Chapter 2 - Death?

"What do you mean you've got a boyfriend?" Arten screamed through the phone. Isana quickly pushed the phone away from her ear.

"You trying to make me go deaf? And yeah, I got a boyfriend." Isana was having dinner with Rhydian in front of her. She had kept the call on speaker but Arten had no idea. He was too shy to meet her gaze as she spoke about him to Arten.

"How...How hot is he?" Arten whispered. Isana knew at that moment that Elio was close-by.

"That's her question?" Rhydian whisper-shouted in disbelief. He couldn't believe Arten. She didn't want to know who he was but how hot he was? Well, Rhydian, obviously, didn't know how a girl's head works.

"Very." Isana answered right away. For Isana, who had seen only good looking guys her entire life, to call someone very hot....Arten wondered how handsome that guy was?

"What are you talking about?" Elio's voice was heard in the background. Arten told everything to Elio and this time Elio screamed. "Isana, that Isana, has a boyfriend?"

"What do you mean by 'that Isana'?"

Arten dissolved into giggles and Elio followed. Isana couldn't keep her herself from laughing either. Rhydian was watching everything. He had a hunch, that it was the first time Isana was finally laughing freely, after a long time. He smiled looking at her laugh. He felt a little 'free' too.

"What are you laughing at?" Isana gave him a curious stare.

"Nothing, really." He answered coolly. Isana was taken aback. She didn't know if he was a calm person who was just shy at times or if he became a shy person after losing his memories and before losing them, he was the calm and cool type. Well, it didn't matter either way. He'd be fun to tease no matter how he was.

"Can we talk to him?" Arten asked. It was at this moment, that Isana snorted. "It's on speaker bitch."

It was silent on the other line. Then Arten burst laughing. "Payback, I see." Then abruptly, she stopped. There was an exchange of arguments which were muffled and at the end, Arten sighed. "Isa. I got to go. Something came up. I'll talk to you sometime later."

"Bye~"

"Bye." Arten cut the call. She sounded pissed. "What happened?" Rhydian asked as he walked over to my side of the table to take my plate.

"I don't know." Isana shrugged. Rhydian nodded and took the plate away. They both washed the plates together without talking. The silence was pleasant.

Isana dried her hands using a towel and proceeded to do something on her phone. She then called someone and went out of the room. Rhydian went around searching for some covers so that he could prepare his bed. By the time he finished preparing his bed, Isana was sitting on the sofa.

"Who did you call?"

"My parents. I told them that-

"Hello? Hello Dad."

"Isana. Have you finally come to your senses?"

"I shall tell you the truth for why I always rejected the proposals, ditched the blind dates, and ran away from home."

"Go ahead."

"It's cause I already have a boyfriend."

"You what-" Her father coughed out whatever he was having. "Why didn't you tell me? Is he some ugly ass, poor-"

"He's definitely not ugly but poor? Maybe. I don't know. The reason I didn't tell and ran away from home is cause, recently, he lost his memories and I've staying with him to make him stable. Since he's better now, can I come back to work?"

"Sure. But tell me things like this in the future. Obviously I'll have to meet him to approve of him."

"Can I come back with him as my personal secretary?"

"Sure. Wait, what? Why? Isn't the secretary you have now enough?"

"No."

"Well, whatever. I want you to come back quickly anyway because I'm tired of handling so many issues."

"Okay. I'll see you in a few days."

"I told them that I'd be coming back to work in a few days and that you'd be joining me as my personal assistant." Isana completed her answer.

"Me?" Rhydian pointed at himself.

"Yeah. I mean, even you have to earn money right? And what's better than being a CEO's personal assistant?"

"Won't people get angry that I got in through personal connections?"

"Don't worry about that." Isana crackled her knuckles and gave an evil look. "They won't even have time to think about that. Looks like things have too lax on them while I was away."

"Wah. Isana's scary." Rhydian said in a monotone voice.

"But. If anyone tries to hit on you, you have to tell me okay?"

"Why?" Rhydian tilted his head trying to act all cute. Isana clutched her chest. She was pissed. It was fair he got to be so adorable.

"Because I don't like it." Isana told him, flatly.

"Oh. Isn't that too overbearing of you?"

"Is that how you think of it? For me, it's half related to work too. I don't like flirting in the office or seeing anyone else do it too. The office is a place you come to work, obviously jokes, and small games, etc are needed to liven up the place and make it comfortable but flirting may put another person in an awkward situation and you can flirt during lunch time or break time, when you aren't in the office." Isana looked at him seriously.

"Though. But teasing doesn't count." She stood right in front of where Rhydian was standing. She was looking at him with a malicious face. He blushed and looked away. Isana brushed his hair and tucked it behind his ear. "Like this."

"That's flirting." His face reddened even more as he face the floor.

"No. I like seeing you blushing but I don't have any feeling of picking you up." He stared at her, blankly for a moment. "I see. I made my bed ready. And since it's so late already, I'll be heading to bead."

"Yeah. Goodnight." Isana waved at him as he entered his room. He smiled. "Goodnight. Sweet dreams."

When Isana went to bed, she found herself not able to sleep. She sighed. "How I hate insomnia!" She sighed. She grabbed a bottle of beer and sat on the sofa. She switched on the TV after making sure Rhydian's door was closed.

"Hmmm...Let's see what's there... Oh! Tom and Jerry! This is so old." She started laughing in the between of the episode. She heard the door of a room slowly opened and quickly turned to see who it was. Rhydian was standing, rubbing his eyes after being suddenly blinded by the TV's light.

"You couldn't sleep?" He sounded drowsy.

"I couldn't but that's fine. You should go back to sleep. Sorry for waking you up."

"No. It's okay. I just wanted to know if you were okay. I heard some sounds and thought something was happening. And when I opened my eyes I saw the door was closed too."

"Sorry for worrying you. I was just watching Tom and Jerry." Isana glanced at what was going on.

"I think I've watched this episode." Rhydian sat next to her on the sofa.

"You...should go back to sleep."

"I lost my sleep." Rhydian lied. His eyelids were heavy and he felt drowsy but he didn't want to leave Isana all alone. He felt that something was off.

"Just go to sleep. Don't lie to me." Isana pushed him off the sofa and he got up.

"Okay. Okay." He scratched his back. "If you say so." He wanted to sleep anyway. She can now blame herself if anything happens but even still I'll just keep a look out from my room.

He laid down on his bed and before he knew it, he was asleep. He kept the door open and kept his guard on, even as he slept. He was a light sleeper and he felt like he could wake up to any suspicious noise. Isana switched off the TV after a while.

"I think I'll just go read a book." She had a stash of books in her room.

She entered her room and picked a book she wanted to read and had brought, but she hadn't gotten time to read. Now, she finally could read in peace.

"I want to tell you something." She mumbled the summary of the book. "Come closer. Yes, closer. Into the Abyss." A shiver ran down her spine. She had switched on the lamp so the room was relatively, still dark.

"Chills. Literally chills. Stole your line, Jake." She smiled. "This is the perfect time to read this book."

Suddenly, the landline rang. It was out in the living room. Isana slowly walked out of the living while wondering who would call so late, in the night. When she picked up the call, there was only silence on the other side.

It was quite silent around the house, which only noises being from the nocturnal creatures outside.

"Hello?" She looked around. She felt something was off.

"Death." And the phone call got cut. Isana was shocked. She gave out a nervous laugh.

"Who would play such a dirty trick that too-mmf mfmh hmm!" Two hand had come from the behind and were covering her mouth.

'What's going on?'