MILES

I sat down at my dining table with a cup of green tea with a pinch of lemon and ginger. It was something I hated, but over the years, I had been used to its bitter taste. I still couldn't understand how she managed to drink it with a smile on her face.

Now, it was the only thing that seemed to keep me sane to go through my day without making it to the papers for my wild behavior. Using fork and spoon, I cut a piece of omelette into a triangular shape and put it in my mouth.

It needed a bit of salt and something to make it spicy. I shrugged. I didn't have the time and energy to make my food better. But that thought alone made me hate myself more than I already did.

Pushing the plate away, I ran my hand over my hair and pulled it at the ends. I was a chef for God's sake! I should be bothered if the food on my plate wasn't good enough. I should be bothered if my own cooking skills were running down the drain.

I was angry. Not only at me. But at her too.

She had not only left me alone but had taken the most precious thing of mine – the zeal to cook. She hardly ate anything. An apple for breakfast, an omelette for lunch and yogurt for dinner was her usual go to. That was when I had started to cook for her... cook with her.

Now that she was gone, I didn't have anyone to cook for. With my increased business hustle, I didn't even have the time to criticize or appreciate a good meal. It sometimes kept me frustrated and grumpy since this was not a life that I had envisioned myself for.

I took a sip of green tea again to calm my nerves. When it didn't help, I took a deep breath and exhaled through my mouth. I felt much better.

A call interrupted me and as usual, my grumpiness came back in an instant. I knew it was Steve. He was the only guy who called this early in the morning even when the birds hadn't got up.

"What is it, Steve?" I put my phone to my ear and took another sip of tea. "This is too early, can't this wait?"

"Sir, you need to switch on the television or the social media handles." He was rushing through the words. His voice didn't seem scared like he usually was, and it was raging with urgency. "Your ex is back in town."

"Shelly Morgan came back?" I wondered out loud.

After leaving me just because my daddy said so, Shelly had escaped to Madrid promising to never come back. She had come back, however when Megan had walked away, but then I had shooed her away with a press meet declaring that I wanted to be alone. It was then that the media had portrayed me as the young, hot-headed millionaire that one had to be careful with. Shelly had gone back after that, and I had never heard of her.

"No, Sir." Steve put his voice to a lower decibel as if someone could hear him talk. "It's Megan Taylor. She's back in the town. Someone spotted her in the airport, and she made it to the news."

"Fuck!" I cursed, running my hands over my hair. I had envisioned a lot of things with Megan, but being an ex, wasn't one of them. I didn't know if I was angry because she was an ex or because the paparazzi had surrounded her like the bees.

She hated publicity and when I had caught her crying in front of the malls a few days after the breakup, it had teared me apart. I wanted to take her in my arms, cradle her and tell her that she didn't have to worry about them anymore. That I would take care of it all. But she never picked that phone call, nor had she opened the door when I had banged on it.

That was the last of Megan Taylor as the media had captured.

It often made me wonder what happened of her. She wasn't in town, that was for sure. Then, what made her turn her head away from the town that had given her everything? Where did she go? Did she find happiness elsewhere? Was someone wiping her tears away when I was supposed to do that? Did he hold her tight and kiss her beneath that soft spot behind her ear?

"Sir? Sir?" Steve interrupted my train of thoughts. "It's on ESPN and on a few fan pages on the social media."

"How fast can you get rid of it?" I asked, raking my hands over my hair.

"It's like a wildfire... Um... I don't know if we can control it." Steve said, coming back to his old, scared habits. "I'm just calling to give you a heads up, sir."

I sighed. I wasn't expecting this at all. Couldn't anyone travel anywhere they wanted? Why did it have to make the headlines? There were so many other important things that happened around us, but the pap had chosen something to raise their TPRs.

"How bad is it, Steve?" I asked. It was a defeated tone. No matter how much I tried protecting her, she always went around seeking for trouble.

I walked towards my living room, switching on the television that was hardly watched. Even when Megan was here with me, we hardly used it. It had become something like a show piece rather than an entertainment set.

"It's looks harmless for now. But you never know." I could almost see Steve shrug his shoulders.

The television coughed up alive and started blaring something about a blonde girl being spotted on the airport. The camera zoomed in and my heart clung tighter in my chest. It was her.

She was wearing a tight jean that clung to her curves perfectly showcasing her long legs. The black-white striped shirt made her look like she had fought in the prison to finally be free. Her eyes were covered with airport goggles. With a cowboy hat and a purse that hung on her elbows, she looked more than sexy to me.

I was expecting her to jump back when she saw people taking her pictures, but she only nodded at them politely before pulling her trolley away. Amber was there with her, doing the same thing as her.

