It has been a week since Phil hurt his hand and now, his hand was no longer in need of bandage. Only scar that left to remind him of his carelessness. Phil was sitting in his office, wasting his time looking around the room, didn't even bother to check his work. He didn't care about works that time. All that he cared about was Eve, whose face kept playing in his mind since morning. His stomach churned while his face getting warmed just to say that woman's name. Then, he remembered he had a photo of her that he hid under his table. He pulled it out and looked at the face staring at him. It was her photo from their wedding that he managed to steal without her knowledge. He caressed the face in that photo and slowly, he brought it closer to his lips. The photo came in contact with his lips for several while.
"Hey Phil, I need to talk to you!', a voice spoke along with the sound of a door creaked open, causing Phil to stopped with what he was doing. Like a reflex, he was panicked and threw Eve's photo on the floor.
"Don't you know how to knock?", Phil muttered angrily to Daniel, who was already closing the door and sat in front of him, snorted at his behaviour.
"I know how to knock but please! You never get mad whenever I entered your office... without knocking!", he reminded him.
Phil pretended to work on something on his table, afraid to show his anxiety to his friend. "So what is it that you want to talk about?", he asked, still looking at his file.
"Just want to remind you that this afternoon at 4, you have a meeting with your father and brother in the conference room, you know about the site in New York?"
"Meeting?", Phil looked confused. What meeting? He didn't remember about having any upcoming meetings, what more with his family. They should've told him at least earlier during breakfast.
"Yes, meeting! What's wrong with you, man? It seems like you're here but your mind's not! Do you have any problem?", Daniel asked with concern.
"No!", Phil answered with no mood.
Being his best friend for about 25 years, Daniel knew if Phil was in no mood to talk, that means he needed some time alone so he stood up and headed to the door. "Okay then. Don't forget! The meeting's at 4!", he said before he walked out.
"Alright!", Phil said, didn't look at him as he still pretended to organise the files.
Once, he heard the door clicked, Phil breathed a sigh of relief and rested his back on the chair. Thank god Daniel didn't suspect anything. He quickly bent down and picked up the photo that he threw, wiping dusts on it before putting it on his lips again.
He could turn crazy if he didn't meet Eve any longer. He placed it back under his table before looking at his watch. It was only 11.30 in the morning so surely he still had the time to sneak out of the office for awhile to go to the orphanage to meet Eve. Besides, the meeting would only start at 4. But just after he took his phone and keys, he stopped, dead in his tracks. If he did meet Eve, what would he say? What would she think? He never went to her workplace just to meet her. Finally, he just decided that he wanted to bring Eve out for lunch.
Eve just finished a class and now she just want to relax in the staff office before she went out to meet Zack in the hospital during lunch. Phil had given her permission to meet him the other day. She knew he was not her real husband but he was still a husband so she should tell him where she needed to go and who was she meeting.
Speaking of Phil, his behaviour lately has made Eve uncomfortable and confused. He was not as usual and he always went home early these days to spend time with her. His constant love and care made her irritated. Everytime she went home, she would always see his face waiting at the door, offering himself to bring her stuffs from the car.
She brushed the thought off as she stood up and took her handbag with her, walking out from the orphanage to her car to meet Zack. Her 15 minutes ride had ended when she parked her car around the hospital. Taking a deep breath, she walked out of the car and went inside the hospital. She asked the nurse on the desk where Zack Ryder's room was. When she was informed, she quickly rushed to his room. She opened the door and there was Zack, sitting on a wheelchair, looking at her surprised.
"Zack", she tried to put a smile on her face.
Zack ignored her and turned his gaze to the windows.
Eve walked towards him and knelt down beside him, "Zack, please! Don't make me feel bad like this. I'm sorry!". She looked at him and saw that he looked healthier than before.
He tried to make a straight face, "I thought you didn't want to see me anymore!", causing Eve to laugh a bit.
"So you're not mad at me?"
He turned to her and half grinned at her, "I was mad at you. Now, I'm all good. Next time if you get married, don't forget to invite me!"
She slapped the side of his arms playfully, "How can there be next time when I'm already married?", she showed him the ring on her finger.
Zack chuckled before he took her hand in his and studied the ring on her finger. It must be expensive, he thought. Even if she was already belonged to someone else, he still have those feelings that he kept for more than 10 years for her. "Your husband must be so lucky to have you. So when are you going to introduce him to me?"
She blushed, "In the near future. So how are you?"
"The doctor says I'm doing great and the cancerous cell have died. We'll see in a month and if everything's okay, I can be discharged from the hospital"
"That's a good news!"
"Your husband knows you're meeting me here?", Zack asked, their hands still holding one another.
"Yeah, he's the one that suggest that I should see you!"
"Then I can see he's a nice guy! I'll pray that you both will last forever. Even though I was so heartbroken to lose you to another guy, I still wish the best for you. He's a lucky man. Make him happy, Eve!"
Eve felt guilty to him. He didn't know the real story behind her marriage and his hope for her was too much for her to bear. A tear slid down her cheeks and Zack hold her to simply say that he was there for her, completely blind about what happened at her best friend in the first place.
Phil was enraged as he drove his car very fast back to his family's company. What he thought would be a great lunch turned out to be one of the worst moments in his life. He arrived at the orphanage with a big smile only to see Eve's car just going out to the main road. Curious, he followed her to the hospital. He sneaked behind her and when she entered the room, he stood waited outside, but not before peeking what she did with another man in there. He must be Zack, he thought.
