Chapter Thirty-eight.

'Wow.' Christopher breathed. 

'You may come in.' He addressed Arnold, who was still standing at the door.

'Thanks.' Arnold replied, walking in after Christopher made way for him.

'Have a seat, please.' Christopher said.

'No, it's fine. I don't plan on staying for too long.' Arnold replied, his expression neutral. 

'I just stopped by to give this to Lina. I'm running late for work already.' He added, reaching for his back pocket. 

Lina motioned forward, closer to him.

She wondered why he spoke bluntly now unlike the previous night. 

Her eyes searched his as she stopped in front of him.

Arnold lifted his gaze and said "hi" before handing the piece of paper he had scrabble his prescription on.

'Here you go.' He commented. 

'Ensure to speak to your doctor so as to be sure if this will work for you.' He added, after she took the paper from him.

'I will take my leave now.' He proclaimed. 

'I shall see you off then.' Lina chipped in.

'You don't have to bother yourself.' Arnold stated. 

'I insist.' Lina blurted, sounding irritated.

Christopher exchanged a glance with Catherine, while watching the back and forth between Lina and her guest.

'Okay.' Arnold grunted, turning to the front door.

'Good bye, Christopher.' He mentioned as he walked out.

'Catherine.' He added, slightly turning his head to acknowledge the last sibling in the room.

'Bye.' Catherine responded, while Christopher hummed in response. 

Arnold walked out of the house with Lina following suit.

They arrived at his car without saying a word to each other.

'Bye, Lina.' Arnold voiced eventually, reaching for his car door.

'Is there something wrong?' Lina asked, raising a brow.

'What do you mean?' Arnold questioned. 

'You're acting so different today. I think something might be amiss.' Lina answered.

'Is Frederick okay?' She asked, nursing the impression that Arnold was gloomy because of his son.

'My son is fine. He is at school right now.' Arnold replied.

'Is it work, then?' Lina went on questioning.

'No, Lina.' Arnold stated, clenching his teeth.

'There must be something. You looked disturbed.' Lina insisted, taking a few steps closer.

'There is nothing. I am fine, Lina.' Arnold retorted, sounding irritated also.

'Is it me?' Lina caught him off guard. 

'Did I do something wrong?' She added.

'No.' Arnold responded subtly. 

'Then, why are you acting like I forced you to come here?' Lina spat.

'You phoned me yourself and suggested that you would bring me a prescription, but you're acting like you didn't want to do that in the first place.' She pointed out.

'Lina,' Arnold scoffed. 

'I am only being cautious. I don't want you feeling uncomfortable in front of your siblings.' He said, his words conveying his emotions. 

'That is unfair.' Lina muttered, realising he was playing an uno reverse card on her.

'Unfair?!' Arnold repeated.

'You told me this yourself, remember?' He proclaimed. 

'You told me being around you made you feel uncomfortable.' He rejoined. 

'Don't play that card with me, Arnold. I damn well know that you had no problem with that when I told you about it.' Lina countered, raising her voice slightly.

'You definitely have something else in mind that you're not sharing.' She added.

'Well, that makes two of us.' Arnold stormed right in front of her, standing just an inch away.

Lina eyes fell on his trembling lips, as he spoke.

'You must really think me a fool or a push over, Lina.' He uttered, and Lina lifted her gaze instantly. 

'What the hell are you talking about?' She shot back.

'You walked out of my life several years ago, with no tangible explanation.' Arnold started.

'I thought we already had an understanding about that.' Lina whispered. 

'An understanding.' Arnold snickered, shifting his gaze to the side.

'It's easy for you to say when it wasn't your heart that was broken.' He mentioned, shaking his head disheartenedly. 

'I called, send texts, emails, letters also, just to reach you, but you ignore them all.' He went on.

'It made me doubt at some point whether you ever really loved me. I became a mess because of you.' His eyes darkened.

'Only for you to return and have me wrapped around your fingers. I shouldn't be doing all these, I shouldn't care for you anymore, but I still find myself acting completely otherwise.' He breathed on her face, and Lina perceived some foul musky smell.

'Are you drunk, Arnold?' She asked, reaching for his arm.

'And how is that any of your concern.' He jerked away.

'You drove Frederick to school drunk?' Lina uttered in sheer disbelief. 

'Of course not. I had a few glasses after I dropped him off.' Arnold stated. 

