The Sphere

Chapter 38: From Heart to Heart

I received a call from Norman before that day. "Marina... It's me," said Norman as soon as I picked up. He used a different number, but I recognised his voice right away. "Hi... Mmm... Norman?" I pretended to guess.

"Wow! You still remember my voice?" Said Norman in disbelief. I could tell he was amazed by that. "It's not like we've only known each other for one day," I laughed.

"So, what's up, Norman?" I asked him bluntly. Since the last time I met him at the airport the other day, I had made a promise to myself that if I ever met him again in the future, I would treat him just like I treated others. Nothing special.

Norman didn't answer me right away. He went silent as night. "Norman? Hello? I thought we were disconnected."

"Can we meet for a moment, Marina?" Norman asked me, out of the blue. I could hear a firm and insistent tone behind his voice as if he had finally gathered all the bravery he needed.

"What is it about, Norman?" I asked.

"There's something really important I need to talk to you about," he answered, appearing calm and collected. I didn't immediately give him a yes, of course. Being busy at work once again became my go-to excuse for postponing the conversation. Two days later, Norman tried to reach out to me again, but I purposely declined his phone call. I did it on purpose because I wanted to stay focused on Hey. I knew Norman's call would be emotional and could easily distract me if I wasn't careful. It wasn't until I finished all my work for the day that I finally sent him a text. I apologised for not returning his calls, and when he replied, I agreed to meet him. And just like that, a date with an ex was set.

I was feeling super hesitant as I made my way to the spot where we agreed to meet up. And when I finally laid eyes on him, I could tell right away that this was a whole different Norman standing in front of me. It wasn't the Norman I used to know, and definitely not the Norman I bumped into at the airport recently. He looked like a hot mess, both on the outside and on the inside. Something was clearly bothering him. At first, we just stood there in silence, and man, it was so awkward. But deep down, I knew it was all because of our messed up history together. So we took it slow, one step at a time, before we finally got into the real conversation.

"So, Marina, it seems like you're really enjoying life now," Norman said, his voice filled with genuine happiness.

"Is it that obvious?" I replied, playfully rubbing my face in an attempt to lighten the mood between us.

Norman chuckled and nodded, clearly amused by my antics.

As our conversation progressed, we delved deeper into various topics. We started by discussing our careers, then moved on to family matters, friendships, and even current affairs.

During our conversation, I couldn't help but notice that Norman had a big smile on his face and seemed really engaged. However, there were moments when I could sense that he was also being strategic, waiting for the right moment to share everything that was on his mind since we first met. I knew that when the time was right, he would open up completely. The Norman I knew wasn't the type to ask me out just for small talk; there was something deeper going on. It felt like there was a massive iceberg beneath the surface, and what I had seen so far was just the tip of it.

Suddenly, there was a brief silence between us. It seemed like we had run out of things to talk about.

"Hey Norman, why did you ask me out today? Just curious, I guess. But let's cut to the chase, shall we?

Norman took a deep breath, and there was a long, tense silence. His expression turned serious as if his ego had been completely shattered. He reached for the orange juice in front of him and slowly finished it off.