Copyright © 2022 SABY FARUQUI

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 9798846417243
 

Dedicated to the stranger in my dreams.

 ♡

One

I flipped my straight brown locks at the back and checked

my figure wrapped in the off shoulder dress one last time.
Before the lid of the lipstick could be plopped shut my
overbooked hands picked up the ringing phone kept upside
down on the vanity.
“Are you ready?” The laugh behind the call caused me to
purse my lips and roll my eyes.
“Of course, I am.”
“Alright,” Noah paused, “Don't bother with the company's
name. It's just
 a name. You don't have to think about it. You
are a good person, Skye, you have a life to live, I believe
that you can do this.”
I let out a sigh, glancing at my figure in the mirror. I
considered myself to be pretty. I wasn't particularly prideful,
but I enjoyed looking at myself and telling myself that I was
beautiful, no matter what somebody else said or thought.
But maybe I lost my track somewhere. I lost myself in the
process of finding that one person. Lost myself badly.
Maybe, love wasn't mine for the time being.
Maybe all I had to do was to focus somewhere else. Maybe
he wasn't where I thought he would be.
“Skye, are you there?” I could hear Noah's sigh.
 I puffed out a breath, “Yeah, I'm here.” I got off the vanity
stool and then my focus was solely on the call.
“Let's do this then?” He asked.
“Mhm, I'm more motivated than ever, I have to do this.”
“This is the spirit!”
“Yeah,” my lips curved in a snicker, “I'll hang up now. Talk
to you later.”
On a great note of enthusiasm we hung up the call. Noah
Smith was an old friend from the town of Brookville in
Pennsylvania. I lived miles away in New York, so we used to
connect through a phone. I smiled to myself in the mirror,
fixing the ash brown locks one last time.
The job interview day was definitely not a joke. The
bedroom door flung open revealing Victor, the person who I
started dating two weeks ago, in his casual attire. “Woah,
are you going for a job interview or to seduce your CEO?”
He exaggerated.
“Shut up,” I rolled my eyes, “Go get ready, we'll leave
together.”
“Skye, we talked last night that you will not wear this
dress anywhere except parties.”
“No way. I don't spend hours in the gym for nothing! Plus
you're not my Dad.”
“You're not innocent that you would not know what these
kinds of dresses do to some men, Skye. Your figure is clearly
visible, your-” His deep green orbs scanned me.
“You can complain.. I know how to keep myself together,”
I walked past him.
The thing I hated the most, opinions about me. I didn't
have a pleasant history trusting some men, and it affected
my character as a whole. Small things like a suggestion for
my outfit, random orders, didn't sit right with me. My wrist
felt his cold fingers imprinting their grip, “At least give me a
kiss,” he murmured.
“Ah,” I shrugged as I cupped his cheeks and placed a soft
kiss on his lips.
 “That's the last time you are wearing this,” he whispered
as he placed a kiss on my jawline. As if I'll stop.
The next thing I remembered was stepping in the massive
building of Rhodes Architectures. The aesthetic pulled me
into raptures. No wonder the CEO was that
  young and
talented. “Hello, Miss, are you looking for something? Or do
you have to meet Mr. Weston?” A blonde broke my chain of
thoughts with her inquiry.
“Oh, I'm here for a job interview,” I initiated.
“Okay, come with me, please.”
I followed her to the twelfth floor, where the CEO's office
was located. She led me inside a huge living room just in
front of the office, where three more people were waiting for
their turn.
“Would you like coffee?” She turned around.
“Thanks but I'm not big on caffeine,” I gave her a pleased
smile.
“Alright then, you can wait here until your turn,” the lady
smiled before walking out of the hall.
I took a seat next to a middle aged woman who gave me
an intimidating shoot of eyes. A chill ran through my spine
before I shrugged and ruffled through the resume. People
surely were competing heavily for that position. My feet
tapped onto the ground in nervousness. Skye, you can do
this! Take a deep breath.
After a few minutes I was alone in the living area. The last
man left the CEO's office, indicating it was my turn. I stood
up straightening my dress and hair out of nervousness
touching its peak. I took a few deep breaths to calm the
throbbing heartbeat. We're ready, yes.
The sound of my stilettos clicked over the marbled floor as
I walked in. Leon Weston
, the words were engraved in a
ravishing amber hued calligraphy.
The blond man who was seated on the posh leather chair
behind the exquisite table, nonchalantly asked my name,
still with his gaze buried down in papers.
“I'm Skye Waltz,” I asserted.
 He looked at me, perplexed, and his deep hazel orbs
darted towards me with a gleam of surprise. His eyes were
fixed on me with a small gape until I coughed to bring him
back to his senses.
“Excuse me,” he murmured. He seemed hesitant.
He hopped up from his seat. “Please wait for a minute. I'll
be back,” he assured and paced out of the room.
“Okay..”
The beautiful glass doors tightly shut behind him.
The office seemed elegant. Every single possession was
arranged meticulously and each colour complemented its
counterpart. “So aesthetic,” I murmured. As I was in a deep
admiration process, somebody entered the room.
“Leon?” A sparkly voice caught my attention.
I turned around and saw a girl, with a nicely sculpted
curvy body like that of a model while her wavy golden locks
bounced over her shoulders. Her dress complemented her
small-average height. I thought I knew her from
somewhere?
“May I know who you are? And that you are in my
boyfriend's office?” She said, her arms crossed against her
chest.
“I'm here for an interview,” I gently flipped my locks back.
“Okay,” she seated herself on the leather couch and went
on her phone. Shrug her off, Skye.
I walked over to the big glass pane which was apparently
placed in place of the wall. I could see the whole city
glimmering in beautiful lights. I was half nervous, half bored,
so I pulled out my phone and acted as if I was looking
through something important. What else could I do in a
stranger's office?
Just then the intimidating boss entered inside in a huff.
“Leon,” the girl called out. But he straight away went to his
desk as I kept my phone back inside my handbag. I kept my
face stolid as I walked past the girl to his desk.
“Hannah, wait outside,” he ordered.
 The nonchalant tone aroused a lot of thoughts about the
couple in my head. I puffed out a breath as the footsteps
behind me resided out of the door. I gulped a dry lump in my
throat and again straightened my hair in nervousness.
“So.. Skye Waltz?” His throaty voice echoed over the
room.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Why do you think I should give you this job?”
He rested his back on the seat and his right ankle rested
over his left knee, making a triangle on his lap. His right
hand rested on the arm-rest of the revolving chair, the other
on his left thigh. My eyes almost widened as I puffed out a
breath.
“I think I have the skills to do this work,” I hesitated,
averting my unholy eyes from his bottom to face him,
“Decor and designing has always been my passion and I
believe if I get a proper area for putting in my efforts I can
definitely boost my skills and creativity, and also offer my
talent to something productive!”
“Okay, so how would our company be profited if I hired
you?”
His eyes were fixated on me. Could he be a bit relaxed?
Oh God.
“As I put in my work and efforts, it's going to help boost
the productivity which in turn is going to help the company
on its big projects to succeed,” I answered.
Tucking back some strands of my hair, I flashed him a
small friendly smile.
“Impressive. Okay. Let me ask you a quite straightforward
question,” he conversed and slightly leaned forward as he
clasped his hands on the table, “What would you do if
someone criticises your work?” His hazel eyes pierced
through my skin, leaving a chill all over.
  No, Skye, it's not
worth getting nervous over.
“The best I can do in that situation is to not give them
attention but instead focus on what best I can do to keep
improving myself. But.. alongside I would also take into
consideration what has caused them to give me that
particular comment so that I get a proper insight into myself
and improve along those lines!”
He immediately took hold of his pen and pulled out some
stapled sheets of paper. It was happening?
“This is your contract. All information you will ever need
related to your work can be found here,” he passed the
paper over to me, “Sign over here.”
I was slightly confused.
“You are hired,” he gave me an assured look.
Damn, Noah deserves a party!
“Oh, thank you
, Mr. Weston!” I chirped in, feeling my body
heating up as I signed the contract to the most awaited
thing of the day.
After a brief introduction by Mr. Leon Weston, I was then at
our regular club with my friends at night.
The smell of alcohol itself was making my body dizzy.
Victor accompanied me, just like mine and Cayden Brooks',
my best friend's tradition has been, partying every friday
night. He was a doctor. Noah did not live in New York, where
I lived, so I had different friends there, one of them being
Cayden.
“Woah,” Cayden cheered, “Cheers to my Babygirl for
getting her job!”
“Gosh, don't call me Babygirl again.. I'm not your
girlfriend,” I defended myself and let out a small chuckle.
Cayden was a frank guy. He made jokes without thinking
about anything other than jokes.
“Exactly. She is my girl, you can't just call her that,” Victor
gulped down a shot.
No..
“Yeah,” Cayden's ears turned bubblegum pink as he
tossed down a shot of champagne.
“Skye, have one,” Victor mumbled, not aware of what
alcohol was doing to him. A clinck echoed as the rim of the
bottle touched the glass in my hands.
 “No, Victor, I'm not in the mood to drink,” I brushed away
his hand.
“Aye, Victor let's go and dance!” Cayden called out, as he
pulled Victor by his arm and disappeared into the crowd of
unknown sweaty bodies, swaying along the heavy music.
I sighed and filled up a glass for myself. Just a small
amount because I couldn't handle any strong flavours or
drinks. I walked over to the lavish balcony. The music bored
me, I wanted to get away with a girl friend and enjoy some
time gossiping or shopping, though Cayden was never short
on gossip.
My eyes wavered onto a large crowd of drunk beings, one
couple making out, one horny guy just trying to dance away
into the pants of some girl. Geez,
 for a second I forgot I was
in a VIP club. I rolled my eyes but they landed somewhere
unexpected.
That was Leon Weston, making out with that girl-
Hannah!
Hannah from his office!
 'Wait, I shouldn't freak out, she was
his girlfriend anyway,' I shrugged.
“What are you staring at?” Victor's arms snaked on my
waist.
“Woah, you startled me!” I flinched, before shaking him
off. Ah, Victor I'm bored of you. But who cares until we get
what we want.
“What are you staring at?”
“Skye,” Cayden showed up out of nowhere, “What are you
doing?” He threw his arm over my shoulder, as he pushed
Victor aside, leaving the pungent smell all over my face.
“Look,” I pulled both of them closer and pointed towards
the excited CEO.
“He's just making out, that's nothing special,” Cayden
murmured.
“Right,” Victor nodded with his eyelids drooping.
“Idiots, that's my boss-the CEO.”
“Wait! That's Leon Weston, isn't he? He is your C-E-O?”
Cayden questioned. I believe he was surprised.
“Yeah,” I replied, “But why are you freaking out?”
 “He's a playboy,” Victor mumbled.
“Seriously?” I questioned.
“Hmm.. And do you see that guy?” Cayden pointed over to
a tall man with an undercut,
“That's Ash. A doctor-no, a psychiatrist… At the hospital I
work at.”
“Okay,” I nodded. Those dudes knew more than I did. I
shrugged it off. What could I do with the piece of
information? And the moments passed by in a whirl.
“I'm leaving, guys,” I yawned. But I knew I would have to
handle the two drunk men since I couldn't leave them alone,
at least Cayden.
Leon's POV
Hannah grinded against my bulge making me feel shivers
down my spine. Her wet lips brushed against my lower lip.
She moaned gently as my hands squeezed her thighs
beneath her tiny skirt. Gross
. She didn't want me, she was
just hungry. She pulled more of her weight upon me,
tightening her arms around my neck.
I pulled her waist closer and let her take control. My head
was heavy with alcohol and the pleasure made me grunt
every single time she grinded on me. I was losing it, my
body moved following her commands, which I hated. Stop
me.. this is addictive.
“Hey,” Ash tapped my shoulder. I nudged her back at
once, gaining control over my senses.
“Let's leave, Leon,” Ash bit on his lips.
“Y-yeah,” I pushed the girl back, making her stand as I
stood up after her.
“Leon! Where are you going?” The girl senselessly asked.
“Home..” I replied dryly, not wanting to get seduced.
“Then take me with you.” As expected of her. Her hand
traced up my arm.
“No way, Hannah..”
“Don't you want me more?” She asked coyly.
“No,” I answered, shaking off her hand.
 “C'mon, I know you-”
But she was cut off by Ash's intimidating face, “Dear
Hannah, he's over with you now.”
Well, that
 was the reply I wanted to give.. I wished I could
express my words that way. “Let's go, Leon,” he whispered
as he nudged me gently towards the pathway to the exit.
We strolled to the back of the club. “Stay here for a
minute, I have to use the restroom,” he assured and rushed
away.
“Yeah.”
My eyelids had started to droop as I let out a breath. Ash
was my part time saviour. Without him, I would have been
trashed into wrong decisions.
My lips were curled into a gentle smile. I glanced at the
ebony sky and shut my eyes, feeling like I was in a movie. A
swirl of heaviness grew in my head. “Everything is here.
Faded music, darkness, my bruised heart.. But not you.”
And the pleasant moment could not be the way it was any
longer.
I grunted as somebody bumped into me from the back,
ruining the mood. I turned around to find a girl handling two
men.
“I'm so sorry.. They both are just too drunk to walk
properly,” she chuckled. Her long hair swayed at the front
by the cold wind. My vision was not as clear. I rubbed my
eyes and noticed her features.
Skye Waltz?
“Hey, walk properly!” She asserted and slapped one of the
guy's butt.
She turned back to shoot me a glance, “Sorry, again.” Her
deep brown eyes danced in a playful mischief as she smiled
at me. I could still vividly recall the fragrance that found its
way to me.
“Hey!” Just then an arm snaked over my shoulder. “What
are you looking at?” Ash asked, “That girl's ass?”
“C'mon dude, I just got rid of one,” I nudged his chest.
“Like you always do..”
 I still couldn't pay attention to him.
“Oh wait.. That's Cayden Brooks. A gynaecologist from the
hospital I work at,” he conversed, “Is she his girlfriend?”
“Huh? Is she his girlfriend? It doesn't.. look like.”
“So you were looking at her!”
I nudged my elbow against his chest with a small gape on
getting caught. He flinched back, almost snorting. “Leon, I
can read you like an open book by now!” He grinned before
throwing his arm over my shoulder in proudness, “C'mon,
let's go.”
_
The morning came by like a whirl.
I curled my arms towards my bare torso. My eyes squinted
as my heavy head made me unable to open them clearly.
Why the heck do I drink so much?
  But I was deprived of
choices in my life. I had only Friday nights to enjoy myself. I
sighed.
There is no one next to me? Oh right, I was alone.
  The
incidents from last night started striking me one by one. I
remembered the girl who bumped into me. Her deep ash
brown eyes flashed before my eyes.
I immediately rose up my bed to freshen up, as I had an
important task awaiting me.
After taking a hot bath I hastened towards the desk.
I pulled out the briefcase where I had stored all the crucial
documents. “Come here, baby,” a susurrous whisper left my
lips, before I pulled out the applicant page stuffed between
sheets of papers.
“Skye Waltz.”
 Two

Skye's POV

“S
o let's meet in the evening, alright.” I hung up Victor's
call. Finally I was gonna put an end to the madness I
trapped myself in.
A chill teased my legs as I stepped inside the lobby of
Rhodes Architectures. I wanted to have that position after
much thinking, and supposedly if I didn't take the job offer I
would have been wasting time at the wrong place. “Miss
Waltz?” The lady from the previous day called my name.
She walked towards me.
“Yes?”
“Mr. Weston asked for you in his office.”
“Okay, thank you,” I smiled at her before hurrying over to
the lift. Mr. Weston
. He was definitely a weird version of
intimidating because he was too introverted for me to
handle. But at least he was extremely professional and
dedicated to his work. That was a good thing, for me, since I
needed a change in my aura.
“Stop please!” I immediately remarked as I saw the door
of the lift closing. A foot creeped out of the door, to stop the
lift, of course
  as I paced towards it. The ash blond man
scanned me from head to toe.
“Thank you,” I smiled and stepped inside.
“Are you new here?”
“Yeah,” I replied dryly.
“I'm Ash,” He introduced.
 I looked up at him. The memories started to hit me one by
one as I recalled he was the man who Cyaden told me about
last Friday.
“I'm Skye,” I felt obliged to answer a gentleman like him
which was clearly visible through his cleanly ironed clothes,
nicely made hair with an undercut, his bright and polished
shoes and his dimpled smile.. So meticulous
. He returned
me a smile.
“Do you work here too?” I asked, perplexed by the
introduction Cayden gave.
“Oh, no. I'm here to meet the CEO, uh, Leon Weston, he's
a friend of mine.”
“Oh! I'm heading there as well.”
We reached the twelfth floor. I walked out and he followed
me. “You can go and get your work done first,” he smiled
and opened the glass door for me. I thanked him as I
stepped inside Leon Weston's office.
The man was seated on his desk with his head buried in
his documents. “Good morning Mr. Weston!” I greeted to get
his undivided attention.
“Just a second.. Jazlyn. Let me complete this,” The busy
man murmured.
Who was Jazlyn?
“I'm Skye, not Jaz-”
He looked up at once with his mouth slightly agape and I
muffled a small smile at his clumsiness.
“Oh, I called Jazlyn too. Skye, wait here for me. Just a
minute,” he again left me alone in the exquisite room and
hastened out. I shrugged and pulled out my mobile phone
and checked some messages, getting too immersed in it.
“Skye Waltz?” A lady voiced. I turned around to find a girl,
with shoulder length mahogany hair and a curvy body which
complemented her average height.
“Yes?”
“I'm Jazlyn Weston. Mr. Weston's secretary. He called me
over to-” Jazlyn couldn't complete.
 “-Skye, this is Jazlyn, Jazlyn this is Skye,” Mr. Weston
walked inside explaining in a hurry, “Skye is our new Chief
Designer, I sent you the details yesterday, explain what all
is needed and show her the personal office.”
He was already standing over the edge of the room,
stopping the heavy doors by his arms. I watched his
muscular strength in awe for two moments before realising
it would have looked weird. Not weirder than how he was
sitting the first day. He pulled the door and directed Jazlyn to
go, without giving me a glance.
“Ash, come in!” His throaty voice echoed at my back as I
walked out after Jazlyn.
I followed her into a spacious office with an elegant
wooden desk and a glass window instead of a wall. Just the
way I admired Mr. Weston's office. There was a big brown
leather couch and a massive oak storage cupboard.
“This is beautiful. I never thought I would get a private
office and that too at such an awesome height,” I said,
walking over to the window.
“He spent the entire Saturday planning out this room. And
he was still asking me if this was good enough till this
morning,” Jazlyn chuckled.
“Really?” I looked at her with widened eyes.
“Yeah! And you are the only one whose office is located on
the same floor as his,” she said.
I remembered how there was one big hallway with a small
reception in front of his office. I concluded it was Jazlyn's.
You could find a little restroom on the left corner, a little
archive room on the left of his office and there was my
office, on his right.
“Wait, seriously?”
She nodded, smiling.
“I do like working alone, though I get bored when there is
no one near.”
“You won't be bored at all. You are his first girlfriend for
whom he did all this, otherwise he does not even-”
“-No! He's not my boyfriend!”
 “He is not? I thought he was..”
A small laugh left my lips, “Why do you think that?”
“Because you look like that.. I mean what kind of guy
might spend so much of his time making an office so
comfortable for a girl? A boyfriend of course!” She
remarked.
“Oh god,” I chuckled, “I don't know what's up with him.”
“But can I ask you a question?”
“Yeah?”
“Why aren't you his girlfriend then?”
“Why do you want me to be his girlfriend so bad!?” My
eyes darted at her in amusement.
“Come on, a hot man and a hot girl belong together no
matter what!”
“What? You think I'm.. hot
? Oh but that thought is so
cliché,” I laughed.
“Of course anyone would say that,” She chuckled,
shrugging.
“I really never thought about this,” I glanced at a side
trying to control my laugh.
“Better think about it from now. Mister Weston gets what
he wants.” She placed a file on my desk, “Here is a guide I
prepared by my own lovely hands as he asked me for!”
She left the room with a smug smile.
“He even asked you to prepare a special guide?” I
whispered, looking at the blue glossy file in astonishment.
Guide? And a private office?
 But maybe it was because I
was the Chief Designer? He had captivated my eyes,
though. No Skye, don't forget the promise you made to
yourself. Yes, I concluded it was because I was the Chief
Designer. Yes.
The whole week was exhausting due to work, but at least
it wasn't exhausting emotionally. I felt better after a long
time. Leon Weston minded his own business, was short and
formal, though I didn't fail to notice his questionable glances
towards me. I shrugged it off for the time being. It wasn't
worth getting worked up over unless he had talked to me in
a way that went hand in hand with those introspective
observations of his. Just like that, Friday approached in a
blink.
“Yes, Cayden?” I answered the phone.
“Skye, what the hell? You broke up with Victor and didn't
bother to tell me?”
“It's been a week, man. You are realising this now? And
come on, he was no one special. I'm literally tired of
changing boyfriends, like two or three every month.”
“But really, he was a fun guy.” Cayden sighed, “I'll miss
him.”
“Then you can go marry him!” I scoffed.
“Shut up! Anyways, it's Friday! Be ready at ten,” he yelled
over the phone.
“Why not
, Cay,” I rolled my eyes.
In the spur of the moment Jazlyn knocked on the door. “I'll
call you later,” I said, bringing the phone down and smiled
as an acknowledgement for Jazlyn to enter.
“Hey! I'm Cayden, not later!” His voice faded and the call
ended.
Jazlyn walked over to me, “It's lunch break. Won't you join
me?”
“Already?” I exclaimed, closing my laptop as I stood up.
She nodded intently. “What are we waiting for then, Jaz.”
I winked playfully at her before I wrapped up the cluttered
mess on my desk and we walked out. “Shall we go out or-” I
mumbled. My hands were busy straightening my outfit.
I took a step back but slipped on my heel. I squinted my
eyes to bear the pain I was about to feel. But then I felt
arms tightening around my waist.
My back landed against someone's wide chest and his
warm breath passed through my neck. I gulped a dry lump
in my throat as I felt something a bit weird against my legs.
I immediately left his embrace and hopped in front, “I'm so
 sorry.”
I turned and saw Mr. Weston with his hands buried in his
pockets.
 “Be careful Skye. I don't want to see you bruised,” he said
dryly and walked past me. My eyes widened in
astonishment. Jazlyn briskly came to me. “That was so weird
,” I whispered. “Saw that,” she coughed, rubbing my
shoulder.
I took a deep breath.
Without wasting time or talking about the unwanted
interaction, we took the lift and were then in the company's
cafeteria. “I'm telling you, be careful in front of him.. He's
the biggest womanizer I've ever seen,” she murmured. We
both walked to our table.
“Yeah..” I sighed.
“You know-” she sat down next to me “-He might have had
something with almost every high achieving girl in this
building, except for me and you.”
I nodded my head with curious eyes.
“Shrug him off! You tell me, wanna join me in the club?” I
asked her intently. First, because no matter how handsome
he was, I wasn't interested in relationships anymore. And
second, men like him were not my type.
“When?”
“For like, every time I visit it. Of course.”
“Okay! I have never hung out at a club.. Seriously.”
“So hang out with me,” I nudged her arm with a tiny
smirk.
“Yes, do you go-” Jazlyn spoke but she was cut off.
“You know I saw Mr. Weston yesterday, he was in a hurry
and his shirt was halfway unbuttoned. I swear I wasn't able
to take my eyes off him. How cool would that be to see him
shirtless once more.” A random girl uttered to her friends as
they grabbed a table behind us. “Whatever that may be,
you know that a girl joined recently, and she has a private
office on the same floor as Mr. Weston?” One of them
garbled.
“She's the new Chief Designer? Isn't it? I haven't seen her
yet. She's our boss in a way, but the previous one had his
office on another floor.” Another one added.
 My eyes widened in surprise. Why was that such a big
deal? I was there to work, not to do something else. But,
who was going to tell them?
“That girl is lucky. Is she his new toy?” One of the three
said.
“It won't be long until he gets bored of her,” the other one
whispered.
I coughed and Jazlyn passed over a bottle of water to me. I
raised my hand to signal it was okay. But those comments
were not enough to agitate me until this one, “They might
have done all that stuff on their personal floor already.”
I immediately stood up. Jazlyn's eyes widened as she
gently pulled my hand to make me sit down. Some of the
people stared at me. I coughed and then straightened my
hair.
“Sit down,” Jaz whispered. With pink flushed cheeks I took
the seat back.
“Skye, don't pay attention to all those people, they always
say stuff like this,” she whispered, “They have always made
up comments about me because I'm his secretary. But God
knows when they will understand that he is my fuckin
cousin..”
“He is your cousin?” I asked, baffled. I didn't know why I
was baffled, but I couldn't be anything else for that moment
being.
“Yeah, you know it's a family business.. But listen,
whatever the case maybe, do not pay attention to all those
girls! Cause the most effective way you can concentrate is
by ignoring all of their comments.”
“Yeah, Jaz,” I sighed, “You're right
.”

Leon's POV
Ash tossed a shot of champagne. “Why don't we go
down?” He suggested.
“You can go if you want. You can't even dance..” I uttered
as I gulped the wine. My eyes roamed over a huge crowd of
people. But none of them excited me.
“Are you angry that I didn't tell you about your haircolor?”
He said, “Okay. Change your hair to brown. Your natural hair
colour.”
I couldn't reply.
“Leon.”
“Y-yeah?” my eyes darted towards him.
“What's with you? Why do you keep spacing out?”
“No, I just feel bored..” I said.
I filled up my glass and tossed the intoxicating drink down
my throat.
My head was hung low as I took in a deep inhale, “So,
shall we go?” I didn't look up and called his name again. But
mister was too busy admiring something at my back. I
turned around without trying to break his concentration.
“Oh that's-” I kicked his leg under the table, “Skye and
Jazlyn-and that doctor!”
I glanced back to see Ash nibbling on his lower lip. “Did
they become friends already?” I questioned, astonished.
“Maybe.. Damn she looks hot!” Ash blurted.
“Who?”
Hope it's not Skye.
His teeth bit his lower lip as his eyes seemed totally
dazed.
No way he is staring at Skye!
“Ash!” I urged and kicked his leg again.
“Y-yeah,” he stuttered and tossed down his wine.
“Who is hot?”
“Oh-no.. I was just,” he mumbled but I kept a straight face
to get the answer. “Jazlyn..” he sighed.
“Huh? Get up then,” I asserted.
“Why..?”
I smirked, “Let's make some friends.”
“I predicted correctly that night, didn't I?” He excitedly
slammed his hand on the table, “You were staring at her. But
c'mon, you never go after someone, Leon. Let her come to
you.. You-”
 “-Ash, shut it in. I'm not going after her. Stand up. We
 are
going there,” I asserted and pulled him by his arm. Ash
clumsily grappled on my arm. I nudged him, causing him to
stand up straight and adjust the cufflinks of his navy blue
shirt. His drunk eyes glanced at Jazlyn before he eyed me
smirking.
“Let's go!” Were Ash's last words before we made our way
towards their table.
“Hey,” I waved at the three tipsy people.
The doctor's brow quirked at the man next to me, “Hey?
Ash!”
“Oh, yeah, Cayden,” Ash said.
“I'm Leon Weston,” I cleared my throat introducing myself
to the doctor,
“I'm Cayden.” The loud music muffled his voice to a high
degree.
“Jazlyn and Skye know me already,” I claimed with a small
smirk. Cayden furrowed his eyes towards Skye.
“Yeah, Cayden, I told you that
 day when you were drunk,”
she commented and shot him a side-eye, “And Jazlyn is
actually Mr. Weston's cousin.” That girl was doing something
to me without even knowing.
I scanned her body, starting from her neck and then her
curves perfectly wrapped in the baby pink dress. She had
some unusual choice of pairing clothes with the events, but
the fact that she appeared confident, made me shrug that
thought off. She made the dresses look ten times prettier. Is
this you talking, Leon?
Her slender legs confidently wrapped on top of the other,
putting her heels on point. Her slender arms and then her
straight brunette locks dangling past her waist. The fabric
around my crotch felt uncomfortable, so I had to move my
legs around for a little bit.
Jazlyn coughed and brought me back to my senses. I
averted my gaze from Skye and fake coughed.
“Jazlyn told me you are her cousin?” Skye shot her eyes at
me.
 “Y-eah.”
I felt a shiver through my spine. “Why don't you sit down,”
her eyes glistened and she gave me an ephemeral smirk.
Oh, this is not how it should be
. She shifted her body close
to Cayden as I sat next to her. His arm snaked round her
waist.
My right first clenched which I eased off by a small wrist-
rotation. But I couldn't deny my eyebrows knitting together
out of curiosity. Was she really his girlfriend? I needed to
check.
“Your boyfriend is a doctor at the same hospital as Ash's,
Skye?”
“Boyfriend? I don't have a boyfriend,” she chuckled.
“Isn't it Cay-” I countered but she cut me off.
“-No,  Mr. Weston he's not,” she stated.
“Only Leon. No boss-employee outside work,” I coughed.
“Sure.”
I beamed my eyes towards Ash about whom I totally
forgot. But he wasn't there, not even Jazlyn. Shit, why did he
leave me alone.
 My eyes wavered, searching for him in the
crowd and there he was, swaying along with the music, with
Jaz.
I felt a sudden hand over my thigh. I averted back.
“Don't you dance?” Cayden Brooks asked, pushing Skye
back.
I perceived his hand was over my thigh. He stood up and
signalled me towards the dance floor. “Wanna head over
there?”
“You'll leave me alone?” Skye pouted, almost rolling her
eyes at Cayden.
“Then come with me,” Cayden grabbed her hand.
She pulled it back and picked up her clutch, “No,
nevermind. I'm going home.”
“Alright then, see you tomorrow,” Cayden grinned at her
before disappearing in the exhilarating group of people. Her
delicate hands brushed my bare arm. A drizzle of chills ran
through my body.
 “Already?” I interrupted.
I had to pull my body straight, pretending as though
everything was alright with my body. How is she doing all
this to me?
“Yeah, see you!” She smiled coyly before standing up.
Her fragrance was the last thing I remembered with the
most details after she left. I gulped down a shot of wine as I
saw Jazlyn approaching me. “Everything cool?”
“Yeah, I guess,” I nodded.
“Where's Ash?”
“He's feeling like himself, I guess,” She glanced over to
the dance floor, chuckling, “I really wonder why I never
talked to him before.”
“Maybe the timing wasn't right,” I let out a nostalgic
smile.
“Timing..” Jazlyn smiled at me, “About Skye, she is really
talented.” Jazlyn filled up the glass for herself.
“Yeah, but she is quite aloof,” I crossed my legs, “She
doesn't show much about herself and she is all focused on
work, which is good.. But sometimes it is a little off putting.”
“Do you mean, she's not friendly
 with you?” She smirked
at me and I obviously knew what that meant.
“Maybe,” I shrugged and got up, “I'm leaving as well, I'll
drop you home. Let me call Ash.”
“Okay,” Jazlyn chuckled.
I reached home soon. The empty mansion. Honestly, it
was lonely, but I was used to it. And I wasn't the person to
be with someone just because I was lonely. I would rather be
alone than feel lonely being with somebody. A one night
stand was exactly what it was. No physical, mental or
emotional attachments. A groan escaped my lips, as I
dropped myself on the bed after settling wasted Ash, in the
other room.
My body was tense. I trailed my hand over to my arm
where I felt her touch earlier.
Her image again flashed before my eyes, just seeing her
for once excited me to no end. I unbuttoned my shirt and
switched off the lights. Stripping myself off of every fabric
on my body, I slipped into a comfortable pair of boxers. She
wasn't leaving my mind. As if she was in a tiny corner of my
head. I could focus on anything, but she stayed rent free in
the corner.
As if I could feel her smiling even when she was not
around.
Her soothing voice was echoing through my mind. The feel
of her soft fingers. The smile she gave me and her fragrance
filled me up.
I touched my chest and felt my heart beating normally. My
breathing was normal too. I let out a sigh and shuffled on
my side.
But right when I thought everything with me was alright,
the vague ache started to return. I tightly shut my eyes
feeling the pain. My breath grew heavy and the throbbing
pain gripped tightly in my chest. I pulled my body up and
hastily reached for the medicine on the bedside table.
My arms couldn't support my heavy torso.
I fumbled with the lid and grabbed two of the pills. I
gulped them down with water and pushed my body against
the bed, breathing inconsistently. My eyes squinted and I let
out heavy exhales, which meant the medicine started its
work. The sheets crumbled in my fist as I found my breath
back and tears started streaming down my face.
What would she think of me if she knew about this
 part of
me?
My head was heavy, chest dwelling in pain, before I
remembered drifting off into a slumber.
 Three

Skye's POV
A Week Later -Friday
“Mister Weston?” I called, pushing the glass door.
“Come in,” he replied, unbothered. I walked in at the
slowest pace I could. Let me see are you really so patient
and chill as you show to everyone.
 I stopped in front of his
desk while he still was engrossed in his work.
“Miss Waltz.. What do you want?” He mumbled.
“Pardon me, but you
 called me here,” I asserted.
He looked at me with furrowed brows and his tongue
glided over his lower lip. “Yeah. Sit down then,” he said. He
packed his stuff aside and passed over a file to me. “Read
this, you have to work on this contract now.”
“Oh, so you mean I'm undertaking the task of designing
for this whole plan?” I asked.
“Hm,” he nodded. “Plus you have to advise the materials
we'll use for the flooring, walls, tables and all of that within
two to three days. Just a general overview, so that our
finance team can create the budget.”
“Okay!”
“Continue with this and show me the final sketches by
next Friday.”
“Alright,” I said as I stood up. I looked at him, he was lost
in his papers.
I think I should go now.
 I stood up and right when I turned
around, he called my name. God, please teach him how to
talk
.
“Skye.”
“Yes?” With a little breath I turned to meet his eyes.
“Nevermind,” he mumbled. He looked at me for a
moment. I noticed his chest. The first three buttons were
unbuttoned. I could see the well defined crease of his chest
muscles. But he had taken a deep inhale and that made me
feel uneasy. I awkwardly let out a small smile at him. He
returned the same to me before burying himself in his work.
The glass door shut behind me. I turned around for a
moment.
My eyes observed his introverted demeanour. He worked
hard everyday, only enjoying himself on Fridays. I couldn't
read him further. As though he had this wall in front of
himself that could cause you to halt after knowing certain
things about him. You just couldn't
 cross that line.
He was a different person that night at the club but he
seems to not even know me, right now.
 He was friendly but
this moment even getting a smile from him would have
been equal to fighting a war. He confused me, which I hated.
He messes up with people's feelings by being so closed off,
he's a player, I bet
. At least, I made my intentions clear to
the people I've been with before. But he did not seem like
the person who would do the same.
Will you at least give me a smile like last night? I don't like
it when you are so grim and intimidating
.
I found him gazing at me intently. I quickly turned around
and rushed towards my office.
My cheeks were flushed as I hastened inside, finding a
safe refugee in there.
Skye, don't be flustered.
  There is a reason I couldn't
continue any relationship for more than two weeks. Those
were the matters of a longing heart. Don't fall for him. You
won't love him after all.
So why break a heart again.
And later at night we met at the club.
 That was the only place where I could forget the voices in
my head. I tossed down a shot of champagne. My insides
burned because of the strong sensations produced by the
drink. I poured myself a second one and gulped it entirely.
“Skye, are you alright, you are drinking way too much,”
Cayden took away the bottle from my hands.
“No! I'm okay,” I drank a bit more. I usually did not take
more than one shot. I could give in that night, I didn't have
work the next morning.
“Does she have a low tolerance?” Ash questioned.
“Way too low,” Jazlyn took a deep breath.
“I want to use the restroom, move away,” I directed Leon.
My hand landed on his muscular thigh. I couldn't help
myself. I knew it wasn't serious, neither we had anything
between us to be so worked up about, but for some reason
he wasn't leaving my mind. He showed no interest at times,
yet he flirted in his own comfort at times. What was
  he
trying to do? Was this going to turn out like those cliché
player tropes I've read about?
I hoped it never did.
“Move,” I mumbled to the silent man. He pushed himself
back to make room for me.
I stumbled on my heels which caused me to clutch on his
shoulders, causing our noses to be inches apart. As if his
deep hazel orbs stared into my soul, I forgot where I was. I
could only see him. Every voice around me was muffled,
every soul around me, as if disappeared. It was just he and
I. I remember these eyes!
My body felt a tingle as I sensed his veiny hands hugging
my waist. A strong grip on my arm pulled me back.
“You won't be able to walk like this,” Cayden asserted.
“Leave my hand, it hurts,” I jerked his hand away.
“Let me come with you,” he stated.
“I'm not some baby, I'll go alone.”
My eyes darted at his, warning them to leave me alone.
He let out a breath and took a step back to his seat before I
walked away.
 Though I was going in the right direction, I bumped into
Victor, making out with somebody.
“Oh God, this is disgusting,” I whispered to myself but I
guessed Victor heard it.
“Watch where you are going, and don't fuckin drink if you
can't control yourself,” he yelled.
I believed he had the right to get worked up because I left
him without much context. But he shouldn't have forgotten
that he knew I was looking for something casual. “You will
tell me what to do and what not to?” I countered.
My body heated up in an ineffable anger. Yes, the
relationship was another thing, but his persona itself was
highly incompatible with mine. I couldn't stand the way he
had an opinion about every single thing that I did.
“You are such a dirty woman,” he whispered, loud enough
for me to hear. He took a few steps closer to me, hands on
his waist. His right hand raised up and I guessed it was to hit
me. I knew what I had to do to defend myself. But his hand
was immediately stopped.. by someone.
“Don't you feel low when you are about to hit a woman?”
A husky voice came through.
“Huh,” Victor smirked, “Look from whom it's coming, Leon
Weston! Everyone here knows what you do with women. You
might as well fuck this girl, you both are the same anyway,
fuckin players!” Victor jerked Leon's hand away, which
caused me to flinch back. “I don't really like to butt in
people's business but you calling her that, hurt my
feelings!” Leon snarled and my eyes widened in surprise.
“Can you point out the lie?” Victor husked at him.
I stepped closer to Leon to stop him but in a spur of
moment he knocked Victor down. Victor grunted and Leon
punched his face a few times. His own face was plastered in
an unexplainable pain.
“Leon!”
I bent down to him and pulled up his arm, “Leon, stop it!
He isn't saying anything wrong.”
 Leon stopped and stared at me with furrowed brows. His
grip on Victor's shirt was loosened.
“Get up,” I asserted.
Victor pushed Leon back before he stood up on his wobbly
legs. I let out a sigh, thankful that the scene was in a corner
and not many were bothered by it. Ash rushed to help Leon.
I was no longer in the mood to stay there.
I hastened to the back exit of the club and rushed towards
my car.
No wait, I was here with Jaz, I don't have my car!
 My head
felt hazy and my body drowsy. I pulled out my phone to call
for a cab, but somebody grabbed my arm from behind which
caused me to flinch.
“It's me, Leon. Where are you going all alone?” His throaty
voice echoed over my ears.
“Fuck off,” I muttered, shaking his arm off.
His chest dropped with a sigh, “Show some respect, I'm
your boss.”
“No boss employee outside working hours!” I refuted him.
He asked for it.
“Come with me,” His hand gripped tightly around my wrist
and he pulled me over to his blue Ferrari.
“I don't want to be alone with you!” I tried to pull myself
back but his hold was too strong for me to fight it.
His tongue rolled in his inner cheek, “Skye, listen-” he
asked but was cut off.
“-Leon I'll handle her, you go-” Jazlyn immediately rushed
over to us. Leon glared at her and she took some steps
back. Her eyes squinted at us, worried.
“Skye!” Cayden came running over to me next and
grabbed my other hand, “Come with me.”
Great, now a tug of war!
“You can't take her,” Leon commanded as he grabbed my
hand, “Let's go, Skye.”
_
 I blinked open my hazey eyes. My head was heavy yet I
felt a relieved sensation all over my body. My eyes squinted
trying to remember what happened last night. I extended
my arm over to the bedside table to grab my phone. But the
blue designer wall briskly caught my attention. It was not
my
 room.
I immediately seated myself up.
My eyes found Leon dozed off to sleep on the leather
couch. I gazed at the room in awe. It was undoubtedly
alluring.
I realised I was wearing a shirt and my underwear, without
a bra. I almost gasped as my uneasy eyes scanned around
the room for my clothes.
They were dangling down from the edge of the bed.
  I
didn't do anything with him, right?
  I ruffled my hair and
stressed on my mind to remember what may have
happened between us. I failed at it, miserably.
I reached for my handbag, neatly kept over the dress and
pulled out my phone to text Jazlyn.
Me : I'm at Leon's place
What happened last night?
Will you pick me up?
“Are you awake?” Leon's voice caught me off guard. I
darted at him, messy hair, puffy face, delicate rosy lips and
the morning voice. No, there is no need to look at the details
.
“Y-yes,” I looked to one side, bringing the blanket closer to
me.
“What did we-” I questioned but he stopped me in the
middle.
“-Nothing. We didn't do anything,” he stated.
He rose up, revealing his bare torso with a pair of shorts. I
could observe his well carved abs and his richly toned neck.
I quickly stepped out of the bed but a shiver ran through my
body as I felt the cold marbled floor under my feet.
 “Where are you going? It's five in the morning,” he
yawned.
Right, where would I go right now without a car?
  He
walked towards the bed. “I was waiting for you, can I sleep
on this bed now?”
“Why are you asking me this.. You should have thought
before sleeping on that couch.”
“I thought you would feel uncomfortable,” he murmured,
snuggling himself in the blanket.
I sighed and wavered my eyes over the room in
nervousness. “Don't you have a guest room or something?”
I asked.
“Guest room? Uh.. Uh no. I mean, yeah, but it's dirty, you
won't be able to sleep there..” he switched his side and now
faced me, “Stop thinking too much, just sleep here. You can
trust me. I mean why wouldn't you?”
“Okay,” I pursed my lips cautiously.
I sank slowly in the same blanket as him and buried my
face into the mattress as I hugged the pillow between my
right arm and leg. “Hm? Nice idea! I need to hug something
too,” he remarked and I heard the ruffling of sheets in a
haste.
When the sounds silenced, I raised my head up and found
him lying in the same position as me.
I chuckled.
He opened his left eye and smiled at me. A rose tinted
blush swept across my face and I buried my face back in the
mattress.
Skye, stop blushing this way!
 I hugged the pillow closer to
me to ease the growing wave of awkwardness in my body.
“I give better hugs than the pillow,” I could hear his
murmurous whisper.
The heat of blood in my cheeks made their comeback but
this time I chose to stay silent. The room was as quiet as
dead and my heavy eyes wavered off to sleep soon after.

Leon's POV
 I woke up and found Skye still sleeping next to me. A smile
left my lips as I saw her puffy cheeks with lips parted and
her hands softly clutching on the pillow. I finally studied her
features carefully after what felt to me like ages. She was
beautiful.
I kept gazing at her until she was awake. She blinked her
eyes a few times and stretched her arms wide, passing over
my head. Cute
.
“Good morning,” she smiled roguishly before she reached
for her phone.
“Good Morning.”
“I've texted Jazlyn, she'll pick me up in an hour.” She
darted a small smile at me. She was on the verge of
standing up but I had to ask her something to make her
stay. She stopped and twisted around.
A small smirk arose on her face after realising I was gazing
at her but she quickly turned her face to the side, revealing
her defined collarbones and neck, and the silhouette of her
slender torso visible through her thin white shirt, which she
was unaware of.
A lump tightened in my throat, realising there was some
tension between us.
She coughed, averting her eyes towards me again, “Can
you go out first, I need to change.”
“S-sure but you'll be uncomfortable in that dress,” I
emphasised.
“Uh, I have only this right now,” she responded, eyeing
me towards her dress, almost getting me fazed at her small
gesture.
“So you can use my sweatpants. They are in the-” I
directed her, “No wait I'll give you those. You know, my
closet is too extensive.”
“Okay,” she chuckled before nodding her head.
I casually pulled my body straight up but I was caught off
guard as I felt a hardening underneath. Again, Skye, again
.
Thanking internally that it wasn't a serious one, I stood up
and tried to walk over to the door, casually. Her eager pair
of orbs scanned me blankly as I paced out of the door.
Quickly after grabbing the clothes I walked to the
bedroom.
“Skye?”
I called out at the slight creek in the door. It would have
been better if I didn't go inside.
Her hand peeked out from the gap.
I gazed at it, delaying giving the clothes to her, to tease
her. She waved her hand up and down. “Mr. Weston, I don't
entertain jokes.”
I smirked, intentionally making her wait more to see her
irritated.
“Mr. Weston?”
Before she could peek from the door, I laid the sweats on
her hand.
She pulled it in and flashed me a thumbs up. A big snicker
plastered on my lips.
Realising I had to look serious, I coughed and cleared my
throat, “I'm going to freshen up and then cook, join me
down for breakfast,” I stated.
“Okay.”
_
“Mr. Weston?” Skye called out.
“Leon,” I swiftly placed the omelette on its plate and
turned around to face her, as I corrected her words. She
curled up the sleeves of her shirt and walked to me, “Okay,
Leon, do you need help?”
“No, I'm done with this. You can sit down.”
In a few moments I arranged the food and we started
eating.
There was an awkward silence between us. Talking about
work would turn off the mood and except that I didn't know
what to ask her.
However she cleared up her throat, “How did you become
a CEO at a decent age, I mean you just are three to four
years older than me and I'm only twenty-six,” she said,
“Being a young CEO of this big successful firm is really
impressive!”
Not a bad one.
“Mm, It's an heir thing. My father passed me over this
position when I graduated,” I answered her.
“Wow that's pretty cool-”
“-But I never wanted this.”
“Oh, why though?” She asked, stuffing a bite of bread in
her mouth.
“My interest is in photography. Though I'm fairly good at
this architectural stuff. But doing something well doesn't
necessarily mean I would like it,” I vented out. I had never
told this to a single soul except Ash and Jazlyn.
“Right.. That's right,” she murmured.
She was taken back by my sudden outburst. My brain
raced to find something to soothe the situation.
“Do you like the job you do, I mean your workspace and
all? Your office?” I nibbled on my lower lip.
She looked at me with a small chuckle, “I do, especially
that big glass pane, I love working with that.”
“Good to hear that,” I smiled.
That was the last words I heard from her before we
finished our breakfast in silence.
My feet tapped on the ground in restlessness as I watched
her placing the dirty plates in the sink. I want you to be here
longer. Next to me.
She checked her phone.
“Jazlyn is here!” She claimed, picking up her belongings,
“Thank you so much Mr. Weston, I'll return these to you on
Monday.”
I stood up and marched over to her, “Hm, and don't call
me mister when it's off work. How many times do I have to
tell you that?”
“Oh, I'm sorry I keep forgetting that.”
She let out a small smile as she walked out towards the
main door.
 Just as she was about to step out I pulled her arm and she
turned around, “You really don't remember anything?”
I released her hand.
“No.. I don't. You see I can't handle alcohol well,” she
smiled nervously and gave me a final glance of
acknowledgement before stepping out of the house.
I sighed, returning her the smile.
I want to know a lot more about you, Skye.
 Four

