Loving A STRANGER

But Nate, who wasn"t disturbed by much, advised his friend: "I suggest you go see a doctor, to see if you"re experiencing the beginnings of menopause."

At that moment, the silent Ethan looked around and asked: "Where is Cyril?"

"He"s continuing his studies in America. Getting a lot of certificates that might be useless." Nate continued: "Every time I would try to introduce some girls to him, he"d refuse, and say he already had a companion."

The moment he finished his sentence, Ethan suddenly stood up. "Enjoy yourself, and I"m gonna leave."

"Leave for where?" Nate asked.

Ethan didn"t answer and walked out the door.

He sat in his Knight XV, smoking in the dark night.

Upon finishing his cigarette, he looked at his phone, uncertain whether he should dial the number. Finally, he did.

After a while, a woman"s voice answered: "Hi Lord Ethan, you finally appear."

Ethan was not normal, like the others, and all his friends knew this about him. They couldn"t contact him unless he called first.

He spoke: "Why are you there?"

The woman, on the other end, sounded unhappy. "I finished my job. Why can"t I relax and enjoy myself? And you? Why did you call this number?"

"I"m looking for Cyril."

"Why Cyril at such a time? Is it true that you don"t like women, as they say?"

Ethan responded in a cold voice: "I don"t want to hear another word. If you do, I"ll go to America tomorrow, and you know, that in America..."

"Ok, ok, I"ll give the phone to him."

Jan was afraid of him because she knew that Cyril would do anything for Ethan. There was a rumor that he had even made dinner for Ethan, for thirty days straight, and that each meal had been different.

So, upon hearing Ethan"s voice, she was worried that Ethan would tease Cyril. They had moved to America, far away from home, and Ethan was especially unhappy about that.

Reluctantly, she knocked at Cyril"s door. "There"s a call from Lord Ethan."

A tall man with a book in his hands opened the door. He removed his gla.s.ses and said, doubtfully: "BroEthan?"

Bro Ethan? Who the h.e.l.l was Bro Ethan? Jan felt sick when she heard that.

Cyril took the phone from her and spoke in a tender voice: "h.e.l.lo?"

"You"ve been studying psychology, so I need your help." Ethan was always direct when he needed help.

Hearing his friend"s serious tone, Cyril responded with seriousness. He shut the door, ignoring the girl who stood outside.

Ethan explained: "My friend Elliot recently met a girl. But you know, he"s stubborn and sets his own rules. That girl keeps breaking the rules, again and again, so Elliot doesn"t think there"s a way to be with her."

After a moment, he added: "Elliot is too shy to ask, so I"m asking for him."

Cyril responded, with surety: "It"s simple. Elliot has fallen in love with the girl.��

"No way. He does think that the girl is nice, but there"s no way he could be in love with her!" Ethan replied.

"Denial doesn"t mean that he doesn"t love her." Cyril continued: "A man is often not willing to admit that his emotions can change because of a woman. He doesn"t want to admit that she is different from the others. He doesn"t want to lose face."

Ethan listened.

Cyril continued: "He doesn"t want to admit that he loves the girl. Perhaps he"s afraid that she doesn"t love him in return. It"s from a sense of inferiority."

After a long while, Ethan answered him: "How could he have a sense of inferiority?"

It was the first time that Ethan had been so deeply and accurately a.n.a.lyzed.

Registering the silence on the other end, Cyril knew that something was going on. He asked, carefully: "Is that your question, or Elliot"s?"

But Ethan had hung up.

Cyril couldn"t help but sigh, even though he knew Ethan well enough to have expected that.

Jan took the phone from his hand and edged through the door. She asked: "What"s up?"

"Nothing, just a few questions about relationships," he answered.

What? Jan began to worry. "You can"t be with him, out of impulsiveness! You won"t be happy!"

She must change his mind. She can"t stand the idea that he"s gay.

"You are too much!" Cyril said.

"Am I? You"re the one who makes bad decisions. You are your parents" single son. You need to take over the business. You can"t do this!"

Cyril"s face darkened. "Jan, I regard you as a child, so I"ll forgive what you said..."

"Child? I am not a child!" Jan removed her shirt. "Look at me! I don"t believe that you prefer men to women.

***

Back at the mansion, Kylie was lying on the bed in her new pajamas. She had just taken a shower and was now reading her script.

Was it only because she hadn"t closed the curtains that he"d been so mad? Seriously?

She went downstairs, pretending that she simply wanted a drink of water. And so that she could make sure that Ethan was out.

Kylie felt as though she had been treated unjustly. How could he just leave and hide?

But he didn"t want to see her, and she didn"t want to see him. She was ready to leave for Baleney for the film shoot, and then she"d be gone for a week. It was the right time to let him know about the mistakes he had made.

She bought her train ticket online and sent a message to Star. Since she was part of the cast, there was no need for her to spend money to repair the cheongsam.

"Thanks anyway, but I don"t need the money. I thought I would be fired, but I"m still in the film."

But it seemed that Star was offline. Kylie thought for a while, then sent another message to him: "Is it possible for men to experience the mood-swings of early menopause?

She had to endure the bad temper of Lord Ethan. Thinking of the anger burning in his eyes, Kylie felt cold. She looked at the curtain, then opened it.

There were clouds in the dark sky. There were no stars, and no moon, which made it darker than usual.

Kylie could clearly see her reflection in the window because of how bright it was indoors and how dark it was outside.