GUILTY

"Matt, can you talk?" Call me right now.

"Still at work. Talk to you later."

Kalen unleashed a disgruntled sigh and threw himself on the couch. He briefly closed his eyes and recalled what had happened with Leo earlier. What is wrong with that guy? He thought. Does he know? He keeps repeating the same question inside his head.

"But, I don't think so. If he does, he should've already confronted me about it," he mumbled.

He stood up and made his way to the balcony, exploring his eyes around the vast City of Beijing. Kalen finds the setting rather peaceful despite the loud noise coming from the busy streets. As the sun slowly starts to set, a calming sensation occupies his tired mind. He loved sunsets, and it makes him miss Damon too, terribly. He reminisced the old days with him, what it was like back then. Kalen stood there lost in his thoughts when a sudden phone call awoke him. He automatically picked up for he already knew who it was.

"Matt."

He excitedly let out.

"Hey. Sorry, I was a little busy. Something wrong? Where are you? Have you eaten?"

"Hey, one question at a time. Who are you? My mom?"

They both snickered at each other and then silenced;

"Where are you, Kalen? Seriously though, have you eaten?"

"Just got home to my "new" apartment. And yes, I already ate. Stop worrying about me, mom." He giggled, but the man on the other line just hissed. He knew something was bothering the man.

"Spit it out, Kalen. What? Did something happen? Oh, did you visit Damon yesterday? Sorry I couldn't come."

"You know me very well, huh. Yeah, I did. I'm sure Damon understands."

"Well, you don't send a text like that unless something's up so, what is it? By the way, how was the meeting?"

"Reason why I called you. I met Leo yesterday. He was there at the cemetery. And then earlier we met again for that meeting. I didn't think that I would see him again after. He's my client. Small world, I know."

"Oh! I didn't know he was Jax's boss. So, how did the meeting go? How was he? Is he hot? Handsome? Yeah, but, how small?" Matt jokingly said.

"Will you stop? Not funny. Damon will come to visit you if you don't stop teasing me. Well, I don't know and I don't care."

"He won't. Damon loves me too much. He knows I'm scared of that kind of stuff. So, what's your problem?"

"It's just that, the way he looks at me, it's like I did something wrong to him. I only know him by name, same with him I'm sure, nothing else. Damon told me about him once, before you know, that thing happened."

"I understand. Is he causing you any problems though?

"No, not directly. He's so dour. After the meeting, he asked me something personal."

"All ears, man. What?"

"He asked me why I left Damon."

"left Damon? You did? When? If my memory is correct, Damon left us." He replied jokingly and chuckled.

"Matt, stop fooling around already. Not funny. But, why did he even think that I was the one who left Damon? It's nonsense."

"Damon forgot that little detail, I guess. He doesn't know anything. It was his first time meeting you. Given that you're Damon's best friend but you just suddenly pop out of nowhere, of course, he will find it odd. When people are curious, they make assumptions."

"You mean to say be judgemental? He doesn't know me. Damon might have told him a few things about me but that's it."

"Exactly, he doesn't. But, what did you answer him?"

We stayed quiet for a second, thinking about how he will answer Matt without acting like a guilty person.

"I told him, couldn't handle Damon anymore, that's why I..left."

"What?! Where did that even come from? You bastard. You just made it worse! You just fed his wrong judgment. What were you thinking?"

"I was angry. It was supposed to be a meeting, not an interrogation. I didn't want to talk anymore so I said that and left. I know I shouldn't have opened my mouth cause I was angry, and I know he is the boyfriend, but.."

"Was Kalen. He was Damon's boyfriend."

"Still. He was there when Damon needed someone. I wasn't. I still feel like it's my fault. What happened to him is my fault."

"Kalen, you were going through stuff yourself that time. Damon knows that. And for the last time, it wasn't your fault. You didn't ask for it to happen. None of us did. Stop blaming yourself. It's not good for you."

"Is it not? If it weren't for me, he'd still be here. I was weak that's why." He responded.

He let out a deep sigh but Matt comforted him enough for him to feel okay.

"I'm okay now, Matt. Thank you."

"Are you sure? Listen to me, just do your job and finish it. Don't let that Leo guy get to your head. Just be professional. Anyway, now that you've met him, are you going to say anything?"

"No. I'm not planning to."

"Well, that's your say. Not mine. Just remember that I'm always here, alright? Just call me if you need me. I may not be there but I will try to help in any way I can."

