"Since how long were you going to ignore me?"

Once Roy,could find himself free ,away from the eyes of everyone at the party,he picked up the phone call that was bothering him.A female voice yelled at him.

"I am sorry. The situation was a bit complicated, Eva"

He replied

"Did you tell her the truth? Is it over?"

Eva, his 21 year old, red haired secratory, who was now more than that, asked him.

Roy didn't reply.

"Fine,I am putting my resignation tomorrow morning. I can't be with a two-timer."

She replied.

"Eva....no..please...you know that I love you! I love you,Eva....I love you!"

He begged.

"It feels like ecstacy when you touch me....Please...Eve"

"Then break up with her. I don't want to be your side chick. I am too good for that."

"I will...I was going to...but then....I saw Eric again. Its been 11 years and I had to do something"

He replied.

"So?"

"She was the only thing I could use against him and I....You should have seen his face. I have never seen that defeated face ever before"

Roy smirked in victory.

"You won't break up with her because you want to make your Ex-best friend jealous? For godsake,he is THE Eric Luther Jones. He can have anyone he want. Also,he is with THE CLARA GOLDWIN now. Why would this aunty Jo matter to him?"

Roy smirked and said

"I thought so too but I took my chances. If you knew him like me,you would have known.
You should have seen his face when I kissed her. He looked like he just shit on himself."

He laughed reminiscing the moment again. It sounded evil,yet painful.

"You kissed her?YOU KISSED THAT AUNTY? And you have the nerve to tell me this?I am so done with you. I can't do this anymore"

As Eva proceeded to hang up the phone,Roy begged

"Sweetie,please....I could not think anything else back then. I don't want Jo to think of me as a cheater. She has done a lot for me. Ours is not a dirty affair either ...Its important and sacred to me, Eva"

Eva calmed herself and replied

"You already cheated on her,Roy. Not once,but everyday...... Since past 6 months we have been doing that. On your office,on your sofa,on my house,on your house....Forgot how you won't stop kissing me when we are alone?How your hands run all over my body? How we both feel when you touch me?......."

She continued

"I am so so desperate for you, Roy. I just want to hug you with full confidence that you are mine. I don't want to fear being seen or getting judged when we make love. Oh...Roy...I can't wait to kiss you again...."

She breathed heavily and moaned.
He knew what her hands were doing to herself to make her moan like that and that was enough.

Roy licked his lips and said

"I will be right there. Where are you?"

"But aren't you with her now? Isn't the party going on?"

"You are at home,right?Just wait till I reach .Its gonna get really hot there and don't hang up. Keep talking."

He didn't even turn back as Eva laughed over the phone.

All Joanna knew was that Roy, got a phone call and left.

Again.

Eric was gone too. And rest of the party was drunk too.

Clara's manager dragged her away and Ben and Tara leaned on Jo.And she sighed wondering how to get home now.

*********************

"Who the hell is this!"

Eric was mad at his maid when she knocked his door at 2 am in the morning.

Nope! He wasn't asleep.

He was anxious, hurt, felt betrayed, curious....though he didn't understand why but he felt completely alone.

He was always alone but today, it felt like he will always be alone!

Jo and Roy!
How did that happen!

His heart could not calm down. When Roy kissed her, Eric was getting such an irresistable urge to punch Roy, that one person he never thought he would hate.

But again,Eric had no right. He left them both behind in a quest to prove himself to his father....never looked back again....They moved on as they should and so what if they found comfort in each other! He has no place in their relationship.

"Doesn't matter. I don't love her anymore. Its just my stupid past"

He kept telling his heart and was oddly convinced about his conviction.

"Sorry,Eric sir. There is Clara madame outside. She is a bit drunk and wants to see you."

His maid had a valid reason to wake him up.

"Clara? What happened to her?"

Eric ran down the stairs and found Clara who had the blackest eyes he had ever seen.

Her lipstick and make up was all over her face. Its messed up.

"Did you cry Clara?What happened?"

Clara raced upto him and punched his shoulder.It did not hurt at all but she tripped on him.

"What are you doing, Clara? Get up...This is not it.."

As he slowly lifted her by shoulder,kneeled and placed her on the sofa. Clara found a resting place for her head on his right shoulder.

