His Ex

Riiing... riiing... riiing...

Clank!

Setting his studio keys on a side table, Skyler fished a sleek black phone out of his pocket and answered the incoming call.

"Hey," a tired voice came through the speakers.

"Hi, Cole. What's up?" 

Skyler strode towards the kitchenette to his right, covering the distance in a few wide strides. To his left was a small living area complete with a plush two-seater sofa and wooden coffee table, and not far from it was a tiny balcony. Beside the balcony door was a worktable strewn with incomplete sketches and stacks of books.

Cole sighed, "I have news."

"How bad?" he asked while popping a container of lasagne into the microwave.

"Very. If you can't submit a satisfactory design by the end of next month, they're handing over 'Elysium' to Donny."

"The deadline isn't for months!" Skyler slammed the microwave door close. "They can't just give 'Elysium' to Donny—it was my idea."

"We need results, Sky." Cole's exasperation was palpable over the screen. 

"I've provided enough before, haven't I? Just give me some ti—"

"The verdict is your designs 'don't have romantic spirit'."

Skyler fell silent. 

"'Elysium' is supposed to embody all the stages of love: Lust and desire; passion and danger; happily ever after or tragic ending. Your designs just didn't reflect that. And the higher ups doubt that'd change anytime soon, so they want to cut their losses by changing designers."

"What did my designs reflect, then?" Skyler tried to keep his tone calm, unaffected.

"The apathy of a jaded bachelor who ordered a robot to design jewellery inspired by Hades and Persephone's love story," Cole answered matter-of-factly. "Seriously, when was the last time you've seen someone?"

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The microwave went off, saving Skyler from answering.

"Sky?"

...Or not.

"I bumped into my ex today," he deflected. 

"Don't avoid my question." After a pause, Cole added, "Which one?"

"The one who left without a single explanation." Skyler poked his unappetising dinner with a fork while carrying it over to the coffee table.

Cole's whistle floated into his ears. "The ex?"

"The ex," Skyler confirmed. "She asked me to join a dating show with her. I shot her down."

"Good call," Cole agreed. "Like I always say: 'the best kind of ex is one as good as dead'. The ones who come back into your life are usually here to demand something and stab your tyres when you reject them."

Skyler nearly choked on his food. "That's because you attract a certain type."

"Not my fault they're crazy in love with me." Cole's joking tone turned earnest. "Seriously, though. Why would your ex invite you on a dating show? Isn't the point of dating shows to date each other?"

"This one is slightly different. It involves a couple and exes hiding amongst singles and concealing their identities to win the grand prize," Skyler explained.

"How much?"

"One million."

Cole sucked in a breath. "And you turned her down?"

Skyler could feel the unspoken words: Are you an idiot?!

Still, he scoffed, "It's not like I need the money. Besides, we aren't guaranteed to win."

"Not with that mentality, you aren't."

Skyler rolled his eyes. That was rich coming from someone who had supported him seconds before one million dollars came into the picture.

"Are you done? I'm eating dinner," he drawled.

"No, hang on... I'm a genius!" Cole gasped. "You need to 'feel the love' to incorporate it into your designs, and what better place to do it than a literal dating show? I say you accept your ex's offer."

Skyler thought he'd misheard. "What happened to staying away from exes?!"

"It's that or giving Donny your precious baby," Cole cackled.

"Why are those my only options?!" Skyler gritted out. 

"Because you got too screwed over by the past to remember what love feels like, hence keep failing to create love-themed designs," Cole chirped. "Think about it. I can negotiate a new deadline with the old codgers and hold Donny off. Two months later, you come back from the show a new man with new designs... And who knows, maybe even a new partner? Ultimately, it's up to you."

Silence permeated the line. Skyler stared at the wall, lost in thought.

Was it worth getting involved with her again?

"...Hello? You there?"

He closed his eyes in defeat. "Let me think about it."

"Fine. Don't take too long."

Du... Du...

The call disconnected. Skyler gripped his phone and exhaled.

Iris or Donny?

The ultimate question.

One was his unreasonable ex-girlfriend; the other was his rival gunning for the same promotion.

Except it went beyond the promotion—'Elysium' was his. And he would sooner scrap it than serve it to someone else on a silver platter.

However... To go on a dating show? With Iris? This idea had "Trouble" spelled all over it.

Skyler slumped into the soft cushions and rubbed his temple. "Damn it..."

Why now?

Why did he have to choose between being used by Iris and becoming Donny's stepping stone?

Why did it feel like there was no right choice?

The crescent moon outside was blurred by sheer curtains, peeking from behind dark clouds like a tentative lover. The rest of the city glittered below, replacing the absent stars above, coaxing it with gentle blinks: Don't be afraid.

A long sigh escaped Skyler.

Change was supposed to be the only unchanging factor of life. Everyone around him had moved on with their lives, carving out paths of their own, so why did he feel... unchanged? Why did every step feel like the steps that came before it? Monotonous and purposeless, he had tread this path for so long that he'd gotten used to the lack of an end in sight.

Was it really time to change things up?

Whoosh!

A gust of wind billowed the curtains through the open balcony door. It was cool, but not enough to quench the burning frustration in his heart.

As Skyler got up to close the door, a piece of paper fluttered off his worktable and landed by his feet. There was a pencil sketch of a delicate chain link necklace with intertwined heart charms on it. 

Objectively, it was basic and unbefitting of an esteemed company's special collection. Subjectively, something kept him from throwing it into the trashcan like the mountain of crumpled papers before it.

Call it nostalgia, resentment, denial—whatever you will. Whatever could keep him grounded in the present while a part of him stayed trapped in the past, in the clutches of someone he never expected to see again...

Rustle...

Skyler smoothened out the crinkles on the napkin Iris had put in his jacket pocket. Scrawled across it was an unfamiliar number in familiar handwriting. His phone lay on the table, a silent offer.

It was a sleepless night for him—and for someone else on the other side of the city as well. Someone lying in a lonely bed, waiting for a call...