Love and Longing

The customers watched as Stephen left, and Kyra frozen with her eyes fixed on the door long after Stephen had left. Noticing how all eyes were on her, she quickly went upstairs, "send Max, the head chef upstairs immediately, and you guys, take care of everything here," she said to the waiters.

One of the waiters left to call Max, few minutes after, Max was already at chef Kyra's office.

Max, the head chef, knocked on the door before entering Kyra's office. He found her sitting in a chair, staring blankly at the wall, her eyes red and puffy from crying. He could sense something was wrong the moment he saw her. "Chef Kyra, what's going on?" he asked, his voice soft with concern, standing a few feet away from her, showing respect for her personal space. "You seem... troubled." Kyra didn't respond, didn't even flinch. Max's gaze narrowed as he observed her, noticing her usually tidy hair was now disheveled, and her hands were shaking. He hesitated for a moment, then spoke again, "chef Kyra, I'm here for you. If you need someone to talk to, I'm listening." His tone was gentle and non-intrusive, showing his respect for her boundaries.

"Max, thank you for caring, but I am fine, just that I have few things to take care of," Kyra tried to force a smile.

"You sent for me ma'am," Max said, sitting down as Kyra ushered him to.

"Yeah, I want you to oversee everything here, I have to leave right now, and I will be here tomorrow," Kyra told Max

"I wanted to ask if everything is alright, but.. I understand ma'am," standing up to leave, on reaching the door, Max turned, "whatever it is, I hope you have it settled, chef," he added, showing concern.

"Yeah, thank you." This is the first time she had someone to lock her restaurant, she has always done that by herself for months now.

Stephen dialed Kyra's number repeatedly, but it went straight to voicemail. He tried calling again and again, but she wasn't answering. He left a string of messages, apologizing and asking her to call him back, but his calls were met with silence.

Frustrated and worried, Stephen paced back and forth in his living room, feeling helpless and helplessly in love with a woman who was clearly done with him.

It's been a week after what happened between Stephen and Kyra, what would have been a misunderstanding turned to something else, Kyra seems like she had cut ties with Stephen, seeing the way she ignores his calls.

That evening, she didn't close up earlier, she stayed to develop a new menu, just then, the door was gently opened and a tall, muscular, handsome figure walked in.

Raising her eyes, surprised who would be coming to her restaurant by 11pm, "I am sorry, we are closed for today," she said, before realizing who it was because of the dim light.

"You are still here by this time of the night," Stephen walked a bit closer to where Kyra sat.

"What are you doing here?" Kyra asked with straight face.

"You seem to have forgotten about me, I have to show myself to remind someone that I still exist on planet earth," this time, he sat down facing her on the table.

Stephen's eyes locked onto Kyra's, his gaze intense. "Kyra, I know you're shocked. I understand. But please, let me explain. I want to make you understand why I kept my identity hidden."

Kyra's expression remained guarded, her voice firm. "Explain what, Stephen? That you're a mafia boss? That you lied to me about who you are?"

Stephen's face was set in a determined expression. "I didn't lie, Kyra. I just didn't tell you the whole truth. And I want to tell you everything now."

The air was thick with tension, the silence that followed heavy with unspoken words. Kyra's eyes never left Stephen's face, her gaze.

Sighing heavily, Kyra broke the silence, "Stephen, I am not angry with you, I just want take some break to process everything about you, I don't need an explanation for whatever reason you might have, I only need space."

"She didn't judge me when she found out my identity, no, she wasn't ashamed of me," Stephen said in a low tone, showing sadness.

"Who?" Kyra was confused at who he must be referring to.

"I love her but I failed to protect her, and this is the second time I am about to lose someone I love," Stephen sounded more serious now.

"What are you saying?" Kyra asked again in confusion.

"I didn't, let's say that I came close to you because I believed that I would find her in you, but no more now," he said with teardrops falling from his eyes.

Surprised, Kyra's eyes widen, "what? How do you mean?"

"Because now, I no longer find her in you! I no longer find Lyra in you, because... (Wiping his tears) Because now, I love you."

"Stephen?", not wanting to hear more, Kyra tried to say something but Stephen interrupted her, "being a loanshark is not a bad thing as you view it, I only took what society offered me, beside that job, I feel lonely, it's the only thing that helps me to have fun sometimes,"

Stephen stood up from where he sat, "I won't call you any longer, just be safe, and I will cherish every moment we shared for the past 11 months, they mean the world to me," staring at her with his eyes piercing into her soul.

"Stephen, I am not judging you, I ...I just wa..." Her words were interrupted by Stephen's kiss. Kyra's eyes widen in surprise. The kiss was deep, almost searching her soul, and after 5 minutes, it stopped.

Kyra's eyes flashed with surprise and anger as she slapped Stephen across the face, the sound echoing through.

"How dare you!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling. Stephen's eyes widened in shock, his face stinging from the slap. He took a step back, his eyes searching hers, trying to understand why she had reacted so strongly.

But Kyra's anger wasn't because of the kiss itself, it was because of the sincerity behind it. For 11 months, their relationship had been built on love, trust and friendship and few days ago, she had lost that trust, but in that one moment, Stephen's kiss had revealed his true feelings, his genuine love for her. And that was what Kyra couldn't handle, the vulnerability and intimacy that came with it.

Stephen, who couldn't utter a word, turned and left.

Kyra tried to call him back, but he didn't stop, "I... I," she stuttered as she was unable to handle the vulnerability. Although she was asking for a break, her body was asking for more, this is her first kiss with a man, and it felt like heaven, she couldn't control the embarrassment she felt for yielding to his kiss when she should be resisting, and slapping Stephen was the only way to call her senses back.

Kyra's face flushed with shame and confusion as she watched Stephen disappear into the night. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Her first kiss, and it was with a man she was trying to push away. The vulnerability she felt was overwhelming, and she didn't know how to process it.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart, and whispered to herself, "What am I doing, Lyra... Kyra... whoever I am?" The question hung in the air, as she struggled to reconcile her conflicting emotions.She stood there, frozen in confusion, as the silence of the empty restaurant seemed to close in on her. Her mind raced with thoughts of Stephen, Lyra, and her own identity. She felt like she was living a dream, a dream that was slowly unraveling before her eyes.

With a shaky breath, she tried to process the emotions swirling inside her. She couldn't believe she had let Stephen kiss her, and even more, that she had enjoyed it. She was supposed to be angry with him, not falling for him all over again.

As she stood there, her eyes wandered to the table where they had sat, the chairs still pushed back from their hasty departure. The kiss still lingered on her lips, a reminder of the vulnerability she couldn't seem to shake.

With a newfound determination, she took a step forward, trying to shake off the haze of confusion. But her legs felt like lead, refusing to move, as if rooted to the spot where Stephen's lips had left their mark.