Man of Fiction

One Week Ago

Alaric was so used to his work, that lying down on his own bed for more than five minutes became discomforting. His body itched to move, but his arm would not heal faster. He thought envious of Gareth, who probably had wondrous healing abilities.

He brought out his phone and went through his folder of pictures. He scrolled until he found the old college picture of Emily Rose. Her smile made him smile, and Gareth's mysterious arrival to Agapen was what brought them together. The sinking feeling in his cavity no longer felt heavy, even though Emily was spending an entire week with her fictional crush. He found it strange and reassuring, at the same time.

A knock came to the door, which heightened his senses. Apart from Gareth and Emily, nobody knew where he lived. Jericho and his Aunt Cho also were familiar with his address, but Jericho would always wait for him outside. His dear aunt, on the other hand, would not travel at such a late hour. Another knock hammered, and Alaric got up. He opened the door to see Magda Travey. His high school self would've been happy to see her, but his adult self felt a little bit disturbed.

"Magda," he blurted. "What brings you here?"

Magda furrowed her brows and placed two hands on her hips. "I called earlier, asking if you want to hang out." she said. "You told me to come here." A palm slapped into his wide forehead. How did I forget such an interaction, entirely? He thought, embarrassingly.

The redhead called him that afternoon, and Alaric noticed that her voice was oddly sultry. A part of him knew where the phone call was going, but he still asked her what she wanted. Just as he suspected, Magda asked him if she could spend a night with him. He gulped at the western courtship etiquette. It was also his teenage dream for a woman to spend a night with him in his first adult home, since it was believed to be the first step to Western adulthood. He dreamt that Magda would be his first, but time has erased this petty desire. He suddenly felt so stupid for allowing her to court him.

"I'm sorry, it slipped my mind." he said. Magda invited herself in and removed her jacket. Alaric noticed that she was looking especially good for the evening. She wore a yellow halter top, which framed her curvy figure very well. She wore a pair of white shorts that became shorter when she moved about. She had a strong strawberry scent that brought slight nausea to Alaric, and her face was bare of her usual make-up. She's really serious about it, he gravely thought. He was told Western girls wore less make-up on the first step of courtship.

He did not expect her to move fast, either. Before he could say anything, Magda planted her lips on his. For a while, Alaric enjoyed his first kiss. Once again, he dreamt that it would be her and it was everything that he imagined it would be. Her lips were pillowy soft and her eyes were excited to be with him. His heart slightly fluttered at her touch, and he almost thought that they could work. She pushed Alaric to his bed, kissing him some more. Her hands went to the hem of his shirt and she tried to lift it up. But her eagerness got the best of both of them, and when she tugged too hard, a shock of pain went through his casted arm. He grunted, pulling away from her.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" she immediately cried. "I got too excited!"

"Yeah, you did." He panted. Suddenly, the fluttering disappeared and he was back to reality. He gently pushed her aside and sat on his bed. Magda sat next to him, looking at him expectantly. "Do you want to continue?" she asked him.

"I can't push through with this." he said, not looking at her. "I'm sorry for making you come all this way."

"No, it's fine." Magda said. He looked at her, and there was no sign of pain from her face. She seemed very neutral about the rejection. "I figured that you still needed company, anyway."

"Uhm, thanks." he managed to say. "Are you seriously not mad?"

"We're not in high school anymore, Alaric." she snickered. "I just thought...doing it would help with the loneliness. You saved my life, after all. I wanted to do something to show my thanks."

"You didn't have to," he said. "You mean a lot to Emily, after all."

Then Magda gave him a wide grin, which disturbed him. "Oh, I see," she said, teasingly.

"What?"

"You like Emily!"

When people used to tease him and Emily back in college, he would just laugh it off. Alaric still laughed, but for a different reason. He laughed because it finally made sense to him. For a while, he has been running from the feelings and he did not care if it made him feel stuffy and uncomfortable. But Magda caught him red-handed, and he ironically felt free. There was no use of running, anymore. It was time to face it.

It's her. It has always been her.

******

At the Lacras Border Terminal, Emily and Gareth encountered the Author for the very last time. But she came to deliver a juicy offer for Emily Rose--an offer that she always wanted to receive since she started to love Mob Boy Order.

"A job offer?" Emily repeated.

"I think you have potential," the Author said. "My assistant plans to retire very soon, so I'm going to need to hire a new one. With your credentials, I think you're just what I'm looking for.

The job is very simple; all you have to do is organize my appointments and take any business calls from any publishing company. In exchange, I will expose you to other publishers and editors who can help you become the writer that you want to be. With my guidance, you will be able to write something in two years."

"You...you want to help me?"

"Of course! Think of it as a paid apprenticeship." the Author continued, giving her a book with a light blue cover. Instead of seeing the title of Mob Boy Order's last novel, it was her brand new book entitled, 'Man of Fiction'. "Meeting you has been serendipitous." the Author said. "You came when my new story will be unleashed. It's no coincidence.

I wasn't able to feed you guys some free dinner. Inside you will see three bookmarks; one is my business card and the others are free coupons from the western branch of the restaurant we were in--you can eat there for free, whenever you like. But when you have made your decision, give me a call and email your resume."

