Chapter Three
At this moment, it was like I had a staring contest with Zia, and whoever blinked first was the loser. I know it's not Zia's habit to lose in any contest, but this time I won't let her win either.
"If you think you can beat me now, Eli, you're wrong because I won't let you win," she says.
I smiled as I didn't take my eyes off of her.
"Now answer my question, Z, what is the real reason why you suddenly fired me?" I asked her.
At this moment, she took her eyes off me, which is strange because this is the first time Zia has let me win. I approached her and was about to touch her, but she suddenly avoided me.
"Zia? Do you have a problem with me?" I asked.
She shook her head as she looked into the distance.
"Why is the world so unfair?" she suddenly said.
I was surprised by what Zia said, so I sat next to her.
"Why, Z, what has the world done to you?" I asked.
Her smiles were bitter before she spoke.
"Have you ever fallen for someone impossible to be yours?" she said sadly.
At this moment, I don't know what to feel because I feel the weight of her feelings.
"Why? Have you ever fallen for someone impossible to be yours, Z?" I asked her back.
"Eli, you're not answering my question; you're just repeating what I told you earlier," she said, raising her eyebrows.
"You're being very serious right now, Zia; I'm not used to this kind of conversation between the two of us," I said.
"Answer my question, Eli," she answered.
"No, you know I don't have time for love life because I'm focused on taking care of you," I said.
Her eyes were sad as she looked at me.
"It's time to put yourself first, Eli. I want you to focus on other things because your world doesn't revolve around me alone," Zia replied.
I couldn't answer right away because I felt like something was blocking my throat.
"Zia, I promised you that I wouldn't leave you, didn't I? I promised you that I'm the only person who is ready to understand you when everyone else doesn't.".
At this moment, Zia was staring at me, and I could see in her eyes the mix of emotions.
"Eli, you don't have to fulfil everything you promised me. I'm fine; I can take care of myself," she answered.
"No! Z, I know you're not okay. I want to stay with you, not because of my promise. I want to stay with you because that's what my heart wants." I answered.
Zia just shook her head after hearing what I said.
"That's what your heart wants? Is what you're saying true, Eli? Or you're just saying that because you don't want to hurt me? I know that no one can stand my character, I cannot stand myself sometimes so how can I expect someone to stand for me" she said.
"Zia, why are you so hard on yourself? Can you stop thinking bad things?" was my answer.
"Can you blame me if I feel this way about myself, Eli? My own family does not acknowledge me;" she says.
"Maybe you forgot that you were the one who walked away from your family Z. Shall I remind you of that?" was my answer.
Zia was just looking at me at this moment as if she were waiting for what I would say next.
"Zia, I just want to remind you that there is no perfect parent, no perfect family, and especially no perfect person. We all make mistakes in life, and it is up to us whether we learn from our mistakes or not," I said.
"It's easy for you to say that because you're not the one in my situation, you're not the one who's been lied to over the years, Eli. As their daughter, I'm very hurt because I found out the truth from someone I didn't expect would be honest with me," Zia replied.
"I know that your feelings are valid, but you can't change the situation no matter how angry you are. All you can do now is forgive and accept the truth," I said.
"Forgive and accept the truth? Just like that? Damn! That's the hardest thing to do, Eli," she said.
"I know, I didn't tell you to forgive them now because that's too much to ask. All I want you to do is free yourself from hatred because if you do that, you can achieve peace," I said.
"I don't know what to do anymore, Eli. I'm tired as hell, but I don't want to give up because I don't want them to see me lose," she said.
"Then don't give up. I want to see you win. Always remember that I'm always here for you, whether you win or you lose. I won't leave you," I said.
"Can you stop being nice to me, Eli? I don't want you to be nice to me," she answered.
It was at this moment that I realized something was weird about Zia. She used to not talk to me like this; no matter what I did or said to her, she ignored it, unlike now.
"Tell me, Zia, do we have a problem?" I asked her again.
She smiled as she looked away from me.
"We don't have a problem, Eli," Zia simply answered.
"Are you still going to keep a secret from me? I know you well, Z. Go ahead and tell me what trouble you have had with me.".
"No, Eli, I didn't have any problems with you. I just wanted to experience being alone, so I did that," she answered.
"Zia, can you stop lying to me? You're not a good liar, you know. You know me very well; I won't stop asking you questions until you tell me the real reason why you suddenly let go of me," I said.
She just let out a deep sigh and looked at me in the eyes full of emotions.
"If I told you the truth, would you believe it, Eli?" she said.
"I don't know; it depends on what you'll tell me," I answered.
She smiled bitterly before she spoke.
"Eli, what will you feel if someone close to you is in love with you?" she asked.
I gulped after hearing what she said. I don't know how to answer her without hurting her feelings.
"See? You're not interested in anyone; your face says it all," she said.
"Zia, to be honest, I'm not ready to enter into an intimate relationship because I am afraid of commitment. I don't want to be committed to someone right now," I said.
"Is it necessary to commit when you have a girlfriend?" she asked innocently.
"Yes, Z, commitment plays a big role in a relationship because when you allow someone to enter your life, it means that you trust that person enough," I replied.
"Are you in love, Zia?" I added.
This time, she gives me her devilish smile.
"Forget about what I said earlier, Eli, and about your work; you can start again tomorrow. You may leave now," she said.
"You're crazy, Zia," was my answer.
"Yeah, I know that, and thank you for accepting my craziness," she replied, pinching my nose.
I just smiled because my heart is so happy that we're okay now. I know Zia is hiding something from me because I can feel it. I'll just leave it to her whatever she's hiding right now. I have to respect her decision because I know she has her reason for keeping it from me.
