บท 56: Lack of closure

"The kids could not stop talking about your presents. They loved…"

Edward was saying something about her visit to the hospital yesterday, but her mind was somewhere else.

"Yes, that's nice. I'm glad they liked it." That was her automatic response as they moved slowly to the music in the middle of the dance floor.

She tried to focus on him, but someone else kept catching her eyes. She found herself looking at him no matter how she tried to avoid him.

She had to stop before someone else noticed her, or worse, he caught her staring at him. Then, unconsciously she did it again, but this time, Brad was looking back at her. She could see clearly his face because he was just a couple of meters away from her. Not too close, but not far enough either.

She was familiar with every angle of his face, his eyes, nose, lips, and even the tiny mole in his right temple. Most importantly, she recognized the subtle expression in his eyes. The worry lines and the depth of his longing. It was all written on his face as he looked into her eyes with that brief interaction.

"Are you alright? You look slightly pale." Edward examined her, seeing her face lacked its usual color and her hand slightly trembling and cold in his touch.

That snapped her out of her trance. She did not foresee that seeing Brad again would have such an effect on her. She thought that she could act coolly in his presence. Pretend that everything was fine, but she was mistaken. Being face to face with him stirred something inside of her. A feeling that she could not give a name of as of the moment.

"Oh, It's nothing. Probably, it's the alcohol." She pulled her hand out of his and rubbed it together to warm it up. "I just felt suddenly cold. Would you excuse me? I'll just go to the bathroom."

Edward was certain that there was a different reason for her sudden change in demeanor. He was aware of the scandal she was involved in a year ago. He just saw the other party involved in it looking at her too. It was just a matter of adding the two to make the right conclusion.

He wanted to help her, be a friend to talk to, but it was not his place to pry. She must willingly confide in him, but that would only happen if she could trust him enough. He was willing to wait until such time.

"Ok." He moved aside, letting her passed him as she walked away. He just watched her from afar, hoping that she found a way to overcome her dilemma, get over him. Maybe in the future learned to love him too, because presently, he thought that he was already falling in love with her.

Once inside the privacy of the ladies' room, she stared at the large bathroom mirror. She was not on the verge of tears, but something was certainly wrong with her.

She looked closely at the reflection of her face, trying to analyze the meaning of her anxiety. It could not be shocked of seeing him again since she was quite aware that he was attending tonight. It was probably just the awkwardness of the situation. After the scandal, it was the first time that they had been in the same place at the same time.

She patted her cheeks to give it back some color and re-applied her lipstick before deciding to return to the party. She walked away from where she left Edward. He was just not the person she needed at the moment.

She decided to roam around looking for the person she needed the most, instead, she ended up bumping into his father who just finished discussing another case with one of his clients. As usual, these events were not only for entertainment, but a means to take advantage of opportunities.

"Where are you going?" His father asked her, taking a hold of her arm to stop her from rushing away from him.

"I was looking for Marge. Did you see her?" She asked while still scanning the room for her among the crowd.

Enrico looked at her, concerned written all over his face. "I think I saw her talking to Alex a few minutes ago." He eyed his daughter carefully, already suspecting that something was amiss.

"Dad, you don't have to worry about me. I'm ok." She assured him, knowing what was going on in his mind right now. She could guess that like everyone else, he saw him arrived with his wife. As a good father he was, he could not help, but be worried about her.

"I know Sab, but I'm your father." He placed his arms around his shoulder and pulled her close to his body while placing a kiss on top of her head. "It's part of my job to worry."

The comforting words of his dad did help her to feel more at ease. "I think I saw Marge. I better go before I lose her again." Leaving his Dad shaking his head.

She did not saw Marge, but she just needed to get away from his dad. He meant well, but he was not the person that could help her.

She decided to go to the bar and ordered something to drink when she could not find Marge.

"What are you doing?" A voice said behind her as she waited for her drink. "Getting yourself drunk?"

"No, just trying to calm my nerves." It was no use trying to lie to him. He must have already guessed it earlier. It was no secret anyway, what happened to her a year ago. Now, everyone was speculating and waiting for the shoe to drop. For her world to crumble.

"You know you can talk to me. I'm a good listener." He said, sitting beside her on the bar, ordering his drink.

"I know, Edward. So far, you have been a good friend. I'm really glad that I met you." She took the drink from the bartender and walked towards a table that was vacant on the corner of the ballroom with Edward following her.

"So, tell me. Promise, I won't judge. We all made mistakes one way or another." He wore a friendly smile on his face and gave her a comforting touch on her forearm.

"Seeing Brad again… I don't know… if it was the awkward situation or if I still feel something for him." That made her bit her tongue. She did not know what made her say that. It might not be the alcohol since she barely had a few drinks.

"Ok. What do you want me to do about it? I want to help." Edward offered.

"Just stay with me until this night is over. Just be my friend." She finally smiled at him. Feeling much better.

"Ok. Then, I'll be your best friend for tonight as requested." He took both her hands and enveloped it in his. The gesture made her smile.

She was still uneasy to confide in him, but she was glad that he did not push the issue. He just remained at her side, making sure that she was quite entertained. In return, she gave him her ninety percent attention.

The remaining ten percent was busy analyzing her feelings. She wanted to believe that she was over him. Although love might still be slightly in the equation, it could not mean that she was still in love with him. She finally concluded that it was just the lack of closure between them. That was it.