"Don't say sorry... Just because I love you, does that mean you have to love me too? No, right?" -James-
"If I had known it was you, I would never have done that." -Luke-
While first love is a chapter, it's the love you truly experience that writes...
"I was staring intently at the main door from the second floor, waiting for Mr. Handsome to arrive for the 10 o'clock meeting. But waiting for Luke from 9 o'clock onwards for the 10 o'clock meeting is just a waste of time. Because Luke will show up exactly at 10. Time is time—neither early nor late. Even though it's a waste of time, I don't have anything else to do.
While I was leaning against the corridor railing, all the employees passing by greeted me with 'Good morning'. Wow, such attention. After all, I come to the office only occasionally. But I’m sure they think I’m unaware of the gossip they share about me. They can't trap me. No matter what, I can't be rude to those smiling and greeting 'Good morning'. So, I also returned the wishes because, well, I’m polite.
At exactly 9:56, Luke was near the door. Because at 10 sharp, he’d be in the meeting room. The moment I saw Luke, my grip on the railing slipped, and I almost felt like I might chip my teeth...
Everything around me froze, and all I could see was Luke. That handsome face, the well-built body, those intense dark eyes... His eyes shone like black diamonds. There wasn’t a hint of a smile on his face, but that didn’t diminish his handsomeness at all. He was dressed in his usual black coat, white shirt, and black pants. I've never seen him in any other color. If I had to show someone the most perfect person in the world, I'd show them Luke Orion—this handsome young man with not a single flaw.
While I was admiring his figure, he got into the elevator to head to the meeting room. It was then that I snapped out of it, at least a little.
"Oh, Mr. Luke Orion is really handsome, isn’t he?"
"I feel faint."
The conversation of two female employees standing a bit further away caught my attention. "You're not getting paid here to waste time like this." I gave them a glare and turned to head to the meeting room. Why the heck are we paying them to waste time like this? That’s what annoyed me. Huh!! faint, my foot. What nonsense!
---
I stood in front of the meeting room, and surprise, surprise—Mr. Handsome was already inside. Great. Should I go in or just stay out here and act like a decorative plant? If I had a flower, I’d be plucking petals like, ‘Should I go in? Should I not? Should I just run away?’
I swear, every time I try to build up courage, it disappears faster than ice cream on a hot day. My palms are sweating and my body can’t decide if it’s freezing or on fire. Oh, and look—my confidence is packing its bags and leaving me behind like, ‘Good luck buddy you're on your own!’"
I finally made up my mind—nope, I wasn’t going in there. I’d meet him after the meeting ended. So, I grabbed my phone and shot a quick text to my dad.
I sighed in relief. One crisis avoided. Now, I just had to survive the next hour. I needed a solid plan. First step: avoid all human interaction. Second step: come up with a killer excuse for skipping the meeting and avoid dad's mocking face. Third step: mentally brace myself to meet Luke later.
I decided the safest place to hide was the break room. As soon as I walked in, I grabbed a coffee cup and stared at it like I was pondering the meaning of life. Anyone watching would think I was in deep thought but really, my brain was just going, 'Don’t freak out. Don’t freak out'...
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I safely survived one hour without any problems. Just as the clock struck 11, I saw the elevator doors slide open. My heart raced. When Luke was close to the main door, I rushed out to him, propelled by an adrenaline surge I didn’t know I had.
“Luke!” I called out, trying to keep my voice steady.
He turned, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw surprise flicker across his face. “YOU?” His tone was curious, a hint of confusion mixing with something else—maybe interest? Or what's that look!?!?!?!
"Um... about the gift... y.. you" The words weren't coming out... my hands were shaking badly... It felt as cold as an ice cube... I could feel my blood rushing through my veins, turning my whole face bright red.
"Gift??? What gift??" Luke's face was filled with a questioning expression.
Why is he acting like he doesn’t know about that gift? He is the one who sent it to me... What is happening? I looked down directly at the ground... It felt like a dark cloud was surrounding me.
"You sent me a notebook, right?" I stammered, my voice trembling. The moment the words escaped my lips, tears began to brim in my eyes, blurring my vision.
Luke stood there, his expression shifting from surprise to something colder, sharper. He seemed to lean back, as if my words had physically pushed him away. “Sigh... You are James?!?!?”
“Hmmm,” I managed to respond but my heart was sinking.
“Sorry, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. Someone…”
“Misunderstanding????” Panic surged through me, mixing with disbelief. What was happening? My chest tightened, and I felt a cold sweat breaking out across my skin, as if a winter chill had enveloped me. The world around us grew distant; the bustling sounds of the corridor faded into a muffled silence, leaving only the pounding of my heart in my ears.
“Otherwise, do you think I have a mental illness to gift you?” His voice was sharp, each word cutting deeper than the last.
“What?!?!?” My heart dropped, the ground beneath me feeling like it was crumbling away. I could hardly breathe, each gasp for air feeling like a betrayal of my own hopes.
“I thought James was someone else...” He continued, his tone growing more disdainful, as if I were a mere inconvenience. “If I had known it was you, I would never have done that.”
The weight of his words hit me like a punch to the gut. I felt my knees tremble, the world tilting. I could hardly process the reality of it—his words hung in the air like poison. My face flushed with shame, and I could feel the heat of embarrassment creep up my neck.
As I stood there, my hands shaking uncontrollably, the tears I had fought back began to spill down my cheeks. “So, I’m nothing to you?” I managed to whisper, the hurt evident in my voice. “Just a mistake? Just...someone else?”
He shrugged, his indifference slicing through me like a knife. “I don’t know what you expected, James. You really think I’d waste my time on someone like you?”
Each word was like glass shattering inside my chest, leaving jagged pieces that dug deeper into my heart. I wanted to run, to escape this moment, but my feet felt rooted to the ground. The once familiar warmth of hope had turned into a bitter chill, wrapping around me like a suffocating blanket.
“Enjoy your gift,” he added, turning away as if I were nothing more than a forgotten note.
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Remember: No matter how beautiful the flower is, it'll rot someday.
