CAREFUL

Evening fell through the brisk City and the dim light coming from the sky covered the streets. Kalen looked above and took a deep breath, taking in the cool atmosphere encircling him. Another day has gone away and time for the exhausted man to go home again.

He finished late because of his workload and his friend Kath left hours before him. He strolled the calm street on his way to his apartment, and good thing his boss in Shanghai arranged his new home near his work so it will not burden him too much. His steps were heavy and his hand was on his pocket gazing at the people passing by.

It was already quarter past 7 and he hadn't eaten anything since his lunch meeting with his officemate. He can already hear his stomach growling, begging him to find someplace to eat. He stood on the corner to get his phone in his bag for he was not that familiar with the place yet, he tried searching for good restaurants nearby. He was scrolling his screen when a sudden phone call interrupted him. It was his older sister, Mary. His eyes beamed and he immediately picked up.

"Jie! How are you? I miss you!" He cheerfully greeted her. He could hear his sister giggling on the other line.

"How is my DiDi doing? I miss you too."

"Everything alright there, Jie? How's Mama and Papa? I miss you all."

"Everything here is okay, dear. How about you? Did you eat? Did you take your medication?"

"Actually, I just got out from work, and no, not yet. I'm searching for a good restaurant here. I'm starving. I miss your cooking Jie."

"Kal, please eat on time. I will try and visit you soon. Don't worry, okay?"

"Hm. Thanks for calling, Jie."

"I was worried about you. You're still new to the City. I just wanted to make sure that you're okay."

"I am, Jie. Please don't worry too much about me. I'm an adult now. I can handle things already."

"Well, not for me. You're still my baby. Please take good care of your self especially your health, okay?"

"I will, Jie."

"Okay, then. Text me when you get home. Good Night my DiDi."

"Okay, Jie. Good Night."

He ended the phone call and continued again to look for a restaurant. Luckily, he found one. He checked the ratings and the menu and it appeared to be a good one. It was just a 10-minute walk so he directly called in to see if a seat was available. Fortunately, the place accepts last-minute reservations. He hung up the call and made his way to the place. He got to the restaurant within minutes and walked in to see how many people were around. The place looks decent and he doesn't look bad himself.

A waiter walked him to his seat and handed him over the menu. He immediately went on to the salad section and checked everything. After a minute of scanning it thoroughly, he looked up to the waiter patiently waiting for him to order.

"I would like to order the Mediterranean pasta salad with raw squash and feta and Yinzhou tea, please."

"Of course, sir. Would you like anything else?"

"Warm water with lemon, thank you."

"Right away. I will bring your order shortly."

He checked his watch and it was already

a quarter to 8. Taking his medicine a bit late might not be a bad thing, he thought. He examined the place and felt a bit satisfied with its classical yet elegant aura and the Chinese music fitted the atmosphere best. It was soothing to the ears and he finds it calming.

While waiting for his order, he checked his phone and found a new message from his best friend, Matt.

"See you next week."

Kalen's face glowed. He misses him, he misses Shanghai, and he misses Chongqing and his family a lot. He was about to reply to Matt back when the food arrived. His best friend can wait, he thought. He started munching the salad and smiled at how good it was and the tea was splendid too, light, sweet and refreshing. He was halfway from finishing his salad when he saw a familiar face enter the door. He stopped for a second trying to remember who it was. Then it was him, it was Leo's brother Felix along with another guy.

Felix immediately noticed him and glowed. He saw the man whispering something to the other guy and the two walked in his direction. Kalen smiled slightly and stood up with a polite gesture. They both extended their hands for a quick handshake.

"Mr. Kalen, hi. Nice to see you again."

"Yes, good to see too again, Mr. Felix."

They both looked at the man standing next to Felix who was a bit anxious.

"Oh. Mr. Kalen. This is my friend, Lyle."

"Hello, Mr. Lyle. I'm Kalen. Nice to meet you." Extending his hand to the man. He noticed Lyle oddly staring at him so he shifted his eyes again at Felix and just let out an awkward smile.

"Alone Mr. Kalen? Mind if we join you?"

"I'm just about to finish, but sure Mr. Felix. Have a seat please."

"Thank you and please, enough with the formalities. You can just call me Felix. Please continue eating."

"Oh. Well, is that so. Alright then, Felix. You can call me Kalen then."

They both chuckled and continued their meal. He looked at Lyle again who was still staring at him. Feeling a bit uneasy, he asked him why.

"Mr. Lyle, is there something on my face?"

Both Felix and Lyle were surprised by the sudden question. But, Felix just pressed his lips and stared at his friend andy Lyle tittered at his embarrassment.

"Oh. I'm sorry Mr. Kalen, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, it's just that you look like someone I've met before."

"Oh. It's fine. People kept oddly looking at me today."

"You mean, Damon?" Felix asked. Kalen's eyes widened a little at Lyle and thought to himself, it is a small world.

"Oh, Mr. Lyle, how do you know Damon?"

