Chapter 107

107 His Apology

I felt his eyes on my face as he seemed to take in my answer. I wasn’t sure if the answer I gave him was the answer that he was expecting or not, but it was my honest answer. EROS seemed lost in thought for a moment before he suddenly nodded his head firmly.

“Are you going to release the song?” I asked.

“That’s up to you,” he replied without a second thought. He really was leaving it up to me.

“If it was up to me, then...of course, I think you should release the song. Many of your fans are waiting to hear this new song from you. They will be sorely disappointed if they didn’t hear a love song this beautiful from Eros,” I said sincerely.

“What about you? Is this song good enough for you?” he asked.

Suddenly, my heart started beating faster and I wasn’t sure about the implications of his words. I was sure that he knew that his song lived up to the music standard and expectation of the industry. So, I wasn’t sure why he was asking me whether or not this song was good enough, unless he meant it in another sense entirely. I recalled the content of the handwritten note that came along with the USB drive.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” I replied hesitantly.

EROS’s lips curved into smirk.

“Are you a dumb girl?” he asked.

.....

I knew exactly what he was referring to. If I didn’t understand everything he had put into the song, then I would be a dumb girl and I didn’t want to be a dumb girl. I’m not a dumb girl.

“The song is good enough for me, but I think you should leave. Take care,” I said as I placed the key card against the sensor to unlock the front door of the building.

Suddenly, his hand was on my wrist. His grip was tight and firm, but it didn’t hurt. I turned around and our eyes met. His golden hazel eyes held mine. I knew that he wanted to apologize for what he had done, but I wasn’t sure whether he understood what it meant to really apologize to other people.

“It’s not good enough,” I said, regrettably.

His eyes widened in shock and then narrowed before his face fell in disappointment. For a moment it was like he didn’t know what else to do. I don’t think he understood what I was trying to say.

“The song is good enough and it should be released. However, if you want to apologize for me, you should do it properly, not in a song,” I said as I stared deeply into his beautiful eyes.

“I said it all in the song,” he whispered.

“If you feel guilty for what you’ve done, or if you regret what you’ve done and if you want to apologize to me, then apologize to me now,” I demanded, without willing to back down.

“I see,” he muttered after a short while of silence.

We stood there staring at each other as I waited for him to apologize to me properly. The night wind blew around us and it was starting to get colder. If he wanted to have a proper relationship with a girl, then he must learn how to communicate properly with them. EROS looked very hesitant and it wasn’t because he didn’t want to apologize. It was probably because he didn’t know how. I watched him struggle with himself as he bit his lower lip.

“It’s not hard. All you have to do is say it,” I said encouragingly.

“...I’m sorry,” he finally said in a small whisper.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” I asked but he didn’t reply.

“Why did you do it?” I demanded to know.

“Something happened, didn’t it? To you...in the past,” he asked, but it really wasn’t a question.

I knew that lying to him at that point would be useless. However, I didn’t want to tell him anything either, so I just nodded.

“It looked like you needed comforting,” he mumbled softly.

“I see...” I whispered.

EROS lapsed back into silence, but his eyes still stared at my face. It was like he wanted to say something more, but he couldn’t, and I didn’t want to push him anymore. In a very twisted way, I had started considering that perhaps that was the only way EROS knew how to comfort me.

“You should release the song. It’s a good song. I really liked it. If there’s nothing else, then...” I said as I was ready to excuse myself.

By that time, all the effects of the alcohol had died down from my system.

“Wait,” he said as he stopped me by grabbing my wrist once again.

“What is it?” I asked a little impatiently.

“The contract. I want to renew the contract,” he said decisively.

I could tell that he was serious. However, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do at that point in time. I knew he apologized. And he probably really meant it.

“I don’t know...I’ll think about it,” I replied vaguely.

He nodded his head slightly at my words as his hand loosened its grip from around my wrist. After a few seconds of staring into each other’s eyes in silence, I walked into the building, and we parted ways. I wasn’t lying when I said I needed to think about it. I wasn’t sure how I felt, and I didn’t know what I should do next. I’ll consult Justin and see what he says.

I thought that EROS was fine with giving me some time to think it through; however, I soon found out that I was wrong. Just as I was about to walk through the building’s entrance, I felt his arms around my waist before he started pulling me back against his hard body. I gasped in shock when I felt the heat of his body against my back. Then his warm breath was on my ears.

“Don’t go...” EROS whispered desperately into my ear.

–To be continued...