Hidden Passion
Chapter 16

Lillian got off her car in the company's parking lot and was about to close the car door when she sighted Dorcas coming out of a Corolla Sport some feet away from where she was. Dorcas did not own a car, so someone may have dropped her. She watched as she began smiling and a man emerged from the driver's seat who Lillian could recognize anywhere and anytime of the day. Nathaniel.

She realized Dorcas had not been telling her about her relationship anymore and that was so unlike her. Not that she wanted to pry into their business, but the best friend she knew would never cease to update her as things were going for her in her relationships and ask for her opinions. She did not want to conclude that she changed, but it was obvious that Dorcas was no longer her usual self. Perhaps, she was just too in love to pay attention to her now. She locked her car with the remote on her car key and started walking toward the entrance with one intention in mind.

Ignore them.

But it seemed some things were not going to work the way she wanted them to that day. She figured Dorcas had seen her and had called her over. Now, she had no choice. With a little bit of ire, she forced a smile and sashayed toward them, her eyes locking with Nath's all the way.

She finally looked at her friend when she got there and gave her the best smile she could offer at that moment. "Hey, Sugar. What's up?" She acknowledged her friend, not again sparing another glance beside her. She could still feel his gaze on her, but that didn't matter. One would think they would consider being friends after she went to his office, but that was not the case.

The trip was scheduled to be the following week and she had been preparing for it. The truth being that she was elated to be going on the trip with him. She knew she should not be too giddy, of course, since her friend had warned her to be careful with her man. Nevertheless, she decided to make most of the time she would spend with him and hold the memories as the last one she had of him.

But that, she would never tell a soul. She had better remain cold and mean and keep making everyone believe that she did not want to go on the trip.

"Hi, Lilly,” Nath greeted, not realizing his use of her shortened name. It tends to come out of his mouth as it wills and there was nothing he could do about it.

Lillian wanted to ignore him totally and act like he was not present, but she could not. She liked the way her name rolled out of his mouth, but she had to object. She faced him with a smile. "I will love it if you call me Lillian," she corrected and before she could swallow the rest of the sentence that had formed in her mouth, it rolled out in the next second. "Only my special man is allowed to call me that." She looked back at her friend in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," he apologized so sincerely that Lillian could not help but wonder how he could be so serious about an apology.

"Really, Lillian? I'm jealous," Dorcas commented amidst laughter.

She smiled. "You don't need to. Your man is right here beside you," she said, forcing back a scowl.

"About that—" Nath started, wanting to clear the misunderstanding of her relationship with Dorcas, but Dorcas beat him to it.

Dorcas linked hands with him and said, "Yeah, you are right."

Nath disentangled their hands.

"Can you go ahead first? I want to discuss-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Lillian had turned around and started waving her hand as she walked her way into the company. A tear escaped as she entered her office. When was she going to get over the man? "Don't be silly, Lillian. It's too early to cry. I thought we have gotten over this," she reprimanded herself as she wiped her tears and sniffed back a sob.

"Your friend doesn't seem to like me at all, Dorcas," Nathaniel pointed out, hoping he could get some answers from her.

"Lillian loves everyone. I don't know why she is like that to you, honestly," Dorcas lied. She had figured out that she was forcing herself to hate Nath because she did not want to get into the way of her non-existent relationship with him. Who did she think she was to pity her? Did she look that pitiful? Why must she be the one with a good heart?

"Okay, but then, why did you stop me from telling her that we have no relationship of sorts earlier?"

"We have a relationship, Nath. Why else would you drop me at work when you're already running late?" Dorcas asked.

Nathaniel shook his head. "Don't misunderstand my kind gestures, Dorcas. I saw you by the roadside looking for a cab, so I took pity on you because of the early sun to—"

"Why does everyone have to pity me?" She asked no one in particular, but each of her words were wrapped with anger.

"Pardon?"

"It's not bad if she keeps believing that we are dating. It's not like she likes you or something, so why do you care about someone like that?" "What? Someone like that? How could you talk like that about your friend?"

"We're not very close. And besides, I was just telling you that she isn't worth thinking about. She hates you. Think about me, instead. Nath, I really love you," she confessed as she wrapped her hands around his neck and leaned into his face for a kiss.

Nath placed his hands on hers, removing them off him and turned his mouth away, so her kiss landed on his cheek. He could not even say the reason he was being nice to the lady. She was obviously someone who did not have a pure heart, or so his mind told him. He was not so experienced with women, given the fact that he never had a girlfriend and did not associate himself much with them.

That was why he ignored her advances in his house the first time she was there, thinking she would take his no for it. But he was wrong. That was not the best option. The best was to cut all ties and end things. But how could he cut ties that he never bound and end things he never started?

He would just ignore her totally.

"Why?" Dorcas stupidly asked without any remorse.

"Why?" Nath could not help but repeat. "You have a boyfriend, and you are forcing yourself on another man, isn't that shameful?"

"What do you mean boyfriend? I don't-"

"Cut the crap and stop pretending you're not going out with the waiter," he revealed. He had seen them a couple of times on different occasions, but it was none of his business. He was actually relieved she would stop coming after him. Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought she could be this shameless.

Dorcas' eyes widened with shock. No one knew about her relationship except a few of her family members, so how did he know? She opened her mouth to talk, but his words deprived her of that.

"You obviously don't want people to know, so rest assured. It's none of my business, anyway. I just hope you can stop all of your shameless attitude of trying to leech off me. Don't think you can ever get something from me, I am very stingy," he advised. He realized that was the first time he had spoken more than a sentence to her. "Just so you know, I was never interested in you. And I would appreciate it if you don't repeat this. Well, I know you won't even get in touch, unless you are really a shameless whore."

Dorcas could only watch in shock as he got into his car and drove away.

***

Lillian could not believe she was still crying ever since she entered. She had even taken it upon herself to peep at Nath and her friend in the parking lot from her office by rolling up the blinds.

She could see their lips dancing, but she couldn't figure out a word they were saying, but her heart shattered when she saw her friend wrapped her hands around Nath and leaned in for a kiss. She had angrily roll down the blinds that instant and went to her seat. She couldn't bear to see them kiss or she would just collapse. Even the thought only was making her go crazy.

What hope did she have? Was that how forgetful human beings were? But she did not forget him. She was able to recognize him in that magazine she had always put beside her and always talked to on her bed every night after work and every morning.

She always prays to God for Nath to remember her. She had prayed earnestly one night and had cried her eyes out for God to make him remember because she believed that there was nothing God could not do.

But it seemed to her now that her prayers did not reach God's ears. If they did, He would have answered. God could not have abandoned her to suffer like that. She believed that sentence as strongly as she could. She would just have to pray

more.

"No," she suddenly muttered. "I won't pray anymore. I should not be selfish. I will just let Dorcas have him since she has found her happiness in him. She had suffered enough of heartbreaks for her to be deprived of this joy," she concluded. "Lord, let the two always be happy together and please, help me forget him," she prayed silently.

How more selfless could she be?