⭐ Zachary's POV ⭐

* 3 years later *

"Don't worry dad, I'll have more time to spare after a week or so."

"So your mum can start tidying up your old room?"

"Yeah!"

"Your mum will be elated to know you're coming home." My dad said and I could imagine the smile on his face.

"Dad.. I miss you and mum." I blurted out those words before I even knew it. I never told my parents about how lonely I felt being in a big city.

"Your mum and I miss you too, kid. Now, get your ass back here as soon as you can." Hearing my dad calling me 'kid' again, made me feel like crying. But, my dad raised me to be a tough man. I quickly push away the feeling and replaced it with a smile of my own.

"I will dad, I definitely will." I hung up the call, feeling emotionally refreshed. I always loved talking to my dad, he always seemed to make my problems look small.

'It all lies in what you believe.' I grew up hearing my dad instilling this phrase into my head.

I picked up my briefcase to retrieve the book I have been reading it recently. Despite my busy schedule, I still managed find time and read this book one page at a time.

Whenever I got hooked to a book, it would constantly be in my hands. My eyes would continue absorbing every single word till it aches. My brain would slowly take in the whole story with every flip of a page. It's like an obsession to the book. I could not seem to let it down when the story was getting even more interesting with each chapter.

Therefore, in order to set a limit for myself, I tried not to be too into the book. Like, it should not be consistently distracting me from serious work. So far, yeah, I have been able to control myself.

Stubbornness is good, sometimes. But, usually it will lead you to do something that you want to, not need to.

As I immersed myself into a whole other universe, expressing the other character's feelings, memories, the pain or anger, confusion, sadness, happiness. I temporarily forgot everything that was around me. I didn't even noticed that my bookmark had slipped off the book. Some kind soul picked it up and waved it in front of my eyes.

When I looked up to thank that person, I saw Rachel's fiancé, Gavin, standing next to a gift shop. He kept glancing down to his watch, as if he was rushing for time. I contemplated whether I should just ignore him or get up and say hi. But, I have decided on the latter.

Placing my bookmark to the page I stopped at, I put it inside my briefcase before standing up. I wondered if Gavin was waiting for Rachel. I haven't seen her for quite some time now. The last time I saw her was a few months back. I just closed the deal with Crewe Lines, and exited the restaurant with a huge grin. Rachel was running out from a bakery, right opposite of me.

I didn't have to chance to say hi and talk to her. Maybe, I have the chance today.

Before I reached to where Gavin was standing, he suddenly took off to another direction. I stopped walking immediately and decided not to follow him. Gavin probably was in a hurry, looking at how fast he was walking.

I shrugged and thought perhaps, today wasn't the day. Giving my watch a brief glance, I realized it was already time for me to board the plane.
*~*~*~*~*~*

"Mr Davis, Stevens Paper called in to postpone the meeting. They're asking if it can be rescheduled to tomorrow morning?" Olivia was reading off her notebook as she lifted her gaze to meet mine.

"Yeah, sure."

"And, the CEO of Fusion Heights invited you to his birthday party, this weekend."

"Hmm.." I did a quick mental check if I have anything on this weekend. "Tell him that I'll be there. Is there anything else?"

Olivia flipped through her notebook before shaking her head. As she opened the door to go out, Olivia turned around and asked, "Do you need me to buy something for you to eat for lunch?"

"No, it's alright. I'll be heading out for lunch today. Anyways, thanks." I answered with a smile.

For the first time in a long while, I could finally relax and go out of the office for lunch.

I stepped into Evergreen Grove Bistro, inhaling the tantalizing aroma of food travelled out from the kitchen. Inside, patrons were busy chattering away and I spotted a few familiar faces. Yeah, no doubt I'm a regular here. Since the bistro situated just a few blocks down my office.

Most of the booths were occupied, and I was lucky enough to find an empty booth near the window.

Soon after I settled down, a short waitress with a frizz of brown curls took my order. Then hustled, order pad and pencil in hand, to the next table. As it was during lunch time, the whole bistro was filled with patrons.

Despite the lunch crowd, my order came surprisingly fast. The waitress left a plate of delicious food and a bill on the table before passing through swinging doors to the kitchen. I took a big bite on my lunch, gulping it down with coffee. A bell tickled and a gust of hot air whooshed into the room.

"Hey, how long will I need to wait for a takeaway?" I heard a familiar voice coming from the counter.

Rachel! I looked up and collided gaze with Rachel's when she gave the bistro a quick scan. She seemed surprise to see me and said something to the lady boss before making way to my booth.

"Hey Zach. Is anyone sitting here?"

"Nope."

"Great, can I share this booth with you?"

"Of course." A grin was etched on my face as I gestured Rachel to sit down.

"Thanks. Wow, it's nearly impossible to find a seat at this timing." Rachel gratefully sat down and began studying the menu. The same waitress who took my order, did the same for Rachel.

"So how's Florida?" Rachel had an eyebrow raised as she looked at me.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"You didn't follow your fiancé to Florida last week?"

Rachel dropped the file that she was holding. Suddenly, she looked very interested in what I have just said.

"Where did you say you've seen Gavin?"

"Florida." I replied as I belatedly realised that there wasn't a ring on neither of Rachel's hands.

"Rach, what happened?"

At first, Rachel didn't seem like she was comfortable confiding in me. But, after she told me the whole story, she actually looked relieved. As for me, I sat there gripping on every word that Rachel said. When the waitress came with Rachel's food, she stopped for awhile to control her emotions. I could see that the pressure of this thing was weighing down on her.

Out of impulse, I reached over to cover my hand over Rachel's. I was prepared that she might withdrew her hand. However, she didn't. When she finished talking, silence fell between us.

"Have you tried finding him?" I was the first one to break the silence as Rachel was busy eating.

"Not at first. But I guess I have to right to know why he left. I gave up searching for him after a year.."

"I see.. So, now you know that he's in the country, are you planning to track him down?"

After pondering over my question for awhile, Rachel met my gaze and said, "No."

"So, I've heard about you and Eva.." Rachel trailed off and quietly observed my reaction.

"Yeah, let's talk about something else, okay?" I managed a tight smile as my mind wandered back to the dark days when Eva..

The rest of our conversation went by without touching on sensitive topics. We've both learnt more about each other's lives after high school.

"Oh my God!" Rachel suddenly exclaimed and she left a bill on the table.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm going to be late! My lunch time is almost over!"

Before I could say anything else, Rachel dashed out of the bistro. As she ran past where I seated, she gave a small wave. I moved closer to the window and see Rachel running towards the direction of the subway. I chuckled softly as Rachel didn't seem to change much the past 13 years.

Author's note :
Yooo! Dedicating this chapter to @20kekey 😄 Thank you so much for voting on TGHITS and In Time! I really really appreciate it! ♥

I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter! 😊 3.15k reads! Omg! Thank you all so much! 😘 Don't forget to vote, comment or share if you like this chapter! 😛