Over the next couple of weeks I went over design ideas with Steven. This assignment was the perfect distraction for me. I also got really close to Steven. I felt I was even getting a little too close when I stay at his studio till it was pretty late one evening. We were installing some curtain rods and some wall fixtures. We were having so much fun listening to some of the songs he had recorded and working that I totally lost track of time.
"Yikes it's 11:35pm!" I exclaimed when I picked up my phone. I quickly sent my sister a text to let her know that I would be home soon. "Don't beat yourself up. I have that effect on lots of women," Steven teased with a smile. Gosh his smile was so attractive! I shrugged and packed my things. When I was ready to leave Steven asked if I wanted him to take me home because it was late. I smiled at his thoughtfulness but said I was fine. We walked to the roadside and I grabbed a taxi. I didn't want to request a cab with my phone because it would take a while. I hoped into the cab and waved Steven goodbye as the car left. I felt guilty thinking about him the way I did.
When I got home I rushed into the house as quietly as possible. I knew Alex was asleep and didn't want to wake him up. My nephew was a very light sleeper. When I got in I saw Kuukua. She was just going to bed. "Are you from Steven's place?" she asked. I nodded and she smiled. I knew what that smile meant but I wasn't in the mood to explain to her that we were just friends. So I just went straight to my room to sleep.
At work the next day I got a call from Julian. He told something very worrying. Fii had been in an accident and was on admission in a hospital. "It's not too bad but he will have to be in the hospital for a while," he said. Just as I guessed it was a motorbike accident. Fii was a speed freak on his bike. I immediately had a flash back to a time when we were dating and he had a minor accident. "I'm going to see him after work. Should I come and get you?" Julian asked. I said yes and we made plans.
Julian picked me up from work that evening and we went to Fii's hospital. My heart skipped a beat when I saw him in the hospital bed. He had a huge bandage around him arm and some minor dressed wounds. When he saw us he smiled and that lifted up my mood a little. Julian's phone rang and he left the room to answer it. "Hey, I didn't think you would come," Fii said. I shook my head and sat down on the chair beside him. "Really, and why is that?" I asked. Fii shrugged and asked if I wanted to drink anything as he pointed to the little fridge next to his bed. I told him I was fine and wished him a speedy recovery.
From nowhere at all he said, "I honestly thought you knew about Nina and I. It was silly of me to assume and definitely not fair to you. I'm sorry," I was not expecting such bluntness from him. I paused for a while and told him it wasn't a big deal. I knew now and that was good enough for me. "Nina is actually a good fit for you," I said and smiled. It hurt me to see him with someone so close but everyone deserved to be happy and I had to deal with that. Fii put his palm on mine and leaned closer to me. His eyes sparkled in the light like they always did under his long eyelashes. It was when I could literally fell his breath on my face that Julian walked in. We both moved back and looked away. I could tell Julian felt awkward. He tried to make an excuse to leave the room but I insisted on him staying. Whatever he stopped from happening was definitely not a good idea.
Julian, Fii and I talked and made jokes like old times. The conversation quickly came to an end when Fii had another visitor, Nina. The first cold breeze that entered the room was the disapproving expression she had on her face when she saw Julian and I. She tried to pretend but I had known her for too long to be fooled. I greeted her casually and picked up my bag to leave. "Oh why are you leaving, you should stay," Nina said sitting down on Fii's bed. I lied about going to work early the next day and said my goodbyes. Julian did same and we walked out together.
As Julian drove me home I couldn't help thinking about what happened. "You know he still likes you right? He never stopped," Julian said to break the silence. I shrugged and looked out the window. At a point in my life those two meant the world to me. My boyfriend and my best friend. How things went sideways I just didn't understand. Now the two of them were happy and here I was nice and lonely. "Maybe I should learn from Nina and take someone else's man," I accidentally said aloud. Julian immediately turned to look at me. "Who me? In fact I agree. Should I give you my girlfriend's number?" he joked and I laughed. I was glad to have him around. He always had a way of making me laugh no matter what.
To be continued...
