A Step Closer to Love

Kieran sat in the bar looking down at his phone. He had just spoken with Arabella and he had no tangible reason for bailing on her without telling her and then refusing to apologize aside from the clenching feeling he felt after he heard her joyfully announce her date with him.

“What does she see in him?” he murmured as he downed the remnant of the mocktail in his cup. He did not want to drink alcohol because he had to drive himself back home.

He did not know why he was bothered that she was having a date. He did not like her so why did it disturb him so much that he did not want to set his eyes on her?

He stood up abruptly startling the people sitting by his side. He slid a tio for the waiter and hurried out. He had to try and make it back to his office building so he could take her home before she could leave by herself.

“He raced as fast as the speed limit could take him. By the time he arrived at the building, the lights were gone and the door was sealed shut.

“What have I done?” he murmured to himself as he tapped on the door. He turned around and entered his car, he would drive slowly along the path home in case she was still trekking and had not yet taken a cab or the bus.

The driver finally landed him at home where he saw Arabella sitting on the bench outside. He sighed in relief, he was worried about her but he did not know why. She was a grown adult and could definitely make it back home all by herself. Why did he worry?

She saw his car and fixed her eyes on him. She watched him park the car and stay in it for a few minutes. She waited outside to confront him. Why was he acting strangely to her? She would be fine if he avoided her but why was he busy teasing her?

She went up to the car and knocked on the window. Kieran lifted his head from the steering wheel and turned to her. She gestured to the door lock and he understood what she was trying to say because he unlocked the door immediately.

“Good evening” she said sliding into the car and closing the door behind her.

“Good evening” he murmured back.

“Did I do something wrong?” she asked. Before she went all hard on him she needed to know I’d she was in the clear so that she could free herself.

“You did not,” Kieran said. She nodded and made a sound from the back of her throat. She was innocent and yet he had to treat her that way?

She was hell-bent on finding out why he treated her like that and the very reason he said those words that day.

“So is this like a fun game for you?” she asked. She a trying her best to suppress the tears coming up her throat.

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“What game?”

“You know, toying with me?” she says expecting answers. She was not going to allow him to slip through any of it until she had answers today.

“I have never played any game” he said pressing his fingers together.

“I could understand if you do not want us to be friends” She started feeling her voice hitch in her throat. “But why did you play me like that, you were the one who suggested dinner and I even tried to decline but you insisted and then you had me wait for you for an hour and a half and when I called to ask what was holding you up you spoke so rudely” she ranted and stopped for a minute to take a deep breath.

He was about to speak but she held her hand in the air. She had to say it all to get it off her chest or else she might have a rough day the next day.

“And then you should have apologized for planning and then bailing out but instead you lashed out at me, I was even worried that something urgent had come up with it but seeing here” she turned him stretching her hands to him as if to gesture he was sitting there.

“You are fine and good, I don’t mind just being hello buddies with you, I don’t mind if you ignore me all day but it hurts if you build my expectations and then crush it all by yourself” she said and. took a deep breath to calm herself.

“And what the hell did you mean when you said that you would keep getting involved in my life?” she let out.

“I have never seen a grown-ass man as you act like a teenage girl undergoing puberty”

“I am sorry” he let out. If he wanted to be completely honest with himself he knew that he was in the wrong and everything she had said was right but he could not help himself.

“That’s all? You are not even going to try to explain what happened tonight?” He shook his head and she sighed. “Why don’t you explain what you meant yesterday afternoon then?” she asked and he shook his head again.

“I don’t know what is wrong with me this day” he said.

“What does that have to do with me?” she cried.

Maybe he was going through some kind of male menopause but she wondered why he had to drag her through his mess. If he was going through anything he should either talk about it or keep others out of it.

“It has everything to do with you because I began to experience this emotion when you first showed up here” he said and she shook her head in shock.

“What do you mean? I have not even done anything to be accused”

“I keep worrying about you and I keep wanting to see you and then it pains me when I see you get so comfortable with other men”

“What does that mean?”

“I suddenly developed some kind of feelings for you”

“What?” she gasped.