Melaine

Epilogue

He left his house dressed in office wear. He clasped black rolex on his wrist and adjusted stud on his cufflink. He was in grey suite, wearing a charcoal black button down dress shirt that hugged around his waist and plane of his toned abdomen and a silk grey tie that matched his coat and trousers. His black hair were slicked back from his forehead in place with gel to look decent and presentable as a head of M.R company. His expressions were somber and face looked  mature more of an adult male, experienced with the passage of years. He unlocked his matte black Audi with remote control and put his office bag in the backseat. He settled behind the wheel, stacking his smartphone on suction cup and fastened his seat belt. He started the engine of car and pulled his car out of the garage on the driveway. He changed the gear and drove towards his office building for meeting with the President of Ray.D company. He noticed the incoming call on his phone and grabbed hold of steering wheel with left hand to get Bluetooth device from the dashboard and adjusted it on his right ear connecting it to his phone. He pressed button on his phone's screen to answer the call and took a turn to right on the road.
"M.R Gustav speaking." He spoke slowing down the speed of his car because of the traffic in lane.
"Good morning, Mr. Gustav."
"President Wilhelm, I'm on my way to office. We are meeting today at 10?" He questioned stopping at the red signal and noticed a yellow school bus that slowed down beside his car.
"Mr. Gustav, I'm afraid I won't be there for the meeting."
"Are you calling off the business deal?" He frowned rubbing his mouth. "I hope you are not sealing deal with J.K company to sell your shares." He hid his slight agitation behind his calm and collected tone.
"No, of course not Mr. Rohan. My CEO would be attending the meeting on my behalf. I'm sure my absence would not offend you." He heard Wilhelm chuckled in his ear and inhaled through his nose as he looked at the signal and pressed his foot on the gas pedal ready to go on green light.
"I'll see your CEO at meeting with papers." The signal turned green and he sped up the road driving through the heavy flow of traffic because of rush hour in the morning.
"I wish good luck for our business deal." The call got disconnected and he pulled the device off his ear. He took a left turn on lane deciding to stop by Starbucks and grab his morning coffee as he still had had two hours before the meeting. Because of the parked cars of working people and bikes of college students, he parked his Audi a street down from Starbucks. He picked up his cellphone and slipped out of the car locking it with remote. He crossed the road and started walking towards the coffee house. He slid inside the café through the door.The place was already filled with people in the morning hours for breakfast and coffee.He made his way towards the counter and met a barista in dark green apron and cap on head to order his regular drink.
"Good morning." He spoke.
"Good morning, your regular caffeine Americano?"The barista, a redheaded girl, Ivey greeted her regular customer with a smile.
"Yes."
 The barista took his order and asked him to wait till she got his cup ready. She returned with his cup and he pulled out his wallet to pay for his coffee. He went outside the building strolling down the street towards his car and enjoyed the taste of caffeine on his tongue that felt good in his stomach. He felt his phone vibrate in his pants pocket and he stopped to pull out his phone enough to see the caller ID. A smile graced his face when he looked at his caller name and answered his phone pressing it onto his ear.
"Hey, beautiful." He met with laughter in the background and he chuckled himself.
"Don't start flirting with me, Mr. Rohan." The voice scolded him.
"So, with whom should I flirt, detective Annie? I bet my secretary has a thing for me. I'm afraid she doesn't wear anything under her red mini skirt.
"Do you want to be dead? Being homicide detective now means I can easily get away with your and Sarah's body." The girl decided to get into the police department and after five years, she managed to pull off her training examination to become homicide detective in NYPD.
"If only you promise to kill me in bed."
"Rohan!" The girl shouted being scandalized at his innuendo and he heard Jake's laughter in the background followed by girl's silent cursed and shuffling knowing that she changed her place to talk to him on phone.
"Don't tell me you don't like to straddle my hips."
"Rohan, stop! It's what...eight thirty in morning and your mind is riding on arousal." He halted in his steps in the middle of crowded street and raised his head to look up at the clear sky with a smile gracing his features.
"I can't help if I have someone so strong and beautiful in my life who also happens to be my best friend."
"Your ass is lucky that I didn't end up with Sam."
"Well..." He licked his mouth as he took swig of his coffee and started walking again to his car. "I owe it to Jake who stole Sam from you. He is a heartless man stealer who stole my little Sam."
"Jake will kill you if he catches you talking like this about Sam."
"Then you'll avenge my handsome dead body."
"I'm not interested in your dead body."
"It's interesting considering how could you not leave me behind to die in the water tank."
"Rohan...." The past they had agreed not to talk about shattered the illusion of perfection in their lives.
"I'm sorry." He mentally berated himself realizing his mistake of bringing up old memories." I shouldn't have brought it up."
"It's been six years."
"I know." He sighed feeling bad that he had ruined their mornings by bringing up something painful and horrible that they tried to forget in their lives. The incident had affected his and Annie's life, coming to know about the truths surrounding Alan and Professor Darren. It's the reason the Annie decided to become an officer. Annie must have sensed his hesitation through silence and immediately spoke after sighing.
"Let's not talk about it."
 "Yeah, why did you call me?" Rohan questioned abruptly changing the topic of their conversation.
"Oh, mom and her husband are coming from Italy. They have pulled family dinner tomorrow."
"So that's why you called me?"
"Okay, I called you to wish luck for your meeting. I know it's a big day for you."
"Yeah...so, are you free tonight?"
"Yes I'm off shift at 7 today unless I get assigned again. Why?"
"I have planned a dinner date for us tonight."
"Why don't you go out with your secretary? I bet she goes braless for you too."
"Annie!"
"Rohan?"
"You do know I only like to be straddled by you detective, especially with handcuffs and..." He ran into someone, bumping his shoulder against a person almost spilling his coffee.
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine, Rohan."
He abruptly turned wide eyed holding phone to his ear as an audible gasp escaped his mouth. His eyes frantically darted around the crowded street to look for the one face in the sea of people.
"Rohan? Are you there?"
"I-I..." He pushed through the people not knowing why he's desperately trying to find that person. A bob of black head, pony tail passed among the people in black leather jacket and jeans. The corner of ruby lips tilted up at corner in a smirk, blue eyes looking straight ahead on the street through the black rimmed glasses. The person spared back a glance to him and disappeared into an alley.
"Rohan, what's going on?"
"I thought I heard Melaine."
"What?"
"I don't know. I just saw... heard Melaine here."
 "Rohan you know it's not possible. You must have been mistaken."
"Perhaps."
 He looked over his shoulder to the alley on his right side as if someone had been watching him from the shadows.The person crossed arms over chest and leaned against the wall, looking back at shocked Rohan on the street talking to someone on his phone.

"Perhaps, Rohan."