TWOSETVIOLIN • Little Ship Moments

The Fine Line

Eddy Chen. How do you describe Eddy Chen? Well, the first thing I would say was that he was cold. His brown eyes would look at me firmly as I brought him his coffee. His hands were firm as he held the cup in his hand to make sure that the coffee I had brought wasn't too warm or too cold. The dismissive flick of his hand was what ruled my life, my schedule revolved around it. But somehow, I was convinced that there was something hidden there, and I wanted to find out what it was.

One day, a window of opportunity was opened to me, and I eagerly accepted it.

"Brett Yang, Mr. Chen is calling you."

Whispers suddenly rose around me as my co-workers started to gossip. No one had ever been called out by the CEO of Chen Industries. How much more me? A mere coffee-bringer. Well, I guess it's time for me to find out.

I stoically rose from the chair and gestured for them to quiet down. Did they listen? Nope!

"Why is Mr. Chen calling you, Brett?"

"Well, let's see and find out, shall we?" I replied teasingly, opening the lift to go to his office at the very top of the building.

The confident facade I had on vanished right there and then. Sweat covered my forehead and my hands. My heartbeat increased, becoming faster than a race car. It felt like I could faint right there and then.

I knocked on the door nervously. "Mr. Chen?"

"Come in."

I did as I was told and awkwardly stood in front of him as he continued to type on his keyboard.

"Please buy some roses for my girlfriend, Brett. It's her birthday today. That's all."

I wasn't looking at him. But the way he had said it so nonchalantly was unusual. One question rang in my head the loudest though.

Why did he not send a note instead of calling me here?

That was when I decided to look up, seeing that he was looking at me expectantly, eyebrows raised. He knew that I was curious, that's why he chose me.

So I decided to live up to his expectations. His hateful and cold demeanor was getting under my nerves, and I hated it. I hated Eddy Chen.

"Mr. Chen, I have one question."

He looked at me, his eyes beckoning me near. No, that wasn't right. It was just him allowing me to ask. What's wrong with my mind?

"How can you talk about love when you're so full of hate? How can you talk about something that warms you to the bones when you're so cold?"

I expected him to lose his temper, to fire me for asking such a rude question, but he only smirked. But his eyes...

They held something else now. Sadness, so deep, so gentle, so inviting. Perhaps, I could just fall in, reach a little, stay broken there along with Eddy. There was another thing too.

Hurt. He had been broken too. It was wrong of me to think like that, to think that he wasn't human.

"Because it was love that made me hate, Brett."

"What, sir?"

"Please, drop the casualties. My name's Eddy."

"Okay, Eddy. What do you mean by that?"

"Mina. My girlfriend. The person I asked you to bring roses to. She's right out the window, right there."

He pointed at a girl with black hair, holding the hands of another man. I didn't know what to say. Did Eddy really work with the view of his girlfriend cheating on him?

"I work, driven by that anger. Everyday, I'm only reminded that I am nothing, that she doesn't love me anymore, that she used me."

"Oh."

Silence hung in the air to give the both of us time. What was I supposed to say?

"But the thing is, I don't know what to feel about her. I don't think the love was really there. All along, my heart was stolen by someone else..."

I didn't know how to reply. Who was this someone?

"There's this fine line, you know, between love and hate. And I know many people hate me. Even those I've hired. But I hate myself too. There's only love in my heart for someone else."

And all so suddenly, Cupid shot an arrow to my heart.

I had crossed that fine line. It wasn't hate I felt, and as likely as it seemed, it wasn't pity either. It was love.

"I've crossed it for you, Brett."

And I knew that fine line was only the start of it all.

-Val (Nutellingyouwhome)