ARLAN’S POV
The boardroom buzzed with subdued voices as one of the directors droned on about quarterly projections. I leaned back in my chair, arms crossed, trying to focus on the conversation, but my thoughts were elsewhere-on her.
Saraya.
I had been doing my best to put distance between us after the close call last week. It had been reckless, far too close for comfort. Evan’s shadow at the window was a stark reminder of how easily everything could come crashing down. Yet, no matter how hard I tried, her face, her touch, her laugh-they haunted me.
A quiet buzz from my phone on the table snapped me out of my thoughts.
I glanced down at the screen, the name lighting up like a beacon.
Saraya.
My chest tightened. I hesitated, letting the screen go dark again. She shouldn’t be texting me, not now.
The vibration came again. Another message. And then another.
I clenched my jaw and turned the phone face down, ignoring the insistent buzzing as I forced my attention back to the meeting.
“Arlan, do you have any input on the restructuring proposal?” one of the directors asked, breaking into my distracted thoughts.
“Not at the moment,” I replied, my voice steady despite the storm brewing in my chest. “But I’ll review the documents and provide feedback by the end of the day.”
The meeting dragged on for another thirty minutes, but I couldn’t stop glancing at my phone, the weight of Saraya’s messages growing heavier with each vibration.
Finally, the meeting ended, and I wasted no time grabbing my phone as the others filed out of the room. I stayed behind, locking the door before I unlocked the screen.
Her name filled the screen, accompanied by a string of messages.
*Evan saw us.
We need to talk.
Please respond.
This is urgent, Arlan.
What if he tells someone?*
My heart stopped, then kicked into a frantic rhythm. Evan saw us?
“Does that mean Evan saw her too?” I asked out aloud
I scrolled through her messages, my hands trembling slightly. The memory of his face-wide-eyed and panicked-flashed through my mind.
What exactly did he see? And worse, who had he told?
I sat down heavily, running a hand through my hair. The stakes had been high before, but now they felt insurmountable. Evan wasn’t just some neighborhood kid; he was family-Saraya’s younger brother and a boy with the mind of a child who doesn’t have any reason to lie.
My mind was blank but I knew I had to give her a response. Taking a deep breath, I typed out a response.
> I’ll call you later.
The reply felt woefully inadequate, but I couldn’t think clearly enough to say more.
Another message from her popped up almost immediately.
> No. We need to talk now.
I hesitated. It was a risk, but she was right. This couldn’t wait.
I stepped out of the boardroom, making my way to the private lounge. Once inside, I shut the door and pulled out my phone, dialing her number.
She picked up on the first ring.
“Arlan,” she said, her voice shaking.
“Slow down,” I said, my voice low but firm. “What happened?”
“Why have you been avoiding me, Arlan?”
“You know better than to ask.” I replied. “Now let’s get to the issue at hand.”
“Evan saw us,” she blurted, her words tumbling over each other. “He saw me at the window with you last week. He’s been acting strange ever since, he’s been angry, Arlan. He called me a…” Her voice cracked.
I swallowed hard. “What did he call you?”
There was a beat of silence.
“A whore,” she whispered.
The word hit me like a punch to the gut. “Damn it,” I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose. “What did you tell him?”
“I tried to deny it, but he wouldn’t listen,” she said, her voice rising in panic. “He’s not as stupid as I thought, Arlan. He knows what he saw.”
My mind raced, running through possible scenarios. If Evan talked, everything we’d built in secret would unravel.
“Did he tell anyone else?” I asked, my voice sharp.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Grandma walked in while I was trying to calm him down. I managed to cover, but… I don’t know if he’s talked to her or anyone else.”
I cursed under my breath, pacing the room. This wasn’t just a mess-it was a disaster waiting to explode.
“Listen to me,” I said, stopping to lean against the wall. “You need to keep him quiet. Whatever it takes, Saraya. Make sure he doesn’t tell anyone.”
“I’m trying,” she said, her voice breaking. “But he’s so angry. He hates me right now.”
My chest tightened at the raw emotion in her voice. I wanted to comfort her, to tell her everything would be fine, but I couldn’t lie-not about this.