Skye's POV

“W
hy are you so deadpan right now? Tell me what
happened last night?” I whined, placing the strawberry
shake on the countertop.
“Jazlyn!”
Her blank face confused me. I handed her the glass of
strawberry milkshake I had been making.
She sighed and glanced at the side.
“He did something with you?” She asked.
“No, nothing.”
“And you're telling me the truth?”
“Yes, why would I lie to you?”
She sighed and looked back at me, “I'm just a little
uncomfortable with him doing something to you.. I trust him
but since we have become such good buddies, I don't want
you to get hurt by him in any way. Vice versa.” She took a
nervous sip of her drink.
I involuntarily smiled at her reaction.
I felt an ease calling her my friend. “Don't worry I won't let
something like that happen to me,” I said, “And first of all,
though I do find him quite attractive, I will never be with
him.”
“Why?” She asked.
“I'm tired of these things. I want something real,” I
stretched my arms over and let out a deep exhale. “Now
you tell me what happened last night?” I looked at her
intently, hoping for an answer.
I threw myself on the couch and she sat next to me. “You
don't remember anything?”
“Yeah, almost nothing.”
“So.. You got into a fight with one of your exs, I don't
remember the name, and Leon-”
“Wait, I got into a freakin fight? Physical fight?” I was
bewildered.
“Yeah and he was about to hit you but Leon stopped him.”
“Leon stopped him? And what else did he do?” I asked.
“He also hit that guy and defended you. Honestly I was
shocked, he would have ignored it if it was someone else
but he even went after you,” she blurted out.
“Oh God! I swear I won't touch alcohol once again. It's so
embarrassing,” I dropped myself at the side and hugged a
pillow.
“You better talk to him,” her brows danced, as if they were
teasing me.
“Yeah,” I mumbled.
She picked up her car keys and phone. “Are you going
already?” I questioned with a pout inadvertently curling on
my lips.
“Yeah I have some work, let's meet at night, your place?”
She suggested.
I agreed before I accompanied her to the door and closed
it behind her.
Faltering inside the bedroom, I hopped on the bed and
pulled in a deep breath. My lungs filled up with the enticing
musky scent of Leon's clothes. I had to do something about
it for sure. My eyes peeked at the phone.
After a moment of contemplation and fumbling with the
device, I texted him.
Me: Hey, Leon
Sorry for the ruckus I caused last night
 If it wasn't for you my impulses would have led me into
trouble
Thank you
I typed and tossed the phone to the side.
The day passed by quickly.
I changed into my comfy shorts and a loose shirt after the
intense workout and a refreshing shower. Grabbing a book
on metaphysics, I snuggled in my warm bed, the only
partner I needed in life.
 As I was engrossed in the book, the
phone's notification went out.
I ignored it.
The part I was reading was way more interesting than the
ring. It could wait. And it was only after an hour that I placed
the book aside and finally picked it up.
Sorry isn't enough.
Leon had replied.
Me: Then what do you want?
Leon: Some nice hangout
Me: Okay.. Amusement park?
Leon: You like stuff like that?
Me: Yeah of course. You don't?
A ride on a rollercoaster is better than a formal dinner.
A few minutes passed by. I realised I was staring at the
screen the whole time.
Me: Okay if you don't, then I'll treat you to dinner
There's no need to leave me on seen like this!
Leon: No, take the park. I don't want dinner.
That's boring
Me: Okay, tomorrow be ready at three pm!
Leon: Ok
I tossed my phone to the side and nuzzled my face into
the pillow, grinning underneath.
Let's be friends?
 _
Where are you going?” Cayden leaned against the
doorframe with his arms crossed in front of chest. “You are
in such a hurry! You know we hangout on Sundays,” he
walked to me with a sullen face, “And you aren't even
answering me.”
“No, Cayden, I just have an important meeting,” I
mumbled. The lid of the eyeshadow palette closed with a
plop.
Keeping it back on the vanity, I turned to face him. “I see,
your meeting on a day off is more important than your best
friend,” he puffed his cheeks as he averted his gaze at a
side.
“Cayden, it's not that! We'll-” I explained, but a ringing cut
me off.
Cayden grabbed my phone, “Mr. Weston? Why is he
 calling you today?”
“Because I have a meeting with him,” I said.
I snatched the phone from him and answered it. “Yeah,
Leon, I'll be there in a minute,” I answered and hung up.
“
Leon
? Now you are friends with him? I'm so done with
this!” He remarked and stormed out of the room.
“Cayden!”
I called out after him but I heard a loud bang of the door
which caused me to flinch back. I sighed and glanced at my
phone. I am sorry Cayden I can't go after you, let me make
it up to Leon first.
I stepped out of my house to find Leon in his blue Ferrari. I
gave him a friendly smile as I walked towards the car. This
man was really something. He flashed me something closer
to a smirk as he got out of the exquisite car.
“Looking pretty,” he walked to my side as he opened the
door for me.
“Thanks,” I hopped inside.
I could have acted better than hiding my flushed cheeks
while pretending I wasn't dazed. That wasn't the first time a
handsome man complimented me. Yet something about him
gave me a type of electric current all over my skin. I
shrugged it off as physical attraction.
He plopped inside humming a song I thought I knew so
well, but couldn't pin-point the name. He reached for a small
daisy flower in the little storage and handed it to me,
keeping his face stern and directed at the front.
“Where did you get this from?” I chuckled.
“I found it, so I brought it for you.” He stated, “From my
garden.”
I kept the delicate flower inside my bag. Thank God he
was at least talking
. He started the engine.
“Are you still grumpy that I picked an amusement park?” I
questioned.
He didn't reply for a few moments, and I didn't have
enough patience to wait for the same.
“Okay, we can go wherever you want to, I'm not so choosy
over the place. I just want to-”
“-I'm not grumpy,” he asserted.
“Then why do you look so grim, are you angry with me or
are-”
“-Skye I'm not angry with you. It's something else,” he
replied nonchalantly.
“But you look upset and I don't want you to be,” I sighed
before my eyes inadvertently glanced out of the window.
“Okay, I won't be upset,” he said, “Look here.” I averted
my eyes towards him. He grinned at me revealing his heart
shaped smile. I smiled involuntarily and a soft blush spread
across my face. “Is your smile real? Or is it just to keep my
heart?” I asked.
“For real,” he murmured and averted his eyes ahead to
concentrate on his driving. “Sure,” I surmounted.
_
We reached the crowded amusement park. We didn't talk
much during the drive except for a few formal and absurd
questions like, where your parents were from, or, what was
your favourite colour.
I concluded he enjoyed talking about his surface level
interests, or was that because he was the type to shove
deeper conversations beneath an unbreakable iceberg with
casual conversations?
“Oh! What if we get lost?” I pouted.
He briskly flashed his hand before me.
“What?” I questioned.
“Hold it, otherwise you'll get lost,” he said.
I gazed at him and entangled his slender fingers between
mine. “That's better,” he cleared his throat.
“Shall we go then?” I observed his eyes with a tiny
uncontrollable grin. “Hm.” I caught a smile slipping from his
lips, that stayed for a few moments more than they have
ever been.
And the adventure began.
“Leon, this one!” I exclaimed walking over to the ticket
booth of a roller coaster. He followed me. “Shall we ride this
one?” My eyes were probably gleaming in excitement like a
five year old. Leon snickered as he nodded.
“I actually like amusement parks, but I've never been here
with somebody before.” A tint of cherry spread across his
cheeks. He was shy. Pretty shy. Yet so calm and balanced.
His deep hazel orbs glimmered in an ineffable eagerness. I
wished I could know more about that childlike desire in his
eyes.
“Okay, then?” I grinned.
“Alright! It will be fun!” He smiled back at me.
He grabbed the tickets for the both of us before we
entered inside. “Hold me if you feel scared.” He looked at
me.
My insides heated up and awkwardly, I nodded. What else
could I do? I was almost frozen by some of his remarks. We
sat next to each other. The seat accommodated two people
under one clutch. We put on the belts and the worker helped
the big clutch in its place to start the task of protection.
 Once the workers signalled it was okay, the ride started.
Our hair was pushed back from the intense wind.
I landed a strong grasp on his arm, fully enjoying the
sensations. Excited shouts filled up the atmosphere. I
nuzzled my face closer to his arm. We were already close to
each other due to the singular nature of the seater. His hand
landed over my knee.
I felt a sudden wave of chills as I found him unfazed and
fearless, enjoying the ride holding the clutch in one hand.
I didn't mind the closeness. I was determined to take it as
something not more than being almost equal at work and
being friends.
Soon the ride ended and we jostled out feeling giddy.
“Woah!” I exclaimed, “That was awesome. Shall we go
again?”
“No, Skye!” He laughed, “That was enough stimulation.
Let's do something else.”
“Just kidding. I don't wanna go back either. So, next one?”
His eyes wavered, somewhere at my back as a curious
grin plastered on his lips, “Over there.” He pointed towards
the enormous giant wheel, decorated in lavender and peach
fairy lights.
“It looks really good so let's save it for the last?” My
curious eyes gleamed at his face, “We can enjoy the sunset
from up there.”
“You have cool ideas,” he smirked.
I flashed him a grin.
We enjoyed a lot of different rides before the sky painted
in the colours of coral and rose as evening took its turn and
it was the time for our most awaited ride. I rubbed my hands
together in glee as we waited for our turn next to the ticket
booth.
“Next one!” A volunteer called.
We marched inside.
“Sit down, Miss,” the guy directed. Briskly, Leon wrapped
his arm around my waist and stepped at my side, blocking
the guy.
 “Yeah,” I coughed. My impulses kept catching the
volunteer's eyes on me, making me feel uncomfortable.
I clutched Leon's hand as a help to sit inside the hanging
seat. I shifted aside and he took the outer seat. “Are you
okay?” He asked and checked out at his back.
“Yeah,” I nodded.
I brushed my hair to the side to keep them together. Was
this a simple task or a nervous reaction? My head felt
cloudy. Mistakenly my fingers gently rubbed on his arm. I let
out a deep exhale.
“You're good?” I tried to talk it out. He nodded with an
assuring blink of his eyes before I caught them shyly
wavering at my neck.
“The sky looks pretty,” he looked at me, “This was a good
idea.”
“Yeah.”
His restless hands rubbed on his thighs as the wheel
started slow.
“Leon, are you okay?” I asked. He nodded yes but I
perceived him uncomfortable. “You can hold my hand if you
need to,” I stated.
He immediately grabbed my hand and pulled it towards
his thigh, making my legs feel a sudden quiver.
The wheel rose slowly and it came down at a rapid rate.
He hugged me by my arm and rested his head over my
shoulder. My body lightened up as a big enthralling smile
left my lips.
“It's so good,” he smiled and hugged my arm tighter in
excitement.
“It's been a while since I enjoyed something like this,” I
said.
“Me too, we should do this often,” he replied.
“Friends?” I asked.
“Hm?”
“Are we friends already?”
“We have been friends since the day we met,” he
declared.
 I chuckled, “That was a bold move right there.”
He replied with a sheepish grin.
_
Shortly after the various rides, we strolled through the
streets surrounded by food trucks.
An amusement park was not an amusement park without
mouth-watering food stalls. And somehow, the savoury
meals at a carnival outshone any five-star restaurant.
“Hungry?” He questioned.
“A lot!”
“Alright, come with me,” he dragged me towards a truck
serving burgers.
“You like this?” I asked.
“Yeah, do you not?”
“I do! Of course!” I grinned.
The enticing smell of the hot meal left me elated after
hours of vigorous activity.
“You sit, I'll get it for us then,” he directed. “Leon let me
pay, I gave you this treat, you have already paid for our
rides,” I objected.
“I won't allow you that, you go there,” he shooed me
away.
“Yeah but-”
“-No buts. I'm paying and that's final.” He gripped my
shoulders softly and made me trudge towards the table.
“Sit down, I'll be back,” Leon assured I was seated before
he paced towards the truck in a hurry.
I gazed at him as he ordered the burgers. He's different
from the other guys I've met. Maybe he wasn't different and
only I
 felt different for the first time? I sighed and pulled out
my phone. Maybe he could have been the way he was with
me, with his girlfriends too? What did I know?
My impulses caused me to text Cayden.
Me: Are you still angry?
 I messaged him and loosely traced my index finger up and
down on the chat screen. My head was swirled up in
thoughts, getting me spaced out.
“Skye?” I heard Leon's voice.
“Oh, yeah,” I shook my head before awkwardly looking up
at him, “I just got lost for a moment there.”
“You left my hand, maybe that's why,” he interjected and
placed our food on the table. Smooth, Mr. Weston
. I safely
put the phone back in my handbag with a faded smile. But
before I could look up, he suddenly groaned in pain.
I looked up to find his pricked index finger with blood
oozing out. I jerked out of my seat and pulled his hand
towards me.
“What did you do,” I scolded.
“Just a second,” I left his hand before reaching for my bag.
His teeth nibbled on his lower lip in pain while I pulled out a
band aid and a mini cotton pad from the bag I used to keep
for emergencies.
“Come here,” I pulled him towards a washbasin near our
table.
I pulled his finger under the splashing water until the
wound was clean and then aided it after it dried. “Is this
okay?” I questioned. I looked at him with a sigh.
He was gazing into my eyes in a daze. “Leon!” I called out
and gripped on his shoulder.
“Y-yeah,” he murmured. He jerked his head down.
“Leon..” I sighed, “I asked whether this hurts or not.”
“What if I say it hurts me a lot?” He let out.
“Oof,” I pouted, “Are you crazy!” I nudged his chest.
Rapidly, he let out a laugh he was holding back. “I'm fine,
don't worry,” he giggled. I internally thanked the entire
Universe for the little open hearted interaction. But I still
wasn't able to completely understand that man.
“Come, then,” I dragged him back to our place and
assured he was seated comfortably.
“What did you do?” I questioned, sitting down.
 “I don't know..” He glanced at the wound, “Maybe
something when I bought these burgers.”
I let out a relaxed exhale and signalled him the food. I took
a huge bite of the scrumptious burger myself. “This is
yummy.”
He nodded and smiled gently.
We ate our meal peacefully while having another batch of
surface level conversations.
He looks so innocent right now
.
“Leon, you know you are different sometimes,” I said.
“Hm, how?”
“You sometimes look so serious and bold but sometimes
you look like a baby,” I conversed holding back my chuckle,
“Like right now.” He had stuffed his cheeks with a big last
portion of the burger. His lips curled in a pout as he chewed
his food, exaggerating the cuteness even more, leaving me
laughing.
“Do you do this often?” I tried to calm my laugh.
“What?” He asked.
“Dates, you have had a lot of girlfriends, so you might be
going on dates quite often? Although this is not a date,” I
nodded to myself.
“I don't. Most of them don't even last for two days,” he
stated.
“You never went on a date before?” I asked.
He shook his head in a no, “I'll take this as my first date,”
he claimed.
“Why?” I had to blink my eyes briskly to absorb the
sudden piece of information.
“Because I want to,” he replied. He wiped his hands clean
with the tissue. I stared at him perplexed. Was he just
flirting or did he mean it?
“Shall we go now?” He asked as he watched me wipe my
hands off and stood up.
_
 Soon we went for a casual stroll at the lake side near the
amusement park. The sky grew shades of deep purple,
complementing the orange hued streetlights. “Did you enjoy
it?” He asked.
“I should be the one asking you this,” I answered,
“Shouldn't I?”
“Mhm.. If you say so. Then let me be honest, I liked it,” he
confessed.
“Me too,” I smiled.
We walked side by side without uttering a word. Our feet
were engaged in an unsaid game of matching our walk with
each other's. We occasionally laughed and bumped into
each other. The silence made it even more enjoyable.
A golden light sparkled in the reflection of a small puddle.
“Leon! Look!” I stopped as I gripped his arm and pointed
towards lanterns flying over the sky. As if someone had just
released them.
“Wow,” his eyes blazed in childlike curiosity.
My eyes gazed at the dazzling lights in astonishment.
“That's prettier than I imagined it to be!”
“You know watching something beautiful with the person
you love is the best,” he lowered his voice.
“Hm?” My eyes darted at him.
“Have you ever been in love?” He asked.
I realised I was gazing at him in an utter daze. He looked
oddly familiar in the semi darkness. He averted his eyes
towards me and we were staring at each other closely.
“You don't.. really have to answer me,” he whispered as
he glanced back at the sky.
I averted my gaze at the same place as him and rushed
through my mind to find the right words.
I had been in love, and I was still in love, with someone
who was impossible-
“Oh,” I flinched and gripped tighter on his arm as
someone bumped into me breaking my chain of thoughts.
“Leon, long time no see!” A girl remarked. Her eyes
checked me out from head to toe. “Is she your new
girlfriend? Let's see how long you stay in place,” she
babbled.
What was wrong with some people?
“Disgusting,” I murmured, rolling my eyes.
“What did you say?” Her shrill voice almost pricked my
eardrums.
“For your kind information, he's my friend,” I stated. She
glanced at Leon and smiled nervously before she turned
around and left, “See you around, Leon.”
“Leon, what kind of girls do you even date,” my voice
grew astounded, “How can she just bump into us this way?”
“I don't even remember her,” he rolled his eyes.
I shrugged in disbelief, “C'mon we should go now, she
ruined that moment already.” I grabbed his hand with my
lips pursed together and dragged him with me, eventually
leaving it.
He snickered at my back while jogging to catch my pace.
He entangled his fingers between mine and flashed me a
smile. “What kind of guys did you date?” He questioned.
A rose tint swept across my cheeks.
“Do you really want to know?”
“Yeah you can tell me,” he murmured.
“Most of them were nice but I never committed to any of
them because I want to fall in love only once,” I sighed,
“They were more or less with me just because of their lust.
And the nice ones exhausted me.”
We reached the car.
I released his hand awkwardly and turned around to face
him.
“I live without attachments, Leon. Love.. confuses me. I'll
try and fail but I'll still let it come to me. I'm quite cool with
things actually. Nothing really ruffles my feathers,” I
confessed. “Maybe except for when I'm drunk because I
need to shrug off things after a time,” I chuckled and he
joined me in.
“Like an avalanche?” He teased, “We need to stay alert of
the disaster after you have had enough.”
 I snickered a small laugh and nodded my head in
agreement. Why is he able to notice this about me while I
can't relate any natural disaster with him? That isn't fair.
“Be my friend, some people are too good to leave out,” he
said.
“But aren't we friends already?” I poked his arm and
signalled him to open the car door.
“Yes, we surely are.”
 Five

Next Friday
Leon's POV

“Y
ou've been spending a lot of time with Skye, is
something going on?” Ash asked me, stepping inside the
club.
I bit my lower lip before replying, to give him the right
answer he needed. I myself wasn't aware of what actually
was going on between us. Maybe we were really just friends,
as she used to put it.
“Nothing,” I murmured.
He rubbed my shoulder after perceiving my restlessness.
Skye and Jazlyn were seated at their usual table on the
balcony, away from the exhilarating dance floor, as we
carved our path towards them.
“Where is the doctor today?” I murmured.
“I don't know.. let's see,” Ash marched towards them and
pushed me to the front before giving me a smack on the
back.
“Hey,” Ash plopped next to Jazlyn.
“Hey,” she blushed and shifted aside.
“Are you in the avalanche mood again, Skye,” I teased her.
This is what I wanted, something quirky and unique between
the both of us. Inside jokes, a special bond where you were
just simply comfortable being frank with each other, she
was giving me the vibes. I poured myself a drink and tossed
it down feeling the ultimate burning sensation.
 “My best friend is avoiding me,” she uttered.
“Who, Cayden?”
“Hm,” her quivering fingers reached for the bottle
overlapping my hand.
“Don't drink too much!” I asserted and took the bottle
away.
“Then what do I do, he is ignoring all my calls.”
She laid her head against my shoulder and clutched my
arm tightly. My body heated up. I coughed and straightened
my spine. It caused her to directly lay her head over my
chest and my arm to hold her by her waist. Her hand slowly
trailed over my shirt and clenched against my waist. “You
are like a big bear, why did I never hug you before?” She
pouted.
I let out a nervous snicker. My unused hand fumbled on
the edge of the leather couch in restlessness, finding a way
to hold her. The ardour took over, washing my brain off that
Ash and Jazlyn were watching us.
I traveled my hand over her soft locks dangling over her
shoulders and tucked them behind her ears. Just when I was
about to stroke her hair, knowing it was soothing her, a low
monotonous voice grasped our attention.
“Skye,” The doctor had shown up.
She raised her subdued body up, her eyes beamed at him
and her voice grew brittle. “Where were you,” her intone
quavered. She removed her hand in a haste from my torso
and shifted aside. He didn't answer, instead sat next to her,
almost pushing me away.
“I was out of the city for some work,” he sighed.
“You didn't even phone me for once and why were you
ignoring my calls? You know I was-” she mumbled but her
voice broke down.
He grabbed her in a hug.
Veins popped out of my neck and my fists clenched tightly.
I hated that. Pulling in a deep inhale I somehow calmed
myself down. Ash and Jazlyn were too astounded to say
something. I let that pass. But he just took my place? I was
not going to let that happen.
The night passed by and morning set in. She left that
night with Cayden, and I had to wait until the next Monday
morning.
“Jazlyn, I need Skye in my office.”
“Alright, let me check.”
“Quick,” I asserted dryly and hung up the call.
My heels tapped on the marbled floor in distress. The
mocking incident from last Friday hurled towards my heart
like a piercing arrow. I haven't seen her for two days and the
fact that she went home with Cayden was enough to
outrage me.
If I wanted her, I needed to act.
The telephone rang again, “Leon, it's her break time and
Cayden just came to meet her in the cafeteria so I think you
need to wait until she-” Jazlyn uttered but I hung up the call.
“Ugh!” My fists slammed on the table and my tongue
rolled against the cheek.
I jostled out of the office and walked towards the lift in a
hurry. The lift reached the ground floor.
“Mr. Weston, Good mor-” an employee greeted me but I
was quick to shorten it, “Good Morning,” I stated politely
and hastened towards the entrance of the building's private
cafeteria.
I pulled out my phone to ring her up while watching from a
distance.
“Yes, Mr. Weston,” she greeted.
'Leon' and 'Mister Weston', I like this.
“Where are you,” I questioned.
“It's my break-”
“I asked where you are.”
“Cafeteria, Cayd-”
“-Good, I need you in my office now. It's urgent,” I
concluded and hung up the call. My eyes peeked at the duo.
She rose up in her seat but Cayden grappled her hand. She
conversed about something and he smiled back at her. My
hands curled into fists and a heat of blood rushed through
my body. I walked towards an empty lift, to reach the office
before her. What is she making me do..
I nibbled on my lower lip impatiently as the lift started.
My mind was focused on her. But I felt the vague
tightening in my breath. The nervous attack came back. My
chest felt like clenching and my breathing grew uneven. I
trudged the way towards the office as soon as I reached my
destination. My vision became hazy but I gripped on the
door handle. At least I could contain myself by taking it easy.
I stood still balancing my quivering body to catch a breath.
Gulping a dry lump I tottered towards the chair and hurled
my body on it. The stabbing pain was becoming
uncontrollable.
I pulled out the pills and gulped them down with water. My
eyes squinted tightly and my inconsistent breaths started
taking their shape back after a few messy ones.
Heavy breathing voices filled up the whole room. I
unbuttoned the first three buttons of my shirt and rubbed
my hand over my chest and felt my normal heartbeat. That
should not have happened. I gulped the heavy lump in my
throat and jerked my head down. The sound of her stilettos
clicked over the floor and my body raised in alarm.
Luckily I had over ten minutes to relax my nerves before
the avalanche walked in.

Skye's POV
“Mister Weston, you called for me?” I called out entering
the intimate office.
“Hm,” he ho-hummed, rummaging through a pile of
papers.
“Sit down.”
I did as told. His eyes scanned me as I sat down. He
coughed and pulled his legs apart, revealing his muscular
thighs and the bulky- Skye, stop thinking like that.
  I fake
coughed and my eyes wavered at the window to avoid the
chills he was giving me in my legs.
“The sketch you gave me,” he said, “We need editing at
these red marked points.”
“So I need to sketch this again with the corrected red
parts?” I asked about the marks.
“Yeah, what else will you do?” He uttered and stood up.
“No, I meant I could just- Nevermind
. The sketch is just
too big to do all over again. I hate
 restarting,” a small sigh
left my lips before I looked at him to assure myself I didn't
say anything wrong.
“Do it whichever way you feel eased with.”
I glimpsed his approaching figure towards me.
He leaned on the table with his hands against the surface
while standing at my side. “Next week is really big for us,”
he whispered.
“Why?” I gazed at him.
“The project we are working on is based in Rome,” he
said.
“Oh, yeah that's actually cool! I think we should-” I tried to
suggest but he cut me off. “-You know you impressed me a
lot.” Okay, this is going somewhere else.
I pushed the revolving seat back on an impulse to stand
up but he swiftly grasped both the handles of the chair and
shoved it against the table. I was between him and the glass
table.
His toned torso was visible underneath the halfway
unbuttoned shirt. Stop making me feel dizzy.
  My body
heated up in revolt as the musky scent of his perfume, filled
with the strong scent of a cigarette he might have smoked
earlier, fumed against my face. His deep hazel orbs stared
intently in my eyes, never breaking eye contact.
In a spur of moment I became aware that I was trapped,
when his lips landed over mine.
My eyes shut tightly and my hands landed against his
chest to push him back. One of his veiny hands cupped my
neck. He pulled back to catch a breath and pressed his
plumpy lips against mine again. Although well toned, my
arms were too weak to stand against his powerful ones.
I kept my lips shut, not allowing him to take control. But
that was strange. I wanted him to kiss me more. My chest
rose up heavily and he pulled back to let me breathe.
Though the feeling was too passionate, a kind of touch I
felt I had waited for so long to feel again, I couldn't. My body
revolted to make me part my lips but I
  couldn't let my
guard down so easily. None of us seemed to move back.
Nevertheless I let my hands loose and he slowly pulled
away. I opened my eyes only to find him gazing at me.
I couldn't utter anything, neither did he. He cleared his
throat and stood back upright.
As he walked back to his seat I rose up in a hurry.
“Thank you Mister… Weston,” I mumbled and hastened
towards the door.
“You're welcome but cut out the Mister,” his throaty voice
echoed behind me.
I nodded and hastily walked out of the intimidating room.
Jazlyn bumped into my absent figure on the way back to my
office.
“Oh, so you met him?”
“Yeah..” I murmured, averting my face at a side to hide
the flushed cheeks.
“Okay, I was about to call you-”
“Jaz, let's talk later, I'm in a hurry,” I exhorted before
hastening inside my office. My heart was still thumping
briskly. I touched my softened lips and felt the gush of heat
in my cheeks. I jerked my head low, unconsciously fumbling
with the edge of the table. His eyes flashed before my eyes,
making my body quiver.
I couldn't find the balance I needed between my heart and
mind.
“Skye?” Jazlyn called my name.
I looked up to find her standing on the edge of the door
with astonished eyes which beamed directly at me as if
trying to read what just happened between me and Leon.
 “I guess you have to tell me something,” she stated as
she walked inside.
“He kissed me,” I conceded.
I nibbled on my lower lip and exhaled deeply as she stood
there staring at me blankly. “Why don't you say
something..” I said.
“What do I say, it was so obvious from the beginning,” she
said and paused, “Did you kiss him back?”
I shook my head in a no.
“Why?” She asked.
“It's a long story,” I sighed, “I'm afraid, I'm already..
committed to someone
.”

Flashback
8 Years Ago
The exhilarating music that filled in the dull party at the
university's hall, faded away as I stepped on the terrace. I
stretched my arms and filled my lungs with the fresh air. The
night glistened in a dull grey as the early winter moon
played hide and seek with the clouds. I gawked at the sight
of beauty feeling cold shivers in my legs.
I stumbled on a rock and a groan escaped my lips. Luckily
I didn't fall but a shrill noise of some object caught my
attention. Attentively, I prowled towards the unsteady
source of sound at the other end of the roof. “Hey, stop!” I
shouted at the person who stood with a lustrous blade in his
hand.
He turned around, his eyes glistened with terror.
His face was covered with a black mask and he wore a
dark green hood over his head, only letting his eyes be
revealed. I could make out the dark green hue of his hoodie
due to a dull white bulb going on and off on the terrace wall.
“Please wait,” I called out as my orbs caught hold of deep
crimson marks on his wrist. Blood.
My heavy footsteps faltered towards him.
 He stepped back when I was just a step away from him.
“Please talk to me,” I assured.
“Go away,” his wobbly, yet deep winter toned voice
gushed through.
I knew what I had to do to snatch the blade away from
him.
I took a step back, knowing I won my trick. As I thought he
would have loosened up his tensed muscles, I briskly flung
my hand over the one with which he held the incriminating
object and hurled it away from his grip. A shrill sound
echoed through the terrace as the blade landed someplace.
“What did you-” he muttered.
I exhaled sharply and took a step back.
He wavered his eyes over a large part of the roof,
flickering back and forth while searching for the blade.
Drops of blood dribbled on the floor which earned a gasp
from me. “Go away,” he growled.
“N-no, you are hurt,” I encountered.
“Let me be hurt, it should not bother you,” he
admonished.
I took a big stride forward and grasped his hand. He
swiftly pulled it away, making me flinch back. “You'll die like
that,” I yelled, “That's too much blood.”
His intense eyes pierced through my soul. I stepped closer
and gently gripped his hand, “Please let me,” I whispered.
He peered his eyes towards the wound and then gazed back
at me. I got the assurance through his silence.
Leaving his hand, I rummaged in my handbag for the first
aid kit I had always kept with me. “What are you going to
do,” he rasped. My body quivered from his voice and I
looked at him hesitantly. “Come with me,” I whispered. He
let out a sigh before I awkwardly made him walk with me
towards the small washbasin.
I tenderly placed his wrist under the chilly water until his
soft honey-like skin was clean. The blood oozed out again
but in a minuscule quantity. I quickly grabbed the dry wipes
and patted it dry, both my hands and his wrist. I pressed a
tissue over it and dragged him towards a bench to dress it
better.
“I don't know why you did this but believe me.. no matter
what kind of pain it is, it does end,” I emphasised.
He didn't reply.
I wrapped the bandage over the ointment I had stroked it
with. “Ugh,” a groan escaped his lips.
“It's done,” I murmured, carefully pulling the sleeve down.
I glanced back at him, his grimacing eyes squinting in
pain. The white of his eyes was red due to crying. My chest
felt something heavy. It wasn't a sensation to get worried
over, but I could feel a warm wave of something in my
chest. As if sitting next to him wasn't something I was doing
for the first time. I cupped his hand between mine and
stroked tenderly.
“You know, you might be sad right now but that will end
soon. It's on us.. how much we can endure it.” I gazed back
at him and perceived tears trailing down his eyes.
I traced my upper hand to the little portion of his face and
wiped them off.
“Don't give up like this.. I know it hurts like crazy but it
depends on us if we break down or break through,” I
whispered, “Because we have to break something so we
better break through shit… Like if we are using energy
better use it for something good,” I beamed pressing my
lips together. Even though he had a mask, I knew he reacted
to it. That gave me a surge of confidence.
“I know you wouldn't want to say everything to me.. but
do you have any physical sickness or is it more emotional?
And.. why do you have that mask on?” I anticipated the
reply.
“I'm okay, physically,” he paused, “The mask is just how I
want it to be.”
“That's good to hear,” I exhaled in relief before an idea hit
me, “Come, I can't leave you alone,” I stood up but he kept
where he was, still gripping my hand.
“Where?” he mumbled.
 “I know some really nice med students who are doing their
internship here in the university's hospital and you know
you can go to them and vent out your feelings. I mean they
can talk to you, you know psychiatrist..” I hesitated. He
could have said no to that.
And the same happened, he refused.
“Please, if not for yourself then for me! Just fifteen
minutes,” I urged.
“I.. Don't want to" he mumbled and glanced away.
Maybe I knew another way to pursue him.
“Alright,” I slowly pulled my hand back and grabbed my
bag, “Bye, then. Please don't hurt yourself again,” I stated.
A chill ran through my spine. I didn't want to leave him
alone. Never. I turned around, on the verge of walking away.
“Wait,” he called out. I turned around with discontent
clearly visible on my face. I was a good actor, I knew.
He peeked at me for a moment. I rolled my eyes up and
down to show discontent. He led his hand loosely at the
front.
“What,” even though I understood the signal, I still asked.
“Take me wherever you want to.”
I side eyed him, “For real or just to keep my heart?” I
asked.
“For real,” he murmured, “Now hold it, it's aching!”
We walked hand in hand to the hospital. The university
was huge. And it accommodated a hostel, a big cafeteria
and a hospital. Almost like a city on its own. But that was
just an exaggeration. The federation was huge, and the
story was for another day.
“C'mon they are nice,” I convinced him for the umpteenth
time as we sat down on a waiting bench. He had made small
disagreeing remarks all the way, causing me to emphasise
on the good parts of the process more. We still held hands,
gently with our fingers intertwined.
“Look at me.”
He faced me. “Promise, you will never hurt yourself
again,” I mentioned.
 He didn't reply.
“If you ever feel nobody cares for you then remember this
stranger who just dressed this wound,” I sighed and smiled
at him gently.
Just then a girl interrupted us. “Hello? You can go inside
now.” I nodded at her in acknowledgment.
“Okay!” I puffed in a breath as I led my hand over his
knee, “So there you go now. Tell them all that you feel and
don't shy away, alright?”
A plethora of thoughts rushed in my mind. My head felt
clouded.
“Okay,” were the only words he uttered before he was on
the verge of standing up. I briskly grabbed his arm as we
both stood up.
“Will you allow me something?” I fumbled with the hem of
my leather jacket.
“What?” he asked. His eyes were gazing intently at mine. I
didn't know if he wanted to say something, but I felt like
doing anything to—just know him.
“Close your eyes,” I commanded. He did as asked. I
gulped as I leaned closer. Skye, what in the world were you
trying to do? I tightly shut my eyes and ended up pressing
my lips on his lips but with the mask in between. Oh, what's
gotten into you.
My cheeks were flushed pink as I opened my eyes and
saw him blinking open his dazed eyes.
I stood up in a haste feeling my body heating up. I crossed
the boundary, I thought. As expected, he suddenly grabbed
my hand. “How can you do this, you don't even know what I
look like,” he questioned.
Oh, boy, how could I say that I could see him even when I
didn't see him. My thoughts didn't even make sense to me
then. I looked down. “I.. I believe you are a good person at
heart and if someone is good from within, he or she is
automatically beautiful.. or handsome,” I mumbled. I spoke
something very close to what my heart was bubbling to say.
 He didn't reply so I peered up trying to comprehend the
meaning of his silence. 'I was crazy,' I had been affirming
my stupidity. I pulled my hand back, “I think I should go
now,” I whispered, "Don't- mind what I did."
I was on the verge of passing by his side but he stopped
me by my wrist. “You can't just walk into a person's heart
and leave as if nothing happened,” he deadpanned.
I took a step back to face him with my eyes widened.
“Don't you want me to kiss you back?” he questioned.
“I- don't mind if you won't kiss me back, but the fact that
you don't want to push me away is enough to keep me
happy..” I blurted out, feeling a gush of heat passing
through my whole body and my heart thumping
uncontrollably.
“Close your eyes,” he ordered.
I was perplexed. “I said close your eyes,” he commanded
once again. His eyes were, as if, melting in mine.
I gently shut my eyes.
His hands cupped over my jawline causing a tingle over
my body and then, I felt his lips against mine. But without
his mask!
My body weakened at his tender touch. There was
something about it. Something about being close to him
that felt like it wasn't new. He was a stranger, yet he wasn't.
My heart wasn't rushing next to him. A wave of warmth
cascaded all over my body and I could see him even when I
didn't. What was happening to me?
He moved back leaving behind the wet sound of the
friction. As I opened my eyes to discover the black mask
was already covering his features. “I hope you don't forget
that you are mine,” he stated.
I stood gazing at him, flabbergasted. “Promise,” I
hesitated, “You won't forget that you are mine either.”
“I promise.”
“Okay,” I moved aside, “Let's meet again, someday.”
Flashback Over
 Six

G
ulping the strawberry milkshake in a haste, I slammed the
cup on the table. “And since that day I sleep with his eyes in
front and wake up to his vague voice,” I sighed. Jazlyn had
looked at me bewildered during the whole narration. Her
brown orbs wavered on the floor and she glanced back up,
“And you fell in love with a stranger!?” She questioned.
“Hm..” I sighed, “And that's why I've dated so many guys,
just to find him.”
“Woah,” she sipped her iced latte, “This is one of a kind…
Like no names, no phone numbers, no address and one of
you doesn't even know what the other one looks like!”
“This is only fascinating to hear but it's difficult for a
person like me who needs physical affection all the time,” I
rubbed my arm with my hand. She pressed her lips in a thin
line.
“What about Leon then?” She asked.
“I don't know.. I'm just tired of finding that person because
I don't know if he even remembers the slight bit of me. I feel
stupid thinking about him but I have grown such a strong
connection with, I don't know, maybe his essence, that it
seems impossible
 to go back to where I was,” I conversed,
“But I still want to break free of it and try dating other
people.. But that only makes me feel miserable the next
moment because I know those people are not my person. I
can't feel that warmth with somebody else. As if my eyes
just skim through men and I know that they are not my Mr.
Stranger.” I buried my head on the table.
“Then why do you date so many people when you know
they aren't the Mister..” She paused, “Stranger.”
“Because, I think I am indecisive,” I mumbled, squinting
my eyes.
Jaz was silenced. I glanced up after sensing the
nothingness.
“Now what?” She asked.
“Absolutely nothing..” I sighed but immediately my tone
perked up, “But! I still won't let Leon get me so easily. Let
him enjoy the chase at least.”
She flashed me a slight smirk, “That's way better because
he gets turned off when someone succumbs easily to him.”
“That's fine... I get bored that way too.”
And shortly after the conversation Jaz and I went back to
work. I sauntered towards my office. The morning felt
beautiful. I hastily pulled over the golden draping curtains
and took in the fresh air. New York City looked spectacular.
My phone rang and I walked to pick it up. Leon
.
“Good Morning Mr. Weston.”
“Good Morning. But that's the wrong way, you should say,
Good Morning, Leon,” he scoffed playfully.
“Okay,” I muffled my chuckle, feeling a warmth spreading
across my cheeks. How could he do this to me? Mr.
Stranger, this guy makes me blush twenty-four seven, is
that normal?
 Leon's husky voice diverted my attention back
to the call.
“I called you because I'm out right now and I need a quick
answer,”
“Ask,  then?”
“Red, blue, white, pink, orange, green, purple— or, yeah,
yellow?”
“Wait color preference?” I asked, “Are you out for some
work? Maybe you can tell me the object or design so that I
can choose better?”
“No, no need for that. Just give me a color of your choice.”
 I pressed my lips into a thin smile as my head rushed for
answers. “Okay, Red— or White.”
“Okay,” he hung up the call in a spur of seconds. What
was he doing? He made my cheeks swirl again in warmth. A
slight thump in my chest made me puff out a breath.
Moments passed by as I was engrossed in my sketching
when I heard a tap on the door. I glimpsed at the man who
stood with a white rose bouquet. A beam of smile flashed on
my face as I went over and opened the door for him. Leon
smiled and I stepped back for him to enter.
“For you,” he smiled at me.
I took a deep inhale as he blushed and handed me the
redolent bouquet. “They look beautiful.”
I awkwardly walked towards my table, placing them over.
“They suit you,” he confessed, walking towards me.
I blushed and peeked at the side. His strapping body
almost hovered over me, causing me to lean backwards. He
was tall and toned. He enhanced my femininity for some
ineffable reason.
He gazed into my eyes, as his lips parted, “Innocence.”
“What?”
His hand trailed down my waist and he pulled me towards
him in an instant, directly pressed against his torso. My
hands landed over his chest. The lithe fingers of his tucked a
lock of my bouncy hair behind my ear. “White roses stand
for innocence, you know that?” His voice was low and deep.
“Hmm,” I shook my head.
His marbles traced the way to my lips and back into my
eyes. “Don't be so innocent with me,” he commanded.
I unknowingly licked my lips. “Why?” I asked in the purest
voice I could. Let me see how confidently you can shut me
up
. He smirked and trailed his finger over my jawline and
gripped my chin, “I don't know why, but you are making me
go insane,” he husked. Then this is an achievement.
I parted my lips and gazed into his strange eyes. My
eyebrows furrowed slightly and I was about to part my
mouth to utter a word or two when his plumpy lips
inadvertently placed a kiss on mine.
He pulled himself back briskly.
“I have scheduled a meeting at two PM,” he coughed and
straightened the cufflinks of his shirt.
“Okay,” I shook my head with a tint of uncertainty.
“Don't forget to bring the Rome project sketches.”
“Alright..” And before I could utter something else he
stalked out of the room. My eyes narrowed and I bit my
lower lip hesitantly. I doubt you, Leon
.
_
I walked in the conference room, where Jazlyn had already
saved up a seat for me.
“Got the files I sent you?” She asked.
“Yeah,” I murmured, pulling them out.
“Leon is confident with the sketches you did and it got an
impressive appraisal from almost all of the people,” she
whispered. I smiled at my own achievement, though not
particularly vain. I was proud of the step I acquired. In the
heat of the moment Leon scurried over in the hall.
I straightened my spine with hands clasped together on
the massive glass table.
“Good morning,” he received hoards of greetings, he
smiled politely and took his position next to the projector
and the screen.
“Good Morning everyone,” he started very kindly, “You
may already know we are starting our first project in Italy,
which is an extremely honorable opportunity for us—” he
had just said and people started to clap and hoot at the
heart warming news. He smiled widely and glanced at me, I
blushed slightly and joined the clap.
“So,” he started, “Our most important part of this project,
the architecture of the building. Though some of us
contributed to the editing process, let's first shout out to the
person who undertook the whole process of coming up with
this idea,” he pointed his hand over to me and smiled
gently, “Our chief designer, Miss Skye Waltz.”
Everyone peeked at me and cheered, Jazlyn being the
most excited.
Heat gushed to my cheeks and I smiled at them, my body
feeling a warmth all over as I gazed back at Leon who
looked the proudest.
“And now we need to travel to the site in Rome. We'll be
leaving tomorrow evening,” he stated and everyone glanced
at each other in glee. “Only two of them will be
accompanying me, because we will start the construction
soon after, and it's more of a brief visit,” he explained, “My
secretary and.. Miss Waltz, for her hard work and
competitiveness.”
My eyes glimmered with astonishment. Me? Yes!
  I had
never traveled out for work before. Some of the employees
smiled at me while some flashed me thumbs up. I looked at
him with my eyes probably glistening in childlike
excitement. “That is it for the meeting. This good news had
to be shared with you all. You may leave, but Miss Waltz,
you stay,” he dictated.
The same happened.
The last person, Jazlyn, left on the note of great delight. I
waved at her as she sauntered out and then I peeked at
Leon.
Some files and papers had his attention. I studied him
while resting my cheek on my palm with the elbow resting
against the glass table. His face was lit up in proudness and
satisfaction. He walked to draw the curtains and sauntered
towards me, pressing the papers down on the table. “I'm
really proud of you,” he whispered.
He slightly bent over me. A rose tinted blush swept across
my face. “You know we need to work hard at the site, are
you ready?”
I was already a blushing mess. My hands landed over his
chest and I tried to nudge him back, though it didn't have
any effect on him. “Don't say it, I'm already nervous,” I
mumbled.
He snickered and again moved closer, his hands gripping
the handles of the revolving chair firmly. His orbs turned to a
mischievous gaze. Without uttering a word, he held my chin
and joined our lips together.
My eyes shut gently feeling the smooth texture of his lips.
His dark hazel marbles gleamed at me as I slowly opened
my eyes. The amount of similarity in his kiss was
overwhelming.
“Leon, kiss me once more,” I whispered. Saying that was
enough, he trailed his hand over my jawline causing me to
shut my eyes. His lips slowly brushed mine and a soft wet
sound echoed as he planted over a long kiss.
I blinked my hazey eyes open, adjusting to his gaze,
“Don't you want me to kiss you back?” I asked.
“You don't want to push me back, that's enough... for
now,” he whispered. My eyebrows furrowed together. Those
words.
  “Leon!” I exclaimed but he stood up quickly and
turned away. I inadvertently stood up after him, “Leon, do
you—” my sentence wasn't finished, before he turned back
briskly pressing his lips on mine.
I was enthralled by his emollient-like touch.
We stayed for a moment before he moved back and
brushed aside my cascading hair. “You are the first one I feel
different with.” My hands were unconsciously clutching onto
his shirt. My hands could feel his skin underneath,  a warmth
being near him. “I feel good with you,” he said, “It's okay if
you want to take your time. But you accept me, that's
enough.”
“Hmm,” I nodded and a faded smile left my lips. Maybe I
should really forget Mr. Stranger and focus on what's in front
of me, because I'm too tired of breaking hearts.
The next evening came by in a whirl of moments. And we
arrived in Rome soon as well.
“Here are some museums I want to visit,” I grinned widely,
filling up my lungs with the fresh air of a new city.
 “Sure,” Leon flashed me a wide smile and wiggled his
eyebrow, “A date in a strange city?”
I nudged his shoulder, gaining a grin from him.
We walked to the reception of the extravagant looking
hotel. A luxurious orange scent filled the space. “Sir, you
have two rooms booked?” The receptionist checked on his
computer.
“Yes, under Leon Weston,” he nodded.
He handed him two room keys and two booklets, “You can
call for room service, anytime required and anything you
need, restaurant, gym, swimming pool, library, anything,
you can find them here. Thank you for checking in,” he
smiled.
I peeked at Leon, perturbed. Somebody has to share a
room.
Indeed the hotel was luxurious, but I felt a surge of
anticipation and nervousness after hearing that we booked
two rooms. We stopped in the hallway decorated with a
golden encrusted chandelier.
“Jazlyn, your keys,” Leon stated, opening the door to his
room. Jazlyn grabbed the keys and gestured towards the
door in front of her. Her brows danced as she opened the
door.
But as I was about to take a step, Leon gripped my wrist,
“Where are you going? Our room is this.” Oh, so you are my
roommate?
“Okay...” I mumbled feeling a gush of warmth in my
cheeks. How bad could that have been? Not much. After all,
we were
  dating. Jazlyn entered her room, before she gave
me a teasing look. The door shut behind her as I watched
Leon dragging the suitcases in.
“You can take the bed, I'll use this sofa bed,” he implored
as I faltered in and he locked the door behind us.
“Uh, no, I'll take the sofa bed,” I replied.
“Okay,” he agreed.
Really?
  I internally scoffed. I thought he would let his
gentleman side show up. But okay.. I was sincere with my
comment anyway. I jerked my head down and rummaged
through the bag, keeping in the glasses.
“But baby, the bed will go unused, if we both sleep on the
sofa bed,” he twittered in a spur, facing me.
Baby!? My cheeks flushed red. No!
  I wished he wasn't
thinking I wanted to sleep next to him. I eyeballed him
unsettled.
“We should sleep on the bed in that case,” he stated.
Though not mad, I still narrowed my eyes.
“Just kidding,” he snickered, sensing my deadpan face,
“You can take the bed, I'll be good with this.”
“Leon, you should have thought earlier, we could have
booked three rooms, I mean c'mon that's common sense—”
I said but he cut me off with a sudden kiss on the cheek.
“I want to stay close to you..” he nuzzled his face against
my neck, his hands snaking to hold my waist. Don't say
that! I get dazed because I can spend hours just making out
with you and– Skye, stop that!
 “Okay!” I nudged him back,
“I'm not going anywhere and, you are going to use the bed
with me,” I uttered in a haze and careened towards the
bedroom. A distant chuckle of his echoed through the living
hall.
Why was he like this? Was he persuasive or was I too
submissive?
_
My hazy eyes blinked open and I sensed arms holding me
firmly at my back. Yeah, Leon. I slowly turned around to not
wake him up. He looks cute. My cheeks grew a soft shade of
pink after I gently brushed aside his bangs.
He looked like such an innocent guy..
 I mean just look at
him, he sleeps like a baby and clutches on something for
support.. It melts my heart. But wait, Skye is the same guy
who uses women and throws them away as if they are
defective toys. Why is it like this Leon? You enter into
people's lives and walk away as if nothing happened.. your
touch might be similar but you stand nowhere in comparison
to the man I loved.
My heart is aching. I'm sorry, maybe I'll fail this
relationship too.
He gently opened his eyes and grinned widely after gazing
at me. My smile was unconscious. In the spur of the moment
he pulled me closer to him and planted a kiss on my
forehead.
“Good morning,” he whispered.
At least I should return the gesture. I held him by his waist
and shyly nuzzled my face in his chest. His arms were firm
but gentle. I could breathe in the warm scent on his skin.
“Good morning,” I mumbled.
His fingers stroked my hair. My heartbeat fastened.
I feel comfortable with you because you aren't the kind of
guy who looks at me only to fulfill his desires. You are
cuddling me, I've never felt someone so gentle and warm
with me before. I didn't cuddle somebody this way before.
 Physical closeness was the intimacy of your soul. You could
touch somebody as much as you wanted, but feeling a
peaceful calm without any rush while simply hugging
somebody, was rare.
“Leon,” I glanced up.
My fingers were entangled with his, stroking them up and
down.
“Mm?”
“Have you been like this with all of your girlfriends?” I
asked. His lips pressed together.
“No..”
“Why? Do you like me that much?”
“If I didn't like you, why would I kiss you?” he murmured.
“But sometimes we kiss people when we don't even like
them. You know those one night stands...”
“I know,” he paused, “Maybe it's just something we need
at that time. Maybe we just can't control ourselves.”
“But, Leon, even though you know I am someone who
doesn't get attached easily, how can you still be so patient
with me? And we both know what we are..” I confessed.
“What are we?” He asked.
“Players—both of us. I mean not to be clichè but that's
how it is,” I sighed.
His perturbed eyes scanned me. I moved back slowly
realizing I said something which hurt him. In the heat of the
moment, he grabbed my waist and pulled me towards him
back again. A cold shiver ran through my body as I noticed
his intense stare. “Don't say that again.. We are humans, we
can't go without love,” he asserted.
“Al–alright,” I uttered. He is right, but will the two of us,
who feed on nothing but excitement and pleasure, ever be
able to love? Even if I placed the stranger in the place, I
didn't think I knew anything about love yet.
He sighed and peeked at me. “Do you like me?” He
questioned.
The question that confused me the most.
My unconscious mind provoked me with the correct
thought, 'Skye you like him. He is different from others. He
makes you feel different.' I gulped a dry lump in my throat
and nodded my head. He pecked my lips, caressing my
cheek.
“I never woke up this happy, all because you are next to
me,” he said, “You make me feel different.”
“You like me a lot?” I asked, almost dazed. Skye, you can't
let you guard down this easily.
He nodded intently. I smiled and stroked his cascading
bangs. “It's a little hard for me to trust but okay.. I'll trust
you,” a smile escaped my lips. He smiled. Yes, I'll trust you
but I wish I could trust myself. I'm scared, Leon, not of falling
in love but of breaking your heart.
We had a scheduled meeting with the contractors later
that day. Now that it was executed well, we decided to
celebrate the milestone.
“Cheers!” The three glasses clinked together as Leon
cheered. Achievements mattered to him. I had learned that
fact by heart by then. “Everything went well today and I'm
quite excited about tomorrow, I'm so happy!” Jazlyn chirped
in.
The biggest grin chose Leon's lips. He smiled, tossing
down the wine he poured in his glass. I took my second
serve.
“Skye, don't drink too much,” Leon's eyes beamed at
mine.
“Uh, no, I'm really happy today,” I nodded my head in a
no.
My eyes were drooping already and that night, I just
wanted to let out my pent up feelings. “Let her drink then,
she is happy,” Jazlyn said, “Just make sure you both don't
end up doing something imma–”
“–No, you drink this!” Leon interjected and shoved another
serve in her glass.
“You both have worked hard so you deserve a nice party,”
he conversed.
“Let's do that after going back to New York!” Jazlyn
remarked, “But for now, I'm going to bed.”
She rose up and stretched her arms widely, “You both
better be careful,” she glared at me as she sauntered out of
our room.
She was quite blunt when she used to get drunk. I gulped
down another shot, not minding I was alone with a man
whose stare feels like he just undressed you. I was happy
with my achievement, happy that I had a friend like Jazlyn..
And that Leon liked me, for some reason.
My body felt light, but my head was heavy due to alcohol.
I stood up on my cold legs and tried to walk towards the
bedroom.
Leon stood up after me, gripping my wrist and turned me
around with a force, “Skye.”
His intense gaze and the fact that we were all alone
allured me. A heat gushed in my body and I pulled him
towards me clutching his collar. For once I wanted to be
sincere. But the fact was, playing was better than being
sincere. Or your heart would be crushed. I didn't know what
I was doing. I didn't want him but I wanted that stranger.
Leon was my key. He could give me what I wanted, the
kind of touch I desperately needed.
I moved in closer and kissed him. A full kiss.
He pushed me against the wall and pressed his body over
mine, cupping both his hands over my jawline.
The passion heated my skin up as my lips lost their
momentum and just moved the way he wanted.
Yes, this is what I need.
 Seven

I
 stretched my arms wide after opening my eyes. My head
was heavy. Leon wasn't next to me. Did he wake up early?
 Memories of last night started striking me. I kissed him. But
I didn't remember anything else, absolutely nothing. I
rubbed my forehead, letting out a sigh and internally
cursing myself on drinking without thinking, again
.
I hopped out of the bed, my target being the living room.
Luckily my eyes caught him sleeping on the sofa bed.
I walked towards him perplexed. He should have slept
next to me according to the conversation we had the day
before. I concluded that I slept early and he continued his
drinking session for a longer time. I squatted down next to
him and brushed aside his hair.
His eyes were swollen. It could have been the effect of
alcohol but that
  much? Though I didn't want to wake him
up, sleeping there was seemingly uncomfortable.
“Leon,” I whispered, inadvertently caressing his cheek.
I could still feel his lips on mine and the enthralling
sensation they gave me. I didn't realise I would remember a
kiss from him so much. A soft crimson blush spread across
my face and I whispered his name again.
He blinked his eyes slowly.
“Leon, go sleep inside, it's uncomfortable here,” I
whispered. His face was blank.
I coughed as I pulled my body back.
 He rose up and grabbed his pillow and blanket. I couldn't
do anything but stare at him as he walked inside with a
brooding expression etched on his face.
“Leon, are you okay?” I almost whispered.
I paced inside after him but he had tucked himself in the
covers already. I bent down against the bed.
“I want to sleep,” he deadpanned as his body shuffled to
the other side.
I puffed out a breath as I stood up. “Okay.”
I wondered if he was nothing but moody. I couldn't
understand him well anyways
, and I felt like I didn't have
enough emotional energy to deal with him. Unlikely to
disturb him I continued my regular morning session.
_
“Sure, Mr. Mathias, we can use the same cobblestone we
have used for the adjacent room,” I agreed with a man on
the contractor team.
We were inside an old crumpled auditorium. An art
museum was to be built in place, that was the big project
we have been working on. We had been on the site for the
whole afternoon, improvising materials, measuring uneven
spaces, just the usual stuff an architect would do. But I was
definitely proud of what I accomplished in terms of the
design.
“That suits better, would you call your boss? We need to
discuss the walls,” he said.
“Yeah, sure.” I smiled and quickly walked out.
My boss
 had not uttered a word to me except for five or
six meaningless questions and orders since he woke up. I
grew nervous yet I had to keep my calm. Maybe I caused
some drama after being drunk, again.
He stood talking to a woman, being the same congenial
person he was. I bit my lower lip in hesitation and walked to
him.
“Leon,” I whispered, placing my hand over his arm.
He turned around and looked at me.
 “Mr. Weston, Mr. Mathias wants to talk to you,” I cleared
my throat. The lady smiled at both of us and went away with
her work.
We were then alone in the massive hall. I removed my
hand.
“Are you okay? You haven't talked to me since morning,” I
let out. My chest felt heavy sensing the silence, as though
there was nothing yet there was everything burdening it.
“It hurts me here,” grabbing my hand, he placed it on his
chest. “Right here,” he whispered, and I could feel the tight
grip of his hand which he loosened shortly after his eyes
scanned my face.
I pulled my hand down.
I could see his jaw clenching slightly as he pressed his lips
together before opening them again, “Where is Mr.
Mathias?” He asked, his voice monotonous as ever. As
though a coil was tightening in my throat, I exhaled deeply.
“In the next room,” I looked down.
“Leon,” I quickly stopped him with his wrist. But his
menacing face intimidated me, causing me to let go of his
hand. I hesitantly shook my head in a no before he turned
away. Why did I even try?
 Something about his hands made
me wanna hold them tightly yet very gently. But I couldn't
imagine that happening, I was confused about him.
It was as though he could look at me even when he
couldn't. What was happening within me?
I peered at his figure as he walked out but the blank
intimidating stare was plastered in my mind, leaving me
speechless. His footsteps receded shortly after. Tiny tear
droplets formed in my eyes causing me to sniff them back.
God why am I so sentimental.. I bet I did something stupid
again.
For the whole day he had ignored my presence and then
after dinner he straight away reached for his room.
Jazlyn tapped my shoulder causing me to twist around to
face her. “Did something happen between the both of you?
He looks upset..” she said.
 “I… Don't know,” I mumbled. I stayed quiet until she
uttered something.
“Are you sure? He was alright till last night,” she asked.
“I don't really remember anything. He's being too cold..” I
choked on my voice.
“He does not ignore anyone without a reason. You should
talk to him.”
I nodded letting out a sharp exhale.
“Alright? Go,” she rubbed my shoulder and signalled me to
get inside. I gave her a small nod before waving at her as I
entered the gloomy room.
The door shut behind me. The living room was attached to
a small section where the door opened. As you stepped in
the living area, there was a glass partition that led to the
kitchen and on the front there was the bedroom. “I'm going
to change, don't get in for a minute,” I could hear his voice
as the bedroom door shut tightly.
I leaned against the wall puffing out a breath.
I didn't know what to do. I couldn't deal properly with
emotions. That wasn't my strongest suit. I could rationalize
things, plan and solve problems but I couldn't tackle my
feelings attached to a situation. It demotivated me
somehow. I reached for my earrings and gently removed
them, placing them on the small white chest. As I tied my
hair up in a bun, he entered the living room.
“Leon, why are you sleeping here? I told you we can sleep
inside.”
I stood stupefied for a moment watching him set his
miniscule house on a sofa cluttered with his laptop,
headphones, cheetos, blankets and pillows.
“I can sleep here,” he grimaced and put up his
headphones. A small signal that he was unwilling to talk.
I won't force you, Leon.
“As you wish...” I whispered to myself. I hastened inside
the bedroom and threw myself on the bed. Think about it
Skye, what did you do that he seems to hate you right now.
I buried my face down and pressured my mind.
 It was condemning.. and as I thought, my stupid defense
mechanism. One by one all of it, what I did to him last night
after losing my control with alcohol, started to appear before
me and make sense. In the spur of the moment I jumped out
of the bed and rushed to him.
“Leon,” I called out, placing my hand over his shoulder.
“Skye, go away!” He jerked my hand away.
I took a step back, feeling the tightening in my throat and
tears gushing in my eyes.
Alright... I am going away, if that's what makes you happy.

