Evan Shu walked into the conference room and almost froze.
Sitting there was Lilac Yue, the girl he’s been searching for in the past six years.
Everyone stood up and bowed to him, as he composed himself and walked towards the front of the conference table and sat down. Not daring to make any emotional facial expression or acknowledge the girl who left a hole in his heart.
Lilac looked the same, except she has aged with the years and look more mature than before. There were some changes to her features, but he can still tell it’s her.
The image he had imprinted in his mind all these years was right in front of him. He almost couldn’t breathe.
Lilac at first thought it was her illusion that this man kept staring at her, cause she was pretty sure that this was the first time she had seen him. She also looked directly at him, wondering the reason why this dignified president kept staring at her like her face was written with something...
Silence. Since the president didn’t say anything, other people in the conference room remained silent. Lilac couldn’t stand the awkward silence anymore. She broke the eye contact and squeezed a smile. Yet Evan still gazed at her with the same expression, seemingly lost in his thoughts.
‘Rude!’ Lilac murmured, but she dared not to speak out. Without other options, she grinned at him again and greeted him with the raised voice, “Hi, President Shu.”
Her voice awoke Evan from his past memory. The similar voice, which made Evan 90 percent sure that she is the same girl he had been looking for. But why his girl pretended to be so indifferent to him, like he was a stranger?
No, he couldn’t be wrong. Her almond-shaped eyes were so characteristic!
Evan replied, “Have you ever shared lunch with anyone in your high school?”
“Excuse me?? ” Lilac was totally confused now. This President Shu was so weird! But what could she do? He’s the VIP client. She had to be professional no matter how weird or rude her client was.
Lilac cleared her throat and immediately answered, “Sure. Is it normal to share lunch with classmates?”
Evan’s eyes were lit up with excitement when he heard Lilac’s response, and he continued, “So you would bring an apple to your classmate, right?” Lilac frowned a bit, and her fair face was covered with impatience. This President Shu was so mismatched with the word “capable” as those news reported. He seemed like an idiot now...
That was completely out of the topic. Evan’s assistant Devon also felt his boss was unusual and emotional today, so he quickly cut in.
“President Shu, this is Lilac Yue the designer of the homes, her assistant Sherry Lane, and President Li of Apparent Construction.” Devon conveys as he passed the folder of information over to Evan.
Evan was disappointed at Lilac’s bewilderment, but he could tell it was not a suitable occasion to get her tested.
Devon sensed Evan’s change and handed him the contract timely.
Evan was in no mood for talking with anyone, and all he needed now was a space to get vented. Although the person affected his mood just stood opposite to him right now, he needed more evidence to prove if this girl was the same one who disappeared six years ago, and why this Lilac looked the same as her but she acted like a complete stranger.
Without hesitation, Evan signed his name and walked out of the conference room.
Devon didn’t know what was wrong with the President Shu, but currently he had to comfort the three confused cooperators who were still in the conference room. “President Shu seems to have an emergency, since he has reviewed and signed the contract, it seems that the investment will go as per the contract. We will keep in touch with you all soon.” With that, he showed them out. The three people from Apparent Construction was still stunned. They had all come with presentation and ready to beg for an investment from Shu Corporation; but all in all, they were happy with the result and left the building.
Evan quickly walked back into this office and slammed the door. His hand trembled as he locked his office door and walked into this lounge, laying down on the bed. With his chest to the bed and his head in the pillow, he was sweating as his head started spinning with all the emotions that he had held in for the last six years.
Why did she suddenly show up, and she didn’t even show any emotions when she saw him. Did she really lose her memory like his aunt had said? Maybe, but he couldn’t accept that. What if she was already married and have a family? What if she doesn’t even like him anymore? All these things swirl in his mind. All the possibilities of not being able to get together with her after all these years. The more he thought about it the more his heart ache and the more his head hurt.
He got up and went to the bar in his lounge and opened a bottle of Scotch. His go to when he needs that burn that keeps him alive. That burn felt good. He walked back to his desk and didn’t want to think about Lilac anymore, as it just kept eating him up with the negative possibilities that he may be on the losing side of things.
