Lisa & Rokko - Missed Chances (english version)

Chapter 6

It wasn't possible. It simply couldn't be. Surely, she was dreaming. To test the theory, she pinched her own arm.
"Ouch," she muttered. Several people in the room shot her brief, confused glances before their attention snapped back to the competent marketing expert, captivated by his presentation.
Lisa, too, was captivated, though less by his words and more by his very presence. She practically analyzed him from head to toe. He looked almost the same as he used to, if not better. His style was almost unchanged—a vibrant, patterned shirt worn, as always, with a tie underneath rather than over it. His jacket was relatively plain, but he had draped it over the back of a chair at the start of the presentation. But as much as Lisa's eyes were glued to Rokko, he meticulously avoided hers—as if she weren't even there. Or worse: as if she were poison.
After a while, Max stood up and positioned himself beside Rokko, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"We are immensely pleased to have brought Mr. Kowalski on board for this project. . As you could all gather from his excellent presentation, he already has many brilliant approaches to make the company and our upcoming collection more appealing to our customers."
Lisa had been so focused on Rokko, so lost in the question of whether she was dreaming, that she only registered what Max had just said when everyone began to applaud.

Rokko... working for Kerima again?
A hopeful feeling swelled inside her.
All around her, people were getting up and leaving the room. Only then was Lisa able to break free from her paralysis. She jumped to her feet, determined to talk to Rokko. But by the time she had navigated past the large group of board members, she saw only his back as he stepped into the elevator and the doors slid shut.
"Rokko, wait!" she called out. But it was too late. He was gone.

When the bell over the kiosk door chimed, Jürgen looked up to see Lisa standing before him, radiating a joy he hadn't seen in years.
"Whoa," he said, genuinely taken aback. "What happened to you? Did you hit the jackpot?"
"Nonsense, something much better!" Lisa grinned.
"Well, spit it out. I can't read minds," Jürgen urged, his curiosity piqued.
"He's back!"
"David?" Jürgen's voice was laced with irritation.
"What? No! God, I hope not," Lisa retorted, horrified. "I'm talking about Rokko." The confused look on Jürgen's face prompted her to explain. "I called him. A few days ago. I told him how bad things were at the company... and I asked him for help."
"You did what?" Jürgen's shock was palpable.
"I called him," Lisa confirmed calmly, almost proudly. Her eyes were shining. "And you know what, Jürgen? He actually came!"
Jürgen's eyebrow arched in skepticism. "Lisa... don't you think you might be getting a little carried away here?"

Lisa's smile didn't waver. "No, really! This is my chance! Now I can finally make everything right again. I'm going to apologize to him, and then... then everything will be okay. I mean, he's back, Jürgen! That can't be a coincidence, can it?"
He crossed his arms, his gaze turning serious, critical. "Lisa, are you listening to yourself? Let's be realistic. You left him at the altar. Humiliated him in front of everyone he knew. He trusted you. He believed you were done with David. And you..."
Shame washed over her, and she dropped her gaze to the floor. But he wasn't done.
"...you broke his heart, Lisa. You just dropped him, even though he was always there for you. Always. He supported you even when you weren't sure of yourself. And now you think a simple apology is enough to fix all that?" She knew he was right, and the guilt that had plagued her ever since Rokko had hung up on her returned, casting a shadow over her newfound hope. But she wasn't ready to give up that easily.
"But I... I was just so overwhelmed back then. It was all too much, and I didn't know what I wanted," Lisa explained quietly.

"Maybe," Jürgen conceded. "But Rokko knew exactly what he wanted. He wanted you. And in the moment that mattered most, you walked away."
She looked at him, her eyes pleading. "But he's here, Jürgen. Doesn't that mean he might be willing to give me a second chance?"
"Or," Jürgen replied dryly, "he's back purely for the job because he feels sorry for the company and its employees, and he wants nothing to do with you."
Lisa shook her head, a stubborn refusal. "No. I don't believe that. I can feel it. There's still something there. I will do whatever it takes to earn his forgiveness."
Jürgen let out a long sigh, his expression softening as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I'm not trying to be cruel. Maybe you really can fix something. But you can't go into this thinking it'll be easy. Rokko isn't the kind of man who just lets something like that go. And frankly, I wouldn't either."

Lisa nodded slowly, the euphoria on her face giving way to a pensive expression. "You're right... It won't be easy. But I'm going to fight, Jürgen. I'm going to show him that I mean it this time."
Jürgen snorted. "Well, you'd better be prepared to give it your all. A simple 'Sorry, Rokko' isn't going to cut it this time."
Lisa smiled, a weak but determined expression on her face. "I wasn't planning on it."

On her way back to Kerima, she tried to sort through her thoughts. The encounter with Rokko had stirred up a flood of old memories, but Jürgen's words haunted her. Was there really no chance for redemption? Or could she make him see how deeply she regretted what had happened?
She was so lost in thought that she almost missed him. There, across the street, was Rokko. And he wasn't alone. A woman walked beside him, laughing at something he'd said. They seemed to be getting along wonderfully; their relaxed posture and shared laughter were impossible to miss.
Lisa's heart leaped, but at the same time, her stomach twisted into a painful knot. Who was this woman? Was she just a colleague, a friend—or perhaps more?
"Rokko!" Lisa called out decisively, without thinking, taking a step forward. She needed his attention, needed to ask him to talk, to explain everything.
She could have sworn his gaze actually flickered in her direction. But the second their eyes might have met was gone in an instant. The moment he glanced her way, the smile vanished from his face. He turned abruptly back to his companion and continued on his way—at a quicker pace than before.
Lisa froze mid-stride, her voice swallowed by the city noise.
Had he not seen her? Or had he... run away from her?