'Why?!' Lina furrowed her brows.

'Because I was coming here. I needed the caffeine to pull my thoughts out.' Arnold answered, returning to his car.

'If you hated me so much, then why did you care to call? Why did you bring me your prescription?' Lina followed him, yanking his arm to make him face her.

'Because I was stupid, Lina.' Arnold muttered, leaning against his car.

'You don't deserve my kindness, yet I am kind to you. I opened up myself to you, talked about my life, let you into my home, introduced you to my son, yet you took advantage of me, again.' He continued.

'How did I take advantage of you?' Lina asked, her voice trembling. 

'You bruised my ego, Lina, and I was still stupid enough to care that you were ill.' Arnold spewed.

'But, I did a lot of thinking last night and concluded you were not good for me. I should stay away from you.' Her eyes welled up with tears as she listened to him speaking.

'But, you still brought the prescription. It means we can still talk things through.' Lina sobbed.

'We are friends, right?' Her voice broke.

'I am a man of my words, Lina. I needed to fulfill a promise even after realising it was stupid.' Arnold rebutted. 

'But, we can no longer be friends.' He stated, breaking Lina's heart. 

'I hope I never have to see you again.' He concluded and Lina's eyes widened. 

'Arnold, I am sorry.' Lina pleaded, grabbing his hands.

He yanked his hand out of hers, opening his car door to get in.

'Let me make it up to you, please.' Lina voiced, as he shut his door, and started his car.

'Arnold, don't do this.' Lina cried, slapping against the car window. 

Her fingers scraped against the window as he drove away.

His departure made her realised she certainly couldn't have her cake and eat it.

What was she expecting, anyway? She had treated him unfairly in the past and even stopped him when he kissed her.

It was fair for him to feel that way, but not in a million years would she have expected to see Arnold lash out so vulnerably, or herself pleading with him not to leave.

She thought she'd successfully eliminated her feelings for him.

But it's now evident that some feelings may still be lurking inside her.

The honk from her father's car broke her free from her thoughts, and she dashed into the house, after she spotted her parents.

She barged in, startling her siblings who sent curious looks her way.

'Are you okay, Lina?' Christopher rose to his feet when he saw Lina's face etched with sorrow.

'Lina..' Catherine called out to her, but she ignored them both, finding her way upstairs into her room.

'What is going on?' Christopher shot Catherine a stare.

'I have no idea.' Catherine uttered. 

'How is that possible? Didn't you spend the night in her room and played in the garden together this morning?' Christopher fired. 

'You must have an idea about this meeting with Arnold, yes?' He continued.

'No, I don't.' Catherine replied. 

Their conversation was disrupted when Natalie walked in with her husband. 

'What happened to Lina?' Her words greeted her children. 

'We don't know.' Catherine replied. 

'What do you mean you don't know?' Natalie fussed.

'She was cheerful just a while ago before Arnold came.' Christopher commented. 

'What did he do to my daughter?' Natalie questioned. 

'She was supposed to see him off, we don't know what he did to her.' Christopher chipped in. 

'Excuse me!!' Natalie walked past them, heading for the stairs.

'Lina?!' She called out as she walked to Lina's room.

While Nathan sent a curious look towards his children.

'We really don't know dad.' Catherine remarked.

Nathan followed his wife, so did Christopher and Catherine. 

They all stopped in front of Lina's door, watching Natalie knock on it, asking her to come out.

Christopher moved forward and spoke.

'Lina, you can't have us all worried out here, then lock yourself up in your room. You are no longer a child.'

'Come get the door, please.' Christopher added.

'I am going to break it down.' He proclaimed. 

'I'd like to see you try.' Lina spoke from inside her room.

'Please open the door Lina. Let's go for drive.' Christopher muttered. 

His answer came in the form of the door creaking open.

Lina's blotchy face surfaced as she walked out.

'What happened to you?' Natalie posed a question immediately Lina walked out.

'Not now mom, I'm going for a ride.' Lina interjected, taking two steps at a time towards the stairs.

Christopher followed her and they both walked out of the house.

Got in his car and he drove off. 

He was going to say something after a while, but was interrupted by Lina's ringing phone.

She scoffed and lifted the mobile device to see who was calling.

'It's Arnold.' She expressed in awe, shooting Christopher a gaze.