CHAPTER 21. OUR LAST TALK
Once Abused. Now Loved.
HARA
“What?!” My outburst attracted quite a few stares. I immediately snapped my mouth shut, lowering my head and dropping my voice to a whisper.
“Shhh… keep your voice down, will you?“ Cy. whispered, nodding apologetically at the few heads that had turned in our direction.
“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so loud. But I don't understand a thing. Why would you get sacked?“ I asked, hoping this wasn't true.
”I guess I did something I shouldn't have done,“ He replied with a shrug and a grin, turning to look at me over his shoulder.
We were both behind the counters, we had the same shift for the day.
“You're the most hardworking guy I've ever met. Everyone here knows that. Firing you is crazy.“
“I know. But the higher-ups don't know that,“
“Then let's go tell them that. I can attest to the fact that you've been perfect and there's no reason to fire you,“ I said.
”No, let it go, Suzy. I'm fine, really. It's all good,“ Cy. smiled, mixing a drink for a customer.
“But – but you're going to be without a job…“
“I'll find one soon, I promise.“
“What if you don't?“ I asked. “With the flood on its way, jobs aren't so easy to find anymore. Everyone's scared,“
“Then I'll wait till the flood is gone. I'm not exactly a rich guy but I do have good cash to my name. I won't get broke from being jobless in a month,“ He filled up the glasses in front of him. When he turned to me, his face lit with a smile.
“How can you still afford such beautiful smiles when you just lost your job?“ I asked.
“Because, it isn't the end of the world, Suzy. Jobs come and go. That's how it is,“
“I don't understand. Just yesterday, you were all over me, convincing me to return. And today, I'm back but you're leaving. It makes no sense,“
I couldn't help but think there was something else going on. Something he wasn't telling me. Just like when he'd made that secret call in my place yesterday. Was this part of his little secrets?
“You need your job. You know that. But, I don't fancy this job anymore. To be honest, I've gotten sick of it for a while now,“
“That's a lie,“ I said firmly. ”You told me that you always wanted to work here in this bar. It was your dream. Now all of a sudden, you're telling me you got sick of living your dream?“
“Sounds silly?“
“Sounds stupid. Try a better lie next time.“ I was fuming in anger. It was very obvious now that he was lying. He was playing with my head and I was beginning to hate this game of his. What's his problem? What's going on?
“Suzy, c'mon. Stop asking so many questions. I'm leaving this job and that's it. There's nothing you and I can do about it,“
“What happened, Cy? Can you please be honest and stop with the mind games?“
“If I get honest with you, I'm afraid I'm not just gonna lose my job. I might lose my life too,“ He said. There was no trace of amusement in his tone. He was serious. This was the first time he was being serious since we started this conversation.
“What do you mean?“
“God, Suzy. Please stop with the questions. Nothing good will come out of it,“
I was quiet, but a thought crept into my mind. And then I asked, “Did you get fired because of me?“
“What? No. No, I didn't. It got nothing, absolutely nothing to do with you.“ Cy. said firmly. He was a good talker so there was no stuttering in his words. But somehow, I could still tell that he was lying.
But why would he get fired because of me? What happened while I was away? So many questions churned my insides as I stared at him.
“Listen, Suzy, all you got to know is that I loved my time with you. This is our last moment together, and I don't wanna waste it on useless questions, please.“
“Don't go,“ I whimpered, already in tears. Cy. was the only person who I'd gotten close to since I came to this pack. He was the only friend I had here. I loved and cherished our friendship and I don't want him far away from me. I don't want to be so lonely anymore as I use to be back in my pack.
“Hey, Suzy. Don't do that. Don't cry. “ He came to stand in front of me, holding both my shoulders. He wiped off my tears with his thumb. “I'm dying to hug you but I can't. I shouldn't even be holding you. I might get my hands destroyed,“
“What are you talking about?“ my brows creased in confusion. Who would destroy his hands for touching me?
“Nothing.“ He quickly lowered his hand, and when he looked up, he has one of those great smiles. “I'm gonna miss you, Suzy. I swear it,“
“Me too, Cy. It won't feel like home around here anymore. Will you visit me?“
“I'm sorry, but I can't either. I can't visit you,“
“What?! But why?“
“I'm leaving the pack today. Right after my shift, I'll be leaving to a different pack,“
Hearing that made my heart sink and my tears had no restraint as they poured down.
“What happened? Please, be a little honest with me.“ I pleaded, holding his shirt but he slowly removed my hands from him.
“You shouldn't be touching me either. Or I'm gonna get killed,“
“By who?“ I asked, staring right into his eyes for answers.
“I can't tell you that either, or I'm gonna get killed,“ He finished his words with a sad chuckle and a shake of his head.
“Cy…“
“You want a little honesty? I'll give it to you.“ He sighed, took a deep breath, and said, “I don't wanna leave this bar. If I could have it my way, I'll work here for the rest of my life. But some things in life are out of our control,“
“What happened?“ I asked persistently. I needed to know what was going on. I needed to know why he was so scared that he wouldn't even say a thing.
“You'll know soon.“ He said with a smile. “And when you find out, don't reject it. Him. Don't reject him,“
“Him, who?“
He laughed and continued, “You deserve a little happiness, Suzy. And I know he can give you that. You and your unborn child,“
My eyes widened in shock. “How the hell did you know that I'm pregnant?”
“Yeah, that. Well, I caught on. C'mon, I come from a family of doctors. I should at least know how to identify a pregnant woman when I see one.“
“Why did you never say anything?“
“Why should I? You were hiding it for a reason and I didn't wanna meddle. But why do you think I helped you so much?“
I smiled, remembering how much help he'd given me all this time. How he always defended me from Shilah.
“I couldn't ask you about it, but I could help you, so I did just that.“
“Thank you,“ I almost held his hand but refrained from doing so.
“Please be happy, Suzy. You deserve it “ Cy. said, rubbing my shoulders soothingly. “He will make you happy, I can swear on it.“
His last words rang in my head all day. After our talk, he left. Packed up and left. But I never stopped myself from thinking about what he'd just said. Who was he referring to? A lot of things didn't seem right and I don't know how to seek them out. If only I could force him to say something. I hate being left in the dark this way, especially when it seems I was the reason for all of this.
My watch beeped and I knew it was time to get off work. I went to the female locker room to get changed.
“Suzy, right?“ A voice said and I quickly looked up. A lady was standing in front of me with a nervous smile on her face.
“Yes. And you are?“ I asked skeptically. Although I knew she worked here, or I could guess, judging from the fact that she was wearing our working outfit.
“I'm Lilian. Listen, I'm sorry about this but I need you to cover for me. My child is sick and I got to get home. Please,“
“Oh…okay. The first floor, right?“
“No. The third.“
What? But that was against the rules. Why would she want me to go up there when she knew that I would get punished for it?