CherryLatte

yes/no

"Where is she?! Where the fuck is she Mei? Do you see her?"

"Have you called her?"

"I called, I texted, I called again and again. When was the last time you saw her?"

"She was over there looking at your family picture."

Keva pulled Mei close, grasping her arm. "Did you say something to her?"

Mei's brows furrowed, "Did she say something to you?"

Keva's grip tightened, "What did you do?"

"Son-!" A familiar voice sounded in his ear.

"What now?" he whispered, before letting go of Mei and turning around.

"Darling, you will take the Lons back home, right?" his mother showed up petting his arm and eyeing Mei as she walked away.

"Something has come up. I need to go," he was about to storm after Mei when mum's petting turned into a tight hold.

"Son, we can't let some random person take them home. Just take them first and then you can take care of your work."

"The opening was such a success. I am sure he wants to go celebrate with his friends, mom." Laryn said reassuringly to Keva's mother. "I will call a car for us."

"Aren't you his friend? You're his closest -"

"Let's just go please" Keva interrupted this conversation he had no patience for right now. "Sorry but I'm in a rush. Can we go now?" He stormed off straight for his car.

*

Laryn, "Did something happen?"

"..."

Laryn, "Goo!"

Keva, "What?!"

Laryn, "...is everything okay? You are going too fast. Slow down please, my parents are in here with us."

Keva, "Sorry."

Laryn, "Do you need my help?"

Keva, "No"

...

Laryn, "Okay well let me know when-"

There was nothing but a puff of dust left as he sped off. Laryn watched until she couldn't see his car anymore and then walked into her yard.

He pulled up to that familiar apartment. He could finally breathe again when he saw lights on. Tash was home.

He had had enough of her. She always does what she wants. How could she just leave without saying a word? If this was going to work some things would have to change.

From the day he met Tasha, he knew she was going to be a handful. He welcomed the challenge. In fact, he likes it. She has her own way of saying and doing things. Her insistence on being a brat. Everything she did ignited something in him. But none so much as when she made him worried. When his eyes searched for her every chance he got back at the museum, he couldn't rest until he found her. He wanted to stop all these meaningless conversations with all these people who don't matter half as much as she does. He wanted to just find her and hold her next to him. Hold her hands, and take her in front of every piece of art and tell her what every piece meant to him and why he chose it to be a part of the showing. When he looked and couldn't see her anywhere, he finally came to his senses. He was going to find her and tell her everything he wanted to. But suddenly he couldn't find her. She was just gone. Not a word to him or Mei or anyone. Not even a text. How can she be so irresponsible? Does she not know that he will want to know where she is? Where is she? Why would she suddenly leave?

Keva did not understand anything he felt about her. Right now, as he is driving to her place, he should be feeling worried. Worry is perhaps the feeling he knows the most. As a child he worried about when he and his mother would join his father and they would live together as a family. As a teenager he worried about school and his identity as a young man. As a college student he worried about his future and career choices. As a son, he worried about being a disappointment. As an heir he worried about whether he was deserving and capable.

When it comes to this woman, worry only lasted for about a split second. It always erupted into anger. When he couldn't meet her in the nights and wasn't there to walk her home from school. When she didn't return his calls or answer his texts after a long period of time. When she spent hours working on a paper or assignment and didn't stop to eat her meals. When as a result of her eating habits, she would get aches and pains in her stomach. These are things that he should worry about but instead he just grew angry. Not knowing if she was safe, pain free, and happy made him feel like he might go mad.

Rationally none of the things he felt made sense and so he concluded it had to mean love. So, in the spur of a moment he told her exactly that. "I love you." Before he said it, he didn't know if it was true. When he said it, the calmness that washed over him immediately, he knew right away it was true. When she laid in his arms and he comforted her, even though she didn't say it back to him, he knew he didn't just love her, he was fucking in love with her because it didn't matter if she felt the same way, only that she knew she was loved.

He reached her door the same time she did. She forced her way out, pushing him out as well while he tried to go in. He had things he wanted to say to her. Things that he thought would better be said inside. Right now though he was just happy to see she was okay so he swept her up into an embrace.

"Babe let's go inside" Keva pulled away from her stroking her blush tainted cheeks. Lips still blood red, eyes still kohl black. Only her outfit she had changed.

"Did everything finish off okay?" she asked.

"Why did you leave? How could you just leave without telling me?"

"Something came up. Sorry." she said dryly.

His fingers on her chin, he lifted her head up "What is it? Is everything okay?"

"Yes" The silence was a dread. Then, "No," Tash said suddenly. 

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