Chapter 4 Painful memories

David opened his mouth to say something but the words refused to come out. He can't believe that he is actually standing right in front of her. And wait, she's friends with Audrey? His mind was filled with so many thoughts but he tried to recompose himself.

"Hi! Alice. It's nice to meet you" he said with a straight face.

"Same here" Alice replied, mustering up the sweetest smile and they shook hands. Things kinda felt awkward. 'Did he really not remember me? Well he was drunk that night after all' Alice thought

"She's the one I told you about. The graphic designer and artist" Audrey said

"Oh! Okay. Well, you'll have to come to the company for an interview by 9:00am on Monday. Then we could decide" David turned on the office mode.

"Thank you very much sir, I'll do that" Alice said in relief. Thank God things worked out well. She's going to make sure that she does her best to show what she's got, and he would have no choice than to take her. After all, she has the skill. She knew that Audrey would want to have some time with him so she came up with some reason to excuse herself.

"Um.. I'll just go grab a drink" Alice said before leaving the both of them alone.

"I heard about what happened. I'm really sorry" Audrey said when Alice left.

"Well, I'm not sorry. She made her choice, and I can't change that" David said and took a sip from his wine.

"So.. are you okay?" She asked with concern

"Come on Audrey, I'm fine," David said, trying to convince her not to worry. Audrey has been very close to him and he could tell she was genuinely worried for him. But he didn't want to talk about it. He was trying as hard as he could to forget about her.

The music had started playing and a couple of people were now dancing with their partners to the slow music. All that Audrey wanted right now was to have a dance with him.

"Do you want to dance?" He invited and Audrey silently thanked her stars.

"Sure" she smiled broadly, struggling to hide her excitement.

He led her to the dance floor and put his hands around her waist. She placed one hand on his chest while they swayed to the rhythm of the song. Audrey felt happy whenever she was with him and she enjoyed being in his arms. If only he could see that she could be the one for him? She wanted him and all she ever wished for was for him to look at her the way looked at Maya. She wanted their relationship to be beyond friendship. Well, since Maya is no longer in his life, maybe she could have a chance.

David was dancing with Audrey but his mind was elsewhere. He just didn't know how to react earlier because he was surprised to see her. All that he's been thinking of was seeing her again, yet he wasn't prepared to meet her so soon. Maybe he should speak to her.

Alice took a glass of wine and walked back to the area where she found those paintings. She stood in front of them admiring its beauty while sipping a glass of wine. Walter entertainment was a diverse company dealing with entertainment industries and popular artists, including celebrities from different fields. Working in such a company as a graphic designer, her skill could come to good use and eventually, she could achieve being the artist that she has always wanted to be. All she needed was enough money to start up her own art gallery. Her mind drifted back to him and she looked at where they were standing before she left. And he was dancing with Audrey. 'Did he also like Audrey?' she thought but decided to just mind her business and went back to admiring the paintings. She stood there for a while and then moved to the next piece of art depicting the beautiful sunset.

"You like the paintings?" Alice got startled by that one voice, and she turned back at once.

"Oh! Yeah, they are beautiful" she said and managed to get herself back. She wasn't expecting him to just walk up to her. Besides, he was dancing with Audrey just a few minutes ago.

"You look just as beautiful as the sunset" he said and Alice blushed. Her face turned red and she tried to hide it by looking down. But he liked the way she reacted to his compliment.

"Thank you," she said.

"So you and Audrey have been friends for long?" He asked and Alice could not really tell if it was a question or a statement.

"We've been friends since high school" she replied to which David nodded. His phone rang in his pocket

"Please excuse me" he excused himself to take the call and went outside because of the background music, but he never came back. For the rest of the occasion we did not have a glimpse of him. Alice wondered why he left all of a sudden, without even saying goodbye. Well, on Monday it is then.

"Do you think he likes me?" Audrey asked on their way home.

"To be honest, I can't really tell," Alice said simply. She was really not sure if he likes Audrey or not. Maybe he just took her as a friend. Besides, he had a fiancee.

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David was indignant. He never expected that his brother and his ex would have the nerves to attend the gala after all that they did. The moment he sighted them while speaking with Alice, he almost lost it. But he didn't want her to see his weak side. He already painted not the best reputation for himself the first time they met and he doesn't want the situation to be worse than it already is. So he excused himself immediately and his phone rang. He just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

David drove back home as painful memories came to his mind. But he has decided to put everything behind him. Like a refuse thrown into the trash.