The Indifference of a Man Forgotten (BOOK I)

Chapter 4- The Forgotten People

--Marcos POV--

They say time flies when you're having fun, and I never really thought that to be true until I became a student at Lincoln university. I walked into this fancy place two years ago now, not knowing what to expect, but it was all a beautiful surprise.

I made good friends, was doing well in my studies, and my father was even considering retiring early since I had proven myself to be more than capable enough to take charge of the family business.

I did date a girl, Francesca, for almost a year, but I quickly learned that she wasn't the one, and broke it off with her, something that she still hasn't been able to get through her head, making her the first girl that's ever clung to me like this after I broke up with her.

There was one thing that all the women I've dated had in common, and that was to find a true love in their life, something I respected since I felt the same. Francesca wasn't like that; the money she had been drowning in from the moment she was born wasn't enough for her, she wanted more, and that's why she dated me.

"How are your studies going?" My mother asked from the other end of the phone.

"Good, first-class grades again," I heard her chuckle, not surprised.

"And... Did you find a nice woman, or even a man that could help you from getting lonely?" She curiously asked the same question she always asked each week on our phone calls.

"The answer is the same as last time, mama. No, and I'm heterosexual, meaning I'm only attracted to the opposite gender... I've been scarred after the whole Francesca incident; I'm done going out of my way to look for love, if I'm meant to find someone, they'll come to me because I'm not going to them,"

I shiver in disgust every time I say her name, how was it possible for a person to be so self-centred? I didn't think it was possible, but clearly, I was wrong.

"Now, you can't let one silly woman hold you back... But I'm sure the right woman will come along eventually. Right, like Dahlia for example, what happened to her?"

My heart sprang to life with the sound of that familiar name. I haven't heard it in so long, I had forgotten what she meant to me.

"Dahlia..." I whispered, the name sounded so familiar yet unusual as it slipped passed my lips.

Dahlia, I wonder how she's doing with her life right now. We used to talk every day when I first came here, but both of our schedules kept overlapping so we couldn't talk much, and slowly, little by little, we started talking less and less, until we just stopped.

I haven't heard from her, or about her in so long.

"Are you still in contact with her?" I asked my mother.

"Not with Dahlia personally, but I am with her father, Oliver, since we're business partners. But last I heard of Dahlia, I heard she was travelling the world for her figure skating competitions, I'm so happy for her. I heard she's grown into a beautiful young woman, she would make the perfect daughter-in-law for anyone,"

"Really?" I remember always asking her about her skating, and the way her face would light up in joy every time she heard the word, it was nice to know that she was thriving in her talent, she deserved every bit of recognition she was getting.

But a feeling of rejection settled down in my chest as I thought about it. At the time, I had thought I'd be able to stand by her side as she grew into an amazing athlete, I thought I'd be able to see the person she would become, but I forgot about her.

And now the regret was eating up at me. It wasn't that we stopped, or that we simply drifted apart because we didn't have time for each other, because that's a lie. She always made time for me, she'd cancel her training sessions to talk to me, but the same couldn't be said about me.