T's & C's (don't) Apply

37. Coffee with Your Boss's (ex) Best Friend is Prohibited

I understood what it felt like to bottle up your feelings. It was easier to tell yourself that everything was alright instead of succumbing to your woes. However, eventually, those feelings were bound to catch up. That happened mostly at night while you tried to sleep. Your mind raced with thoughts you buried deeply all day. I suppose that was one of the reasons I struggled with insomnia.

So, when Kai was eerily calm and normal after his birthday, I grew concerned. In fact, he was better than normal at first. On Monday and Tuesday, he was up bright and early, engrossed in work, and seemed happy. If I hadn't witnessed what happened, I would've assumed he turned over a new leaf.

However, once Wednesday arrived, he didn't show up for work and told me he wouldn't be in until further notice. I tried to get him to talk to me, but he didn't budge. He insisted he was alright and needed to sort out things with his family. I knew he lied because his father was on a business trip for two weeks.

I figured he wanted some space to deal with everything, so I let him be. I told him I was just down the corridor if he needed to talk to someone. With a smile, he thanked me, and ever since, I haven't seen or heard from him. I knew he was still alive because the mail that arrived for him was always taken in, and his housekeeper told me he was at home.

I contemplated knocking on his door a few times, but knew if he wanted company, he would've called or shown up. Not seeing him also meant I could've delayed telling him that I saw Rosalind with another man before he caught her cheating.

When Saturday arrived, I got a call from a pub that Kai was on the verge of passing out at the bar. I had no idea how they thought to call me first but was glad they did. I drove over in the middle of the night, and the security very kindly helped me get him in the car. He was so drunk that he reeked of alcohol. He passed out in the backseat while I drove us back home.

After throwing water on him and getting to drink lots of it, I managed to get Kai awake and in his flat. He didn't fully register his surroundings and fell asleep as soon as he reached the sofa. I huffed and stared at him for a long while and slowly the signs of him spiralling began to show.

I tried to talk to him the next morning, but he was so hungover and looked so miserable that I figured to talk to him later that evening. That plan didn't work because he was at a pub again later that night and I had to go fetch his sloshed arse again.

When the next week arrived, Kai informed me that he was going away for a few days. I had no idea where he went or with whom, considering Rosalind and Duncan were completely cut off. He didn't give me a chance to ask questions. All I got was a text, and then his phone was turned off.

"If you think any harder, your head might burst into two," Ethan said.

I met up with Ethan Friday evening after work for dinner and filled him in on what happened almost two weeks ago. I didn't tell him the details, just the part where Kai caught Rosalind red-handed.

I huffed and took a sip of water. "I don't know what to do to help him."

"Do nothing," Ethan responded. "As a guy, I can sort of understand him. All he needs is some time to himself, and this trip will help him clear his head."

I wasn't convinced. Not after seeing how he drank himself until he was numb. I was worried.

"Clo, it's not your job to fix his personal life," Ethan said. "You're hired to help him professionally. Whatever he's dealing with outside of that has nothing to do with you."

"I know, but..." I trailed off and ran a hand over my face. "He has no one else."

"You've always been the type to take in injured animals, and in the end, you had no choice but to let them go."