She sniffed up the snort and asked in a faint voice

"Is she really that pretty? Prettier than me?"

"What are you saying,Clara? Just what is all this? Now who is prettier than you?"

She lifted her head in anger.

"I know....I know everything...You should have seen your face. They way you look at that nobody. You were glancing at her like a teenage boy in love. I have never seen your cheeks go red like that since school. JUST HOW THE HELL DOES SHE DO THAT! HOW!HOW!HOW!"

Clara screamed and pushed him away. She lied back on the sofa.

Eric knew what she was saying. He was still kneeling on the ground to hold Clara in case she needs him.

Joanna.

She was the game changer of his life,as usual .Even Eric does not know how,but Joanna does have an influence on him.

"You looked so happy when she was dancing with her friends. YOU WERE DANCING WITH ME....YET YOUR EYES WERE ON HER......WHY! HOW! WHAT DOES SHE HAVE THAT I DON'T! ITS BEEN 11 YEARS.......WHY WON'T YOU LOVE ME??????"

Clara kept screaming.

"STOP IT CLARA.....JUST STOP THIS OBSESSION.I NEVER SAID I LOVED YOU! YOU THRETEANED ME WITH YOUR LIFE! "

Eric did not want her to rub it on his face furthur.

"OBSESSION?"

She sat upright and put both of her arms on his shoulder,leaned closer and looked straight in his eyes and said

"Don't make me do that again,Eric. I am never letting you go! I will actually burn everything if I can't have you."

She shed another tear and said

"Just how happy and perfect was my life before she came in. She came,didn't even move a finger and I lost you.....11 years and I am still trying to find you back......."

Clara muttered and passed out.

Eric sat down and grabbed his own hair and didn't even realise,but he sobbed the hardest that day.

**********************

Clara's manager Jacob was just one call away to take her away.

He gently lifted her, apoligised to Eric and walked out.

"Why do we want people who don't want us!"

She muttered in sleep and Jacob looked at her.

"Exactly Clara....Just why"

It was 3 a.m in the morning when the mess was sorted out at Eric's house.

Eric couldn't find his sleep anymore.

He tried deep breathing but gave up. He sat down and covered his face with swollen eyes, with both of his hands........Her face was still haunting him.That moment when she stood with Roy........

"Just how the hell did I end up like this!"

For good 10 minutes, Eric ran on his treadmill but gave up when he could not breath anymore.

After lying down for sometime, suddenly he wanted to see it again.

He opened his cupboard and pulled out an old photo album. Something that he kept with him like a treasure....

A memoir of his bright and carefree adolescence...When he did not care about dollars or Clara or stocks or Luther or his overcompetetive siblings.

As he went through the album, one picture striked him hard.

It was not as bright as when they clicked it. Time faded it glow but he remembers that day like yesterday.

Eric was sitting on Roy and Jake's shoulders like a rockstar,wearing Lewisia Public school's football joursey. It was maroon in color with Lewisia written in white.

"AND ITS A GOAAAALLLLL"

He could still hear Ruth's voice. She was the commentry queen of the school and the match was crucial.

Lewisia retained their status as the invinsible football champions of BB Haven, thanks to his match winning goal.

That picture was about to open a pandora box. One that was going to unearth lot of memories......

Memories are like Instagram reels. You can't just stop at one, right?

***********************

"Today the treat is on me. Enjoy my bros!"

17 year old Eric was exited. The match was crazy and he was glad to have scored the winning goal.
Lewisia's reputation was maintained and so was his pride.

He flexed his biceps and yelled

"Lewisian bros foreveeeeeerrrrr"

"FOREVERRRRRRR"

Their coach former state football team captain Antony proudly glanced at his boys and said

"ENJOY ALL YOU WANT TODAY.FROM NEXT MONDAY WHAT DO WE DO?"

"We workout harderrrrrr"

They yelled back.

For Lewisians football is a serious deal.

"And what can I get you sir?"

"Don't we go to the same school? What are you doing here?"

Eric could hear his mate Jonathan ask that waitress.

He turned and saw a girl of his age, stand with a writing pad.

That was the first time for him to see her. Her black hair was neatly braided
She nodded and asked again

"What can I get you,Sir?"

What followed next was the beginning of the best chapter of Eric's life.