Xeria’s P.O.V

"Finally, you're here after the water has already passed under the bridge." I shoot a taunt in his direction as he sits in front of me, and Potato hops on besides him.

"I don't have any excuses, Xeria; I should have been there with you, but trust me, I have been out of contact with everyone, even from home, for the past three years," he answers, throwing his bead back as Potato coils up in his lap.

"Did you have fun at the edge of the world all alone?" I scoff, rolling my eyes.

"Yes, I did," he answers with a smirk, and I just sigh.

"I'm sorry about Aunt," he adds further as his eyes flash with guilt.

"Do you want to talk about him?" he asks me, his brows now knitted together.

"I'm not sure." I avert my gaze, fidgeting with my fingers.

"Do you still want him?" he asks, and my heart begins to thump loudly in my chest, and I squeeze my eyes shut.

"I see, you do, but do you know why?" He presses again. Grunge isn't very empathetic; he is very rough with emotions.

Things are always black and white with him, and I don't blame him for asking these questions because I myself need to know these answers.

"Because I love him, Grunge, and I haven't stopped loving him over the years; my emotions for him just keep growing. I'm just so dumb that I don't know where I stand. Did my love for him get in the way of my feeling that he had betrayed me? The answer is no, but why did I leave him in the first place? I don't know what to do right now because, for once, I wanted to make a decision and not just accept things as they were. I'm tearing apart inside, and every day I ask myself, What have I done? But I can't bring myself to answer any of these questions by myself; I just feel so lost." I blurt out everything I've been holding inside of me, and by the time I'm done, tears are streaming down my cheeks without me even realizing it.

I look down at my trembling hands, and before I can look up, I am pulled against a hard chest.

"You will find your way out," Grunge comforts me, wiping my tears.

"Why can't I just go to him and say all these things to him? Why can't I just talk to him? Why is it all so difficult?" I sob, holding onto Grunge.

"Do you want to meet him?" Grunge asks me, rubbing my hands with his.

I know I will regret this because if I say yes, Grunge will surely arrange a meeting, but without caring about anything this time, I nod my head in response.

Dinner went as usual. Dad asked about the session, and I simply lied through my teeth. Then he talked to Grunge about his excursions, which were obviously thrilling and interesting, and after that, we all retired to our rooms.

And that's how, again, I'm in my room, staring at the ceiling and completing my hours of insomnia.

Between my conversation with Grunge and dinner, I did work from home today, and that's the only time when I'm comfortable and happy, and the rest of the time it's just all chaotic.

"Xeria." I hear a knock on my door. I know it's Grunge on the other side, so I hurriedly opened the door.

"Still not asleep?" he asks me, stepping inside.

"Still early for me," I yawn, following him inside.

"There's this gala being organized in your business circle; you should go because I'm certain that he's going to be there," Grunge informs me, handing over his phone.

I met Grunge when I was in middle school, when I had scrapped my knee in a race and Ivan won.

On that day, I was crying in a park all alone, and I don't know out of nowhere where Grunge comforted me and carried me home that day, and we have been friends ever since.

He doesn't talk much about home or family; all I know about him is that he's a wanderlust and he loves his family.

"Should I go?" I ask him, holding his phone and looking at the information about the gala.

"Xeria," he said, giving me a stern look, which meant I had to.

"Ok, let me ask Moira if I'm invited." I sigh and look for my phone, which was lying on my bed. Picking it up, I call Moira.

"What is it at this hour?" he asks me in an irritated voice.

"Sorry for waking you up, but do I have an invitation to the gala?" I ask him, looking at Grunge.

"Of course you are, but are you sure that you want to go there?" he asks me, sounding uncertain.

"Yes, I do want to go there." I answer him as a matter of fact, and Grunge smiles at my reply.

"You have to bring a plus one," he informs me.

"Yes, Grunge will be accompanying me; text me the details, ok?" I tell him, and he hangs up on me with a grunt.

What is he up to?

"Who said I would be going with you?" Grunge asks, snatching his phone from my hands.

"What makes it up for me, ok?" I plop down on the bed, and he crosses his arms over his chest in irritation.

"Only for this once," he says before he storms out of my room and shuts the door.

The next day, I informed Dad about the news that I'm attending the gala with Grunge, and he was really happy that I'm taking the initiative to attend social gatherings instead of being pushed into them by Moira.

He was so happy that he opened mom's closet and asked me to choose a dress from her collection. Which I gladly did, but now that I'm thinking about it, I'm getting cold feet, but let's just do this; no second thoughts for once.