"Sorry!" She called out as she walked into people on a Friday afternoon, her smartphone continuing to slip from her hand while she fumbled to grab hold of a file from her hand bag.

"No, Chole. I'm too busy for a date. Besides, blind dates are a custom I've never quite accepted or understood." Cahira said in a hurried voice.
She was nothing short of a workaholic, balancing a management position at the age of twenty four.

"You need to get out of your shell! I'm telling you. This guy is amazing, I know his brother who is an absolute gentleman." Her friend and colleague retorted. Chole was a complete contrast to Cahira, mayhap that's why they fit so well together. Always helping each other out of their comfort zones.

"Give me his name at least."

"Sorry, your voice is distorted!" Cahira knew what her best friend was pulling off.

"I know what you're trying! Tell me his name or I won't go!" She refuted, her last attempt.

"Half past eight at the Royals! Wear something fancy maybe the blue dress I gifted you last year, bye!" Cahira growled in frustration as she heard the call beep. She made up her mind, without knowing even a bit of the guys profile there was no way she'd go.

She went.

Chole knew of her friends adamant behaviour and predicted that she would talk herself out of the date which is why she herself came to push her out if her apartment.

"You have to go, get yourself tidied up. Right now, or I swear I'll do it myself." She threatened.

So, after quite a bit of prodding, Cahira Denver stood at the entrance of The Royals.

"Chole, this is so stupid. Why can't you tell me his name? A white rose seriously?" She muttered in distress. Apparently they wanted to follow the whole blind date to the T because Cahira was clueless about who the guy was or where he would be.

She was instructed to walk up to the reception and tell them about a date with a man who held a rose. Though nameless, Cahira managed to find out something else about her mystery date, he hadn't been on a date since his long relationship with a girl in highschool. Cahira knew that feeling all too well, she was the same of course. The five year long bond she had created with a guy in highschool had ended on a short and abrupt note, perhaps that's what kept her away from relationships, the uncertainty.

"Hi, I'm Cahira. I'm supposed to be meeting a man who has a white rose?" She ended with a question, so unsure of the words that left her mouth.

"Right this way, ma'am." She couldn't distinguish the look the manager was giving her.

He guided her to a table in a secluded corner, the tall figure that she was to meet sat with his back to her but his white rose was more than visible at the center of the round table.

A smile, that she hoped looked enchanting, was plastered across her face. Her mystery man turned around and she held her breath.
She knew those eyes, she knew that face. She knew all of him.

Ace. Her Ace.

They both stood in shock, staring at each other. The manager must have excused himself as they didn't speak for a long while.

"Cahira." She felt her knees weakening, his voice had changed, so much, yet it left her feeling breathless the same way it did seven years ago.

"Ace." She didn't know what else to say, her mind was reeling. She was stunned beyond belief and her memories were restricted only to the day they parted as highschool lovers.

"I-"He cleared his throat, looking away from her glaze that no doubt still spoke of the pain he caused her. Cahira didn't think much about him in the past years, having moved on. But the moment she laid eyes on him, she felt angered all over again.

"This must be a mistake. I can't believe Chole spoke to Ryder." She mumbled, shaking her head. At that moment, she wished she never agreed to this lunacy.

"I can't believe Ryder knew." He replied in a betrayed voice of his own.

"Yeah, God forbid he would. Disappointed that not everyone forgets like you do?" She hadn't meant to snap, in fact she wanted to leave. The sickening romantic atmosphere was all around her. She hated every moment of it. A girl who always managed to keep her calm brought down by a man like him.

Her words hit him like bricks, she saw that but didn't even spare a look of pity as she turned and walked away.

"Ma'am, is everything alright?" The same manager resurfaced.

"Actually, no, nothing is right. I need you to stop that man from following me." She commanded handing him money. He nodded almost immediately and did as asked.
Cahira got into her car that the valet brought in a haste and left. Not looking at the rear view mirror till she was far away.

Reaching her apartment she stayed in the car, her life was running smoothly, she had moved on her own tiny way. Now back he comes, just ruining her composure with his eyes.
Her phone rang incessantly, to an extent where she knew she had to pick up.

"Cahira, are you alright? I heard what happened, I'm so sorry! I never knew he was the same man." Chole's apology was of little to no significance to her at that moment.

"I didn't want to do this, Chole. You should've told me his name. As my friend it was your duty, I never wanted to cross paths with him again." She sneered. That man had scarred her.

She didn't wait for Chole to blabber out an excuse. She left the car and walked herself to her apartment building. Yet even in her own territory he stood infront of her.

She wanted her money back.