MEGAN TAYLOR SPOTTED IN BALDACHIN AIRPORT:

We all know that our favorite couple, Megan and Miles broke up eons ago, but our heart still thumps up when we see them. We had lost contact of Megan when the couple broke off and had never heard of her. But now, Megan Taylor was seen in the airport in the evening today, and though she was startled by the paparazzi mania, she looked calm and collected as we had ever seen.

We caught her during her wait for taxi and she was kind enough to answer our questions for us. Have a look.

Megan was now in the screen. Her hat was taken off and her blonde hair looked like a halo around her. Though I had seen her only a week ago, she looked like she had lost a lot of weight since then.

Was she not eating well? It had taken me months to feed her well and I wasn't expecting her to roll back to her same unhygienic and unhealthy routine just because we weren't together anymore. Did she not want to take care of herself?

She never took off those goggles off of her eyes and I itched to see those piercing blues behind the lens that often smiled mischievously as if she was holding on a secret.

Amber stood next to her like an eagle ready to pluck anyone's head off if they were to go near her friend. Her curly hair bounced around her as she spun around giving glares like it were a Christmas present.

"Hi, Megan. It is so nice to see you here again." One of the reporters, Samuel I guessed, asked her. "It had been so long since we caught you on camera. How are you?"

"I'm good Sam." Megan replied, a polite smile dancing on her lips. "I needed a break from everything. So, I had been visiting friends."

"That's good to know." Samuel beamed. "You look really good too. I guess we all should consider a good friendly visit, after all, folks."

Megan shifted her weight from one foot to the other, clearly uncomfortable with the way Sam was acting. Had he been acting this way when I was around, I would have made sure to get him fired.

I knew exactly what he was insinuating, and I knew that Megan was affected just as much. Having gone out in the public with clients, it had made her look like she was cheating on me. It was another way to say that again without implying it. I gripped my phone tight in my hands.

"Yes, it is recommended as long as the media does not butt in." Amber glared at the screen, as if she was directly looking into my soul. As if to tell me that it was all my fault.

Amber Bayliss was the only person who could handle Megan in all her worst and best situations. I was glad that Megan had Amber with her when we drifted apart.

"What made you come back?" Samuel asked again ignoring Amber.

"Baldachin Boulevard is my town, Samuel, in case you have forgotten." Megan seemed to be pissed with his previous comment and I suddenly found myself cheering for my girl. "I didn't think I needed anyone's permission to visit friends or family or my own apartment."

"Yes, I do understand, Miss. Taylor." Samuel seemed to cover back. "Thank you for your time."

The camera went back to show how Megan took a taxi along with Amber by her side. Her questions were done for now. Someone in the background started to talk.

Shelly Morgan had come here with the same ideas in her head when Megan Taylor had broken up with the chef. It was only until Miles Jackson had made a statement that he wanted to remain single for a while that Shelly had gone back to where she had come from.

Would Miles do that same to Megan as well? We will have to wait and watch, folks. That's all for now.

Oh God, I thought things were bad, but this was getting dragged into something worse.

---

It had already been a week but I was still warding off the media like they were flies sitting on my favorite cheese cake.

It was exhausting and frustrating, all at the same time. It also made me acutely aware that she had been in town, wandering the same streets that we once did, holding hands and laughing together. It pained me more than I thought it would.

I had told Steve to fill my time. I didn't want to have time to think about her and her crazy puppy followers who were rooting for us to get together. Maybe, a part of me wanted that too. That I would still wake up next to her and smile as she would have me postpone the meetings.

But I was angry at the same part who wished for something that would never happen. It was her who had walked without another glance behind. It was her that had left me like a maniac who sucked on her favorite green tea to help me calm my nerves.

Let's say I was to let her into my life again... what was the guarantee that she wouldn't leave me again? Where is the assurance that she won't create a bigger havoc in my life yet again?

My schedules were hectic with a lot of travelling. I was meeting and socializing to get more resources from my side. I was keeping my ruthless attitude with me. It was the only thing that was mine without Megan tainting on it. I couldn't let go of it just because she had come back to town.

I was flying to France tonight, meeting Kevin and his family in the weekend. There was a construction of another franchise in London which needed a visit followed by a party. My charity needed a ball at the fall of the month and Dad needed a report.

It was perfect to keep my head away from the girl... or so I thought.

The phone rang again and I was glad that it helped me get distracted. I pressed a button on my Bluetooth. "Yes, what is it?"

"I don't like you being all cold to me." A whine brought a smile on my lips. "I can't deal with your crap."

"Nice to hear from you too, Laura." I smiled. "It's been so long since you called me. I think you deserved it."

"Shut up." Laura scolded. "With your attitude, I'm glad I didn't call."

