"I'm coming in."
"Please do, Caleb," the voice replied.
Click.
The door clicked open, and Caleb peeked inside slightly before stepping in.
This was his second time in there, but it didn't look like much had changed since then either.
He looked around momentarily to calm his nerves.
It was a small, modest office.
Two shelves faced each other from both sides of the white-painted walls.
They both had books and wonderful antiques placed on them.
And on one, a small plant pot that added a natural look to the entire room.
An office desk was placed directly in front of the room.
And then, he didn't fail to catch the faint smell of the brewing hot coffee that was placed on his boss's desk.
He looked at the cup of coffee, and then, slowly, he raised his gaze to meet that of his boss.
Only then did he realize.
'Shit.... Looking around didn't help.' He felt even more anxious than he was.
Why wouldn't he be?
Rarely did his boss call for him. What the hell would they need him for?
All he had to do all day was meet with a few draggy customers, listen to their stupid complaints, and then tell them what they had to do.
And if he remembered correctly, he never had any issues with the customers.
'..... Or did I?' he couldn't help but think otherwise.
His boss's face was stone-cold.
No expression.
No hint.
Nothing.
He had practically no idea why he had been called up all of a sudden, and the look on the man's cheeky face made his heart beat even faster.
"Sir, you called me?" he said finally, after shifting his gaze to the glass wall behind the man for a second.
"Yes, I did.... And I don't want to waste much of your time either. You're fired," the man said calmly.
That was all he needed.
There was perfect silence after that. There was nothing else to be said.
---
Caleb sat in front of the coffee shop. He watched as people walked by, going about their different activities.
He wasn't a fan of the bitter-sweet taste, but rather than alcohol, it was the second-best option for such a condition.
'What did I do?' That was the thought on his mind.
Well, of course, he had been rude to a few customers sometime in the past, but that wasn't enough to get him thrown off like that.
His colleagues were even more rude than he was, and they were retained.
So why was his different?
'How do I tell Sophia? I've lost my work....' That was the greatest of his worries.
He already made out plans for their marriage in a month's time.
Everything was set.
And he made all that was done in expectation of his next salary day....
Which, of course, was no longer available.
'She'll understand, she definitely will,' he thought confidently.
She had always been supportive of him.
She was there when things weren't too good.
And even now, he was certain that she would still understand.
'..... But even then, I still have to make plans for the wedding... It can't get cancelled like that,' he thought to himself, taking one last gulp of his coffee.
He took a deep breath as he stood from the street bench.
He slid his hands into his pocket, pulling out his smartphone.
He went through his saved contacts. He scrolled, stopping only after a smile climbed his face.
He immediately dialed the number.
It rang for a few seconds, and as usual, an answer came as quickly as he expected.... But something else wasn't expected.
He was, of course, an observant type. Her breath.... It was rushed.
"Did you run?" he asked worriedly.
"Uhm.... No, no, no. I just rushed out of the bathroom," she replied rather hastily.
"Bathroom? It's eight, didn't you go for work?" Caleb raised a brow.
"Uhm, I....."
He heard a hushed voice from the background, and unexpectedly, the call was cut off.
Caleb stood stunned in front of the road.
That was weird, strange..... A first.
'I'll know when I get home.' He didn't want to think too much about the issue.
He trusted her.
Ting.
He looked down at his phone.
It was a message.
He quickly opened the message upon seeing the sender.
A video.
A smile crept up his face as he quickly played the video.
But just as quickly as his smile came, it disappeared.
'What's this?' His eyes widened in disbelief.
He stared down confusedly.
Another message followed quickly behind the video.
"She's busy. Stop calling. Thought I'd let you know."
Caleb couldn't believe his eyes, his ears.... Everything.
The world blurred—only his phone was left.
The sound of flesh slapping against flesh.
That voice, the moans...
The camera turned, and that face.
His memories instantly recalled.
Of all people, it had to be Kevin.
His perpetual tormentor.
The same person who had bullied him throughout high school.
Caleb's eyes darkened.
He felt something.
His chest.
A pin.
No—dagger?
Sword? He didn't know, but something drilled a hole right there.
He couldn't see it, but he could feel it.
He felt immeasurable pain, one that couldn't be expressed.
He didn't care about those who passed by, wondering who would be watching **** on the streets.
He didn't care about anything.
He was lost.
Empty.
But then, there was a thought.
'Kevin, you can't keep messing with me,' he thought angrily, tightening his fist, destroying his phone screen.
His gaze turned even darker.
He didn't say a thing. Slowly, he stood.
A quiet walk.
Slowly, he made his way back to her house.
Rethinking everything up until that point.
Why was it all happening in one day?
What did he do to deserve it all?
Caleb walked back, taking thoughtful steps.
Drip drop.
Pittar pattar.
Slowly, the raindrops accompanied him on his walk.
But he didn't care.
His outfit was entirely drenched in water.
But he continued, making his way to that one place.
'There's no way I'll let it end like this.'
---