Leon's POV
Flashback to Last Night
She smirked and pulled me towards her after gripping my
shirt collar. My hands cupped her beautiful round face. Her
body was pressed against mine and my lips couldn't stop
exploring her's, the lips I've been craving for, explicitly. I
wanted to feel her more and she gave me what I needed,
control over her. I was no one different, I could lose my mind
over just a little alcohol too and at that point I was gravely
intoxicated.
A small whimper left her lips. Unknowingly I trailed my lips
down on her neck and placed soft kisses on her collarbone.
The sinful emotions she had inflicted upon me, unleashed
out. My fingers trailed inside her shirt, making my body
quiver upon the honey like skin I touched.
But her body revolted and she briskly pushed me back.
Before I could come into my actual senses a sharp slap
landed over my cheek.
“How can you touch me like that!” She husked.
I watched her dumbstruck as she paced to the bedroom
and slammed the door tightly behind her.
My body quivered and a sharp pain grew in my throat. The
attacks were coming back as I felt the tightening in my
chest. I staggered towards the suitcase and grabbed the
medicine box. My weak body crumpled against the wall as I
gulped down the pills.
Tears had already strained my face and neck. My
heartbeat slowly took its pace back. I closed my eyes,
throwing my head back.
I concluded she didn't like me one bit. That I was dumb to
go after her like that.
Flashback over

I checked the time, “Twelve thirty two.” Hesitantly I walked

towards the bedroom and knocked. I just wanted to check
on her. She would have been asleep by then, but I decided
knocking first would be a better option.
“Skye,” I called out. It was dead silent. I busted the room
open but she wasn't there. I immediately rushed out of the
suite and called for Jazlyn whose room was next to ours. She
opened the door, yawning. I must have woken her up, it was
past midnight.
“Is Skye inside?” I questioned.
“No, I haven't seen her since we came back,” she looked
at me worried, “Wait, is everything alright?”
“Yes, don't worry she might be at the gym.. I'll go and
check, you don't go anywhere. I'll call and tell you.” I
explained to her in a hurry and gushed towards the lift.
Skye's POV
I strolled towards a small bench at the nearby park I had
been yearning to visit and checked the time on the brown
leather wristwatch. It had been a long time since I left the
hotel. My eyes were swollen and I had already shed enough
tears that my face started to feel numb. The night was dull.
I reached for my phone in my hoodie but I had forgotten it.
Darn it, Skye
. I took a seat on the small stone bench.
A chill ran over my body and I peered over the then
lonesome park. “Idiot girl,” I puffed out a breath. Walking
out past midnight and forgetting about bad people…
 something I would do when in the grip of emotions.
For a minute I hated my entire life. Every wrong choice,
every stupid decision I had ever made, and all of those
moments when my attachment to the fantasy of a stranger
held me back from experiencing so many different things.
Tears had made their comeback. I wiped them off, almost
running a hand through my hair in frustration.
No, Skye, you didn't miss out on anything special due to
that fantasy, it only protected you from unwanted
relationships. Mr. Stranger isn't the one at fault. It's just your
ideal. Can't you take it that way?
I took in a few deep breaths until I felt my nerves calm. I
glanced at the sky. I sniffed back the pooling tears.
I wish I can see you for once. Just for once.
Tears. They strained my face once again. I knew I had to
get going before I completely drowned in the ocean I never
wanted to create.
I gulped a dry lump in my throat sensing the dull park. A
small white bulb flickered in the corner. I got up and
hastened towards the gateway of the park. The deep hued
grass crumpled under my feet. The sounds comforted my
tensed muscles but it was not long until I heard footsteps at
my back.
Don't look back, don't. Keep walking.
My hands clenched tightly inside the fabric of the pocket
of my hoodie and a small tear strolled down my cheek.
“
All alone, princess
?” A man called out.
Oh, no.
Color drained from my face and I fastened my pace. Leon,
please I need you
. I thought I could run but the disgusting
man gripped my arm. There was no one in sight. I jerked his
arm off but he clutched my other arm and smirked. Think,
Skye, think
. I inadvertently raised my knee and my heel hit
him in the crotch. “
Cazz
–” I couldn't comprehend it.
His grip loosened and I took the chance to run away.
 “Skye!” Suddenly the person I had been hoping for
showed up. Warm tears streamed down my face as I saw
him running to me.
The dirty man left my body with a jerk as he blabbered
something before he ran away.
My legs felt numb and I fell down, luckily on the damp
grass. My vision was hazy but comfort came to me soon
after.
“Skye, are you okay? Why did you leave all alone—you
know I was so s-scared,” Leon's voice was heavy as he
pulled me towards his chest, in his embrace.
I gripped on his shirt and cried. “You asked me to go away,
what else could I do,” I cried, “That man was so scary.”
“He's gone, forget about it. And I didn't mean what I said
before, I'm sorry,” he breathed heavily. My eyes felt heavy. I
could hear his fastened heartbeat. I tried to calm myself
down because I thought it would calm him down.
“Leon, I didn't mean to slap you, I'm sorry, I wasn't in my
right mind,” I faced him, tears inadvertently strolling down
my cheek.
“Skye, it's okay, it's over, don't think about it,” he wiped
the tears off my face.
“I just did not feel comfortable with that touch—I couldn't
help it, I'm sorry,” I sniffed and snuggled deeper in his
strong arms.
“It's okay
, forget about it, baby.”
I could feel his fingers running through my hair as I felt a
kiss being planted sloppily on my head, “I'm relieved you
are safe.”
We stayed put for some moments before he tenderly
released his grip, brushing aside the unruly hair over my
face. “Don't leave me again,” he whispered and gently left a
kiss on my forehead.
I sniffed, nodding my head intently.
_
 “Yeah, she's here with me—yeah, don't worry, everything
is okay—yeah, goodnight.” Leon explained to Jazlyn over the
phone before hanging up.
We entered the silent suite. He was quiet on the way back
to the hotel. But the silence was explainable because we
had exhausted each other's mental energy. “Skye, go and
freshen up. We'll talk after that,” He turned towards me.
I couldn't contain myself. I grabbed his hand. “I'm sorry,
Leon, I know it was wrong of me to slap you, I am just
scared..” I tried my hardest to muffle the tears that glazed
my eyes.
“What are you scared of?” He asked and moved closer to
me.
Leon, how can I tell you I can never be truly yours but as
much as I'm someone else's, I want to be yours too. Heck, I
don't even know if he remembers me.
 
I couldn't love
anybody else before but maybe I can love you. Maybe I can
just try to love you. You are a person whom I want to trust. I
want to love you.
 Tears rolled down my cheek.
But there were so many reasons why I kissed the stranger
that night and why I still couldn't make myself love
somebody. I would rather protect myself.
Skye, say it, say what you want.
“Tell me what it is?” His hands cupped over my jawline
and he rubbed off my tears with his thumb, “Don't cry and
tell me everything.”
“What if I say I want to love you,” I whimpered.
He paused for a moment, studying my eyes. “Then do it,”
he said.
“Have you ever fallen in love?”
“Hmm..”
“Will you teach me?” I asked.
“Will you let me?” He asked.
I nodded. He grabbed me in his embrace. I could feel his
fingers gently running through the silky strands of my hair.
“Leon,” I looked up at him, only to find him grinning at me.
“I'm gonna go and wash up. Okay? Then we'll sleep—on the
same bed.”
His smile was like a pill to calm down a nervous attack. I
wished he always smiled that way. “Alright?” I questioned
again, slightly looking down as I felt warmth cascading on
my cheeks.
He let me lose as he cupped my cheeks before placing a
butterfly kiss on my lips, “Alright.”
I walked inside the bedroom, closing the door behind me. I
walked in front of the mirror. I looked different. My lips were
more crimson and my cheeks had a different glow on them.
Unknowingly a smile escaped my lips and I couldn't stand in
front of the mirror for long. Least to say, my eyes were puffy
and my clothes dirty.
After about fifteen minutes I walked out of the bathroom,
only to find Leon snuggled up on the bed, with his back
against the headstand. “Ready to sleep?” He looked at me,
with eagerness dancing in his eyes.
“Apparently, yes
,” I walked to the edge of the bed,
eventually snuggling in next to him.
He kept the book he was engrossed in at a side, laying
down completely, “Can I hold you?”
I blushed but I handled it well this time. Maybe because it
wasn't new to my body as I had hugged him in the park
before and we had cuddled a day ago as well.
“Yeah,” I turned to his side and nestled in his arms.
“Do you wanna talk?” He brushed aside some unruly
strands of my hair.
“Not right now.”
“Alright then, I won't force you. Take your time. And I'm
sorry for shouting at you earlier,” he pursed his lips
together.
“It's fine,” I paused, “Let's not really think back to it. I feel
better now that some air is cleared between us.”
He nodded and placed a kiss on my forehead. Shortly after
I fell asleep.
_
 “Good morning,” soft kisses were being planted all over
my face as my dazed eyes slowly opened, “Baby.”
I squinted trying to adjust to the escaped sunlight and
gazed at the man who had bulked down all his weight over
me. “Good morning,” my fingertips gently caressed his
cheek. I want to kiss him
.
As if he read my mind, he inched closer to my lips,
engulfing them in a heated kiss.
I wanted to feel him more, crawl under his skin and just
burst open the wall he had in front of him. My fingers
brushed against the back of his neck as his warm hands
crawled inside my loose pink tee.
Our bodies melted into each other's.
I broke the promise I made to myself.
  And I didn't know
where it would lead me to. I could only hope that the
destination was somewhere I was happy.
_
My head lay on top of his chest. His breaths calmed me
down. Something about being close to his heart gave me a
relaxation I didn't know existed. He hugged me tighter and I
snuggled as close as I could. His warm breath was all over
me and a kiss was planted on my hair the next moment.
My lips inadvertently curled into a smile.
“Leon,” I called out, drawing circles over his tummy.
“Say,” he murmured.
“Have you done this with someone before? The way we
are cuddling right now.”
I anticipated the reply but he was silent. “It's ok if you
don't wanna answer me,” I whispered, looking up at him,
toying with a strand of his hair.
He parted my lips with his finger and placed a kiss on the
tip of my nose, still trailing his fingertips over my skin,
“What if I say I've never done this before?”
“I have never cuddled someone either this way. Never. You
won't believe it but this is just so new to me,” I gazed up
into his eyes.
 Letting my guard down in front of him didn't seem
uncomfortable anymore.
I tested him for one month and that was enough for me. If
it were to be some other men, they might have left already
because of my cold and aloof nature on a personal level but
he stayed. He waited until I let him in.
He was a nice person. Maybe I was wrong about love…
Maybe it did exist.
I shouldn't be so cynical.
“Hey,” he muffled a small chuckle after I realized I was
staring at his marbles with a gape. I briskly nuzzled my face
against his skin, hiding my flushed cheeks. I could hear his
laugh on the top of my head, causing me to snicker as well.
Soon after the cozy moment we took a shower. I changed
into a comfy hoodie and a pair of shorts. We didn't have
work that day and our flights were already ready for the
next morning.
My locks were still wet. I tilted my head so that I could
have a better access to them as I dried them with a towel.
Everything felt alright with him for the moment being. My
mind started to think about him, his life, random questions,
and it took me by surprise. I was never curious so intently
about the people that I've been with before.
In a spur I felt big hands tugging on the towel I was using,
breaking my chain of thoughts.
Leon turned me towards him in an instant and picked my
body to get me seated on the countertop. “What are you
doing–” I almost laughed when he tilted my head down and
started rubbing the towel over my scalp and hair.
He finally let my tangled hair down after ending the
torturous massage. (It wasn't actually torturous).
“Were you trying to be romantic or what?” I huffed, even
though I enjoyed it. He hummed in agreement and did the
same to himself. I kept my marbles hooked up on him until
he was provoked.
“You–” he murmured but I caught him off guard as I
pressed my lips upon his.
 My arms pulled him closer hugging his neck and he held
my waist firmly in his arms.
I was wrong when I thought it was a simple and sweet kiss
until it turned to a heart throbbing makeout session. We
would not have given a thought to stopping until Jazlyn rang
up Leon as a reminder to get ready for the day.
“Leon,” I hopped on the ground after him.
“Mhm?” He hummed and walked towards me with a hair
dryer.
I hoped he wouldn't mess up my hair again. He plugged it
in and started blowing it all over his head, giving his hair
blows from weird directions.
“Give that to me,” I mumbled, “You can't do it properly.”
He nonchalantly switched it off and placed it on my hand.
“You won't sit down?” I asked. I couldn't see his head from
the right angle. He shook his head in a no.
“You are a real pain in the ass,” I mumbled.
“Yeah,” he rolled his eyes, “But remember your ass will
hurt if you stay for a long time between those sheets with
me.”
I slapped his butt cheek and he snickered.
The slovenly task continued. After some enduring
unprogressive moments of being on my toes I realized what
he wanted, it was my touch that he was craving for. I
stopped midway and handed him the blower.
“You do it,” I stated, “I have something I want to do.”
I turned around but he gripped my wrist, “Aren't you
enjoying this?” His gaze pierced through my eyes.
“Enjoying what?” I asked.
He didn't answer, instead leaped in for a kiss.
But I swiftly placed my palm over his lips, “Hold that in, I
don't want us to get bored too soon,” I smiled roguishly as
his arms loosened and he smirked.
Maybe being with him could prove to be adventurous and
new.
 Eight

“M
iss Skye?” Leon smirked behind the glass door. I
glanced up and smiled coyly. An indicator that he could
come inside.
He drew the curtains including the one he got installed
over the glass walls while we were still in Rome. I observed
him walking towards me with a smug smile. I knew halfway
through why he would draw the curtains. Yet I kept an open
mind. He bit his lip in carnal excitement and unbuttoned his
shirt.
“It was really hot in my office, baby,” he whispered. His
strapping body hovered over me on the revolving chair.
Though my body was exploding with lust, I deliberately
made him wait. Just how I made him wait for the past few
weeks after returning from Italy. I had to.
Firstly, because I couldn't help but step back every single
time we touched upon a deeper topic. I wasn't in a mood to
let go of the fantasy I created in my head of finding Mr.
Stranger some day. And second, I couldn't understand why I
couldn't control myself in front of him. He wasn't the most
handsome man I've
 ever seen.
With his chiseled jawline, the perfect slope of his nose and
the deep set hazel eyes, he could be given the title of
having a gorgeous face. But it was different. He wasn't
handsome to my eyes
, yet he was. He pulled all of me in
him. My rational mind left me a long time ago after meeting
him.
 “You know your gaze is undressing me right now,” I said.
“You like it?” He smirked.
“I love it,” I mumbled.
My legs crossed together, the wetness making me unable
to stay still. “You are getting me impatient now,” he husked
and unfastened his belt.
_
I lay on top of him on the couch after we dressed back and
cleared the undaunted mess we created. “Skye?” I heard
Jazlyn calling out from the outside. There were draping
curtains over the glass door.
“Yeah, Jaz, wait a minute!” I winked at Leon, controlling
my laugh as I got off him.
“No but really,” he stood up after me, pressing his lips on
my forehead, “I wish we could stay that way longer.”
I let out a grin with a small shrug before he paced to the
door to open it.
It revealed Jazlyn standing baffled. Anyone would be, after
observing the half unbuttoned shirt and messy hair, my silly
boy forgot about.
“So you guys are finally a thing now,” she exhorted.
I coughed, “Yes, I believe.”
“Yeah,” Leon pressed his lips in a thin smile.
“I swear to God you both are lucky because you have the
same workplace. Ask the poor me,” she shrugged. Leon and
I looked at her eyes widened.
“Jaz, are you going out with someone?” I asked abruptly.
She hurled a folder on the couch with flushed cheeks.
“Your psychiatrist friend,” she mumbled and jostled out of
the office.
“Psychiatrist friend?” Leon babbled after she left. He
looked at me with curious eyes, “Ash?”
“Ash!” I nodded. Leon's mouth fell to a gape. “I need to
talk to Ash,” he coughed and was on the verge of rushing
out when I stopped him.
 “You forgot about your hair baby,” I brushed his hair to the
initial style. My hands trailed to his chest and I quickly
buttoned his shirt. “Here you go,” I cupped his jawline and
placed a kiss on his plump lips.
“We'll cuddle at night,” He grinned and fastened out of the
room, “See you baby.”
After he disappeared, I approached my desk but a sudden
thought caused my footsteps to hesitate. Ash was a
psychiatrist and he was Leon's friend. What if…?
 
But
having a psychiatrist friend isn't a big deal because Leon
seems completely fine. He wouldn't need a psychiatrist
friend in that way. Maybe I should check the hospital again.
_
“This one's for Jazlyn and Ash!” Leon popped the bottle of
champagne and filled it in our glasses. Our glasses came
together with a clink.
“Now Cayden needs a girlfriend,” I slapped Cayden's
shoulder, already sensing the intoxicating burn within me.
“Yeah, none of them seem to match my standards,” he
exhorted.
I nodded intently, “Don't worry, I'll find the best girl for
you!”
“You weren't even able to find the best guy for you,” he
murmured.
Jazlyn fake-coughed at his insolent remark. Immediately,
Leon grabbed my waist and pulled me closer to him. Oh no,
I need to soothe the situation
.
I cleared my throat, “Ash and Leon, how did you both
meet?” I blurted the question which had been roaming in
my mind for the entire day.
“Leon was-” Ash started but Leon briskly cut him off.
“-I met him at this club, we both were alone so we had a
drink together and we ended up as best friends.”
“Oh, since when?” Jazlyn and I questioned at the same
time. We looked at each other with a funny grin.
 Ash cleared his throat and laid his back against the couch,
“Some seven or eight years ago.” Leon coughed, as if
asking for attention.
I coughed too.. And poured myself a drink.
Leon's eyes darted at me, “Didn't I tell you to not drink too
much?”
“Yeah but-”
He didn't let me complete it, instead he grasped my glass
and tossed it down. My orbs widened at the slight rise and
dip in his throat. He had drunk a lot already and I wouldn't
let him do that anymore. I learned he had a low tolerance as
well. He peeked at me as my hand involuntarily landed over
his inner thigh.
Now I had a real reason to clear my throat, “Let's go
home,” I asserted and stood up in a haste.
“Everybody's coughing today,” Jazlyn pressed her lips
together. I shrugged with a smug grin as Leon intertwined
our hands together, ready to leave.
I turned around to Cayden, “See you later!”
“See you,” he replied dryly, gulping a heavy shot down.
Jazlyn shrugged looking at Cayden. We waved the three of
them bye as we left. We had to push through a tipsy crowd
of people before reaching the exit. I had held Leon's arm
tightly as we gushed through the silent parking lot. He was
dizzy which meant I had to drive.
He handed me the car keys and I turned around to open
the door for him. But in the heat of the moment I could hear
a slight groan of his, followed by my name. I swiftly turned
around but my eyebrows furrowed together.
A girl was apparently back hugging him. Hannah?
 Did she
not know about personal space anymore?
“I missed you, Leon,” she murmured.
Leon's hands struggled to nudge her away from his body. I
pulled Leon towards me and shot the intruder a glare.
“Skye, who is she?” He narrowed his eyes and questioned
me.
 “Leon, sit inside. I don't know her either,” I said before he
plopped inside the car on his own. The girl stood with arms
crossed against her chest. I puffed in a breath as I got in and
closed the door of his Ferrari.
Without giving her a second glance I started driving.
But my eyes unconsciously averted towards her glowering
face. I shook my head, as if clearing away bad energy and
peeked at Leon who had dozed off, with his head resting
against the glass pane.
Just then a thought I had forgotten about, struck me. What
happened to his playboy side? From the past two months
have I been enough for him? Was something on, behind my
back? Or was he really sincere? Or perhaps he was changing
...? Could that happen?
We reached his mansion around half past twelve.
I was always awestruck gazing at the piece of beauty
though I got familiar with every inch of it in the past month.
As I looked at him dozed off carelessly
  I did believe he
was sincere and honest with me and didn't have any other
person he was involved with in any way. Yet that girl's face
from the parking lot had been disturbing something inside of
me.
I fumbled with the bedroom door and carefully laid his
drowsy figure down. “Baby, remove these clothes..” he
mumbled in half sleep.
I sighed, gently removing his heavy suit, until he was left
in his boxers. I lunged down next to him and gently brushed
away the unruly hair on his forehead.
Why do you feel familiar?
Inadvertently I placed a kiss on his forehead. Why can't I
walk away from you?
I sighed, keeping his stuff at a side before changing into
his oversized hoodie. The musky scent allured me once
again. I brought the fabric closer to take in all of the scent.
He shuffled slightly, causing me to lay down and snuggle
next to him. His arms involuntarily hugged me. I made up
my mind to ask him about the parking lot girl the next
morning.
The next morning I woke up next to him busy on his
phone. My eyes narrowed and I tossed to the side.
“My princess,” he chirped at once, observing my awake
figure and hovered his body over mine. I didn't answer.
“Babe?” He brushed aside my unruly locks and planted a
soft kiss over my cheek. “What happened?” He asked,
intertwining his lithe fingers between mine from the back.
I carefully moved to lay on my back as he pulled his
weight up.
“I don't think it's wrong of me to bring it up the very first
thing in the morning but who was the girl who hugged you
last night at the parking lot as if she was your long lost
wife?” I inadvertently rolled my eyes.
“Last night?” Leon questioned.
His brows knit together, “Hannah?” he responded in a
haze, “I don't know what she wanted, I have not seen her
for months.”
“What do you expect me to think?” I admonished.
“I don't know, I really don't know what to… make out of it.
She was just a one night stand Skye, I–” he mumbled.
“Enough,” I murmured and tossed to the side. Maybe that
girl was just trying to get his attention just like the one who
bumped into us at the amusement park deliberately. I
couldn't blame him. Exes were always a trouble.
“Skye there's no need to be angry, I promise you-”
“Don't say it anymore. I'm not mad.”
He sighed and laid down at my back, snaking his arm over
my stomach. “They are over now, all of our past
relationships… You still don't know how bothered I was last
night when some guys kept staring at you,” he whispered.
His hand traced to my wrist and held my hand firmly with
our fingers entwined.
I sighed and moved around to face him. Could those eyes
be less innocent so that my heart stopped throbbing too
much? I tenderly cupped my hand over his neck and moved
in to kiss him.
“I'm not good at expressing my feelings so I hope you
understand what I feel, through these gestures,” he
whispered.
I nodded intently, “I understand.” Because I really did.
I pulled him closer to me and our yearning lips met each
other, only to stop when both of us were ripped off our lust.
_
I lay by his side, in no hurry to go anywhere. He had been
caressing my hair the whole time while his embrace
spooned me.
“Babe..” I mumbled.
I made myself blush by calling him babe. Each time I did
that I felt a warmth cascading all over my body.
“Mm?”
“Do you wanna go bungee jumping on our next date?”
He peeked a glance at me, muffling back his excited
snicker with a stern face but let it out after I deliberately
blinked while gazing in his marbles, “Yeah sure once I get
free from work, we'll surely go… on a bungee jumping date.”
I chuckled and nuzzled my face against his chest.
“And after that we might go on a parachute as well!” He
remarked and I nodded in pure innocence. I decided to enjoy
being with him. He was making me smile, he was making
me feel something I hadn't felt in a millennia
. Just an
exaggeration, but that's how it felt. I could go with the flow,
I decided on impulse.
The following moment the doorbell rang.
“Who might be here?” He looked at me perplexed, “I'll
check.” He assured me before hastening out of the room
after dressing up in his proper clothes.
My fingers drew circles on the creased bed sheet in
contemplation.
Was Australia better or Europe, for bungee jumping? Or
should we rather go scuba diving?
 More than five minutes had passed by, I realised. I quickly
walked out of the room tying my fluffy hair into an unskilled
messy bun to go downstairs and check on Leon. But my
eyes caught hold of the partially visible girl from the balcony
before I walked down the stairs.
My footsteps hesitated and my stomach churned as I saw
Leon's pale face and the girl from last night, Hannah, with
her hand resting on her belly.
I peered at both of them with knitted brows.
Leon's face went blank. I glared at the girl for an answer.
“I'm pregnant,” she said.
Her sharp words as though pierced through my heart, I
pulled in a deep breath. “What does it have to do with either
of us?” I questioned.
“Leon is the father of our baby,” she asserted.
I unknowingly nodded to myself as I took a step back
causing my hand to grapple on the table next to me.
“Leon–” I called his name but she cut it off.
“I just want to tell you that I'm not going to abort this
baby,” she looked at Leon.
“That's enough,” Leon gripped her arm and forced her out
of the door, shutting it on her face.
“Skye–” he walked towards me.
“This is enough now, Leon,” I said and took a step back, “I
feel so dumb right now for some reason. So dumb.” I took a
step back as I rushed upstairs, marbles glazed with tears to
grab my phone and get out of this house. Why, just why.
“Skye, wait,” he yelled entering the bedroom after me.
I jerked off his grip, “Look I don't want to talk to you right
now. I want to be alone. Explain whatever you want, later,” I
admonished. I couldn't do it, I didn't have any energy to
listen to anything like that. I just didn't.
“But, baby, I can't be the father of her baby! Believe me
it's not me!”
“Leon, please leave me alone for some time. I can't do this
right now. I'm tired,” I looked in his eyes for the last time
before I left the house.
 Jazlyn's POV
The shrill ringing of a mobile phone woke me up. My
drooping eyes caught the glimpse of Ash's phone ringing.
Leon?
 Since Ash was sleeping peacefully I didn't wake him
up, even though the phone was for him.
“Hello—”
“Ash… I can't breathe– Come h-here.”
“Leon?! Leon what happened?!” I shouted and a loud thud
echoed from the speaker, as if something fell.
“Leon!”
“Jaz? What's wrong?” Ash rubbed his eyes, a perturbed
expression etched on his face.
“I think something happened to Leon, we need to get to
him!” I quivered, unable to utter anything else.
We hopped out of our bed and without a second thought
we rushed to his place.
The front door was half open. A chill ran through my spine
causing me to grapple on Ash's arm. “W-what if someone is
inside? A burglar?” I stuttered.
He picked up a small shovel kept beside the garden patch
and held my hand firmly, “Come..”
The door creaked open and my knees collapsed at the
sight. “Call an Ambulance, Ash!” I shouted hurling towards
Leon's collapsed body on the floor.
I carefully turned him so that he was facing me, his head
being on my lap. I grabbed his wrist and searched for his
pulse. “Ash it's really slow–” I choked on my feeble voice.
The ambulance was yet to reach and his pulse got even
weaker. “Ash what do we do, where's Skye!? Call her–God,” I
cried as Ash grabbed a glass of water and sprinkled it over
his face.
“Leon has nervous conditions, he gets panic attacks, you
didn't know?” Ash knit his brows.
“He never told me anything. He is always closed off!”
Ash rushed, “I don't understand, he never fainted like this
before. It could be due to hyperventilation.”
 In a matter of a few moments the bellowing ambulance's
siren echoed outside. The workers brought in the stretcher.
“You go with him, I'll bring the car,” Ash affirmed and
signalled me to go.
We rushed inside the ambulance as the doctor attached
an oxygen mask to his face. “His pulse is getting back,” the
doctor said, causing the other doctor to give him an
injection. I wiped off my tears and gripped his hand.
Skye!
  I fumbled with my phone and called her but her
phone was unreachable. I called Ash, whose car was
following the ambulance, “Skye's phone is unreachable,
they were together at night, look where she is–I'll be with
Leon, you go search for her please.”
“Alright, don't worry I'll look for her. Stay with him.” Ash
hung up the call.

Skye's POV
I threw myself on the couch. How could this happen? It
was my mistake, I should have treated him like I treated
every other guy. I ended up hurting myself. I shouldn't have
broken the promise I made to myself.
Tears strained his scented hoodie. I clutched onto a pillow,
laying my subdued body down. Jazlyn was right.. Everything
she said was right but I was seduced by him, I showed him
my vulnerable side and it led me there, heartbroken. My first
attempt to open my heart was in vain. As if a tight spring
was coiled around my chest, it hurt.
The doorbell rang. I couldn't open it if it was him.
But the ringing fastened and I couldn't hold back. Other
people could ring my doorbell too. I wiped off my tears and
walked to the door.
“Thank God, you are here,” Ash threw his head against the
wall and exhaled, almost squinting his eyes, “Your phone
was unreachable.”
I looked at him confused.
“Skye, we need to go to the hospital,” he conversed.
 “W–why?” I couldn't think of anything. Nothing. I was
blank. Least I expected something happening to that
pregnant girl. I couldn't wrap my head around anything else.
“Leon collapsed.. I don't know what happened to him, but
he's in a critical situation,” he blurted. My heart dropped.
Critical?
 “W–why? How!?” I stuttered.
“I swear I'll tell you whatever you want but right now we
need to go. Please!” A tear rolled down his cheek, “What
happened to you, Skye? Did something happen between you
both? Did you both fight?
Tears gushed out of my eyes, not that I wanted to cry in
front of him but tears couldn't stay in no matter how hard I
tried. “Tell me something, please?” He jerked my shoulder.
I gasped and shook my head in a no. “Take me to him,
Ash. I'll tell you.”
Ash drove briskly due to nervousness and I couldn't utter a
word during the ride. We hurried inside the hospital room
and found Leon laying on the mattress, unconscious. The
dull echo of the IV machine faded as Jazlyn rushed to hug
me, “Skye, where were you!?”
My heart ached, my hands were numb. Jazlyn moved
back, wiping a tear off her face as she helped me sit on the
small sofa. What was happening to me? “Jaz–” I broke down
again, hugging her as if she was the last thing on earth.
“Skye,” She rubbed my back, “What's wrong, what
happened? Tell me.”
I kept on crying, causing her to just rub my back without
asking anything. It was only after a few minutes she said
something as I initiated to part the hug.
“You both left together last night, but you weren't there at
his house today and all he could do was whisper your name
in pain when we reached the hospital.”
“Won't you tell us what's wrong?” Ash sat next to me,
gently keeping his hand on my shoulder.
I rubbed my forehead and hung my head low. I started
slow, “A girl came to his house this morning and said that
she was pregnant with his baby–”
 “Leon's baby?” Small creases started to form on Jazlyn's
forehead.
“Oh no, do you remember the girl?” Ash asked.
I gave him a nod, “Someone named Hannah.”
“But h-how can that happen? Did she have any proof?
Leon is a cautious guy. I know him, he never had sex with
someone under the influence of alcohol!” Ash asserted, “I
monitor his activities closely since I'm his doctor. I know he
is a careful person.”
“You are his doctor—” I repeated, “Why does he need a
doctor?”
“He has anxiety and nervous conditions… I've been
treating him for a while,” Ash sighed, “This was a rare thing
in his case, I fear if you go away he'll be deeply hurt. It's
important for you to stay by his side. At least until he gets
stable.”
“He should have told that to me way before..” I sniffed
back the growing tears.
Both of them were tense, the agonized expression clearly
etched on their faces. “You both go home. I'll be with him…
It was my mistake that led him in his condition,” I stifled a
sob.
Ash rubbed my shoulder, “Don't blame yourself like this.
You are heartbroken, it's natural to act that way.”
I wiped off my tears and nodded. “I'll be here. You guys
should take a rest.”
They understood what I needed. “We'll come back in an
hour or so. Then let's see what can be done. Take care of
yourself and him until then,” Jazlyn assured me and after
some minutes they both left.
I sat on a chair next to his bed.
My fingers felt numb. I buried my face against his dull arm
as silent tears traced my skin.
If this is what someone would call love, it definitely hurts
.
 Nine

M
y eyelids were heavy and my head rested on the bed side
on my folded arms. A gentle hand caressed my cheek and
stroked my hair back and forth. That calming sensation
woke me up from my nap. I opened my eyes. The tired orbs
wavered over a large part of the room, staying still, unable
to make eye contact with the man whose hand wasn't ready
to leave my skin.
An ineffable sadness had pooled in my eyes making my
chest clench. I let out a deep exhale, burying my face
against the mattress.
“Skye,” he faltered.
I couldn't answer.
“Baby, please..” he stifled a cry. His fingers entangled
between my hair as he sniffed.
“I'm not the father, Skye. I know what I did, I was in my
senses. I am not it.. Believe me,” he drawled, “Look at me,
please.”
Even if he did that, it was before he met me. I didn't have
the right to keep ignoring him when it caused him pain. I
picked my head up.
His face and neck were stained with tears which left his
skin glistening. He sniffed as his swollen eyes wavered on
the floor.
“I don't want you to be in pain,” he confessed.
“Me neither, Leon...” I paused, taking a deep inhale, “I
can't see you like this. But for some reason, I feel like an
outsider. I just feel a little horrible on the inside. I know I
don't have any right to be involved between you and her.
But, right there, when I think about you and her, and what
you both share, I feel horrible somehow.”
“Skye– you can't be an outsider to me,” he threw his head
back as he wiped his tears, “You have to believe in me if we
want this to work out. I want you to be with me… That's all I
can think of right now.”
I clenched on the fabric inside the pocket of my hoodie as
tears gushed to my eyes.
I want to hold you Leon because you are in this condition
but no matter how much I push myself I can't.. I can't get
that thought out of me. I don't feel good about anything.
“Will you not say anything to me?” His tired eyes gazed at
me. Before I could say anything, the door flung open
revealing Ash and Jazlyn with brown paper bags of food. I
hastily wiped tears off my face and averted my eyes at a
side.
“Thank God you are awake. Are you alright?” Jazlyn
immediately pulled a chair and sat beside the bed.
Leon nodded and straightened his hair, never minding the
mess his face was in.
“Is it really like that Leon?” Ash seated himself next to
Jazlyn.
“It's not..”
Ash sighed and leaned in front, holding his hands in front
of the crotch. “Was it Hannah?” He questioned.
My throat felt a sudden itch upon hearing her name.
“Hm..” Leon let out a sharp exhale.
Ash rolled his tongue against his cheek. “Leon.. You used
protection, right?”
Leon looked at a side, “I'm not dumb, Ash. I know what I'm
doing. I am aware of every single thing I do. Never in my
entire life I made such a stupid darn mistake.”
“Bro, alright, we know you. We trust you. But, still, maybe
there were some things that went unchecked. Did you check
if it was–” I couldn't bear hearing more. Just uttering those
words felt as if every single action was happening in front of
my eyes, which I couldn't stand.
But this had to continue. They continued with a small
questionnaire until Ash had enough answers. I buried my
face in my palms, gritting my teeth as my stomach turned
upside down. Why, Skye, why do you feel this way about
him? Why?
“Skye, are you okay..?” Jazlyn stopped midway.
No. I'm not okay. I don't understand myself right now.
 “You
should eat something now, Skye? Look, I bought your guys'
favorite burgers.” She said gently and walked to me, “You
both have been hungry since morning.”
I stifled back my tears, nodding without looking up at
them.
“Ash, you have to meet that girl..” Leon rasped, “Ask her
to get a test done. I don't believe her.”
I glanced up to find Ash nodding in agreement. I let out an
exhale, nodding at Jazlyn. She gently stroked my shoulder.
“Alright..” Ash said and turned to face me, “Me and Jazlyn,
we'll go meet Hannah. You need to be here with Leon,
alright Skye?”
I wiped off the tears from my face and nodded in
agreement. They left on the note of coming back with some
answers.
I flickered my eyes over Leon, who lay on the mattress
with his lips downturned and his orbs glazed with
uncertainty, waiting to let out. I gulped a heavy lump in my
throat and rose up the chair I had stiffened myself on for
hours. Grabbing a bottle of water, I chugged it in one go.
I couldn't say anything to him until I was stable myself.
I walked over to the window and let out a deep exhale. My
hair looked like a mess. And I did what was needed, to untie
them and wrap them in a sleek bun. Everything looked tiny
from the window. I could see tiny people running around,
tiny cars, tiny buildings. That calmed me down. How
awesome it would be if my life's weird problems looked tiny
as well.
 I sighed.
 I knew what would hit me next were the thoughts of Mr.
Stranger. Another day, brain, another day.
  Before I could
think of anything else, I turned to face him, avoiding the
internal conflict at any costs.
“Aren't you hungry?” I walked to him as I picked up the
two boxes of burgers.
“We had this on our first date,” he said.
I looked at him as I sat on the edge of his bed, “We did.”
“So you did consider it a date.” He gently held me,
eventually laying his head on my shoulder, “Every single
moment we have spent together feels special to me. Really
special. And I don't want a single person to ruin what we
have, I won't be able to stand that.”
I couldn't say anything. I would rather keep shut than say
something just for the sake of it. I straightened my spine,
causing him to sit back upright. I turned to face him
properly, enough to have access to his mouth. “I'll feed
you,” I picked up the burger.
Without being told anymore he opened his mouth. I
couldn't hold it in. Lowering the burger down, I leaned in to
place a kiss on his cheek first, “I trust you, I do trust you.”
Jazlyn's POV
 
“Are you sure this is the right address?” I questioned
averting my eyes towards Ash who was fidgeting with a
small slip of paper, looking at me nervously. “Yeah. This is
what Leon told me,” he faltered.
I filled my lungs with a deep inhale and knocked on the
apartment door.
No one answered. “I think we are at the wrong place,
babe,” I murmured.
“That can't be. This is the same–” he was cut off by a
familiar voice at our back.
“Excuse me?” It was Hannah.
“You– know us right? I'm Ash, Leon's friend and she is his
secretary, Jazlyn,” Ash looked at her perturbed after we
turned to meet her eyes.
 “I know. May I know what you
  need?” She asked
nonchalantly.
“You told Leon you are pregnant. We can't–” Ash stated
but she was brisk to cut him off.
“You want proof don't you?” She asked.
Ash cleared his throat and intertwined his hands between
mine. Hannah crossed her arms in front of her chest, “Come
inside,” she asserted, hastening towards the door and
eyeing us the way in. We walked after her into a small
minimal living area.
“Just a minute,” she intoned, “You can sit down. Do you
need something to drink?”
“No, thanks,” I declined as me and Ash seated ourselves
on the couch.
She removed her coat, revealing the slight bump in his
belly against the tight dress and walked to sit in front of us.
“How many weeks have you been pregnant?” I asked.
“Eight weeks,” she sat down next to us.
“I haven't had a partner for months now. It was only Leon
Weston two months ago.”
“Are you sure that's all?” Ash curled his brows at her.
“You can get a test done if you don't believe it, I don't
have any issue.”
Ash looked at me, as if searching for an answer and then
glanced back at her, “Fine, then. We'll call you in a day or
so. Be ready for it.”
Skye's POV
 eon was asleep, laying his head on my chest and
L
clutching on my hand as if trying to hold me in place. I
gazed at him and gently caressed his velvety cheek. A sharp
exhale left me in contemplation as my chest rose up and
down.
I fumbled with my phone and called Jazlyn.
“Skye,” she said.
“Yeah,”
 “We met her..” she sighed, “We are on the way, I'll tell you
once I reach.”
“Alright. Drive safe.”
I hung up and tossed the phone on the bed side table. His
hair inadvertently coiled around my fingers, leaving small
trails of touches on his skin.
If it's really you..what am I supposed to feel like then?
  Moments passed by in contemplation. Thinking of every
possible scenario, thinking of what could and could not have
been possible.
Shortly after, the door opened, revealing the couple. “Oh
he's sleeping?” Jazlyn whispered, pacing towards me and
scanning both of us. I gently positioned myself onto the bed
in a comfortable position as I got off the bed to sit on the
couch.
My stomach rumbled even though Leon and I had a savory
meal. I shut my eyes for a second, filling up my lungs with
his scent from the hoodie. My appearance was looking
untidy. But that was it, you couldn't just walk into a hospital
like a diva.. Especially when your mind was going through
indespicable shit.
“Hey,” she sat next to me.
“What did you do?” I asked.
“We asked for the DNA test, of course,” Ash paused, as he
sat on my other side, “She said she didn't have any sexual
partner for months, except Leon some two months back.
We'll get it done tomorrow at this hospital. Leon is here so it
won't be a problem for him.”
_
The next day approached in a swirl. I was with Leon at the
hospital, except for a few hours that I got to spend alone
when I went back home to change and pick up fresh clothes
for him.
“You'll be able to walk, right, bro?” Ash asked Leon.
“Yeah, bro, I just fainted. I don't have an injury,” Leon
shrugged. He got off the bed before slipping his phone and
car keys in the pocket of his jeans.
“Alright, let's hope for the best. Remember whatever
happens only happens for the good. We'll get through this
one as well,” Ash said, as he threw his arm on Leon's
shoulder before he turned his head to me, “Alright, Skye?”
I nodded. Leon looked at me with a small assuring blink of
eyes before the four of us went to the laboratory ward. This
was the same hospital where Ash and Cayden worked. I
hoped to see Cayden somewhere but couldn't. Of course,
that was a laboratory, how could Cayden be there? I took
the seat next to Leon.
“After this we'll go home and relax for a while, okay?” He
gently took my hands between his.
“What else will we do...” I looked at a side.
“You promised that you believed in me,” his eyes were
melting in mine.
I closed my eyes as I gave him a nod, “I do.”
I opened my eyes and took in a deep breath, “I know… If
you'll be with me, everything will be alright.”
He led his hand over my jawline, as my skin felt a tingle
due to his thumb caressing my cheek. “Skye,” he called my
name.
I was lost there. There wasn't a world around me. There
was nobody around me. As if everything had disappeared
into the ether of the never-ending universe. There wasn't a
universe for me, at that moment, all that existed was the
connection we shared.
“You just have to trust me and we'll get through this one,”
he whispered.
“Yes, I will trust you.”
“I think I am in love with you,” he said before his lips
placed a kiss on mine.
“Leon,” my eyes widened after he pulled back, leaving the
wet sound of the friction caused and a desire to deepen the
sensation. A warmth ran through my skin, with a tingle of
awkwardness.
 He gently brushed aside my hair. I gained a sense of the
people around me as I moved to sit back.
“I'm almost nothing without your trust,” he rapidly blinked
his eyes in assurance and smiled at me, “So, please, believe
in me.”
I didn't know what to feel, but at that moment I felt
everything was the way it should have been. So I didn't
react. My eyes wavered at Jazlyn and Ash,  trying to escape
Leon's eager eyes. Before Jazlyn could say something to me,
we heard that woman's voice.
I took a deep breath before looking at her way as I
straightened my hair. Leon stood up after me, intertwining
our fingers together.
“I hope you are ready for the test,” Hannah looked at
Leon.
“Hurry up,” he said. I felt his hand firming around mine.
It was in a few moments when Hannah and Leon were
called inside. After the samples were collected, we were
given a time period of a few hours to get the reports back.
He had again entwined our hands together, as we walked
out of the hospital hallway.
That woman had left the four of us, me, Leon, Ash and
Jazlyn alone. My body felt more relaxed. “Leon, I want to go
home.” I looked at him, my eyes tired more than ever, “I
really want to be alone right now.”
“I'll drop you home then,” he countered.
But I refused and reached home all alone.
I switched on the lights of the seemingly dull apartment
and removed my shoes and straight away hastened for a
long soak.
The bath robe was draped over my body and my wet locks
dangled past my waist as I grabbed the necessary
ingredients to bake myself a chocolate cake.. because
 why
not? I didn't want to immerse myself in his thoughts.
For a second I wish I could have spent the time by baking
some nice treats with Leon and everything could be the way
it was before. But I couldn't understand anything that was
going on inside of me. I sighed and continued with my work.
But the doorbell rang.
Though not in any ultimate hurry, I hastened towards it
and found Cayden with a box of macaroons.
“I got this so I thought I should bring this for you,” he
mumbled.
Could best friends read your mind?
I inadvertently hugged him. He did the same.
“What? Is something wrong?” He whispered.
I moved back briskly and shook my head. I couldn't tell
him about Leon. He already hated hearing his name.
“Why? You literally swear at me first and then hug me,” he
removed his shoes and closed the door behind.
“Hm, I'm just a little tired today.”
“–Oh wait, are you baking something? This smells
delicious!” He remarked, sauntering towards the kitchen.
“A cake,” I mumbled as I took a huge bite of a blueberry
flavoured macaroon, hurling the rest on the dining table,
“You can read my mind now. I was craving something
sweet.”
“Seriously?” He leaned against the countertop, observing
me as I started again with heating the pan to melt the
chocolate.
“Yes, I wanted to have something sweet and you got me
my favorite macaroons.”
I carefully took out the hot cake from the oven and kept it
on the table to cool down.
Cayden had grown utterly silent the whole time but I
dared not ask him because my vulnerable side would have
shown up anytime if I pushed myself to any tad bit serious
conversation. Finding the right knife had me faltering in
front of the various cupboards. I cleared my throat as I
rummaged through certain utensils.
His eyes were fixated on every single action I did. The first
time I started to feel uncomfortable with him.
 I quietly continued my work on the table but then the
noise of his footsteps reached towards me. I gulped a dry
lump in my throat and coughed.
“Skye,” he asserted.
“Yeah?” I replied without facing him while trying to sound
as nonchalant as possible.
“Listen to me here,” he jerked my shoulders and made me
turn around.
“W–what's with you Cayden?” I stuttered gripping on the
table's edge, “You are acting so weird right now.”
His dark stare penetrated deep in my eyes causing me to
flinch back. I conceded he was just being playful until he
ended up pressing his lips on mine. No!
  My hands tried
pushing him back but he was way too strong to even move.
His lips sucked roughly on my bottom lip as his force
gripped my body closer to him. A tear rolled down my cheek
and my body revolted but he was nowhere to stop. He
slammed me against the wall since the table was adjacent
to it. I hitched a breath and the following moment my
tongue sensed the pungent taste of the blood from my
bruised lips.
Tears pooled in my eyes and I nudged him back with both
my arms. He staggered behind and grasped on the table.
“What are you trying to do, Cayden? Get out of my house!” I
shouted.
My chest dropped heavily.
In the heat of the moment the doorbell rang. I grabbed a
tissue and wiped off, first the tiny droplets of blood and then
my tears. Cayden scurried towards the door as the ringing
hastened.
“W–what are you doing here?” I could hear his garble.
“Skye!” Leon's stentorian voice echoed over the hallway
and it was not long before he gushed in the adjoined living
room and gripped my shoulders.
“What happened to you? This—blood?” He stuttered and
jolted back towards the hallway.
“Wait, Leon,” I rushed after him and grabbed his arm.
 “Skye, leave me, I'm going to kill him today,” he growled,
on the verge of opening the door.
“Don't leave me–I'm scared. Please..” I whimpered, “Be
with me.”
 Ten

H
e turned around scanning my figure and with trembling
lips he intoned, “What did he do to you?”
“He k–kissed me,” I stuttered, “I didn't do anything. I—
didn't kiss him back.”
He pulled me in his arms and pressed my head against his
chest, planting a sloppy kiss on my hair. “You are okay,
right? Tell me he didn't touch you anywhere else,” he kept
his voice from breaking.
I nodded intently and hugged him tighter, brushing away
the tears from my cheeks.
“Next time I see him I'm going to kill him,” he rasped.
I moved back from his embrace and sniffed, “Why are you
here? You needed rest.”
“You think I can rest without you?” He cupped my neck
and placed a kiss on my forehead, “I hate that man.. I don't
fucking care if he is your bestfriend but if he hurts you once
more I'm not going to leave him alive.”
I hung my head low. “Leon,” I mumbled, “I'm a bad
girlfriend… Aren't I? You keep on loving me but I just put up
a wall of coldness and-” I choked upon my words.
“–Ssh. I like it this way. Let me love you until that wall
melts and then let me love you even more.”
“Even if there are so many hurdles between us? Can we
still love each other totally?” I asked.
“Hm,” he brought his face closer, “If you forget everything
else and trust me.”
 I exhaled sharply causing him to lift up my chin. “Trust
me?”
That was hard.
“Alright,” I sighed.
He let out a faded smile, as he caressed my cheek before
embracing me again.
_
“Ah..” I whimpered, feeling the stinging pain on my lips as
he gently rubbed over an ointment. He pressed his lips
together and kept aside the tube, causing me to move back
to make space for him to reach the table.
“So, we didn't get the results yet?” I pouted.
“You didn't really kiss him back right?” He questioned.
“No.. I didn't.”
He sighed and swiftly nuzzled his face over my neck
wrapping his arms around my torso, “I have work but I
would need you by my side—and no, we didn't get the
results yet. I left shortly after. I went to my house and then
came here.”
I closed my eyes and caressed his silky hair.
“Baby,” I whispered.
“Hm?” He had closed his eyes.
Should I bring up what he said to me in the hospital? Or
was that the right time to tell him about Mr. Stranger? But
before I could say anything he seated himself back.
“Come here,” he positioned himself properly and tapped
on his bulky thighs.
I did as he wanted. I sat on his lap, knees bent, parallel to
the bed. He firmly pressed me against him as I threw my
arms on his neck. “I won't be able to kiss you with that thing
on,” he gazed at my lips.
“Ah–yeah,” I parted my mouth slightly, “It would have
literally transformed my mood if these bruises were from
you...”
He bit his lower lip trailing his orbs down towards my
cleavage and firming his hands over my butt. Without
uttering a word, I nudged him back so as to be on top of
him. My fingernails brushed against his skin as my hands
unbuttoned his shirt and I hastily wiped off the useless liquid
from my lips using the back of my thumb. His erection
tightened under me while his nervous hands squeezed my
thighs in a needy way.
I slid his shirt down and unfastened his belt, eventually
removing his pants.
“What?” I smirked as I gazed at him biting on his lip,
scanning my figure.
“Won't you remove that robe?” He rasped as my hips
started grinding back and forth on his bulge still waiting
under his underwear.
I inched closer to his face and bought our lips together.
“Not too soon,” my breath brushed against his lips as I
traced his wet lips with the tip of my tongue.
I dipped my weight on him as our lips delved deeper into
each other. What happened in the past hours, got me
hanging in between and leaving my body weak. “Leon,” I
murmured, pulling myself back, “I'm tired.”
“Hmm..?” he opened his eyes and scanned my dazed
face.
“You want me?” I whispered, tracing my fingers over his
sloppy lips.
He bit his lip and nodded, peering his eyes over the
exposed skin of my thighs.
“Alright, I'm letting you do this, do whatever you want to
do with me–” I whispered and without sparing a moment, he
briskly shoved me under him.
A smirk curved on my lips observing his needy-ness before
he covered my mouth with his palm. “You are going to do
what I tell you to,” he husked.
I nodded intently
Over the past two months I became sure none of us was a
submissive or a switch. We needed control and when one of
us teased the other we were turned on more to chase what
we wanted. My lips curled into a carnal smirk as he ripped
off the robe, revealing my bare torso to his dark eyes.
He trailed his lips along my jawline softly sucking as he
reached my neck. I shut my eyes, letting my body to finally
do what he asked me, 'if you forget everything else and
trust me.'
His breaths tickled against my skin while he bit on my
collarbone. I gasped and he pinned my wrists against the
bed. His wet lips had traveled every inch of my body ripping
off whichever piece of fabric hugged me and now waited at
my entrance.
He gripped my thighs and spread my legs apart as his
tongue traced along my lines, causing my legs to feel a
sudden tingle. “My kitten won't you moan my name?” He
grunted.
“You need to stop teasing me if y–you wanna hear me
moan your name,” I provoked him.
“The audacity my girl has,” he spanked me, causing me to
grapple on the sheets. “Princess, you are calling for a
disaster,” he growled and lurched up towards my face.
“So you know what I want?” I bit my bottom lip slowly
leading my hand under his underwear and stroked the
throbbing erection. He bit on his lower lips and pulled his
body up. The next thing he did pulled me into a frenzy.
He grabbed his belt and tied it around my neck as a leash,
causing me to choke upon my breath for a second.
His fiery eyes glistened with a blaze of vain as he came
closer pulling my neck up with the leash and suckly roughly
on my collorbone.
“I'm going to mark every inch of you so that every
 fuckin
being knows you are mine.”
He did that.
Our pace lost its initial momentum as his thrusts grew
rougher and our kisses sloppy. My back arched up and a
spring coiled tightly in my abdomen. “Leon–I'm there,” I
whimpered.
His hands kept my reddened wrists pinned at our sides.
 “Wait for me–” he grunted, thrusting deeper and briskly
let down his sweaty body over me as a rippling wave of
warmth took over my body.
We lay there breathing heavily. “Come here,” he rose up
on his knees and straightened the crumpled bed sheet,
making me lay down properly after wiping off the sweet
mess.
He threw himself next to me and embraced my figure
tightly in his arms. His softened lips placed a long kiss on
my reddened cheek. I smiled unconsciously resting my face
against his chest.
“Skye?”
“Mm?”
I felt relaxed. I felt no rush. My body was at peace.
“Was I too rough?” His fingers stroked my arm.
“Not in a bad way, because you know I loved it,” I
mumbled, my breath tickling against his skin. My body felt
light like a feather. As my hazy eyes were drifting into a
state of fuzzy relaxation, my mind grasped on what I had
been doing.
“My cake!” I grumbled and jumped out of his embrace
wrapping the robe over me before hopping out of the bed.
“Baby, what are you doing?”
I gushed to the countertop and switched off the stove,
thanking internally that the heat was minimum otherwise
my chocolate would have been ruined.
“Skye!”
I felt his arms snaking around my shoulders. “Yeah,” I
mumbled, balancing the double boiler to place it down.
“You were baking a cake?” He questioned, “Without me?”
“Yeah. I totally forgot about this,” I sighed. I turned around
but with his figure still clutching on me. “Will you let me
walk?” I scoffed.
“No. I won't leave you,” he murmured. An inadvertent
smile beamed on my face and I staggered towards the table
—with him still hugging me. “Mm, Is it chocolate?” He
babbled.
 “Yes,” I grinned.
“Hm,” he tucked my locks behind my ears and kissed my
jawline, “I can have my share at night.”
I snickered and turned round to face him. My heart was
pounding in my chest. “Do you want me to tie you up, on
the bed, at night.. hm?” I cupped his neck.
He grinned and pulled my waist closer, “And then you can
—”
I quickly pressed my lips on his, still with a snicker on, “I
know, so don't say it,” our lips brushed together.
He smiled, pulling my body closer and drowned me in his
lips passionately. Once you started it was hard to stop.
“Leon,” I whispered and trailed my hand over his bare chest,
right over where I perceived his heart to be.
“Does it hurt a lot when you get those attacks?”
“It does..” he whispered.
I sighed and looked into his eyes. “I've been trying to
forget everything else.. That's the only way I think I'll be
able to be with you,” I murmured.
Leon parted his lips to say something but the phone's
ringing cut his unspoken words off. “I'll take it,” he said
before heading into the bedroom.
I rubbed my arm, puffing in a deep breath and went after
him.
“We'll ask for that once again then, Ash. This can't be it,” I
heard his voice. Right.
  Right, I had been preparing myself
for it anyway. For the time being I didn't question why the
situation bothered me. I just didn't want him to feel any pain
again. “Fine. Okay.” He hung up the call as I entered inside
towards him.
“I'm sorry,” he turned to me.
“Don't say it's your mistake, you must have been under
the influence of alcohol. It's done now… We can't change it.”
I shut my eyes, lowering my head down.
“Skye, this is where I still can't believe it. I never had sex
under the influence of alcohol, except with you. I can't take
it in,” he exhaled sharply and buried his face on my neck.
 I let out a breath, opening my eyes. “Forget it.. If that girl
crosses our path once again, we'll just embrace it. We both
have our lives to live,” I stroked his hair, “Okay?”
He pulled back as his hands cupped my cheeks and
planted a kiss on my forehead, “I'm sorry.”
My lips curled into a faded smile as I returned him his kiss.
_
The next Friday had approached rapidly. Leon was seated
next to me, driving our way to work.
Cayden didn't appear before me nor called me over the
week. And that day was Friday which meant he would
probably visit the club.
“Baby, are you alright?” Leon questioned as he waved his
hand in front of me, gazing in my eyes intently.
“Oh? Y–yeah,” I positioned my sinking figure properly, “I'm
okay.”
“Is anything wrong?” He asked.
“No, not really,” I cleared my throat, “However, are you
going to sign that contract with YS Group? That CEO who
approached us?” I asked, quoting about the various clients
that contacted the company over the week.
“That? Yes, I think we should. Because it's a good deal.
Will you be able to undertake the project if I assign you?” He
peeked at me, “You nailed the Rome project.”
“Yeah!” A chuckle left my lips, “Right now I don't have any
major things on. I'll just be sketching ideas today.”
“That's good, then. I'll ask Jazlyn to fix our meeting. And
what was his name? Terrance?”
“Terrance Gray?”
“Yes,” He intoned, “I think I've seen him somewhere?”
“Maybe at some event?” I mumbled. He parked the car.
“Yeah, could be anything,” he murmured as we stepped
out, “Anyways, I have scheduled a meeting for twelve thirty,
but before that I have something to discuss with you and
Jazlyn so meet me at the conference room at twelve.”
 “Okay, but where are you going?” I asked, pointing to his
open car door.
“I have a meeting with some important clients,” he
faltered.
“Take your secretary with you then.”
He shrugged. “I can do it without her. It's a short one. I
just need to make some adjustments.”
“Ok—”
“Listen, if Cayden comes to meet you, you will not meet
him. Plus if Hannah comes here, just ignore it, okay? Though
I don't think she would really want to show up.”
I nodded intently.
He cupped my jawline and pressed a tender kiss over my
lips.
“Okay? I'll get going,” he smiled before marching inside
his car.
He waved while grinning. I muffled a chuckle and sent him
a flying kiss. He caught the minuscule kissy in his palm and
treasured it inside his pocket, causing me to cover my
mouth and snicker again. I smiled and for the umpteenth
time mouthed a final bye until his car was out of sight.
I puffed a breath and paced towards the entrance of the
building.
A susurrous whisper of a lady reached my ear, “He's
acting so different. Have you ever seen him coming to work
with somebody before?”
Oh, no, Skye
.
Shrug. It. Off.
In the spur of the moment someone grasped my arm. But
the familiar Vanilla scent, I understood who it was.
“You startled me,” I grinned.
“You both look better this way, happy and together,”
Jazlyn chirped, “Where did he go, though?”
“Some meet with clients,” I responded.
“He doesn't have any more clients to attend to, outside his
office,” she shook her head at me.
 “Oh, maybe—c'mon, we should go inside, he said he
wants to meet us at twelve,” I threw my arm over her
shoulder.
“Yeah okay,” she smiled as we stepped inside the
escalator.
“By the way, I haven't heard from Cayden for a week, is he
out of town again?” She questioned, tucking back her
cascading mahogany hair.
I cleared my throat, nibbling on my lower lip. She was
unaware of what happened between the two of us. “Um no, I
mean maybe… I didn't call him either,” I asserted.
The lift stopped at our designated floor. “Okay, if you hear
from him let me know as well.”
I smiled rapidly to avoid further discussion over him before
I sauntered towards my office. The clicks of my heels
echoed over the gravely silent floor. One thing for sure was
toying with my nervous system, 'Whatever Cayden may do,
he is still my best friend. Someone who I trusted a lot. We
can't end this friendship this way.'
  I jostled inside. Hurling
my bag on the glass table I grabbed my phone and called
him.
“Hey,” he rasped.
Initiating that conversation was uncomfortable yet I had to
embrace it for my own betterment. “Why didn't you call
me?” I grumbled, running a hand through my hair.
“Your boyfriend might hate me right now, doesn't he?” He
murmured.
“Exactly! He hates you to hell,” I exhorted, though
particularly true. It grew dead silent on the other hand. “Are
you even listening?”
“Y-yeah,” his usual silvery voice sounded coarse.
“Cayden? Is something wrong?” I rose up in my seat and
paced towards the glass pane.
“Yeah, I don't feel good. I don't know, it's just my body
feels really weak,” his voice was breathy.
“Did you eat?”
“Not yet..” he whispered.
 “Okay, listen, you be there, I'm coming over. I have time
until twelve,” I conceded, grabbing my bag.
Kissed me, so what? He was still my friend.
_
'Nine-nine-five-four-seven,' I pressed the buttons which
gleamed in a twitch of light being touched upon. My chest
was thumping and I quickly checked the time. Guilt took
over me but the tiny subconscious of mine kept reminding
me I was not doing anything wrong.
Going against my boyfriend's warning to meet my own
best friend felt overwhelming at first, but I calmed myself
down. I perceived the dark hallway but a small light glowed
from an end which connected it to the living room. I faltered
towards the light.
My chest lightened with a breath, arousing a relieving
sensation all over my body.
Cayden's figure curled in a ball, covered with a blanket,
was snoozing on the couch. I sauntered towards him and
squatted down next to the edge of the sofa. Unwilling to
wake him up, I checked his temperature.
His cheeks glowed crimson as the soft brown locks
cascaded in a swift motion against his eyes. He opened his
drooping eyelids.
“Skye?” he murmured and rose up, supporting his torso
with his arms.
“Yeah..” I mumbled and seated myself next to him on the
couch.
“Are you angry?” He fretted.
“Yeah, I'm angry,” I scoffed.
He jerked his head down while a wave of nervousness
caused him to fidget with his fingers. I puffed my cheeks.
“Not because you kissed me but because you didn't bother
to call me when you were literally drowning in fever!” I
admonished.
“You might hate me now...” he garbled.
 “Yeah, I hate you. I hate you more than anything,” I
grumbled, “Because you didn't have enough faith in me. I'm
your best friend for some reason!”
My voice quivered.
I hugged his arm and tears brimmed up in my orbs. A
muffled sniff echoed over my head, after which his arms
wrapped me tightly against his chest. “I know you made a
mistake but you could have called me when you felt so
bad!” I punched his chest.
“I'm sorry,” he whimpered.
“Don't do this shit again of detaching yourself from me
ever in your life,” I foretold and pulled myself back to face
him. I wiped off his tears.
“Go wash up. I'll cook for you whatever you want to eat,” I
directed.
But he kept nibbling on his bottom lip. “What?” I
questioned.
“You should be working right now. He let you come here?”
“Leon is out to meet some clients but also I don't have any
work to complete.. I'll tell him later I took a half day leave.”
“Okay..” he sighed and stood up, “Don't burn the food.”
“You bitch!” I scoffed with a tiny grin as I saw his scurrying
silhouette outside the room. That's better when he is
sarcastic
.
I shook my head and picked up the phone to text Jazlyn,
because I left without telling her.
Me: Hey, I'm at Cayden's place. Tell Leon when he gets
back. I'll return by eleven.
Just when my thumb prepared to turn off the phone she
replied.
Jazlyn: Oh why so sudden?
Me: He has a really high temperature and he needs me.
Jazlyn: Oh, take care ok? I'll tell Leon when he returns.
Me: Okay, bye!
Seen
 _
“Okay, you eat all of this and let me know later that you
finished. Then you gotta eat your medicine and take a rest,
I'll check up on you later. Okay?” I blurted out placing the
remaining part of the sandwich on his plate and picked up
my bag.
He nodded and took another bite, assuring my senses that
he would take care of himself.
Straightening the creases of my dress, I mouthed him a
final bye. He chewed intently, while nodding.
I chuckled and closed the door behind me.
I sauntered out of the massive building, feeling like a
minuscule bead in front of it. Perplexed, I reached for my
phone as I sat in the cab I called for. No message or call
from Leon? Maybe he hasn't reached the office till now?
_
“Thanks,” I greeted the driver and scurried into the
building, checking the time. Phew.
“Skye!” Jazlyn gushed to me, handling a girl some files
she stood conversing with.
“Is Leon here?” I questioned.
“Yeah I was about to tell you that, he just came back but I
was busy here so I couldn't tell him anything,” she
explained.
“Oh, alright. I'll go to him. Thanks,” I said, turning round.
Jazlyn stopped me mid way, “But wait, is Cayden okay?”
“Yeah he is,” I turned to face her, “Though his fever was
really bad when I went there. I cooked for him and gave him
his medicines–”
“–
Whom
 did you cook for?” A raspy voice passed through
my ear, causing a shiver to gush through my whole body.
Shit
. I stepped in front and slowly turned back. As if his eyes
pierced through my soul, I cleared my throat, though not
particularly hesitant, I blurted, “Cayden.”
He glared at Jazlyn and I conceded she faltered away
already.
 I cleared my throat. “Can we go up?” I asked.
He turned round with a brooding expression etched on his
face and walked nonchalantly. But I could feel his fists
clenching so hard in his pockets that the veins in his arms
popped out unceasingly, as visible from the rolled up
sleeves of his shirt.
I brushed my hair back and inhaled a deep breath to
prepare myself for what was incoming. As I took a step in
front, the voice I hated the most echoed over.
She had to drop herself there, right then?
“Leon,” Hannah called his name.
He turned around and shot her a glare.
“Thanks for checking up on me today, you are an
awesome father,” she beamed him a smile, “I was passing
by so I came to say thank you. You left way too early
.”
 Eleven