Laura Carter, Megan's best friend who married my best friend, Mark was one of the closest persons I had as a sister. She was quirky and snarly, concerned and caring all at the same time. We became best buddies during our college days when she was dating Mark. At evenings when the couple had a fight, Laura and I would often sit watching the sunset bitching about Mark.

Now, with an almost three-year-old kid who had her on her toes, Laura and I still kept the same friendship fresh even when I had a disaster with her friend. She had treated me no less and had never once brought the subject when I visited her daughter, something for which I was grateful.

There were only few of them with whom my sky-high walls fell down instantly. And Laura Carter was one of them. My sour moods were gone immediately listening to her rant.

"What's up with you, L?" I asked, dusting my hands over my apron. "Really, it's been so long."

"I know." I could almost see her pull her bottom lip out. Something that her daughter does these days. I smiled. "You are always busy."

"I'm not." I defended. Well, I was. But it was only because it took care of me better than anyone.

"Then, why do I smell like you are cooking something amazing at the moment?" She teased and immediately, I shut the recipe book close and threw the apron over my head. "What is it this time, cookie or cake?"

"It was noodles." I muttered.

I didn't know if I should be ashamed of myself for the things I were going through just because she had come back. Without thinking, I had gone back to my kitchen, cooking. Again. And it was all those dishes that she liked.

Sure, I had gotten rough at the edges not having a spatula in my hand for long. But when I held it, it was as if I was working out a magic. My hands knew exactly what they were doing even before my mind had gathered it together.

It was wonderful seeing myself get back to something that I loved all my life. All because I saw a news channel that said that she was going to stay in town. And I hated that it took for her to come back to get back to something I loved to do.

I hated that even when she wasn't around, she had an upper hand in my life. I hated that she had come back to town and I had to tip toe around to even spend a day with my friends. I hated that I had to book an appointment with Laura to see her daughter just because I was scared that she might be there too.

I hated her.

But then again. Could I?

"Oh, Miles." Laura sighed. "But hey, you are cooking. That's got to be something, right?"

"Yeah." I ran my hands over my hair. I had gotten it cut recently and I missed pulling it at the ends. "Anyway, how's my girl doing?"

"Emerald is fine." I could almost see her roll her eyes at me and that alone brought a smile on my face. "I really don't know what charms you play on her. She seems to listen to everything you say rather than mine."

"I have my ways." I boasted, as I started cleaning the mess. The noodles were almost ready. I had the spices and the puree all done. I only had to wait for another ten minutes before it was ready to be served.

"She has one more request for you." Laura said, a little hesitantly. I wondered why in the world should she be hesitant to tell me anything that was revolving around the little Em.

"You don't even have to spell it out loud, whatever she wants, I'll make it happen." I said, shrugging my shoulders.

I loved kids and if one knew me well, I would spoil them. And Emerald was not an exception. Whenever I was in town, I always made sure to visit her. It helped me take my mind of certain someone when I was there. It wasn't totally selfless either.

Laura only laughed. "No, you dumbass. It's her birthday, two weeks from now. We are having a party for her and she wouldn't attend it if you weren't there beside her."

"Okay, done." I said. Why did she have to be so scared for that? "I'll get her the teddy-bear that she wanted. You guys haven't got her that yet, right? I don't want to steal your ideas."

"Yeah, sure. She doesn't have one." Laura muttered. "Miles?"

"Yes, Laura?" I asked in her own parakeet voice. "Why are you acting so weird all of a sudden? Is it because Em thinks that I'm her boyfriend? That's ridiculous, L."

It was at one of the get-togethers where I was invited. Emerald had cried every time some girl came to even touch me. She demanded that I carry her around on my shoulders and she would cry or hit on women who came closer to us. That was the day I had seen the little girl clearly jealous of other women. Even when that woman was her own mother. She had slept in my arms that night, cuddling closer to me, holding my shirt tight, scared that I might leave her alone.

As I laughed now, hoping to hear Laura laugh along with me, I didn't expect her to say the next words. "Megan is coming too." Laura's voice was edgy, as if she was expecting me to shout back and blame her for calling her.

But I couldn't. I knew she was her friend, and I couldn't be selfish expecting Laura to not call her who had just come back to town.

"And it's Em's birthday, Miles. I just couldn't help it." Laura started to explain. "I don't know what to do. If you are not coming, Em's going to be heartbroken and if you do... you will be."

I sighed. "My heart is already broken, Laura. I don't think it can be further broken. All I can do is at least save the little girl's heart."

---

A/N: I'm sad and mad at Miles. How many of you are? Now that the two are going to meet in the birthday party, what do you think is going to happen?

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