บท 21: Anticipating the future and reminiscing the past 1

Raising an eyebrow she curved up her lips.

"I thought it would be irresponsible of me to leave when your mother especially assigned me to you. If I was to take leave on the second day of work it wouldn't look good."

Leaning forward she looked deeply into his pupils and examined them.

"Never mind why I am back, why are you so distracted? I called you several times but you ignored me, are you perhaps having a relapse? Dazed and unresponsive behaviour are tell-tail signs but your eyes aren't dilated so it does not seem like you are having any problems."

Pushing her out of the way, Julian strode forward aggressively.

"I am fine, I was just lost in thought." Leaving the surprised Elizabeth in his wake, Julian continued on his way towards the elevator.

With the meeting concluded, everything was already set up and now all he had to do was watch it all fall down. What he had to do now was make sure that he was the one to fill the gap that would be created by his little show.

As Elizabeth rushed to catch up to him from behind, Julian entered the elevator. As he turned around to press the lobby, Julian glanced at the woman trying to scoot past him into the elevator.

"You can take the day off the do whatever you want, if it comes up I'll say you were doing something for me."

Gently pushing her out of the doors he pressed the button and watched the doors shut on her confused face. What she was confused about he did not know, but it did not really matter as right now he had to go meet a stupid guy.

As the elevator descended Julian pulled out his phone and clicked a familiar number. Lifting up the phone to his ear he waited while leaning back on the rail.

"Duuu, duu, duu- Hey, you finally called. I thought you had finally kicked the bucket."

Smiling at the harsh words that sounded over the phone, Julian just lightly laughed. Although he sounded rude, he could tell that his friend was concerned about his well being.

Julian had kept the fact that he had been poisoned a secret from almost everyone, even his mother, but he couldn't bring himself to lie to his friend. When he passed out for the first time when he was ten years old the only one he could talk to about it was his best friend.

Even though they separated when he had fallen out with his mom he still kept in touch online. He was numb to it now, but when he was younger the thought of suddenly collapsing one day and never waking up was terrifying. The only reason that Julian got through that period in his life was because of him.

"You know that I can't kick the bucket before you. Isn't that what you told me?"

At the other end of the phone, there was a short pause before he answered using a hurt and blaming tone.

"Did you just curse me? You haven't called me in a month and the first thing what you say when you finally do is that I should go die?"

Stepping out of the elevator and into the lobby, Julian released a sarcastic sigh.

"When did I ever say that? And who cursed whom first? Don't be so touchy, if you are really mad I'll buy you some sushi to eat to make up for it."

"Sushi?"

The teen over the phone was confused.

"How can you treat me to anything, you are somewhere France right now, right? So are you going to send me some money or something? Thanks for the offer but I'll decline. Although I'm not in their good books I am still my parents' son, they will not let me starve."

Snorting, Julian scolded the boy over the phone.

"Who says I am going to send you money? Stop deciding things on your own and get down to the usual place, I'll meet you there in twenty minutes."

Taking his phone away from his ear he barely managed to hear his friend gasp and then scream loudly. Smiling slightly, Julian walked out of the building and got in the car waiting for him at the front.