S
o he first lied to me that he had an important meeting so
that he could meet her and then he was angry that I
checked up on my sick friend?
“You are welcome,” instead of my dumbstruck boyfriend, I
answered Hannah with a roguish smile and grabbed Leon's
arm, “Honey, we need to go now.”
I made sure with every single bit that the sarcasm was
visible to his eyes. Without uttering a word to that girl we
walked to the lift.
I gripped his arm until the door closed.
“Skye,” he rasped.
“Shut up,” I huffed, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
“I just vis–”
“–Leon, I don't need any explanation,” I interjected.
“At least listen to what I have to say,” he husked.
We reached our office floor and I walked out first. “Skye,
what the heck is this?” He paced to me, yelling. His hand
gripped on my arm, giving it a painful squeeze and turned
me round.
“Remove your hand.”
He didn't. So I had to use force.
I gripped his hand and jerked it off. His arm flung in the air
as his throat rose up and down. He averted his head at a
side, nodding to himself. I peered at a different side. But
before sensing anything else his footsteps passed by my
side nonchalantly.
 Right, this is where all of it leads to. In the end our ego
matters more.
  We inflicted scars upon each other
unknowingly, thinking we were protecting ourselves but we
ripped each other off until we were exhausted. Victor was
right, we were the same.
A loud thud of the office door bellowed at my back causing
me to flinch.
I turned around, and he was gone. A spring coiled tightly
in my throat. Without any more noise, I skulked inside my
office. This is going nowhere. Why does loving someone
have to be so hard?
  My breath hitched and I positioned
myself on the chair. My hair draped down at the side as I
buried my face against my crossed arms on the glass table.
My eyes kept on draining tears. Why in the world did he
have to lie?
Someone knocked on my door but the intensity of those
tears and thoughts made me unable to pay attention.But
the person didn't wait for my response.
“Skye?” She called.
I swiftly touched my face to wipe off the tears before the
realization captured me that my makeup would have
already erased off or in the worst case my eyeliner and
mascara may have left black stains near my eyes. I sniffed
and raised my head up, still covering my face with my
palms.
“Skye what's wrong?” She questioned, “Leon asked for
both of us in the conference hall. Are you alright?”
I took in a deep breath and led my hands down.
“What's with your face? Were you crying
?” She blurted
out and gushed to me. Her hand cupped my chin and tilted
it up.
“Do you have a tissue?” She questioned.
I took a deep inhale, handing her my bag. I kept silent as
she got hold of the makeup in my bag and without my
permission fixed my face.
“Done,” she murmured, closing the last piece of it, the
lipstick.
 I sighed.
“Now tell me what's it? You both fought again because
Hannah came here?”
“Yeah.. But Leon went to meet her earlier,” I murmured.
“When? That time you told me he had a meeting?”
“Yeah..”
“Skye he doesn't lie.. You should talk to him, it might be a
misunderstanding and you know how bitches like Hannah
are! They can do anything to get what they want,” she
implored, “Those girls always make stupid insignificant
things look as though it was something very important.”
I gazed at her with a deep inhale. “That makes sense. If he
comes to me first I'll talk.. Because I don't think he would
want to see me.”
“What did you do that he would not want to see you
?”
She questioned.
I sighed and rose up my seat, “Nevermind Jazlyn, let's not
talk about it now,” I clutched my stuff and turned to face
her. “Shall we go?”
She gazed at me with a tint of suspicion and nodded her
head.
_
I fumbled with the doorknob as a gush of nervousness
cascaded through my whole body. Jazlyn tapped my
shoulder and eyed me at the door with a gentle smile. I
sighed and unlocked it. But before I could push it, Leon
pulled the door.
He stood like a stone statue glaring at me. My marbles
wavered on the floor in unease. I took a step in front
conceiving he would step away but I guessed I was an idiot.
Maybe I didn't even need to guess that from then onwards.
He grabbed the chance and clutched my body with one arm.
“Stay out,” he looked at Jazlyn and shut the door in front
of her.
“What–” he cut me off, pressing his palm over my mouth
and pushed me against the door.
 “-Now listen,” he rasped, “I went to her place with Ash
,
just to check the fuckin DNA test report and its not that I
checked up on her, I asked her how she was out of
politeness
.”
I peered at his eyes.
The grip of his palm loosened and he brushed my hair
back, eventually cupping my neck with his hand.
“I never want to shout at you like this,” he whispered.
“Sorry..” I conceded, “Cayden was not well. I couldn't
leave him alone.” I hung my head low fidgeting with my
fingers.
“Look here,” he lifted up my chin. I gazed at him but my
eyes shut gently as his tender lips met mine. I clutched my
arms around his waist as the lips we had been craving for
explored each other passionately.
“Leon, don't ever leave me, okay?” I gazed into his eyes,
“I don't feel easy when I imagine myself without you.”
We pulled away slightly.
“I won't. And it's not that I am angry, I'm upset because
you went to someone who could have hurt you,” he
whispered as he caressed my cheek.
“He won't do anything like that, Leon. He was sick, I would
never leave him alone.”
“Then if you want to do anything with him next time, I'll be
with you,” he murmured.
I exhaled and my chest dropped heavily as I gazed upon
his eyes. He took a moment to plant a soft kiss on my cheek
and pulled me in his embrace.
_
“Leon, how long is this gonna continue? You know my
leave starts from five in the evening on Fridays,” Jazlyn
whined.
It was almost five PM as I and Leon had been working on a
project, seated closely next to each other on the couch with
the sketchbooks resting on our laps. But he was still
engrossed in the sketch that I was busy explaining to him.
 “So.. You go this way and here this hallway meets. We can
install the false ceilings in this whole room,” I explained.
“This seems better,” he furrowed his brows together and
drew a sloppy sketch in his book.
“Hm!” He smiled, closing it, “Now we are left with the
interior decor plus the color combos. We'll continue this
tomorrow morning.”
“Yeah, and also-” I eyeballed the grumpy girl, “Someone
misses her boyfriend a lot so I think you better let her go.”
Leon chuckled and stood up, stretching his arms. “Sure
you may take your leave now Miss Jaz,” he laughed.
A muffled smile beamed on her face and she pulled out
her tablet, “You have a meeting with YS Group's CEO Mister
Gray, tomorrow evening at six and Sunday is free. I'll let you
know your schedule for Monday tomorrow,” she quipped
and hurled her stuff back inside.
“Okay, Terrance Gray, right?” He asked.
“Yes. And now if you are done, I would like to run away,”
she exhorted. Leon and I snickered as he nodded intently to
let her 'run away'.
“Oh but wait,” she queried, stepping on the edge of the
door, “You'll join us at the club right?”
“Yeah–” I answered but Leon cut me off.
“–I have some important plans for the night so me and my
employee won't be able to join you today,” he conversed
and plopped his body on the couch. She stared at both of us
in confusion but that was just an act. Before I could part my
lips she flashed us an unceasing smirk and gushed out.
Yeah, an important plan
.
I turned back to face Leon. He spread his legs and slapped
his right thigh. A smirk grew on my face and I did what he
silently directed. He grabbed my waist and buried his chin
on my shoulder, giving my skin a tickle as his hair brushed
on my neck.
“So what's your important
  plan?” I asked, toying with a
strand of his silky hair.
 “We need to go home because I got something for you to
wear..” he trailed his finger over my back.
“Wear something? Then?”
A wave of warmth cascaded all over my body.
“Then I have a long night planned ahead.”
_
“Here we go,” he handed me a hoodie and a pair of shorts.
You thought about sexy lingerie, didn't you?
“I have all these, Leon, why did you bring them?” I
questioned, almost baffled.
“Well I bought us the same thing except for the shorts,” he
remarked and hastily removed his shirt.
“What are you doing?” I whispered as a soft blush spread
across my face.
He pulled over the grey hoodie and then repeated the
process with his pants, not stripping completely though. I
read the graphics on them. Oh, matching hoodies. His
hoodie said, she's my nutella
, mine said, he's my bread
.
I laughed, throwing my head back in disbelief, “Leon, from
where did you get these? Oh God.” I couldn't stop laughing,
rereading the cheesy text in my mind.
“It's cute so don't laugh,” he puffed his cheeks muffling
the laugh growing on his lips, “Change and be down quick.”
He jostled towards the door, slipping out a grin, “And
remove all that makeup. Plus you can grab my sneakers
because wearing heels isn't an option, Nutella,” he garbled
before running away with a laugh.
“Okay, Bread. I'll do as I'm told. Don't worry!”
I blinked a few times to absorb what was told to me.
After washing myself off the useless and unclean material
from the whole day, I walked into the silent bedroom,
stripping myself off the tight dress. A laugh again left my
lips as I caught the hoodie kept on the bed. I was sure at
that time that he really didn't have a real relationship
before.
 My body felt a sudden chill from the night air which
escaped the flowy curtains. I kept my eyes fixed on my body
movements as one by one I wore the crisp fabrics.
The matching grey hoodie perfectly complemented my
figure. I tied my hair in a messy bun and headed for his
wardrobe where I was supposed to find a supplement for my
heels. My brows furrowed together as I rummaged through
the expensive looking rack.
“There you are,” I picked a pair of white vans. Though
seemingly big, I was still able to feel comfortable in them. I
picked up my clutch and hastened out of the closet.
“Leon?” I called out, pacing down the stairs.
The living room was silent, so were the adjoined rooms. I
walked out of the main door.
There he stood arranging a pile of items in his car. “Bread,
what are you doing?” I asked, pacing towards his busy figure
and slowly leaning over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of
the problem he was tackling all alone.
“Hey, no peek-a-boo!” He snickered.
He moved back and closed the car door with a loud thud.
“Get in, I'll lock the house,” he smirked, “We'll be having a
lot of fun tonight, Nutella.”
_
 Stay here, I'll be back,” Leon assured and got out of the
“
car, he had parked in front of a gas station. I nodded
intently.
He scurried inside a brightly lit convenience store. I smiled
to myself and reached for my phone. Cayden's messages
already bulked up the notification bar.
Cayden: Are you going to the club?
What about me? You didn't call me either!
I took all my medicines and I'm waiting for you
Where are you?
With your boyfriend again?
I bit my lip at the undaunted eagerness.
 Me: Yes I'm again with my boyfriend
But I was about to call you. Though the network here is
quite weak.
So I think I can't do it now
But you! Eat a good dinner and take your medicine and
sleep at the right time!
Byee, I'll see you tomorrow
I tucked the phone back in my bag as the wind howled by
my face. I removed the shoes and pulled my knees to the
chest, tightly wrapping my arms around. My eyes shut as I
took a deep inhale of the fresh cold autumn night air. As
long as this exists, how can I be sad?
“Enjoying it already babe?” Leon smiled, pulling me out of
my thoughts.
I smiled and reached my arm out to take what he bought.
He snickered, handing me the scrumptious looking meal.
“What are we going to do baby?” I asked, feeling a sudden
gush of ecstasy in my body, as if my heart was at utmost
bliss. Nature does heal people.
“You have to wait for it,” he teased, hopping inside the
car, and was about to start the engine. “Wait!”
He glanced at me perplexed. “I want to sit on your lap,” I
pouted.
“Baby, but then I won't be able to drive,” he murmured.
“No, not for the drive, Bread, but for sometime while we
are staying put,” I implored, almost tapping my feet on the
seat.
“Alright come here,” he laid back and rubbed his thighs. I
smiled and without wasting any moment, took over my
throne.
“And is Bread my new name?”
“Of course,” I signalled him my hoodie, “It's clearly written
over here.”
My arms were wrapped around his neck as my legs
crossed over his thighs while my face nuzzled comfortably
against his neck. He clutched me firmly yet gently, trailing
his finger up and down on my cheek and eventually my
neck.
“Yeah, how can I forget, Nutella? You are my favorite thing
to taste. You are literally everything that I want to have all
the time.”
I rolled my eyes, flustered as I hugged him tighter,
eventually shutting my eyes.
“Bread,”
“Hm?” I perceived he too had closed his eyes as he rested
his head against mine. “This is so beautiful, especially when
you are here,” I whispered, an inadvertent smile spreading
across my cheeks.
“I told you right?” I could hear his deep warm voice over
my ear, “Watching something beautiful with the person you
love is the best thing one can do.”
I wanted to enjoy his voice but he said something else to
start me drooling over. With the person you love?
  My
heartbeat fastened. I grappled on his arm and traced my
hand up to his hand which caressed me.
“What?” he asked.
I led his warm hand to my chest, upon my heart and
pulled myself back.
“It's beating fast..” he whispered as his cheeks grew a tint
of baby pink.
“You know you do this to me every time I see you,” I
answered.
He gazed at me for a moment and briskly exchanged the
role of our hands so that mine was touching his chest now.
The feel of his throbbing beats, the glistening stars and
the cool breeze, yet a plethora of complications in my life—I
shut my eyes to close the gap between our lips. It turned
out to be slow and steady, none of us driven by lust but
pure love, something which we both were too shy to utter.
I pulled back. “I think we should get going now..” I
murmured, holding back my wide smile before hopping on
my designated seat.
 “Yeah,” he murmured, putting his car on the take off mode
and giving me a grin.
_
My locks pushed back from the intense pressure of the
wind. We were no longer on a highway but a deep lonesome
road, probably leading to some old rusty cottage. “Skye!”
Leon called my name.
“Yeah,” I grasped on the seat's edge, turning to him.
“Take this camera,” he yelled, his voice cutting past the
layer of wind over my ears. I grasped it in one take from his
hands, busy balancing both the tasks.
As if I knew what he wanted me to do, I chirped, “Smile
baby!”
He peeked at my direction and a beam plastered on his
glistening face. Click.
“But I want you to record this! All the way we go there,”
his voice cascaded through and I averted my smiling face at
him.
“Really?”
“Yeah, do it quickly.”
I became reassured. The headlights beamed across the
ebony roadway, causing the roadside trees to flicker in dull
light. I gripped on the camera and started recording. “Where
are we going, Mister Weston? An important meeting in some
forest?” I kicked in for fun.
“Important meeting with who though? Vampires?” He
snickered, “What do you think, Miss Waltz?”
“I don't know yet,” I murmured, glancing at him.
He laughed. “Look,” his finger pointed towards an empty
plot of land. My eyes focused on the slightly distant place
but my mouth formed to a gape as some trees cleared up in
sight revealing a glimmering lake on the other side of the
road.
“Wow..” I murmured, keeping the camera fixated on it.
“And now look up,” he whispered, slowing the pace of the
car as we reached the destination.
 I peered up and my mouth fell to a gape.
Stars, uncountable, even those which get buried in the
city lights and the chaos of daily life, shimmered in the night
sky like beads embedded in raven-hued silk. I was struck,
wordless. His fingers crawled upon my hands and took away
the camera.
But I couldn't pay attention. The night sky, followed by the
breeze and the ruffling sound of the seawaves had taken me
to raptures, ripping me off of every thought which chained
me earlier. “And now, look here,” his voice pulled me back.
He stood with two lanterns and supposedly a lamp to light
and release them up. My eyes widened as I hastened out of
the car.
“You.. Leon, this is so pretty,” my voice grew brittle and I
covered my mouth with my palms.
He stood there flashing me his smile.
I can't control it anymore.
I rushed  to him and grabbed him in a long hug. The busy
hands couldn't hug me back but a kiss was planted on my
cheek halfway through the heedless strands of my hair.
“This is so pretty.. I've never felt this before Leon. This feels
good. I–I can't explain it..” I rejoiced.
“It's the same with me, I can't say it Skye, it's too good to
say aloud,” he whispered and placed a kiss on my head. An
inadvertent smile swept across my face and I pulled back to
face him.
“Shall we do this?” he asked, eyeing the delicate lanterns.
I nodded and he squatted down in front of me, lighting up
the burner.
“We will release them together okay?”
“Yes,” I lunged down and he handed me one of the
lanterns, with a beautiful etched floral print. “Bring the
bottom over here and when I say three, we'll release it! And
hold it tight, otherwise it will fly off your hand,” he grinned.
“Okay!” I bit my lip in excitement, feeling the thumping in
my chest.
 “Here we go, do it before the light blows off,” he lit his
own and was holding it tight. I briskly placed mine over the
lamp and a small ball of light flickered, indicating it was lit
up.
“Ready? One, two, three! Release it!”
We released it.
“Woah...” I gazed at them awe struck as the two of them
swore to an height, almost getting immersed between the
stars in a few blinks. None of us uttered a word but watched
them disappearing into the unknown.
He turned to me and I smiled widely but pulled him in for
a kiss the next moment.
“Thank you so much,” I nuzzled my face against his chest.
He didn't reply but instead kissed my head.
“Now I have something else too,” he murmured.
“You've already shown me something so beautiful,” I
smiled, moving back.
“Hm! Actually–” he went over to the car and picked up a
picnic mat and the food we bought but forgot about, “–We
are going to eat and stargaze.”
“Oh yeah, I realize I'm hungry,” I grinned and helped him
lay the mat. “It must be cold by now..” I glanced at the food
as I took off my shoes and hopped on the mat.
“I can't say, I got it wrapped in extra foil so that it stays
warm,” he murmured. “Oh right,” he immediately stood up
and walked back to the car. I peered at his dark figure with a
folded.. piece of.. cloth? A blanket
.
“You must be cold,” he removed his slip-ons and seated
himself next to me. An inadvertent smile spread across my
face. “Thanks, Bread. My legs were freezing.”
_
The warm blanket wrapped around us as our bodies
entangled each others' tightly to keep us warm. “You see
those stars making that line?” I had been holding his hand
with index finger pointed out and our faces against each
other so that his eye level and mine could match, and we
would see the same thing, “That makes the constellation of
Sagittarius.”
“Oh,” he peered at the partially visible figure and looked
back at me, “Do you think stars actually decide who we
love?” he questioned.
“No, baby. It isn't like that.. Love? What is it even?” My
chest dropped with an exhale.
“When we both fight but still come back to each other and
when we can understand each other without even saying
something, maybe that's love,” he whispered.
“Maybe..”
“Hm, maybe,” he copied my sigh and slowly let his upheld
body loose over me.
“Whatever it is,” he whispered and pulled me closer to
him, “If it's you, I think it's love.” A smile curved on my lips
and closing my eyes, I held him tighter.
That's right, whatever it is, if it's you, I'm sure it's love.
 Twelve

“B
abe, wake up, it's late,” I whispered. The night had
grown colder and whatever the case might be, it wasn't a
good idea to stay out at an unknown place, late at night.
“Mm?” He stretched his arms and yawned, gleaming a big
smile.
“We should go back home, it's really late,” I murmured
pointing towards my wristwatch.
_
Leon let out a deep groan as he plopped on the bed, “The
only comfortable thing in this world is this bed..” I watched
him tuck himself in the bed. “My eyes only picture you, you
are so soft, so delicate, you are the only comfort I need..” he
mumbled.
“Cheater,” I snickered and walked to the door.
“Where are you going babe?” He mumbled in half sleep
and I assumed he would be asleep anytime then.
“Washroom,” I twittered before sauntering out quickly.
I had just finished with the night routine and was about to
check the house last time before going to bed. I turned
around the kitchen to check all the lights and appliances
and flickered over the living area to check if all of it was in
place. I walked towards the stairs but the phone went off.
I prowled back, following the sound. The unknown number
kept Leon's phone screen on. I couldn't wake him up at that
hour.
Alright, I'll answer it
.
 “Leon?”
This shit again…
“May I know who you are?” Even though I was aware of
the caller's identity, I asked.
“May I know who you are?” She asked, the outrage clearly
visible in her tone.
“Skye Waltz,” I asserted.
“Ah, his ex? He started hooking up again?”
What a nincompoop!
“No, honey, his girlfriend. My time is being wasted right
now so better tell me what you need or I'll hang up,” I
stated, toying with a lock of my hair.
“I need to talk to Leon,” she said.
“And may I know the reason?”
“Excuse me, a pregnant lady needs to talk to the father of
her baby and I don't see any point in stopping her,” she
interjected.
“–Hm that's right.. But I can't really help it, you know,” I
pouted, “If he doesn't want to talk to you.”
“Huh? Do you know that he visited me today–”
“Hannah!” I cut her off, “These won't work. You need to
play something else.” And the line went dead.
I shrugged, placing his phone back.
A sigh left my lips. I didn't like it. Would she disturb my
peace regularly from then onwards? I was becoming happy
and stable once again in a relationship. I was able to shrug
off the fantasy I created for myself, I didn't want to ruin it.
I walked towards the stairs and as I was about to turn, a
figure bumped into me.
My body pushed back against the wall with a sudden
squeal and Leon smirked.
“Are you crazy!” I yelled, “You wake up at midnight and
bump into your soft hearted girlfriend–”
“–Ssh!” He brushed his lips over my neck, “That was hot.”
“What? My frightened voice?”
“No, the way that you shut that girl,” he rasped as his lips
kissed my neck a little deeper with each second. I smirked
inadvertently at him, gently throwing my head back in
pleasure.
“Are you revealing your identity as a vampire right now?” I
bit on my bottom lip, “Late night date and now this sudden
desire to kiss my neck, hm?”
He stopped with the kisses and looked at me, grinning, “If
you say you liked the date, I'll bite you,” he whispered,
closing the gap between our faces.
“Too bad because I'll be saying I loved the date.”
“Then prepare yourself for what's going to happen,” he
husked and immediately picked me up in a bridal way to get
us all the way into the dim bedroom. My eyes glimmered in
carnal excitement as he fumbled with the doorknob and
took me in.
He laid me down and hovered over me, covering us with
the blanket.
“I thought someone was married to his bed,” I teased,
unbuttoning his shirt.
“No babe, you can always come between us—right on the
bed and under me,” he whispered before drowning my lips
in his.
_
I slid my arms to hold him and snuggled closer. My body
felt heavy and in an utter need of comfort. He planted a kiss
on my reddened cheek which felt like a chipmunk's cheek
late at night.
“Good night, my love” I could sense a soft smile behind his
words.
“Good night, my love,” I repeated, inadvertently placing a
kiss on his chest and nuzzled my face against it due to
sheer shyness.
His soft grin reached my ears before the strong arms
tightened their hold.
_
“Skye? What's taking you so long?” Jazlyn knocked on the
washroom door. I almost gasped upon the sharp pain in my
belly.
“Just a minute, Jaz,” I huffed out a breath. For an unknown
reason, I had been feeling unwell since morning and had a
loss of appetite. But I solely dedicated the unease to some
pre-period pain. Swiftly washing my hands and wiping them
off, I hastened outside.
“Is everything alright? You look—drained,” she questioned,
sticking out her hand to check my temperature. “No, that's
okay,” she murmured.
“Maybe the pain one day before your periods kick in…I
always feel a bit sick a few days before my periods,” I
mumbled.
“Oh, then you should have stayed home. It was your leave
anyway.. There was no need to join this meeting,” she
sighed.
“Leon said he needed me here. So I had to come..” I
pursed my lips together.
She gave me a careful shake of her head.
Without wasting time we ambled towards the reserved VIP
lounge, where Leon had asked us to meet.
Since I had to prepare for the meeting, I had left his house
in the afternoon, agreeing we would meet in the evening
along with Jazlyn. As she was about to open the door, the
sweet voice of a man cascaded through my ears.
“Miss Waltz and Miss Weston.”
We turned around to find Terrance Gray, the CEO of YS
Group, a food corporation, young and giving the vibe of a
charming prince, beaming a big smile at us. I didn't know
how he knew our names but I cleared my throat and smiled,
reaching out my hand, “Oh, Mr. Gray, nice to meet you, I'm
Skye Waltz.”
“Nice to meet you Miss Waltz!” He shook hands with me
and turned to Jazlyn, “Miss Weston, nice to meet you.”
Jazlyn smiled, “Nice to meet you Mr. Gray.”
“Shall we go inside?” I said, my hand pushing the door,
revealing the insides of the private lounge inch by inch.
“Sure,” Terrance Gray conversed and I opened the door.
 Classical music filled up the entire room as Leon sat there
surfing on his phone. He twisted to look at us from his seat.
“Oh, you are here,” Leon smiled and rose up his seat, to
give Mr. Gray a quick handshake.
Gray turned to us after the handshake,  “Hey, Miss Weston
and Miss Waltz, no need for strict formalities here,” Terrance
conversed. I smiled nervously and glanced at Leon.
“I believe we are nearly the same age?” Terrance asked.
“Y–yeah, I believe,” Jazlyn smiled. I nodded with a small
smile.
“Sit down please!” I conversed.
“Yes please!” Leon smiled and took his place back.
In the heat of the moment, a wave of blood rushed all over
my body, causing my vision to blur for some seconds. I
unknowingly grappled on Leon's arm as I clumsily sat down.
“Skye? Are you okay?” His voice raised.
“M—hm. Can I have water?” I muffled the tension in my
voice and let out a faded smile.
“Here,” he briskly handed me a glass of water kept on the
table in front of us and brushed back the interjecting locks
of my hair. I tossed the water down slowly and kept the
glass back.
“Are you feeling unwell?” He questioned.
I shook my head and positioned myself properly. “I'm
okay, don't worry,” I blinked my eyes in assurance.
“Alright. If you feel unwell, let me know,” he rubbed my
arm gently before averting his orbs towards the small
telephone to call the waiter. I glanced at Terrance and Jazlyn
sitting at front but felt a sudden wave of unease as
Terrance's eyes wavered on the ground after I caught him
staring at me.
“Skye,” Jazlyn called my name after perceiving what had
happened.
“Y–yeah,” I tried sounding as cheerful as I could. Before
Jazlyn could utter, Leon spoke up, “So, Terrance? When are
you planning to inaugurate the hotel?”
 “Next year by September,” Terrance gave Leon his most
charming smile.
“Hm, so we need to get hands on this project already!”
Leon remarked.
“Yeah as early as possible,” Terrance smiled.
In a whirl the waiter entered. He handed us the menu and
Leon reached for them. His left hand over my bare thigh and
right one passing by my back and his torso pressed on the
side of my body.
“Thank you,” Leon greeted.
And that was uncomfortable
. Not Leon's touch but the
way Terrance's ferocious eyes observed him.
_
“Thank you Mr. Gray. Let's meet on Monday, then. It's our
pleasure to work with you,” Leon greeted, shaking hands
with him as we four stood up.
“It's my pleasure as well Mr. Weston, to collaborate on this
important project with you and these lovely ladies,” he
grinned at us, cheeks a tint of baby pink from the alcohol.
God!
  The level of his charms. Terrance swiftly tilted his
head back causing his dark brown hair to flip back gently. He
smiled at me, which I politely returned.
Leon remained silent but gave him a final smile of
acknowledgment. Jazlyn walked out first. Leon and I
followed, his right arm wrapped around my waist. I turned
round to steal a peek, with a gleam of hesitation. And I
conceived right.
His eyes were scanning my every move and a smug smile
crept on his face.
_
I picked up all the essential papers from my desk and
paced towards the door. I opened it but suddenly Leon jolted
inside, causing me to flinch back in a daze. “Oh God, what
are you doing?”
He pushed me against the wall in an instant.
 “I need you,” he kissed my jawline and trailed the tip of
his fluffy nose over my skin.
“Leon,” I sighed, “This is not the time.”
He faced me and kissed my lips, swiftly taking the papers
off my hand. “Terrance Gray is going to meet us today..” he
whispered.
“Hm I know. But what's with you?”
I caressed his hair before inching closer to join our lips.
But I stopped midway. His eyes were closed and his lips
curled, almost forming a small beak-like shape, intently
waiting for the kiss. My chest felt warm.
My eyes kept observing him until he opened his eyes.
“You're not going to kiss me?” He almost whined.
I bit my bottom lip to muffle my laugh.
“Skye!” He took steps back and plopped on the couch. If
he had stomped his feet, he would have looked like a
perfect toddler who was denied candies.
“Alright,” I let out an exhale and sauntered towards him. I
got on his lap as my figure leaned upon him and my hands
rested on his neck.
“But Leon,” I bit my lip.
“Mm?” He hummed, tracing his hand over my thighs.
“I want it to be long. Not here,” I whispered.
“Skye,” he whined, curling his lips in a pout.
I kept my eyes fixated on him. “What?”
“I promise we'll do it at night,” I assured, “Look, they'll
come here anytime now and we can't just present ourselves
with diverted attention.”
“Alright..” he agreed, “But the promise is meant to be!
Otherwise, you know.. right?” He smirked at me, fingers
curling around my neck.
“I don't know what you are trying to say baby?” I acted,
tightening my arms around his neck.
He bit his lip and shoved me under him on the couch. “You
know about the collar I bought for my puppy but it ended up
looking prettier on you,” he cold fingers cupped my chin.
“Yeah the one you got for your invisible pup, isn't it?”
 “Exactly so you know what's waiting for you,” he
whispered and moved closer to my ear and softly bit on it.
“I know-”
“—Lovebirds, may I get your attention? Mr. Gray will reach
here in five minutes. We are waiting for you in the meeting
room,” Jazlyn's silvery voice cascaded through the room.
“Oh yeah, we'll be there!” He lurched back and coughed
loudly.
I muffled a laugh and got back up. “Baby I'm worried
about your heart. I mean you sometimes freak out so bad. I
hope it doesn't affect the way you breathe,” I wrapped my
arms around his muscular torso, laying my ear on his chest.
“No it's not like that. My heartbeat is alright at that time
since I can control myself,” he smiled.
I glanced at him and pulled back, before my hand loosely
groped over his abs to his inner thigh, right beneath the
stretched fabric of his pants.
“Now?” I placed a butterfly kiss on his jawline.
“Skye you are breaking the promise—” he revolted but I
caught him off guard with a kiss, cupping his cheeks with
my palms. “Five minutes are a lot. Be patient,” my lips
brushed in a feathery way upon his, “You think I'll ignore my
boy when he needs me?”
Jazlyn's POV
“Good Morning Miss Weston,” Terrance Gray jabbed his
overcoat towards his male secretary and beamed a vain
smile at me.
“Good Morning!” I greeted.
My hands fumbled with the phone in unease.
“Where's Mr. Weston and Miss.. Waltz?” He asked.
“They are yet to finish a task with some client,” I lied.
He nodded, pulling off his glasses.
“Let me take you to the meeting room. Please follow me.”
I tried to remain as composed as possible. Sometimes Leon
and Skye were too reckless for me to handle. We walked in
the meeting room.
 “Mr. Weston has been in this profession for how long?”
Terrance questioned, getting himself comfortable on a chair.
“Eight years to be precise. He took over the position as
the CEO right after his graduation,” I recalled, beaming a
smile to hide my nervousness.
Terrance Gray was renowned to be a composed person
with a great deal of charm, which rarely anyone could resist.
And I could see myself falling in the trap.
“I should call them, it would–” I rose up my seat but he cut
me off, “No, please let them finish it so that we can talk
about our work without distractions.” He smiled and eyed
me to sit down.
Jesus, what are they doing?
“And how long has Miss Waltz been working here?” He
questioned.
“Almost three months now, but apparently she had worked
before for many big companies and seeing the class of her
work, Mr. Weston hired her as the chief designer,” I
answered. He shook his head placidly and peeked around
the room.
In the brisk moment the door flung, revealing the two
beings making their entrance who had turned me antsy in
the past ten minutes.
Skye's POV
 
“Sorry to make you wait, Mr. Gray, we were stuck on an
undeniable task,” Leon flashed him a smile.
Undeniable task.
  He eyed me towards the seat next to
him and reached for his.
As I was about to saunter towards it, Terrance calmly
called my name, “Miss Skye, you can take this place.” He
pulled out the chair next to him.
I peered at Leon's bothered pair of eyes, unconsciously
signaling me to deny the offer. Holy.. I'll count to three and
whatever my eyes land on, I'll take that.
 I glanced down in a
hurry, covering my mouth with my fist to create the
impression of fake coughing.
 I took a step in front. Dear eyes, don't land on Leon's lap.
Oh, shut up you unconscious parrot!
I was on the verge of glancing up but Leon's phone rang.
“Hello, yes?” Leon questioned, causing me to stop.
“Yes, I got it. The turquoise one right?”
I glanced at Jazlyn, perplexed, shrugging my shoulders.
“Okay, I'll be right there,” he asserted.
“Mr. Gray, I believe we can't continue this meeting any
longer. You see, it was sudden. We even rescheduled the
programs because we feared something else would show up
and the same happened,” Leon rose up, causing the three of
us to follow.
“Mr. Weston, that's absolutely fine! We are working on the
design and I'm sure your chief designer can continue it,”
Terrance beamed.
Leon peered at me with furious eyes.
“I believe in your skills Miss Waltz” Terrance acclaimed.
I was stuck. Business or the boyfriend who was staring at
me blankly
? Yet I thought I would be okay. At least Terrance
didn't seem like a bad person. I found a fading familiarity
with him, yet I wasn't sure if what I was thinking was
correct.
“Yes, I can continue with the meeting,” I smiled. My
marbles wavered at Leon, who nibbled on his lip in
restlessness.
“Alright,” he declared, pacing towards the door, “Miss
Waltz, I trust you with this.” His eyes pierced past mine as if
trying to tell me to be cautious with the strange man. I gave
him a faded nod, gulping a dry lump in my throat.
In a spur of moment, he paced out of the room, with his
secretary behind.
I twisted back, only to be greeted by a proud looking
Terrance. Was that his face or was that a trait of his, I was
yet to know.
“Take your seat Miss,” he directed, smiling roguishly and
seating himself on the chair across the table.
_
 “Mr. Gray, you have a unique taste. Sure this plan looks
better with a more Victorian finish!” I exclaimed and drew a
small sketch for my notes. He was totally normal during the
meeting so I believed that two days back when he acted like
a weirdo it was probably because of alcohol.
“Sure, Miss,” he grinned, “Your style is awesome as well.”
“Yes, Mr. Gray I'm a designer for a reason,” I let out a
small laugh.
“Yes yes, because I'm initially a CEO of a food
corporation,” he smiled.
“Yes. Your products are awesome by the way. I have used
a lot of them.”
“Yes, thanks,” he smiled. I had already packed my stuff
because the meeting ended.
“Miss Waltz, it was awesome to meet a lady like you,” he
reached out his hand for me to shake. I smiled and returned
the gesture. “Actually I have been a little confused. Are you
and Mr. Weston–” he questioned.
“Yes, we are a couple,” I answered.
He nodded plainly, without any particular intention to
vacate his seat.
“Are you happy with him?” His brows almost knit together
and I caught him trying to act nonchalant.
“Y–yes uh,” I cleared my throat, “I am happy with him.”
His throat rose up and down and his marbles peered at me
for a moment before he clasped his hands together over the
table.
“Do you—
remember me
?”
 Thirteen

L
eon, followed by Jazlyn and a Manager, paced inside the
lobby. “Ask them to prepare the exact color I told you! They
have already put this at a stake..” Leon's stentorian voice
echoed through the lobby. My steps resided, as he averted
his glaring eyes towards me.
Terrance stopped at my back, almost too close for our
bodies to touch.
Leon stated something to the two persons behind him,
including Jazlyn and walked towards me.
“Is he angry?” Terrance whispered near my ear, causing
me to step forward, hesitantly.
“Mr. Gray,” Leon said, his voice dropping the stern tinge,
“How did the meeting go?”
“Perfect, I suppose,” Terrance smirked and stepped at my
side, “Hm? Miss Waltz?”
The man in front of me was clearly ticked off by Terrance's
remark. “Anyways Mr. Weston! Your employee is just as
talented as I supposed her to be—always coming up with
great ideas,” he almost whispered.
Leon furrowed his eyes towards me.
“Yes, Mr. Gray. Thanks a lot! It's my pleasure to come up
with great ideas!” I smiled roguishly, tilting my head.
Terrance gave me a smug grin before turning to Leon. “Mr.
Weston, I hope we can be good friends apart from
business?”
 “Yeah, I hope we have a good time while working on this
project,” Leon slid his hands into his pockets.
“Yes, sure,” Terrance smiled before eyeing his secretary
towards the door, “Let's meet soon,” he said, somewhat
cocky and gave Leon a slight pat on his shoulder.
Terrance wore his coat back and gave us a final smile
before sauntering out.
Flashback
 
“Do you—
remember me
?” He asked and moved closer.
Are you really Terrance?
 “Yeah!” I shook my head, “Yeah I
remember you! And that's why I was confused as to why
you were literally scanning me so much.” I laid my back
against the chair, folding my arms with a deep exhale.
“You didn't change a bit Skye,” he whispered.
“I know—but you look completely different! Your style,
your hair, your face. Did you get a surgery, you don't look
like the Terrance I knew at all? I swear I wasn't able to
recognise you. And the time we were together, we were just
students,” I said, “You look so mature now!”
“Exactly, that's how you look like being a single parent to
a five year old. They end up teaching you a lot,” he sighed.
A faded smile swept across my face after he mentioned
his daughter.
“And yes, I got a little surgery here and there, cause why
not?” He laughed a little.
I nodded with a grin.
“Lily still calls me mommy?” I asked.
He smiled gently and shook his head in a no.
“She used to call you mommy until she was three. But you
know as she grew up I asked her to call you by your name.
And now whenever she sees your photo, she goes like, oh,
Daddy look, Skye
!” Terrance snickered and hung his head
down, his laugh fading.
“It's been a long time—how have you been?” I asked,
caressing my arm, with a tint of nostalgia in my tone.
 He smiled, “Pretty much, good. I have been living for my
daughter since you left. I realized the best happiness is the
one you feel when your kids are happy. She is everything to
me now.”
I returned his smile, almost holding back tears.
“She misses you everyday.”
“Can I meet her?” I asked eagerly, “I'm sorry I wasn't in
contact. Ever since I moved out from the university dorm
after graduation, I got a really good job then I bought an
apartment here in Manhattan and I've been living there ever
since. It's a beautiful place, there are nice people around so
I just settled there.”
“You told me you wanted to create a TV show where you
would explore the world's beautiful architectures. You didn't
have your adventure yet?”
I shrugged with a small tired smile curving on my lips,
“Not yet. But maybe one day. I want a partner who would
want to explore with me. Someone who is good with
cameras. Maybe then.”
“I hope you do that soon,” Terrance nodded, with a small
smile, “And about Lily, she'll be the happiest if I tell her you
want to meet her,” Terrance grinned.
“Then tell her,” I smiled.
He smiled, pulling out his phone. His deep brown eyes
were lit up in something very close to excitement and
happiness.
We exchanged phone numbers before he briskly stood up,
“I'm sorry I just remembered I need to pick her up from
kindergarten. No matter how busy I am, I like to do little
tasks related to her all by myself. I'll call you later, okay?”
I smiled, standing after him and escorted him out, “Sure,
I'll be waiting for it.”
Flashback over
 
“Were you comfortable with him?” Leon questioned as I
pulled my overcoat, ready to leave.
 “Mhm, the meeting was nice. We discussed everything
and I even sketched a rough plan,” I moved closer to kiss
him, “I'll send you those later, okay?”
“Okay. But is it necessary for you to go? We can stay here
together and cuddle. I'm really tired after that meeting,” his
lips curled into a pout.
I gently ran my fingers through his silky hair. “Baby I
promised you right? I'll be there at night. I have to do a
really important task right now,” I kissed his cheek as he
stared at me with a blank expression.
“Bread?” I muffled my laugh, “Okay?”
“Okay, Nutella
,” he plainly nodded.
I glanced at him and let out a deep exhale. Okay!
“Bye then,” I smiled and walked out of his office.
As soon as I stepped in the lift, my phone rang. “Mommy!”
A mellifluous voice cascaded through the speaker, “—
Lily I
told you. Call her Skye!
” Terrance scolded playfully.
“–Uh Daddy! Okay but Skye, when will you come to meet
me and daddy?” She cooed, “I see you in pictures
sometimes and I want to meet you.”
Tears of happiness pooled in my eyes but I muffled them
with a soft smile. “I'll meet you in the evening. My princess
misses me, does she?” I asked.
“Yeah Mom-oh sorry! I want to call you Mommy but Daddy
says—
Lily!
—Skye, Daddy is sometimes so stubb.. so.. um..”
I chuckled as the lift reached the ground floor and I
scurried out, “Stubborn?”
“Yeah, he doesn't let me call you mommy but I want to—
Okay baby that's enough, give me the phone
.”
I chuckled at the mini chaos between both of them and
got inside my car. Some moments make menial tasks go by
in a blink. “Skye?” Terrance laughed as the cute sounds of
whining echoed at the back, “I texted you the address and
I'll hang up because this kiddoo is not letting me drive,
okay? Lily don't–”
“Ok—” I couldn't finish my phrase when the call ended. I
smiled at the phone screen and looked for his message.
 Terrance: 7pm, Restaurant Aubade.
Would you mind if I ask you to wear something yellow?
Me: Sure!
Of course I will wear something yellow, she used to love
the color yellow.
_
“Skye!” The small girl with a cute yellow dress, clutching a
small balloon shouted and ran to me. Her dad followed the
tiny steps, clumsily running after her.
“Mommy-oops, I mean Skye, I missed you!” She whined,
hugging my legs. I lunged down to be on her level.
“I missed you too, my sweetheart,” I whispered, hugging
her closer.
“Oh look, we have the same dress color! Daddy chose it
for me!” She grinned.
“Really? Wow!” I smiled and glanced up at Terrance who
joined us. “Look what I brought for you!” I eyed her towards
the wrapped gift in my hand with a mischievous smile.
“Ooh, what's in that?” Her big doe eyes glowed up.
“I'll give it to your Daddy and when you reach home, you
can open it!” I grinned at her.
“Yay! Mamma, now we will stay together right?” Her eager
eyes beamed at me as I stood back up.
 I wish we could.
“Hm!” I hummed, causing her to jump up and clap.
Terrance looked at the both of us, “Let's go in then?” My
nod was a waste. Lily already clutched mine and Terrance's
hand with a playful grin over her chubby cheeks.
_
“Thanks a lot for today, Skye. I'm sure she loved every
part of it,” Terrance confessed. We strolled towards his car,
with exhausted Lily sleeping in Terrance's arms and her
head resting on his shoulder, causing her cheeks to fluff like
a mochi. He held a bunch of balloons in the other hand.
“It's nothing. And above this, I hope we can do these little
dates frequently,” I smiled.
 “Hopefully, yes. She longs for a mother a lot. She doesn't
even know what having a mother is like. Least we can do is
to fill this gap for her this way. It's just that she has always
called you mom when she was a baby, she never left that
habit,” he smiled and handed me his car keys, “I need to lay
her in.”
I opened the door for him and he settled her on the
backseat along with the balloons, causing her to open and
then droop her eyes back to sleep.
He closed the door softly and walked towards me.
“Thanks, Skye. I don't even know how to thank you. You've
always been a special person in my life,” he breathed.
“Just take care of her, that's enough for me,” I gave him
the only assurance I could.
He moved closer, leaning against the car. “Don't worry
about it. Is Leon a nice person? I know him as a womanizer,”
he said, “He is quite charming and handsome.”
“Leon?” I felt a warmth in my heart. “He is a good
person.” Each time I talked about him or thought about him,
I felt that. As though he was right there in me, listening to
everything, “He is honest and sincere, at least to me. He is
different from how he looks on the outside. He's different
.”
“He loves you?”
“Uh, Terrance, why—” I hesitated.
“—I'm asking that because I still love you and if I can't
have you then I want to ensure that you are loved–by a man
who deserves you,” he looked into my eyes with a sigh.
I averted my eyes at a side nervously. Saying that Leon
loved me was still hard for me. Leon must have said that he
loved me but I was not able to believe it completely because
love took time.
Maybe more than eight years.
“Skye, I know you are still waiting for that guy,” he asked,
“Aren't you?”
Yes, eagerly.
“Hmm, but you know it's hard to live with that kind of
expectation,” I said.
 “I know! That's why I want you to forget that man and find
the right love so that your relationships don't fail, like ours
did,” he murmured. I nodded my head with a deep breath.
“The time I spent with both of you, was one of the
happiest times of my life,” I confessed. He smiled and
glanced inside the car. “You had your own reasons to leave.”
A tired smile flashed on my face and I glanced at my
watch, “I should go now, Leon must be waiting.”
“Yeah,” he smiled, “Drive safe.”
“You too, take care of both of you,” I gazed at Lily and him
with a tint of lassitude, keeping a smile on my face before I
walked to my car.
_
 Please pack two of the chocolate mousse,” I smiled to the
“
store keeper. My phone buzzed the same moment, revealing
Cayden as the caller.
“Yes, my boy?”
“Where are you?” His voice sounded coarse.
“I'm going to Leon's place.”
“Can you meet me for sometime?”
“Where? At your place?”
“No, near the old park we usually meet.”
“Okay, but only for fifteen minutes because I'm in a hurry.”
“That would work.”
Why was his voice so woebegone? I sighed. “Ma'am,” the
store keeper handed me the neatly packed order. I smiled,
quickly paying the amount and as a matter of fact, I
hastened towards my car to reach the meeting spot.
The chilly winds caused my bare legs to shiver and my
hair to flow against my face.
Cayden wasn't there yet but the gentle voice of the night
greeted me. A small delighted smile beamed on my face. I
closed my eyes as I leaned against the car. But suddenly my
vision blurred and a swirling sensation led me to grapple on
the car handle.
 I squinted my eyes for a long moment. The pain slowly
disappeared and I stood upright. My brows knit together in
confusion, maybe that was because I stood up quickly after
sitting for a long time?
I shook my head and took a deep inhale.
In the spur of the moment, my phone buzzed, but that
time it was Terrance.
Terrance: She was so excited to open the gift.
Thanks Skye. It makes me really happy to see her smile.
I hope she can spend more time with you like this.
Me: No need to thank Terrance. She deserves this. She
longs for a mother but remember I'm always there for her.
I know it's my fault. I'm sometimes too busy to talk to her..
and even you, whom I literally forgot about.
Terrance: Thanks, Skye.
And you don't have to blame yourself in any way. I don't
know what to say except that.
Me: It's okay, Terrance. Everything is fine now. She has
both of us.
I typed and it was delivered the next moment.
“Skye!” A chill ran through my spine as I heard Cayden's
raspy voice on my side.
I flinched at the front with my breath rising. “God, you
scared me!” I yelled, hurling my phone in my bag and
twisted to face him.
“What's with you? You look so dull..” I pulled his hood
down.
“I'm tired..” he murmured.
“In that case, humans need to sleep,” I conversed, “And
you called me here.”
He huffed his cheeks and peered at me, as if about to cry.
I should have spent some time with him. I didn't see him for
the week after giving him medicine that day at his
apartment.
 “Are you that
  tired?” I whispered and moved closer to
him. He nodded and jerked his head down.
I sighed. My arms inadvertently embraced his slender
figure. He wriggled his arms around me and hugged me
tightly. “I know there is someone you love but don't forget
me—I'm still your best friend,” he breathed.
That was right. I had been quite closed off towards him
since the day I started dating Leon. Something which he
wasn't used to.
“Ok look here,” I pulled back, “Did you eat?”
He nodded.
“Alright, now, go home and sleep, okay?” I asked.
He nodded.
“I hope you aren't stressing yourself out too much,” I
sighed, rubbing my arm.
He moved back and smiled with a tint of annoyance and
sluggishness. “This is where we stand, Skye. We used to yell
and say that we would burn each other's office if we went
too hard on ourselves. That
 was the level of our friendship!
But now you are hoping
  that I don't overwork myself,” his
tone was susurrous and he took a step back.
A dry lump grew in my throat and I took a step in front,
reaching my hand to hold him. “Cayden.”
“I never knew, Skye, that we would grow apart so easily,
after everything that happened between us,” he growled.
“Cayden, listen to me—” I choked on my voice, my eyes
brimming up with tears. But he turned around and jolted
towards his car.
“I'll tell you—” I choked upon my words and almost
stumbled upon the grass. The door handle of my car saved
me. My watery eyes traced the minuscule figure of his car
gushing at a swift pace until it disappeared between the
horizon.
Oh what did I do?
  One thing improved, so the other got
out of my hands. I jolted inside my car with tears straining
my face. That was right. Love and then friendship—I was
failing at both of them.
 Leon's POV
 
