An Uninvited Guest

The next day with a sense of anticipation and a touch of eagerness, Kyle grabbed his phone as he lay on his bed to compose a message to Kayla.

The soft glow of his phone illuminated his intent as his fingers gracefully danced over the keys.

"Hello Kay, I hope this message finds you well. As the weekend unfolds its leisurely charms, how about we carve out a moment to meet next tomorrow? It feels like the perfect time for a rendezvous over coffee. I await your reply, eager to share more laughter and conversations. Wishing you a wonderful evening ahead!"

The text, carefully curated with a hint of warmth, sailed through the digital waves, carrying not just a coffee invitation but a subtle invitation to deepen the connection they had serendipitously discovered.

Kayla's eyes lit up as she read the message, and without hesitation, she replied with a positive and enthusiastic response.

—

As Darren went through his morning routine, the echo of Rex's message played like a persistent melody in his mind.

The notion of assigning the task to Kiara had struck him abruptly.

Darren believed that Kiara's detached demeanor and their less-than-amicable relationship made her the ideal candidate for this particular job – a task he considered sensitive and delicate.

However, as he contemplated delivering this news to Kiara, a wave of reluctance washed over him. In the quiet solitude of his morning routine, he audibly grumbled,

"Urgh... How am I supposed to tell her?" The realization of their strained rapport dawned on him, and he began to wrestle with the impending conversation.

Another internal dialogue unfolded as Darren muttered his thoughts in soliloquy, his words almost a whisper against the backdrop of the waking day.

"Given that we don't exactly get along, approaching her with this might be tricky."

The ease he initially anticipated in assigning the task to Kiara now seemed like a naive assumption, overshadowed by the daunting prospect of initiating a conversation that could potentially strain their already fragile connection.

The weight of the forthcoming discussion hung in the air, making Darren reconsider the simplicity he had initially perceived in this decision.

As Darren grappled with the internal conflict, an alternative idea emerged. "What if I just seek someone else for this task?" he contemplated, attempting to counter his initial inclination to involve Kiara.

His pride, seemingly a barrier to approaching her, pushed him towards another solution. "I'll discuss this with Kyle; he might have a better perspective," Darren declared, deciding to seek advice and potentially delegate the task to someone more aligned with his comfort zone.

Darren, with a sense of purpose, readied himself for a visit to Kyle's apartment.

Retrieving his keys from the table, he ventured out, relieved by the absence of work looming over the weekend.

As Darren entered Kyle's apartment, using the familiar digits of the house password, he was met with an unexpected emptiness.

The absence of his friend prompted a moment of introspection. "My bad, I always assume I can catch him anytime," he confessed to himself, realizing that his easygoing approach didn't guarantee his friend's constant availability.

The comfort of their friendship had fostered a belief in unannounced visits, but this incident served as a reminder of the need to check in and confirm plans, even with close friends.

Darren, faced with Kyle's absence, swiftly retrieved his phone and dialed his friend's number, only to be met with silence.

After a while, Kyle finally made his way in, and Darren couldn't resist a playful tease.

"The other time, you said I wasn't someone you could call for urgent help at the gym, now your line has decided to act the same way."

"I just went to grab some things from the mall,left my phone at home,I guess it's switched off already"

Kyle, taking the banter in stride, playfully added, "What brought you over, unannounced again?"

"I was almost leaving, thank God you arrived," Darren admitted in relief.

"I wanted us to discuss," Darren said, steering the conversation toward the reason for his unexpected visit.

"I also have a little something I wanna share with you too," Kyle responded, injecting a bit of brightness into the atmosphere.

With curiosity in his eyes, Darren couldn't help but ask, "What is it?"

However, before he could delve into asking again, Kyle playfully interjected, "Yeah, you said you had something to share. What's on your mind?" Their banter continued, creating an air of anticipation as they prepared to exchange news and updates.

"Woke up this morning and found myself tangled in thoughts about how to navigate Rex's message, and then that annoying lady, Kiara, just popped up in my mind," Darren recounted, a hint of frustration evident in his expression.

Intrigued, Kyle inquired, "And who's that?"

"Kiara, of course," Darren replied with a sigh, as if the mere mention of her name carried a weight of exasperation.

Perplexed, Kyle asked, "So you haven't resolved your differences up till now? I thought you guys were already working together. What about that? Didn't it help make things better?" Kyle's curiosity was accompanied by a tinge of confusion, wondering why the collaboration they had undertaken hadn't managed to mend the rift stemming from the incident at the mall.

Kyle leaned back, a quizzical expression on his face. "So what's the issue now?" he asked, genuinely curious about why Darren would choose to discuss Kiara when he had made it clear he wanted to avoid her, evident in his previous sentiments.

Darren, aware of the contradiction, attempted to rationalize. "I don't know why her thoughts came; I guess working with her every day is already storing her in my mind subconsciously," he confessed, as if trying to make sense of the unwelcome intrusion of Kiara into his thoughts.

As the conversation unfolded, Darren explained, "The thought was to make her do the task of following me to Rex's house party, but then I feel there should be other ways I could go through this.

"That's why I'm here to meet you." Darren's words carried a hint of uncertainty, and he continued, "You know quite a number of girls that could be of help."