Memories of Tomorrow

26 - Oliver Taylor

She was already sleeping when I came to the bed. She looked adorable. I smiled. It didn't cross my mind that she would come to see me during this hectic time. I pressed a kiss on her forehead before I lied down next to her. I held her in my arms as I fall asleep as well.

A knock on the door woke me up the next morning. I sat up, trying to get my bearings. It was probably Charles.

"Yes?" I asked as I opened the door a little bit.

"I already ordered breakfast for two. Should I clear your schedule this morning?"

"What time is it?"

"Half past eight, sir."

When I frowned, recalling his statement on breakfast for two, he calmly explained and gestured towards Lee's coat and bag that he hung beside a cabinet.

"Right, go buy some casual clothes for Lee. And order lunch later as well."

"Yes, sir."

Charles could be sensitive when needed.

"What is it?" Lee has woken up as well.

"Just Charles." I gestured for him to go. "Would you like some breakfast?"

I saw her typing furiously on her phone.

"I probably won't make it to work in time. I'm asking for leave."

I found myself smiling at her statement. On hindsight, I already told Charles to buy us lunch later and it's almost nine already.

While having breakfast, Charles came in to remind me of my schedule starting in the afternoon. When he went out, Lee turned to me to ask questions.

"You're managing your brother's company?" Charles mentioned it earlier.
"For now, yes. I'll be meeting with his management team later to make sure they're doing their jobs while Christan's not there."

"Where's Christan? Did something happen to him?" Her worried tone warmed my heart, but I noticed she's not eating much.

She grimaced when she followed my gaze. "I'm used to having just one piece of bread and coffee for breakfast."

"Try to eat more." I placed pieces of meat on her plate. For some reason, Charles brought cutlery for us to use.

"Christan's wife..." I can't bring myself to say it. I can only sigh.

She seems to understand, though. I just remembered that she hadn't met her. Looking back, Tanya's been gone for a few months already. And when we finally heard about her, it was about her death.

"I'm sorry." I think we both lost our appetite. I sighed. We should've talked about it last night, but I guess we were both tired.

"Try to eat more." She nodded and we ate in silence. The solemn atmosphere is quite new to both of us.

"Come here." I just stated that when we had nothing else to do and nothing to talk about. Basically, we're almost sitting side by side, but we still maintained some sort of distance. She reached out when I called her and she ended up sitting on my lap when I pulled her. I wrapped my arms around her waist while she wrapped hers around my neck. Oddly, I found myself laughing lightly. She smiled and gave me an odd look.

"Thank you for coming to see me." I told her as I tightly embrace her.

She pulled back a bit and leaned her head down to kiss me. She rarely initiates intimacy between us. As I missed her so much, I also missed kissing her. I can only deepen the kiss. Her hands started to cup my face. I'm not sure how long we've kissed but I was vaguely aware that we're still in my office and we haven't changed clothes yet.

When I was about to lose control, I pulled back. She buried her face in my neck. I rubbed her hair.

"Did you miss me?" I asked. I figured she must be feeling the same about the days we didn't see each other. She only hummed her answer.

"You should rest more if you have no schedule this morning."

We just lazed around in the morning. Enjoying the silence and each other's company. Charles brought Lee the clothes I ordered and our lunch before noon.

"Will you come again tonight?" I asked as Lee was about to go.

"You're still staying here tonight?" She mused as she put on her coat and slung her bag around her shoulder.

"Yeah. Still have to finish a few things up. Then I'll get a proper rest by tomorrow."

I went to give her a hug.

"I'll bring you food, then. What do you want to eat?"

I contemplated on her question, which to me, is essentially useless. I grinned down at her.

"You know what I like, any of them will do." I pressed a kiss on her lips before letting go.

"I'll see you later, then. Get some rest before your meeting." She waved before leaving.

Well, that made me feel rested.

Weeks later, my relationship problems came from my brother. What we do not know previously was that they were having marital problems. Tanya didn't keep in touch with him or the kids during the months she was gone. Weeks before her death, Christan saw her with different men. The accident that killed her, she was with another man. That information affected Christan greatly. He only disclosed it to our parents, Cara and me. The kids don't need to know. In a way, it made me understand what he's going through. On the other hand, he's pretty much against marriage at this point. He's become cynical. He would even tell me to reconsider being with Lee, almost every time I come to talk to him about business or personal. I tried hard not to snap at him.

The few times I received him at home, with Lee visiting as well, he was outright rude and argumentative. Lee and I would simply exchange glances and keep our mouths shut. He eventually stops after ranting for a good half hour. Lee didn't take his words to heart, for which I am grateful.

"Given what he experienced, it's understandable. If I were him and experienced that, I would mostly likely act the same way afterwards."

Her words made me frown. Is she siding with him now? Is she turning cynical, too?

When she caught my expression, she gave me a smile before explaining further.

"But... I hadn't experienced what he experienced, so I still have some hope."

"What hope?" I asked, she speaks philosophies sometimes.

"Hope that a married life wouldn't be so bad. That my partner won't cheat. That we'll live together for the rest of our lives, 'til death do us part. Through good times and bad times. That kind of hope."

"Why use a third person? I'm here, aren't I?" I didn't like her mentioning some unknown character. Her partner is me.

I came closer to her and trapped her in her seat.

Her flustered expression looks cute.

"I only meant in general." Is her response.

"Are you still not considering me as your partner? Your future husband? Hmm?"

"What... what are you on about? We're still dating." Her nonsense response proves she hasn't considered it yet.

I pecked a kiss on her lips and let go.

"You're right. It's still early. How long should we date before we get married?"

"What...?" She remained flustered.

"No need to answer. Just think about it, alright?"