Ever since that incident on her birthday, they"ve been living in awkward silence. Carl started keeping late night, Kim would lock herself in her room just to avoid him. Though they were both uncomfortable, Kim was saddened. If only she had not said that, maybe their relationship would not be strained.They were walking on eggsh.e.l.ls around each other. Carl wanted to set things straight. He wanted to tell her his thoughts but at the same time he wanted to avoid his feelings. Who was to say love lasts forever?
Kim decided to face the situation head on. She missed talking to him, she missed his company. She felt she had ruined a great friendship. If only she had laughed it off or pretended to be asleep maybe the situation would not be like this.
Today is the set day! The day to confront Carl. She still wasn"t sure of what to say but she had to try. She was tired of the silence, it was suffocating.
She got home early from work, took a bath and prepared dinner. She sat on the couch, awaiting his arrival. They had to talk. Maybe she should say she didn"t mean it? Maybe she should ask him to forget it ever happened?
A couple of hours later, Carl walked in, she had fallen asleep on the couch. He saw her sleeping peacefully, he smiled. He was drawn by the relaxed aura around her he went towards her. He sat by her side, admiring her. He skin was fair. The little mole on her forehead looked oddly attractive for some reason today. It was not visible from a distance, only when you come real close, you"d see it.
As he was worn out from working and running his company, he soon fell asleep by her side. Not long, Kim woke up, she saw him sleeping by her side, she realized things shouldn"t be as awkward as it is. She moved him lightly and he woke up.
"You haven"t eaten, right? Dinner is ready."
Carl looked at her and nodded.
This was the first time they had communicated in a while. They both went to the kitchen area, while eating Kim wanted to talk but she kept hesitating. Carl noticed and stared at her, they both smiled. It was a tacit agreement never to make things weird again.
"So how are you preparing for the Nationals? I think you should ask for leave or something until after the exams, you"re aiming high, aren"t you?"
Kim knew she needed a break in other to study if she wanted to get the scholarship but she was worried about the bills. Not that Carl couldn"t afford to pay, she just didn"t want to freeload. She doesn"t want to rely on anybody.
"I know you"re thinking about the bills. I"ll take care of it, just study." Though he said this, she was still not satisfied.
"I know you can, I just don"t want to rely on you. What if you weren"t here?"
She is an independent young lady after all. From young, she had to rely on n.o.body but herself. She couldn"t help but question
"Well, I am. If you"re bothered by it, you can always pay me back." Although he said this, he knew he wasn"t going to let her pay the bills ever again. She was his younger sister after all, he had to take care of her.
"If you say so, I guess I could take a break. I"ll definitely pay you back." She felt relieved.
"I know you"re tired, leave the dishes, go take a shower." He was indeed tired. The company is just starting, he has to lay a solid foundation.
"Thank you."
~~~
Things were back to normal, he no longer returned late. There was news about change of ownership in the firm he worked at. Apparently, there is going to be an acquisition. He wasn"t sure how this change was going to affect him, he figured he should put in more effort so he doesn"t loose the job. Though he didn"t really need it, it served as a good front.
He would close by 5pm, return home to work on the company. Allan was currently working on snuffing at the spies and his brother, Allen had settled on building an elite force.
Carl was set on getting a new base for the gang. They needed a new HQ. He was stuck between building a base or buying a property. Building would take long but it would be to his taste whereas, buying would be instant but getting a building that suited his taste wouldn"t be easy, he would have to renovate.
He wanted it to be both HQ for Gla.s.s and the gang. The building would have a very big bas.e.m.e.nt with different levels for the gang, literally every illegal business would be carried out there, he planned on getting a few computer experts too. He wanted to start buying and selling of information in the black market. To do that, he would have to place men in every city.