Chapter 9:

AURELIUS'S POINT OF VIEW

"Are you sure you're not coming with me to the after-party?" Zafira said while browsing on her phone.

"I have something to do."

"Fine, just let me know if you change your mind." She stood up and hugged me tight.

"Of course, I'll tell you immediately. I'll leave now; you sure you'll be okay without me?" I mess up her hair.

"Of course, I will be okay. Kiel is there, so no worries."

"Yet, Kiel, don't you have a plan for him? Fine, I'll leave now." I kiss my sister's forehead and leave her dressing room. I was walking out of the studio when I saw Kiel walking in my direction. I just nodded at him and left. When I was in my car, I remembered Odette's office was near our condo; maybe I could catch her up.

I drove on the way to Odette's office, and I was outside the building when I saw Odette's father, Uncle Richard. I got out of my car and gave my key to the parking attendant.

"Uncle, nice to see you."

"Oh, Aurelius. Looking for Odette? I don't know why you're here. I thought you were still in the U.S.."

"Well, you know uncle Zafira can't leave without me. When she got an offer as an actress at KZ Entertainment, she immediately asked me to come with her. And I can't object when she pleases me to come. So I told mom and dad that I would take care of her." Uncle Richard tapped my shoulder.

"What a kind brother you are. I'll see you around then. Odette was in her office." Uncle Richard waves at one of the security guards.

"This is your Sir Aurelius Ajax. Assist him to Odette's office." Uncle Richard looked back and tapped my shoulder again.

"Thank you, uncle."

"No problem; say hi to your parents for me."

"I will tell Uncle to thank you."

I bowed and watched Uncle Richard get in his car.

"This way, sir." I was following him as he took the security approach when I noticed it had been ages since the last time I was here and a lot had changed. When we reach the 15th floor, the security officer approaches me.

"Here, sir is Ms. Odette's office."

"Thank you." He left me, and I went into Odette's office.

"Good afternoon, sir, how can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Odette."

"Sorry, sir, but Ms. Odette was kind of busy at the moment."

"Just tell her someone is looking at her. I knew she could recognize me." The secretary just sighed and went into Odette.

I was sitting in a wing chair, browsing through a magazine.

"You may come in, sir." I fix my suit before stepping into Odette's office. I saw a glance in her eyes. She looked shocked when she saw...

"Aurelius?"

"None other than." I went in front of the desk and sat in the chair; she was still stunned looking at me.

"Come on, it's been ages since we last saw each other. But you're just staring at me like you just saw a ghost." She shakes her head and pinches my cheeks, then hugs me tight.

"I thought you would not come to visit me; I miss you so much." I hug her back and gently stroke her hair.

"I told you I would come here once I got back from the U.S. I didn't break that promise. So how are you?" She looks at me, and we are an inch away from each other's faces. Calm yourself. Aurelius Odette was your best friend. She pulls herself away and sits in her chair.

"You will not believe it if I tell you what happened in my life these past few days."

"Then tell me, I'll listen; I have a lot of time."

"Fine, well, a week ago, dad just announced it in the meeting with his best friend at the dinner he set. That I'm marrying his best friend's son, and you know I wasn't agreeing when it came to controlling my life choices. Then I walk away from that dinner. Also, I just found out that my dad's best friend's son is an actor, and he is also my neighbor. But that guy gave me an offer—that I should date him. So we have proof from our parents that we are not comparable to each other. At first, I thought he was joking around, so I agreed, but he wasn't. He was serious; he even set up a mini-concert and beach dinner date. He even announced in the mini-concert he made that he wanted to be my king. That made me think again about the deal and whether it was worth it to agree to it in the first place. Then earlier I went on his photo shoot for a liquor brand."

"Wait earlier? A liquor brand? Are you telling me Kiel was your fiance?" She just nodded at me with a smile on her face.

"Kiel was Zafira's new love team. What a coincidence!"

"Wait, that's Zafira? I don't recognize her at all."

"Well, it's been three years since you guys last saw each other. She will be glad if I tell her that."

"Then let's set up a dinner tomorrow with Zafira." I will bring Kiel with me. That will be great." Kiel, I think I should know this guy more. If he will be a matter to me On my way to pursue Odette It's been a long time since I felt that I was falling for her. But I don't dare to tell her what I feel. And I'll do anything for her just to get her. I just smiled at her.

"Sure, that was a great idea. How about tonight we grab dinner together? Since Zafira and Kiel were at the after-party, I think we should also celebrate." She just nodded and came back to sketching.

"Who's the plan you're doing?"

