“Only tomorrow morning,” Dr. Nel says. “Maria will give it to you every morning with breakfast so you don’t forget it.” My heart squeezes a bit hearing her. I wish I didn’t have to move back to Park Avenue once my classes start again. After all, just like Dr. Nel thought, I should be living permanently with my fiancé. Except I’m not. In nine days, I will have to live at Park Avenue during the week with Dad. How ridiculous! I hope I can change his mind before classes start, because I have no intentions of sleeping at Park Avenue again. And why would I? Alex has a condo in the city, and we can perfectly well stay there during the week.
Bedford Hills, August 28, 2020
Alexander Van Dieren
With the current social distancing protocols in place, most of our meetings have been done through Zoom calls. Today’s no different; Roy and I are sitting in the dining-room-turned-boardroom, getting ready for our next call. As I flick through the report we’ll be discussing, Roy shatters the silence with one single question. “Did you talk to her?”
And I can’t believe he’s asking me that. I wish I could tell him that my life with my fiancée is none of his business, but I need him on my side more than ever, so I swallow my pride and say, “Yes, I did.” I keep it short, not even bothering to look at him as my gaze remains on the report Paulo sent me an hour ago.
“And?”
Fuck! He’s going too far. I squint my eyes, looking at him with annoyance. “Well, it’s between she and I, don’t you think?”
“No, I don’t,” he answers without any bother, sounding like an arrogant asshole, his stare defying mine as he patiently waits for all the details.
Shaking my head in disapproval, I ponder if I should tell him to fuck off or not, but I remind myself I need his support against Tess, and despite the anger creeping up my neck, I reply as friendly as possible, “She just lied to me about the pill to get pregnant, that’s all.” And I cut eye contact just as fast, my gaze drifting down to the report.
“That’s all?” he repeats in outrage. Since Roy sees my being indifferent about the matter, his indignation keeps rising, and he asks louder, “That’s all?”
“I already asked Dr. Nel to prescribe her the pill. Problem solved. Can we move on?” My attention falls back to the sheets I have in my hand, but something tells me Roy has more to say.
“And is she really gonna take it?”
I hold my breath for an instant. Roy is really testing my patience today. I hate sharing details of my intimate life with him, let alone those involving his daughter so I just mumble, “I believe so.”
“You believe so?”
Tired of his inquisition, I put down the report, take off my glasses, and, holding his stare, I tell him once and for all, “Look, Petra and I are together. You know that and—”
“And you’ll be gone to Singapore very soon.” His reminder is like a hammer crashing into me. “I just want to make sure you won’t be leaving a single mother behind.”
What a fucking asshole he can be. If I didn’t have so much self-control, I would punch him right now until he was lying on the floor in tears. “What a disgusting remark,” I snap, shaking my head. “Don’t you see how Tess is destroying our friendship?” Since Roy doesn’t say a word, I add, “Before Tess knew about Petra and me, everything was fine. Don’t you miss it?”
“Alex, we’ve spoken about this a thousand times,” he says, the lines around his eyes pulling tight as his jaw subtly shakes. “There’s no other way around it, and you know it. My remark might have been crude, but my concern is nonetheless pertinent.”
My pulse intensifies at the idea of breaking up with her. It’s impossible for me to do so. That I am sure of. But time is passing, and very soon, Tess will be flying back here to visit Petra. And since she is now awake, I’ll have to… leave.
Or at least that is what I promised her I’d do.
The easiest option seems to be to take Petra with me to Singapore before Tess travels here, but I know the pilot and crew will recognize her instantly and call Roy. Even if she flies separately, sooner or later, Roy will find out and won’t waste any time telling Tess. There is nothing he wouldn’t do to protect his little reputation. The truth is, our friendship is now solely based on the premise that I’ll leave for Singapore and break up with his daughter. If I don’t, Roy and I will most likely become… enemies.
Wow. Enemies? A shiver runs down my spine thinking about it. Having Roy Van Gatt as an enemy is the last thing anyone would want, including me.
Especially me.
“Maybe she should go back to Park Avenue from tomorrow on,” Roy suggests. “It’s a safer option.”
“You know it’s better for her to stay here than in an apartment. Even Dr. Nel told you so,” I remind him. “Maria will make sure she takes the pill every morning,” I add to appease him.
Roy seems satisfied—or at least silenced—with my answer as he draws in a deep breath, his eyes falling down to his copy of the report. Then my laptop starts ringing, and I know it’s time for Roy and me to jump on our Zoom call.
As I reach the terrace, I see Petra from afar, sitting at the table and watching the last rays of light as the sun slowly sinks beneath the horizon. Cynthia is a genius—she knows Petra hates to show her physical incapacity in front of me, so she has been mindful enough to seat Petra before I arrive. Not that it bothers me, but I’ve noticed that Petra hates to display her limited mobility around other people. I guess it’s a matter of pride—I’d have probably felt the same.
“Hey,” I greet her, giving her a peck on the lips.
As I sit in front of her, her gaze remains glued on the scenery behind me. “You missed the sunset.” And her tone tells me she knows exactly why.
I turn to look at the horizon. True, the sun is already gone, resulting in rich hues of red blended with orange, purple, and crimson in the sky. “Ah, well, there will be many more.” I find myself drawn to her exposed collarbone and the pendant she is wearing. A quick sigh escapes me, remembering when I put it on her. Damn, I’m the luckiest man alive. “You look absolutely stunning today.”
“Only today?” she asks in a tease, her brows raising in amusement.
Her humor twists my lips into a smile, and, playing along, I say, “Yep, only today.”
And I manage to get a laugh from her. “You look nice today too.”
Petra doesn’t waste any time telling me all about her aqua gym and deep-tissue massage session. She always has something interesting to share, and, despite the fact I’m still in total awe that she is here, all I can do is smile as I try to focus on what she is saying. I guess I will need some time to get used to the idea that she is finally back. Then, Maria comes in and places our starters on each side of the table. Once she leaves, Petra falls silent, probably engrossed in her thoughts as she stares absently down at her plate. And I’m like an idiot, observing every inch of her face, her hair, her lips…
“Once my classes start again,” she says in a low voice, “um, maybe I could move in with you to your condo.” With an ounce of timidity in her voice, her gaze goes up to meet mine as she waits for my answer.