrence is one of the most sought out businessmen. 

We spent the whole night texting each other. Talking to him made me feel better about my situation. It was almost midnight when we decided to stop and say goodnight. Terrence is the first friend I’ve had in years. I hope I don’t mess this up. When I went to bed, my stomach started to hurt. Maybe it’s because I didn’t eat any dinner. I slept through the pain. 

I woke up the next day feeling exhausted. I kept waking up because of the stomach pains. Nevertheless, I had a job to do. I prepared myself and went out without having breakfast. I passed by the apartment to grab the phone. Then I went straight to my office on the top floor. When I arrived, I felt sick. I probably look sick too since people have been staring at me ever since I stepped in the company today. 

I went to my desk and placed my stuff in one of the cabinets. I was gone yesterday so it’s only fair that I’m left with a lot of work. I was so focused on my work that I didn’t realize Kael had walked in. When I heard him clear his throat, I was startled. 

“G-good morning sir.” I greeted. I didn’t meet his eyes. 

“Coffee.” He said then he went inside his office. I went to get his coffee. I knocked on his door before entering. When he said to come in, I did and placed the coffee on his desk. He didn’t say anything more so I left and went back to work.

[Kael] 

When I saw Amelia this morning, she looked paler than she was yesterday. When she placed my coffee in front of me; I noticed she looked sick. After she left, I made a direct call to one of the offices to hand me her medical records. The company has mandatory checkups for employees. If she was sick I should’ve known about it. One of my employees entered the room and gave me the file I requested. 

Everything about her is fine. She had no record of any illness whatsoever. Then why did she faint yesterday? I brushed the thought aside and thought that she was just stressed. What do I care about her anyway? She’s a big nuisance to me.

I looked at my watch and saw that it was already past 5 o’clock. Amelia must’ve left by now. I got up and went out of my office. Her bag was still on top of her desk. Where is she? I looked around and saw that she was exiting the bathroom. Is it just me or is she getting paler and paler. She was looking down while she was walking; she must not have recognized it was me. She walked past me, grabbed her bag and went straight to the elevator. When the elevator arrived, she got on it. I went back to my office and stood in front of the window. I waited for her to pass through the front door. 

A few minutes went by and I saw her walking away from the building. She took a left and kept walking. Is she planning to walk home? The apartment I gave her isn’t that far but she could’ve just hailed a taxi. I decided to follow her. I went down to the parking lot and got my car. I drove up to the apartment building. I saw her walking up to the building. I was about to exit my car when a familiar car parked in front of the apartment building. Terrence stepped out carrying a bouquet. What’s that rat doing here? Does he know that Amelia lives here? 

Terrence didn’t go into the apartment. He waited by his car when Amelia stepped out. She didn’t even change. She still even has her bag on her shoulder. Then why did she go in? Terrence approached Amelia and gave her the flowers. Amelia smiled. It’s the first time I’ve seen her smile like that. . The more I look at them, the angrier I get. I decided to leave and go to a bar.

“Whiskey on the rocks.” I told the bartender. He handed me a glass and I took it all in one sip. That rat’s going to get what’s coming to him. 

After drinking, I went back to my mansion. Out of curiosity, I checked Amelia’s location. She must have her phone with her. When I checked, her location was in her apartment. Heh! That bitch is still in love with me. She’ll never go with that rat Terrence. I tried to call her but she didn’t answer. She must already be asleep. I took a shower and went to bed.

I’ll have something in store for her. 

[Terrence]

Last night, Amelia and I agreed to have dinner together. She said she’d be off work by 5pm so I went to the florist and bought her a bouquet. I arrived at the address she sent me. When I got there, I saw a familiar car parked right across the street. Is Kael stalking her? Who is this girl and why does Kael go through so much trouble for her? Well, I might as well have fun with it. 

I stepped out of my car, bouquet in hand. I waited by my car and soon enough she got out. 

“Hey.” I greeted. She walked up to me.

“Terrence?” She asked. I nodded. I handed her the bouquet. She seemed surprised.

“You didn’t have to…” She said. I shook my head and smiled.

“I wanted to.” She smiled at me. Her smile is so pure and sweet. I want her to keep smiling. Just as I handed the bouquet to Amelia, I heard Kael’s car. He’s leaving already? I ignored him and faced Amelia.

“Let’s go?” I offered my hand and she took it. I opened the car door for her and she sat inside. I drove to a restaurant that belonged to one of my good friends. When we got seated inside, I noticed that Amelia was looking a bit pale. I held her hand but she quickly retracted it. 