The voice of the door being shut gripped my attention. I
closed the book I was engrossed in while sitting on the
balcony and paced inside the house. “You went
somewhere?” I asked the tired looking girl dressed in yellow,
walking towards her, “Your dress looks quite fancy.”
She didn't look up but instead snuggled into my chest. My
desirous arms couldn't wait a moment longer.
I hugged her tighter, knowing that it comforted her.
“My Nutella, is something wrong?” I whispered, stroking
her hair. But she didn't reply.
“My love, are you okay?”
She moved back, nodding her weary head but letting out a
smile at the end.
“I just need you. I'm tired,” her voice was murmurous. I
gave her a nod and cupped her jawline to place a swift kiss
on her delicate lips, “Did you eat?”
“I did. You?”
I nodded, “Go wash up and change. I'll come to you,” I
tucked the loose strands of her hair at the back of her ear
and planted a kiss on her forehead. My lips couldn't stop
tracing her skin. If I was close to her, I wanted to stay there
and take her all in. To feel her closely, to hold her with
whatever I had and to tell her that she was becoming my
everything.
She moved back with a faded smile and walked towards
the stairs.
My hands curled into fists as I slipped them into the
pocket of my sweatpants and sighed. Maybe she was really
tired. A frown took shape on my lips and I checked the
house last time before scurrying upstairs.
“Babe?” I called, opening the door to the bedroom.
She stood there rummaging through a pile of my hoodies,
probably to pick the warmest one. But at first, I failed to
notice her bare back because of her hair which bounced just
above her butt, covering the best part of her body.
 She failed to hear me. Was she that tired? “Skye?” I
cleared my throat. She suddenly picked up a hoodie and
hugged it to her chest.
“I—am changing,” she stuttered.
“Skye, are you okay? You are asking me to go out when
we—uh, I mean I don't mind but-”
“—I'm sorry,” she cut me off and her tensed shoulders
relaxed, slowly bringing the cloth down.
I walked towards her. The room was partially dim, a dead
silence echoed around us. “No, you don't have to be sorry. I
understand you might feel uncomfort–”
“–Leon, just stay.”
I sighed. There was friction when I was near her. As
though I could touch our connection with my hands, absurd
but the absolute truth. She was there even when she wasn't.
My breath grew heavy as I stood right at her back, inhaling
her cocoa like scent. She really was my Nutella.
Her hands hurriedly picked up a hoodie she planned to put
on. But my restless hands snatched it away and hurled it on
the couch. I gripped her arms and made her turn round.
Her head, yet, hung low. I inhaled deeply and gently
caressed her feathery cheek.
“Skye,” I called out, gripping her chin and making her face
me.
She curled her lips in a pout. I gently placed a butterfly
kiss on her neck, as the aroma of her skin pulled me into a
frenzy.
“Leon, I feel cold,” she whispered, folding her arms
against her chest.
I glanced blankly at her for a moment before realizing it
grew cold in the room. I bent down and grabbed the big
hoodie back.
“Mm,” I hummed, gently brushing her draping locks back
and carefully sliding it onto her.
“Can we sleep now?” she gazed into my eyes,
straightening it and tucking her locks out.
 “Come,” I picked her up in a bridal way, causing her to
flash me a flustered, fading smile.
She blushed as I laid her on the bed, “What are you
doing?”
I unbuttoned my shirt and crawled towards her, causing
her to lay down completely. I moved closer and joined our
lips together. Her hands cupped around my neck, eventually
gently brushing against my chest. My lips placed butterfly
kisses on her jawline as the desirous lips trailed towards her
neck.
“Stop,” she breathed.
I swiftly lurched back. “Is something wrong?” I questioned,
perplexed.
She gave me a nod. “I don't feel like doing it,” she
frowned.
I sighed and moved back, before grabbing the blanket to
cover us as my body snuggled next to her. “What happened,
won't you tell me?” I lay blank next to her, “Is something
going on?”
She clutched my arm and pulled herself closer to it,
curling her body like a bear.
“I'm sorry I just don't feel well..”
I fully laid on my side and grabbed her in my embrace.
“You don't have to be sorry, baby. It's okay, I know you are
tired. Just sleep, I'm here,” I whispered, planting a kiss on
her head. Though seemingly fine, her head radiated waves
of heat. My brows knit together and I lead my hand onto her
forehead.
“Skye,” I called out, as my hand sensed her scorching
forehead. No reply.
She couldn't fall asleep in a second.
My heart pounded.
“Skye,” I called once again but her eyes were shut and her
body felt light like a feather.
_
 “Leon..” Skye breathed as her eyes opened hazily. I found
her hand upon my knee.
“Oh, thank God!” I would have almost cried. I kissed her
forehead and moved back to find her gazing at me.
“I was so scared. You fainted and then you had a high
fever. I had to put a wet towel on your forehead the whole
night.” I gently caressed her cheek, “How do you feel now?”
“A little dizzy,” her voice was feeble, “And hungry.” She
looked at me, “Is it morning already?”
“Yeah. We'll go to see a doctor later,” I helped her to sit
upright, running my hand through her unruly hair,
eventually tying it in a loose ponytail.
“There's no need to go to work today, I called Jaz and told
her about it. I'll cook something for you and we'll rest,
okay?”
“Thank you,” she smiled at me, and snuggled into my
arms the next moment, “You are my favorite person to be
with. Thank you for taking care of me.”
Should I tell you that you are everything that I have
wished for, for so long?
_
I washed my hands quickly and patted them dry before
sauntering upstairs. “Everything done?” I asked Skye, who
was busy setting the bed for our movie night.
“Yes, now come fast,” she beamed a smile at me.
I walked to the cozy bed and the excited girl who seemed
to be proud of her aesthetic skills. I grabbed her by the
waist, inching her body closer to me. Her breath was warm.
She laid her head half way over my shoulder, her arms
gently resting against my chest.
“You are like a dream,” my fingers sloped along the
texture of her skin, “What if I wake up and never see you
again.”
“Leon,” she pulled herself back.
Her hands reached towards my hair as she brushed them
back, “Don't say that. I don't know what to say to you, but
don't say that again.”
“It's because you seem unreal. As if I'm in a dream and
you feel like a home I could only see there.”
 I have fallen for
you, and my heart feels at peace.
 She stood silent, gazing
in my eyes.
“Say something,” I urged. The soft texture of her lips felt
like another type of lustful dream being against my thumb.
“I need a little time, Leon, it's a little hard for me—”
“Alright, don't say it. Don't explain anything, I
understand.”
She looked in my eyes as I leaned in closer to kiss her—
but my phone rang. “Wait, I forgot it downstairs,” I
conversed. She let out a small smile.
My footsteps hurried towards the living room downstairs.
The screen was lit up and notifications kept popping on.
Why was Hannah messaging me?
Hannah Smith: Sent a video
Sent a photo
So your girlfriend is playing with three guys at a time
I really need to learn something from her!
My brows knit together as with quivering fingers I clicked
upon the media files.
A video of her, with Terrance Gray and a small girl who
called her mommy, and she happily walking along with
them. Then a photograph of Cayden hugging her tightly. And
all of those in the same yellow dress she wore yesterday.
This was her important task?
To go behind my back with a man I don't know an inch
about and God knows why the kid keeps calling her
mommy, and next with the man who I hate with all my
heart.
Good that she proved, 'how hard it was for her.' At least I
won't be wasting my time from now…
 Fourteen

Skye's POV

“B
read, what's taking you so long?” I paced downstairs and
into the living room. He stood clenching his phone tightly.
“Bread?” I called, placing my hand over his shoulder, “Is
everything okay?”
But he jerked my hand away and walked past me, “Stop
calling me that.”
“Leon, are you–”
“–I have some urgent work. You can go back to your
place,” he rasped before rushing upstairs.
“Yeah, but listen,” I went after him and grabbed his hand.
“Are you okay babe, is something wrong?” I questioned.
“I told you I have an important thing to do and I'm not free
to waste my time like this,” he hissed, jerking off my hand. I
felt a spring coiling in my throat. “But I can wait here for you
and when you come back–”
“–You don't understand what I'm telling you!?”
I flinched, as tiny tear droplets formed in my eyes and I
took a step back to turn around. A loud bang of the bedroom
door echoed at my back, making me squint my eyes.
I wasn't going to stay there for one minute.
I swiftly grabbed my bag and scurried out of the
intimidating house to my car. What was so wrong with him
that he was asking me to leave the house?
I started the engine. But my vision grew hazy.
 Squinting my eyes and I exhaled sharply, trying to
concentrate on driving. It felt worse as the time passed by,
causing my impulses to halt the car near a small street.
I threw my head back as my breath grew heavy. My
restless hands groped in my bag for the phone. I couldn't
drive that way.
“Jaz, can you pick me up?” I breathed.
“Are you okay? Weren't you sick and with Leon?” She
questioned.
“Oh, I'll tell you later. I'll text you the address, pick me up.
Come from a taxi since you would have to drive my car.”
“Alright, wait for me there.”
_
“He asked you to leave his house? Why in the world would
he do that?” Jazlyn questioned, helping me inside the house.
“I don't know. He grew so insolent in an instant,” I
murmured, “I couldn't even ask him why he was doing that.”
She filled up a glass of water, “And what happened to
you?”
“I had a fever last night, that's why I wasn't able to drive.”
I chugged down the water that she passed over to me, only
to stare blankly at the glass the next moment.
“Now what?” Her shoulders dropped and she crossed her
arms in front of her chest. She leaned against the fridge, her
face as serious as ever, “You both are hiding something
from me.”
“I don't understand this..” I sighed, “He was totally normal
when he went out of the room after kissing me but after five
minutes, he looked like a monster.”
“You think he saw something on the TV or his phone?”
“He got a call. I don't know, Jaz, I don't know anything!”
She sighed and walked towards me, “I'll see if he comes to
the company. It's still my working hour so.. I have to go.”
She gently patted my shoulder, “Eat something and call me
if anything happens. I'll meet you at night, okay?”
I took a deep breath and gave her a nod.
 _
Flashback
8 years ago
?'s POV
“Alright, mister. I'm prescribing this medicine to you. I
know all these pills are overrated but it's only a gentle smile
we all need from someone to be happy. And you are always
welcome here if you need a friend to talk to,” he flashed me
his dimpled smile.
I folded the prescription and tossed it in the pocket of my
hoodie. “Can I go now?” I asked.
“Sure. On the note that you promise you will visit me
soon,” the tall man stood up and folded his papers. He
packed his stuff and locked the cupboards, doing everything
with so much precision. I gazed at him with a small gape.
“Hey, mister,” He waved his hand in front of me, causing
me to swiftly stand upright.
He grinned before he skimmed through some pages of his
notebook, “Um, won't you tell me your name? I have
entered you as 'mister' in my register.”
“I—don't want to..” I coughed.
His chest rose heavily and fell with a deep exhale, “Alright,
you may tell me when you visit me next week.” He smiled.
I plainly nodded my head and without a second glance,
quickly walked out of the room. I faltered towards the
adjacent hallway, right where a small drug store was located
and the same place where the girl had left me. Right, I had
to look for her.
“Excuse me,” I greeted the lady, apparently in her early
thirties, who was the receptionist.
“Yes? How was your session?” She smiled.
“It was good,” I said, passing her the prescription, “Can I
have these pills?”
She smiled and took it from my hands very gently and
walked towards a shelf. My fingers tapped on the countertop
in anticipation. “Excuse me..” I called out. She twisted
around, adjusting the glasses on her nose.
“There was a girl with me in a pink dress and she had long
hair. She was tall. Did–did you see where she went? Did she
leave a note?”
The lady narrowed her eyes and walked towards me,
placing two small containers of the pill.
“She just went away.”
“Okay...” I took a deep breath and passed the money
towards her and grabbed the medicine, flashing her a small
smile of gratitude. Without giving it a second thought, I
hastened out of the building, towards the university hall
where I conceived her to be.
A pair of girls walked out of the gate.
“Excuse me,” I interjected, causing them to stop. “Yes?”
one of them asked.
“Did you see a girl with a pink dress and a leather jacket
on? She has long brunette hair and she's quite tall too..” I
questioned.
They exchanged glances of perplexity.
“Um, I don't know anyone like that but why don't you
check inside? I hardly saw anyone leaving,” one of them
said.
“Thank you,” I pursed my lips together and nodded.
I preferred to check inside the dance party at the
auditorium. The intoxicating smell of alcohol cascaded
throughout the place. It didn't even look like a freshman's
party. They were too happy to be adults, I guessed. I pushed
my way through a crowd of sweaty bodies, heedlessly
swaying away with the music.
I almost stumbled upon a steamy couple who flashed me
a disgusted glare. Ugh, how was I supposed to find her
there?
I pushed through some more people. A girl sat alone at a
table, drinking. People who were alone, observed more. I
faltered towards her and cleared my throat. She looked at
me with narrowed eyes.
 “Um, sorry to disturb you but may I ask you something?”
“Yes?” She said nonchalantly. Great.
“Did you perhaps see a girl with a pink dress and a black
leather jacket on? And she-”
“Tall?” The girl completed my sentence.
“Yes!”
“She went somewhere towards the bar I guess,” she
mumbled.
“Okay, okay!” I briskly took some steps back and paced
towards what I perceived to be the bar. Some people
bumped into me as I pushed through the draining crowd. My
eyes wavered onto the stools in front of the countertop.
Some were drunk, some were just chattering. Girls stood
there, some with a pink dress and some with long hair,
some tall. But none of them like her.
I exhaled and threw my hands in the pocket of my jeans.
My heart and mind struggled between the choice of walking
away or searching for her more.
I nibbled on my bottom lip and took a stride forward. I
could find her if I tried more but I even checked the places I
left because of the slight doubt.
Alas I gave up and plopped on a couch in a distant corner.
A small balcony glimmered with fairy lights. I caught a
glimpse of the girl, with the same pink dress, leather jacket
and long hair, but someone accompanied her, a man.
I took a deep breath as I stood up and faltered after them.
My heart thumped louder with every passing second.
I was now peeking through the edge between the party
hall and the balcony. A strong wave of adrenaline gushed
through my body, causing my stomach to turn upside down.
It was her—but not how I imagined her to be.
The man had her pressed against the wall and he kissed
her shamelessly. I took some steps back as I felt the nervous
attack taking over me.
I groped for the medicine and with quivering fingers,
gulped them down. My body leaned against the cold wall as
I took inconsistent breaths, trying to get myself back to
normal.
Tears strained my face as I walked towards the bar. After
engraving her image upon my heart, after brimming up my
desire for her, she was acting as if nothing happened.
She already forgot she was mine? I wasn't a fool, I could
play too. I knew how to get what I wanted.
I knew how to fill that burning passion all without her.
“May I have a drink?”
But little did I know…your face would flash in front of my
eyes every second I would touch someone, haunting my
sanity. The girls I touched were nowhere compared to you.
You don't know how my blood boils when I imagine someone
else touching what I claim to be mine.
You took over my entire existence. What did you do to me
that I became addicted to you?
I wore the mask of ego and went on doing that sin without
shame..
..all because of you.
Flashback Continued…
Skye's POV
His lips were too passionate, too soft, to stop. But it was
wrong of me to do that, when I had already committed to
someone. And as far as my feelings were concerned I had
no feelings for him that way. I gently pushed him back.
“Cayden this is wrong..” I whispered.
“What's wrong Skye, you like me, don't-”
“-No! I don't,” I breathed, “I don't like you that way.”
He peered in my eyes, perturbed and moved back. My
eyes wavered on the floor in distress. “Let's forget that
something like this happened between us,” I asserted and
walked aside, wanting to walk away.
But he gripped my arm, causing me to twist around.
“Can't we be just friends?” He asked.
I gulped a dry lump in my throat and averted my marbles
at a side as he slowly released my hand.
 Sure, if I could consider myself to fall in love with a
stranger just by a small kiss, I could definitely let the person
with whom I almost made out to be my friend. I glanced at
him and nodded slightly.
He beamed a smile at me.
_
Almost 3 years later
“Skye Waltz,” a guy from one of my classes called my
name, causing me to stop and turn around. “Yes?” I
questioned as he rushed towards me.
“You know Terrance? Terrance Gray? He is in our literature
class, he lives near your dorm,” the guy huffed.
“Yeah, so?”
“It's been a month since he last attended the university.
He was to be my partner for the literature project but he is
not in contact with me. And I'm not a fool to do everything
alone!” He huffed. I licked my lower lip with eyes gently
blinking in agreement.
“So how am I involved in this?” I asked.
He slapped a file in my hands. “Give this thing to that son
of bitch and tell him I won't do any project with him even if
he begs me to.” He exaggerated. So rude.
My jaw clenched as I clutched the file in my hands, “Hey,
mister, aren't you way too rude? When you don't know the
reason, you don't deserve to talk like this.”
“Just give this to him already..” he murmured and walked
back with a bilious face. Unbelievable.
I turned back and sighed, as I was already on the way
back home, so why not. But a silvery voice called me.
“Skye! Where are you going?” Cayden threw his arm over
my shoulder, catching up to match my pace.
“Home,” I answered.
“Why? I thought you would go out with your boyfriend
since it's Saturday,” he murmured. I stopped walking and
twisted at a side to face him, with arms crossed in front of
my chest.
 “What do you think?” I asked.
He shrugged with a pout.
“Cayden. I. Dumped. Him.”
“Why?” He nagged, “What do I do to find the right guy for
you? You dump all of them in a minimum of one week, are
you even serious or should I just stop looking for guys for
you?”
“Oh, no. Don't look for guys for me,” I said as we started
walking, “Though you won't stop, I really don't want any
boring relationships.”
He sighed.
“Anyway, Cayden, I have something important to do.”
“Okay...” he made a small pout.
“Visit me at night with chicken and sprite huh?” I nudged
his chest, earning a small mischievous grin from him.
_
I glanced at the one block difference between mine and
Terrance's dorm. I cleared my throat and rang the bell.
However I listened to the sounds from the seemingly empty
house very closely.
A baby kept crying and a voice of a man, trying to stop its
cries, followed. Maybe I was in the wrong place. I took a step
back and checked the designation banner once again. The
letters glistening in golden encrusted letters clearly read,
'Terrance Gray'.
As my mind was chained in thoughts, the door opened,
revealing Terrance balancing a wailing baby on her baby
mattress. He flashed me a questioning look as he swung the
baby back and forth.
“Um—”
“—Delivery, for Terrance Gray!” Somebody called at my
back.
“Oh yeah,” Terrance struggled to answer as the cries grew
deafening.
“Terrance, give her to me, you take the parcel,” I implored.
He nodded hurriedly and took a step back to let me in. I
hurled the folder on a table and cautiously took the baby
from his hands.
“Ssh, little princess,” I swung her back and forth. But she
was still crying. I gently sang a lullaby but it was a failure.
“Oh, Skye. I'm so sorry!” He exclaimed, placing the stuff in
his hands at a side table before he closed the door and
reached for her. However I could conceive the restlessness
in which she was wailing.
“Terrance, did you give her milk?”
“Y–yeah, is something wrong?” He questioned.
Instead of answering I sat down on the couch and gently
swung her delicate body over my chest. Her cries got
relatively softer as I rubbed her back. And there she was,
letting out a large burp, leaving me chuckling.
“Oh God,” Terrance threw himself on the adjacent couch
and sighed, “She got me so tense.”
I gently rubbed her back before laying her down on the
mattress. “I think she will sleep,” I murmured as she yawned
and then started whimpering again. “Yeah it's her nap time,”
he sighed.
Her hand gently curled around my thumb. I swung her
tenderly, as I watched her drifting off to sleep.
I looked up to find Terrance staring at me with a curious
gape. I smiled nervously, causing him to stand up and walk
to me.
“I'll put her to sleep,” he flashed me a tired smile.
I handed her over and he walked inside the bedroom. My
feet tapped on the ground in anticipation as I glanced
around the messy apartment. Baby stuff, empty food
cartoons, empty cans of drinks, messy kitchen.. I dared not
imagine the bedroom.
“Terrance?” I called out after a while. He came back a
minute later.
“I'm so sorry. How come?” He sat on the adjacent couch,
almost squinting his eyes in pain.
“I came here to return you a project file and since you
were absent for a whole month. Are you okay?”
 “Yeah I'm just okay,” he sighed.
I placed the folder on the table and glanced at him, “Isn't
a one month old baby too young to babysit?” I questioned.
He gawked at me, leaning back and rubbing his hand over
his thigh.
“She is my daughter, Lily Gray,” he answered.
“Where is your wife? Or girlfriend?” I asked, perplexed.
“Skye, please don't tell anyone about this. Though I'm not
sure if that girl had already gossiped about it or not.”
“What girl?” I questioned, perplexed.
“The person who gave birth to Lily,” he murmured, “I don't
prefer calling a girl mother, who could leave her five weeks
old baby all alone with a man.”
“What—” I was cut off.
“—I accidentally got that girl pregnant but she refused to
get abortion and when Lily was born, she took care of her
for some weeks and after that she left her for me,” he
blurted out.
“And that's why you've been missing classes, because you
are taking care of the baby?”
“Yeah..” he sighed.
I rubbed my arm clumsily. “So you didn't get a nanny for
her? Or told your family or friends about it?” I asked.
He nodded no, “My dad will kill me if he hears that I have
a daughter by mistake at this age. His reputation is very
important to him. And as long as a nanny is concerned I
don't want those.. I don't trust my daughter with a
babysitter at this young of an age.”
“Now that's a real problem,” I whispered.
He sighed and stood up. “I'm sorry I should not burden
you with my problems..”
I stood up after him and gently grabbed his hand. “Uh, I
know it might not be much, but look, I live just one block
away, you can call me if you need help,” I assured.
He nodded and glanced around the room.
“I'm so sorry for this but will you help me clean this place?
It's been a month since I did a cleanup for my house,” he
murmured.
I nodded my head and glanced around the room.
“I'm sorry I don't want to look pathetic but that's just—too
much for me to handle right now,” he hung his head low as
his voice grew brittle.
I bit on my bottom lip and peeked at both sides to find a
quick answer for him. I gently caressed his shoulder and
hand simultaneously, “Look it's not making you look
pathetic. Taking someone's help when you need it the most,
never make you look small. Receiving help is a blessing…so
please don't cry, we'll definitely find a solution!”
“Thanks,” he wiped his tears, “Thanks a lot.”
I smiled gently, inhaling deeply, to get myself prepared for
helping him parent his daughter.
At least I should have helped someone when I could.
_
Help? It turned out to be co-parenting, though I was no
mother. But the fact was that I loved doing that, and that
mattered. My heart had already melted for the baby, and
after knowing what Terrance was tackling, I couldn't let him
do the difficult things all alone. I never moved in with him,
since we were neighbors but I never denied the fact that I
practically lived at his residence for the past one year then.
And my connection with the baby grew deeper.
“Terrance?” I called out, stepping inside the silent house.
Was he asleep? I opened the bedroom door, with a slight
creaking voice echoing over the house.
He was dozed off on the bed with Lily sleeping on his
chest and his arms holding her firmly.
I smiled inadvertently and closed the door gently as I
walked to the kitchen, to prepare dinner.
After some minutes of my vigorous cooking I heard the
door opening behind me. I twisted around and smiled as
Terrance approached me. It was strange. The mood around
Terrance had never been intimidating. But that moment I
could feel his gaze piercing through me.
 “You okay?” I questioned, trying to act nonchalant.
“Skye, I need to talk to you,” he murmured. I gazed at him
for a moment before nodding my head.
Without uttering a word he walked back to his room. I
washed and dried up my hands, and followed him. “What do
you need to talk about?” I asked, walking inside the dim
room.
“Skye,” he breathed, pulling out a small box from the
dresser, “Skye, I know we never even dated and my
confession might be a little too straight forward but, I always
wanted–no! I always needed a person like you. You are just
amazing. My life has been better since last year because I'm
with you and Lily,
“You both are my priority now, and Skye, I promise, I'll
never make you feel like we lack something. I'll be the best
husband to you.”
“Terrance—”
“–I know we both are too young to marry like this, but you
can promise to be mine and we can marry once you are
ready. We'll have kids of our own. And you will never have to
worry about money, I have a lot of it, and also I will make
sure, we have a big comfortable house, like any kind of
house that you like. Just be mine, I love you.”
My eyes widened as he got on one knee, flashing me the
glistening diamond ring.
“Terrance, stand up,” I whispered. His eyes peered at me
as he wobbled but stood upright.
“Please don't say no.” He blankly stared into my eyes.
“Terrance..” I gently held his hand, causing his face to
become crestfallen by the moment passed. “Look, as much
as I want to say yes, I need to say no,” I whispered.
And then I narrated my story about the stranger.
“I'm sorry. I know it looks absurd but I can't help it. He is
as if imprinted in my soul,” I breathed. He wiped off his
tears and glanced back at me.
“I won't stop you...” he sniffed.
 “But promise me, if you never find that person, you will
come back to me,” I pursed my lips together as a tear rolled
down my cheek.
I briskly grabbed him in a long hug. He hugged me tighter,
nuzzling his face against my head as he hitched a breath,
which was enough to let me know how melancholic he felt.
_
And that had to go like this. I was madly in love with a
stranger.
Even though I knew how crazy it seemed, I still loved him.
There glimmered a fire of passion in the veiled man's eyes
that I wanted to rip him off of everything, until I found the
spark which kept the fire ablaze. Every secret, every inch of
his hidden thoughts, I wanted to read all of it.
There was something about him which made me fall in
love with him, each day, over and over again. Something
about him that was like home. Years went by but he stayed
in the place he carved for himself in my soul that night.
Where did the passion of raw love go? It turned to lust.
My body wanted to feel him so desperately that I made up
my mind to keep searching for him,
to lie, to play, to fail, to laugh and get back up,
until I met him once again.
 Fifteen

Present
Skye's POV

M
y feet tapped on the ground in restlessness as I waited
for Leon's phone call. But it seemed to be nowhere. I threw
my head back and shut my eyes tightly. What the heck
caused him to grow so cold towards me?
On the spur of the moment, I received a message from
Cayden.
Cayden: Look what your boyfriend did to me.
Are you okay? Because I fuckin doubt his impulses now
Photo
Don't go to him, he'll hurt you. Please, Skye.
I gulped at the horrendous sight of Cayden's bruised face.
My jaw clenched and I hastened towards the door. I called
Leon but he didn't pick.
I nibbled on my bottom lip in contemplation and without
sparing a moment, called Jazlyn.
“Skye? Are you okay?”
“–Is Leon there with you?”
“No, he's not here yet. Is something wrong?”
I couldn't contain myself. I slipped on the shoes before I
hung up the call. “I'll tell you later, Jaz.”
_
 “What's wrong with you?” I muttered as Leon opened the
door and stood glaring at me. His lips were bruised and a
red mark was etched onto the skin of his cheek.
“I asked you something!” My voice raised. He grabbed my
wrist and pulled me inside.
“You wanna know what's wrong?”
He pulled out his phone and flashed a video of me with
Terrance and Lily and then a photo of me and Cayden, in
front of my eyes.
Who the heck made these?
“Where did you get this from?” I questioned as I glanced
at his peering eyes.
“That's not your problem—”
“—Shut up, Leon! Are you crazy!? How can you hit
Cayden? When you don't fuckin know what the case is, you
don't deserve to act!” I growled.
“What the case is?” He muttered, “First you lie to me,
saying that you have an important task, but then you go
behind my back and meet fuckin Terrance Gray-”
“—Leon!”
“No, listen to me. You meet Terrance and the kid, God
knows why
, calls you mommy. How are you going to explain
that!?”
“You need an explanation? Right, I'll give you one right
now. But first can you explain to me, why the fuck you hit
Cayden? What's so wrong with you that you hate him!?”
His tongue rolled in his cheek, as if trying to search for
words.
“Listen—” he muttered.
“–You know what? Whether truth or lie, I don't need to
spend my time explaining anything to an asshole like you.
You deserved that slap!” I admonished, “You are always
going to be a jerk. And I'm happy I spent this time with you.
I learned now that I should stay away from shitty possessive
people like you!”
I turned around to go but he gripped my wrist and jerked
my body round, shoving my back against the wall.
 But I was quick to retaliate. A sharp slap landed over his
cheek, causing him to stare at me blankly.
“Don't even try,” I glared at him and jolted out of the
house.
Tears glazed my eyes as I hurled inside the car. What was I
thinking? Love? Huh, what a joke.
I reached my apartment, my body weary and tired. The
door closed behind me as I noticed a pair of shoes with
blurry eyes at the doorstep. Cayden?
  I faltered inside the
living room, only to find his drowsy looking figure, dozed off
on the couch.
I walked to him and plopped down, gently hugging his
slender body.
“Skye?” he whispered, causing me to lurch up.
I briskly wiped off my tears and seated myself properly. I
noticed the intensity of the crimson hued scars on his face.
“Wait here..” I sighed and went inside the bedroom for the
first aid kit.
_
“Ah,” he groaned, “It hurts.” Cayden's hand clutched on
my wrist as I carefully put over the ointment.
“It's almost done,” I murmured. I gently wiped off my
fingers and placed the kit aside. My body twisted around to
face him. “What did he do to you?” I asked, letting out a
deep exhale.
“He fought with me.. I don't know how he got our picture
when we were hugging each other,” he breathed, “Now he
even started stalking
 you.”
“No, Cayden he can't stalk me,” I uttered.
“You don't have any proof,” he murmured.
I entangled my arm around his and leaned on his side,
resting my head on his shoulder. “I don't have proof but as
far as I know, he was at home. He never stalked us,” I
whispered, “And he's not the type to do that.”
“Then who did that?” He sighed.
 It can be Hannah? But Cayden doesn't know her.
 “Cayden..” I called out, raising myself up. He peered at me
for a response. I cleared my throat and took a deep breath.
“There's this girl who is pregnant—with Leon's baby and–”
“–
Leon's baby
? You never told me about this!”
Tiny tear droplets formed in my eyes, causing my breath
to grow heavy.
“I–I know. But now I think I should have told you this
before.” I tried to muffle a sob, “I–should have never trusted
him.”
He grabbed me in a hug and I snuggled into his chest. His
fingers gently stroked my hair as tears streamed down my
face. We said nothing. He kept caressing my hair, planting
kisses on my head, from time to time.
“Skye, trust me. Okay?” He implored. I moved back and
looked up at his eyes gazing at me.
He gently cupped my face and planted a kiss on my
forehead, “You have to only look at me. Forget Leon. I don't
know what's wrong with him. But…from now on, you are
going to only look at me.”
“Cayden,” I breathed, “That's not right–”
“What's not right, huh? Why are you not ready to give me
a chance?” He asked. Thoughts clouded my head causing
me to stand up.
“You should go now, Cayden,” I murmured, walking
towards the bedroom.
He swiftly grabbed my wrist and jerked me round, “But
you have to listen to me.” I nudged him back, “Please… just
go away.”
He peered for a second in my eyes and walked out with an
inscrutable expression etched upon his face.
_
Next Afternoon
Leon's POV
I waited in my office for Jazlyn. Skye didn't glance at me
for once during the whole morning, and now, we had a
scheduled meeting with Terrance. Thoughts about Terrance
and Skye swirled up in my brain. And when I was able to
think clearly, I realized, I should not have beaten Cayden
like that.
Sure, he deserved it, but my anger resided more with her
meeting with Terrance and the fact that she acted so sly in
front of me, as if she never knew him.
I closed the files I was working on, and walked out of the
room. My brain couldn't focus, realizing that she was
working just some distance away. I closed the door gently
and faltered towards her office. Not to receive a slap again
but just to catch a glimpse of her. In an instant she opened
the door, clutching some papers.
“W—where are you going?” I asked. I took a deep inhale.
“Do you need anything Mr. Weston? I'm going to
photocopy these papers,” she stated.
My heart dropped and I nodded a no with a tint of
hesitation. She walked past me nonchalantly. I gritted my
teeth together and buried my fists in my pocket to fight
back the tears that brimmed in my eyes.
She walked away from the hallway, but someone else's
footsteps echoed through the place. I turned around with a
sigh, thinking it was Jazlyn. But my thoughts deceived me,
when I heard Hannah's voice.
“Leon,” she paced towards me in the hallway and grabbed
my arm, “Are you okay?”
“Who let you in?” I questioned, jerking off her hand.
“I had the entrance card you gave me sometime back,”
she smiled. My insides fumed.
“Get out–”
“–Leon!” She cut me off and grabbed my hand, placing it
on her belly. My breath grew heavy for a moment as I
observed her with widened eyes.
There resided a different emotion while feeling someone
who was a part of me. Though it was hard for me to believe,
I couldn't deny the flickering light of happiness in my heart.
But not with Hannah… No part of me could ever belong
there.
“Don't be so cold with me. I know it will take time but I'll
always be ready for you to come to me and our baby,” she
whispered, walking closer to me.
Oh, was I out of my mind when I did that with her?
In the spur of the moment I heard the glass door shut with
a loud thud in the hallway, causing me to flinch. The
realization that Skye came back hit me. I was standing back
facing the path she would have walked. I clenched my jaw
and glared at Hannah.
“Before stepping inside this building, remember that you
never were
 and never will be
 welcomed here,” I muttered.

Skye's POV
Don't cry. It's someone else's business. Don't cry, Skye—
please don't cry.
I stood next to the window, clutching onto my jacket as
silent tears streamed down my face. Just imagining him with
someone else broke my heart, but now, the girl herself
stood closer to him.
I paced to my table and quickly wrapped up the papers I
was working on. Grabbing a box from the cupboard, I hurled
all the personal things I had stored in my office into it, as I
fought back the tears.
I didn't care about the job. I couldn't stay a moment longer
at the same place as him.
The door flung open briskly, revealing a perturbed Leon.
“What are you doing?” His voice gave me a chill through
my spine. I quickly wiped off my tears and zipped the bag.
“I'm resigning Mr. Weston,” I stated, denying to myself the
scorching pain in my voice.
I swung the bag between my hands and balanced the
heavy box, with my arms wrapped around it. “I'll hand in my
resignation letter and update you on the project tomorrow,”
I murmured, walking out of the room.
 “Skye, wait,” he called out, catching up to me, “You can't
just go like this!”
I stopped and turned around. “Mr. Weston,” I breathed,
“I'm trying a lot to pretend that I'm okay with this mess of
my life. Please don't make it any harder… I wish you
happiness starting your family.” My eyes gazed in his eyes
before I walked away.
And, I promised to myself that it was the last time I would
see his face.
I scurried out of the lift. But Jazlyn, followed by Terrance,
stopped me in my tracks as they beamed perplexed
glances.
“Skye, where are you—” Jazlyn almost whispered but I
briskly cut her off.
“—I'll update you on the projects I have been working on,
tomorrow. I have to go now,” I stated and quickly flashed a
small smile to Terrance, just out of formality. My footsteps
resided towards the door and I hastened out, without
looking back.
I plopped on the driver's seat, containing my tears as I
started the engine. This time I knew I wouldn't go back
home but somewhere far, where I could be alone.
_
I reached a hilltop. The sky started to appear darker but it
was still five in the evening. My face felt numb. I picked up
my phone and realized that only weak signals reached me.
The last missed call I received was from Terrance.
I threw my phone inside the car. At least I could breathe
alone for some time.
The winds grew strong and menacing clouds hovered over
the sky as I walked out to stand near the fenced edge. I
sighed and looked back at my car.
Not my day, I guess.
A cool breeze hugged my legs as miniscule droplets of rain
started dripping on my face. I shut my eyes in a daze,
embracing my body under the rain which started to grow
faster as the moments passed by. My body was light, but the
next moment, I felt dizzy.
I let out a deep exhale as I paced towards my car and
seated myself inside.
The cold atmosphere caused me to turn on the heater and
close all the window panes. A tear streamed down my
cheek. I laid my head against the steering wheel.
Silence. My head was heavy and I couldn't think of
anything. I broke the promise I made to myself. I tried to
trust somebody but failed again. I was better dreaming
about a stranger. I was far happier living in my fantasy.
I sniffed loudly. The screen of my phone lit up. The caller
was unknown.
Mr. Stranger, for once—please show up and love me the
same way I did to you.
I bit on my bottom lip, as my hands gloomily wiped off the
tears. I picked up the call. Unlike what I thought, a bubbly
voice echoed through that caused a smile to flash on my
face.
I gently sniffed back the tears that grew in my eyes.
“Skye! Daddy wants to talk to you. He says—
Okay give
me that
,” Lily's melodious voice followed by Terrance's
stern one, garbled through the speaker. The ferocious sky
thundered outside.
“Hello? Skye?” Terrance conversed.
“Yes, Terrance, the network here is very weak. I can't hold
this for long.”
“Listen to me, get back home now! Leon is so worried for
you. We've been calling you for an hour but your—” the
phone call ended in a spur due to no network. I didn't want
to face the man Terrance spoke about. I didn't want to hear
anything about him. For those moments being, I hated him
more than anything.
I sighed and observed the terrain I had to cover, amidst
the foggy skies. But I knew I had to get back home before
night. I wiped off my tears, checking the car lock one more
time, preparing to get down before it grew darker.
 _
Everything was smelling of the wet earth. The moist
fragrance of the rain. I carefully got out of the car, feeling
shivers down my wet body from the chilly air. The rain had
calmed down. I glanced at the box resting on the backseat
but decided to take it in later.
As I twisted around, my eyes spotted Terrance's car in
front.
He jolted out and swiftly grabbed me in a hug. “Skye. Are
you really okay? Leon said you are going to resign.. What
happened? Everything looks good with you!” He blurted out.
I sighed and gently pulled myself back. “Nothing really is
going well..”
“Why—” his tone raised.
“—Let's go inside first,” I grabbed his hand, “I'll tell you
the rest.”
We hurried inside. I quickly set aside my bag and the wet
coat I had been wearing. “Please wait for me. I'll change and
come back in a minute,” I said.
He seated himself on a couch, glancing around the room
before I entered the bedroom, “Take your time. No need to
rush.”
Walking into the dim bedroom, I quickly stripped off the
semi wet fabrics and picked the warmest set of clothes. That
was better, after an hour of fighting with a rocky road,
glowering rain, extremely chilly winds and my own sense of
despair.
I went out soon after. I ambled towards him and plopped
down on the couch, next to him. “What brings you here?”
“Why are you resigning?” His brows knit together.
“That's my problem, you don't have to—”
“–No! Something happened between you and Leon, right?”
He asserted. I averted my eyes at the front and pursed my
lips together.
“Tell me?” He gently rubbed my shoulder.
My fingers fidgeted together as I nodded.
 “I knew it! You told him about us, didn't you? That's why
he was so indifferent towards me today.”
My hand inadvertently landed upon his, gripping it tightly.
“I didn't tell him anything. He–” I faltered.
Terrance's eyes narrowed and he peered at me to
complete the sentence. “–Someone sent him a video of us.
Our date with Lily,” I let out. His eyes narrowed even more
and he twisted completely at his side to face me.
“Who can stalk us like that, Skye?” He questioned.
A quiver ran through my body, after realizing for the
umpteenth time that I was stalked, which was way too
dangerous. Hannah—I doubted that bitch. Yet I couldn't
reveal Leon's personal problems to Terrance.
“Who can do it?” Terrance's voice pulled me back to earth,
“And does that mean, he doesn't know who I am to you?
Skye, I mean, he must have felt extremely confused when
Lily addressed you as mom.”
“I know but it's not that I deliberately wanted to hide it
from him. There's nothing to be hidden. I would have told
him that you are my friend and that I helped you parent her,
but—” I choked on my voice as a tear rolled down my cheek.
But he didn't want to listen to me. He dismissed me as
though he never knew me.
Terrance didn't know that if he and Lily would have been
the reason for Leon's anger, I would have accepted that
because it really was my fault, to not inform him about it.
But it was something else. He hit my best friend, without a
reason. Tears pooled in my eyes, causing me to bury my
face in my palms.
“Skye,” Terrance softly rubbed my knee. “I'm sorry.. I
should not have showed up in the first place.”
“No it's not your fault. You had every right to show up. It's
—” I sniffed loudly, unable to complete my sentence.
A sigh left his lips. “It hurts so bad to love someone and
then get backstabbed.”
I nodded inadvertently, picking my head up and wiping off
the tears to face him. “Whom did you love?”
 He peered at a side, gulping a lump in his throat as he
clutched his hands together in front of the crotch.
“Lily's mother..” he breathed as a tear rolled down his
cheek, “I thought she loved me and we would be a happy
family, but all she did was leave. She never came back for
once to see her daughter. For once.”
I rubbed his shoulder, holding back my own tears. His
phone rang in an instant.
“Must be Lily,” he cleared his voice after signaling to me
his phone and wiping his face with the hem of his sleeve.
“Yes, my princess?” he cheered, putting the phone on the
speaker, but the sadness was apparent to me in his voice.
He opened up for the first time about Lily's mother. I
wondered how she was and if Terrance would ever tell me
more about her. We all had problems we struggled with.
“Daddy, when will you come home? Nanny is sleeping.
And I am sleepy too.”
“Don't worry. Tuck yourself next to Nanny, I'll come back
real quick. Okay baby?” Terrance smiled.
“Okay.”
A gentle faded smile left my lips.
The call ended soon after and he turned round to face me.
“Look, I can't force you with your job but Skye, Leon
looked really distressed,” he sighed, “You should at least
sort out things with him.”
I bit my bottom lip and diverted my eyes to the side,
holding back a plethora of tears. I wished I could tell him
what was actually wrong with us and how messed up our
relationship was. “Skye,” he gently caressed my shoulder,
causing me to face him.
He gave me a small assuring smile before standing up. “I
have to go. But promise me you will talk to him?” He
implored.
I took a deep breath as I faltered while nodding my head.
“Okay then, I'll go now,” he smiled.
I sniffed, wiping off my tears as I stood up to accompany
him to the door. He waved at me, causing me to do the
same. I gave him a smile as I closed the door. But tears
gushed to my eyes the next moment.
Leon, with his hand on that girl's belly and the expression
on his face flashed before my eyes. As if those thoughts
were nowhere to leave me alone.
The inside of me was screaming in an inscrutable pain and
confusion. I made my way to the fridge and grabbed a bottle
of alcohol. My weary body plopped on the couch. Maybe I
should have never trusted him.. maybe I should have kept
being the way I was. Why in the world was I moved again by
love when I know those scars can never heal.
I hugged my knees to the chest, crying my heart out and
took big gulps of the intoxicating drink. I couldn't stop. My
head grew dizzy as I laid down on the couch and shut my
eyes tightly.
_
The wind hugged me. I could see the vast stretch of the
glistening baby blue hued ocean. There was warm sand
embracing my feet. “The sky looks beautiful,” a susurrous
whisper reached my ears. I turned my head to the side as a
smile grew on my lips.
“Of course, it does,” I laid my head on the shoulder of the
man sitting next to me.
He wore his little black mask.
He reached his arm a little farther to hold me by my side.
His warm musky scent filled up my nostrils.
“Why do you always wear a mask?”
He laughed, his hand reaching out to caress my unruly
hair, “You won't like who I am.”
“Then, how am I in love with you?” I gazed up at him,
“People need to know each other to fall in love.”
My fingers brushed against the cascading chestnut brown
hair against his forehead, “You are beautiful just the way
you are. You don't have to wear that with me. I want to see
you.”
 “I will remove any mask if you want me to, my love,” his
hands reached up to his ear. The string was coiled around
his thumb. I inhaled deeply, my heart thumping harder with
every inch of the passing moment.
“Skye,” he called my name again, stopping his fingers
midway, “You have to wake up to see me. Wake up for me.”
My breath was heavy.
I was trying to find my ground. His voice was still ringing
in my ears.
“Wake up, my love,” I heard him say as my vision started
to fade.
Skye, wake up. You have to wake up.
It's a dream. Just a dream.
My eyes blinked open with a gasp before I realised I was
laying on the couch. I could feel my body, I could look at the
ceiling. I was awake, finally
. I carefully helped my wasted
body up. Memories hit me and I realised that I passed out
for more than an hour while drinking. A tear streamed down
my cheek.
No, Skye, not again.
And they kept on draining out. My chest felt like clenching.
The pillow clenched tightly between my arms. Wasn't there
a cure to this pain, would I be this way for my entire life?
 In
the whirl of the inscrutable moment, my throat felt a sting. I
gushed to the washroom as the nauseous feeling hit me,
causing me to throw up into the sink.
I quickly drained the water, getting rid of the pungent
smell. Grabbing a handful of tissues I exhaled sharply. My
body felt utterly weak. I picked myself together and cleaned
everything up.
I trudged towards the living room and my weary body
crumpled on the couch.
The last thing I needed was someone there, next to me.
With quivering hands I reached for my phone to call Cayden.
But the next moment, the doorbell rang. I almost let out a
cry but I muffled it with the hope that it would be him.
 With an excruciating groan I stood up and staggered
towards the door.
My hands loosely fumbled with the doorknob. A feeling of
dizziness started taking over me again but I couldn't stop
there. I had to
 open the door…
And the attempt was a success.
But the moment I saw the masked man's face, my vision
faded to black
 Sixteen