"Oh, this is for Mr. Montenegro and Mr. Chua; they both want me to design their house and restaurant. That would be a great opportunity for me, so I accept it."

"I heard Mr. Montenegro was optimistic regarding the details and all the equipment and materials used in this particular building."

"That's why I also heard it, but I'll make sure this plan will be to his taste. Don't worry, I love challenging myself. And if that happens, if he asks me why I chose those materials, I'll have an answer for that."

"Let me help you."

"Sure."

I went on her back and started combining our concepts. I knew what Mr. Montenegro thought; he may be said he wanted a futuristic or modern style, but he meant he wanted a traditional style.

"I think we should eat now." I know a place nearby that serves great food. My treat." She said while closing her sketchpad.

"No, my treat." Let's go." I carry her bag and walk away. I saw her shaking her head.

"Wait, Aurelius, I brought my car with me." She held my shoulder.

"If you want, I can drive you."

"No, I will just bring my car." She showed her car keys. I sighed and pinched her cheeks.

"Ouch." I smiled and gave her the bag.

As we reach the parking lot, I open her car door and wait for her to start her engine before I leave. I went to my car and drove. I was following her when I saw Zafira's car beside Odette's car. When we reached the restaurant, I immediately parked and went out. I saw how Zafira drove away quickly, so I just followed her from afar.

"Is there any problem, Aurelius?" I turned around and saw Odette standing behind me.

"Nope, I just thought I saw some cars."

"Oh, okay, let's go." We went inside the restaurant, and the staff assisted us to our table. I held Odette by her waist. I pulled the chair for her; I was sitting in front of her. I called the waiter, and when he gave me the menu, I went directly to the pasta.

"They have pesto pasta and carbonara; what do you prefer to eat?"

"I prefer carbonara, a cheesy chicken carbonara, and a strawberry milkshake."

"A medium-rare steak and whisky on the rock."

"Okay, sir, so one cheesy chicken carbonara, a medium-rare steak, a strawberry milkshake, and whisky on the rocks, is that all?" I just nodded and grabbed my phone from my pocket.

"You still remember that I like carbonara and pesto."

"Of course, it was my best friend's favorite. Remember way back when we were still in the U.S. and the restaurant we went to was not serving carbonara or pesto? You said you didn't have an appetite, so we went to a different restaurant. Because you said you were craving it, you even want to eat it sometimes when you feel lonely."

"You know me that much."

"I knew, what if we grab some ice cream after this?"

"Hmm, sure."

"Did you remember we became friends way back in grade school when you wanted ice cream but you lost your money because of some bullies and your crying in the middle of the playground?" I saw her laughing.

"And you help me get up, but you get stripped by the bullies, but still you protect me, and in the end, you get into trouble because of me. But instead of leaving me, you stood up and bought ice cream for the two of us. I still remember when the bullies try to pull your shorts up, but you kick them hard and you teased them by acting like you are attacking them by using a snake attack that you just watch in a movie." I shake my head when I remember that, that's a total embarrassment.

The waiter came back and gave us our order. I couldn't stop staring at her while she ate because she ate like a woman. It was the same as what I remembered before when she was eating like a beast. Her eyes are sparkling, and I can't stop myself from gulping down my whisky.

"By the way, what your parents said when Zafira told her she would come back here and be an actress."

"Well, at first, they don't want her to pursue it because she was graduating as a fashion designer. But when they heard I was coming along to be with her, they decided to agree that as long as I'm with her, they are fine. But we still need to check what role or endorsement she will get to protect her at all costs. Even I was shocked when she said she wanted to pursue that offer; we all know how much she loves fashion design. Yet she explains that it will help with her plans if she builds a name in entertainment. "It will be easy for her brand to get known by the audience."

"Well, she had a point; I hope her career grows."

"I hope so too." We just finished eating dinner, and I called the waiter for the bill. And he gave me an iPad. I stood up after paying for our meal.

"Let's go and grab some ice cream." I saw her excitement. When we got out of the restaurant, I saw her jumping for joy. That's the Odette I know, who gets excited about eating ice cream and acts like a child. Earlier was kind of different I don't know why, but I like the way she talks to me like this. I held her by her waist while walking on the sidewalk. We saw an ice cream store nearby and went in.

I order strawberry ice cream for Odette and white chocolate Macha for myself. As we sat down on the chair, I was looking at her enjoying eating her ice cream. I want to make her feel like I was the right guy for her and that I knew everything about her. Even a small detail I memorize because I was secretly in love with my best friend for a long time. And I will have this courage from now on to fight for her. I won't be afraid to tell her that I love her. I will not just say it, but I will show it to her.