Allea

fifty-one

"So, couldn't you have informed me earlier?"

Hearing the accusation clear in his tone, I penitently smiled toward him in an attempt to ease Elijah's dead stare through the screen, his brows drawn closer and eyes filled with dissatisfaction.

Keeping the smiled, I shrugged, "Look, I was busy," and admitted.

 It's usually Elijah who drags me out of my tomb of work to have lunch with him often, but this time I have been telling him for the past some time to meet me, but he too was busy, with work and the new addition of certain someone. Well, I also didn't push and disturb him much, because I was happy he was giving time to something else, or more particularly someone else. So, at his silence and pursed lips, I playfully added, "I guess we both were."

Seeing my amusement-filled expression with only the lack of wiggling eyebrows, a smile threatened to break out of his face as he sharply turned his hazel eyes away and coughed, while also admitting, "...Yeah."

I know I'm to blame, and Elijah's dissatisfaction is justified. When I called, I knew he would be like this, we met the last time on Kai's birthday about one month ago and except for the phone calls or face times, nothing passed between us. And now I have told him just about two hours before the flight to Italy that I was leaving for further three weeks or four weeks. 

The business trip was on the schedule for a long time, but Mr. Aris Salvadge's untimely intrusion has disturbed all the routine of the organization, and things have pretty much chaos in Gaborone(where the head office of the organization is). Where priorly I had decided to stay a week there, is now turned into one and a half weeks, two or probably more, that will be decided once I go there and see things on my own. Including others, this was also one reason work this month tripled because I had to finish the work of at least two months in one. Moreover, to finalize the trip I was waiting for the confirmation date of the Charity and awareness event, and that's also the reason we had to push our trip a week earlier. 

After a moment of silence, I heard him say, now back to his casual tone, "When's Kai and Jackson's flight confirmed?"

At his question, Kai's excitement-filled face passed through my mind, he's so happy to go see the Cyber games with his own two eyes, and unknowingly a smile rose on my face too, "About five to six days later."

"Kai's staying behind for the first time, did he take it well?"

My smile faded, as his raging flashed before my eyes, with a sigh I avoided looking at Elijah's face, "Well, I thought I'd tell him later but the date pushed forward and I...forgot to tell him."

"And he didn't take it well," Elijah added with a flat tone.

"Yeah."

"How's he?"

"He's..." recalling his stubbornness of not even looking my way after he heard the news, I completed, "angry."

A smirk rose on Elijah's face as he mocked, "Well, you deserve it."

I mumbled, "Yeah."

Someone called Elijah's name, he nodded and turned toward me, "Inform me the moment you land back here, and let's meet after you come back," He paused, and I finally saw his goofy smile as he added the last part, "...I can't wait for both of you to meet too."

To whom he was referring, how I could I not know, I too was quite curious to meet that person, and till then it will be suitable to meet. So, I agreed unhesitantly, "Sure," hearing my assurance, his smile widened a little. My gaze flickered toward the scenery outside my window, and seeing that car has reached near the gate of the mansion, I bid goodbye, "See you later, Elijah."