Emily took the book and shoved it inside her gray purse. "What happens if I accept your job offer?" she asked.

"You will be working with me on a fixed term," the Author said. "The release of my book will have a promotion period of six months in Lacras. Then if it goes well, we will make plans to sell more copies at Hembrandt. You will probably be here with me for at least a year or so. If you accept my offer, I will prepare a contract and set the terms."

"Okay, I will think about it," Emily said.

"Thank you for everything." Gareth said.

"It's my pleasure." the Author grinned at the monk. "I hope to see you two again, someday."

"Emily Rose!" Helga Rooney called out from afar. "It's time to check-in!"

"You better get going," the Author told them, bowing down. "Live well, both of you."

"We will," the monk said, bowing down with Emily.

Emily and Gareth boarded their train, which was set to go home. The two have not exchanged many words since the night before. Emily relaxed, for she could sense that Gareth had fully calmed down. She wondered what he and the Author talked about, but she was glad that things turned out well. The only thing that she did not know was Gareth's next plan. Was Operation Adonis still in motion for them?

They arrived back to Hembrandt that same afternoon. Once again, they were surrounded by crowds, more cars, and different kinds of tall buildings. When Emily stepped out of their train, she began to miss her twin brothers, nature, and the spaciousness of Lacras. In spite of this, Hembrandt still felt warm and familiar to her. She thought of the Author's job offer, realizing that she would have to temporarily leave this all behind if she accepted it. She was uncertain if she was ready for that.

Helga thanked and congratulated her West Blates Group for the success of their conference. The team dispersed and the two saw Alaric Bentlee and Magda Travey, waiting for them at the entrance of the West Terminal. Magda cheerfully waved at them, while Alaric held a bouquet of flowers with a smile. Emily and Gareth approached them, and then Magda immediately pulled Emily into a hug. "How's the East??? And the Fan Meet???" she asked, her tone in a high pitch.

"It was great," Emily replied. "Everything turned out well, didn't it, Gareth?"

"It certainly has," Gareth said, nodding.

Magda went to the monk and held both of his hands. "Did you manage to do it?" she asked him, whimsical. Confused, Gareth tilted his blonde head. "Do what, exactly?" he asked back.

"Confess your love to the Author! You said you loved her!"

Gareth chuckled and gripped Magda's hands tight. "I was able to confront her," he answered. "But...it just simply was not meant to be." Emily tried to read between the lines of what he had said. She felt that Gareth accepted the whole situation, somehow.

"Awww!" their redhead pouted. "Are you okay with it, though?"

"I am, Magda." he smiled. "I'm just glad that I got to do this."

Alaric approached Emily and handed her the bouquet of blue irises. She looked at him, who kept on averting his blue eyes away from her gaze. "These are for you," he said. "To welcome you back."

Emily accepted them, but then she heard Gareth click his tongue. "If you're going to give something to a woman, at least do it properly," he remarked. The detective scoffed and faced the monk with an incredulous expression. "It's barely five minutes and you're already berating me." Alaric pointed out.

"Oh speaking of presents," Gareth continued, pulling out something from his suitcase. He took out a long, scrolled-up piece of paper, and he handed it to Alaric. "I got this for you," he said.

Magda took the paper from and unrolled it for the injured detective. Their eyes widened at the glossy Mob Boy Poster that had an image of Gareth protecting a fully-clothed Rowan with his usual fighting pose. Alaric glowered at the blonde, who shrugged back at him. "I figured you needed a much more decent image to replace the vulgar one with," he said.

"Why you little ba--"

*****

"Is Gareth really okay?" Magda asked Emily, sipping her cream soda.

"I think so," Emily replied. "Like I said, a lot has happened in the East. I think he didn't join us, because he wanted to rest."

Their first evening at the West came, and Emily continued their catching up at Opal Drinks. Gareth took a rain check and decided to go back to Sunrise Apartment, with their luggage. Emily nodded, thinking it was better to give him more space. She was not prepared to confront him about her sudden confession.

"What did you guys do?" she asked them.

Alaric choked on his drink, making him cough out loud. Magda was also uneasy, but she channeled it by patting the detective's back really hard. Emily raised a brow at their strange behavior. "I...it was boring! I did nothing!" he said. "I'm still off duty and i'm itching to take this cast out!"

"Who has been taking care of you, lately?" Emily asked again. "Has Aunt Cho been visiting?"

"Uhm yeah!" Magda blurted out, laughing. "Aunt Cho has been taking care of him, you don't have to worry!"

"I didn't ask you,"

"Well that's because… she also knows!" Alaric said, nodding vigorously. "I text her about it! Yes!"

"Yeah we've just been texting, and that's it!" Magda added. Emily took another sip, eyeing her friends suspiciously. "Fine, if you so." she shrugged, letting the matter pass.

"Anyway!" Magda said. "About the General Manager. You said he was caught embezzling the hotel's money, right? What really happened to him?"