"I know. Well, that's that. Thank you, Matt. I have to go now. I gotta start Mr. Leo's project."

"Okay. Well, I will try and visit you soon. Please don't skip dinner and take your medicine. Bye"

"Okay, mom. Bye," Kalen responded with a giggle.

He turned off the phone and once again, the smile is gone. The call with his best friends made him a bit okay in a way. Matt was right, professionalism is the key. He doesn't need to explain anything to Leo. It's just working, nothing else.

The rays touching his skin were soothing, inhaling the warmth it brings. He stared at the sky for a moment and went inside then took his phone and scrolled through his playlists. Music makes him happy. He would listen to it whether he was eating, taking a bath, or doing a project. One of his favorites reminded him of Damon so he would play it non-stop. He connected his phone to the speaker and played the song.

"you jing Chuang wai man di pian than Hua Yi shun Jian Yong heng deshi cha Wo Zai man bei Li..qing ting ta Xue Ting Chen mo de sheng yin Piao Xue can Yong heng de Shen Ying Xue shu Xia Deng ni.."

"Zai Yi shun Jian you Yi bai wan ge ke neng

Tai Xiang QiuHuo the Ji xu Deng the dong ye li you bai wan ge bu que ding Jian ru when ye Huo qi pan tian ming.."

He hummed along with the song and walked to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and ran his eyes inside thinking about what he should eat. Unlike Leo, his fridge is filled with nutritious meals. One, because he is health-conscious, and two, he needs to watch his diet.

He made himself some tea and a vegetable salad, then eats peacefully while listening to the song.

Afterward, he proceeded to his bedroom and removed his clothes. No one lives with him so for him, it was okay to just walk around naked. He grabbed the towel and folded it against his small waist then went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and took a long warm bath. The water felt good and he almost fell asleep in the tub. He got up quickly when he remembered that he should call someone about the project.

He dried himself up and changed into a comfy white shirt and pajamas, grabbed his backpack, and looked at carefully the things he wrote about the meeting with Leo earlier.

Yellow huh, he thought.

His phone beeped with a new notification. He looked at it immediately and saw Jax, the manager's text about the other stuff Leo talked about earlier. Perfect, he thought. He was just about to call him. He was busy working when his phone suddenly, rang again. He thought it was Jaz again but frowned when he saw an unknown number. He was hesitant to answer at first but then thought that it might be work-related and important.

"Hello? Good Evening. Kalen speaking. Who is this?"

"Hello, Mr. Kalen."

He was surprised after hearing the familiar cold voice on the other line. He raised his brow with confusion, but then he remembered that he gave the man his number before leaving earlier.

"It's Leo."

"Oh. Mr. Leo. Good evening." He said with a polite but mystified tone.

"Yes. Were you expecting someone else?"

The man's question confused him even more. Be professional, he thought.

"No, Mr. Leo. But, I wasn't expecting you either. What seems to be the matter?"

"Did my manager already send you the other stuff needed for the café?"

"Yes, sir. He just did."

"Good."

We anticipated the silence but began to be annoyed by it. He hates awkward moods such as this.

"Is there anything more, sir? Please do not worry. I am working right now on the project. Tomorrow I will talk to the team and present this to them. We will finish it as soon as possible."

"Hm."

He assured him. Kalen rolled his eyes and resumed.

"Sir, if there is no longer anything you wish to say, I will go now. Thank you for calling and goodnight. I will just update your manager about it."

He was about to hang up the phone when he suddenly heard him say;

"I want to apologize about earlier Mr. Kalen. It was very unprofessional of me to drag your or my personal life in that matter. It will not happen again. I hope we can be good friends in the future. I'm sure Damon will be glad. Goodnight."

Just like that, the man hangs up. It was his turn to leave Kalen confused and it worked. The unexpected apology shocked but relieved Kalen a little bit and didn't suspect anything about it at all.

The night pushed through as he finished some of the work. He lit a scented candle and read a bit before going to bed. A usual night for him. Work, phone calls, books, and medicines.

After finishing some of the pages, he took his medicine. A must for him. And, went straight to bed. He grabbed his phone and stared at his wallpaper while lying in bed.

"Damon, what did you tell him, huh? He sighed. "You know, your boyfriend is a little weird. But he apologized to me. Do you think he's sincere? You know him. Well, goodnight to you, my Osaka prince. Please let tomorrow be a good day."

It was a long day and he immediately fell asleep, jumping around dreamland.

TO BE CONTINUED.