Denial didn't give up easily. After Shelly's angry words, he followed her to the elevator, quietly asking again and again for her to let him drop her home. She refused at first, but his persistence finally wore her down.
The drive was silent. Not a single word passed between them. When they reached her home, Denial didn't even wait for her to get out of the car before he started the engine again. No goodbye. No glance back. Just a sharp turn of the wheel, and he was gone.
At his own apartment, Denial shut the door behind him and sank to the floor. The pain hit like a wave. His chest felt heavy, his eyes burned. Tears streamed down his face as he whispered into the darkness,
"God… will I never be free from this curse? Am I doomed to hurt everyone I care about? I know… I know I'm a monster. I should have stayed away from her."
He gripped his head, his voice breaking. "Alright, Shelly. If you want boundaries, I'll give you boundaries. I'll disappear from your life. No calls, no messages. Nothing."
With trembling fingers, Denial blocked Shelly's number.
Meanwhile, Shelly entered her bedroom and collapsed onto her bed. Her mind kept replaying the kiss.
"Do I… have feelings for Denial? Then why did I slap him? If he kissed me, doesn't that mean he loves me? Or was it just… a moment of weakness? God, I can't understand this."
She pressed a pillow to her face. "I don't even know if I like him that way. But… Denial's been such a good friend to me…"
Frustrated, she sat up. "No. Thinking won't help. I'll just ask Kiki tomorrow."
After freshening up, Shelly went to bed.
The next morning, she called Denial to ask if he could drop her to the office. The call didn't connect. She tried again. And again. No answer.
What she didn't know was that Denial had blocked her.
Finally, she grabbed a taxi and headed to work. On the way, she called Kiki, who picked up instantly.
"You know," Shelly began casually, "there's this girl in my office. She has a male best friend. And… that best friend kissed her. What do you think that means?"
Kiki didn't even hesitate. "It means he likes her."
Shelly frowned. "But—"
"And if you want my opinion," Kiki interrupted, "she should date him to find out for sure."
Shelly nearly dropped her phone. "What?! What are you saying? That's ridiculous! Friends can't be turned into boyfriends like that."
Unaware that Denial had just walked up behind her, Shelly continued, her voice sharp with annoyance.
Kiki laughed. "Just give him a chance, Shelly."
"How?" Shelly muttered.
Kiki's tone turned suspicious. "Wait… are you talking about yourself right now?"
Shelly's heart skipped. "No! I'm talking about my colleague!"
Kiki pressed again, "Be honest. Do you like Denial?"
"I don't know…" Shelly admitted reluctantly. "Yesterday he kissed me out of nowhere. I panicked and slapped him. Told him not to cross boundaries. And today, I called him so many times but he didn't pick up. I don't know what's wrong with him."
Behind her, Denial's jaw tightened. He heard every word.
"I'm telling you, Shelly," Kiki said, "Denial's a good guy. Give him a chance."
Shelly sighed. "To give someone a chance… someone has to take the first step. I don't have the courage."
As she spoke, she turned toward the office entrance — and froze.
Denial was there. Standing still. Looking at her with unreadable eyes.
Her heart stumbled in her chest. "Kiki, I'll call you back later."
From the other end, Kiki yelled, "Shelly! Propose to him!"
Shelly quickly cut the call.
She forced a smile and started walking toward Denial, but just as she was about to reach him, he pulled out his phone and pretended to check something. Without a word, he turned and walked into his own office.
Shelly stood still, stunned. What just happened? Denial's never ignored me before… Is this because of yesterday?
She bit her lip and made her way to her desk, her mind spinning with unanswered questions.
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Continue....