Chapter 97 - I Can Explain

It was already evening when her thoughts converged into one point.

If Ray could do it and her awful ex could do it, why couldn't she? She had every right to move on. She pushed back all the warnings her mind threw at her and dialed Barry's number.

"Hello?" she rasped.

"Katherine, what a surprise!" He sounded really nice, gentle, and the kind who wouldn't cheat. She could talk to him now without discomfort. All it took was her heart being wrenched out of her chest. Nothing unusual.

"You told me to call you if I wanted to talk or go out..." she said tentatively.

"Yes, I did. Is something the matter?" he asked, sounding concerned. She let out a sad laugh.

"Nothing. Are you free on Wednesday?"

"I have work until four but am free after that. Are you sure you want to go out?" He sounded skeptical. Of course, it had only been a week or so since she had said that she was seeing someone.

"Yes," she said confidently.

"Okay." They set the time and place and bid goodbye. After they hung up, Katherine sank into her bed and stared at the ceiling. She couldn't believe that she had been bold enough to do that. It seemed that she had changed a lot in the past couple of months. Maybe, she could be like Angelina and Lily, moving on quickly.

Yes, she wasn't going to sit around and mope. He could be with anyone he wanted and she wouldn't care. At least, that was what she was going to tell herself until she started to believe it.

- - -

Even the best-laid plans fail. His was not a very well thought out one. He had just assumed that if he dressed unlike himself and put on a disguise like he usually did to go out, no one would notice him.

When he entered the shopping mall, he was greeted by a throng of people who didn't know who he was. He had been stealthy, asking the cab driver to drop him off behind the mall so that he could sneak in. It was a bit of a walk, but nothing much considering that he would finally meet Rin.

His entrance was without much fanfare, but then he remembered that he had brought nothing for her. It was their first meeting. How could he forget? He looked around and saw a small shop which sold desserts. He was paying for a box of cookies when the person behind the counter recognized him.

The girl's gasp caught some attention and then her loud voice exclaiming his name, more. The heads turned and soon he was swamped. He gulped and politely tried to take selfies with people.

He had no one to keep people away, and the more people that crowded, the less he could see the entrance. He panicked for a bit and realized that it would take him some time.

historical

A glimmer of hope appeared when Julia came out of nowhere with her guards and swept him aside. The bustle had somehow led someone to spill their ice tea on him. He felt icky and confused, lost in the maze of people.

"How did you find me?" he asked, as he followed her.

"I knew you would come here, so I dropped by to see how the meeting went." She gave him a sly smile. "Lo and behold, your plan completely failed and you didn't get to see her." She sighed.

"I need to go to her," he said with urgency.

"Take a couple of minutes, go to the washroom and clean yourself up before you go," she advised.

"Can you give her a call and let her know I will be late?" he asked, rushing to the washroom. Her guards waited outside, making sure no one would go in.

Julia's eyes dropped down to the phone and as she was about to call the girl, she saw missed calls from her. A call was coming in and it was her.

As she spoke, she felt a crippling sense of guilt overcome her. Why was she doing this? Cage was a friend of hers, one she cherished. Then why could she not let him be a little happy?

'Because you are miserable.' The thought startled her. Had she been this cruel all along? She recalled hinting at the journalist that they were together and him reprimanding her. No, she didn't like him romantically.. she just.. didn't want him to meet someone when she was dying inside.

It was wretched. If he found out.. no, when he found out, he would be furious. She tried not to think about how she would rationalize it. Maybe she could just say that it was a joke and the girl took it seriously.

She sighed. What was done, was done. She couldn't go back and change the past. She'd already messed up.

He came out, looking excited. When he got the phone, he quickly looked at it.

"She called. I told her that it would be a while. She had something, so she left." The lie came easily to her.

'I'm sorry,' she muttered in her mind.

"Left?" he sounded crestfallen. "I'll just give her a call."

His eye twitched. Would nothing go right today? What was this horrid luck? His phone had died. He ran his hand through his hair, wanting to scream. I'll go home and charge, he said.

"Damn it. Why did the day turn so bad?" he muttered to himself. Julia invited him to the car and dropped him at his place.

His phone was charged and he had opened his phone. Missed calls, texts.. his notifications were bursting. Some were friends while others were mostly from his manager. So, he had found out about his little escape.

He timidly called his number. "What the fuck were you thinking, going out without my knowledge?"

"I can explain..." It was another media frenzy. It hadn't been long since the interview.. merely a couple of weeks, and here he was, making an appearance in the news again. This time with another celebrity who had been in a bad relationship.