M
y eyes were hazy and my body light as a feather. There
was a range of languor but someone caressed my hand. I
turned my head to the side and saw him. The stranger
. My
hand was in his hands, close to his chin. His head was hung
low, face hidden beneath the mask.
“S-stranger..” I let out.
He looked up at me, eyes reddened. The same eyes. His
chestnut brown hair covered his forehead. His chest rose
heavily and he moved forward, pressing his veiled lips over
mine.
“I missed you..” he whispered.
As much as I wanted to say I missed him, I couldn't. My
voice was, as if, strangled.
“I'm sorry. It's been so hard for me, without you. I'm sorry
for taking so long. I know I am bad for you. I did everything
wrong, just because I was scared...” his soft breaths tickled
against my skin.
But I couldn't move. My body lay paralyzed.
“I'm sorry..” he cried.
No, I was dreaming again—I had to wake up.
“Forgive me, please.” He cried, “I don't want to lose you.”
Wake up, Skye! Try to Move!
“Just for once. I love you..”
Skye, wake up, you can do it. Wake up.
My eyes blinked wide open. My chest rose up heavily as I
felt tears trailing down my eyes. That was a dream—
yes
.
But something was different.
The blond man's head was buried on the side of my neck
and his arms clutched my torso tightly. “I love you so much,
I really love you..”
I loosely trailed my fingers over his wet cheek, biting my
lower lip to muffle a sob. He rose up and glanced at me with
eyes and face, wet in tears, “Are you okay!?”
“Why did you come here?” I asked, averting my eyes at a
side, holding the tsunami back.
“Terrance told me everything. Why did you not tell me? I
was scared when I watched that video, that you might be
his and I would lose you once again,” he cried.
I helped myself to sit upright while trying to hold back the
gnawing pain in my stomach.
“I would have told everything if you stayed calm for a few
minutes. There was nothing to be hidden. But… W-why did
you hit Cayden without a reason? It's completely normal for
friends to hug each other!
“Leon I told you I don't have feelings for him. Why didn't
you trust me?” My chest dropped heavily, as tears streamed
down my face, “You could have asked me, you could have
forced me to tell you whatever you wanted to know, you
could have done whatever you wanted to do with me!
 But
no, you chose to trust someone else. Someone who isn't
aware of how much I love you. Is it Hannah?
  Is it Hannah
who decides our trust in each other or is it us!?”
“I'm sorry Skye, I'm sorry...” he breathed, crying as his
hand gripped on the bed sheet.
“I'm not mad at you. I'm upset that you failed to trust in
me,” I gulped a dry lump in my throat, “You never thought
how scared I was? W-when I learned that s-someone-
someone was stalking me, following me everywhere. You
know how scary it was?”
There grew a silence, filled with tears. I wanted to grab his
weak hands and hug him close to me.
He grabbed my hand and started hitting his chest with my
palm curled into a fist. “I'm such a bad boyfriend! I don't
even deserve you,” he groaned.
I retaliated, forcing him to stop. He threw his hand to the
side and shut his doleful eyes tightly as he cried. My eyes
peered at his agonized body, which waited to be hugged
and loved. I moved closer and swiftly embraced him in my
arms.
His body relaxed from my touch as he spared no moment
and nuzzled his face on the crook of my neck, clutching me
tightly.
“Leon, don't cry,” I wiped off the tears with the hem of my
sleeve, “Don't cry, you'll stress yourself again.”
“I'm tired of being far from you. I'm tired,” he sniffed,
“Save me from all this, please. I–I only have you.”
“Leon, I'm here for you. I'll be here with you. I don't have
anywhere else to go,” I sniffed the tears back, “I'm here
with–”
A pain throbbed in my stomach, causing me to let out a
slight groan. He sniffed back the tears and moved away
briskly. “Skye, are you okay?” He questioned, cupping my
cheeks.
“I don't know, I drank too much...”
He sighed, placing a kiss on my forehead, “Thank God I
was here at the right time. I caught you when you were
about to collapse. I was so scared. We didn't even see the
doctor yesterday. Let's go first, we'll talk later.”
I wiped my face with the sleeves of my hoodie and
snuggled my face against his neck, eventually sitting on his
lap, “Don't worry, I'll be okay.” His scent as if calmed every
nerve within me. I clutched his waist with both my arms.
His hands tenderly stroked through my hair, “But we have
to. You really have been unwell. I can't just—”
“Don't worry about me, I'm okay, I don't need to see a
doctor.”
“But did you eat?” He let out a sigh.
I shook my head in a no and looked up in his eyes.
“I'm sorry,” he said, “I'm so sorry. I didn't know it would
break you to this point. I'm really sorry.”
 “Don't keep on saying that now,” I looked down, resting
my head on his shoulder, “And I'm sorry as well. It must
have confused you so much, I'm sorry.”
“Let it go,” I could feel his fingers running gently through
my hair.
I nodded, trying to snuggle deeper in him.
“
Nutella
?” I heard his murmurous voice, “Should we
continue our movie night, and have something nice to eat,
then?”
My eyes gazed up at him. Instead of letting me say
something, he cupped my jawline and joined our lips
together. His hands trailed down to hold my waist. My
fingers gently brushed around his neck. Our kiss was, for the
first time, this gentle. I slightly moved back, caressing his
cheek.
“Are you okay?” I gazed in his eyes.
He let out a tired smile with a small nod. “If you are, then
I'm as well… And I'm sorry again,” he stroked my hair as his
tired eyes gazed at me.
“I'm sorry too for not telling you about Terrance
beforehand,” I sighed.
His chest dropped in an exhale as he tucked some unruly
locks of my hair at the back of my ear. “Tell me are you
really okay physically? I'm worried.”
“I am,” I nodded, “Just a little hungry and tired. I'll be okay
after a good recharge. I'm just really exhausted.”
He looked down, “Don't come to work for a while, I'll be
here with you. We'll rest together then.”
A small laugh left my lips, “That is like the best idea for a
date. Let's rest together
.”
“Alright then,” he smiled, brushing away the hair from my
forehead, “Let's order something nice and have our movie
night.”
“Okay,” a small grin escaped my lips.
_
 We finished dinner shortly after. Next I remember our
bodies snuggled up against each other in a cozy blanket. My
eyes were drooping due to weariness and now while I was
next to him, in his protective embrace, I could sleep.
Forgetting everything that troubled me earlier.
“You know this is what I love. Being with you,” he
whispered, “I can't bear being away
  from you. I can bear
any distance, but if our hearts are far away, I feel the worst
kind of pain right here. I feel like somebody's pulling me
away from myself.” He led my hand up to his chest.
“Promise me, Leon,” I took in a deep breath, “If we fight
again, we will stay calm and talk first. We will only listen to
each other and no one else.”
He nodded, “I promise you, but on the note that you
promise me the same. We will communicate without getting
impulsive.”
“I promise you,” my eyes blinked gently in assurance. His
hand gently brushed against my cheek.
“I love you,” he breathed.
My cheeks grew a shade of raspberry red. How do I say
that? I love you. I've never told that to somebody before.
Never before have I known anything about love.
  He had
turned my heart inside out. “Me too...” I averted my eyes at
the side, “Bread.”
You are becoming that stranger. The kind of person I
expect Mr. Stranger to be. Just perfect.
 But that was stupid
of me. No one was ever perfect, all were real. It was just me
who stood out of reality in my own dreamland and I failed to
see the beauty in reality. I can still close my eyes, try to feel
Mr. Stranger instead of you but I can't anymore, because the
reality is you
.
I'm going to get hurt, but I have to face it now.
Until when I was going to ignore the part of my heart that
longed to feel affection once again? Love was never meant
to make you feel happy. It was meant to make you feel bliss.
And bliss was when you experienced sadness, happiness,
excitement, nervousness, everything. That was wholesome.
So maybe I should stop, feel you, cherish you because I'm
lucky to find love when I thought I could never.
“I like hearing that from you,” he snickered and after
caressing my cheek, placed a kiss over it, causing me to
close my eyes upon the emollient like touch.
“You know—it's been so hard...” I murmured, “I want to
get lost with you, somewhere nobody knows us.”
“Then let's get lost. Let's go on a long vacation,” he
whispered, “And never come back again.”
_
I wavered my hand over his side of the bed after opening
my swollen eyes from yesterday. I sat upright in an instant,
when I realized he was nowhere in sight. But suddenly a
flustered smile beamed across my face as I caught a
glimpse of him, admiring himself in the vanity, dressed up
for the day. I swiftly tucked myself back, covering my whole
body under the blanket.
“Skye,” I could sense a smirk upon his face, as the voice
of his footsteps approached me. In the spur of the moment,
he bounced on top of me.
“Ugh, get off! I—” I yelled playfully, fumbling with the
suffocating blanket to get it off me, but he pulled it down
first and started planting butterfly kisses all over my face.
“Leon! Let me fuckin breathe!” I cackled with laughter as
he practically kissed whichever part of me he could while
tickling my torso. “You—” I couldn't complete. He cut me off
by smashing his lips over mine.
His body loosened upon the kiss and I got the chance to
roll him down. But he was too heavy.
“You thought!” He snickered, pulling himself back.
I pouted, muffling my beaming smile. I'm happy to see
you smile.
“Since when are you awake?” I asked, brushing aside his
forehead hair.
“Four hours, since seven in the-” he smiled but it soon
turned to a smirk, “Ah, was my little kitten excited to do
something?” He teased me.
Since I was held tightly under him, I simply nodded a no,
muffling my flushed grin.
“I'm way too tired for that. But what were you doing for
four hours?”
“Nice question because I was about to bring that up,” he
whispered, coming closer to my ear, “We are going to—New
Zealand.” He breathed.
“We are, what?” I looked at him baffled.
“We are going on a vacation,” he murmured, facing me.
A big smile flashed on my face, “You are not joking right?”
“No babe. I have planned everything, we have a really
beautiful place for us to live, and...”
“And?”
“And,” he bit his bottom lip, gazing darkly into my eyes as
he brought his lips over my ear. “We'll go bungee jumping
too!” He almost
  yelled in my ear and before I could
retaliate, he jumped off the bed and ran out.
What the fuck!
  I snickered, kicking off the blanket and
hopped out of the bed. My body shivered, dressed up in a
thin white shirt and bicycle shorts. But whatever, I gushed
out of the room towards the hallway. “Leon I swear, I'm not
gonna leave—” I scoffed then his hands suddenly crawled
on my eyes from the back, making me shut them tightly.
I gripped my hand over his wrist, but it was too strong.
“What are you doing—”
“Ssh,” he cut me off as I sensed his feathery lips over my
jawline, “Come with me.”
I took a deep inhale as I started walking under his
guidance. I imagined that we walked to the kitchen since a
scrumptious smell filled up my lungs.
“Did you cook-” I questioned but he cut me off.
“–Before I remove my hand, I need you to answer me,” he
whispered.
“Okay. What do you need to ask?” I conversed. But there
grew a range of languor.
“Leon?”
 I heard nothing but his breaths, brushing against my ear.
My lips parted to let out something, but instead, he spoke
up.
“Move in with me.”
My heart started thumping fast as I searched for the right
words.
“I want you to always be next to me…I want to wake up
next to you and sleep next to you. I really want to have the
morning we had today, to be everyday. I want to, Skye I
want to do so much with you...” He breathed.
I slowly turned around to face him as he loosened his hand
bringing them down.
“Leon,” I let out and moved closer. His eyes closed as soon
as my lips met his.
But I did not continue it. I stayed put, with his lips just
pressed upon mine. He did not want to move back either
and as far as I felt, he enjoyed that simple yet deep
sensation.
He cupped my jawline but never seemed to take the kiss
further. I could feel the delicate touch. As if you want to
peck someone real quick but while you are in the process of
your lips joined together with each other, you don't want to
move back but stay put and fill up yourself with that
person's thoughts. You just want to feel them without any
rush, read into each other's mind, with a simple touch. It
was ineffable.
Why does he make me doubt? He is so different from the
person Mr. Stranger was. Why does it make me want to ask
him so many things?
A reminder hit me. Skye, he is Leon, so treat him that way.
  My chest rose up with an inhale. I should stop. Maybe I'm
doing it too much. I can't go on waiting for someone who is
unexpected—I can't anymore.
“I want to do it!” I emphasised, moving back, “I want to
move in with you!”
I gazed in his eyes eager for an answer. But his blank face
did not reflect any expression.
 I hesitantly stepped back.
“Skye,” he gripped my shoulders and his deep hazel eyes
pierced through my soul.
“What's wrong Leon?” I murmured.
“Close your eyes,” he rasped.
“W—what?”
“I asked you to close your eyes,” he asserted.
I did as he said and slowly felt his hands cupping my face.
My thoughts led me to conceive that we would kiss but the
kiss never came. He let go of my face, causing me to open
my eyes.
“Leon, is something wrong?” I questioned abruptly.
He quickly shook his head before he made me turn
around, “Look I prepared this for you.”
I found the table set with a delicious looking steak, freshly
prepared lemonade, a dish I couldn't name but appeared
delicious anyways, and a small, yet yummy looking
chocolate cake. I smiled inadvertently and turned to face
him.
“You made all of this?” I questioned.
He beamed a soft nervous smile at me and nodded. “Now,
let's eat because it's been four hours since I've been
hungry.” He gently nudged me towards the table.
“Sure,” I grinned, “But wait for a minute, I'll go and
freshen up.”
“Okay, come back quick.”
I smiled at him before scurrying towards the bathroom.
I was halfway done with my not so extravagant skin care
routine. I found a simple face wash and a aloe vera
moisturizer enough for my skin. Let's put it this way, I was
lucky enough to find the products that worked like wonder
for me. My insides felt the required satisfaction. I opened
the drawer to pick up the moisturizer, but my eyes caught
the pregnancy test kit that I forgot I bought the day before,
while returning from my escapade.
There was one thought rushing through my mind, did Leon
see this? He had been up for long enough. He must have
searched for a lotion. I let out a deep exhale and tucked it in
another drawer between piles of clothes.
In no time I heard his deep husky voice calling for me.
“Coming, babe,” I quickly kept everything in place and
walked out towards the kitchen.
He smiled at me and eyed to me the chair in front of him.
“What's the cake for?” I asked, seating myself back as he
smiled at me.
“For celebrating your move in with me,” he grinned,
passing me the glass of refreshing smelling lemonade that
he filled up for me.
I chuckled as I took a bite of the steak. “You were sure I
would move in with you?” I teased. He smiled and nodded in
vain. I took a small sip of the drink still with a small smile
etched on my face, “This is amazing.”
“See, now you are gonna have these everyday. Benefits of
being with me.”
“I'm excited then,” I laughed.
He gave me a proud grin, “You should be.”
“Yes, my baby,” I mumbled with a grin plastered on my
lips, “By the way, why didn't you kiss me when you asked
me to close my eyes earlier. I thought we would do
something really romantic.”
He bit on his bottom lip, smiling nervously. “I was just
checking your mood… I mean trying to read your face and
know if you would like the flavour of the cake,” he
murmured, “You know just trying to understand your
feelings.”
I nodded fervently, nibbling on the bite of the steak. A
good excuse, my boy, good one.
He cleared his throat and looked at me, “Skye, we need to
hurry, we are leaving in three hours and you need to pack
too. Make sure to pack a lot of things because we'll be there
for more than a week. It can be a little cold so don't forget
warm clothes.”
I blinked my eyes a few times, comprehending his words
but finally let out a nod, smiling widely. He bit his lip in
excitement.
“Alright, let's get ready.”
_
“Oh my God...” I blinked my eyes, removing the
sunglasses and pointed towards the beautiful Villa, as my
hair flew by the intense wind, “This thing is fuckin
gorgeous.”
We were in New Zealand.
An enthralling seashore occupied the area at the backside
of the Villa. And till where I could see, vast greenery and
some other houses covered the land. I concluded those were
resorts too.
“Leon, this is beautiful!”
He dragged the suitcases further and smirked, eyeing me
at the door. But I removed my hands from the handle of the
suitcases I was carrying and hopped in to kiss him. A smile
formed on his lips and he let go of the bags and wrapped his
arms around my waist, kissing me passionately, until we
heard a cough at our back.
“God bless you, newlyweds, allow me to introduce
myself,” A middle aged woman smiled at both of us.
Newlyweds?
My cheeks flushed and I looked at Leon.
“Skye, she's the lady who owns this villa, she rents it to
tourists,” he explained.
“Oh, it's absolutely beautiful!” I nodded.
“I know right! Well, I am Stacy Willow. Me and my son live
just around the corner,” she pointed towards another house
some distance from the Villa. “Ever need something, just
ring me up, I have left my telephone number, near the
telephone in your house. Enjoy as much as you can,
“You are totally safe and sound here. Any questions, just
call me!” She beamed a smile at us.
“Sure. Thanks for the introduction Miss Willow!” I
remarked, reaching out to shake her hand.
 “My pleasure, Mrs. Weston. Please enjoy your vacation,”
she smiled at the both of us before Leon shook her hand and
she left.
I pursed my lips together and looked at him, “Do we look
like newlyweds?”
“Why not?” He smirked before he attacked my lips. His
lips drowned mine in a passionate kiss.
I laughed as he moved back. “C'mon let's go inside,” he
said in glee, already pacing towards the door and unlocking
it.
“Wait for me honey,” I snickered, following him inside.
_
“Ah, this is what I wanted all my life!” He let out, throwing
himself on the bed, surfing through his camera roll.
“Really?” I teased walking towards him.
He smiled, before giving me an excited nod and set the
camera aside. His arms wide opened, signalling me to lay on
top of him. I did that.
His hand inadvertently caressed my butt and slowly, my
thighs. “I always–” he whispered, but the splashing sound of
the sudden rain outside, stole our attention.
“Oh?” I mumbled getting off him and scurrying towards
the massive window. My body heated up in excitement.
“Baby let's go out, it's raining!”
And the next moment we knew, we were out, on the
seashore.
“I am speechless, Bread. This is the most perfect vacation
I've ever been on!” The rain had drowned my whole body.
And not to forget the wind, my legs felt like cold noodles.
But nothing was better than the feel of drizzling raindrops
on my skin.
“It's even more beautiful when you are next to me,” his
arms wrapped me in a back hug, burying his chin on my
shoulder.
I smiled and turned around, causing him to raise his head
and quickly remove the brown leather jacket he wore.
 He pulled me closer, making my hands clutch on his waist
and he swiftly covered the jacket over our heads, stopping
the raindrops on our face. The inside was semi dark and all I
could feel was his warm breath, the chilly sensations against
my legs and an ineffable feeling of intimacy.
Maybe because his eyes gazed deeply into mine and the
rain made it even more romantic. He moved closer, causing
my eyes to shut.
His lips brushed upon mine as he held my waist tightly,
“Skye,” he called my name.
“Mm,” I answered.
A strong urge to kiss him grew within me but I held it in,
for him to complete his sentence.
“Eight years..” he let out.
My eyes wide opened as my heartbeat fastened. A wave
of silence filled the atmosphere.
“E–eight years?”
His eyes pierced right through mine before he closed them
and pressed his warm lips on mine. I could feel his warm
breath as he moved his face an inch back. He let out a tired
smile,
“It's been eight years, my love.”
 Seventeen

H
e flashed me a tired smile, “It's been eight years, my
love.”
“Leon?” My breath grew heavy. Eight years ago I met Mr.
Stranger.
He jerked his head down.
“It's been eight years since I last felt like myself. It was so
hard for me back then but I feel good now, since you are
here… And since I can photograph without any restrictions,
without any stress from the work I don't even like doing. I
feel so alive after eight years,” he smiled.
My heart dropped.
Not that I didn't care about his happiness but I thought
those eight years to be about something else. Don't think
about it, Skye.
  I smiled faintly as he gently caressed my
cheek with his thumb.
“Now I understand why you want to leave your job. It's
hard to feel like yourself when you are surrounded by
something which is toxic for you… I won't stop you,” he
breathed.
“Don't think about work right now, baby. I don't want to
decide anything while on a vacation,” my eyes blinked in
assurance.
He pressed his lips on my forehead, “Whatever you
choose, I'll stay by your side.”
A tear dripped from my eyes as I gave him an eager nod. I
didn't yet know what I would choose, but I knew I would
choose him over anything from then on.
He brought his lips down towards mine and without any
more words, engulfed me in him.
_
“Baba,” I mumbled.
“Mhm, baba,” I could hear his grin, “Baba sounds cute.”
“Isn't it?” I looked up at him. The night's cool breeze swept
across my face. “Surely it is, baba,” he gave me a nod.
“Yeah, but you will always be my Bread so don't think I'm
stopping calling you that,” I gently parted away from his
embrace and got off the swing we were cuddling on. “Let's
go inside now, I'm so sleepy.”
He laughed after me, shaking his head in what I
understood to be agreement. “And you'll forever be my
Nutella, my love.”
I stared in his eyes with a smile as I stretched my arms
wide. I felt light in my body and mind, perhaps because of
the beauty that surrounded me, “Oh, I wish I could be here
my whole life.”
“Don't worry, one day we'll be,” he got off after me. I
smiled and parted my lips to utter something but in the spur
of the moment he picked me up in a bridal manner. “Let's go
in, I'm looking forward to something,” he smirked.
My lips were pursed due to my heart throbbing fast and
cheeks flushed. He led me inside before his arms lowered
me down on the bed. The pregnancy test kit. My mind was
swirled up in theories. “Leon,” I called out. He had switched
off the lights and closed the doors in the meantime.
He turned to me, smirking, “What's it, sexy Nutella?”
Sexy Nutella—where were you Leon all my life? Aye, you
have to be serious right now, Skye, don't forget.
“I don't think I can do it right now.”
“Why?” He walked to the bed and sat on his side of the
bed, “Are you feeling unwell again?”
I grabbed his arm and snuggled into his chest. My head
shook in a no, “Not really, but I just don't have enough
energy right now.”
He gazed at me, giving me a shrug.
“Alright then, don't pressure yourself,” his fingers ran
through my hair as a kiss was planted on my forehead the
next moment, “Just be okay. I'll be happy then.”
“Let's sleep then, it's almost midnight...” I looked at him,
“I wonder what Jazlyn would be doing? She must have been
bored all alone.”
“Probably enjoying it with her boyfriend. It's a good time
for her to recharge too,” Leon snickered.
“Yeah,” I smiled, laying in a comfortable position, causing
him to do the same.
“Good night, my Bread.”
He glanced at me with his eyelids drooping but his lips
stretched in his heartwarming grin. Stop it, my heart.
I gently nuzzled closer, hugging his figure tightly. And
everything felt like a dead sea. Quiet and blissful.
He drifted off to sleep after some time. But my eyes were
still wide open because of a sudden cramp in my lower
abdomen. I slowly got up, covering my legs with the
blanket, unwilling to wake him up. I reached for a glass of
water on the bedside table.
Gulping it down in one go I laid back against the
headstand.
I remembered throwing up two days back. But I could
clearly accuse the binge drinking I went for.
I led my hand to my belly and rubbed it over the slight
throbbing cramps. Skye, how could this happen? You have
always been so careful.
 My eyes wavered off to the luggage
kept in a corner. I brought the test kit with me. Should I do
it?
No, we'll do this later. Who knows what will happen. How
would he react?
I sighed and swiftly tucked myself in the blanket, holding
him back the way I did a few minutes ago.

Leon's POV
 “Darling, come out fast!” I yelled. The shiny black
motorbike I bought, perfectly matched my outfit.
All black, and all leather.
I bit my lip in excitement as I heard a sound of doorknob
unlocking. And she came out. The same as I dictated her to
wear. A black skinny jeans, black tee tucked inside and a
leather jacket over it. Her loose open hair further enhanced
the look. She locked the door behind her and walked to me
with a wide surprised smile, tucking her phone inside the
pocket.
“Thank God we aren't going to a funeral,” she rolled her
eyes, smiling.
My eyes scanned her sexy figure, looking even more
enticing in the tight jeans. A chill ran over my spine and I
hesitantly turned around to hand her the helmet. Shut up
Junior, it's not the time.
“Leon, what if we get lost? We don't know this place,” her
brows quirked, hustling to wear the helmet.
I wore mine and gently helped her as she stood there with
a pout.
“Aren't we here to get lost?” I teased.
“No but what if we really get lost, like actually get lost?”
She emphasized.
I nodded a no in vain. “You have me next to you. Even if
we get lost, it would be nothing less than heaven. Yeah,
though we actually won't, because your man knows all
about it,” I licked my bottom lip and hopped onto the bike. I
eyed her towards the backseat, way too excitedly.
She snickered, parting her mouth to let out something but
I guess she was speechless.
“Get on babe,” I chuckled.
The next moment I knew she hopped behind me.
Her arms clutched around my torso and her legs wrapped
behind my legs. A chill ran through my body as she
whispered something next to my ear.
  I'll go berserk. No
Leon take a deep breath, don't be so fuckin sensitive to
touch!
 Oh God, but it was her
 touch.
 “Ready?” I cleared my throat and she tightened her arms.
“Yes.”
_
“Wow,” she hopped on the damp grass and removed her
helmet. The awestruck expression on her face was frozen in
a place, so was mine.
“What do we call this beauty?” She questioned. Her eyes
couldn't stop adoring the exquisite place.
“Cape Reinga,” I answered, stepping down and removing
the helmet.
I grabbed the camera from the small storage bag on the
bike and swung it on the crook of my arm, “This place is of
spiritual importance to the Mãori. It's said that their souls
come to this place when they leave the body to take on the
next journey beyond. It's said that they return back to
themselves from here.”
“Oh, Leon this is amazing, I swear I want to live in this
country for the rest of my life,” she turned to face me.
I studied her for a moment before intertwining our fingers
together as she beamed a smile.
“So do I,” I sighed.
She rubbed my hand with her eyes blinking in assurance
and we started walking, towards the beautiful edge, hand in
hand. “You know I once thought of giving up my life.”
Her footsteps hesitated and she turned to face me.
“Eight years..” I let out, “Eight years ago when my father
made me the CEO. There was one month left for me to
graduate. I tried to give up my life but I stopped. You know
these anxiety conditions have been with me since then.”
Her eyebrows furrowed together and she clutched on my
hand tightly, “W-why? Leon, I mean d-do you—” she
stammered.
“—I realized I should stay strong because one day my pain
will end. And I will be happy once again, I'll be able to start
photography once again, with the most special person by
my side,” I gently caressed her cheek, “And I think the pain
ended the day I met you. You made me brave again
.”
My eyes brimmed up with tears and she quickly grabbed
me in a hug.
“I'm sorry, Leon, I've been way too cold towards you. I
never knew you were going through so much,” she hugged
me tighter, “I'm sorry I couldn't help you in any way.”
Skye, you saved my life.
“No, don't say that,” I kissed her forehead, “I feel strong
and accomplished when you are next to me. I feel so
liberated when you are with me.”
And now you have become my life
.
She let out a smile, causing me to lean forward and kiss
her lips.
“We are not going back now,” I let out.
A tear rolled down her cheek and she nodded fervently, “I
don't want to go back either. There is so much I want to
leave behind and move on...”
“Move on, from what?”
“Old memories,” she sniffed back her pooling tears,
“There is something that I want to forget. Because it causes
me nothing but pain.”
“Won't you tell me what it is?” My fingers brushed against
her cheek, “You can tell me anything you want to.”
She shook her head in a small voice, “I don't know if that's
important anymore to the person involved. I mean I just
want to forget everything and simply move on. I want to be
with you. I don't want to hold myself back anymore.”
“Won't you tell me what is that about, then?” My heart
dropped.
“Leave it, Leon. I don't want to think about it. We are
happy here the way we are. I want to enjoy this,” she held
my hand between hers.
“Hm,” I nodded, holding back the tears. Right—It's better
to forget that night. Maybe she really doesn't want to
remember it. Maybe what she is thinking about isn't that
night anyway.
  Maybe it never meant anything to her more
than something reckless. She forgot the promise ten
minutes later anyway. But now that she was with me right
there, I knew I would never let her go. I was nothing without
her. Nothing.
“Forget it. Forget that something like that ever existed
then… And just be with me.”
She nodded fervently. I wiped her tears and kissed her
forehead.
“I'll resign,” I looked at her, “We have more than enough
money to settle here comfortably. My brother is well
qualified now to take charge. I have no interest in anything
anymore. I just want to be here, with you and my camera
and live our life together.”
“Leon, I know you are smart enough,” she smiled at me,
“I'll be next to you no matter what decision you'll make in
life. I can't afford to lose you. I feel less like myself when I
am away from you. I can't imagine myself without you by
my side. Be with me, always
.”
I shook my head intently, gently closing my eyes as I
leaned forward to kiss her, the person who was meant to be
mine, forever.
If that wasn't destiny then destiny didn't exist. She was
the love that came once in a lifetime. She was the music of
my heart. The love that reminded me of myself. The love
that was rooted in my soul. She was a piece of me. She was
everything that I wasn't.
Never in my life I was more sure about anything than the
fact that we were each other's. Forever meant to be in love.
I grabbed my camera, wiping off the tears from her face,
“Smile baby, and forget everything. Let's start all over
again.”
And one fine day, when I'll be brave enough, I'll let you
know who I am.

Skye's POV
 “Wake up baby, it's almost twelve now," a euphonious
murmur cascaded by my ear. I stretched my arms with a
tiny groan and blinked my eyes open, tenderly placing them
over Leon's neck.
“Good morning,” he greeted.
I smiled heartily but before anything could happen, he
pushed me down and gently bounced on top of me, nuzzling
his face on my neck. “We have a lot to do today,” he
murmured.
I snickered and gently slapped his butt, “Like what?” I
could have almost squeezed it but I controlled my impulses
and just stroked it.
He lurched up to my face and pecked my lips, “To go to
another beautiful place with my beautiful babygirl.”
“Aren't you very romantic these days?” I pinched the tip of
his nose, causing him to scrunch it up and giggle. “I just
want to spend a lot of time with you babe,” he pecked my
lips again.
I smiled, gently squishing his butt.
“Stop playing with my booty,” he snickered, “I'm going
down to prepare breakfast, come fast, okay?”
“Yes, mister, I'll be down in a flash,” I slapped it one last
time. His nostrils puffed as he rolled his eyes. I burst into a
laugh. “I'll be waiting,” with that, he hopped on the floor and
scurried out.
A snicker flashed on my lips and I got up to grab the
phone.
Terrance: Heard that Leon and you are in New Zealand?
His secretary told me that. The projects are on hold for
now?
And I'm really happy you both made up
Enjoy :)
Jazlyn: Don't leave the company. I know you both are
going through tough times but let's go through it together.
Please, I am there for both of you.
And having fun there? ;)
 Ash and I are having a good time together. He's off to
work right now, and I'm here going through a pile of papers.
By the way, what do you think is Ash's favourite ice cream
flavour?
Anyway, call me soon.
Ash: Hey
Can you tell me if I screw up the kitchen while cooking,
like really screw it up, how many chances are there that
Jazlyn will not kill me?
Me: Oh, bro..
Sorry to reply late but I hope that you are alive.
You might actually be alive because she just told me that
you are off to work.
All good then? xD
_
Back in New York
Ash's POV
“Tomorrow then, Miss Whitney?” I smiled at the patient,
closing the registers.
“Yes, thanks a lot Mr. Ledger for today's session,” the
patient greeted, standing up. She flashed me a smile, before
walking out.
With a deep exhale, I laid my back against the chair and
reached for the phone. I glanced at the clock, it was past
seven in the evening. I had one last appointment for the
day.
Skye: Oh, bro..
Sorry to reply late but I hope that you are alive
You might actually be alive because she just told me that
you are off to work
All good then? xD
Me: Oh, yeah I'm alive.. Thank God
And you and Leon are enjoying your honeymoon? ;)
Skye: Oh god, we aren't even married.
 I snickered and quickly typed a teasing reply,
Me: Yeah, Leon asked me to call it a honeymoon.
I'm such an innocent being!
Skye: Yeah innocent being, my foot. Your girlfriend just
asked me about your fav ice cream flavour. You better
answer me! Some good surprises might be waiting for you
at night ;)
Me: Sir.. Tell her I love mint chocolate the most.
Skye: Sure sure ;)
“Doctor Ledger?” A patient immediately opened the door,
causing me to hurl my phone clumsily on the table and flash
her a smile.
“How are you Mrs. Parker? Long time no see,” I greeted
her, eyeing the chair in front of me.
She was a woman in her early sixties, struggling with an
anxiety disorder. “Yes, doctor,” she smiled and took her
seat. “Doctor, I've been a little restless since the day I last
visited you. I have something important to tell you which
has been troubling my gut feelings...” She emphasised.
I leaned closer, clasping my hands together on the table,
“Oh, yes, Mrs. Parker, you can share anything with me!”
“It's been almost two months now,” she started, “I was
waiting for my turn outside your office but since there were
quite some people waiting, I decided to go for a small walk
down at the park..”
I knit my brows together, tilting my head a little, to make
her feel comfortable while sharing the incident.
“When I was on the ground floor, I happened to walk
through the gynecologists' wing to access the exit. I—” she
stopped and peered at me hesitantly.
“Mrs. Parker, you can continue,” I implored, blinking my
eyes in assurance.
She cleared her throat, “I…did not want to eavesdrop but I
happened to hear a conversation between some doctor and
a lady.”
 “Go ahead, please,” I assured. The incident piqued my
interest.
“Um.. They were talking about fabricating some reports,”
she stated.
“And?”
“They talked about fabricating some names, some
reports.”
My brows knit together. “DNA test report? Do you perhaps
remember what else the conversation was about?” I
questioned.
“Sorry my memory isn't that good anymore and also the
conversation wasn't as clear… Really sorry doctor, I don't
remember anything except that,” she sighed.
I bit my lower lip in contemplation. “It's okay, don't
pressurize anything. Do you perhaps remember which room
was that?”
“Vaguely. But I think maybe the very first office in the left
wing. Oh, I remember the name on the door. It was Cayden
Brooks,” she murmured, “I wanted to tell you this because I
thought it was something wrong to happen in a
gynecologist's office. The Younger generation these days.
It's upsetting.” The old lady sighed.
I pursed my lips together, nodding to her in agreement.
“Doctor Ledger, it felt better to talk to you. I'll get going
now, please do look into the matter,” she said.
“Sure,” I smiled at her, “And I'm happy you didn't feel
nervous to tell me this. I'm proud of your progress, keep
going. Say my regards to Mr. Parker.”
She left shortly after with a relaxed aura.
I scurried towards the receptionist's desk, which also
constituted a drugstore. “Shift all my tomorrow's
appointments to one hour late, I have some work to do,” I
asserted.
She looked up at me, adjusting the glasses on her nose,
“Sure.”
I gushed out of the building and headed towards the small
management office, located in the back building.
 I knocked on the security control room. No reply. I bit my
lip, fumbling with the doorknob. But I ended up unlocking it
myself. The watch guard was dozing off on the chair, in front
of the huge CCTV surveillance screen. It was only because of
careless people like him that this world still lagged behind
where the truth was needed.
“Hello!” I practically yelled, kicking on the chair.
“Oh, what do you need?” The man drooled. My hands
rested against my waist and my tongue against the cheek.
“What do you need, sir
?” He cleared his throat, wiping off
his mouth after realizing that I was a doctor, probably
because of the identity card.
“Why–” No Ash, don't scold him. You have important
things to take care of.
“I need to check the CCTV,” I asserted.
“Oh, sure sir. May I know the date please?” He questioned,
but his face went to a languid one, after realizing that I
plopped down next to him on a chair, and that his nap would
be disturbed for a long time.
“No particular date. We have to look through a lot of
stuff.”
_
“Stop, stop!” I remarked as he followed the instruction and
stopped the video. “Zoom in.”
I threw my head back for a moment, in both relief and
confusion. “I knew it,” I mumbled, slapping my hand on the
thigh. I immediately pulled out my phone to record the
evidence.
“Wait, Sir. You can't record any of these, it's against the
rules!” The guard remarked.
I bit my bottom lip and let out a deep exhale. “Alright,
please note down the date and time. I'll come to see this
video again.”

Back to New Zealand

Skye's POV
 I snickered at Ash's teasing messages and went to the
previous screen. Suddenly a message from an unknown
number popped up. My brows knit together in confusion as I
clicked upon it.
Unknown Number: Video
Leave Leon's side or this video will be up on the internet
at so many websites that you'll have to use your entire
lifetime tracing and taking them down
Let the world know what this famous CEO does in his free
time.
The video? Somebody had recorded all those times he was
seen with various women. Half of the fifteen minute video
was about him in the club we used to visit, doing anything
shameless that would be a topic of gossip about him. My
hand clutched the phone tightly as with a heavy heart, I
read the following messages.
Unknown: And you, little gold digger, don't even try to
involve the police. Your boyfriend's reputation will crumble
in no time.
Police won't be able to take this down from the websites
I'll upload it to. And better be careful. If you don't obey, then
your life is in danger, sweetheart.
Be back to New York in a day. I'll text you the address to
meet and confirm you are here. If not, I made the
consequences clear.
My breath hitched and I quickly wiped off the tears that
strained my face, tossing the mobile phone at a side. Leon's
excited footsteps were nearing. I briskly straightened my
clothes and hopped out of the bed, facing away from the
door.
“Nutella, you are still in bed?” He chirped, “Did you
freshen up?”
He sauntered towards me and grabbed me in a backhug.
His arms snaked firmly around me, causing us to rock a little
side to side, as he softly placed a kiss halfway through
strands of the unruly hair, on my cheek.
“I prepared your favourite dish and you know what? I got
really fresh roses delivered here. Those babies are waiting
for you. And they smell so sweet, just like you darling,” he
nuzzled his face on my neck and hugged me even more
cozily.
That caused me to shed tears even more. His love.
Couldn't people just leave us alone? Who were they to ruin
those beautiful moments?
I bit my bottom lip, muffling back the tears and sobs.
“My love, say something,” he murmured.
How could I tell him? I couldn't see him going through a
nervous attack once again. I didn't want to see him struggle
again.
 Eighteen

M
y breath hitched and the tears I had been forcing back,
streamed down.
“Skye?” His hug loosened as he asked me with a
perplexed voice. My fists clenched firmly yet I couldn't face
him.
“Baby what's wrong?” He questioned.
I gulped a dry lump in my throat and sniffed back the
tears, preparing myself to face him. But he jerked me round
first. “Skye, what happened?” he questioned, “Why are you
crying
?”
No, I need to tell him. I need to stay by his side.
 He briskly
bought his thumb to wipe off my tears. “What happened, tell
me!” He urged, slightly jerking my shoulder. His worried
eyes peered through mine. Skye, go on, tell him!
“L—Leon I'll tell you everything,” I stammered, “But p–
please promise me that you will stay calm. I'm here by your
side, alright?”
His throat rose and dipped as I sensed a tint of
anxiousness in his eyes. I clutched his hand firmly and bent
down to pick up my phone. My fingers quivered upon
touching the play button of the incriminating video. Tears
brimmed in my eyes. I sniffed and blinked my eyes to clear
off the blurry-ness from my tear glazed marbles and faced
him.
I couldn't say anything. I just played the video, still holding
his hand.
 “How—Skye h-how did you get this?” He intoned. His
breath grew heavy and he clutched his chest, squinting his
eyes. Shit!
The phone dropped from my hands and I gushed to his
suitcases.
“S–side pocket,” he breathed.
I rummaged through a side pocket and there it was.
“H–here, take this,” I fumbled with the lid and clumsily
handed him the pills. I plopped down next to him,
supporting his bulky torso with my lean arms. His eyes
squinted in pain as I gently rubbed his back and he took
deep breaths.
 I can't see you like this Leon, I can't.
“Baby, i-it was before I met you. Please…don't leave me.”
“No, Leon, I will never leave your side!” I cried, burying
my face on his shoulder, “Don't think like that ever. I am
always going to be with you. We'll–we'll find a solution to
this shit. Don't you worry.” I wiped off my tears and swiftly
wiped his tears with the hem of my sleeve.
“Please don't leave me,” he held me tight.
“No, I am not going anywhere. I'm here with you
regardless of anything or anybody. I'll always be here,” I
urged.
He shook his head intently, taking in deep breaths.
“Listen to me,” I sniffed, “This is just a part of those
messages.”
“There–there are more? But how do they even get it? How
did I never know,” he uttered. Tears trailed down his face,
causing me to wipe them off every single time. “Leon, look,
we can't cry right now. We need to get rid of this first—” I
urged but his voice cut me off.
“-I don't care about others. I know we will somehow get rid
of this. I don't want you
 to get the wrong idea,” he cried. My
eyes brimmed with tears and I couldn't help but press my
lips upon his, cupping his cheeks in my hands.
We stayed put for a few moments, calming each other
down. I wished he would never ever get an attack from then
on.
 We parted from each other.
He brought his thumb over my cheek, wiping off the
unwanted mess. “Don't worry about this, I'll fly back to New
York and end this shit today. I'll find this person and make
sure to get the longest term in jail.”
“Leon, but this is not all that you see.”
I picked up the phone and fumbled my fingers upon the
unknown chat. He took the phone from my hands, eyes
following word to word. Creases form on his forehead
because of comprehending them.
“Leon, do you have any idea who this person is? Could this
be Hannah?” I questioned.
“It could be her...” He let out a deep exhale, “I don't have
any bad relations with anybody this way.”
I rubbed his shoulder in distress, “Then, maybe you can
ask Ash to—”
“—Listen,” he asserted, cutting my sentence off, with a
tint of nervousness, “Listen, baby you are the safest here. I
can't risk taking you to New York.”
“But I don't want you to go anywhere alone!” I shook my
head.
“No, you stay here. That person can't come here. This is
the safest place for you right now. I'll take care of myself
and nothing will happen to you here. You just wait for me,
give me one day, just one day. I'll put an end to everything.
This is way too much,” he cupped my face and softly kissed
my forehead.
“But Leon… Do you have any idea who could be
threatening you like this? Don't miss out even the most
insignificant people,” I urged.
He bit his lip, scratching his forehead. “I don't know,” he
sighed, “I don't know anybody who could do this. And that
too by using my private life. I'm so sorry I'm putting you
through all this.”
I let out a deep exhale, “Don't be sorry. I am here with you
for a reason. You know… I—” I murmured.
 He let out a small fading smile and kissed my lips, slowly
pushing me down on the bed. “—I love you,” he whispered,
completing my sentence.
“Leon, you know I feel a little awkward saying these. I
mean I've never told that to anybody. It feels so awkward,” I
murmured.
“I know and it's okay. You don't need to say anything, just
keep holding my hand. I don't mind if you say it or not, just
knowing that you are here is enough to keep me happy,” he
smiled and placed a butterfly kiss on my lips.
That kind of line once again. But I didn't wish for Mr.
Stranger. You are enough for me, Leon. I don't need anyone
now.
“Hey,” he gently waved a hand in front of me, “What
happened, hm?”
I shook my head with a faded smile.
“Okay listen,” he breathed, “I know how to deal with this
thing, don't worry. Just trust me and stay here. I am flying
back in an hour and when I come back tomorrow, I promise
everything will be alright. I'll be okay, if you will stay okay.”
I hope… I really hope that everything gets okay. I hope I'll
be able to love you the way I always want to.
“Okay?” He asked, breaking the chain of my thoughts,
“Stay here, you can ask the owner for whatever you need,
just be here. I'll come back to you tomorrow. I promise.”
“Hm,” I let out a faded smile and nodded, “Only if you
promise me that you will take care of yourself.”
“I promise.”

Leon's POV
“Yes, may I talk to Mr. Noah Smith?” I asked, stepping out
of the airport.
“Please hold for a moment,” a lady stated. Meanwhile I
hurried towards the black SUV, where one of the secretaries
waited for me. “Sir, you returned early and alone
, did
something important come up?”
 “Yeah, pretty important. I'll return tomorrow. Don't let
anybody know I'm here, it's a private matter,” I answered
stepping inside.
“Sure sir. Do I—” he stated but I cut him off, signalling him
with my palm.
“Leon! Ah, man it's been five months since you called me!
Why, huh? You forgot me after the favor?” Noah nagged
playfully on the phone.
“Sorry for that, bro. However I have something very
important right now to handle, and I need your help. You are
at work right?” I asked.
“Yeah, yeah, I'm at work. Is something urgent?”
“Yeah, it's urgent. I'll meet you soon, I'm in the car.”
“Okay, I'm waiting.”
I hung up the call. “Mr. Weston, where should I take you?”
The secretary questioned.
“SS Intelligent Agency,” I stated.
_
“Noah!” I smiled as he quickly grabbed me in a bro hug.
“You look informal. Are you off work today?” Noah moved
back and checked my attire. His brown hair was tied up in a
man bun. And he wore a sleek navy blue suit with a pink
shirt inside.
“Yeah. Well you see, about the thing I told you–” I stated.
“Wait,” he gripped my arm, “We should go and talk in my
office.”
I gave him a nod. We walked through a big lobby, and
right after entering a small hallway, Noah's office was
located. “Hm, so what's it?” he asked, sauntering towards
his desk and seating himself on the chair.
“Someone sent my girlfriend threats and a really
disgraceful video of me,” I blurted.
He looked at me baffled for a second.
“Girlfriend? I'm pretty sure this must be your first
girlfriend. And I hope it's the person I'm thinking about?” He
questioned.
 “We'll talk about her
 later,” I snickered and glanced away
to hide my flustered cheeks and then gazed back at him.
“I'm here so that you can hack the phone number and
delete those videos permanently from whatever device it's
on. She must be so worried right now, I want to clear this up
and go home soon, I can't make her wait for too long.”
“Aish, okay. What's the number you received the threat
from?” He questioned, scratching his nape.
“Here, I bought her phone and left mine with her,” I
answered.
I quickly showed him the chat, dragging a stool to sit
beside him.
His brows furrowed together as he clicked upon the
unknown phone number and typed the same onto an
intimidating looking screen. “Just a second, Leon,” he
stopped midway and glanced at me.
“I think getting rid of that tape is what we should do first,”
he interjected.
“Okay, but listen, this person might have stored all of it in
some pen drives or CDs too, even if we happen to delete it
from the cloud servers or any device, they will know about it
and the risk-” I implied.
“—Wait then,” he pulled out a business card from a
drawer,
“Here, its officer Oliver Reynolds. I met him last year at a
crime bureau inauguration ceremony. I have worked with
him and he seems to be a hard working guy. Let's contact
him first, and register an official case. And once we have the
police support, we can track down this number and as soon
as we get the person behind the threats, we'll delete the
video from all the servers. After that once the person is
caught, we can be like, bitch you have five minutes, tell us
what hard drives you have the copy of that video in or you
better be ready to tell that in the court
.”
I blinked my eyes a few times, absorbing the witty
solution.
 “And with this plan, that person would never be able to
upload it anywhere, and we can easily catch them,” he
explained.
“Smartass,” I whispered.
He gave me a smug smile, causing me to clear up my
throat and give him a grin. “Okay, I get this. So we are going
to meet Officer Reynolds first?” I questioned.
“Right, meanwhile my team will track down this number.
And soon as we get the person behind this, the police will
arrest them,” he nodded to himself.
“Okay, let's get it then.”
_
“Officer Reynolds!” Noah greeted, walking to a pale blond
man, armed, but dressed in civilian clothes.
“Uh-huh? Mr. Smith, long time no see huh? How come?”
He questioned.
“You see, Officer, this is Mr. Leon Weston, one of my
closest friends and CEO of Rhodes Architectures,” Noah
introduced. His hand patted my shoulder.
“Oh, nice to meet you Mr. Weston,” Oliver Reynolds
reached to shake my hand.
I shook his hand, “Nice to meet you Officer.”
“Someone has been threatening his girlfriend and
threatening to upload his private videos to the internet,
saying that if she doesn't leave him, they will harm her,” he
explained.
“Oh,” the officer turned to look at me, his deep blue eyes
glistening in curiosity, “So you are here to register a legal
case, aren't you? Come follow me.” He shook his head and
quickly turned around to walk somewhere.
Me and Noah exchanged perplexed glances but then
followed him.
He led us to an exquisite looking office, mostly containing
delicate glass doors and big racks to store folders of criminal
records. He paced towards a center table and plopped down
on a chair, before he drew out a crisp FIR form.
 “Here, Mr. Weston,” he passed the papers towards me
with a pen, supposedly to fill it, “I assume you are filing the
case on your girlfriend's behalf? In that case you need to fill
your girlfriend's particulars too.”
“Uh, Officer, is there any way she doesn't get dragged into
any of it?” I questioned.
“No, Mr. Weston. Apparently she is the victim, and you are
lodging the case on her behalf, so it's necessary to provide
her details,” he stated.
“That's right Leon, you need to fill out her details too,”
Noah implied. I let out a deep exhale and carefully filled the
required columns with a small nod.
Officer Min neatly filed the papers into a folder and
glanced at Noah. “Alright, we must track down the number
first, Mr. Smith,” he stated as Noah listened intently but in
the spur of the moment, Noah's phone rang.
“Yes?” Noah answered, “You got the identity!? Okay, okay,
I got it.” He hung up and turned to face us.
“Who's it?” I questioned.
Noah bit his bottom lip, studying our faces, with a tint of
confusion, “Someone named Terrance Gray.”
Terrance?
Leon, think about it! Where did you see him! Think, think!
Flashback
“C'mon,” Ash gripped my arm and dragged me away from
the fight with Victor. Victor shot a glare at me before turning
away.
“Where is Skye?” I questioned.
“She went out—” it was enough of Ash's sentence, that I
gushed out of the exhilarating place.
“Skye Waltz!” I yelled running towards her. But a couple
bumped into me.
“Ugh,” the man, probably the most charming looking man
one could meet, groaned, rubbing his arm, right where my
chest bumped into him.
“Sorry,” I softly said and hurried past him.
 “Oh, Terrance, are you okay?” A familiar girl's voice
echoed behind me. I turned around. Hannah? She helped
him before they took off in a car.
Flashback over

Right! He was at the club's parking lot with that bitch. But,
how could Terrance do it?
“That's great news. Mr. Weston, we need to get to this
Terrance Gray,” Officer Reynolds said, standing up from his
seat.
“Yes, sure. And meanwhile I can get my team to hack the
servers and the mobile phone to delete that tape,” Noah
rubbed his hands in anticipation and glanced at both of us.
“Mr. Smith, we need Terrance Gray's address and Mr.
Weston, you accompany me to his house or office,
wherever,” Oliver Reynolds said. He ran a hand through his
rough blond hair.
I hesitated, “Actually, Officer, I know Mr. Gray.”
“See, it's always the ones close to us,” the officer sighed.
_
“Mr. Weston? Do you have any rivalry or something with
this man? Or perhaps this man wants your girlfriend? But if
he wanted you and your girlfriend to part ways, why in the
world would he threaten to kill her and make your video
public? He could have made that video public without giving
a warning to both of you. After that your girlfriend would
have left you on her own. You know because she would think
that it will spoil her reputation,
“Don't you think this is strange? He seems to be careful
with you, he doesn't want to actually make it public but hold
on until your girlfriend and you break up,
“And it's only possible in three cases. One. Terrance Gray
is innocent and it's someone else who wants you and your
girlfriend to part ways. Or two, Terrance Gray is gay and he
likes you. Or third, he's a naturally aggressive guy who
wants to scare off your girlfriend.”
 “No, Officer, he can't be gay, he has a daughter and he
used to like my girlfriend some five years back. I can assure
you he is straight...” I answered in a low voice as we walked
to the reception of YS Group.
“I see...” Oliver Reynolds leaned on the countertop and
murmured.
I contemplated for a second but then turned to face the
receptionist. “I'm Leon Weston, CEO of Rhodes
Architectures, may I meet Mr. Gray right now?” I questioned.
“Please wait, Sir, I need to check if he is available, please
can you wait in the lobby?” She said, her eyes darting
towards a small area set with a table and some couches.
“Sure, we'll do,” I said and we sauntered towards the
waiting area.
We took our seats. “Seems like a busy person. You think
he would have time to get involved in things like this?”
Oliver asked.
“I don't think so. I just don't see this coming from his
side...” I sighed, clasping my hands in front of the crotch
and leaned forward, “He's a good person, to the extent of
my knowledge.”
His tongue rolled in his cheek and small creases formed on
his forehead. “Do you have any idea who could have shot
that?”
“No, Officer, I don't have a clue,” I sighed.
“You said Terrance Gray has a daughter? Is it your
girlfriend's daughter with him?” He questioned.
“No,” I shook my head, “She isn't my girlfriend's daughter.
I don't know who's-”
“–Mr. Weston?” It was Terrance's cheerful voice.
“Oh, Mr. Gray,” I stood up to saje hands with him, “Meet
him, Officer Reynolds.” I introduced the focused Officer to
Terrance.
“I'm Terrance Gray, nice to meet you Officer,” Terrance
greeted, but with a tinge of confusion in his voice.
“I see, please sit down,” the officer deadpanned.
 “Mr. Weston, you returned earlier than expected–”
Terrance asked but Oliver cut him off with a stern tone.
“–Mr. Gray I don't want to waste anyone's time so please
let us get straight to the point,” he stated.
“Sure, but may I–”
“—Mr. Gray, you sent these messages to Mr. Weston's
girlfriend?” He flashed the chat on the phone screen to him.
I kept a blank facade to Terrence's confused glance at me.
His eyebrows furrowed together and he glanced at me and
Oliver, puzzled.
Terrance again peered at the messages and then averted
his eyes towards us.
“No, I don't even know something like this video ever
existed,” Terrance refuted, “And Mr. Weston's girlfriend is a
really good friend of mine but I—don't know.. I don't know
what is all this about.”
“I can't trust you,” Oliver's brows knit together, “Then how
is this phone number registered under your name?”
“May you tell me the phone number?” Terrance asked.
“One-zero-nine-” Oliver stated nonchalantly as Terrance
hesitantly pulled out his phone and started typing.
“Two-zero-four-one—” Terrance did not let the Officer
finish.
“Hannah!” He remarked.
The cause of all problems, that woman.
“Officer Reynolds, there's this story behind it. Uh,   some
three months back, there's this girl who hooked up with
me,” Terrance started, piquing both mine and Oliver's
interest.
“We stayed in touch for two days, after which she told me
that she lost her phone and she needs a new phone
number,” he stated, “And after that I bought her a new
phone and a new phone number. And it was registered
under my name only.”
“Who–” Officer asked but I cut him off.
“Terrance, do you know Hannah?” I questioned. I bit my
bottom lip for an answer. Maybe it was Hannah herself
behind all this. I didn't trust her anyway.
“I-yeah! Mr. Weston, do you know her too?”
“Yeah. How do you know her?” I asked.
“Wait, wait. Mr. Weston, I need to listen to your side of the
story first,” the Officer who grew antsy listening to us
interjected.
I glanced at the two of them, rubbing my palm on my
thigh, “She was just a one night stand, but some months
back, she came to my place and told me that she was
pregnant with my baby.”
I glanced at Terrance's bewildered face.
“Pregnant? And do you think it justifies Hannah to be
behind this?” Oliver questioned.
“It's her, most probably,” I sighed.
Oliver Reynolds studied the both of us for a moment
before turning to Terrance, “And what about you? She was
your one night stand too?” He questioned.
“Almost… However, Officer, I have a daughter with her. It's
been almost six years. I thought that she realized her
mistake and was making up to me–” Terrance's voice grew
brittle. I quickly rubbed my hand over his knee.
“I thought she was making it up to me. It's true I adored
Mr. Weston's girlfriend because she was the only one who
stayed with me through the hard time of parenting a
newborn...” he sniffed, holding back his tears, “But I still had
something for Hannah. I know our daughter was by mistake
but I was really happy…I was really happy to start a family
with her. And when she approached me that night, three
months back I took it as her way of making it up to me. She
sounded really sorry and nice. I never knew she would get
pregnant once again with someone- someone else's baby...”
My stomach turned upside down.
A deep exhale left my dry mouth and I rubbed my
forehead.
“We need this girl Hannah. I am sure she's the
mastermind behind all this, if we focus on your story, Mr.
Gray. She used you to get to Mr. Weston because she might
have thought that she can pull the blame on you because
whatever messages she will send will be shown under your
name. We can't let her be free anymore, she can do
anything now,” The officer stood up hastily.
I rubbed Terrance's back as we stood up after him. But in
the heat of the moment, my phone rang,
“Leon? My team hacked the phone. That nasty ass
uploaded it to a lot of servers but don't worry anymore, all
of them are deleted. There is just one thing left, we need
access to hard drives and we'll be done with this,” Noah
said.
“Okay, okay. I got it.”
“And what about Terrance Gray? Did they issue an arrest
warrant?” He asked.
“Not yet. I'll explain to you in a while, we are going to the
crime bureau right now.”
“Okay! Let me know if something else is needed.”
“Yeah goodbye, bro.”
I hung up the call and as soon as Mr. Reynolds parted his
lips to utter something, the phone rang again.
“Leon? Is everything alright? I called on your phone but
Skye said it was with her and you are back in The States?
You
 have her
 phone. I mean is everything alright? Why are
you here?” It was Ash's tensed voice.
“Ash, there's some urgent work I have to do so I'll tell-”
“-No there's something extremely urgent I need you to see
right now. Please come here. I can't bear keeping that to
myself. Just come here already.”
I bit my bottom lip and peered at the two curious yet
perplexed men. “Alright I'll be there in a few minutes.”
I tucked the phone in my pocket and faced the placid
officer.
“Officer Reynolds, there is an urgent meeting I need to
attend,” I stated.
“Alright, I'll take Mr. Gray to the headquarters and I'm
sending my team to arrest Hannah,” he implied, “You meet
me there as soon as possible.”
“Yes, I'll meet you soon,” I answered earnestly.
 Nineteen