He couldn’t even concentrate and flipped through the paperwork aimlessly. Finally, he dropped the pen in his hand and walked back to the lounge and closed the door. He lied down again, this time flat on his back, with his arms over his head covering his eyes. He tried to calm down his nerves as every moment of Lilac Yue went through his head. His heart was racing, and his head was spinning with the memories of her.
Flashback
“I am so sorry! Here’s a hundred dollars for dry cleaning services.” A soft and fair hand stuff a currency into Evan’s shirt pocket and quickly bypassed him and ran off. All he can tell is the voice belongs to a girl. As he looked at her, she had a baseball cap on with the letter LY embroidered on the front of it and her long hair pulled through the opening in the back. Her skinny blue jeans were covered by an oversized pink hoodie that reached to her knees. He looked at his clothes and noticed the spilled pink lemonade on his white button up school uniform shirt. Shaking his head, he walked forward and got into the Lincoln.
The next time he saw her was two weeks later. He was playing basketball at lunch with some friends, when he noticed someone sitting up in a tree not too far away. The baseball cap with the LY on the front was the same one from the girl who had spilled her lemonade on him. He still had the one hundred dollars in his notebook. He dribbles the ball as he continues staring at the girl amidst the tree branches and then threw the ball to one of the players and walked off the court.
She had her headset on and was humming along with the music. He quickly climbed up and stood next to her on the branch, dipping the tree branch with his extra weight. This scared her and she quickly pulled the headset off. “What are you doing?” She asked in a stern voice. “I’ve already given you enough money to do two sets of dry cleaning if the stain didn’t come out the first time. Are you here to make me pay for a new uniform because the stain didn’t come out?” She asked again, as she felt remorseful.
He didn’t say anything, but looked at her face under the baseball cap. It covered her forehead but as she looked up at him to speak, her facial features glowed with innocence. Her almond shape double eyelid eyes glitter with confusion, and her fair skin cheeks was flushed with embarrassment. Her luscious thick lips pouted as she tried to figure out what he wanted.
She noticed him looking at her sandwich and looked up at him in confusion. Then she quickly pulled the other half of the sandwich that was still wrapped and handed to him. “If you haven’t eaten yet, this half has not been touched, I made it myself and I don’t know if it’s to your liking, but you are more than welcome to have it.” She said, as she held the sandwich out to him. “Also, here’s an apple. My grandma said an apple a day, keeps the doctors away. Since you play sports, you need the energy.” She put the sandwich back into the bag and handed him the whole bag.
He didn’t take it right away but looked at her with doubts in his eyes. As he sat down next to her and grabbed the bag from her hand. Then he opened it up and looked in it. Pulling out the sandwich, he noticed there was a whole lunch here, sandwich, apple and a coconut water drink. He turned and looked at the petite little girl next to him and wonder if she actually eats this much. He already saw a half-eaten sandwich and left over of the apple core in her other bag.
“Do you eat this much?” He asked, as he stuff his mouth with the sandwich.
She shook her head, and answered “No, I usually just bring extra because sometimes some kids aren’t as fortunate as me, and I would see them without food so I would share lunches with them.” Stuffing her mouth with the rest of the sandwich that was in her hand.
He nodded and asked, “Who made the sandwich, it’s pretty good.”
“Do you like it? I made it myself. Usually, I pack different things every day. Today, I just happened to have sandwiches.” She said as smiled, because she took his question as a compliment.
“Ok, since you soiled my school uniform, you are responsible to bring me lunch every day until the uniform costs are paid off. I also like an apple every day, regardless of what you bring for lunch.” With that he jumped off the tree, as it was barely five feet high, and walked off with the lunch he just got from her.
End of Flashback, as his phone on his nightstand in his lounged rang, bringing him back to the present.
“President, are you staying here tonight?” Devon’s voice came through the receiver.
“Yes, I will leave when I feel better.” With that answer, Evan hung up the phone quickly and returned to his current position.
He sat there in the dark, as the sunset had happened and only light shining through the floor to ceiling windows was the city night lights, with one arm over his eyes again, he looked defeated.
