17. Frustration

Brice's POV

I was going mad since I woke up to an empty bed that morning. The night before, I had the best sleep thinking I was going to have the greatest two weeks in front of me. But instead, Ella was gone and she was suddenly unreachable.

Was it something I said?
Did my deceased fiance scare her?

I truly thought that she was going to be it, I'm happy when I'm with her. And since she's gone, Clara tried to cheer me up. I tried to drown myself in my work but nothing was showing up.

It has been almost a week, and I was functioning on autopilot. I wake up, drink coffee, have breakfast then stare at my PC screen as my fingers stay still, and I couldn't write anything. I tried to read but can't make it more than just a couple of paragraphs an hour later, so I gave up.

The day was looking bleak until I decided to go to her place and see if I can find her. The last time I went there I saw her cousin Gemma, who was not giving me any information as to why she's disappearing on me, and not returning my calls or answering my texts.

"Brice,"

"Hey, Gemma, is she back?"

"No, and I said I'll call you if she has."

She looked annoyed and I felt like a loser already.

"Gemma babe, who's that?"

A tall, very handsome man appeared from behind her, then a beautiful modelesque woman was to his back looking at me with high curiosity.

"This is Brice, he's looking for..."

"Wow, Brice Durant, yeah I know you. You're here for our very own Cinderella right?"

I look at them in confusion but stay quiet when the too friendly man introduced himself as Benjamin pulled me inside the apartment that Ella shared with her cousin.

"You're more handsome in person, so...tell me what do you see in our beautiful princess,"

"Princess?" I asked no one, didn't know that I was to be ambushed with questions the moment I stepped into the apartment.

"Ella, as in Cinderella, duh, I didn't know you're this slow, maybe you do miss her that much." The woman who Gemma introduced as Jacqueline was apparently assessing my intelligence.

"Oh," I stupidly retorted. Maybe she's right, I was so damn slow lately and Ella did play a great part of the why. My mind couldn't seem to function, while my deadline was closing in and I couldn't care less.

"So, anyone knows where she is?" I asked hoping these two beautiful people knows more about Ella than her blood relative. I hope they would actually tell me where she is. I've never been this curious about someone before, I should have left her alone if she didn't want to be found.

I know I was coming on too strong, maybe Ella just realized it and she didn't like it, maybe she got scared. But the thing that bothered me the most was the lack of explanation. I still couldn't handle the fact that she just disappeared on me, and I was hurt to the knowledge that I actually didn't mean that much to her. I thought we had something, she did give me her virginity.

"Ella, is her own woman, she will come back when she wants to, and she will explain everything to you when she sees fit," Gemma said while Benjamin nodded then sit down on the sofa and start scrolling on his phone. The man then taps the seat next to him, silently telling me to sit.

"Don't worry we won't bite, we're just going to ask a few questions, making sure Ella knows what she's running away from," Jacqueline said cheerfully as she sit to my front while her cousin Gemma starred at them as if she was telling her two friends that it was a bad idea. And Jacqueline's next words proved my thoughts exactly.

"Do you love her?"

"Jacques," Gemma cut her question.

"What, maybe he hasn't realized it? I mean he did come here, several times already, calling and texting probably dozens of times already. He's practically a stalker."

The words made me clench my jaw, and my body stiffened. I could see Gemma noticed it, and it took me a couple of seconds to mask my feelings but I knew she saw it. And I was not able to read her precisely, but I could see her train of thoughts already, maybe Ella told her about my stalker and my ex-fiancé. But the woman didn't divulge the information to her two neighbors at least that's what I thought.

"I think it's too early for love, we haven't even been together for a month. Maybe I'm coming on too strong, but..." I stopped when I knowingly shared them my thoughts, willingly.

"Go on," Jacqueline smiled sweetly as if my explanation was entertaining her.

Benjamin got up and decided to get us a couple of bottles of beer then give one to me before putting the rest on the coffee table for others. Then he told me to listen to Jacqueline and let it out. I took a big gulp of the cold beer, realizing that I really needed it. 

"She opened her phone yesterday, my messages were delivered but none was read. I just need to know, you know? next week will be my last week here, then I'll be gone for two months."

There was something about this little group of people, they're either truly nosy or really want to help me, even only by hearing me and letting my frustration out.

"You are whipped man,"

"Shut it, Benji, you're not much different from him." Jacqueline silenced him and told me to spill my plans.

"I don't have any, I'll be coming here again for sure. Hoping she'll be back before I go." I took a big gulp of my beer and rest my back on the sofa.

"Look, I'm sure she has her reason, maybe by taking this time off you'll know if both of you are you know...good for each other?"

I chuckled at Gemma's words, I was sure that she knows exactly where her cousin is. She just didn't want to tell me, or Ella told her not to tell me. 

"Right, anyway...I think I'm going to head on back to my place. You guys are great, but I don't want to be the creepy stalker guy by befriending Ella's friend. I don't think she wants me to invade her privacy."

The three pairs of eyes looked at me sadly, but Benjamin was the only one who told me to hang there.

"I mean stay for a couple of hours, you sure you wanna go back home and sulk alone?"

"Ben, maybe he has somewhere else to go." Gemma was scolding him, and Jacqueline was looking at me with a don't care attitude telling me that this was a very laid-back group of people with nothing better to do.

"I like to, but I don't think Gemma will be comfortable. Maybe another time."

"See Gemma, now you chase the sad guy away."

I chuckled at what Benjamin thought of me, but I didn't try to correct him. I was sad, I was frustrated, but I really don't like to stay where I was not wanted by Ella. So I did excuse myself minutes later.

The feelings were still shitty when I met Clara half an hour later where she shook her head at me. I know I looked like a mess but I didn't think it was that bad.

"You need to get laid, Brice. Seriously, that woman got you so smitten. Look, I'm going to send to a hotel with a day spa and all the works. I want you to relax and take a good night sleep. Seriously Brice you haven't even known her for that long."

"Shit, I know Clara, I don't know what's happening to me, I'm so fucking lame. I need to flush this out with some expensive brandy."

I tried to smile but failed miserably, and I already know brandy will only numb the feelings, then I'm going to be back to where I am right now the moment I get sober. I was cursing on the inside knowing I have a high tolerance for alcohol and tonight is going to be another long night, just like the past few days.

Shit, Ella, what did you do to me.