"Go. Away." She enunciated through gritted teeth.
She pushed past him and opened the door to the building. Perhaps her anger blinded her because she forgot to see if door closed before he followed her.

The distressed woman stood with her key in hand and his presence in her space.
"Why are you here? I'm not sure this occasion demands your personal appearance. A text would have sufficed." She knew she hit a spot, infact she broke him. A sadistic pleasure bubbled in her, her words were the only way she could hurt him. A lover who broke up with her over a text. What a joke.

"Cahira. No amount of my groveling will grant me forgiveness. I know. But whatever that you think happened years ago, wasn't all that did." She was surprised that she was letting him talk.

"I'll recollect what happened, correct me by all means. You, Ace Kingsley, ended our five year long relationship with me, Cahira Denver, over a text because you are nothing short of a coward." With those words she pulled open the door the shut it behind herself.

Deep breaths. Calm yourself, he isn't worth it. She told herself.

She went inside, genuinely surprised that no reply came from the other side but then again, that's the Ace she knew. How dare he make himself seem like a victim to the world?

A few minutes later, she came into her living room wanting to spend her night watching a drama in the cosy couch to only find the man she left outside seated upright on the very same sofa.

"Who let you in?!" She yelled this time, finally losing her cool. He just raised a key in air. The spare key that she kept hiden outside her apartment. She cursed herself, of course he'd remember where she kept the key, she had kept it in the same place in her family home back in senior year

"Do you need a restraining order? Or perhaps the security to drag your ass out?"

"I need you to listen to me, Cahira."

"Now you want to talk? After seven years? What happened to I'm not confident face to face?" Her voice raised, after a minute she frowned to herself, realising how a ghost of her past still managed to get a reaction out if her. With that thought she sat herself down opposite to him, staring him right in the eye.

"Don't shut down on me, please." He mumbled, and Cahira sighed.

"Go ahead, take the stage. Apparently my performance didn't deserve a standing ovation." She said monotonously.

"What happened after senior year was a mistake. I knew it right then too, but I didn't have it in me to fight for a long distance. I know I was coward, I always knew that but baby, I loved you every moment. Still do."

"You do understand that nothing in that sentence clarified anything. Am I not "Worth leaving alone"?" He cringed and she enjoyed herself even more.

"Leave, Ace. A man like you will never have a place in my heart again." She stared at him with cold eyes, devoid of any emotion, just how he deserved them.

"You knew me, Cahira. You knew the kind of boy I was, I didn't have it in me." He whispered, yet it didn't move her, seven years of pent up anger does a lot to someone.

"Find a girl who can live with that, actually, find one that you think is worth fighting for not worth letting go. You made it clear that wasn't me." Just as she was about to get up and leave, her doorbell rang.

She stood and prayed it wasn't Chole when she opened the door.

"Oh sweetheart, Chole called me in tears, baby are you okay?" Her over the top sweet neighbor with extreme Playboy tendencies stood with a bag of chocolates in his hand. Even with his questionable ways, he was a good friend.

"This is not a good time, Jake. He's inside." She said, she trusted Jake with her life.

"He's what? Why di- I'm confused." Jake's face had srunched up he thought she'd be having an emotional breakdown at that hour but a tea party was commencing instead.

"It's confusing, I'll talk to you in a while, okay?"

"Absolutely not. Let's meet this lover boy." Jake walked into her house as if it were his own.

"Hello, asshole. I'm Jake, the guy who'll be kicking you out." Jake offered him a handshake.

Ace stood, both men towered over her as she stood between them trying to calm them down.
"Ace, I think it's time for you to leave." He looked in her eyes and for the briefest moment, her heart swayed.
"I'm sorry, Cahira." He said in a defeated voice and just as he was reaching the door, she called after him.

"Ace-" She paused, "I forgive you. Don't beat yourself up over the past, what was between us was for the best. You changed me and for that I'll always hold you in good memory but your presence destroys my composure. I hope you have a wonderful life, you deserve it." She felt Jake's hand on her back and she knew she was leaning on him for support because the words that left her were like a host leaving a body.

She felt weak.

Cahira was no stranger to anger and one thing that it had taught her was letting go, the best way to release yourself.

"I wish you all the best too. A part of me will always regret my foolishness perhaps that's my penance." And with that said, he disappeared from her life. Like he had done years before. But this time, leaving her feeling content.

"Hey, hey." Cahira fell into Jake's arms, the tears in her eyes soaking in his white shirt.

"Jake." She whispered, biting her tongue, probably knowing she will regret the decision she was about to make, "Make me forget, please."

******** 
Mwahahaha, I mean, the title did set you up for this. XD

Love,
Rojesta 💜