Sure that he let her go to meet him but to see her holding hands and all laugh with that guy made his blood boiled, or simply being jealous. Couldn't take it to see his wife being all touchy and happy with him, he ran away. While he was driving in the car, he couldn't stop thinking about Eve. Whenever he remembered what she did again, he punched the steering numerous times furiously. He was always right all this while. Every woman is just the same. No good but a materialistic slut.
He said to himself repeatedly since the beginning that he would never ever fall in love with her but he failed miserably. He started to like and care for her but she showed her affection to another man? He needed his friend's advice as soon as possible before he gets insane.
When he arrived at the office, he rushed to Daniel's room, knocking it impatiently until he heard a "Come in!"
"Phil? Where were you, man? I was thinking to bring you out for lunch but you were not in the office!"
Phil sat down without being told in front of his friend. "I just came back from the hospital!"
"Oh my God! What happened? Who got hurt?", Daniel suddenly dropped everything he did and asked his bestfriend shocked.
"Nothing too serious. Just got caught up with something!", Phil denied. He was definitely not going to tell Daniel that he was actually spying on his wife this noon.
Meanwhile, Daniel noticed the different look on his friend's face."So what brings you here?", he asked questioningly. He knew if Phil entered his office during work time, that meant he had problems.
Phil gulped, second guessing on whether he should tell his friend that he was jealous and already started to show signs of a person that fell madly in love.
"Hello? Earth to Phil!", Daniel waved his hand in front of Phil's zoning out face.
"Huh? What?"
"You sure you're okay? Tell me what's wrong? Is there something wrong between you and Eve?"
Phil closed his eyes momentarily and taking a really deep breath before exhaling. He opened back his eyes.
"Don't waste my time. I have work to do!", Daniel gave up, before focussing back to his work.
"I think I've already fall in love!", he revealed while twitching his eyes together, looking down.
For once, Daniel was silenced. Was Phil being serious? The man that never trust any women other than his mom and sister was actually falling in love? While he questioned himself, he was laughing inside too much that it showed outside too, making Phil to give him a 'really?' look.
"With who?", Daniel asked, still laughing.
Phil in turn glared at him, not wanting to tell him who since it would only make Daniel's laugh to erupt louder.
Daniel was waiting for Phil to speak but judging by how he looked at him, only one name that crossed his mind.
"Oh no! Was it Eve? That's impossible!"
Phil slightly nodded, obviously embarrassed by the fact that his feeling overcame his ego. Instead of stopped laughing, Daniel's laugh only get louder, making Phil's face turned red. What's so funny with being in love?
"See what happens now? I told you not to be confident. You guys only married for more than a month and now you lose? Where's the man that claimed he will not fall in love with Eve that even she offered herself to him, he will reject her at that instant?"
Phil was thankful that finally his friend stopped laughing. He looked away from facing him. He was right. He was too egotistical back then but now, he had truly have feelings for her. Or else, he wouldn't be jealous when he saw Eve with Zack in the hospital.
"So what should I do, Dan?"
"Didn't you get me the first time I told you? For the thousand times, make her to fall in love with you. That's the only way!"
"But you know how hard-headed Eve is. I'm afraid she didn't feel the same way. What if my feelings are only one-sided?", he babbled.
"If she's hard-headed then you're the one that should give in to her. If you act like how she act, it will only cause more problems in your marriage!". He paused to think before he spoke again, "Well tell you what? How about if you ask her out to dinner in a romantic place and only then you tell her how you feel about her?", Daniel suggested.
Suddenly, a wide grin appeared on Phil's face, confusing his best friend in front of him.
"What's wrong with you now? You first came here like someone who just lost his track and now you're all smile?", Daniel put his hand on Phil's forehead, wondering if he was entered by an evil spirit that he had a sudden change of mood.
Phil slapped Daniel's hand off from him and laughed, "I just remember that this Sunday, Eve and I are going to Paris for honeymoon... I mean holiday. So it would be easier if I just tell her while we're on our holiday".
"She must be excited to know that you choose Paris as your destination. I told you that Brie told me how much she gushed about wanting to go to Paris. So if you choose Paris that means she should know that you love her, what's there to be afraid of then?"
Phil nodded, "I guess you're right. But actually I've planned to stay away from my family for awhile. I want Eve to spend this time to rest her mind from my family. I feel bad for her so I thought she should had enough of them for the time being. Besides, this is not a real honeymoon, just an act!"
Daniel shook his head, "I doubt that it will be just an act. Maybe it will turn out as real honeymoon. People around the world didn't call it 'City of Love' for nothing!"
"Then so be it! If I can't hold it for any longer then I could just make it happen in Paris! If Eve refused, then I'll make her..."
Phil sentence was cut midway by Daniel, "Woah, shut it, big boy! No need to tell me your upcoming disgusting plan with me!"
Phil in return just smirked, "I'll never be sorry if I'm going to bleed your ears out with my romantic plan!"
5+ reviews for update. Thank you in advance. The honeymoon will be in the next chapter so I'm hoping you'll wait for it. I didn't know when I'll update though because I'm going to have my exam for a whole month starting tomorrow so let's see where I can fit in my time to write and update. Lastly, can I get some good luck wishes for my upcoming exam from you guys? Thanks!
