C6 Leaving behind painful memories

"Is everything alright ma'am?" The driver asked her as Mia kept fidgeting at the back of the car.

"N- no, it's nothing, just keep driving." She stammered as she was still trying to figure out what had just happened earlier.

"Where are we headed to?" The driver asked her but she didn't respond.

"Ma'am? Ma..."

"What's it?" Mia cut him in.

""I asked where we were headed. You didn't give me a destination or are.we going back to the house?" He asked her politely.

"Err… yeah, yes sure, house please." Mia replied as she brushed back her flying hair behind her ears.

"Charlotte? But what was she doing there? Does she work there or something? No, she didn't look like it. It's working hour she'd have been in the office then. Or did she go there to see someone? Wait… hope she is not the one that… that I heard Antonio is getting married to? N- no, no this has to be some sort of mistake, no." She kept pondering all alone in her head as she shook it vigorously, arguing with herself.

****

In the office.

Antonio was typing on his computer and it seemed that something just popped up on the screen. He was about to round up when a knock on his door distracted him.

"Come on in." He replied less interested to know who was at the door. He knew it would be no one other than his secretary who always came in to inform him of the presence of a guest.

"Sir, you have a visitor." The secretary, Miss. Ann informed him as her uniform badge read.

"I am no visitor, you duckling." A voice barged in from behind the secretary.

"Excuse us will you?" The lady, Charlotte who just came in rudely spoke to the secretary to excuse them but she didn't leave until she got permission from her boss.

"Hmm?" Charlotte sighed at Antonio with her eyes wide opened. Antonio just shook his head for her and she bowed down in respect and left.

"What's it?" He asked the secretary to leave the office, giving them some privacy.

"..." Charlotte tried to speak but didn't say anything as she just stood there and folded her arms across her chest.

"Okay." Antonio replied as he went back to what he was doing.

"Are you seriously going to pretend you didn't see me and just ignore me?" Charlotte asked him as she pulled out one of the chairs and sat down before him.

"When you didn't say anything, what do you want me to say then or aren't you the one in my office?" Antonio asked her back and she was just.about to exchange words with him when she just tried to calm herself down.

"What is it?" He asked her as he closed his laptop and stopped what he was doing on the computer.

"I'm sorry for how I reacted. I'm just stressed out from all the activities and wedding preparations. I just came to see how you are doing and have a small chit chat with you concerning the wedding." She replied with remorse.

"It's fine, I can understand but I won't be able to have that chat with you now and here at work. Wait until I close from work and then we can talk about it over coffee maybe. I've got tons of work to do." He replied.

"It's okay babe. Here, I just wanted to show you a sample of our wedding card before I go ahead and print it." She replied excitedly.

"Can't it wait babe?" He asked her back as he was less interested in it.

"Please now love, it's just a sample that I want us to pick out together before I proceed to the printing press. Come on…" Charlotte replied.

"Okay fine, let's see what you've got." He answered her as she was now happy.

"Okay look at this, and this and this and this… just be looking, which one do you like?" She asked him as she kept swiping her phone screen.

"I like this one, not this one, not this one, what do you say about them…?" She asked him.

"Please pick what you like, I'll like it too." He replied as he kept on pressing his phone.

"But what's wrong? This is our wedding and not mine alone. I've noticed that you don't like participating much about this, what is going on?" She asked him but he gave no reply on time.

"I have a meeting now. I'll see you later." He replied as he got up and left with his phone. Charlotte couldn't help it but look at him until he was out of the office. She just sighed and also left too.

"Aaron, how about the girl? Her name is Mia, I just saw your message that she came to ask of me today… Did the waiter guy collect her details too?" He spoke into his phone the moment he was out of sight of the crowd.

"Nah, she might visit you at work or at home since she has both the addresses. Wait a little longer and if she doesn't come then I don't know what you'll do about it." Aaron spoke from the other end.

Antonio waited and waited for hours in 5he office for the arrival of Mia but she didn't show up. He even waited past the closing hours. Maybe she might come but she didn't. He went back home and asked if anyone came looking for him but got a negative response. He did all he could to find her but all proved to be abortive.

After two days, he decided to just go ahead with the wedding. His heart was secretly yearning for Mia but now that he couldn't find her, what was he going to do? He just had to continue with the preparations and get wedded to Charlotte.

*****

Antonio's room.

"Hey man, I searched everywhere for you and thought of coming back in here to find you. Where have you been?" Aaron asked him as he entered Antonio's room unannounced.

"Working." Antonio replied.

"What's going on? You don't seem to be the lively and bossy you again. Are you alright? Or is it the wedding stress that's dawning on you?" Aaron asked his best friend.

"I don't know. I just need some space to clear my thoughts." Antonio replied nonchalantly.

"In that case then let me get us some wine?" He asked him.

"Okay… wine will do." Antonio replied as he sat back on the bed.

"Shy didn't he collect her contact? Why didn't I?" He blamed himself as he kept staring blankly at his phone, maybe in expectation that she might call but his phone never popped up.

"Vomm …" His phone vibrated and he immediately picked it up with anticipation that it might be her or an unknown number which will still be her.

Upon unlocking the phone, he found out that it was actually just his call that sent him a message. He just sighed sadly and decided to move on as he would never find Mia again.

The thought of that pricked him but that was the absolute truth so the faster he got to accept that and move on with his life, the better it would be for him.