“W
hat's it?” I questioned, pacing towards an antsy looking
Ash, at his office. He slapped his files and registers shut as I
could see a wave of restlessness swipe over his face.
He stood up and paced towards the door, “Come with
me.”
I followed him to another building, located at the back of
the building we were in.
“Here,” he opened the door to a big room, etched with
massive CCTV surveillance screens. A guard stood up and
bowed to both of us. As if he knew what we were there for,
he fumbled with the controls, causing one of the screens to
flicker its light and flash a recording.
“Zoom in,” Ash asserted, handing me the pair of
headphones.
I glanced blankly at him but wore them the next moment.
I squinted my eyes, trying to focus on the two blurry people
as the guard zoomed the video in.
“Doctor Cayden Brooks, I'm glad you are a gynecologist
and her best friend. Such a blessing. You altered these
reports so well. Even I'm surprised!” This bitch
.
Cayden laughed sinisterly. My fists clenched tightly, the
fuming sensation causing my tongue to roll in the cheek.
“I know, huh? Changing the names doesn't require much. I
have a lot of connections. Just think that this was fate, to
end me with my girl and you with your man. Now we just
need to play carefully. Even the slightest inclusion of
Terrance Gray can ruin all this.”
I couldn't bear to listen more. I took off the headphones as
a gush of blood wavered throughout my body,
“I knew this was a planned shit,” I muttered, and jolted
out of the room.
“Leon, wait!” Ash grabbed my arm, causing me to jerk
around.
“Ash, listen, I know you will ask me to stop and think about
what I should do but I'm already going through it, I'm going
to the Crime Bureau,” I asserted.
He left my arm and studied me for a moment with
furrowed brows. “What are you going through?”
“Hannah threatened me and Skye, that's why I'm here in
New York. I don't even know when she filmed that shitty
video. She tried to pull the blame on a guy with whom she
had a daughter. He is so heartbroken...” I explained.
“What a bitch. And then that baby? Whose baby is that—”
Ash questioned.
“Holy–bro is the baby Terrance's then?” I murmured. My
hands ruffled through my hair. “Damn he is going through so
much. Listen, I might come back here with the police officer
to obtain that recording, stay here until then.”
“Alright, I'll be here,” Ash nodded as a signal for me to go.
I nodded in response and gushed out towards my car
I hurled inside and in the heat of the moment, my phone
rang.
“Mr. Weston, Hannah is arrested. And very well, we had
the arrest warrant so we searched her house and got all the
hardware she stored that video on. Those drives are
destroyed now. She was outraged but after a lot of shouting
and drama she accepted that,” he explained. I let out a sigh
of relief and threw my head back.
“Also,” The Officer continued, “She's pregnant with
Terrance's baby, not yours. She even accepted that she
faked the DNA test reports. Mr. Weston we need your and
your girlfriend's statement on this.”
 “Yes, we'll do that soon. Is the doctor who fabricated those
reports with you?” I questioned.
“Not yet but we have sent a team to arrest him. You
should come here soon, we need to complete some legal
work,” he stated
“Yes, I'll reach there soon,” I nodded and hung up the call.
A deep exhale left me as I shut my eyes and rested my head
against the headstand.
It's over now.
I gently reached for Skye's phone.
A little white puppy was etched onto the cover of her
phone, her murmurous voice when she used to wake me up,
the little squeals she would let out when something scared
her, the times when she used to get drunk and go wild,
blabbering whatever came to her mind, all her memories
gushed through my mind. It was so hard to be without her
for even a day. I let out a tired smile and called her.
And what did she save my name as? Bread.
A small smile left my lips as I read the name.
“Leon?” Her sweet voice cascaded through.
“Skye, are you okay? What's the time there?” I asked,
biting my bottom lip to muffle the tiny tears that grew in my
eyes.
“Hm, I'm okay. It's early morning here. Did you eat?” A big
yawn echoed over the call.
“Yeah, I did,” I lied so she didn't have to worry.
“Mm, and what about the work? I swear I'm so sleepy. It
was a little scary at night all alone and I couldn't sleep
without you.”
“Don't worry baby. It's over now,” I let out.
“Over? You mean the person is caught?” She questioned.
“Yeah, that person was caught and that video was deleted
too. I still need to go to the police station and give my
statement,” a faded smile left my lips.
“Then who was the person behind that?”
“I'll tell you everything when I come back, okay? I need to
go and meet the officer right now. Aren't you going to
sleep?”
“Yeah, just in an hour. You'll come back today or
tomorrow?”
“Hm, most probably tomorrow morning. When you wake
up, you'll find me sleeping next to you,” I smiled
inadvertently. I could hear a faint chuckle from the other
side.
“You told me that when I would wake up today
, I would
find you here,” she would have rolled her eyes while
grinning, “But okay, come back soon. I miss you.”
“I'll be there sooner than you know,” I snickered, “By the
way, this little puppy on your phone cover was my
companion for the whole day.”
“Really? I got that puppy cover because it reminded me of
you,” she murmured.
“Then I'll get a cute kitten cover too,” I teased.
“A fluffy white kitten,” she chuckled, “Ah, Leon, I want to
adopt a puppy!”
“Why? Don't you have me?”
“My love, I want a real puppy. You are my human. Will you
get one for us?” She implored.
“Okay I promise I'll buy one for you once we buy our own
house,” I smiled as I checked the time on the wristwatch,
“My love, I need to go, that officer is a little grumpy.”
“Okay, you go and uh, Leon? I have something to tell you
once you get back,” she intoned.
“What's it? You can tell me now if you want to,” I asked.
“No, you come back home then I'll tell you.. Bye, then.
Take care, okay?”
“Hm, you too, sleep tight, okay?”
“Hm, I will, bye.”
“Bye.”
_
“Mr. Gray?” I questioned, walking towards Terrance who
waited on a bench with his face buried into his clasped
hands. He peered at me with an agonized face. I'm sorry I
couldn't help you…
 I sighed and plopped down next to him.
“What's up man?” I asked, gently rubbing his shoulder.
“You know you are really lucky to have a woman like Skye
in your life,” he sighed.
“Hm?”
“Don't you dare hurt her ever. She is an angel. I am
trusting you with her. It's not that I am her brother or father
or something but to me she is like a part of my family. She
has been with me through all the tough times and I want to
repay her kindness. Maybe I can never be able to pay her
back.. but at least I can wish for the best for her. I don't
want her to cry, ever. Always keep her smiling. I trust you,
Leon,” he stood up the next moment and started walking
away.
“Wait, Terrance,” I called out, standing up hastily and
walked to him. “Where are you going?” I questioned.
“What am I going to do staying here? My daughter must
be waiting for me,” he murmured.
“Yeah but did you meet-” I questioned but he briskly cut
me off.
“-Leon, sorry to interrupt you like this but I don't want to
see that girl's face ever in my life,” he gulped a lump in his
throat and turned away. I couldn't utter anything or stop
him. His dispirited figure slowly disappeared into a lift.
I let out a sigh and turned around to find Officer Reynolds
heading my way.
“We interrogated Hannah Smith and Cayden Brooks
thoroughly. They'll be kept in custody until the first trial and
then we'll have to see whether to keep both of them in
custody or to send them to prison. The girl is pregnant, so
we have to cut corners, but don't worry about anything. Your
girlfriend can give her statement when she returns,” he
explained.
Giving him a small nod, I questioned, “So I can go now or
will you need me for anything else?”
 He glanced over the hallway and then towards the small
cellar located on the adjacent hallway. “I think no. You may
go, but your girlfriend would be,” he stated.
“Yes, we will return in a week or two, would it be
possible?” I asked.
“Yeah, it will do.”
I let out a sigh, burying my fists into the pockets of my
pants. “I'll get going then,” I smiled out of gratitude. The
stolid looking officer at last smiled at me, a very small and
ephemeral one. I smiled once more but he had already
started to go his way.
It was finally over.
_
I opened the door of the Villa with a spare key. It was four
in the morning then, after a long flight. Everything felt so
perfect at that moment, especially the early dawn breeze. I
stepped inside the house feeling the abrupt rise in the
temperature. It was the heater, she used to get cold easily.
I locked the door behind and straightaway paced towards
the bedroom.
The door opened with a creak and a small smile left my
lips as I saw her sleeping calmly. I closed the door in an
attempt to not wake her up and quickly hastened for a bath,
after grabbing a cigarette.
The hot water soaked my body as a calming sensation
relieved my tensed muscles. My cheeks hollowed as I
sucked the smoky flavour of the tobacco. My lips parted to
let out a small whirl of white smoke formed inside my
mouth.
My eyes shut gently. It felt like exhaling every bad
memory.
That's what the warm water and a nice smoke did to me, I
felt refreshed as ever. I changed into a set of fresh fragrant
clothes and snuggled next to her in the blanket.
I gently removed the pillow she was clutching tightly until
then and slowly led her hands over me, pecking her lips the
next moment. That was, by no means, to wake her up. Her
eyes were zoned off to a deep slumber that she didn't even
realize and snuggled into my arms.
My eyes studied her features and I tenderly stroked her
hair. I wish I could tell you who I am. But how do I know if
that night was nothing but a nuisance to you?
I let out a sigh and pecked her forehead. My eyes started
drooping, and before I could comprehend, I was asleep.
_
“Leon,” I heard a soft excited murmur upon gently blinking
my eyes open.
Before I could open them completely, she pecked my lips.
And without a second thought, I led my palm to press
against the back of her head and pulled her in for a longer,
more deeper kiss.
Her body relaxed with the touch and I slowly led her down
on my side, never breaking the kiss. I held her body firmly
against mine as we both melted against each other.
We slowly moved back and a big smile was plastered on
our faces.
“I missed you,” she emphasized, cupping my cheek with
one palm and planting a butterfly kiss on my nose.
I smiled, with a tint of excitement and gently kissed her
back.
“Were you alright here?” I asked.
My hands gently brushed aside her hair as she nodded.
“What happened when you went there? Who was the
person behind all that? Is that person in police custody
now?” She questioned. I smiled inadvertently at her
eagerness and calmly laid back on my back.
“Hannah Smith..” I let out, as she moved closer, laying her
head on my chest, causing me to hold her with my arm.
“I'm not even surprised. I did doubt her,” she sighed. Her
fingers slowly rubbed circles over my stomach, “I don't like
her at all.”
 That's not all, baby. What should I even tell you first? Your
own best friend betrayed you. Or that a man and a kid you
genuinely care about were cheated on badly. I don't want to
see you in pain.
“Leon,” she intoned, breaking my chain of thoughts.
I gently hummed in response.
She rose up slightly, to match our face levels. “Uh, I know
you are going through so much right now… You are for sure
burdened by that fact–” she paused for a moment, “By the
fact that you will be a father—”
“Skye, I'm sorry!” I briskly cut her off and rose up. She sat
upright hesitantly after me and observed me with perplexed
eyes.
“I'm sorry I was so worked up about other things that I
totally forgot to tell you this,” I said, resting my back against
the bed.
“What?” She questioned.
“I'm not the father of anyone's baby,” I chirped, “That girl
fabricated the reports. I'm so happy. That was such a
burden. I mean just look, it feels so good now, I don't have
to worry anymore about any baby.”
I gazed at her with excited eyes but her face slowly
dropped the curiosity.
“Baby, what is it? Is something wrong?” I questioned.
She peered at me for a moment but her expressions kept
dropping with an ineffable gloom.
“I'm happy that it's not your baby. I am relieved and
happy,” she sighed.
“Yes, my love! It's only you and me. We are free of
anyone's intrusion,” I emphasized with a big smile to lift her
up, “There is no one between us now.”
Her chest rose heavily and I slowly felt her hand crawl
upon mine. “You are wrong,” she breathed.
My heart dropped for a moment.
My eyes gazed at her blankly. “W–what do you mean?” I
questioned.
 A small tear rolled down her cheek and gently dripped on
my hand.
“You are wrong, there is someone between us,” she kept
her voice from growing brittle as I felt my hand following her
lead, clutching tightly onto mine and gently rested on her
soft belly.
My breath grew heavy and a warm tear rolled down my
cheek. I realized what she meant.
She whispered, glancing at me with her nervous eyes,
“Right here.”
Right there…
I gawked at her awestruck, with tears glazing my eyes.
Speechlessness ruled my mouth. I was tongue tied.
“S—Skye?” I stammered, clumsily rubbing my hand over
her stomach. “You–you are not joking, right?”
Tears started straining my face.
She bit her bottom lip to hold back her tears and shook
intently. I couldn't describe that feeling. My heart felt a wave
of warmth. “You want this right? We both will keep our baby
right!?” I gently gripped her shoulders and implored.
“I really wanted kids of my own. I want to—keep our
baby,” she smiled.
I grabbed her in a big hug, forcing both of us to lay on the
mattress.
“Don't worry we can have more,” I teased, sniffing back
the tears with a smile. She snickered and gently smacked
my shoulder, tightening her arms around my neck.
“I'm just so happy, thanks a lot for this gift,” I could sense
a faint smile on her lips as she spoke.
I moved back and pecked her lips. “I'm really happy too.
So much…I've been waiting for this kind of moment with
you for so many years—I mean like I always wanted to share
this moment with you where we have our own thing. Like a
family of our own,” I gently smiled, wiping off the wetness
from her face.
She grinned, her fingertips rubbing over my arms, “I never
thought about this...” she let out. Her fingers traced up and
down over my arms.
“I never thought that I would end up loving you so much. I
don't know how that happened but I'm happy about this. Uh,
you know...” she bit her bottom lip and a tint of rose swept
across her face, causing me to raise my brow and smile in
anticipation, “You know, I'm quite family oriented so I–I had
this image of one man—”
I kept gazing at her, without changing any expression but
my mind rushed somewhere else.
Skye, please don't bring up that night, I won't be able to
explain everything so suddenly.
“–Who I thought would make the best partner for me. I
think it sounds a bit cringey or whatever but I thought that
man would be the best father for my kids. I had him all over
my mind for the longest time one could think of,” she let
out.
Her lips stretched into a big grin but she covered her
mouth with the palm shyly.
“But now I think I'm over it. You feel like the best one for
me. I don't need anyone else now,” she smiled.
I'm happy. But should I, Skye, bring up that night? I want
to know if you really meant your promise... If you would
want that part of me once again
.
“Hey,” she snapped her hand in front of my preoccupied
face.
“Oh, yeah,” I smiled shyly.
She observed me for a moment, “How do you feel about
this? Our baby and us?”
I laid down, asking her without the inclusion of words to be
closer to me. Our bodies laid side by side, cuddled against
each other's.
“I feel happy. I feel ready. And as long as it's ours, mine
and yours,” I led my hand over to her stomach, “We can
have a lot of them. As many as you
 want.”
“Sure,” she teased, “I must say the same, I feel ready and
happy. But you now need to control yourself for a lot of
months until I get better.”
 I internally sighed but I was still enthusiastic about waiting
and then gaining her back with a new addition. “Yeah it's
going to be very hard,” I deadpanned, “You better—no I
myself will not check you out so much from now and I
promise to hold my junior back. I know it acts like an
impulsive bitch but I promise I will do anything to keep you
and our little angel happy.”
I purposely pulled a stern face to look more serious but
she giggled, slowly causing me to loosen my tensed muscles
and burst into a smile. I grabbed her in a tight hug and
kissed her forehead.
“Now I need to take care of you and our baby a lot. And
the first thing we have to do is meet a doctor. By the way,
how did you know you were pregnant?” I murmured, kissing
her face multiple times in an uncontrollable adoration.
“Well I haven't been feeling well for quite some time. So I
bought a test kit while in New York. I couldn't do it back then
so I brought it with me here.”
“So all of the unwell things, fainting and all, it was
because of this. Are you feeling okay, right now?”
“Yeah, I am,” she nodded, “But what about shifting here?
Plus we need to do the most important task of talking to our
parents. I'm nervous, I won't lie. Jobs can—”
“Hey, wait!” I chuckled at the eagerness, “We are flying to
New York in a week and then let's talk to our parents, about
shifting and resignation. And you don't worry about the
house, I have already looked upto some really beautiful ones
for us.”
She nodded with her eyes blinking in assurance and
nuzzled her face into my chest.
“And where jobs are concerned, I want to learn more about
photography and see what can be done next. If possible I
want to go back and study properly. And for you, I'm sure
you'll find a great job too. It will be easy for you since you
are already so talented,” I stroked her hair.
Her fingers brushed on my forearms. “You know when you
were still in The US and I tested my pregnancy, I couldn't
keep that girl out of my mind… I didn't know what your
reaction would be, I was uncertain about so many things.
But as far as this goes, I'm happy now,” she gazed up in my
eyes, gently cupping her hand over my neck and stroking
some strands of my hair.
“I am happy it's you, and I don't regret anything now,” she
smiled, “Maybe I was just meant to be here.”
I'm happy it's you, and I don't regret anything now. What
do I say.. you end up saying what I feel. Let's keep that night
an unspoken secret. I got you anyway.
I smiled and gently pulled her in for a long kiss.
_
Skye's POV
“It's been 8 years now,
Hi,
Mr. Stranger,
Maybe this letter will stay with me forever or maybe it will
be with you one day. How have you been? I changed.
Once I thought I would never fall in love, simply because I
was never that kind of person. I never get attached to
something. I thought I was way too cold to love anyone but
that night when I kissed you I was testing you.
I just wanted to know if someone would ever feel the
same way about love. It was simply reckless and for fun but
when I walked away from the hospital, I wanted to see you
once again. But I didn't. I stopped myself because I wanted
to see if ever in your life, you would keep your promise. I
warned myself, not to think about you that I may look crazy,
but your eyes had something to tell. A story which was
buried deep inside. That scar on your wrist. I realized that
night was bigger than a reckless kiss.
That night when I went back to that party, I got drunk and
kissed a friend, but of course I pushed him away. I didn't
want anybody except you… Well, later, that guy turned out
to be my best friend. I realized I made a promise to you. And
that if I wanted to see you keep your promise I first had to
keep mine. So I kinda went on. After sometime even though
I was still determined about us, I was frustrated as well. I
wanted to feel that kind of kiss you gave me, your touch,
everything.
Slowly all of this escalated into something else, lust. Ah,
that was bad… But I don't regret it, because I learned more
about myself. I never told this secret to anyone but an angel
like friend to whom I feel that he deserves the world. But
guess what? He went through a lot. He liked me, maybe
loved me and somewhere I feel that I liked him too. He let
me go for you
.
And this continued, I lived my life to the fullest, enjoying
every day. Until I met a weirdo. It was a day for my job
interview. I was so excited, nervous and what not. I met him
as the CEO. And he always used to act like a strange man.
Sometimes he was sweet… Sometimes he went totally
stern. His kisses felt like yours. Leon, his name is Leon. You
should know him.
I thought I would leave him after sometime like it
happened with any other person, but he captured me
somehow. And I fell in love with him. He was the same as
me. We both used to be reckless players. But somehow we
fell in love! I still don't know how this can happen. Two
people who care about nothing but pleasure and fun, fall in
love with each other. But that makes sense, since you both
can satisfy each other a lot. Isn't it?
You know what caused me to love him? You.
You made me realize that maybe love does exist. When I
thought you were there for me all these years, I went on
enjoying and loving myself. I blindly trusted you, even
though you are still hidden beneath that mask. I used you to
love me.
Yeah love can hurt, but today, I realized the reason I had
been able to bear all this pain and love him was because I
loved myself. Thanks.
 You unknowingly taught me so much. I love him a lot and
all thanks to you. And should I tell you a fun fact? I'm
pregnant. Oh, I'm really happy with that. I feel eager and
excited to live my life with him. He isn't my first love, but I
know he's the last love. I still want to see you, believe that
maybe you are closer to me than I realise. That you are here
with me. That perhaps destiny worked in my favor and he's
the person I suspect you to be. But, I can't deal with
confusion anymore. I just want to live now.
For myself, for him and for our future. You liberated me.
Your love gave me freedom from myself. I don't know how
much time this letter will take to reach you but I hope
whatever that time maybe, you'll be smiling.
I'm smiling too, thanks. We couldn't meet in person but I'll
always meet you in my memories.
And this is all I have to say.
Love,
The weird girl who kissed you that night.”
 Twenty & Special

“R
eady?” Leon's arms tightened around my waist.
I giggled and turned around to face him.
“Baby you know you should have rested. There's no need
to go all the way to the police station to give just a useless
comment, we know that the girl and the person are gonna
be prosecuted, then why huh,” he pouted.
“Leon, I want to go see them and afterwards I want to
spend a day with Lily before we get busy with the shifting,” I
gently held his hand and smiled. True, I wanted to see Lily
once again before I got immersed in the hustle of shifting.
She was an innocent angel who needed her mother's love.
And as far as that was concerned, I loved her like a
daughter. I wanted to assure her that I would always be
there if she needed me.
His eyes were fixated with a displeased pout.
“C'mon!” I gently held his hand, swinging it back and forth
to convince him.
He let out an exhale and nodded, pursing his lips together.
“Then only for ten minutes. You are going to be there for
only ten minutes and you are not going to look in that girl's
direction. Okay?” He questioned.
I hummed enthusiastically. “Oh but wait. Cayden hasn't
picked up any of my calls since we came back. I think I
should check on him later...” I pouted.
But Leon's face was contoured with a brooding look. And
his eyes were as if lost.
 “Leon?” I wavered my hand in front of his absent face. He
shrugged and glanced at me with big eyes, trying to hide a
sudden embarrassment.
“What? Is something wrong?” I questioned.
“N-no no,” he let out in a tiny voice and smiled.
“Sure?”
He nodded and grabbed my arm after planting a kiss on
my cheek.
_
We followed an officer into a spacious white walled room,
set up with a single desk and large metals racks to store
criminal records. Right, it wasn't a police station but a Crime
Bureau.
It was intimidating. The officer with the stolid face was. I
gently entwined my hands with Leon's as the officer plopped
on his chair and asked us to sit in front of him. “Miss Waltz,
you may give your statement now,” he asked nonchalantly,
passing a paper and pen towards me.
I cleared my throat and wrote down whatever happened.
“Here,” I passed the papers to him and he tilted his head,
creases forming on his forehead as he read and analysed
the writing.
“Ok, that's all for this, now you may need to appear before
the court to give this once again and you are done,” he
stated as he folded the papers and slid them into a folder.
“You may go,” he said, clasping his hands in front of the
table and grinned. Oh, he smiles too!
“Excuse me, Officer,” Leon interjected.
The officer tilted his head up and down in an indirect way
to ask what he needed.
“Uh, is there some way Skye can stay out of all this?” Leon
faltered, “I don't want her to do rounds of some court
especially when she's not well.”
I smiled internally at his caring nature and glanced at the
officer.
 “Sure,” he said after a moment of silence, “But you will be
called, Mr. Weston.” Leon gave him a smile of assurance.
“Alright then, we'll get going,” Leon stood up and I
followed, “Thank you.”
We ambled out of the intriguing yet intricately decorated
corridor.
Architecture and decor always grabbed my attention. My
steps halted and Leon stopped next to me. “Isn't it pretty?” I
pointed towards a painting.
“That?” Leon asked, focusing his eyes on it.
“That's 'Irises'
.. by Van Gogh. Isn't it so pretty?” I was
wonder struck, watching one of my favourite paintings,
etched onto a big canvas and hung closely in front of my
eyes. The small weaved texture of the canvas especially
intrigued me. It looked so pleasing. I waited for a reply but
none. I darted up at him.
His deep hazel eyes were lost admiring the finesé decor of
the place. You will miss your job, won't you?
“I don't know if this is the right time to bring this up but–”
I moved back and gently held his hand.
“Hm?” he murmured and glanced down at me.
“You will miss your job, won't you?” I asked. I gently
stroked his hand. It became a habit by then. I was afraid if I
asked something that caused him pain and stood next to his
heart, he would get an attack again. And I would never be
ready for that. He smiled and nodded a yes.
“Yeah, I'll miss this but I'm ready to leave the painful part
behind and remember only the good,” he smiled. I let out a
smile of relief and nodded.
“Hm,” he took a deep breath and firmed his hand over
mine, “Even if I miss it or not, I'm sure you'll miss it a lot..”
I let out a sigh and smiled to myself, “
Only
  the good
memories.”
He glanced at me and checked on both the sides and
quickly pecked my lips.
“What? Do you fear that officer that much?” I teased.
 He bit his bottom lip and grinned widely, “That man's a
little scary.”
I snickered and glanced at a side, “You—”
“–Mr. Weston not in a mood to go home?” The officer
suddenly tapped Leon's shoulder with a devilish yet playful
smirk.
I pursed my lips together to hold back a giggle as Leon's
face changed its colours. He turned around and the officer
scoffed with a smile. “My wife calls me some lil cuddle bear
  of hers and you think I'm a little scary
?” He questioned,
emphasising the 'lil'.
Leon nodded with a hesitant grin.
The officer snickered and tapped his arm. “Very well,
Terrance Gray left without giving his phone number last
week. I remember I have to ask him certain things as well,
and I can't go all the way to his company. You give me that,”
he asked.
My eyebrows furrowed together and I glanced at Leon's
furtive face. The face one makes when they realise they
messed something up.
“Why Terrance?” I questioned the officer.
Leon was too blank to answer. The officer looked at me
with a quizzical expression.
“The man involved with Hannah Smith,” the Officer
answered, “Um.. Mr. Weston didn't tell you?”
No, he didn't utter a word! “But a doctor was involved?
And no one-”
“–Oh, no Miss, wait, Terrance Gray is just sort of a part of
this case. The involved doctor is different, that's Cayden
Brooks, a gynaecologist who had access to the DNA testing
office.”
“Cayden–what? Leon what's going on!?” I questioned,
jerking his arm.
“Skye, please listen to me,” he squinted his eyes and bit
his bottom lip. No way… Cayden is that doctor involved? He
is a gynaecologist—
 “Skye, that doctor is Cayden. And that baby…It's
Terrance's. Hannah manipulated him. And the other
daughter Terrance has, Lily
, is Hannah's daughter too,” he
let out, hanging his head down. It felt as if a spring sharply
coiled around my chest.
“Okay I thought you knew that..” the officer sighed, “But
may I ask something? What's the big deal with it? Is that
doctor and Terrance Gray someone–”
“They were my friends!” I almost yelled as tears brimmed
in my eyes, “And the three were planning all this?”
“No, Miss. Only the doctor and Hannah were involved in
this. Mr. Gray had no role except the fact that Hannah used
and manipulated
 him to get pregnant and frame the father
as your boyfriend...”
My brows knit together with tears pooling in my eyes. I
peered at Leon. “Why didn't you tell me this?”
“Skye, I'm sorry. I knew you would feel really bad... I'm
sorry I just never wanted to see you in pain. I did
 plan to tell
you this later on once everything was settled. I
  asked
Terrance to not tell you anything for the time being,” his
perturbed and uneasy eyes peered at me, as if guilty and
saying, 'Don't cry please.'
I wiped off my tears for him and took a deep breath,
closing my eyes gently. “Officer,” I sniffed and glanced at
the pale man, “Can I meet them? Hannah Smith and Cayden
Brooks?”
“Yes sure–”
“No!” Leon retaliated.
I glanced at him and entwined our hands, “If I don't face
the pain, how can I get over it?”
He sighed and looked at the officer, disturbed.
“I'll be with you then..” he faced me and nodded to
himself.
_
“We walked through a rusty and gloomy hallway, right at
the end of it, where some lonesome cells were located. Leon
kept on rubbing my hand and glancing at me to check if I
was alright. My mind was cloudy. I couldn't think straight.
Cayden being the doctor behind it. Hannah, as the bitch
she was. Lily being Hannah's daughter. Then the
nervousness about meeting my parents and about our
baby's checkup.. Well that was different but it did contribute
to the mess inside me.
“Miss Waltz, here,” the Officer broke my chained thoughts
as the cell lock sprang with a thudded metallic twang. The
psychotic girl sat on a small chair with her mouth huffed.
“She's a real headache,” the uninterested officer
whispered, eyeing me and Leon the two empty chairs.
Leon huffed his chest and nodded at me. We walked
towards the chair but the girl never glanced at us. Of course
I did not even know what to say about her whole plan.
“What do you want,” she rasped, glaring at us, seeming
totally uninterested as we sat down.
I took a deep breath and proceeded to ask the question
which seemed to be the most disturbing to me. “Lily,” I let
out. Her brows knit together and her jaw clenched. “How
can you leave your own daughter like that? You don't have a
sense of–”
“Look who it's coming from,” she scoffed, “I'm better than
you, who aborted a month old baby in the womb!”
Aborting a month old baby in the womb…?
  I studied her
spiteful features—
this resemblance, no.
Flashback
“You look at this?” Hannah, a senior, flashed a video in
front of me. “You and Joseph, huh?” She scoffed, “Bad for
you, you are still underage to do all this with a seventeen
year old, illegitimate son of a man, who doesn't even have a
name of his own! And what does he ask you to call him?
Joseph Rhodes? Huh, you like your gloomy boyfriend too
much?”
_
 “Joseph I'm– I'm pregnant...” I let out.
“Y–you are what- Skye,” he stuttered, “What?” A visible
range of panic filled his eyes.
“I'm p–pregnant. I don't want this. If—if I tell my mom
about this, she'll be really angry. I can't. I can't keep this
baby. Help me,” my breath hitched the next moment. I
peered at the man in front of me who stood with his eyes
squinted tightly in panic.
His chest dropped and he looked at me. “B-but how can
we abort it? Skye, it has a life. We can't,” he rubbed his
temples and let out deep grunts out of frustration.
“Joseph, we have time. It-it has not even been long. It
doesn't even have its heartbeat yet. I can't keep this,
please… Please, Joseph. Please help me. I'm not ready for
this. I can't go home like this...”
I clutched his arms, and for the first time,   pleaded,
peering into his panic filled eyes.
He sniffed back his tears and grabbed me in a hug.
“Sorry, I should have stopped us. If you want—” he gritted
his teeth, trying to sound manly, “–I'll help you get it
aborted. It's all my fault.”
_
“Bitch, you think really high of yourself, huh? Girls let's
show her where she belongs,” Hannah's menacing eyes
glared at me. I stepped back but bumped into the wall.
“Please go away..” I breathed, covering my stomach with my
hands.
“Oh sweetheart…too bad. You want an abortion don't you?
Let us do it for you without the pain,” she growled. Her eyes
signalled the two bitches behind her.
They stepped closer and one of them hit my belly with
their knee. I crumpled on the ground upon the gnawing pain
in my stomach.
“Please!” I cried.
But it didn't stop and instead they hit my stomach even
more until I remember losing consciousness.
 Flashback Over
Memories.
“I'm not like you who kills a baby in the womb and then
acts all innocent!” Hannah screamed.
“Stay in your fucking lane
!” Leon growled, the growing
rage visible in his stentorian voice.
“Let me speak, huh! I'm not like this slut who kills innocent
lives and sleeps with different—”
“Hannah, STOP IT!” Leon slammed his fist on the table
and stood up. My blurry eyes traced the maddening face of
her's, plastered with a dark smirk. “Who are you to decide
the reason behind what she does!” Leon snapped, clutching
my hand tightly. But I couldn't hear straight. My eyes grew
hazy.
“See, where do you even stand today. So happy with a
slut,” her voice echoed in the dull cell. And Leon's eyes
glared at her as his jaw clenched tightly.
'I'm better than you, who aborted a month old baby in the
womb…' No- I never killed it. I never killed it.
My baby… The last thing I need to protect from this
psycho, my baby.
No…
“Leon-”
I let out finally, balancing my inconsistent breaths and
groping to hold something. A fainting sensation swirled in
my body but as I was about to call his name again my vision
faded to black.
_
My body felt stiff as I opened my heavy eyes and found
Leon sitting next to me, caressing my head.
“Thank God...” he breathed and pressed his lips upon my
forehead.
“It's okay, our baby is okay.. Don't you worry, she won't do
anything to us,” he sniffed, moving back and gently
caressing my hand, “I'll make sure she gets the longest term
in prison and when she gets out, she'll regret it all her life.
She has probably gone crazy, how
  can she say such
things?”
“Leon...” I slowly sat up, resting my back which was
gnawing with pain, against the headstand. It was a hospital
room. I could hear the faint sound of the IV machine.
“Hm?” He questioned as he brushed my hair back to get
me in a better position.
“Skye,” he spoke up instead, “Will you meet Ash for a
psychiatrist's session?” He firmed his hands on mine.
“Look I know you must be tense and it will just take fifteen
minutes. Whatever is worrying you, just go talk to him. I'm
sure you will feel better. Or if you don't want to talk to Ash
because you already know him, then you can meet another
doctor, hm?”
“I will,” I nodded sincerely. He let out a sigh of relief and
passed a folder to me.
“Here, our baby's reports. You need to have a thorough
check up right now. We'll discuss some things about your
pregnancy with the doctor. After this we can go to meet
Ash,” he smiled.
“I'm happy to have this baby,” my fingers rubbed over my
belly, “I feel so happy.”
Leon kissed my forehead before he moved back, “Me too.
I've never felt this happy before.”
A faded smile left my lips before I looked at him. “Leon, I
need to tell you something,” I let out.
“About what?” he gazed at me, perplexed.
“Just listen,” I took a deep inhale, trying to calm my
throbbing heart.
“What? Is it something related to the baby?” He
questioned, brushing his fingers through my hair.
“Listen.. I know it's going to sound crazy, but when I was
fifteen year old, I got pregnant,” I let out. A tear trailed
down my cheek but Leon wiped it off.
“If you can't say the rest, then don't. I won't force you to
speak,” he gazed into my eyes blankly.
 Shaking my head in a no, I continued, “That boy was three
years older than me. I met him at my grandparents'
countryside villa. We became like inseparable soulmates. I
know it was a little stupid of me but we had sex a lot of
times. I know I was very young and I should not have
trusted anyone like that but he was a nice person. Maybe
that's why I trusted him so much. However, one day I got
pregnant. I couldn't go home,
“My parents would have been so angry, but the worst
could have been for him because my father is very
protective of me. I knew he was a sincere guy so I told him
first and we decided to abort it. B—but,” my voice grew
brittle.
“Don't say if you can't,” he breathed. His head was hung
low and I could feel him trying to sound as manly as
possible.
“You don't even know what I'll say next...” I sniffed. He
stayed silent.
“Hannah. She was a senior. I don't know what was so
wrong with her. She made a video about me talking to that
boy about the abortion and threatened me. T-to the level
that I never needed an abortion. Her friends bullied me in an
old room of the art school we used to visit. I-I got a
miscarriage… And my baby di-”
“-Ssh,” he grabbed me in a hug and planted sloppy kisses
on my head, “I understand-I really do. That's why you might
have fainted when that bitch was threatening you today.
That situation might have traumatised you and that's why
you fainted. I don't know why that sick girl targeted us b-but
I promise you, I won't let anything happen to us and our
baby. I won't let her do anything to our baby.”
Yes, I was young and reckless but that guilt still stabbed
me.
“Forget about those past memories. We are so happy
together now. Everything is at its place. Let's not let the
past trouble us anymore,” he said.
 I nodded intently. Every word he let out, spoke the truth to
me. Maybe that's why I had been so drawn towards taking
care of Lily. Lily lessened my guilt of losing a baby and I
could focus on myself. I could forget the sad part and focus
on the good. No matter if she was Hannah's daughter, she
would still be mine.
And now, I promise to protect my baby and give it every
bit of happiness it deserves. It's my life.
_
“Here's your outfit for today,” Leon tossed some clothes
on the bed.
“Thanks, duh!” I rolled my eyes, sighting the mess he
made while searching for clothes in the packed boxes.
I picked up the fabrics. “Pink dress, a leather jacket and
white shoes?” I murmured touching every one thing. “How
did you come up with this?” I questioned, perplexed. A tint
of nostalgia returned to my voice and I smiled to myself. I
glanced at him as he hesitantly rubbed his nape.
“I just picked what I found the easiest to choose,” he
murmured and walked back to the boxes and crouched
down to finally tape them back. “You'll be comfortable in
that while we'll be in the aeroplane,” he murmured.
I smiled faintly and observed the almost empty
apartment. Those boxes will be the last thing to go.
Everything changed for the better over the month. Hannah
was in prison. I didn't know what they would do with her
when she was pregnant but honestly, I didn't want to know..
neither did I care. I cut off ties with Cayden.
Leon's brother succeeded him as the CEO. Our parents
approved of us. Leon's father was a little reluctant but gave
in after our parents talked. And this baby was doing great.
Did I say that I had outgrown Mr. Stranger's memories? I
wanted to forget him as I start anew.
“Hey!” Leon snapped his hand in front of my absent face,
“C'mon get ready quick. I need to get the updated
prescription.”
 “Yeah,” I blinked my eyes and stood up quickly, grabbing
the outfit with me.
I walked towards the door but his pair of eyes scanned my
figure as I walked. I turned around and smiled roguishly.
“Mr. Weston, are you horny all the time?” I teased,
fondling my hand over my neck, knowing it was going to
turn him on.
He bit his bottom lip and ambled towards me.
I took a step behind, pressing my body against the cool
wall. “What do I do? I can't resist you..” he breathed, teasing
my neck with butterfly kisses. “You don't know how I'm
dying to see that kitten collar on your beautiful neck again.”
Our foreheads shoved together as he kissed my lips.
“You don't realise how I'm controlling myself,” I moaned
between the kisses.
“Not more than me babygirl,” he whispered and moved
towards my ear, almost biting on my earlobe.
“C'mon..” I gently pushed him back, hiding my flustered
cheeks, “Control yourself for a whole lot more! We need to
go now!”
“Sure, huh,” he snickered and pecked my cheek, cupping
his hands over my jawline, “I love you so much.”
My heart fluttered as I parted my lips to say but he
pressed his lips upon mine. “I know,” he breathed between
the kisses, “I know what you are going to say… I know all of
it.”
I blushed even more and smiled inadvertently. “Stop
making my heart flutter like this,” I smacked his chest
gently. “You make me feel a whole zoo in my stomach. What
if our baby feels it too?”
He let out a laugh and kissed my forehead.
“No, no it won't,” Leon snickered and pecked my lips.
I smiled at the response and kissed him, “I'm so happy.”
“Me too babe,” he breathed as he smiled between the
tender kisses.
_
 I hung my head down as I peered at my pink dress and
then at the cuffs of the leather jacket. My eyes darted
towards the white shoes clicking on the floor as I walked.
That was weird. Because that was the same type of outfit I
wore at the same place years back.
I peered at a nonchalant looking Leon, wearing a simple
hoodie, denims and timberlands, walking hand in hand with
me. Goosebumps arose over my skin. We walked towards a
hallway, where Ash's office was located.
This place is still the same like it used to be, eight years
back.
“We can sit here, until he's busy,” Leon smiled and took a
bench outside the office.
I glanced at him perturbed. It was happening the same
way it did eight years back.
I glanced over the high ceilings and then on either side of
the hallway. There was the same drug store. “Baby, come sit
down,” he tapped the empty seat next to him. The same
seat I sat on years back.
Skye, stay calm. Don't think about anything, just don't.
Everything is okay.
I smiled faintly, yet with a hesitant feeling I plopped next
to him. “There is no one here,” I mumbled, observing the
empty place except for a receptionist in the drug store.
“Mhm, I see,” Leon murmured. His eyes were fixated on
the office door. I gawked at his ethereal features. He was
damn perfect. I'm so lucky to have you babe.
 I gazed at his
big doe eyes, with bangs cascading on his eyelids. He had
changed his hair colour back to the original chestnut brown
he had.
“Mr. Weston? You can go for your turn,” a lady called out. I
shook my head, averting my eyes from my handsome
boyfriend to glance at her.
I expected a sincere and formal smile. But instead the
middle aged lady's eyes widened and a big beam plastered
on her face. I looked back at Leon but found him smiling at
me fondly.
 What was going on?
“Mr. Weston, oh God! You really did find her! Are you both
a couple now?” She almost squealed in excitement. My
heart palpitated.
“W-what do you mean?” I stuttered, clutching on Leon's
arm.
She furrowed her brows together, still with a smile etched
onto her face and leaned closer, “You both kissed that night,
am I right? And you left him here? Don't you remember?”
She whispered, “He's been so eager to look for you since
that day. I'm happy that you both met again.”
Oh, God I'll faint.
Leon…?
 I peered at Leon's tear-glazed eyes, gazing at me
intently. My face felt a gush of warm tears trailing down.
“I think I should leave the both of you alone,” the lady
smiled awkwardly and briskly paced somewhere, I couldn't
care where.
I grabbed his hand and hastily rolled the sleeve of his left
arm up. A tear left my eye and dripped on his bare skin as I
traced a small deep brown mark etched over his wrist.
“I don't mind if you don't kiss me back.. But the fact that
you don't want to push me away is enough to keep me
happy…for now.”
“Have you ever been in love?” He asked.
I looked at him in a daze. He looked oddly familiar in the
semi darkness.
“It's been eight years, baby.”
“I once tried to give up my life.”
“Leon, w–why did you not tell me!” I remarked as
uncontrollable tears streamed down my face.
“You now know?” he breathed, trying not to cry, “You now
know why I hate Cayden so much?”
Yeah.
 “Leon, that was a mistake! I never wanted to kiss him that
night, I never wanted to… But I was drunk. And I promise I
didn't take anything any further–” I choked upon my words.
He sniffed and wiped off the tears from my face.
“I was heartbroken when I saw you enjoying that...” he let
out.
“Sorry, I know it was wrong of me. I should have-”
“No, I did the same too. We both did the same. We both
took it as lust when all these years it was love
 which made
us wait for each other,” he sniffed.
“I never expected that person to be you. I did but I
couldn't at the same time. I thought that if I held onto that
expectation I would have been heartbroken in the end. I
would have loved a fantasy instead of loving you. Really…
When I saw you at the company on the first day, you felt so
different. I never thought it would be you. I just can't say it
—” I cried. He smiled faintly and kissed my lips.
“That's because you changed me. You made me feel good.
Now I feel happy that I lived—otherwise I would have missed
all the beauty of love..” he whispered and gently rubbed his
hand over my belly, “I would have missed all these
moments then.”
I shook my head fervently, “Don't say anything negative
about yourself ever!”
I cried and grabbed him in a hug, nuzzling my face on his
neck, “You are my superman. I love you so much! I love you
more than anything else in this damn universe!”
His soft chuckle echoed by my ear and he kissed my
jawline from the side as his arms hugged me perfectly in
place.
“It's you.. It's you Leon and I'm so happy,” the tears of
happiness couldn't stop.
Yes it's you. It's really you. I want to ask you so much
about that night. But I dare not. I can't see you going
through that pain again. I know I'll think about that
unanswered question every time but nothing is more
important to me than you.
 And if you are good now, I'm happy. I don't need anything
else.
“Skye,” he cooed my name and gently parted the hug. He
wiped off his face and stood up, reaching out his hand for
me. I gave him a perplexed smile. “Don't you want to
continue what we left?”
Yes!
I hopped in front, wiping the coolness off my face. “I want
to, so eagerly,” I beamed.
He snickered and cupped my jawline, just the way he did
eight years back. “Now, I must say what I said then,” he
closed his eyes, causing me to close mine intently.
“No, no. You open your eyes,” he conversed, his tone
raised. Oh right, I closed my eyes when he asked me to
.
“Yeah,” I opened my eyes and pressed my lips together,
trying to suppress a smile.
“Just follow me, okay?” He assured, also suppressing a
laugh to get serious.
I nodded and gazed fondly at him. He cleared his throat
and pulled his hands back.
He glanced at the floor. Okay, stay calm! I can do it! Why
is my heart going crazy right now!? It's not like I've never
kissed him! We've done way more than that. Oh I'll go
berserk. Take a deep breath and you can do it.
“Don't you want me to kiss you back?” Mr. Stranger spoke
up.
“I don't mind if you don't kiss me back… But, knowing that
you don't want to push me away is enough to keep me
happy...” I hesitated.
He gazed at me perplexed. We are really into it now.
“Close your eyes,” he asserted.
“W-what?” I stuttered.
“I asked you to close your eyes,” he commanded and I
quickly shut them. My heart thumped uncontrollably as I
anticipated for his lips.
His soft lips landed over mine. Yes, this is exactly the
same.
 I stayed still, without parting my lips and he slowly moved
back. “Can I do it more?” He asked before I could open my
eyes.
So I let them shut, but this time when his lips met mine, I
parted my mouth. His lips delved gently into me. We moved
in sync as our lips tasted each other. We slowly pulled back
and he gazed into my eyes.
“I'm Leon,” he finally let out.
“I'm Skye..” I smiled. We were still engrossed in the scene.
“You name is cute,” he shyly snickered.
I covered my lips with my palm and smiled shyly.
“Skye, um,” he faltered and gazed at me with shy eyes,
“Will you—marry me?”
M-marry!?
 A chill ran over my skin due to the authenticity
of our acting. Are we still acting?
  I gazed into his eyes,
glistening in hope. My heart kept pounding, as though it was
going to break out of my chest anytime then.
“Yeah… I will.” I shook my head intently.
But the next thing he did caught me off guard. He pulled
out a small red velvet box and kneeled down on one knee,
flashing the glistening diamond ring as he popped open the
box.
“Oh my God,” I breathed as tears brimmed in my eyes.
“Stand up,” I called out, covering my mouth with my palm.
He nervously peered at me as he stood up and held the ring
firmly between his slender fingers.
I let my quivering hand in front.
A big euphoric smile replaced the nervous one on his face
and he quickly put the ring on me. “This looks perfect on
your beautiful hands...” He smiled to himself and then
glanced at me.
Tears of happiness streamed down my face as I hopped in,
inadvertently wrapping my arms around his neck and we
kissed passionately. “I love these unusual surprises. I love
these so much… And I love you even more,” I smiled widely.
“This is all for you. My love is all for you, only you, my
love,” he pecked my nose.
 I snickered and glanced down shyly. “So that's why you
made me wear this dress today,” I smirked.
He grinned sheepishly.
“And Leon, you befriended Ash here, didn't you!?” I
questioned, almost teasingly. He snickered as he gave me a
nod.
“You should have told me this when we first met. I had
been searching for you for so long. Plus I never saw your
face…and you changed your hair colour too!”
He let out a small chuckle and entwined our fingers
together. “The best for the last.”
I looked into his deep hazel eyes, “Destiny looks strange
and familiar at the same time.”
“And only the brave ones can experience it,” he
whispered.
I bit my lip in excitement and leaned to kiss him. But a
fake cough stopped us.
“—Mr. Weston and Miss, no, soon to be Mrs. Weston, I had
been waiting in my office for the past twenty minutes. May I
know the whole story behind your guys' sudden desire and
what causes you, Mr. Weston, to think that proposing
someone in between a hospital corridor and making a busy
doctor wait, is romantic?” Ash stated. Sarcastically.
I bit my bottom lip and held back a chuckle.
“Sure, Doctor Ledger, we'll be there in a second,” Leon
smiled teasingly at Ash.
“Whatever, get in quick, I have to pick up Jazlyn. Your new
boss makes her overwork,” Ash said walking inside,
“Congratulations, though.”
I glanced at Leon and grinned wide.
He winked at me and leaned closer to my ear,
“Nice to meet you.”
 Twenty-one

Five years later

“M
ommy!”
I hastily pinned all the sheets of paper together and hurled
all the markers and pens in a case, wavering my eyes over
to not leave anything unattended that they could grab. Even
though I had a comfortable desk, I liked nothing better than
sitting on the floor with everything I was working on,
scattered around me so that it would be easy to sketch. But
that moment was a kids alert.
“Mommy's dawing!” Aria chirped as the two kids broke in
my home office. She wiped off the cascading bangs from her
forehead. Seeing her brushing away her bangs made me
reconsider getting her those once again. The fact was that it
looked cute on her little round face. But I was sure she didn't
want those.
“She's not drawing she's working, Ari,” Axel, the soon to
be five year old, clutched her hand and sank to his knees, to
be a little down from his sister's level.
Aria's big curious eyes darted towards the colourful
markers and crayons and the sheets of pastel colored paper.
The two year old ran towards me, aiming to grab a handful
of crayons.
“Aye, caught you, squishy,” I grabbed her in my arms,
blocking the messy view from her eyes, “What did I say? No
running into mommy's office when she's working!”
She giggled as I planted kisses over her chubby cheeks.
 “We were bored,” Axel pouted. Aria's grin faded to an 'oh'
as she escaped my arms clumsily to stand in front of me.
“Mommy, bring pwuppy,” she cupped my cheeks,
squishing them.
Axel joined her, snuggling on my lap, “Yes, mommy, daddy
promised us!”
“Okay, but first leave my cheeks—” I was unable to
complete my playful groan when the sound of the door
closing echoed through the house.
“Daddy!” Axel shouted excitedly and ran out of the room.
“Yay, daddy!” Aria ran after him. I let out a deep breath.
“Aria, Axel, No running on the stairs!” I yelled, before I
headed after them downstairs.
“Let daddy get comfortable first,” I nagged as I fixed my
hair into a messy bun and walked to the trio.
“Daddy, you will bring our puppy, won't you?” Axel looked
at Leon as Leon squatted down to the excited kids' level. He
pursed his lips trying to control a laugh.
“Daddy, your prowmised,” Aria pouted. He pulled her
towards him by the waist as she leaned on him, clutching
her tiny arms around his neck. He smiled and kissed her
cheek. “First tell me, did you get mommy's permission?” He
questioned.
Axel's eyes wavered over the room as he shook his head
in a faltering no. “Hm, so what will you do now?” Leon
asked.
“Ask mom first!” He implied.
“Good boy,” Leon cheered and grabbed him in a hug.
“Swo we wuill get it?” Aria implored, batting and flattering
her lashes. I almost snorted at her eagerness and the style
she was talking in. Leon snickered and pinched her nose,
“Miss, where did you learn this from?”
She pouted and pointed towards me. Leon glanced at me
with a teasing smile. “Yes Daddy! Mommy does this when
she asks you to stay at home because she is going
shopping,” Axel interjected intently. I internally palmed
myself. My face went to a defending expression as I
snickered and crossed my arms in front of my chest. The trio
grinned at me.
“Bwut our puppy,” Aria whined, rubbing her palms on
Leon's cheeks.
“Okay, ask mom,” Leon stated and it took not more than a
second for the two eager beings to look at me and pop their
questions.
“Fine, fine,” I silenced them as I knelt down in front of
them. “Promise me you both will take care of it?” I asked,
gazing at their curious eyes. They nodded fervently.
I let out a chuckle as I nodded, “We'll go buy one
tomorrow.”
“Yay,” Aria chirped as Axel looked at her excitedly.
_
“Darling, what's taking you so long?”
“Mamma!”
“Mommy!”
“Oh, wait dear, I'm coming,” I murmured, pacing out as I
locked the door, balancing my handbag in one arm. “Shout
a little less,” I snickered at the three excited kids, Leon
included.
“Mommy,” Aria pouted as she reached out her arms to
jump in my embrace, from Leon's.
“Daddy, what kind of puppy will we buy?” Axel clutched
Leon's hand as Leon opened the car door for the kids.
“What kind of puppy do you want?” He smiled, while Axel
hopped inside and pulled the seatbelt. “Black—” Axel
clapped his tiny hands.
“—Nooo, black is scawy… Browun browun!” Aria chirped
in. I gently made her sit on the baby seat.
“How about white?” I teased.
“Mommy what willv cwall it?” Aria gleamed at me with her
eager eyes.
“Axel? Won't you suggest your sister a name?” I smiled at
Axel, closing the car doors. Little annoying, yet cute,
chirpings cascaded inside the car as Leon winked at me to
sit inside.
“So...” Leon wriggled and tapped his fingers upon the
steering wheel as I sat inside, “What's the best shop to
adopt puppies? Mommy?”
My cheeks heated up in a matter of seconds. He had
called me mommy before, for the kids to learn. Why did it
sound so— Whatever, lemme tease along.
He raised his brow and pouted. Axel and Aria were busy in
their own world, discussing puppies.
“Well, daddy,” I gently let out with an innocent smile and
traced my hand over his muscular thighs. “I don't know,
daddy. But I think the store we visited last year on Christmas
will do. They had really cute pets,” I batted my eyelashes.
As much as we love teasing each other like that, we never
liked calling each other those names.
“Skye, darling, you better be ready because you are doing
something you should not,” he smirked. I bit my bottom lip
as my body heated up but I quickly pulled my hand back.
“Better huh,” he smirked and then focused on his driving,
“I'm expecting something tonight.”
He didn't know yet what was in store for him, “Baby—”
“–Mommy we will call it Biscuits!” Axel shouted. A sigh left
my lips.
“Yay, wue will cwall et Biscuits,” Aria grinned. A smile left
my lips and I glanced at both of them beaming their
beautiful little smiles. I was awestruck for a moment. My
angels.
“Biscuits! We will bring Biscuits. It's so funny,” Axel
excitedly squished Aria's cheeks. She grinned and pinched
his cheeks back. “Why do guys always squish cheeks?” I
looked at them, eager for an answer.
“Axel got your smile,” Leon said while smiling, with a tinge
of nostalgia.
“Mm?” I smiled, perplexed and glanced at Axel.
“He got your gummy smile,” Leon beamed, “Your perfect
gummy smile.” I smiled inadvertently and glanced at both of
them giggling and talking.
“Aria too,” I joined, “She got your heart shaped smile.”
“Pretty smile from her handsome dad,” he teased. I
snickered and gently smacked his arm. “I wonder what our
third one will take?” He laughed.
“Aye, you gotta wait till Aria turns three,” I defended as I
tried to hide my flustered cheeks. “Ari, my princess, please
turn three soon! Mommy and Daddy are waiting,” he almost
yelled while chuckling. His loving eyes gazed at the two
kids, from the rear view mirror.
A serene smile flashed on his face as he let out a breath of
relief.
He gently looked at the front, placing one hand on his
thigh. I smiled and tenderly entwined our unused hands
together. Maybe we understood each other without words
by then. He smiled, still a little flustered and firmed his
hands over mine, the never-ending mellifluous chirpings
making the sweetest background music.
He smiled at me, balancing the wheel with one hand.
  I
love you so much.
_
“Biscuits, come here!” Axel shouted, trying to grab the
new addition to our family, in his little hands. Biscuits, the
small brown pomeranian fluff ball, slipped out of Axel's arms
and ran on his little feet. He really looked like a Biscuit.
“Biscuits,” Aria giggled as she chased him. It ran and
snuggled over my lap.
I gently lay back on the floor as I curled my body to cuddle
it. The two kids and not to forget their excited father,
gleamed in anticipation and hopped on either side of me.
“Gosh!” I laughed.
“Babies, snuggled in,” he grinned, eyeing the eager kids
the gap between us.
“Ah, be careful, don't squish Biscuits!” I whined as they
excitedly made their way between us and Biscuits jumped
on Leon's chest to save himself from the attack.
 After a playful hustle, the three handful beings lay
between me and Leon, filling the room with their chirping.
_
“And then Granny gave Lola a lot of candies,” Axel finally
finished his story. “Bwut taffy- taffy duck?” Aria asked. Her
small fingers played gently with Biscuits's fuzzy fur.
“How would I know? I'm not Daffy Duck,” he sighed. “Bwut
you wea diaper,” Aria snickered, covering her mouth to hide
her smile.
“No you wear, I don't! Look mommy, she's laughing!” He
whined.
“Aria… Axel does not wear a diaper anymore..” I
murmured. My eyes had started to feel heavy and I yawned.
“Axel, Aria, it's your bedtime, isn't it?” Leon said, yawning
in between, “Look, our Biscuits is asleep.”
We three glanced at the curled up fluffball, resting gently
in Aria's small arms.
“Ssh,” the young boy got up, “I'll put him to bed.” He
picked up sleepy Biscuits and slowly walked to the dog crib.
Aria snuggled into Leon's chest and he wrapped his arms,
holding her tightly.
“Daddy, stowy..” She murmured.
I smiled inadvertently and rose up.
“But your brother told you a story right now, huh?” Leon
asked, gently pecking her forehead.
“Bwut I want taffy duck,” she yawned. “Me too Daddy,”
Axel said intently and snuggled at Leon's right side.
“Okay after that you both will sleep?” Leon asked and they
nodded fervently. I smiled, assured that they would sleep
and quietly walked out as the bedtime tales started behind
me.
I shut the door carefully to not disturb the emerging sleep
and walked to my and Leon's shared bedroom. An
unconscious smirk plastered on my face as I sighted the
shopping bag of the brand new lingerie I bought.
 I picked up the bag and checked myself in the mirror.
Filling myself up with a deep breath, I stripped the fabrics
over my body and reached for the red lacy lingerie, pairing a
creme silk robe over it.
Perfect.
A rosy fragrance cascaded throughout the room as I
sprayed the redolent spray and spread fresh rose petals
over the bed.
Time for a little fun. I opened the locker and picked the
satin blindfolds and the silky cuffs. In the heat of the
moment, the door opened. I did not need to ask when Leon
dimmed the lights and sensually unbuttoned his shirt.
He smirked, “Who's getting tied up tonight baby?”
You
.
He walked to me.
“Your turn darling,” I whispered, unbuttoning the rest of
his shirt and teasingly removing it. He traced his hands
towards my butt and gave it a squeeze.
“You think you'll be able to tie me up?” He scoffed.
“Bet,” I smirked.
“Then,” he inched closer to my ear, “Try it.”
I smirked and pushed him back so that he landed on the
mattress. I crawled on top of him and joined our lips
together as my lipstick smudged all over his lower lip and
down towards his neck. “Do you remember what day it is
today?” I whispered.
“Mm,” his eyes shut in pleasure, “The day we met for the
first time after eight years.”
Such a good boy.
“I love you,” I whispered, kissing down towards his chest
leaving soft pink marks all over. I lurched up, only to find
him moaning in pleasure.
His lustful eyes opened, scanning my figure, perfectly
enhanced in the laces. My butt felt a small twitch and a
hardening underneath.
I smirked and kissed towards his lips, starting from his
richly carved chest.
 “Hard time, huh?” My breath brushed on his lips as his
hands kept trailing on my thighs.
Just knowing how aggressive he could become, when he
used to realise that someone knew his weakness, and the
carnal effect this touch had on him, pulled me to an ecstasy.
A devilish smirk spread across his face and before I could
comprehend, he shoved me under him.
“Hard time?” He growled, gently biting on my earlobe,
“I'm going to give you that, darling.”
He growled in vain as his hands groped to come between
my legs. Oh, yes.
His strong arms gripped my body, pressing it roughly on
the bed but I tried pushing him aside. No effect. “Leon,” I
purred over his touch. A breathy moan escaped my lips as
his fingers traced into my folds.
My body loosened slowly and the same happened to him.
He became engrossed in pleasuring me, more than fighting
for dominance. But I took my chance.
Leon's POV
“Leon,” Skye cooed my name, gently brushing her fingers
on my nape. Her body slowly relaxed as my fingers found
the way to her entrance. Not that I wanted to give her a
hard time but what else could I do when she was the one
asking for it and absolutely used to love it?
She moaned softly as I pumped my fingers in and out, not
so gently. I moved back and pulled out my fingers, holding
her on a tease and slowly gripped on her beautiful thighs.
“You see what I can do to you?” I rasped, lurching to her
face. Her eyes blazed fiercely and her fingers raked through
my chest, leaving red marks all over. She breathed my
name as I kissed her beautiful neck.
My hungry lips kissed her rosy and heated ones, delving
hungrily into them. Her back arched up as I fondled the
laces on her bra.
“You look so beautiful baby girl,” I moaned between the
kisses while I trailed my fingertips to remove the silky robe
covering the best view.
But in the heat of that moment, she gathered all her
strength and pushed me under her, with a strong lustful
yearning, glistening in her dangerous eyes. The fierce eyes I
could never dare to challenge. Her touch when she used to
overpower me, the strong desire and when she said that
pleasure to her was making me feel like a king. Oh my.
“You are going to do what honey?” She breathed, kissing
my jawline.
“You like it–”
“Shut it,” she smirked and unfastened my belt. I gulped a
dry lump, feeling a heated level of frenzy drowning me in. “I
want to see the good boy,” she rasped, reaching for my
wrists.
She gripped my left wrist and gently pecked the deep
brown scar… the scar she healed. I gazed at her. Love filled
with a spark of fierce passion. This woman could tie me up
anywhere and I would never dare to raise my voice. She
moved back and tied my wrists together.
“I wanted to give you a tease without tying you, but you
never listen baby,” she breathed near my ear, brushing her
fingertips in a feathery way upon my chest.
And then I realised the tease was going to be even harder
for me to bear.
She walked back, on all fours as I rose up with difficulty
and rested against the bed. The silky robe which hugged her
body, fell off on the floor, like the surface of a delicate rose
brushing under a velvety touch.
Sometimes I wondered why I even tried to dominate her
when I knew that I would be the one under.
But after all, what was fun if you got something so easily.
Her body swayed with the music as she flipped her hair
gently, touched her beautiful curves, showed off her body
by sliding and fondling with the laces but never stripping
completely, doing whatever she could to keep me tongue-
tied and jaw slacked.
 All of it did so much to me yet I couldn't touch myself, so I
had to do it by biting back my groans, the hardening was
causing me.
She moved flawlessly with the music a few moments more
before turning the melody to a romantic classic one.
Her hands held the blindfold and the cuffs as she slowly
walked to me. She bounced on the bed and gently laid me
down, undoing the tightly done belt that left deep crimson
marks on my wrist.
She bought the blindfolds over my eyes. My eyes shut
gently. I could only feel her touch.
Before I could comprehend anymore, my wrists were tied
to the bed.

