A Lifetime with you

Chapter 12

Ezrah's POV

We were in the middle of the meeting when Earl handed me my phone.

"Later, I told you I won't accept calls during important meetings."
I always tell him not to disturb me.

"Nikki called. He was crying. He said he needed you. His brother was missing." Earl whispered.

I slammed the desk.
"Wrap up the meeting. I will meet you tomorrow again at the same time."
I drove as fast as I could to the place. I offered to drive myself.

There I saw Nikki walking, crying silently. It breaks me to see him like this. He was always tough even if we were fighting, even when he lost his job, and even if he couldn't find a job. He was always quiet.

I asked Earl to go and looked around and check the cameras. I brought Nikki home first. He looks like he will faint anytime soon. I know how important Nigel is to him.

I went back to the park. I asked around, showing them Nigel's picture on my phone. After several minutes of searching, a mother finally told me that he saw the crying kid on the way back to the park.

I saw Nigel crying under the slide.

"Gel!"

"Daddy!" he cried loudly. "I am sorry. I didn't listen to mommy."

"It's fine, baby. Come here." I carried him and rubbed his back. I don't know what am I doing, but I can see that Gel is becoming more relaxed. I gave him water before returning to their house.

"I promise I'll be good now," Gel told me.

"You should say it to Nikki too. alright?"
I asked this crying boy.

I brought him home. Nikki was waiting downstairs.

I am relieved that I was able to help.

I hate to see you crying, Nikki.

I asked them to go inside. I was so tired running around. I just came from endless meetings since the morning.

"Dad, stay, please." Nigel told me. I am so soft for this kid. He treats me like his own family. It is something I have been missing, that feeling of being needed. I love Nigel like my own son or brother. I don't know. For me, even without Nikki, he is my family.

I looked at Nikki first. I want to know if he wants me to stay with them too.

"Get inside first, Ez." Nikki told me.
"Don't look at me like that. I am fine with it." He grabbed my hand. "Let's go. You need to rest."

He let Nigel sleep first. The kid was too tired of crying.

It's only Nikki and me in the house. It's now awkward.

"Thank you, Ezrah. I don't know what will happen to me if I lose my brother." He started tearing up again.

Stop crying. fuck. please.

I was shocked when Nikki kissed me. He fucking kissed me on my lips and ran to his room after.

What the fuck was that?

"Nikki, come back. I need to talk to you. I can help you with your problem. Let's fix this together." I don't understand why he keeps searching for the answers.

Me? I am just living in the moment. I have weird dreams too, but they are just dreams. Nikki is the one beside me. Why would I search for other people?

"Ezrah, give me a month. I'll fix myself. I will let you know once I am ready...but for now...I really can't. You won't understand it. I am crazy. I am in love with an imaginary person. I am in love with him."

"In love with who?"

"I badly want to know anything about him... that guy named Tharn Kirigun."

I can't believe I am competing with that person. I am familiar with that name. He is known in the business world. He is the guy who makes all impossible possible. And every time I hear that name, there's something in me that I cannot understand.

"Nikki, are you crazy? You are asking for one month, not one hour." I yelled.

He opened the door. "Please trust me. Give me space for a month. I  won't entertain anyone. Let me think without you. Please."

It's not just a month. It took him three months before he faced me again. He has lots of excuses.

I heard that he went to the Kirigun mansion to meet Reese. He keeps rejecting my call. I can only see him from afar. I didn't lose my communication with Nigel. I still supported him since he is calling me dad might as well make it real.

I was so tired from my meeting. I couldn't even check Nigel tonight.

Earl entered my office.

"Boss, Chef Nikki is here."

I immediately fixed my suit and cleaned my desk.

Earl left after Nikki went inside.

"Ezrah." That voice I've been longing to hear.
"Help me forget about everything. Please!"

"Come here and talk."

He just burst into tears. I can't stop him from crying.
"Cole died."

"He is old. It's given." I have heard it from our shareholder meeting. I am not that close to Cole. He was a good man, though. He keeps telling me that I remind him of someone. He would even send me gifts to my office. I met him twice after Reese's wedding.

"Are you not listening? Cole died. He died. I won't be able to see him again. We talked last night. He asked me to come, and in the morning, he was already gone, like he had just waited for me. I don't know. I am weird. He called me mama. He said he was so happy to see me again. Cole told me to be happy with you. Please help me. It hurts so bad. I can't understand what is happening. I saw them. I fucking saw them in the mausoleum."
He is having a hard time breathing.

"Okay! okay! Stop crying now. Who?"

"Those guys in my dreams. I've seen them. I have been in love with the guy in the past, Ezrah. I can't believe it."

"I told you to focus on the present. Are we clear now? I hope you can forget about them. It's just a dream. They are not real."

"He left that house under my name. I feel like this is not me. I am confused, Ezrah. I am damn scared. Sometimes I feel like I am being possessed. That's why I want to stay away from people as much as possible. Do you find it funny too, right? I need help from psychologists." I don't know what to say to Nikki because his feelings are valid. I wake up sometimes feeling like a different person too. But whatever are those, Nikki got me the moment I saw him. I will stick to that.

"I will help you, okay? Let's start with you focusing on Gel and me first. Please forget about that thoughts."

"Ezrah, help me live in the present. I feel like I am stuck on that dream. Stay with me?"

"I will.  Be my boyfriend, Nikki."

Instead of answering, he kissed me. The kind of kiss that was needy. It's like he has been controlling himself before, and now all the feelings are flowing nonstop. Nikki's body was burning. It's intoxicating. I tried to breathe first, but he caught my lips again. Then I realized he started crying.

"I feel like I am cheating, Ezrah." He is trying to hold his tears.

" You are not. No one owns you, not that guy in the past, not the guy in your dream. Listen to me. You are mine. Live with me."

I love him. I want a lifetime with Nikki.

"Love me." Nikki said.

The end.

Just kidding.