"You know him, Mr. Kalen?"

"Ahh, yes. He was a friend of mine."

"I've met him a couple of times before. Small world, huh."

They laughed at the sudden coincidence but were later interrupted by the waiter. The man handed the menu to Felix at the same time, Kalen finished his meal and signaled the server for his bill. He grabbed the medicines in his backpack not giving much care if both men in front of him will see them. Felix and Lyle noticed and were both looking up and down at the menu and then Kalen but didn't ask anything thinking that he might get offended. Felix then altered to a different topic instead.

"So Kalen, what do you do for a living?" Felix asked the man who was busy arranging his things in his backpack, his eyes on the menu.

"Oh, I'm a graphic designer. I was transferred here 2 weeks ago from Shanghai."

"That's why you're in town?"

"Yes. I'm working on a project for your brother right now actually."

"You are?"

"Yes. For his café. My friend's friend recommended me to him. We had our first meeting at the café then I went to his place earlier to discuss something with him again. He invited me to come."

Felix was shocked to hear what his brother did. His brow raised a bit and looked at Kalen with questioning eyes.

"He did? Really? Well, Kalen, My brother seemed to be liking you now. He doesn't invite anyone over except for us."

"Oh, I see. Oh, no Felix. It's not like that. It was just a meeting regarding the designs he wanted."

"Anyhow, It's nice to hear that he is interacting with new people now. I also want to apologize in advance for his, sometimes controlling attitude. He can be very domineering at times. His patience is not his strongest forté, but, he is a decent man. Let me know if he is giving you a hard time, and I will deal with him."

"You don't have to worry about anything. I can handle him just fine."

Felix responded with a pleased nod. Perfect, he thought. They proceeded to order and Kalen decided to finally leave after paying for his food thinking that he would disturb the two men if he stays.

"Felix Mr. Lyle, I should be going now. It's getting late and I have work tomorrow. Thank you for your company."

"Ah, we can drop you off if you like."

"It's okay. My apartment is nearby. I'll walk."

The men just smiled at him and nodded a bit. He stood up and gave a polite smile to both Lyle and Felix, grabbed his backpack, and went on his way.

Few people were still on the streets, shop owners closing up, and others taking a stroll. The moon was luminous and he was beginning to feel wearier as he continue on his steps. His paces became wider making it to his apartment after just a few moments. He unlocked the door and threw himself on the couch, not even removing his shoes. He carefully puts his backpack down and loosened his tie. Sighing, he reached for his bag to get his phone to text his sister and reply to Matt. He opened the screen and saw that another message was displayed on it, saying; "See you on Saturday." It was from Leo. His heart flutters a bit not knowing why.

"This guy, are we text mates now?" He mumbled. He was too tired to even reply to him and just proceeded to text his sister and best friend, instead.

After doing so, he stood up and slackly grabbed his bag, making his way to his bedroom. He took a quick shower and puts on his pajamas. His sleepiness lessen a bit because of the warm bath, so he decided to read his favorite book to pass the time. He puts on the music and continued reading the part he had left the night before.

Chinese Zither is one of his favorite instruments. One he used to play for his long-gone friend. Music was their past time, their time to get away with the stress of their existence. He could only listen to it now for he can never play it to him ever again or for anyone, as he chose not to.

He couldn't concentrate on the book he was reading as the melody gave him goosebumps. He lay down the book on the table and rested his head on the couch, instead. He closed his eyes and hearkened to the serene sound of the Withered Dreams, of his withered dreams.

It was soothing and Kalen was slowly drifting away but he suddenly recalled what his best friend Matt had told him when they spoke on the phone.

"Don't let that Leo get into your head."

The name suddenly intruded his memories of the past.

He's not, he thought. But, for some reason, Leo appears to occupy a part of his mind. At a random time, the man would just pop up into his head. Being attracted to anyone is not on his list right now so he finds it strange as to why and how he would find him striking.

He shouldn't let his guard down, he thought. Things might happen at any given time or place. He grabbed his phone and decided to reply to Leo, just like a professional guy would do. They're not friends, but he is a client so he realized that ignoring his message is a big no-no.

"Yes, Mr. Leo. See you on Saturday. Good Night."

He put down his phone and continued to listen to the song. His phone beeped and immediately knew who it was.

"Good Night, Mr. Kalen."

We stared at his phone for a while and sighed, an indication that he is ready to go to bed and rest. As the song finished, he decided to retire to his bedroom and call it a night for tomorrow is another day for work so staying late too much was out of the question. He set up the alarm on his phone, turned off the music, and switched off the lights.

He laid down on his stomach and tried to sleep, but every time he tries to close his eyes, the image of the stunning one comes to mind. His daring eyes were full of questions about him and the past was all he could think of. He frowned a bit, trying hard to not think about him, but his mind continued to betray him. Just like many times before.

"What is it about you, Leo." He muttered under his breath and let out a full yawn.

Just then, he completely fell into a deep sleep with Leo still on his mind.

TO BE CONTINUED.