To Be the Perfect Childhood Friend - Chapter 91

“….”

The look on Finian’s face was sour. Anita, not responding, clinked her glass with his and took a sip of the liquid inside. Neither of them had the courage to bring up past events now.

After exchanging some trivial conversation while clinking glasses, Finian soon went off to meet other people. With a headache starting to develop, Anita made her way into the main building of the villa to seek rest in her room. As she staggered along, she spotted the telephone in the drawing room.

‘What are they up to?’

Anita hesitated in front of the telephone for a while. Perhaps due to the effects of the alcohol, her hand moved on its own, lifting the receiver. By the time the dial turned and the connection tone rang, Anita regained her senses.

She recalled seeing a telephone directory under the telephone in the drawing room when she was young. Out of boredom, she had browsed through it and found Rutger’s home number. Although she had memorized the number immediately, she had never actually considered calling it.

She thought she had forgotten it by now, but it seemed to have remained somewhere in the back of her mind.

The clock’s hands were approaching midnight. Calling at such a late hour seemed excessively rude. Just as Anita was about to hang up, the phone connected, and she heard a familiar voice.

– Yes.

The indifferent voice came through the receiver. Anita’s body stiffened slightly, recognizing the owner of the voice.

“I’m sorry for calling at this late hour. I must have dialed the wrong number.”

Anita spoke in as businesslike a tone as possible. It wouldn’t matter anyway; he wouldn’t know the number.

– Anita?

Anita nearly dropped the receiver in shock. It swung from the cord under the table.

– I didn’t see you on the train home. No, that’s not the point. Where are you?

Curiosity about what Rutger was saying prompted Anita to gingerly pick up the receiver again and hold it to her ear.

– I know you’re listening. Could you please answer?

Rutger pressed on.

– By the way, Mrs. Rodel was looking for you earlier. Hold on, I’ll…

“Wait a moment!”

– You should have done that sooner.

Rutger’s tongue clicking was audible.

– So, where are you?

Click.

Anita abruptly hung up. It was a reflexive action born from indecision about how to respond. The phone fell silent for a while. As Anita debated whether to call back, the phone rang again.

Riiiiing.

After some hesitation, Anita picked up the receiver but quickly set it back down. It seemed there was no benefit in answering.

Rutger didn’t seem the type to be understanding, and he tended to lecture a lot.

Although Anita wanted to speak with him, she wasn’t keen on enduring his scolding. After a moment of deliberation, she picked up the receiver once more. She could always tune out the lecture; after all, Rutger was far away, so it should be manageable.

“What are you doing?”

Anita spoke before he had a chance. A long silence followed. As the silence stretched, Anita’s fingers fiddled with the telephone cord.

“I was wondering what you might be up to.”

Her fingers tightened on the cord for a moment, nearly pulling it out. She hurriedly reconnected the displaced cord.

“Is something wrong? It sounds noisy.”

“Oh? It’s nothing. Just a bit of commotion outside.”

Anita began to twirl her hair instead of fiddling with the cord. She wondered if she should ask what he meant by earlier. He probably wouldn’t give a clear answer anyway.

“By the way, about saying you were thinking of me…”

“You think I wouldn’t worry if you didn’t show up on time? If you have any sense of responsibility, you should at least make a phone call.”

Oh, that’s what he meant.

Anita twisted the ends of her hair with her fingers, realizing she had misunderstood.

“Sorry…”

“If you’re sorry, at least tell me where you are.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why?”

“Well, I…”

Anita didn’t want to reveal her location. She was afraid that if Rutger told her father, she might get in trouble for coming this far without permission.

“If you don’t tell me, I’m going to your house right now…”

“Fine, I’ll tell you.”

“…”

“It’s Liliana’s villa. Is that okay?”

“Where is that?”

Anita breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. It seemed Rutger had heard that Liliana had invited him to her villa, but he didn’t know the exact location.

“Hmm. I don’t know either.”

“…”

“I think I saw the sea on the way?”

“The sea? Are you okay?”

“Oh.”

She brushed her hair back.

Given his past behavior, she expected him to say she was being overly dramatic or complaining. It was still unusual for him to show genuine concern.

She had intended to joke around by giving him vague information instead of the exact location.

Anita bit her lip.

“Yeah, that sounds about right.”