10. Pretending

Walk home with uncertain feelings. He isn't sad and happy either. Something had gone but he didn't know what it is. After that moment, James won't trust feelings anymore. He confuses them, after anything he had done for their relationship it just ended like this.

Open his apartment, he forgot Daniela waited there. It's almost a couple of hours since he went to the convenience store. Daniela waiting on the couch half-sleep. James feels bad about her and cooks breakfast for her.

"Wake up, the breakfast ready," He shook her body.

"Shit, how long did you go?"

He put the dish on the table, "I don't know maybe a couple of hours. I talked with someone first,"

Daniela yawned, "You know what, before you get up, a woman is looking for you. Maybe, she's getting us wrong and just left."

"Yeah I was talking to her, we met at the convenience store," James answered.

"Is that your Ex?"

James quiet for a moment, "Yes she is."

Suddenly the room turns very quiet and nobody talked. They finish the meal without any conversation. James tried to not look sad in front of her, but she knows it. Daniela spent most of her time to watched and learn somebodies expression.

No mask that she can't penetrate. She always looked at them and figured out what's the meaning behind them. After they finished their meal, James goes straight to the bathroom and changes his apparel.

"So where did you want to be this night?" James asked.

"Maybe I'll go to one of my friend houses,"

"Okay, I'll drive you after this,"

She's nodded and then hit the shower. James wants to be alone again after he met Christy. He's open one can of beer, sitting outside the room, and smoking as usual. 'Why I do all of this? I have a lot to do, and some deadlines that I have to pursue. Everything that I do lately just base on the impulsive way, I rarely use my intelligence this past few months.'

#

James took her to her friend's place. It outside the city and it takes one and a half hours. They aren't talks much in the car. James stuck in his mind while Daniela busy answering the call from her job.

"So this is the place?"

They arrived at Daniela's friend, its suburbs area. There few people who live there. It's a pretty quiet place, it suits her to find peace. James looked around and it such a big place, with a yard and garden in front of it.

"Daniela, honey! It's been a while since you came here." A woman came from the inside.

Daniela embraced her, "I know I'm sorry if this is so sudden."

"That's fine, don't treat me as a stranger. So who is this guy? Your new boyfriend?" she looked at James.

"No, we're just friends. James Nathaniel, nice to meet you."

She smiled, "Emilia smith, a close friend of your friend."

They greet each other and go inside her big place. They talked in her living room, get along. She's a married woman and a friend of Daniela. Emilia is a model like Daniela, but she's retired because she is married and wants to enjoy a peaceful life.

Daniela looks so happy at this place, James knows it. Her mysterious and cold personality has gone. When she talked and laughed with Emilia, everything feels different. James almost couldn't recognize her anymore. She's not the same person when he helped her out from the bar.

Still, Daniela is a professional model, she's always get called by her agent and client. She goes upstairs to change and left James and Emilia alone in the big living room.

"So how long you guys know each other?" Emilia opened.

"We've met 2 days ago, I helped her out from some guys."

Emilia sighed, "Again? She's always getting into trouble."

"What do you mean again?" James's curious.

"I didn't know if I allowed to saying this but she's like to getting to some serious problems."

James listened very carefully. His body sits straight and getting into a serious position.

"Daniela's just like my sister that I never had, she's my junior at the modeling world. I know her for almost 3 years. She loves to be at the center of attention. First I think she's just some random girl that just known the modeling world. But when the job is done, she just sitting by herself. Walking home and eat by herself. She didn't hang out with the other girls and sits alone in the restaurant just watching people walking and talking."

Now James understands why she's sitting all alone at the bar. Her story makes sense for James because he looked with his own eyes.

"One moment I asked her to have a meal with me. She smiled and then turned into a noisy girl when she's around me. Then at that moment, we became close friends. Her family didn't give some attention to her, that's the fact that makes me feel bad for her. That's the reason for every problem she's had. She just wanted to be loved."

James put his hand together while thinking, "So why she's being wanted to some people? They didn't seem like a good person."

"I can't tell you about it, it's her problem. She hasn't told me about her new problem either. But there's something I can tell you. She loves to get attention, because of her family who didn't presume her as their daughter. Everything you see from her, it just a lie. She's good at lying."

James speechless after hearing that story. He didn't know Daniela has terrible problems from her past.

"I can feel something different when I first meet her and when I bring her to my apartment. She's a different person." James replied.

Emilia laughing, "Hahaha, you care about her. She didn't have a lot of friends. Maybe it just you after years who said things like that about her. Can you watch her if she's in the city?"

"I'll try."

Daniela came back after do some serious business with her client. James can't look at her the same from now on. She's being cheerful in Emilia's place because this is the only place that makes her happy. After seeing she's acting differently when they first meet, he knows that she just pretend to be happy all this time. Who knows how long she holds it, her real personality. It's really hard to pretend to be happy, for her or us as well.