THE GHOST OF THE PAST
a few days later
The peaceful, garlic-scented atmosphere of Fay's office was shattered by a sharp, rhythmic rapping on the glass door. Fay and Kei both turned as the door swung open, revealing a tall, handsome man with an easy, confident grin and a vibrant bouquet of sunflowers.
"Surprise! I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd check on my favorite doctor," the man said, his voice booming with a familiarity that made the air in the room turn cold instantly.
Fay's eyes widened, her posture stiffening. "Leo? What are you doing here?"
Kei stood up slowly, her hands clenching at her sides. She recognized him. He was the face from the photos ten years ago, the man who had appeared in Fay's life just as Kei was being pushed out of it. To Kei, Leo wasn't just a visitor, he was the living personification of the decade she had lost.
"And who is this?" Leo asked, his gaze drifting to Kei with polite curiosity.
"This is… a business associate," Fay blurted out, her face flushing a deep, panicked crimson. She wouldn't or couldn't look Kei in the eye.
"A business associate?" Kei's voice was dangerously low, the playful warmth from their lunch evaporating into a sharp, icy edge. She looked at the sunflowers, then at the way Leo stood so close to Fay's desk, radiating the comfort of someone who had held that space for a long time.
"Funny," Kei continued, her CEO persona snapping into place like a shield. "I thought I was making progress. But I see the man of the hour has arrived with a better 'peace offering' than garlic shrimp."
"Kei, it's not what you think..." Fay started, but the words died in her throat.
"So this is him," Kei said, stepping closer to Leo. She was shorter than him, but her presence filled the room with a suffocating intensity. "The one who stayed. The one who was there while I was away. Does he know how you like your eggs, Leo? Does he know you pretend to be brave during thunderstorms but actually hide under the covers?"
Leo looked back and forth between the two women, his smile faltering into a confused mask. "I… I just brought flowers, Fay. I didn't know you had company."
"I'm leaving," Kei interrupted, her eyes shimmering with a mixture of raw hurt and stinging fury. She grabbed her empty stainless steel container, the handle biting into her palm. The effort she had put into the meal suddenly felt like a pathetic joke. "I thought I was winning back a heart that was waiting for me, Fay. I didn't realize I was just an interruption in your real life."
"Kei, wait!" Fay cried out, standing up so quickly her chair nearly toppled.
But Kei didn't wait. She marched out the door, her shoe clicking a rapid, angry beat down the hallway that echoed like a countdown.
Fay sank back into her chair, her head in her hands as the scent of the sunflowers filled the room, clashing horribly with the lingering smell of the lunch Kei had made with her own hands. Leo stood there awkwardly, the bright yellow petals looking out of place in the sudden, heavy gloom of the office.
"Uh, Fay?" Leo asked, his voice cautious. "Should I go? It seems like I walked into something… complicated."
Fay didn't answer. She just stared at the empty spot on her desk where Kei's container had been. She had spent weeks pushing Kei away, but now that Kei had finally walked out on her own, the silence in the office felt deafening.