Chapter Forty Two

Just a quick note for those who read the last chapter before today. I have edited out the whole hallucination part from the previous chapter. Now it's more along the lines of Raymond asking Blue if he's in a relationship where Blue says yes. That's it. You can give it a quick read if you want, if not that's all that was changed.

Another thing, I do appreciate constructive criticism and since I'm still writing this book, I haven't really decided the whole plot (except the ending - it was decided way before I started writing this). So, yh, if there are parts that don't add up or feel weird, feel free to let me know so I can fix it. That's all. Thank you for reading up until now.

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Raymond slowed down his steps just as he neared my desk. "Are you still not done?"

Hearing his annoyed voice, I looked at him in surprise.

He gave me an impatient look and I shook my head. "Not yet. I'll need half an hour more."

He exhaled loudly and knocked his knuckles over the top of my desk. "Hurry up then."

When he finally left, I turned to look at the guy sitting beside me. Henry gave me a confused look and I just shrugged. It was truly appalling how within a day Raymond went from extending my deadline just so he could have lunch with me to telling me to hurry up about the file I had received merely a few minutes ago.

I let out a sigh in disappointment before getting back to work again.

~~~

"I'm starving. Let's go." Tay whined, poking my arm from behind.

I stood up right away. The day had been nothing short of almost impossible to get through. My fingers felt like they were about to fall off after typing away for so long without a single break. If this was how difficult it was going to be working from now, I wasn't sure how long I was going to last.

Even my butt felt sore from sitting in the uncomfortable chair for hours and I just couldn't wait to be back in my bed without having to worry about my next agonising encounter with Raymond. I stretched my back and arms above my head before tidying up my desk and putting stuff back in my bag.

"So? You still haven't gotten in touch with Nicolas?" Tay asked just as I was about to step away from my desk.

Almost instinctively I looked around to see if anyone was within hearing distance. Once I had made sure, I shook my head. "Not yet."

"It's been what, a week?" Tay questioned in disbelief and I nodded. "Are you sure it's nothing serious?"

I clutched my bag's strap and started walking ahead of him to hide the guilt probably clear as day on my face. "I really don't know."

Tay followed behind me right away. His loud footsteps echoing on the otherwise quiet floor. "His family members aren't telling you anything?"

I fastened my steps, talking about this in the place I was working didn't seem like the best idea. "I am in touch with his brother. Don't worry."

I heard him scoff before he spoke. "How can I not worry? You haven't really been yourself since you came back. You are lost in your thoughts all the time. When was the last time we spoke? As friends, not just colleagues or flatmates."

I stopped in my tracks. His loud voice was ticking me off. A frown took over my face and I could feel myself getting annoyed. "Can we not discuss my love life here?" I whispered harshly and looked around once again to make sure no one was around. "We work here for God's sake."

He whispered something inaudible under his breath just as I started walking again. When I paid him no attention, he finally followed me quietly back to my car.

We were just a few blocks away when Tay finally spoke up. "Can we talk now?"

Tightening my hand on the steering wheel, I nodded.

"I'm worried about you, Blue. Why can't you tell me what's going on? Give it a try at least, maybe you'll feel better." Tay pleaded.

"I do appreciate your concern. I really do but it feels like this is something I should deal with on my own. I'll let you know if it gets too much, until then believe me when I say I'm fine."

Tay crossed his arms over his chest and stared out of the window for the rest of the ride, while I tried to read his expression and failed miserably. The stern look on his face gave nothing away and I kept questioning myself if it wasn't the right thing to say. Or if it was too harsh, I had no idea.

Just as the car was parked outside our rented apartment, Tay finally opened his mouth. I shifted my complete attention on him, trying to figure out what he was going to say before I even heard his voice.

"I'm still worried and I'd still rather hear about your problems than having to guess every time you stop responding in the middle of the conversation only to get lost in your thoughts. The fact that you're driving to work everyday without getting enough sleep, still worries me to no end. And even though you've lost weight, you're still skipping meals, like today's lunch for example." He met my gaze only to direct a quick glare at me.

"But if you still don't want to talk to me about it then fine. I won't force you, only if you promise not to let your health suffer any more. Deal?" His glare disappeared and he extended his hand toward me.

I couldn't help but nod as I shook his hand. "Deal."

~~~

I felt someone shake me awake before I heard Tay's voice. "Blue. Your phone has been ringing for a while. Answer it."

Rubbing my eyes to focus my vision on Tay, I finally pulled myself up from the couch after several tries. "Who's it?"

Pushing the phone in my hand, he started walking back to his room right away. "Marco. I was going to pick it up but it's a video call. I hate those."

Just as my eyes snapped open, the phone rang again. I hurriedly picked it up and answered it immediately.

"Nicolas? Oh God. It's you, Nicolas!" My eyes widened taking in his form under the moonlight, just like before.

I had to cover my mouth with my free hand to stop myself from letting out a loud gasp. "How are you feeling? Are you okay? I- it's been so long."

I could barely make out his swollen eyes which seemed to be red rimmed as well and his face looked drained of energy. He looked like he was struggling to keep his eyes open and despite that he tried to give me a smile. At least that's what it looked like when he parted and widened his trembling lips.

The more I looked at him, the harder it got for me to keep myself together. "You don't look okay. What's wrong?"

"He hasn't eaten anything for a few days. He should be okay once he does." Marco's voice was heard but he still stayed out of sight.

"Marco?"

The camera moved slightly and Marco's grinning face came into view. "Hey." He even waved at me.

My eyebrows furrowed though I waved back. "Hi, but why didn't he eat? Is everything okay?"

"He was busy with other things if you know what I mean." His suggestive expressions and tone were more than enough to let me know what he meant.

I cleared my throat, feeling awkward and lowered my head.

I heard him chuckle before he spoke. "He refused to eat until he saw you. So, here you go. Make it quick though and don't forget - I'm still around."

Looking back at the screen, I felt my heart squeeze painfully inside my chest. "I'm in Jaursen right now, for the job I told you about. I had to accept it. I'm sorry for leaving without letting you know."

I heard him whisper something inaudible. Although I couldn't understand what he had said, his voice sounded different. It sounded unfamiliar, way more raspy and hoarse than ever.

"Huh?" I asked when I saw his lips move again.

"Aww. He said he missed you." Marco cooed loudly, warming me up from inside.

An embarrassing grin took over my face before I spoke. "It's kinda weird having to hear it from Marco but I missed you too."

Nicolas muttered something again which I still couldn't understand so I waited for Marco's voice.

"Love is definitely in the air." Marco cooed again, making me feel more embarrassed than I thought was possible. "He's asking if you're okay."

"I am. Now I am." I nodded, answering him and instantly regretting it when I heard Marco's boisterous laugh.

"You two are killing me." He wheezed in between his laugh.

"Marco, stop." I whined when he still didn't stop laughing.

He finally became quiet after a few more moments and I relaxed back into the couch. "Nicolas, I'm glad you're okay.  But you should regain your energy first, okay? I honestly wouldn't have let you go so soon if someone didn't keep bothering us."

"Excuse me? Instead of thanking me you're complaining?" Marco scoffed and turned the camera to face him again.

Not bothering to reply to his remark, I shook my head. "Take care of him, please. Make sure he gets enough rest and food."

"You should too. You don't seem any better than him actually."

I nodded, knowing what he was talking about. "I'll get going now. Thanks for letting me talk to him."

"Aww stop. You're making me emotional." He teased and I grinned.

"Nicolas says goodnight."

"Goodnight, Nicolas. Goodnight, Marco and thanks again."

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