“We’ll figure it out,” I said finally, though even I didn’t believe the words.
There was a long silence on the line before she spoke again.
“Arlan,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “What if it’s already too late? I mean it’s been a week and he still haven’t come around.”
I didn’t have an answer so I just listened.
“Are you there?” She asked.
“Yes, I am.” I nodded like she could see me.
“I think we should meet right away.” She suggested.
I gripped the phone tighter as Saraya’s words echoed in my ear, a buzz in my chest, tight and relentless. My fingers trembled slightly as I forced myself to steady my breath.
“We can’t meet right now, Saraya,” I said, trying to sound calm, measured. “It’s too risky. Evan’s already suspicious, and if anyone else starts putting things together-”
“I don’t care about the damn risk, Arlan!” she cut in, her voice rising with frustration. “We need to talk, in person. Hiding behind a screen won’t fix this.”
I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes for a moment, letting the weight of it all sink in. “I’m not hiding,” I said, quieter now. “I’m trying to protect us both. If we meet, it’ll only make everything worse.”
Her laughter came, bitter and sharp, cutting through me like a blade. “Protect us? Is that what you call this? Ignoring me? Pushing me away? You don’t even talk to me anymore, Arlan. You think I haven’t noticed?”
Her words hit me hard. I swallowed, trying to keep my voice steady. “That’s not fair, Saraya,” I said, the words coming out lower, more controlled than I felt.
“Oh, don’t you dare,” she snapped. “Don’t act like I’m imagining things. Ever since last week, you’ve been distant. You barely even call or text me, and now you won’t even meet to figure this out. Just admit it-you’re trying to cut me loose.”
A sharp breath left my chest, frustration bubbling up inside me. I ran a hand through my hair, pacing the small space, trying to gather my thoughts. “You’re wrong,” I said, my voice tight. “I’m not cutting you loose. I’m being careful. There’s a difference.”
“No,” she shot back, her voice trembling with anger now, every word laced with raw emotion. “You’re avoiding me. Don’t think I haven’t seen this game before, Arlan. You pull me close, then push me away the moment things get complicated. Is that what I am to you? Something complicated?”
I ground my teeth together, my frustration rising with every syllable. “That’s not what this is,” I said, my voice rising now. “I’m trying to keep us from getting caught, Saraya. Do you even realize what’s at stake here? If Evan talks-”
“If Evan talks, then it’s already over!” she interrupted, her voice loud, cutting through my argument. “Stop using him as an excuse to avoid me. Just admit it, Arlan. You regret this. You regret us.”
The words hit harder than I expected, hitting a place deep inside me I wasn’t ready to face. For a moment, I didn’t know how to respond. My throat felt tight.
“Saraya,” I said finally, my voice soft but steady, “you’re wrong. I don’t regret you. Not for a second.”
Her voice softened but didn’t lose its edge. “Then prove it,” she challenged. “Prove it by meeting me. Show me that you’re not just waiting for an excuse to walk away.”
Her words pierced me, and for a split second, all I could think about was holding her, making her understand. But then the weight of everything-the risks, the consequences-weighed down on me like a lead blanket.
“I can’t,” I said, my voice heavy, regret filling the spaces between the words. “Not now.”
“Then don’t call me until you can,” she said, her voice breaking at the end, the emotion in it raw and painful.
The line went dead before I could say anything else.
I stared at the phone in my hand, the silence in the room crushing. My chest tightened. Every instinct in me wanted to chase after her, to make her see that I wasn’t trying to hurt her. I wanted to explain everything, make her understand why I was pulling back. But I couldn’t. Not yet. Not when one wrong move could destroy everything.
I looked at the phone again, the screen still dark, and the silence felt like a suffocating pain on my chest. Maybe she was right. Maybe I was already losing her. But I couldn’t risk it. Not yet.
The thought of losing her-the woman who had become more than just someone I was close to, more than a secret I was keeping-was worse than any danger I’ve ever faced. But sometimes, protecting meant walking away, even when I didn’t want to.