Days After You's

Chapter 38 - The Familiar Face

A chat group that has long been abandoned because all its members have been busy in the world of work each again crowded starting from Jeffrey's invitation to celebrate his return from abroad. The chat group contained none other than my former college friends Jeffrey, Ethan, August and Nino. At first I was just listening as I often do, but in the midst of the chatter, my eyebrows could not be restrained to not bend when I realized there was a discussion about Stella that was revealed by Jeffrey to others.

Jeffrey: By the way, I just stopped by Luiz's house. You remember Luiz's wife? I didn't think she'd marry that woman! Haha

Ethan: Why is that? I remember his wife being mediocre?

Jeffrey: That's exactly the problem, I didn't realize when I met earlier and thought he was Luiz hahaha's maid

Nino: Very bad of you, time counted hahaha maids.

Jeffrey: Well how else, I forgot his face haha

August: How bad your memory is that he forgot his wife's face.

Ethan: Nothing works, not beautiful but not ugly.

Luiz: Can you stop talking like I'm not here? That's my wife you say is like a maid.

Nino: It's not me Luiz. Jeff and Et tuh.

August: Luiz, long time no news from you. You'll come eat later?

Jeffrey: Ah sorry Luiz, I was just kidding, you know that.

Ethan: Luiz, don't be so sensitive, we're not insulting your wife haha

Luiz: Look at Gust, if these people stop talking about my wife, I'll come.

Nino: Jeff, Et, that's enough. Luiz was angry.

August: You guys stop.

Ethan: Well relax Luiz.

Jeffrey: Okay-okay, stop talking about Luiz's wife, he'll be angry and won't come haha. Luiz you have to come, yeah, I was just kidding, okay?

Were they always like this? I don't remember them ever talking about other people in a condescending tone back when they were in college. Only August doesn't seem to have changed much from before.

Jeffrey: Remember all of you, Wednesday at seven at Forty Eight. Bring your partner too, if any.

Nino: There is. Who do you think I am, the future itself.

Ethan: Cayman. I'll take Keisha with me then.

August: Okay.

Jeffrey: Luiz?

Luiz: Okay.

Jeffrey: Good.

The night Jeffrey arrives without waiting. The busy work for two weeks made me almost forget about the event. I wore a plain black shirt and matching cloth pants while Stella wore the same style she used to wear at Christmas to my house first. Sweater and long skirt. She was so sweet I almost forgot to say something.

"Luiz?" Stella tilted her head in front of me.

I shook my head and smiled, "Let's go."

Jeffrey had reserved a VIP room at the Forty Eight restaurant for tonight's event, so it was until Stella and I were escorted there. They were all—Jeffrey, Nino, August and Ethan and their respective spouses—we were sitting back when we walked into the room.

"Yo, Luiz," said Jeffrey.

"Luiz," said August.

Jeffrey grabbed me and Stella and turned her around to face everyone in the room, "Everyone, this is the couple we're waiting for. Luiz and his wife...Stella."

My eyebrows frowned, I let go of the hand that was coiled around my neck, "Stop that joke of yours, Jeff," I whispered firmly.

Jeffrey chuckled as he winked, gesturing toward the empty seats, "Canda. Come sit down."

I brought Stella who was a dead red from embarrassment to the chair next to August and her fiance. As I thought, only he remained like the man I used to know and was polite to Stella throughout dinner. The others, not really. They and their partner's women often try to find a gap in order to comment on Stella from every angle.

"Stella looks like a really nice girl, yes" said Ethan, he embraced the woman he was carrying who he said was a model while laughing, "Indeed Luiz type anyway. He likes that kind of thing I almost like."

"Well, Luiz, your wife's time is called kuper," Jeffrey laughed, "Marahin noh."

"Why if I'm a kuper? It's better for me than the hobby of promiscuity, it's been made here and there," I said and poured wine into Stella's glass that smiled little. Some people laugh naturally, while the offended ones simply force the 'hahaha' sound out of their mouths.

Again, I don't remember chatting with my college friends would feel this unassuming. In the past when hanging out, we could laugh freely without having to first latai or bring down the names of others in our chat.

"Eh uh but you remember no, Luiz used to be teretin same model campus? That's so beautiful, Karen," said Nino after laughing.

I raised an eyebrow, "...Who?"

"The son of adbis, who is one level below us, the mercy," August said.

I. I don't remember.

Nino shook her head, "Well, because this is why she gave up. You were never sensitive. Even though one campus was sure that you and he would be."

The whole age of the woman I've been on my radar that's almost 'so' with me is just Caryna that mom introduced. Outside of her, I never considered another woman a candidate.

"But it's okay, because he ended up being the same Ethan. That's easy to miss with a pretty girl, isn't it Et?" Jeffrey nudged Ethan.

"Yes."

From there the chat continues with a variety of random topics during college. It was half an hour later when Stella suddenly got out of her chair while holding her stomach, her face pale and full of sweat.

"Why Stella?" My whisper.

Stella shook her head, "...Just a stomachache. Go to the toilet for a minute."

"I'm with you."

"Eh.no, Luiz. I can do it myself."

"It's okay, I'll just go with it."

Stella's face was so pale that the anxious me wasn't sure to let her walk alone to the toilet at the end of the corridor in such a state. Be me accompanying Stella out after permission from the others.

On the way to the toilet, a rather oily Stella even accidentally bumped into a man in the corridor. The man, at first I thought nothing was strange, so I'm just sorry. But so aware of Stella and the man that no one moved anymore—they just pecked while staring at each other—my feelings started to turn bad.

The medium-height and moderately stout man instantly felt familiar in my mind, as if there was a blurry memory and I could not remember ever seeing or meeting him where.

Oh no, my gut feeling is that this guy is bad news.

----

It's late again uploading it. Sorry, well :")

**You've stopped by to read. For likes, comments and votes.

Have a nice weekend*^^^^^