Forbidden Lovers (MewGulf AU)

🌻Chapter 15

🌻

"I'm sorry about yesterday. I'm sorry for being rude, but I don't regret it. I love you."

Gulf received that short apology in a text mesaage from Bright on his way to work.

'Does he really feel badly about what he did? Or is he just apologizing to avoid an awkward scene at work?'

Gulf did feel a sort of sincerity from the message.

"Or maybe I'm just being arrogant?" Gulf mused.

He smiled wryly and put his cellphone down on his desk in the staff room.

"Morning, Teach Gulf," Yaya said. "What happened after you left last night?"

It was still early, so there weren't many people in the staff room yet. But Gulf looked around instinctively and asked cautiously, "What do you mean?"

Yaya pulled up a chair next to him and sat down, and then brought her face close to his. Gulf backed up a bit.

"Don't tell anyone else, but..." she said, lowering her voice.

"Uh-huh..." Gulf also lowered his voice.

"That new girl, Teacher Takashima...she's after Teacher Bright," Yaya revealed.

"Seriously?" Gulf asked.

"Last night, after the party ended at the first bar, you left right?" Yaya continued. "Well, afterwards Teach Bright left too. And even though the party was for her, so did Teach Takashima! She went chasing after Bright!"

"Is that what happened?" Gulf asked.

"Did you go out with them afterwards?" Yaya inquired.

"No, I didn't see him after I left." Gulf didn't know what Bright did after he left.

"Damn," Yaya said. "If I knew he was with you, I would've felt a lot better."

"You're acting like Bright's a kid who misbehaved or something." Gulf remarked.

The nurse laughed. "She hasn't even been here a month, but I guess she's a fast mover. The female students are gonna hate her."

"Who, Teacher Takashima?" Gulf asked. "But you don't know for sure that she chased after Bright after he left, right?"

"It's the same thing, either way!" Yaya pointed out. "What I'm trying to say is, women hate aggressive types like her."

"Oh, is that how it is?" Gulf said helplessly.

"She left right in the middle of her own party!" Yaya groused. "None of us know her too well. I mean, love is fine, but when it gets to the point that you forget everything else around you, nothing good ever comes out of it. You'd better be careful of that too!"

"Sorry, but I don't have anything to be careful about." Gulf said, smiling wryly.

"What?" Yaya exclaimed. "But I heard you were engaged. I hadn't heard anything about a woman before so we were all surprised, but..."

"That was a false rumor, so of course everyone was surprised." Gulf said.

"Ohhh..."

"I guess everyone was making something out of nothing," Gulf added.

"That's right!" Yaya agreed. "It's so strange, because nobody's ever spread rumors about Teach Bright and I, even though we're really close."

"Do you want there to be rumors like that?" Gulf asked.

'That would be surprising. She's already a beautiful woman, why would she need Bright?'

"No," Yaya answered, "but it would be fun."

She gave a carefree smile, and Gulf suddenly understood why the female students often came to her for advice.

"I wish I had a school nurse like you when I was in high school," he said.

"Really? Thanks..." Yaya trailed off then asked, "That's a compliment, right?"

Gulf hadn't had anyone to talk to when he had been in high school. He hadn't known what was right, or what was wrong, he hadn't known anything. He had just taken each fact at face value.

He didn't want to get back together with Bright. But he realized he had a deep scar on his heart from that time in his life.

"By the way, Teach Gulf, do you know who Teach Bright's ex is?" Yaya suddenly asked.

Startled, Gulf stared at her. "His ex? Um...he has a lot of them. Which one?"

They both smiled.

"I'm not sure actually." Yaya said.

"We went to high school together, but we went to different colleges and didn't keep in contact," Gulf admitted. "So I don't know what happened with him during that time. And after we both started working here, I think you've been closer to him than me."

Bright and the nurse got along well right from the start, and he treated her like an older sister, stopping by the clinic often.

"That's true, but it's just so weird. He told me he's still hung up on his ex!"

Gulf was startled once again, but she continued, "It's a good opportunity for him, but I hope they don't get back together."

"Um, why?" Gulf laughed uneasily.

"Because he's a really lucky person! He needs to learn that life isn't always fair, don't you think so?" Yaya said.

It was true that Bright was a lucky person---he was willful, hadn't had much conflict in his life, had tons of friends.

"And then he'd go back to normal," Yaya added. "But I do feel kind of sorry for Teach Takashima. He wouldn't take her seriously at all. I hope he doesn't use her."

"I know," Gulf said, nodding. He glanced at his cellphone in his desk.

"Oh, and don't tell Teach Bright I told you about how he's still hung up on his ex." Yaya smiled playfully.

After she left, Gulf looked once again at his cellphone.

"I don't have a good feeling about this..."

He knew they could never get back together, because they'd just make the same mistakes all over again. He picked up his cellphone and erased the messages from Bright.

TBC