Chapter 38 Inseparable

Yvette spoke, but Albert waited to respond.
In the following moments, Yvette experienced what she felt were the longest seconds of her life. 
In the dimly lit room, she could hear the quickening pace of her heartbeat and his increasingly agitated breath.
Though he did not immediately push her away, his body tensed, and she could sense his gradual detachment.
After a brief pause, his breathing steadied, and he once again became composed, cool, almost indifferent. Yvette couldn't decipher the emotions on his face as he briefly narrowed his cold eyes and uttered in a deep tone, "I thought you were different from other girls."
Even Yvette, in her innocence, understood his implication.
Her hopeful anticipation was instantly shattered. Her sincerity was trampled upon and then thrown into the coldest, deepest sea.
Overwhelmed by shame, Yvette felt faint, biting her lip hard to keep herself from collapsing.
Clutching the blanket tightly around her naked form, with only her shoulders exposed to the chill, she felt as if she were being drenched in the cold rain in a bone-chilling wind—cold, pained, gradually stiffening and numbing, much like her heart.
Yvette resented having to continue the facade even after enduring humiliation. Despite the immense pain in her heart, she forced a smile and calmly remarked, "I was joking. You don't have to worry."
Albert gazed deeply at her as if capable of unraveling all. His gaze, devoid of emotion, expressed only excessive composure and detachment.
Pausing for a few seconds, he finally spoke slowly, "I am not a good man. Don't fall for me."
Yvette's ears began to ring, and her facial muscles tensed. She attempted to speak but found herself utterly speechless.
The silence enveloped the room.
Albert rose to dress himself. The slight sound of fabric rubbing together was the only noise in the room at that moment.
His sturdy back flexed slightly, revealing muscles beneath the shirt. Just moments ago, Yvette had held onto his back tightly. Now, he buttoned up his shirt, speaking to her in a cold and detached tone, calm and matter-of-fact, as if the man who had just been intimately connected with her moments ago was not him.
Yvette remained in a state of confusion. As he finished dressing, Albert turned to look at her. His deep eyes, like an icy sea with floating shards of ice, seemed to freeze all the blood in her veins.
"I won't seek you out in the future," he paused, then spoke softly, "This period was a mistake on my part. I apologize."
With Albert's departure, the room quieted, allowing Yvette to surrender to her emotions finally.
She felt deep shame for everything she had done and said.
Burying her face in the blanket, she cried silently. 
Despite her intense pain, she struggled to maintain composure.
After that day, Albert kept his promise and did not contact her again.
In the initial days following their encounter, Yvette often found herself reaching for her phone and checking for any messages from him.
However, the chat box seemed to serve as a reminder, cautioning her not to betray herself.
The Luken Branch of North Airlines is massive, with employees from many departments going years without seeing each other in the vast harbor area.
However, flight surgeons and pilots operate differently.
No matter how hard Yvette tries to avoid it, she may still run into Albert since their work naturally overlaps.
On that particular day, Albert arrived for the pre-flight routine check with his crew. They were a group of about a dozen individuals, with Albert walking at the back. His height and appearance made it impossible for him to go unnoticed.
As the sunlight filtered through the corridor's floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a glow on the upper half of his face, his true emotions remained obscured. The flight attendants occasionally engaged him in conversation, yet his gaze remained aloof. It was not that he disliked any particular woman; rather, apart from Violet, he treated all women the same.
Yvette watched as he walked towards her office, standing at the corner, hesitating for a long time.
In the end, she made a phone call and had a colleague take over her work. 
She still lacked the courage to face Albert.
When David came by to check on her as they finished work that evening, he showed particular concern, inquiring, "I heard you weren't feeling well today?"
Upon hearing David's words, Yvette remembered how she had used feeling unwell as an excuse earlier in the day when she had asked a colleague to cover for her. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, she replied, "I'm almost back to normal now."
David smiled and said, "That's good."
As David turned to leave, he hesitated for a moment before returning. "At your age, having a boyfriend to look after you might be better. Remember what I mentioned last time? The young man I spoke of, Jone, is my wife's nephew. He's really quite nice, six years older than you and at an age where he understands how to care for a woman."
Yvette had always declined others' enthusiastic attempts to set her up with a boyfriend. Despite Tom's repeated efforts, she had always found various excuses to refuse.
This time, she lowered her head and softly said, "Please, give me his contact information. I will reach out to him."
Seeing Yvette agree, Tom was delighted. "You're a young woman; it's good to be proactive about relationships."
Yvette managed a bitter smile. "Yes."
Upon reluctantly agreeing to the blind date, Yvette regretted her decision. Nonetheless, having committed, she felt compelled to follow through despite her misgivings.
On the day of the blind date, she opted for minimal makeup and was dressed in a white blouse paired with light blue jeans.
Jone did not quite match up to David's glowing description; the only truth in David's words was that Jone was six years her senior, and he appeared even older than that.
Yvette felt incredibly uncomfortable throughout the entire ordeal. Merely trying to enjoy dinner turned awkward when Jone insisted on drinking alcohol. Sitting there, she felt as though she were sitting on pins and needles, wanting to escape the discomfort but holding back her aversion.
Finally done with dinner, she thought that after saying goodbye, this blind date would be over forever.
However, Jone had a few drinks and started pretending to be drunk. 
He stood on the roadside with Yvette, calling a taxi, deliberately putting his hand on her shoulder and inching closer to her. Yvette, appalled by this behavior, took a step to the side, intending to evade. Still, Jone took the opportunity to wrap his arms around her waist, forcefully pulling her into his embrace.
A wave of unfamiliar alcoholic odor made her feel almost nauseous.
Yvette, no longer caring that Jone was introduced by David, pushed him away forcefully.
Jone, a bit overweight, was caught off guard by Yvette's resistance and almost stumbled, which instantly fueled his anger.
Somewhat plump, Jone was caught off guard by Yvette's resistance, nearly stumbling and stirring a sudden surge of anger within him.
Visibly incensed, he sneered at Yvette, saying, "Ms. Orlando, this isn't our first encounter, though you may not recall. We crossed paths at the Empire Hotel last time. You were there with a man, and we shared an elevator."
Yvette failed to recollect any meeting with Jone, but she and Albert had indeed visited the Empire Hotel—the site of their final rendezvous. Frowning, she fought her revulsion as she queried, "And how does that concern you?"
Dismissive and leering, Jone scornfully remarked, "You're no saint yourself, dabbling with men in the bedroom."
With a cold glare, Yvette wasted no time and unhesitatingly delivered a resounding slap across his face.
"Get lost."
Yvette's swift slap ignited Jone's fury, prompting him to raise his fist menacingly. Just as Yvette prepared to retaliate with her purse, a dull thud resonated in the air. A strong arm reached out from behind Yvette, intercepting Jone's raised fist.
Sensing a warm breath near her head, Yvette felt a tingling sensation. Instinctively turning back, she caught sight of Albert standing very close to her as if one more step would lead them into an impending kiss.
Her heart raced rapidly, a rush of something coursing through her veins, her mind aflame with sensation.
Yvette heard Albert's deep voice in her ear.
"You have three seconds to leave."
He began the countdown. "Three, two, one."
Yvette would always wonder, if she hadn't agreed to the blind date, perhaps her story with Albert would have never unfolded as it did.
However, many things seem predestined.
Despite heading out on a blind date, positioned to connect with other men and start anew, fate ironically entangled Yvette once more with Albert.
'If it's not fate, why do we keep meeting?'
'Why do I fall into the abyss again?'