“Are you sure you’re okay? You look really pale.” I asked. She avoided my gaze.

“Yes, it’s just the stress. I only have Sunday as my rest day. I work 6 days a week and my workload is a lot.” 

“You don’t like working there, do you?” I went straight in with the question. There’s no use beating around the bush. She looked at me, her eyes filled with sadness. Before she could answer, the waiter arrived and took our orders. As soon as the waiter left, she looked back at me.

“DRIVEA was my dream company to work for. I strived so hard to get in and it felt like a dream when I got accepted but…” She immediately stopped talking. Her gaze was unfocused. I feel sad every time I look at her. I feel like she’s been given a heavy burden and she’s carrying it on her own. 

“Does he abuse you?” I asked. She looked down. That means yes. 

“What about your family?” She sighed.

“I have no family left. I was an only child and my parents died when I was in high school.” She has no one. I wonder how that feels. She must be really lonely. 

“Amelia, do you consider me your friend?” I asked. 

“Do you consider me as your friend?” She asked me back. I chuckled. 

“Of course I do.” She smiled at me.

“Then we’re friends.” She stated. The waiter arrived with our food and we continued to talk until we were done eating. I drove her back to her apartment. 

“Thank you for tonight.” She waved goodbye as I drove off. I’ll take you away from that monster, Amelia. Wait for me. 

[Amelia]

After the meal I had with Terrence, I had him drop me off at my apartment. No one needs to know where I actually live. It’ll be too troublesome. After making sure he was gone, I hailed a taxi and went home. My phone buzzed and I looked to see who texted me. It was Terrence.

“Thank you for tonight; hoping for the next time.☺” When I read his text, I felt happy. For the first time in 3 years, I felt happy. 

“I should be the one thanking you. I had fun.” I replied. I arrived at my house and went inside. I was about to change my clothes when I felt an indescribable pain in my stomach. I ran to the bathroom and vomited. After vomiting, the pain didn’t go away. It was too painful for me to stand up. I curled up on the bathroom floor, crying. After a few minutes, the pain faded and I was able to stand again. I changed my clothes and drank some water. I checked my phone again and Terrence had replied.

“It’s late. You should go to bed. Goodnight.” He replied. I wasn’t in the mood to reply. I went to bed but I couldn’t fall asleep. Suddenly, the pain in my stomach was back. I felt like vomiting again so I ran to the bathroom. I had vomited almost everything I ate for the day. I cleaned up and went back to bed. 

The pain was barely tolerable so I curled up in bed hoping for some relief. It feels like small knives are digging into my stomach. The pain just doesn’t go away. Maybe I should have it checked. I should schedule an appointment with my doctor. 

The whole night was a cycle of pain and relief. I got at least an hour of sleep before the pain began again. It takes 30 minutes for the pain to go away. I slept as much as I could; falling asleep just as soon as the pain was fading. 

I don’t want to seem tired tomorrow. Kael might see me and give me more errands to run. It’s hard enough to do so when I’m fine but if I’m sick or sleepy, he’ll surely find a way to torture and humiliate me. The pain began again at around 5am. I was awake so I decided to head early to work, but this pain in my stomach…

What’s wrong with me?

After my shift, I went over to the doctor’s office for my checkup. Kael was surprisingly calm today. He didn’t even touch me. Although he gave me another task that led me to deliver something to Ms. Sierra. I didn’t mind. As long as he’s distracted, he won’t notice me when I leave. 

“We’re just going to do a couple of tests on you.” The doctor said. I had everything checked making sure that the thing that was bothering me last night would be gone. The doctor along with some nurses helped each other gather the necessary things that I asked for. I had blood tests done, x-rays and other tests. After the tests, the doctor told me to come back tomorrow for the results. I thanked them and made my way home.

When I left the hospital, I was surprised to see Terrence waiting for me outside. He waved at me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked. He smiled at me.

“I was on my way to your apartment when I saw you enter the hospital so I decided to wait for you.” He said. 

“You didn’t have to.” I said. But I’m glad that I got to see Terrence today. 

“Why were you at the hospital? Are you okay?” He asked. His face filled with concern. I can’t help but giggle with the face he's making. 

“I’m fine. I just went in for a checkup, that’s all. Why were you on your way to my place?” I asked. 

“Oh, I just wanted to ask if you’d like to have dinner with me.” His eyes were expectant. He really wants me to say yes. I smiled. I was about to answer when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

“She’s not going with you because she’s having dinner with me.” This voice…