"I don't know," Emily answered. "Madame Helga was the one who has been checking in on him, but she only visited him for a day. She never spoke about him, since then."

"Smuggling of Mopane within Lacrassan grounds is punishable by death," Alaric pointed out.

"Yes, it's time for a new employee to take the position." Emily finished, pushing her empty glass away. The three friends left Opal Drinks and they walked to the bus port. They continued to talk about Emily's Eastern adventure, until Magda's bus arrived. Alaric and Emily bid her farewell, before she left. "Let me walk you home," the young detective offered, as soon as Magda's bus drove away. Hesitant, Emily's brown eyes traveled to his cast. "Shouldn't I be walking you home?" Emily asked.

"Again, I have a broken arm," Alaric reassured. "Not a broken leg."

The two started walking the same path, where Gareth fought the Racket Vengers for the first time. Emily's trauma made her look around the dark street, for any strange figures following closely behind. It would have been troublesome to run into thugs with an injured person. "Things have been quiet, thankfully." the detective said. "The Slash Bandit is still in jail, and the leader of the Racket Vengers got another chance at the system."

"That's very lucky of him," Emily said, imagining the teenage boy surrounded by children.

"What else happened in the East?" he asked. "Did you see… you know, your family?"

Emily nodded, her face saddening a bit. "I met up with Donnie and Leon," she answered with a sweet sigh. "I miss them so much."

"How did the baby shower, go?"

"It was terrible."

She shared the time she and her siblings faced their estranged mother and stepfather, and how rude they were at the party. Alaric became horrified when she told him about young Amos and the bruises he had. He closed his eyes when she finally mentioned how mad her mother went before she was dragged to the police van.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," he said, extending his free hand to hers. "It must have been so difficult."

"It was, but everything's okay." she reassured, squeezing his hand. "They're still under investigation, and the heavens only know how long."

"I hope it lasts for years," he muttered. "What about Amos? Where did he go?"

"Leon offered to take him in," she said. "Donnie was going to be busy with his first child, so Leon and his husband decided to take care of the boy for the time being."

"That sounds great, I'm sure they'll be great father figures."

"They will be,"

"Emily Rose."

Emily stopped. For some reason, his tone changed when he spoke her full name. She looked up at him, and he suddenly was very nervous. Worried, she gently asked him, "What is it?"

"I… I have something to tell you."

"Go on," she encouraged, smiling. "I'm listening."

"When you were gone, I did a lot of thinking," he began. "I thought our short friendship ended in our first year of college. You have no idea how happy I was when I saw you again at the station, I felt like I was given another chance… but then we had to deal with Gareth. It's not that I have a problem with him! Sure, he can be annoying but… heavens, what am I trying to say? I saw the way that you looked at him and all, and I don't know...it sounds selfish, but I didn't like how you interacted with him. I don't understand why, but it somehow made me act irrational at times. I'm sorry for that, by the way."

"What are you saying?"

Emily was taken aback by his rambling and he started to scratch the back of his neck. "I...ahh, I don't know how I'm going to go with this," He said, bashfully. "I'm not good with words, like Gareth. I can only talk detective, you know what I mean? Anyway! I… even though I was uncomfortable with you helping him, I decided to help you guys, because I can never really say no to you. During those times...I don't know when but I think I understand why I was so bothered with you guys."

"...Why is that?"

"It's because for the longest time," he breathed in. "I have these feelings for you. I guess what I'm trying to say is that… I… well, I love you, Emily Rose."

"WHAT?!"

"You...you have every right to be mad!" he shouted back, shielding himself. "But I'm injured, already! So take it easy!"

Emily placed a hand on her hips. "I haven't even courted you, and you are confessing to me already?!" she said.

"I know, it's dumb!" Alaric said, scratching his head again. "But I just wanted to say it, before you… give your love to somebody else."

She closed her mouth and her mind went to Gareth, who still has not answered her. She did not want to tell her friend about it, but at the same time, his instant confession made her question everything. She looked back at all the times that she has spent with Alaric Bentlee. She was comfortable with his presence and they've always relied on each other for a lot of things. They worried about each other, did many things together, and shared everything--even the most personal parts about them. And Alaric and Emily accepted each other, flaws and all. Alaric was always someone to go back to, regardless of what happened. She wondered if all those moments they shared counted as love. But she still felt so flustered.

"Now that you are aware," he continued, calmly. "You don't have to share your intentions with me, right away. I just wanted to say how I actually felt. It has always been you, Emily. I like spending time with you and I want to continue doing that, forever--if that's possible. If you don't want to, though...it's fine, just tell me and I will keep my distance, however you want it. It's your call."

They arrived at Sunrise Apartment, and Alaric watched her go inside. Emily looked back at him and gave him a small wave. The detective waved back and took his leave. Emily then watched him go, with all their memories flashing through her mind. They say that romantic love can ruin a friendship, whether you accept a friend's love or not. Emily did not want to give up Alaric, but he still deserved her answer. She also deserved an answer from Gareth, who was sleeping soundly in her own home.

Emily entered the elevator, realizing that it was time to tick out the last few tasks of her imaginary checklist.