Henry was watching the business news on TV in the living room, when the doorbell rang. He stood up to get the door and was surprised to see Sean at the door.
“Sean?”
“Hi” Sean greeted with a small smile.
“You came alone?” Henry looked behind Sean like he was expecting to see someone there.
“Yeah… Dad said he’d be working late, so I was home alone” he knew Henry was expecting to see his best friend since they were supposed to meet this weekend.
“He’ll probably be here tomorrow” Sean added, knowing how the best friends always keep to their promise.
“Come in” Henry finally let him in.
“Does this have anything to do with the current situation in his company?”
Henry was concerned about his best friend. Bryan claims he has everything under control, but he still can’t help but worry.
“I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me anything” Sean said with a shrug.
Sean’s reply only means that Bryan hasn’t told him a thing. Henry then decided not to ask any further questions, so he doesn’t get worried.
Sean made himself comfortable on the couch and looked around the living room.
“Is Amy home?” He enquired, staring at the stairs, hoping she’d come running downstairs any minute.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but Amy’s at her best friend’s place”
Henry noticed how Sean was staring at the stairs. He felt sorry for the young man whose feelings aren’t noticed by his daughter.
“Well… That’s good because I actually came to see you” Sean replied, turning his attention back to Henry.
“Me?... That’s new” Henry couldn’t hide his surprise.
“Give me a minute” he excused himself from the living room. A minute later, he came back with a bottle of vodka and two glasses.
“Help yourself” he said, gesturing to the drink before taking a seat on one of the armchairs.
“Thanks… I really needed that” Sean chuckled, pouring himself a shot of vodka.
“Are you okay?”
“Not really” Sean confessed, chugging down his drink.
“What is going on?” Henry worriedly asked. He wanted to know if everything was alright between Amy and Sean, because Sean seems a bit out of it, like something was eating him up.
“I’m helplessly in love with Amy..” he began, staring at his fingers as he said the words.
That wasn’t news to Henry. It was pretty obvious that Sean was attracted to his daughter from the first day they were introduced to each other. Henry was about to tell Sean that he was already aware of that, but Sean continued.
“But.. she’s in love with someone else”
‘Oh. So that’s the problem?’ Henry thought to himself, feeling a sense of relief that it wasn’t something serious.
“Is that what’s bothering you?” He wanted to be certain there was nothing else.
“I just feel like, if I had stayed back, maybe things would’ve been different”
Sean looked like he was regretting his past decisions and at the same time blaming himself for the unrequited love. He didn’t even notice that Henry was now sitting beside him, until he felt a light squeeze on his shoulder.
“Don’t beat yourself up over such a small issue”
If Henry said that as a way of encouragement, it isn’t helping because, being in love with someone who is oblivious of your feelings and is in a loving relationship isn’t at all a small issue. He should have visited often, or better still he should have returned years back.
“What makes you think it’s a small issue?” Sean couldn’t help but ask as his thoughts were messed up.
At this point, he was open to any suggestion or advice. That’s why he came here in the first place.
“Amy hasn’t introduced me to this boyfriend of hers”
“Really? But they’ve been together for three years”
“Is that what she told you?”
“Yeah”
“Then you’re lucky, cos I don’t even have the name of this mystery guy”
‘That’s weird for a relationship of three years. Why is she keeping the relationship away from her dad?’ Sean wondered.
“She hasn’t out rightly told me she’s in a relationship. So, I’m thinking it’s not a serious one… My guess is, it’s a fling or some friends with benefit kind of thing” Henry’s voice interrupted Sean’s thoughts.
Although Henry’s hypothesis seems ideal, Sean still has his doubts. Amy doesn’t look like one to have a fling, but one can never know, right?
“Will you okay with it if I and Amy start a relationship?” Sean carefully asked because getting permission from Henry was very important to him.
“Do you love her that much?” Henry asked skeptically, causing Sean to swallow hard.
“Of course, I do” he nervously replied, backing it with a nod.
“Relax, son. I just wanted to be sure” Henry laughed, tapping his shoulder. Sean gave a nervous laugh and sighed in relief.
“I’ll give you a hand in winning Amy’s heart”
Sean felt like all his worries has been washed away when Henry promised to help.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bryan and Amy were sound asleep after their love making session. Bryan’s phone suddenly started to ring, waking him up from his slumber. He reached for his phone on the nightstand to check the caller ID and was confused when he saw Henry’s name on his screen.
Why was Henry calling at 11:00pm? Was he worried about Amy? Didn’t she tell him of her whereabouts? What does he say if Henry has discovered that Amy isn’t at Mandy’s place?
Bryan was deep in thought and didn’t realize that his phone was still ringing until Amy stirred in her sleep. He quickly put the phone on silent and carefully untangled Amy from his body. He put on his boxers and went into the bathroom to answer the call.
“Sorry for not answering your call sooner. I dozed off while working”, Bryan lied as soon as he picked up the call.
“Sean told me you were working late, I didn’t think you’d still be at the office. Is everything alright?” Henry asked in concern.
“Yeah. I’ve found a partner for the company”
“That’s great news, cos I was beginning to get worried”
“Me too”
“Um. I actually called you because of something else” Henry then said, changing the subject.
“Alright. I’m listening” Bryan replied, giving his undivided attention to what Henry had to say.
His face drained of color as he listened to Henry.
By the time the call ended, Bryan was mentally and emotionally drained. He walked out of the bathroom feeling light headed. Without bothering to wake Amy, he wore his clothes and left the hotel room.