Cathleen’s Shadow

Since the meeting, which he thought had not gone as he expected, Jedd was now leaning on his stool. It felt like today was harder than the day before.

Well, not harder than the previous day or two, but harder than four years ago, when Cathleen was still around.

He had to admit that Cathleen had been his source of encouragement back then. But the old Jedd was, in his opinion, the most foolish man to have wasted his beloved.

The knock at the door was suddenly clear to Jedd's ears.

He knew it was Louise coming in, so he didn't mind.

"What's wrong?" was the only question that escaped Jedd's lips as he reluctantly looked at the person who entered his room.

"You look worse and worse? Can't you just forget about it?"

Hearing this question, Jedd was forced to open his eyes and look at the young man before him.

Spontaneously, Jedd gave his forehead a light massage. He didn't like that his shameless friend was standing before him.

When had he landed in this country?

That's what was going through his mind.

"Can you not mention that?" Jedd asked with a very noticeable emphasis in his voice.

Dru's laughter filled Jedd's office. Unaware of his embarrassment, Jedd stepped onto the couch.

"Oh, my poor friend."

Dru kept teasing Jedd - his friend who was in the middle of a long heartbreak.

"Hey!" yelled Jedd, who had now gotten up from his stool, rolling up his shirt sleeves as if he was about to make a deal with Dru.

Seeing Jedd's movement, Dru spontaneously took up a defensive posture.

"Are you offended?" said Dru, trying to take control of the situation.

Jedd twisted his eyes lazily. This was the only one of his friends who dared him.

Amazed?

Maybe, but Dru was just too annoying!

"You're so annoying? Ah, and why are you here? Didn't you say you would never set foot in this country?"

Dru let out a long sigh. It was true that he had said that.

It was just that his only friend, who he considered his best friend and his family had 'forced' him to return to the country he had left long ago.

It was not without reason that he did not want to tread on the land of his birth after deciding to leave it.

The dark period, which was too painful, made it so.

"What do you think?" he asked, staring into the face of his best friend, who was honestly just as annoying in Dru's eyes as he was in Jedd's.

Jedd relaxed his shoulders. He was not as sensitive as Dru thought.

His best friend was still the same person he had known for a long time.

His sensitivity was only as thin as a tissue and his emotional range was very unstable.

It's just that in front of many people, he definitely doesn't show how his emotions fluctuate. That's why Jedd chooses to show his cold side in front of people.

If he shows his soft side, then people will realize how unstable his emotions are, especially after he lost his beloved wife, who was full of regret because he admitted that this could happen because of his stupidity.

He wishes he could go back to the way things were, or at least meet up with his ex-girlfriend, which has never happened.

Tired?

Maybe!

It's just that he tried to ignore these feelings in addition to the feelings of longing for his former lover.

Dru looked at Jedd for a moment before telling him that he had come back to his country because of him.

It took some time until Jedd blinked.

How could his best friend say such a thing? Was he trying to scapegoat him?

Oh, he did not want to be like that!

It was better that his best friend didn't come. He never asked him to come anyway.

"When was the last time you checked yourself?"

A question beyond Jedd's expectations that just slipped out of Dru's mouth.

Silence!

Jedd was speechless. He had forgotten the last time he had checked his body. The last time must have been four years ago!

"Prof. Derrel contacted me because you haven't come back since the last checkup four years ago, right Jedd?"

Again Jedd was silent. He was unable to answer his best friend's words, which were indeed true.

"You know, I had to change all my plans because of you. Fortunately, I still consider you my family, so I came here to force you to be examined by Prof. Derrel's appointed colleague here."

"Sorry."

A magical word that finally came out of a Jedd who found it difficult to utter the magic phrase.

A smile slowly escaped Dru's parted lips. He had not expected to see the adorable side of his best friend again.

He thought his best friend might have become a completely different person. But that was not the case!

"Get your paperwork in order. I've made an appointment with the hospital to examine your body."

Jedd gave his best friend a serious look and quickly moved away from his current position.

'You can't stay like this Jedd. Your body will continue to deteriorate if you keep pushing yourself.' Dru's monologue in his mind stared at Jedd's back as he walked to his desk to tidy up the documents that he was going to check and eventually sign or reject.

After the documents were completely tidied up, Jedd and Dru left the office and of course Louis had been told to clear his schedule for today.

"You shouldn't have been my watcher back then, so you wouldn't have been contacted."

Dru rolled his eyes lazily at the childish babbling of his best friend. Had his best friend lost his memory? if he hadn't been there, then maybe the current Jedd would have been a name or sadly just a memory.

"Selfish bastard."

Those were the only two words that came out of Dru's mouth. He didn't like Jedd's seemingly demoralized state after losing a love he realized too late he should have held on to.

"You need to start your life over, Jedd. I'm sure your ex-lover wouldn't like it if you were like this. Ah, she doesn't know about your illness either, does she?"

There was no reply from Jedd. The young man seemed to be staring at a flashback of his former love life.

The figure of Cathleen's face was still clearly remembered in his mind, as if he and Cathleen had not been separated for a long time.

"I only realized it then. How would she know if I realized it after I was separated from her?"

"Ah, you're right. I forgot," Dru chuckled softly, his eyes still focused on the road ahead.

'How sad my best friend is'.

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