HIDE AND SEEK

CHAPTER 23

"Don't talk to me," I take another bite of the cake left on my plate to my disappointment. He obediently followed what I said and ate with me in silence. I was enjoying my food when he called me, " Anna," when I turned around, he wiped something on my face using the napkin.

"You're such a kid. Please mind your appearance or else I'll laugh again," his making my heart beat fast every time he does simple things like this. Though he is always making fun of me, he also takes care of me at the same time. I immediately looked away when I realized that I'm staring too long. "Thanks," I said in a low voice.

He's always taking care of me even when we were young but all I did was run away from him. No, not from him but from my feelings for him. I'm afraid it will hurt my heart if I put too much hope into it. He will never like me the way I like him.

"Thank you, Kyle," "For what?" He asked while sipping on the wine in his glass. "Thanks for coming today. To be honest, I thought you were not going to attend. When I saw you waving your hands to me, I felt relieved that you came. You made this celebration more fun."

He takes my hand and kisses it. "I'm happy to see you too," we just smiled like we didn't see each other for a long time. I only see these scenes in movies, it is a sweet gesture but it is so awkward, so I decided to break the awkward atmosphere around us. "Oh, yeah, speaking of see, can I have a look at your phone?"

"For what?" He confusedly asked me. Has he already forgotten what he did a while ago? "I just want to check your phone if you deleted the picture you took a while ago," at first, he didn't get what I said but later on a devilish smile crept upon his face.

"Oh, you mean this?" He waves his phone in front of me with the picture on it. I looked around to see if someone was looking in our direction before I tried to get it from him. But clever Kyle takes advantage of his towering height and puts his phone up in the air.

"Hey! Give that to me," I exclaimed, he just laughed at me while I'm trying to reach for his phone. It's unfair that a man can grow much taller than a woman. There was a two- to a three-inches gap between us before but he is much taller than me now.

"Looks like you're having fun here, yea?" A man's voice walks in our direction. It's George, he already changed his clothes into semi-formal ones. "What's happening over here?" He asked, I stepped backward to separate myself from Kyle.

I know what's on George's mind right now from how he smiles when he sees us. "Oh, nothing. This man over here is trying to bully me," I pouted my lips playfully then looked away from Kyle. I even place my arms on my chest to act annoyed.

"Oh yea, how does he bully you?" He lowered his head on my shoulder and put his hands around my waist which made me a little irritated. I didn't miss how Kyle glared at him, he knows how I hate clingy people.

"He took a picture of me earlier but until now he is still not deleting it," I complained to him. George stood up straight and kissed my temple, it made Kyle frown deeper.

"I see, I'll take care of everything here. You go and see Elaine, she said there is something she wanted to talk to you about," he said calmly. What does Elaine want to talk to me about?

Though I'm clueless about what Elaine wants from me, I still agree to go there. "Ok, I'll be back," I said before I left them. I wonder what George wants to do to Kyle. Is he interested in him now he sees him personally?

I walk to the back office where I see Elaine fixing some documents in her hands. "Let me guess. Those documents need my signatures, am I right?" She rested all the papers on top of the table while handing me a black ball pen.

"You bet," she winked at me as she spoke. "Why are there documents today? Did they know that I'm enjoying my cakes," I slump myself onto the chair and rest my head on the file of documents on the table.

"It's Sunday today, remember? And what did you say? You're enjoying the cakes? Did you enjoy cakes or his accompaniment?" my eyes widened at her statement, good thing my face was buried in the papers in front of me, or else she will continue to make fun of me. "Don't talk nonsense, Elaine. You know how much I love your cakes, right?" I tried to change the topic and stop her from teasing me but she just ignored it.

"Do you love my cakes or ..." I slam my hand on the table to stop her from speaking but she just laughs at my reaction.

I glared at her and focused on the papers in front of me. She loves to tease me and the stupid me always does what she wants, to be annoyed. But to be honest, the cakes are not the reason why I am still here but the chance that I can bond with my best friend again even just for tonight.

I'm sure after this, he will distance himself from me again. I wish he could tell me why he suddenly turned cold or what's bothering him.

After talking to some of the guests, I noticed Kyle's depressed expression while George was just watching him. "Hey! What's up? Who dies?" I asked while approaching them. Kyle was startled by my sudden appearance while George smiled at me.

"You two can talk, there are things that need my attention," George told us, this is how he runs away from my question. He pats my shoulder before he leaves, which leaves me confused.

"What did he say to you that made you frown?" I asked with a hint of worry in my voice. He shakes his head and smiles at me.

"If you are having trouble, you know where you can find your physician slash, psychologist slash, friend slash, love advisor, right?" he chuckles when I tell him all of that. I sound sarcastic, but that's what I am to him.

"Thanks, Anna. You know if something is bothering me," he said with a weak smile. "Do you want to have a walk?" It's too crowded in the café and noisy too so I asked him to have a little privacy.