It'll Come Naturally

"Go and sit anywhere you like. Do you want something to drink?" Belinda asked nicely, not noticing Annie's strange change.

"A glass of cold water would do." Her head was still spinning from all this new information about Rain. She slumped back on the plush leather couch, and put her hand to her head. "What? Cold water? Are you sure? It's freezing cold today!" Belinda looked at Annie, her eyebrows knitting.

"Oh, sorry. I..." Annie could no longer muster up any other words. She was deeply unsettled at what Belinda had just told her. It was only then that she had realized how much hurt she must have caused Rain. The wooziness in her head had gone; it was replaced by a terrible heaviness in her chest. Annie closed her eyes, covering her eyes with her hand.

"I'll get you some warm water. Okay?" Belinda noticed that Annie seemed to be aghast. She looked at Annie with a bit of worry, but thought it best not to pry. She went over to the mini bar in her office, grabbed a small glass, and filled it with water. She walked over to Annie and gave her the drink.

"Thanks." Annie took the glass and downed its contents. When she had finished, she breathed in deeply, trying to calm herself down.

Belinda had sat down across from her. She tucked one leg in front of the other. "I heard that you got married, right? And have kids." Belinda started. She felt sorry for Rain for missing someone he loved. But she also understood that love was mutual and now that Annie was married to another man, she couldn't just force Annie to divorce and marry Rain.

"I..." Annie contemplated whether or not she should tell Belinda the truth. She bit her lower lip and diverted her gaze from Belinda.

Belinda saw Annie was getting uncomfortable. "Never mind. It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. By the way, are you free for lunch? Let's have lunch together. It's on me. I've missed you so much!" Belinda said hurriedly.

"Thank you for your invitation, but perhaps some other time," Annie politely declined. She knew Belinda was kind enough to invite her to lunch. But she got another emergency to deal with. "I need to find a school for my kids. They're starting kindergarten soon." "Kindergarten? Why didn't you say so! My son's in kindergarten as well. You could enroll your kids there. The staff and facilities there are also top-notch. They could look after each other if they are in the same one." Belinda recommended enthusiastically. "That sounds great, but it still depends on how far it is from my place." Needless to say, the school Belinda's son was enrolled at must be very expensive. It was not really a problem for Annie, as she was genuinely more concerned about the convenience. "That's not a problem. It's just around here," Belinda reassured.

"Really? Could you tell me the address? I think I'd like to go visit the school first." Annie wanted to be absolutely sure first of the quality of education her children were going to get. It wasn't that she doubted Belinda; as a mother, this was a natural concern.

"Do you want me to go with you? I mean, you are just new here," Belinda said as she fished around her bag. She took out a name card and handed it over to Annie.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

"No, I can go by myself. Don't worry. Thank you, Belinda." Annie took the card and read it. The address sounded familiar, and, just like Belinda had said, was just near the company.

"Don't mention it! That's what friends are for." Belinda smiled. Her thoughts went back to Rain. She sighed, still feeling sorry for the mess those two were in. But then again, Annie had already married, with children, even. There was no turning back anymore. "Thanks, again," Annie smiled back. "I'll let you get back to work. See you around." Annie stood up and said goodbye. She walked over to Belinda to give her a tight hug. She decided to check on that school Belinda had recommended. It was not that she did not trust Belinda. It just would not hurt to be more careful as a mother when it came to her kids. A mother wanted the best for her children. She was doing everything in her power to be a good mother.

"Okay, let's have lunch some other day! We still have lots of chances." Belinda hugged Annie back. She had hoped that that would be enough to compensate for all the words left unsaid, like how much she felt sorry for her and Rain. "Yeah. Bye," Annie replied. She then turned around and walked away.

"Bye." Belinda stared at Annie's back as she walked out the door, looking at her worriedly. 'What a predicament those two have gotten in!' Belinda thought. 'She seems to be so happy and settled with her current life now. Poor Rain.'

As soon as she closed the door behind her, Annie steadied herself against the wall. She slumped down to the floor, feeling distraught. She was so frustrated at everything that was going on. Tears threatened to roll down the corners of her eyes. After a couple of seconds, she shook her head and composed herself with a sniff, hoisting herself up from the ground. She couldn't pinpoint where she had gotten Rain wrong.

Annie staggered out of the building, still shocked from the information Belinda had unknowingly given her. Her body felt tired and drained. Instead of going to the school Belinda had recommended, she went to a nearby cafe to clear her head.

She had heard the name of Leena before but never saw her in person, much more what she even looked like. If the girl she saw at the party was Leena, then Leena was definitely the reason why Annie had left Rain four years ago.

Annie ordered a cup of brewed coffee. She found herself a seat by the window. The weather was really cold that day. Maybe some hot coffee would help her lessen the throbbing pain in her head. She closed her eyes, and rubbed her fingers at her temples. She was at a loss now. Annie had thought that she and Rain would never have to interact ever again. But now, things were different.

Just then, her phone rang. Annie let it ring for a while, not intending to answer the call. But the phone just continued to ring. With a sigh, she reached for her phone. She read the caller ID -- it was Fred. With a sigh and a click, she answered the call.

"Hey, Fred. What's the matter?" Annie had stayed at S city for a while now. It slipped her mind that she didn't even call Fred ever since.

"Annie, is everything okay there? You said you would call me as soon as you arrived." Fred was totally engrossed with his music career that even he thought to call Annie only now.

"Yeah. Everything's good. I just got here and have lots of things to prepare. I'm also trying to adjust to my work and the people here. Sorry I didn't call you sooner," Annie sighed. She was grateful that she had a friend like Fred around. He had helped her and the kids so many times. "It's alright. I was busy these past few days too. I'll go to S City when I finish work here. See you there soon," Fred said. Although he didn't let it show, he was a bit on edge with the thought that Rain was in the same city as Annie.00000