30 A Trip to the Past

"It's not a secret about Gary Miller that they are desperate to hide, it's about his father," Clark reported to his boss.

"Do we know what it is?" Nathaniel asked impatiently.

He didn't want to waste any more unnecessary time on the phone with Clark. Just being on a call with his assistant was already wasting precious time with Maya.

Nathaniel was well aware that he couldn't keep Maya by his side the entire time. She would eventually want to leave and wait for Mr. De La Rue so that her family's dilemma could be solved.

"I'm close—"

"Then why did you bother me," Nathaniel groaned.

It was as if none of his people were using their brains today. They did everything to ruin time with Maya and break whatever momentum he had built up.

"But, boss, you said to keep you updated—"

"You fucking know I'm on a date," he hissed.

"So you don't want to be updated, sir?" Clark asked.

In the background, Nathaniel could hear Jay, laughing at the assistant as he made an even bigger fool of himself, digging his grave even deeper.

"Clark, he is on a date, don't bother him!" Jay called out, making Nathaniel sigh in relief.

At least someone that worked for him could figure out why he was so pissed.

"I'm sorry sir, I'll call when I have something more concrete to report," Clark said, quickly ending the call.

Nathaniel sighed and shook his head as he looked at his phone.

"I swear the next person that bothers me for something so trivial will be fired," he said as he shoved his phone back into his pocket and quickly returned to join Maya inside.

He wasn't surprised to see Uncle Rai and Maya, laughing as she held a menu and pointed at something on it.

As if tied by some unknown force, Maya turned as he entered and gave him a worried smile.

"Everything alright?" she asked as Nathaniel sat across from her.

"Yes, just some issues at work," Nathaniel lied. "So what were you and Uncle Rai talking about?"

Maya laughed and shook her head.

"He was just telling me about how our favorite meal ended up as a popular couple's meal here," Maya told him as she pointed at a dish on the menu.

"Well, that's what I was planning on ordering today," Nathaniel declared. "If I'm not mistaken that's your favorite." He said, winking at Maya, making her blush.

She nodded confirming that it was what she wanted.

Uncle Rai excused himself to place the order with the chef, giving the couple some much needed privacy.

"So…" Nathaniel said as he looked around the restaurant.

The place had changed quite a lot over the past five years, it had clearly modernized and it was much cleaner than he recalled.

"So?" Maya asked, raising an eyebrow as she noticed Nathaniel looking around.

"You haven't been back here since I left?" Nathaniel couldn't help but ask.

He feared the answer, but he was curious, he needed to know.

"No, I just couldn't," Maya confessed.

"Because of me?" Nathaniel asked, regretting his words right after he spoke them.

Of course, it was because of him, because he left, because he shattered her heart without leaving as much as a letter for her.

He just vanished that night and never returned until a few days ago.

"Because of us," Maya said with a sigh. "This place has too much of us and I couldn't, I still can't handle the memories of what we used to be."

Nathaniel took out his handkerchief from his pocket, reached forward, and gently wiped away the tears that had begun to fall from Maya's eyes.

"I'm sorry," Nathaniel said in a low voice as her tears subsided. "What I did was wrong. I can't change the past, but I swear I will live every day of my life trying to make it up to you, amor."

Maya looked at him with sad eyes.

"Don't, just don't," she said, clearing her throat and straightening herself. "I haven't forgiven you."

"And I will work every day to be forgiven," Nathaniel swore.

Maya sighed and shook her head, giving up on trying to convince Nate that some things cannot be returned to how it once was.

Nathaniel was about to speak when Uncle Rai returned with their food.

Maya gave him the best smile she could, but it was clear when you looked into her eyes how sad she actually was.

"Your favorite!" Uncle Rai said as he tried to cheer her up.

"Thank you, I've missed this," Maya confessed as she picked up her chopsticks and blew on the ramen.

"Enjoy," Uncle Rai said as he made himself scarce again.

Nathaniel watched as Maya savored the ramen.

He was sure that it was pipping hot, but Maya didn't care. She waited five years to taste the food Uncle Rai's family cooked.

It was then that Nathaniel decided that she should at least know part of the truth on why he suddenly left.

He couldn't keep on giving her vague answers, hoping that she would forgive him.

"Maya," Nathaniel said.

She lifted her head and looked at him with curious eyes.

"The reason I left was because my older brother wanted me dead."