Not Waiting For You Chapter 05
Tyrone moved into the small apartment near the company.
Perhaps my sudden wedding plan had thrown him off balance, and he went there for some peace.
That was for the best. It would give us both space to catch our breath.
I handled everything with efficiency.
I listed the house we currently lived in on a property site.
That afternoon, after handing the keys to the realtor, I stayed home and sorted through my belongings.
I discovered a project file tucked inside an old magazine.
I took a glance. It was precisely the one Tyrone had been working on.
Hesitating briefly, I decided to bring it to him.
When I arrived, the apartment door was tightly shut.
Murmurs of laughter and chatter drifted through. There seemed to be more than one person inside.
I raised my hand, about to knock, when a familiar female voice reached me first.
Her tone was tinged with distress. “Mr. Benson, it’s my fault. I’ve never caught a bouquet before. Now, the rumors are going around, and a few colleagues were asking me in private whether you and I…
“You have to clear this up for me, or I won’t be able to face anyone.”
My hand froze in midair.
Before Tyrone spoke, one of his friends chimed in with a teasing chuckle. “Lillianna, are you seriously asking Tyrone to clear things up, or are you trying to get him to say something else?”
A ripple of laughter spread through the room.
“You got me,” Lillianna cooed, but there was no remorse in her voice.
“Enough! Leave her alone,” Tyrone said with careless indulgence. “Don’t sweat it. People will forget about it soon enough.”
People would forget…
Those words jogged my memory.
One time, I went to the company to help him with work.
He forgot where we were and casually draped an arm over my shoulder.
A colleague happened to see it.
That same afternoon, he made a brief clarification in the company group chat.
He told everyone to focus on work and not to get the wrong idea.
At that time, I understood him.
To avoid gossip, I stopped going to the company.
My fingers turned cold.
It turned out he wasn’t bothered by office romance.
He just didn’t want to be seen together with me!
I was of no use in helping him move up in the world.
His other friend asked in confusion, “By the way, Tyrie, how did you handle Amira? I got her wedding invitation this morning. This is so sudden!”
There was a brief silence.
Tyrone chuckled, his voice devoid of warmth. “Let her be.”
“I’ve put up with her long enough. But this time, she needs to understand that not everything can be fixed by making a fuss.”
“Ballsy!” someone exclaimed. “So you, the groom-to-be, are really going to skip the wedding?”
Tyrone acknowledged it in silence.
Until another friend ventured, “Tyrie, is it necessary to take it this far? You’ve been together with Amira for years. We’re all dying to see you walk down the aisle…”
He paused, then said in a half-joking, half-speculating tone, “You’re not saying anything. Don’t tell me you have actually fallen for someone else! Like, Lillianna?”
“Please!” Lillianna drawled with a coquettish smile. “Don’t make that kind of joke! Mr. Benson knows what he’s doing.”
There was an undertone in her last sentence.
Tyrone didn’t explain.
A chorus of knowing laughs followed.
Another man spoke up in agreement. “I’d say Tyrie has been more than devoted. I doubt anyone else could have this kind of patience.
“What can Amira possibly do besides getting on Tyrone’s nerves? Not like Lilly. She’s smart and sensible. She can rise to the occasion…”
Lillianna interjected, “Don’t talk nonsense!”
At some point, the motion-sensor light outside the door had gone out.
The front porch was shrouded in darkness.
I placed the file bag on the floor and pushed it under the door with the tip of my shoe.
Then I turned and walked away.
