FROZEN TIES
It had been two weeks since the scenario occurred which makes it exactly the same weeks since Maria saw Reid.
He was either avoiding her or coincidence hasn’t played its part to make them cross paths.
During those weeks, Maria had time to belligerently adhere to her rules and to ameliorate on herself. She has made it her habitual way to always put her family first as usual and the set of her priorities never neglected her friends.
This morning was one of the usual for her. After she had made the necessary calls and she had heard the delight in her mother’s voice, it was enough reason for her to conspicuously rejoice.
She heaved a sigh of relief as she dropped her phone with a slight smile on her lips. She pulled the duvet well up to her chest as she shut her eyes and a flick of her life with Kyros gleamed through her mind. She hates not just the sight of him now, but also the thought of him.
He had never since the day he walked out, after the suspicious smirk he gave her, come back to her nor call her. She hates that a very tiny bit of her misses him and that she can’t stop thinking about him as she is right now. She hates it much more that she had blindly fell in love with someone like him. She detests the fact that she had to be traumatised by him. Now she was left with philophobia, a cryptic way for her to to fall in love.
She flickered her eyes opened like a quick thunderstorm as though her name was called.
She sat up as if trying to listen to the slightest sound or movement. It was just 8 am in the morning and now she was faced with the consequence of not going to work which was resulting to idleness. She had remained a workaholic throughout the two weeks of ameliorating on herself by working twice as hard but today, she took the time off work.
She walked to her door and gently opening it before peeking her head out the small opening. It could either be an act to see Reid or hear the sound of him or it could be an act of checking whether the pizza guy was around and just in time, the later happened.
She smiled awkwardly at the pizza guy wearing a delivery vest of whatever company he was delivering from when he looked at her and the stance she was in, causing her to stand well.
“More cheese, more pepperoni?” she asked and he nodded with an awkward smile playing on his since-I’m-done-here-I-wanna-get-the-hell-out face.
“Thank you,” she mouthed before dispersing the the delivery guy who gave her a second glance before finally walking away.
She walked back inside and dropped the box of pizza on the kitchen counter before walking off to the bathroom to brush her teeth.
She raised her head and looked in the mirror in front of the sink only to be shocked by her own appearance.
“Shit! I guess I know why I got the weird looks from the pizza guy. Damn, I look scary,” she said to herself before laughing out loud and combing her fingers through her rough hair that stood straight up like Eiffel Tower.
She took some water and sprinkled it on her hair causing it to look more silky before she commenced with brushing her teeth, humming to ‘sacrifice by Elton John” which reminded her of Kyros, that was one of his best song but she shook his thought off again.
She planned to spend the rest of the day indoors without leaving nor moving an inch to the outside world and that, she achieved as she finished a whole box of pizza after with a boba drink was delivered to her.
She was shutting her eyes gradually when she suddenly heard the doorbell ring causing her to jerk up to her feet reflexively.
“Who’s there?” she called out as if the person at the other end could hear her. The ring persisted and she yanked the door opened almost angrily. Anger that subsided when she saw the person standing by her door. It was Genevieve.
“I’d be a bad person if I do not come over to check on you since I dropped by the restaurant which is just close,” she said as she saw her.
Maria looked astounded and at the same time impressed by her. She was a career woman and having her stop by was a bug deal for her. Something she had never imagined was going to be even before and after the encounter they had at the birthday party.
“Genevieve,” Maria called with a near to tears smile as she pulled her into a tight hug, profiling that she really needed it.
“You don’t look like the same person i’d recognize at the first sight,”
“I look shitty, right?” Maria retorted, walking Genevieve in. She doesn’t particularly know when she got to grow more on her but she definitely knew her visitation was a new road to greater adventures between them.
“Not as shitty as she’d have it painted in your mind but still shitty though,” Genevieve joked with a smile that reveal her upper teeth that still looked great even at her age.
“I’d take that as a compliment,” Maria answered with the same energy as she sat beside her.
“I’d love to make you a great meal but trust me, I don’t have much of that strength so i’d just take you out to eat?” she asked with a raised eyebrow which Genevieve brushed off with a never mind smile.
“Like I said, I was just coming from the restaurant and Reid served me well,”
“Reid?” she asked as she managed to clear off any form of interest on her face. She asked nonchalantly but Genevieve, in a way got the glimpse behind her facade.
“Yeah, Reid. He hurried out before I left though. I have less info about his movement,”
Maria looked a bit disappointed. He had not for once seen him at work nor at home, more like he doesn’t exist but now, he went to work? Today of all days that she took the day off? She wasn’t really happy about that.
“Also, he told me he wasn’t going for the painting no more, even after I had asked for its production. He said you weren’t so satisfied with it. I really can’t remember him being so considerate,”
“Reid said that? He really said it was because of me?” Maria asked, her eyes almost popping out of their shell.
“Yeah, he did. He said he was going to leave it all to you. He was going to follow your preference,”
“Why do you think he wants that? He could choose within himself to neglect my choice, you know?” Maria retorted, trying to probe her to get more grease to her friction.
“I mean, I wouldn’t know. He isn’t that much of an open-minded person. I was surprised he told me that much,”
“When was that?” Maria asked with much enthusiasm than before.
“When was what?” Genevieve asked. Obviously willing to feed her any necessary info.
“When he told you all that,”
“More like a month or more than, I guess. I’m not so good with dates these days.”
Maria spaced out, thinking of what Reid could have in mind for him to make such open conversation. She was impressed and would be more impressed if Genevieve could be more specific with the date.
“Enough of Reid, don’t you think?” Genevieve shipped in when she noticed Maria’s countenance.
“Yeah, yeah,” Maria answered.
“Now, about you. What’s going on? You could fill me in about Kyros if you don’t mind,”
Maria looked at Genevieve, admiring her beauty at her age and how elegant she was. Always picking her words meticulously but she wasn’t willing to discuss about Kyros.
“I’m not sure. I’m really not sure, Gen,” Maria answered and Genevieve nodded with a bright smile.
“How are you doing?” she asked instead and Maria smiled.
She stared at her for a while and still couldn’t believe she could be compensated by Genevieve’s casual side. It was a big deal to her.
“As you can see, I’m doing pretty great,”
“I doubt that,” Genevieve retorted, looking all over Maria and they both laughed.
“I doubt that,” Maria repeated, still laughing.
The two ladies chatted more for minutes before Genevieve told her she needed to leave to attend to work.
Maria was glad that she visited and had help her out of her sullen state. She looked at the time and nodded in approval.
“Yeah, you should leave. It’s so late that I had no idea,” Maria said as they stood.
She walked her out and as they pushed the elevator door open, she almost choked on her breath at the sight before her.
It was Reid and a lady. He had his arms wrapped around her and doing God knows what!