Chapter 106

106 Unexpected Visitor

Coming out to a bar to drink beer all alone was such a great experience. I don’t usually get to come to a casual bar like this. Either my adoptive parents or my ex-husband would kill me if they found me in a place like this and dressed the way that I’m currently dressed. Seriously, it felt so good to wear comfortable clothes, thick glasses with no contact lens or fake eyelashes, completely no makeup with my hair up in a random bun styled my none other than myself.

No one in the small bar paid any attention to this geeky ugly girl who was sitting all alone by herself at the bar counter. None of the men there looked in my direction and it was a good change. I felt so relaxed, and I could just be myself. I didn’t come here to get guys, so it was more than fine. It was a big relief that they’re all staying away from me, honestly.

The craft beer that I chose had a sweet smell and I found myself falling in love with it. The men in the bar were a little loud but I didn’t mind. The other women were dressed to kill, and I hoped that they would find what they were looking for tonight. As for me, I felt so happy without a man, right now. I was a little tipsy when I decided to head back home.

I didn’t come out here to get drunk, I just wanted to relax a little and to have some time to myself. It was very late into the night when I left the bar. The street was pretty much deserted. The only places still opened were the bars and the 24-hour convenient store. The cold wind blowing against my face felt pleasantly calming. Looking up at the dark sky, I couldn’t see any stars. I wondered where they were hiding but then I knew that they were never in hiding. Too much light from the city was what was hiding them away from me.

It took a while for me to return to my building because there was no need for me to be in a hurry. I enjoyed my late-night stroll to my heart’s content. When I arrived in front of my building, I wasted some time fumbling in my bag trying to find the keycard for the building’s front door access. I knew I had it somewhere in my bag.

“You look really ugly right now...”

A man’s voice spoke up softly and when I looked in the direction of the voice, a tall man was standing there with his back leaned casually against the building’s wall. I wasn’t paying attention and I didn’t realize that he was there until he spoke up. Even in this time of night when there wasn’t a lot of people walking around, he was his disguise.

“Why are you here?” I asked as my eyes narrowed suspiciously.

How did it slip my mind that this guy sort of knew where I lived?!

.....

But all we did was run into each other on that fateful day. Was that enough clue for him to know that I lived here? Regardless, the fact that he was standing right in front of me and right in front of my apartment building right now showed me that he knew. I looked down at the outfit that I was wearing, and my hand instinctively went up to adjust the thick glasses on my face. I’ve never shown this look to anyone and one of my clients definitely shouldn’t be seeing this.

Well, he was my ex-client now, so maybe it didn’t matter anymore. It’s also a Sunday and I’m not working right now.

“To collect some feedback for my new song,” the man replied before he stood up straight and began approaching me.

I knew immediately that he was referring to that track on the USB drive that was delivered to me the other day. So, I was right. That was his new single. I recalled the words that he said in his press release about finding out whether his new single was good enough to be released. I didn’t want to believe it, but it seemed like the opinion of the person who mattered the most to him right now was me.

Whether or not the new single will be released to the public depended solely on my decision. Somehow, I felt like he had backed me into a corner. He wasn’t playing fair. I thought of the crying faces of his fans on television that I saw that day, and then I wondered whether I should care about them or the public’s sentiment. After all, whether or not this new song gets released or not doesn’t really matter to me. My eyes wandered back to EROS and his golden eyes captured mine in the dark.

EROS...I can’t believe that he’s actually here.

Honestly, I didn’t know what to say to him, so I decided to pretend that I didn’t know what he was talking about. Sorry, but I have no idea what you’re referring to. I said, sounding bored. I think you know exactly what I’m referring to. He stated slowly but with certainty. For a moment, I started to hate him and how perceptive he was.

“It has nothing to do with me. Please go back,” I said, trying to sound patient.

“Did you listen to the song?” he asked.

I stared into his eyes silently for a moment before replying.

“I did,” I replied honestly.

“So, what do you think?” EROS asked.

I didn’t know much about music, but I could tell that the song was very touching and that it would be very popular if it was released. The sincerity and emotion in the song would touch the hearts of the many listeners and his fans if it was released. Unfortunately, it was up to me whether or not the song would be released to the public. I thought that it was going to be a complete waste if something so beautiful, so touching and yet so hauntingly heartbroken would be swept under the rug forever.

“I think it’s a beautiful and touching song. It’s sad but beautifully sad,” I replied honestly.

–To be continued...