RomCom Cliché

Chapter Fourteen

Rain lashed the windows of her office as Rebecca stared out at the dismal city below, weak sunlight reflecting off a thousand windows as late November ushered in winter. 

It was Tuesday afternoon, the remains of her lunch in the trash, a fresh coffee cooling beside her computer as she took a moment to check her phone, answering a text from the caterer about Nam's bachelorette party, less than two weeks away now. 

Between work, Freen and her maid of honour duties, Rebecca had been flat out and barely had time for her own strict schedule.

Still, she'd blocked off a few hours in her calendar for her last dress fitting with the girls tomorrow and to spend time with Freen that evening. Rebecca had it in her head to go and try ice-skating at the outdoor rink erected as the weather finally cooled enough to keep the ice frozen with a little help. 

The rain was supposed to stop soon and it was undercover anyway, which seemed like the perfect time to go. As she was replying to a string of texts in the group chat her phone lit up with Freen's name.

"Hey, I was just thinking about you," Rebecca said with a smile in her voice. "How does you, me, ice skating and hot chocolate sound tonight? I'll even let you pick the restaurant for dinner."

The playful tenderness of her voice seemed to wilt at the ragged sound of Freen's voice on the other end. 

"Hey. I, uh, I was actually calling to tell you that... I'll probably be a bit quiet for the next couple of days. It's, uh- I'm just--"

"You sound sick," Rebecca said with mild surprise, cutting her off. "Are you coming down with something? Do you need me to bring you some medicine? Soup?"

"I- no, that's not- I'm not sick. I'm- I'm fine--"

"You don't sound fine."

"Rebecca."

At Freen's weary voice, she fell silent, her face furrowing as her stomach twisted itself into knots.

"Can you just listen, please," she gently murmured, trying to keep her frustration at bay. "I'm... I'm trying to tell you that... I just need space for a couple of days. Something's come up, it's fine, I just- it's a lot to deal with and I need to do that privately."

"But... you're okay, right?" Rebecca slowly asked.

Freen's trembling response did little to convince Rebecca. 

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."

"Okay, well... you don't sound okay. You're actually worrying me a little."

Letting out a short, strained laugh, Rebecca paced a few steps in her office as her throat went dry and she tried to quell the panic in her chest. She'd been here before, a dozen times. The excuses, the pulling away, the vague explanations. It made her chest twinge with the anticipated pain of heartbreak.

"I'm fine," Freen insisted, "I just wanted to let you know that if you don't hear from me, that's why."

"And you won't tell me why?" Rebecca slowly repeated.

"No. It's not something I want to talk about."

Pressing her lips into a flat line, Rebecca let out a long exhale, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tipped her head back. 

It was hard not to feel frustrated, not to latch onto her impatience and demand an answer. Rebecca was used to getting her own way and the enigma that Freen presented was starting to feel like a locked vault instead of a puzzle to piece together.