Chapter 13: Two Months Later

The following weeks had flown by like a breeze. The holidays ended, and it was back to university. As usual, Myra and Sierra would dine together between lectures, ignoring the handsome men that passed them.
“Jake Yu is here, and he’s in a discussion with the Dean,” some girls chattered amongst themselves as they strolled by carrying trays of their food orders. The cafeteria, while having the most affordable meals the average university student could afford, was known for its variety. Of course, as wealthy as they were, the sisters didn’t need to subject themselves to inferior quality dishes.
“How are you and your guy?” Sierra asked, seeing how distracted Myra was.
“I guess, good.”
Sierra noticed how Myra wasn’t paying attention to what she was asking, waving two fingers in front of her eyes repeatedly.
“Jake Yu inherited his father’s conglomerate. Shall we make a bet if he is going to stay with his current girlfriend, or Myra Yang?”
Myra shuddered hearing her name being referred, turning away in fear of being recognised. Fortunately, none of them recognised her, and continued on with their idle gossip.
“Yuna Kim? Don’t make me vomit. She’s such a harlot. I wonder what she did to get Jake. Say, wasn’t she dumped by Dong-Yul of Era-A recently?”
“Shh, Jake’s coming this way with the Dean!” her mate whispered loudly, silencing them.
From a distance, the sisters could see the familiar towering figure of Jake heading their way, which Myra wasn’t ready to come face-to-face with just yet. Jake looked absolutely solemn in his no-nonsense outfit and a pair of trendy yet smart-looking glasses. From the day she had last seen him in Bali, he seemed to have matured.
“Should we avoid him?” Sierra asked blindly.
All Myra could think of was Jake’s emotionless face as he allowed the woman she didn’t recognise to put her arms around him during the party. Although she figured she had put all the past behind her, she couldn’t. Her heart pained as if a thousand little daggers were slicing through it. She stared blankly at Jake and her Dean passing by their table.
Jake halted and scrutinised her for a moment before continuing in his conversation.
“If everything goes well as planned, we can begin the project by the middle of next month, Mr Dean.”
The Dean, as serious as he normally was, was grinning. Was Jake going to work together with her faculty Dean and their university? Would that mean he was going to turn up more often on campus?
No, No, be strong, Myra. You’re in a relationship with Hart. You can’t.
She hardened her heart. By all means, she had to protect herself. Jake coolly walked past them, exiting the cafeteria from the opposite door. Myra hurriedly dabbed a tissue on her forehead to cleanse herself from her sweat, her fingers trembling.
Even after months, he still had that effect on her. It was two months since she had the trip to Bali, and even his mere presence was making her uneasy. She was in Hart’s bed day and night for an entire month after Hart had joined his uncle’s venture, yet seeing Jake once had this effect on her.
It wasn’t easy; she reminded herself. She had gone through so much just to forget him, only for him to reappear before her. After indulging in such wildness with Hart, she thought those feelings for Jake had disappeared, but she was there, feeling so confused about Jake. No, the person she loved had to be Hart. She only dated Jake a week, while Hart… he was with her. All the time. It convinced her she was truly and sincerely in love with Hart.
“Is there something wrong, Myra?” Sierra’s loud, irritating voice woke her from her trance. She was pale, looking shaken.
“Is it about Jake?” Sierra asked again. Reluctantly, she gave her a nod.
She tried to find her voice when Sierra’s cell phone began ringing again.
“Teos, yeah, I can skip class later. After all, Mr Hsu is so boring. Ah, you just finished your shift? Wanna come over to my place?”
Without a word, she was already walking off. Myra pouted, seeing how her sister had just left him for that hot hunk she met while in Bali. While Myra knew Sierra had a high sex-drive and needed constant gratification, she didn’t think she would stoop so low to date a handyperson. The man hardly made enough for himself, much less be able to start a family with her. Knowing her stepsister, she was serious. They had double-dated frequently, and Sierra would always foot the bill.
Sierra was an intelligent young woman. She was the complete opposite of Myra, who struggled with simple theories and referred to herself as having a little-brain. Sierra was the type who could constantly party and skip classes, yet score straight As in university. She majored in history and Literary Arts, something that required a lot of studying in normal cases.
While she didn’t know what she was even studying in Hotel Management. She had to burn midnight oil studying a lot. She was twiddling with her thumbs when suddenly Jake appeared in front of her.
“Myra, can I speak to you in private?”
She tried to smile and look confident. While she wasn’t ready, she didn’t want Jake to think she was incapable of moving on from him. Yes, he was her first. But she was someone’s girlfriend now. She didn’t need him, and she would show him. So she straightened her hair and adjusted her dress.
“My, what brings the busy CEO Mr Yu here to waste his time idling with a girl like me?” She laughed idiotically. “You clinched a big deal back there, so why would you bother with small fish like me?”
Jake seized her wrist before she could react. “Myra, sarcasm doesn’t suit you. I’ll make it quick. It’s rather important. It’s about your father.”
She snapped out of her idiocy. When they returned, Myra learned from Sierra’s mother that her father had left on a business endeavour to Thailand. He had been away for months now, and that aroused her suspicion, but as he made the trip alone, none of them could reach him. While she was glad to be away from her father’s oppression, she knew how stubborn he could be. Perhaps there was an argument her father had with Sierra’s mother.
They gave him space. This wasn’t the first time he would leave without calling home for months. The last time he did that, he came back safely, and Sierra’s mother stopped nagging at him over his bad smoking habits.
“What about my father?” She demanded once they were alone.
“I don’t know if you will handle this well, Myra. I don’t have the confirmation yet, but I’ve heard that something unfortunate happened to him during his trip to Sydney.”
She took a step backwards, hitting the wall. Without her father, she had no other kin. But she knew it was not normal of him to have left home so long without calling his beloved daughter. Now that Jake brought the news, a part of her seemed to have died. Putting their differences aside, Jake was not the type who would be so insensitive to joke about such a serious matter. He had to be sure about it to have made such a grave statement.
Myra gave in and cried with the tenseness of the situation about them. She hoped nothing had happened to her father during his long-distance travel. If something happened to him, she wouldn’t forgive herself. She was so emotional that in no time, tears were streaming down her cheeks as she prayed.
[Please, Dad, nothing can happen to you… I don’t allow it…]
[Dad, I’m sorry for being the naive girl I was… I should have listened to you all along]
“Myra, Myra…”
Jake’s voice trailed off as she cried uncontrollably. It went on for a long time, and whatever he was saying, she wasn’t listening. She was crying so hard that her eyes turned puffy.
“Myra, get a hold of yourself,” Jake shouted, but to no avail. She paid him no attention, continuing to crouch in the walkway's darkness, a spot where no other students frequented.
It wasn’t until she felt the dampness of his lips pressing against hers that she jolted out of her painful thoughts. In a flash, everything didn’t matter anymore. She was so overcome by her emotions that she didn’t realise she kissed that person back.
She wasn’t in her right state of mind and this, Jake understood. But there was a lot he needed to tell her, and he knew the right place for it.