Skye's POV
His eyes were a huge factor in making me lose my mind
when he touched my skin. Eyes were the window to
someone's soul.
And I could see deep in there. Deep into him. As though
he was my favourite book. As though there was so much to
unravel and solve. He kissed me until I was out of breath.
Until he was sure that every inch of my body was shaking in
his name.
Just as he was about to lay down after cleaning our sweet
mess up, I stopped him.
“Leon, I want to relax in the bathtub.”
He moved closer to my face and pecked my nose, “Wait
then, I'll quickly set it up, do you want candles?”
I nodded fervently, with a soft smile etched onto my face.
“Both, candles and flowers.”
“Alright,” he smiled, pecking my lips once again.
He went out as I rose up, resting my back against the
headstand. My body still quivered because of the long
session, making my heart flutter upon the enthralling
sensation.
 I smiled to myself, taking in a deep breath as I reached for
my phone.
Notifications flooded the phone but I clicked on the most
anticipated one, Lily's.
Lily: Skye, when will you board your flight?
I can't wait to squish Aria and Axel's cheeks! Please please
please come fast.
Me and Dad are waiting so eagerly. And I'm so happy
By the way you know.. There is this boy in my math class
who told me that I had the cutest smile. Is that a
compliment? I don't like him though, but he looks cute..
Me: Aye, you are still eleven. No dating till you get twenty.
Simply no. Wait for ten more years.
And your smile is just like your dad's. So pretty.
Lily: Dad and you always say like that. But I'll really date
when I turn sixteen.
Me: That boy first will be needed to get approved by me
and your dad. And don't you think about sneaking out. It's
not such a good idea.
Lily: No, I won't sneak out
But yeah, when's your flight? Daddy is also waiting for you
and Mr. Weston, and of course for the two fluffballs.
They are so cute, and I miss them so much
Me: Tomorrow evening at seven.
Lily: Ooh! I'm waiting! I can't wait to go shopping with you
and then have a mother-daughter's day out. Only me and
you.
I really miss you.
A pain still was fresh in my chest. I knew I asked Terrance
to never tell the truth about her mother to Lily because it
would do nothing but make things harder for her to
understand. The best we could do was to let everything be
the way it was. Lily was a kid and would have never
understood anyway.
And over the past five years, things have been so
peaceful, that we never felt tearing it apart with grief. I
didn't tell her that I was her mother, but let her understand
that I wasn't and yet I would still be there whenever she
needed me.
Me: Me too baby.. I miss you a lot
We will meet each other soon! And we will spend a whole
day together. Okay?
Lily: Yeah, Skye. I'll wait for you. I'll always wait for you
.
Leon's footsteps neared the room.
Me: Sweetheart I need to go
See you tomorrow ;)
Lily: Yeah. Waiting eagerly ;)
“Baby,” Leon called, walking towards me as I kept the
phone back.
“Your bathtub is ready,” he kissed my cheek as he gently
picked me up in a bridal way. My arms wrapped around his
neck and I nestled my face against his chest. My home.
“Honey, will you check on the kids?” I asked. He gently put
me down on the cold tiles and pecked my cheek.
“Just a second,” he smiled and walked out of the room.
I sauntered towards the bathtub, tying my hair to a messy
bun and stripped off the loose pink shirt and the pair of
white bicycle shorts. My body relaxed as I soaked into the
refreshing warm water containing red rose petals.
“Pretty..” I sighed. My fingers brushed upon the bobbing
petals.
“Really pretty,” a deep voice startled me. I blushed as I
saw Leon gazing at me awestruck. “Stay right there, I'm
bringing my camera,” he stated and gushed out of the
room.
 I blushed and glanced over the big mirror on the side of
the bathtub, folding my arms on the edge of it and rested
my chin on my folded arms. A playful grin spread on my lips
as he entered the bathroom.
“Stay like that,” he asserted and walked in front, squatting
down in front of the tub.
His camera fluttered as he captured some shots and then
smiled at them in satisfaction. He licked his bottom lip and
walked closer, his left eye shut and the right one focused on
the picture.
“Who gave you the permission to be this beautiful,” he
husked and closed the camera lid, eagerly scanning the
pictures on the screen.
“If I keep this here, I'll be picturing you the whole night so
I must keep it back,” he said and scurried out.
I smiled to myself and sat back properly.
He came back shortly after, with a cigarette pumped
between his lips. Lighting the tip of it, he tossed the lighter
on a small shelf.
I shifted aside as he undressed and plopped in the warm
water next to me. A breath of relief escaped his mouth and
he snaked his arm around my waist. I clutched his torso
tightly, burying my face on his chest.
“Kids are really excited to meet their grandparents… And
I'm excited to go back to Brookville,” I murmured. Brookville
was where my parents lived after my own grandparents
passed on and left the villa to them.
“Right, hon. We should give them these vacations
frequently. They really miss each other,” he let out a sigh
and kissed my forehead as the cigarette clasped between
his index and middle fingers.
I gently moved back and observed him.
“Something wrong?” he questioned.
Yeah.
Apparently you got to know a person only after spending
time with them.
“No,” I shook my head and nuzzled back against his chest.
 His hand rested against my waist. I trailed my restless
fingertips over the faint scar on his wrist. We had an
unspoken agreement of never bringing up that night. I
traced my fingertips over the mark as if provoking it and
trying to scream that I needed an answer.
Because I knew that night was much more than a kiss. It
was about the scar on his wrist. He still had a story to tell.
A story which was buried and forgotten like a bad dream,
deep in his eyes.
 Twenty-two

“B
aby, take your clothes to daddy and get changed
quickly,” I zipped the last suitcase and handed Axel his
clothes for the flight.
“Mom I'm a big boy, I can wear it,” he grumbled with a
pout.
I pursed my lips in a forced agreement and walked to pick
up Aria on her bed, who was playing with Biscuits. “C'mon
miss we need to get you changed,” I cuddled her while I sat
down, in my arms as she giggled and Biscuits jumped in.
“Are you excited to meet grandma and grandpa?” I kissed
her cheek.
“Yes mommy,” she nodded.
“We wuill take Biscuits?” She mumbled.
“Honey, we can't take him. Our neighbour will take care of
him for us,” I answered, gently getting her changed.
She sighed, ruffling through Biscuits' fluffy hair. “I wuill
miss you,” she pouted.
Leon stepped into the kid's room in the whirl of the
moment, “Who will you miss, my princess?”
“Biscuits. Aria will miss Biscuits a lot daddy,” Axel, who sat
on the floor, wriggling his legs, trying to wear his jeans,
looked up at Leon with a frown. Leon squatted down in front
of him and made him stand up. “Here,” he slid his pants up
and buttoned it.
“Daddy, did Axel wea his diapwer?” Aria said with a grin,
teasing the moody boy.
 “I am a big boy and I don't wear diapers. You wear, you
are even wearing one with your frock,” he puffed his cheeks
and ran out of the room.
“Axel!” Leon called after him. He shrugged his shoulders
and glanced at me with a sorry smile.
“Just moody I guess,” I let out a breath and let Aria down
on the floor.
Biscuits, her best friend by then, jumped down after her,
wagging his tiny tail. “Why don't you go check on your
brother?” I smiled.
“Cwome Biscuits,” she chirped. Aria and the puppy ran out
of the room as on the way, Leon teasingly grabbed her and
planted a kiss on her forehead, causing her to giggle.
“Don't dirty your clothes baby,” I yelled, while the two ran
off. Leon smiled with content and walked to me. “I was
thinking,” he plopped next to me on the bed, “How about
we go on a date? Just me and you. Leaving them with their
grandparents? It's been quite some time.”
I smiled inadvertently, gently picking up Aria's clothes and
folded them.
“You know, wherever we go, it will always feel incomplete
if those two aren't there,” I smiled gently. My fingers loosely
fondled over the soft baby fabrics as I felt Leon's arms
snuggling to hold my waist and lay his head on my shoulder.
“You are right about that. It will always feel incomplete
without them,” he closed his eyes and hugged me with a
feeling of comfort.
“Right. But let's go on dates too. We never went on a
bungee jumping date… Shouldn't we go to one?” I teased,
almost whispering the next moment, “Only me and you.”
He moved back and grinned widely. His lips gently pecked
my cheek. “Yeah I want to—”
“—Daddy! Aria ate my chocolate and now she is laughing
at me,” Axel's groaning voice echoed from the other room,
followed by his cry. I sighed and glanced at the door, on the
verge of standing up.
“Mommy!”
 “Mommy I didn't dwo anything!”
“—Wait, I'll see,” Leon firmed his hand over mine and
stood up. I let out a small sigh and nodded. “He's really
moody today,” I let out a small smile, “Be gentle with him.”
Leon smiled at me before pacing out.
Well… I took a deep breath and stood up, stretching my
arms widely. Let's go!
_
“Grandma!”
“Aria!”
Aria squealed in excitement as she ran into her Grandma's
arms.
“Grandma!” Axel called out with a big smile and ran
towards my mom.
“Hey, hey, here come my little devils!” Dad stepped out of
the farmhouse's lawn, with a hat on his head.
“Daddy!” I gleamed in the same excitement and ran
towards my father who already stood with his arms wide
open.
“I missed you so much daddy,” I hugged him and smiled
widely.
“How's my baby?” He smiled, gently caressing my hair as I
moved back.
“I'm good,” I beamed.
“Grandpa!” Both the excited kids hopped towards Dad,
wrapping their arms around his legs. I smiled and walked
back to my mom who quickly grabbed me in a big hug.
“How's my sweetheart?” She moved back and kissed my
forehead.
“I'm great,” I grinned.
“And where's Leon?” She asked.
“He's coming here with the rest of luggage,” I pouted,
“That driver stopped the taxi a little far.”
“And, he's here!” Leon remarked, walking in with two
heavy suitcases. “Good evening, mom! Good evening, dad,”
he grinned.
 “God bless you son,” Mom smiled and gently hugged him
and he walked to Dad to greet him.
“Okay, everyone. Freshen up, we'll enjoy our garden's
watermelon,” Mom grinned, opening the door to the big
villa.
“Yay,” Axel and Aria ran inside the house.
“Come on,” Mom chirped as Dad patted Leon's back,
eyeing us inside.
_
The sweet juice inadvertently dropped from the left corner
of my mouth as I took a big bite of a long watermelon slice,
playfully nagging at Aria and Axel who had already dropped
it over their shirts.
“A baby is shouting at babies,” my mom sat next to us,
smiling widely, as she handed me tissues.
I snickered and wiped the three of our faces. Immediately,
Axel squeaked in excitement. “Grandma, we will meet Griffin
tomorrow!” He grinned, squeezing my arm, “And we are
going to play a lot.”
“Griffin?” Mom glanced at me with a puzzled smile.
“Jazlyn's son,” I took a bite, while Leon joined us.
“Dad's coming, just checking on the plants,” he said shyly
and grabbed a slice of the watermelon.
“Jazlyn and Ash?” She asked and gave a slight pat on
Leon's back, as an acknowledgment. I nodded. “Then ask
them to visit us sometime. I always wanted to ask them for
dinner,” she said.
“Sure.”
“And what about Terrance and his daughter? How are
they? I met them last time at your wedding,” she took a bite
of the juicy fruit. I smiled hesitantly and glanced at Leon.
He still used to get disturbed if someone mentioned Lily or
Terrance. The fact that Lily was extremely close to me didn't
bother him as such. But he liked to keep it as minimal as
possible. Where Leon was concerned, he never touched
Lily's topic. He used to simply smile out of politeness
whenever I met her.
He never uttered anything about her and so I never asked.
“Terrance and Lily?” I half answered, half questioned.
“Sure,” I nodded, “I'll ask all my friends and you can call all
of them for dinner.”
“Sure, sure,” she smiled, picking up Aria and settling the
kid on her lap.
They conversed playfully as Axel joined them. I smiled
inadvertently at them, until my phone went off. Leon
reached for my phone, which was kept at his back, on a
small table. I glanced at him as he pulled out the charging
cord. But his face turned perplexed, with a tinge of
hesitation.
“What? Who's on it?” I questioned, standing up before
walking to him.
“Here,” he smiled awkwardly as he handed me the phone.
Noah
, the name read.
“Oh, this. I'm going out for some time. It's a friend,” I
smiled at a hesitant, yet smiley Leon and briskly sauntered
towards the door. Dad flashed me a small smile and gently
patted my shoulder as he walked inside the house and I
closed the door with a smile.
“Yo, bitch finally remembered me!?” Noah called out over
the phone.
“Yeah, yeah, I'm here in the countryside,” I snickered out
of embarrassment.
“Seriously? Your grandma's? And you are back in The
States? F- Oh sorry kids are around. But seriously, like when
and with how?”
“Mom and Dad stay here during summer vacation,” I
answered. The big metal door shut with a twang as I walked
out of the stoned pavement, away from the house, “So, I
came here with Leon and the kids. Summer vacays, you
know.”
“Oh, I see. Wanna meet? Nora said she wanted to see
you,” he said. Nora was his wife. I glanced up at the deep
violet sky that called the starry night in.
My footsteps took me to a small cliff-like structure, right
across the road.
“Of course, I miss the three of you,” I sighed with a
nostalgic smile, “Especially Jose—”
“–Boo!” Leon grabbed me in a sudden hug.
I flinched as I brought my phone down to turn to a
grinning Leon. “You almost gave me a heart attack,” I
scoffed.
“
Almost
.”
I glared at him playfully and brought the phone back to
my ear. “Yeah, Noah,” I called out.
“Who was it?” he questioned, letting out a small chuckle.
“Leon,” I answered as I glanced at him.
“Oh..” He let out.
“Hm..”
“Okay, then. Since you are here now, I'll send you the
address. Meet me soon,” he conversed.
“Yes, we'll meet soon, don't worry. And I have to go, see
you soon,” I smiled.
“Okay, okay! Take care and say my regards to your
husband.”
I let out a small laugh. Even though I was still a bit mad
about the fact that he never told me he had shifted to New
York years back. I always believed he was still in Brookville
until I got the chance to meet him at my wedding. His
reason was that he wanted to surprise me and he wanted to
stay low-key for a while. Done
, I felt.
I whispered a small bye, finally bringing the phone down. I
realised the call had ended already.
A fresh night air filled up my lungs.
“So dear husband,” I turned around, pressing the phone
into the jean's pocket. But emptiness occupied the area.
“Wait.. Leon?” I called out, as my brows knitted together.
I glanced at other sides but he was nowhere in sight.
“Leon, where are you?” I called out. Everywhere I averted
my gaze, I could only see the vast stretches of land and a
deadly silence. Except for the sounds of the crashing waves
at my back.
That lake
.
I scurried closer to the small cliff and peeped downwards,
where the land was covered with sand adjacent to a rustling
seashore. And well, Leon stood there, with hands buried in
his pockets, gazing at the endless water. You could call it a
tiny beach.
I smiled to myself and sauntered towards him, getting
down from a small set of stairs carved out of rocks.
“Leon,” I called out.
My arms tenderly grabbed him in a back hug.
He stayed put for a long time. My brows knit together as I
sensed a wave of silence among the soft rustling sea waves.
“Babe?” My murmurous voice cascaded through as I let go
of him and moved in front to look at him.
“Leon?” My brows knit together and a thump echoed in
my chest, “Why are you crying?” I wiped off the warm tears
on his face with my palms briskly. A small tired smile flashed
on his face. And without sparing a moment his arms
grabbed me in a hug.
My arms wrapped around his waist and my face laid
against his chest as he gently caressed my hair.
“Thanks for being here with me. I don't know what I would
have done without you...” he sniffed.
“My love,” I let out, rubbing his back, “I am here for a
reason.”
“Do you need to have a reason to be with me?” He
murmured. I smiled inadvertently and moved back.
“Idiot, we literally have two kids together. And we are
married for like five whole years. You are my Mr. Stranger.
And you are still asking for the reason!” I remarked. He let
out a fading smile and pressed our lips together.
“I know..” he whispered, “I was just kicking in some fun.”
I snickered and pecked his lips, teasing him as I wiped the
wetness off his face, “I know that, I was just kicking some
fun too. I don't need a reason to be with you.”
 He smiled at me as I observed his face.
“My baby's cute habit of getting lost in my eyes will never
go away right?” He teased, pulling me closer to him by my
waist.
I let out a hesitant smile.
“Is the theory of lookalikes really true?” I faltered. My
arms wrapped around his neck as I peered at his confusing
face.
“Hm?” He questioned, perplexed. He took a long pause
before answering. “I'm a photography person so I don't
know much about science. But still hear me out...”
Photography.
“According to science, lookalikes do exist because there
might be some replication in genes. It's not necessary how
many of them exist because it's like one lookalike in one
trillion people
!”
“Ah,” I let out a sigh, “Is earth even at one trillion...”
He snickered and tightened his arms. “Well that look alike
thing goes for the exact photocopy kind of person, aside
from identical twins. But yeah there can be a little bit of
similarities here and there even between normal persons,”
he explained.
I simply pouted and gazed at his features.
Uncountable thoughts swirled in my mind that all of them
singled out to be zero and my head went blank.
“Why, though? All of a sudden?” He asked with a confused
smile.
I bit my lower lip and took a deep breath. “Nothing. Really
nothing,” my lips curled into a small brooding smile.
He smiled and pecked my lips.
“Tomorrow before we drive to New York, are you free?” He
asked.
“Yeah, we'll go in the evening, I'm free before that,” I
answered.
“Good! I want you to meet someone,” he implored.
“Who?”
“Someone you will love to meet,” he smiled.
 “Really? Who could that be? And that too, in Brookville?
Do you have friends or family here?” I asked.
He pulled me closer by my waist, “I won't tell you that. It
might kill the suspense. You'll see it tomorrow.”
“Really?” An excited grin spread over my face.
He nodded with a big beam and pecked my lips.
“Oh, babe,” I looked into his eyes, “When we'll be in New
York, I want you to meet a friend, Noah.”
“Noah…? The one who sang like some romeo at our
wedding, isn't it?”
“Yeah,” I muffled a laugh, “Well he worked really hard on
that song. Working for an intelligence agency is no joke.
Poor guy took out a lot of time for that song.”
I caught him staring
  at me blankly. And even after I
finished my sentence he was, as if, lost.
I slowly moved closer to his lips in an attempt to tease
him, which caused him to shake his head and flinch back
slightly. But in the heat of the moment, he tripped on his
heel and… I waited for the worst.
My eyes squinted and I gripped on his shirt, almost
cursing.
Fortunately his arms held me tightly, but we landed on the
sand. Without any injuries.
“Are you okay?” I questioned, glancing at him. My body lay
on his. Waist firmed tightly with his arms.
“Y-yeah yeah I'm okay..” He groaned slightly, rubbing his
hand on his buttcheek.
“Sorry I was just going to kiss you,” I uttered and tried to
move back. But he grabbed my arms and pulled me under
him, hovering himself on me.
“What are you doing? Someone will see us,” I whispered.
A blush spread across my face as I gazed into his deep eyes.
My own voice, his familiar eyes and the old environment
pulled me into a chain of thoughts.
“Pretty, isn't it?” I questioned, as a wide smile flashed on
my serene face.
 “You like the night a lot?” Joseph asked, firming his
entwined hand between mine. I looked at him and smiled
gently.
“I love it. Especially stars. Watching it at night, cuddling
under the night sky, talking endlessly about random things,
eventually getting serious about topics like the shape of a
snowflake… Isn't it quite romantic?” I suggested.
His warm breath brushed against my face as he pecked
my cheek, “It is! And we can do more stargazing while I'm
here.”
My smile slightly curved to a frown. Yes, he would go soon.
“Hey,” he called out.
I flinched due to the sudden spacing out and took a step
back. Too bad because I stumbled upon my own feet. My
eyes shut tightly as I was about to feel the pain of falling
down. But Joseph's arms clutched my waist tightly, causing
both of us to stumble even more and crash on the soft sand.
“Ugh,” I groaned in pain, getting off him. “Are you okay?”
He squinted his eyes and rubbed his butt as he sat up
straight beside me. “Joseph, are you hurt?” I questioned
again, rubbing his shoulder.
He let out a sigh and glanced at me. I bit my bottom lip
and just peered at him, hesitantly. He pulled my arm and
made me sit on his lap. “Joseph—” I defended.
“Ssh, I'm okay just lemme kiss you like this,” he whispered
and closed the gap between our lips.
“I, Leon Weston present you my wife getting lost in my
eyes part number ninety million, seventy thousand–”
Oof, I did it again.
“Mhm,” I nudged his chest and pouted.
“Not saying anything wrong,” he shrugged with a snicker
as he got off me, “C'mon, our kids might have turned mom
and dad into professional athletes by now.”
I let out a deep breath and laughed as I got up after him.
He smiled and entwined our hands together. And we
ambled our way, hand in hand, gently swinging our arms
back and forth like two highschool sweethearts.
I stole a peek at him.
Leon Weston
.
 Twenty-three
Flashback
Skye was fifteen.

A
 beige cardigan completed my outfit. I threw my backpack
on and hastened out of the room. “Come quick,” my mother,
dressed in a formal business suit, along with my dad,
escorted me out as she locked the door behind me.
“Here are the keys,” she smiled at me, “Take care of
yourself, okay? And don't trouble your grandparents.”
“Hey, she's a good girl,” Dad interjected, caressing my
hair.
I grinned sheepishly and took the keys.
“Okay, listen now, we'll be leaving the airport in an hour or
so, I'll call you once before boarding the flight,” Mom
explained. I nodded with an excited smile. I could have gone
with them to France for their work since it was my summer
break, but nothing was more fun to me than living at my
Grandparents' countryside villa for the whole two months.
“So take care of yourself okay—” she asked.
“—She's fifteen, she can take care of herself!” It was
Grandma's voice. I heard the roar of the engine, causing a
big beam on my face as it indicated that Grandpa and
Grandma were there to pick me up from the bustling city.
Yes!
“Grandma! Grandpa!” I turned around, smiling widely. I
ran towards their SUV as they grinned at me.
 “Slow down,” Dad called out from behind. Their footsteps
followed mine. I ran and gave Grandma a big hug. My
anticipation touched its peak because firstly their farmhouse
was extremely beautiful and secondly I never got to spend
time with them as I pleased. As an only child, I loved the
company of kids and elders.
That was the third time I was visiting their house. The
other times I met them was always when they visited the
city, because they had to handle a lot of orders and
business related things from customers. After a brief
exchange of hugs, playful nags and assurance from my
parents, I bid them bye.
My heart palpitated. That kind of excitement was obvious
from a fun loving and bubbly person like me. I couldn't wait
to explore something so new.
But my senses could never imagine that the visit was
going to change me forever. Someone would turn my heart
inside out. Erode all the faith I had in love. Cause me to kiss
a Stranger in a hospital.
Sincerity and emotions? Didn't really exist after that.
_
“Grandma, everytime I visit here, it looks new,” I said as I
dragged the suitcase all the way to the big elegant metal
gate. Roughly five hours later we had reached Brookville.
“Because, honey, you've been in Brookville only twice,”
she shooted. I stopped at the gate and grinned looking at
her, “Yeah, true.”
“Wanna join me while I go fishing?” Grandpa interjected
from the car.
He pulled out the remaining travel bags, allowing me to
catch a glimpse of the fishing rods, perfectly polished and
shiny. He was extremely passionate about fishing.
“Sure! Then I'll keep these bags inside and then go with
you,” I answered.
“Alright, I'll be waiting here, come quick,” he called.
 I flashed him a smile. My grandmother and I took the bags
inside to my room which apparently used to be my mom's,
when she was a teenager. Grandma closed the door behind
me as a calm smile flashed on my face after sighting the
freshly made bed and a lovely view outside the window.
I tucked the suitcases to the side and jostled out of the
house in excitement.
“Get in,” Grandpa exclaimed. I hopped inside the car,
flashing Grandma a thumbs up.
“Be careful, okay? Don't go on walking here and there.
Stay where Grandpa does,” she implored. I flashed her a
thumbs up again and nodded intently.
_
“Does it take this much to catch a fish?” I mumbled,
rocking my chair back and forth. Grandpa had been sitting
nearly for fifteen minutes listening to a classical melody,
totally chilled and unbothered. But that was the worst
fifteen minutes for an antsy teenager like me who loved to
get in trouble and do something reckless.
“Yes sweetheart, isn't it great though? We will eat grilled
salmon today,” he looked at me through his reading glasses
and straightened his crinkled newspaper.
“You think you will catch a salmon?” I asked. A brooding
expression took over my face and I leaned back on the
fishing chair.
He glanced at me and laughed. “Someone is so bored,” he
said.
I nodded with a pout.
“Why don't you go and take a little walk? Don't go too far
and remember the path you take,” he asked. I sprang off my
chair in an instant.
“Sure. And I will come back here soon,” I beamed.
He laughed and nodded at my undaunted eagerness.
“Great!” I exclaimed in a low voice and waved at him. He
smiled and waved back.
 I smiled to myself and walked far from the small lake he
had been fishing at. I followed a rocky path carved right
between the mushy evergreen trees.
Dried leaves crumpled under my feet as my curious eyes
caught a glimpse of the semi-hidden sunflower garden. My
footsteps hastened, matching the pace to the rhythms of
my eager heart. I walked faster, until I could see a vast
stretch of sunflower and rose plants all over a big hectare of
soil.
Wow.
Heavens did exist on earth.
Grandpa could have told me we had something like this
near us.
“Wow,” I let out and walked to a delicate white rose. The
row next to the white rose's one was, that of sunflowers. So
the two flowers' patches were divided by a rope fence. I
lunged down to touch both of them. Batch of roses on my
left and sunflowers on my right.
Beauty couldn't be defined. It was in the eyes of the
beholder. A person's perspective decided what they wanted
to feel. Someone must have thought the roses were prettier,
while for some the sunflowers must have been. And it could
change. One day you could love sunflowers but the next day
fall in love with roses, like he did. Like beauty, love had no
rules or definition either. What you loved depended on how
you wanted to feel.
But again, roses or sunflowers, each one was pretty on its
own. Just like a mellifluous laugh I heard across the garden. I
stood upright and my footsteps faltered.
“Hey, Coco, no running! C'mon I made this with so much
hard work—hey!”
It was a boy's voice, followed by musings of a cat, and
then some playful shouts. I could feel a gush of adrenaline.
Something about that voice was soothing. I did not waste
my time contemplating.
I prowled towards the bush that hid the voices.
 “So you really don't value this. Okay–okay stay still, right
there,” the boy called out again. I quietly cleared off the big
leaves which hid the sight.
A grin plastered on my lips. There stood a bigger and
much more beautiful sunflower and rose garden. The boy
who sat on the soft green hued grass with his back facing
me, clicked pictures of a cat, probably named Coco, who
had a cute yet huge sunflower garland for her head.
“You are pretty, Coco, but these sunflowers? I might give
these to someone else. Someone prettier than you,” he
mumbled. A girlfriend?
Skye…
I looked like a stalker, staring at both of them. I took a
step back while his fingers snapped to picture the cat.
“Nice, huh?” He murmured but as soon as he brought his
camera down, the rebellious cat ran away. I chuckled but
muffled it by biting my bottom lip.
The boy's back rose up and down with a deep exhale as
he stood up. I flinched, letting go of the bush. My cheeks
flushed. A rustling of grass followed by some sighs and
groans, echoed across the place. I moved back and turned
around. But my curiosity did not let me.
The sounds silenced and I could hear his footsteps
receding.
A few moments later, making sure he was gone, I prowled
towards the bush and brushed aside the interjecting leaves
to make my way. A polaroid of the cat and next to it the
garland lay on the damp grass. The polaroid was way too
pretty to be left out. I pouted and crouched in front of it.
Picking it up, I flipped to its back.
“Dear, whoever is going to see this,
I know it's a little big in size but you can wear this garland
since my cat did not value it a bit. Made with a lot of love.
~Love J.”
J? He wrote it on the back of the photograph. Must have
been his name.
 I chuckled and picked it up, cautiously adjusting it around
my mane. Although it was big in size, it still looked pretty. I
gently tucked the polaroid in my cardigan and prepared to
leave.
_
“Tuna was delicious,” I grinned at Grandma and patted my
hands dry.
“And the fact that your Grandpa couldn't catch salmon so
we had to eat canned tuna,” Grandma teased. Grandpa was
out for a walk so he couldn't hear us gossip.
I walked to the kitchen door, stretching my arms widely.
“He will surely catch one next time,” I giggled, “But let me
sleep now I am so tired.”
“Sure,” she smiled, “Take a good sleep my baby and don't
lock the door, I'll check up on you later.”
I nodded fervently and scurried upstairs.
I ho-hummed a song as I removed the cardigan. The
incident caught my attention. The sunflowers had already
started to lose their colours to a deep brown so I had soaked
them in water downstairs an hour ago. But the polaroid still
rested in my pocket.
Then an idea struck me. Letter back.
_
My eyes blinked open gently and I stretched my arms with
a big yawn. Sunlight escaped the draping folds of the
curtains and the room was at the perfect temperature where
you would just want to snuggle more and more into your
soft blankets.
But I had to wake up. And it was already eleven past
fifteen.
After a small hustle, I stood ready for the day. I ambled
towards the kitchen, where the scrumptious smell of the
breakfast filled my curiosity up. Grandmothers' home
cooked food had always been the best.
“Good morning, Gran,” I greeted. The tables had already
been set for three with empty plates and cutlery.
 “Good morning honey,” she smiled, setting a bowl of salad
in between the table, “I was about to wake you up. Now I'll
show you how I make the sandwiches.” I loved it when she
used to pass on her tips and recipes randomly.
“Sure,” I hopped towards her, “By the way, where's
Grandpa?”
“He's gone for work,” she answered as she flipped the egg
on the fry pan.
I glanced back at the table, “Oh, then why do we have
three plates here?”
“I forgot to tell you. Somebody is going to join us for
breakfast. Let him come, I'll introduce you to him then–” she
answered but the sound of the doorbell grasped our
attention.
A gentle grin spread across her face and she signalled me
towards the door. I nodded with a perplexed glance and
hastened towards the door.
My hands grappled on the doorknob.
It could have been anyone, from some neighbour to
grandma's friend or some acquaintance. I cleared my throat
and flipped my hair back as I opened the door.
I was tongue tied for a few seconds. The boy's soft brown
hair gently flew from the air outside the door, messing up
his already messy hair. His lips gently curved into a hesitant
heart shaped grin. He straightened his leather jacket and
swung the bag he was carrying on the crook of his left arm.
J.
“Joseph Rhodes,” he smiled and reached out his hand to
me.
Heartbeat please slow down.
I cleared my throat and smiled.
“And you are, Skye?” He asked, “Grandma told me that
you would come here.”
“Yeah, I'm Skye. You are grandma's friend or my long lost
cousin or something?” I grinned. I gently shook his hand. He
glanced down with a shy snicker.
 “No,” he gazed at me, “I'm just your grandparents'
neighbour.”
“Oh, get in. She is expecting you,” I smiled and awkwardly
pulled my hand back.
He grinned, already removing his shoes and sauntered
past me. My eyes caught a black shiny motorbike in front of
the metal gate. “Hot.”
“The sky looks pretty today,” a murmurous voice
cascaded by my ear, giving my body a chill.
“Well, yeah. I was talking about the bike. The hot thing.
It's yours?” I tried to sound as confident as possible.
“Hm, the latest model,” he boasted.
“And your parents allow you to ride this? I don't think you
are eighteen,” I averted my eyes to him. His strapping body
was extremely close to me.
“Okay, first of all, I will turn eighteen in a few weeks. And
next that I don't have parents,” he stated.
“Oh… I'm sorry about your par—” I mumbled, turning to
face him.
“–Uh, no it's not like they are dead. They just live
somewhere else and I don't keep any strong relations with
them whatsoever,” he interjected.
I shook my head with a shrug. “Whatever we must go
inside,” I pursed my lips together, closing the door and
walking towards the kitchen with Joseph following me.
“Grand—” I was shortly cut off.
“Good morning Grandma!” Joseph greeted.
He set his little bag aside on a corner table and walked to
her. “Need help?”
“No, honey, nothing. Just make yourself home,” she
smiled as she set some dishes on the table. “You met my
granddaughter?” Grandma was treating him like her own
grandson. I puffed my cheeks with a tiny pout.
“I did,” Joseph answered and flashed me a smile.
“Skye, you might be wondering who he is? He—” Grandma
asked me.
“He told me that he is our neighbour,” I shrugged.
 “Only this Joseph?” She fixed her glasses and pouted, “You
still think of me and grandpa as your neighbours?”
He shyly snickered and shook his head in a no.
“I just–” he said, but grandma cut his words off.
“-No, Skye is like my own grandson. Such a good and
sweet boy. We have breakfast together every morning. You
have been here rarely so you don't know about him but he
actually lives next door all alone without any parents so I
feel like keeping him with me and grandpa whenever
possible,” she blurted out without giving us a chance to
speak.
Joseph stood leaning against the fridge, trying to bite back
his chuckle.
I nodded, muffling a snicker. “So you don't have dinner
and lunch with us?” I looked at Joseph.
“Yeah since I have lunch at school and I don't really have
dinner, so yeah,” he answered.
“I see,” I mumbled as I finally took my chair for the set
table while Joseph and Grandma sat down. I happened to
catch a glimpse of his bag.
“You are going to school now?” I questioned, after stuffing
a bite of sandwich.
“No, not school, it's summer break. I am actually going to
a summer class sort of thing. You know they have free
programs related to the arts and anyone can enrol there so
it will help me with my photography,” he answered.
He stuffed his cheeks with a big bite, making his face look
chubby and cute.
No, Skye, no.
“Why don't you go there too?” Grandma interjected, “If
they teach sketching and art you should go there too. Learn
something good while you are here.”
“Yeah, you sketch really well,” he beamed.
My brows knit together and I glanced at him with a smile,
“How do you know?”
He pressed his lips with a smile and beamed towards
Grandma. “Yeah, yeah,” grandma nodded, “I've told him a
lot about you. I've shown him the art postcards you always
send me.”
My heart somehow did a barrel roll. C'mon being praised
by someone attractive and getting attention for your
talents, I couldn't deny it. Though I was surprised because I
never thought that she and Joseph would be really close, to
the point that she would talk to him about her
granddaughter's hobbies.
“Well,” my fingers fondled with the fork I was holding, “If
they teach sketching I must sign up too...”
“Of course. Joseph will take you there,” Grandma said.
Were they that close? That she could trust her
Granddaughter with him?
“Yeah since it is just a few minutes away and I have a bike.
You can go there, check if you like it and if you want to study
then can we go there everyday on my bike?”
“Exactly, I can trust you with him, he is a good boy,” she
smiled, taking a bite of her food.
“Okay, I will go since I love art. I will,” I nodded, already
making a list of things in my head I was going to need. The
boy grinned at me. And my insides did a flip flop. No Skye,
don't be crazy over a guy you just met. He might have been
worthy of my attention, but I didn't give him that yet.
_
“Take care sweetie and if you need something then call
me, okay?” Grandma assured me for the umpteenth time.
I nodded and quickly put on the cross body bag.
The off shoulder dress I wore had made Joseph stare at me
for a while but honestly, I did not care. I had a simple rule in
life. I would wear what I wanted to wear, wherever I wanted
to wear. What someone else thought of me was none of my
business.
“Ready?” Joseph started his shiny black motor bike.
I would wear a leather jacket next time, matching the one
he was wearing, I decided. I nodded and waved at Grandma.
“Just be okay,” Grandma smiled.
 I nodded with a small smile. She patted my back as I
plopped behind Joseph, maintaining some inches between
us. My hands inadvertently clutched onto his shoulders for
support.
“Are you comfortable?” He questioned, looking at me
through the rear view mirror.
“Yeah..” I let out an excited exhale. I waved at grandma
once again before we took off.
I couldn't talk because it was awkward and my hands were
struggling to hold him tighter as the position I sat on was
audacious. Like riding on a full speed bike, without a helmet
and having almost nothing to hold for support, if it wasn't
dangerous, then what was?
“Your bike is cool, wanna give me a ride sometime at
night? It will be fun.”
My voice was barely audible because of the air.
“Yeah? Sure I'll give you a lot of rides,” he practically
yelled.
I grinned sheepishly while maintaining my hold on his
shoulders. “If you feel uncomfortable you can hold me by
the waist.”
“Y—yeah I will,” I hesitantly curled my arms around his
waist because if I had continued to hold his shoulders, I
might have probably fallen down. The speed fastened.
“Joseph, slow down! We don't even have a helmet,” I
yelled.
“No, I won't,” he yelled back, totally straightforward and
the bike took a turn, “I always ride it this way. Don't worry.”
My arms and torso were practically glued to his back, no,
to his jacket. Because my stubborn mind never wanted to
believe that I was hugging him.
“Damn you,” I cursed under my breath and hugged him
tightly.
_
The torturous ride ended and I was standing in front of the
bustling art school, brushing my hair with my fingers to put
them back in a presentable shape.
“So,” he stepped next to me, “There is the office on the
ground floor, Grandma gave you the necessary stuff so go
enrol, I'm going to my class.”
Seriously.
“Wait a second? I'll get lost like this. I don't know this
place,” I give him an irritated laugh.
“So now I have to babysit you?”
“Firstly, I'm not a baby and second, I need help, not you!” I
rolled my eyes.
He shrugged and led his arm to the front, pointing his
hand towards me. “What?” I scoffed.
“Hold it or you will get lost,” he murmured.
As if I was going to do it.
“I don't need your hand,” I stated.
“But I need to hold yours otherwise when I'll return back
without grandma's sweetheart she will kick me out of this
city and I don't have a home except Brookville. So...” he
murmured, giving me a shrug.
Jerks. Cute jerks like him always did something wrong
when they were acting sweet. Skye, why are you this
cynical?
“Miss Sweetheart won't you hold this? It's aching–” he had
not finished his sentence when he started to make weird
irritating noises. I playfully rolled my eyes and held his hand
while muffling a snicker. He grinned at me.
I puffed out a breath.
“Shall we go then?” He questioned.
“Oh, seriously? I thought we would be making a tent here
to spend the day,” my eyes widened, trying to act.
“I don't have a problem doing that,” Joseph bit on his
bottom lip, “Let's go and buy a tent, then. What are we even
doing in front of a school? Let's just go camping.”
“Well—” I tried to muffle my laugh with a serious face, but
someone, no, something cut me off. The flickering white
light of a camera flashed off and behind it I could sense a
giggle.
 “Wow, bro, I need a party with your literally first
girlfriend,” the guy with bangs who took our photograph,
grinned.
I glanced at Joseph dramatically. “You never had a
girlfriend before?”
I could feel him internally slapping himself. He had to take
that for torturing me on the ride before. He rolled his eyes
and opened his mouth to speak but the coconut hairstyle
guy cut Joseph off.
“—I'll give a copy of this photo to you both too,” he
grinned.
“Sure, since this is our first picture together, but don't you
dare do anything else with this,” I played along, causing
Joseph to widen his eyes and look at me.
“Sure,” the coconut guy grinned at us before turning to
Joseph, “I wanna know more.” With a grin he ambled away
into the school building.
Joseph sighed, “The whole school will know now. That guy
who clicked our photo is like the news reporter of our school.
God, what did I get myself into!”
Um, maybe I messed up?
“Okay… sorry?” I gently pulled my hand back and pressed
my lips into a hesitant smile.
He pulled in a long breath and entwined our hands
together. “But it was fun,” he smirked.
My eyes darted in his, astonished.
“Wanna play pretend? Let's get back on that guy,” he
quirked a brow and moved a little closer.
“Like how?” I smirked, already agreeing to him in my
head.
He inched even closer and I realised our noses were just
inches apart. My eyes closed gently as he kissed my cheek.
“Joseph!?” I pursed my lips together, flustered yet
confused.
“Ssh, he beat me at Mario Kart last month and I still have
to get back at him,” he whispered.
“Are you seriously doing this for a game?” I almost yelled.
 “Yeah, because when he won he said that I lost because I
never had a girlfriend. Weird logic but I think it's true,” he
rolled his eyes.
“Wait, so you really never had any girlfriend before?” I
teased, muffling my amused snicker.
He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.
Talk, Joseph, don't kill.
“Yeah,” he nodded and I could already feel myself
breaking into a laugh.
“But,” he asserted, moving closer and gripping my
shoulders. It caused my laugh to fade for a second and
glance at his darkly mischievous eyes, “Don't think I'll ever
mean what I do with you.”
I gazed at him with a raised brow.
“Mr. Rhodes,” I moved closer, “I am not going to let you
do anything to me.”
He let out a pissed off smirk. Achievement. I smirked
roguishly and turned away to go.
“Uh, huh,” he pulled me back by my hand, “Be patient
princess, let me accompany you.”
I rolled my eyes, “We literally met some two hours ago,
idiot. Don't call me princess too soon.”
He blinked his eyes a few times and shrugged his
shoulders.
“Can we go now?” I asked, swinging our entwined hands
back and forth. “Is my flirting a joke to you?” He questioned
as a displeased smile etched onto his face.
“We are literally flirting now..” I murmured.
He pouted, shrugging, “You're crazy.” My insides were
carelessly enjoying the openness we had between us.
“And you are an all time idiot,” I stuck my tongue out to
him, muffling my smile. He stuck out his tongue and rolled
his eyes at me.
_
“Text me when your classes end,” Joseph stood in front of
me as he dropped me to my first class and practically
showed me the other two classes I was to have, on the way,
so that he wouldn't waste his precious time, showing me
around.
“Yeah whatever.”
“Go inside then,” he murmured.
I shooted my eyes towards our entangled hands. He gave
me a smirk and pecked my cheek.
“What are you such a piece of—” I whispered but then a
familiar voice cut us off.
“Guys I know being in a relationship is good but kinda hold
yourself, we are still in school,” the coconut-like guy came
back, flashing me a shy grin. And I took my chance.
I smiled and pulled my hand back. Somehow my heart was
beating fast. “Yeah baby you must be late now, go ahead I'll
text you when class ends.”
Joseph let out a hesitant smile and took a step back. I
wouldn't let him go that easily.
“Joseph,” I called out and stepped closer to him.
“What?” He grinned nervously.
I smirked and curled my arm around his waist and the
other rested on his chest. I leaned closer and slightly rose
on my toes, towards his ear, to create an impression as if I
was about to kiss him.
“Don't you dare take this fake relationship shit any longer
and control that coconut hairstyle guy,” I whispered and
moved back, kissing his cheek, on the way back to face him.
I smirked and waved at a blank Joseph before turning
away.
The coconut guy had been staring at me and Joseph, but
then he followed me inside the class.
“Hi?” I finally turned towards him and phrased as I caught
him smiling at me.
“Noah Smith,” he led his hand in front.
“Nice to meet you, Noah, you can call me Skye!” I smiled.
“Sure,” he grinned.
“Wanna sit together? I don't know anyone here,” I looked
up at him.
He nodded.
 Twenty-four

T
hat was how we became friends. It had been a week since
I met Noah and shortly after, a nice girl named Nora was
added to our small circle of friends. Joseph did not do
anything else than kissing my cheeks from time to time and
I did the same to tease him. But as far as this went, Joseph
became a really great friend, alongwith Noah and Nora.
Though we both were never short on teasing and being
playful with each other.
“So what's for tonight? Are you both joining us?” Noah
asked as we four walked out of the school.
“I will surely,” Joseph said, “Ask this crazy girl yourself.
She might think I am a secret killer or something.” He, the
most irritating 'he', pointed his finger at me and rolled his
eyes.
I rolled my eyes with a displeased look. “If grandma
allows,” I shrugged, “You don't need to ask this idiot
anything.”
“Your grandma should allow,” Nora smiled.
“Yeah she should—” I had not finished my sentence, when
Joseph's phone rang.
“Continue without me,” he seemed hesitant. He quickly
paced far from us as he took the call. Even though I paid
attention to Noah and Nora, I couldn't help but get curious
on how happy Joseph looked when he took the call. Could it
be a girl?
 “Hey, you can gaze at him afterwards,” Noah snapped his
fingers in front of me causing me to flinch after averting my
lost gaze from Joseph.
“Yeah. Sorry I was just thinking about some-”
“–Something?” Nora cut me off and intoned, teasingly,
“Aren't you curious? With whom he is talking to?”
I looked at them with a small gape.
“No princess, you are too bad at hiding. Let me tell you–”
she said curiously and took a step closer to me as if about to
say something confidential.
That was true. Both Noah and Nora had known Joseph
since they were schoolmates but I joined them for summer
classes.
“There's this girl who comes to meet Joseph, once every
month. She is really pretty, actually. Don't worry though,
Joseph told us earlier that she is his cousin,” she blurted out.
“Oh,” I pressed my lips together. But I was bothered.
“Oh, there!” In the heat of the moment Noah interjected.
Nora and I turned around to find a posh SUV parked on the
school gate, and Joseph standing in front of the door for the
person to come out. Something gave my stomach weird
churning feelings.
The door opened and a girl in quite casual attire stepped
out with a big smile. I couldn't study her features since I
 
stood far away, but she was beautiful. Even her

mahogany
hair, her average height, and her curvy figure were pretty.
There was something within me which found her to be
friendly and nice. Maybe because she was his cousin.
“What's her name again?” Noah emphasised.
“Jasmine? Jade?” He babbled and I couldn't help but
chuckle.
“Noah, she's Jazlyn. Jazlyn Weston. You always forget her
name,” Nora playfully smacked his arm.
“Oh, yeah! How can you remember that? He told us only
once...” Noah grinned.
 “Cause I don't live in video games,” Nora rolled her eyes
at him.
I shrugged, catching myself fazed while looking at Joseph
and Jazlyn.
“Hey,” Noah yelled. I realized that Joseph was pacing
towards us with a smile. I came back to my senses and
smiled at him.
“Your girlfriend was curious so we told her Jazlyn was your
cousin,” Nora remarked.
“Oh, no problem,” Joseph grinned.
First, I was not his girlfriend. Second, Joseph's 'no problem'
had a soothing effect on me. Soothing? It was. I couldn't
deny it. But it was not that I liked him. I found him attractive
and nothing else.
“Okay, let's go home. And both of you–” Noah snapped his
hand in front of us to get our undivided attention, “Come.
At. My. Party.”
I nodded intently, “Sure, I will try to convince grandma as
much as I can. She knows you and Nora by now.”
“Great,” Nora punched my shoulder excitedly. Noah smiled
after her, “So we're going now. See you at night.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Joseph grinned.
After a playful exchange of bye's and yes's, they both
went their way. I stood there with Joseph.
“Wanna go?” Joseph smirked, eyeing the bike. By that
moment, I had started to feel moody. His pretty cousin. In
fact that was the only thing which was bothering me and I
hated the fact more that I was being bothered by it.
I walked past him nonchalantly towards the bike and I
could hear his footsteps approaching me. And then another
thing took to irritate me. I turned around and glanced at
him.
“Why don't you wear a helmet? Don't try to look cool on a
bike. Your life is more important. Why don't you realize if
you get into an accident or something, nothing will mean
anymore,” I yelled. To make it even worse, my eyes sighted
a pack of cigarettes in his jacket. “And this,” I pulled out the
pack and flashed it before his eyes.
“Joseph, why do you risk your life like this! Do you think
your life is a joke!?” I admonished.
He took a deep breath and hung his head down, “What
does your life mean if you are not even living for yourself.”
He sighed and glanced at me, gently taking the pack of
cigarettes from my hand. “Come I'll drop you home,” he
murmured before plopping on the shiny motorbike.
My brows knit together as his dispirited figure started the
engine.
A displeased pouted curved on my lips and I took my seat
behind him, holding him firmly and laying my head against
his back.
He was quiet during the ride back home. He drove slower
than usual. And I couldn't talk about anything either.
He parked his bike in front of my house and I got off.
“Joseph–”
“–No need to bring that up. I don't want you to worry or
get involved in my life,” he cut me off, “It's not that I am
trying to be rude but that's because I don't want you to get
hurt because of me.”
“Okay, I understand but–” he did not let me finish my
sentence and went off with his bike, leaving me stranded in
front of the villa.
I sighed and walked inside the house. Getting big smiles
from Grandma and Grandpa despite my mood, I couldn't
help but smile back. They were seated in the cozy living
room, having their evening tea. A great mood.
“Gran, one of my friends has a party tonight and he
invited me. Can I go please? Joseph will be there too,” I
urged with big eager eyes. They glanced at each other and
then back at me. “So you made friends,” Grandpa took a sip
from his china cup. “Yeah,” I grinned.
“Where is your friend's house?” Grandpa asked.
“Joseph knows the exact place but it's not too far. In fact
it's just some streets away,” I bit my bottom lip hesitantly.
 “Joseph will be there with you?” Grandma placed the cup
of her tea on the saucer.
I nodded intently.
Grandpa fixed his glasses and glanced at me, “Back in the
house by ten.”
“Yes! I will,” I grinned widely, “I will ask Joseph to pick me
up after some time.”
_
I pouted and checked my unskilled makeup. The black off
shoulder turtleneck and the grey skirt matched the grey
sport shoes. I didn't bring any heels or fancy clothes. But I
realized I was quite resourceful.
I kept all the unused stuff back in the suitcase hurriedly.
Me: Hurry up I'm ready
Joseph: Baby, be patient. I'm getting down, just a minute.
Me: Not your baby
I smiled inadvertently and kept the phone in the crossbody
bag. I scurried down the stairs.
“You're going?” Grandma asked, “Is Joseph here?”
“Yeah, he's outside. I'll be back by ten.” I grinned.
“Take care and if you feel like getting back home, then
give me a call,” Grandpa smiled.
“I will!” I smiled before waving them bye.
I walked out of the main gate to find Joseph leaning
against his motorbike, smiling while looking at his phone
screen. The heavy metal gate shut tightly behind me and I
walked to him, causing him to keep his phone back in his
jean's pocket.
“Here,” he handed me a helmet.
My eyes widened in astonishment, “You bought these?”
“Hm, now wear it and get on,” he kept his face stolid as he
wore his, but I could sense his flustered cheeks.
I ignored my blushed cheeks and put it on me, fumbling
with the belts to hook it. “Give it to me,” he murmured and
gently took the small belts from my fingers.
 I pouted as he hooked it and adjusted the heavy top over
my head. “Good. Come get on,” he took his place on the
seat and smirked at me.
I almost bit my bottom lip in excitement and plopped
behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist.
“Ready, baby?” he asked.
“Yeah, I'm ready, baby,” I teased.
“Don't baby me,” he yelled, as he started the bike.
“But I will because you started it,” I grinned.
“Then bear with the consequences,” I could feel a smirk
arousing on his face.
“I absolutely can.”
_
 Wow and I thought this town was a peaceful place!” I
“
remarked.
Noah's massive house was full of people. From the pool to
the insides of the house, loud music and the smell of soft
fuzzy drinks filled up the entire place. His parents were
probably out of town. And there were all types of kids, from
fifteen and sixteen year old to eighteen and nineteen year
olds.
“Noah is never short on parties,” Joseph mumbled as he
entwined our hands together.
“Where do we even go?” I asked, glancing at practically
every part of the house.
“You're new so you don't know many people. Don't go
away from my side, you'll get lost,” he gazed at me.
I pouted and shrugged my shoulders, “I miss my actual
school anyway.”
“You like your school parties?” He asked as we started
strolling inside the house.
The music made it almost impossible to hear him. “Yeah I
have a lot of friends but here people look so reserved…They
—” I had not completed my sentence when a tipsy girl
bumped into Joseph.
 “Hey, Joseph! Wanna get a drink together. You are hanging
with the nobodies of the school, come–” the girl murmured,
her eyes already lush with wild fun and by her looks I
realized she might have probably been making out with
someone earlier.
“–Bitch hold up,” I said, tilting my head, “If you think you
are calling me a nobody then you are wrong.”
“Who did you just call a bitch?” She inched closer
“You,” I responded with a roguish smile.
She scoffed.
I knew what was going to happen next. She practically
tried to jump over me but I moved to the side, pushing
Joseph with me.
Thank God she did not fall. Instead of attacking me once
again, she tried to raise her arm but I stopped her by the
wrist.
“I'm asking you to politely fuck off,” I scoffed, jerking her
hand away. Maybe being tall had advantages. I felt strong in
front of that girl. She glared at me and muttered something
before jolting away.
I let out a breath with eyes widened in astonishment.
“What the fuck was that?” I let out and glanced at a jaw-
slacked Joseph.
“Don't look at me like that,” I defended. He snickered in
amusement and pulled me towards him by my waist. “After
all this, I feel like kissing you even more,” his eyes gazed
into mine.
I tried to give him a brooding look and a disgusted smile.
“Don't even try–”
I was cut off in a spur.
“–Yeah right! Nora and I were thinking about this.” Noah
and Nora showed up. He crossed his arms against his chest,
causing me to move back from Joseph's embrace.
“You both never kissed each other in front of us,
“Kiss and prove that you are a couple or I might publish
that photo in our yearbook,” he asserted with a curious grin.
 Fuck. If I kissed him then it was going to be my freakin
first kiss. Calm down Skye. What mattered was the last kiss
and last love not the first one. First times were common. It
didn't matter. Yeah it didn't,  I inhaled deeply.
“Oh, guys it's obvious. We will kiss when we will be in the
mood, c'mon,” Joseph murmured to please them.
“Yeah of course—” I responded, crossing my arms in front
of my chest.
“Nora how many copies did we—”
Well, I didn't want to lose. I took in a deep breath and
grabbed Joseph's collar. He clumsily grappled his arms on
my waist, almost bewildered by my behaviour. I was pushed
against the wall two inches behind me and all I could feel
was his deep gaze and my throbbing heartbeat.
His warm breath fumed against my face as I hesitantly
glanced at his eyes, not sure if he really wanted it too.
Because I did.
But the next moment, he gently cupped his hands over
my cheeks and brought his face closer. That was happening,
it was happening. I could still push him back, I could! And
just tell Noah that we were being—
Holy—
His soft lips landed over mine and my eyes shut gently. A
kiss felt so good.
I wanted to take it further. No, I couldn't, it was enough for
then.
He pulled back and hesitantly glanced at me before
turning towards Nora, a blushing mess, and Noah, who was
bewildered more than I was. Nora tried to muffle a chuckle
and dragged Noah away with her before whispering
something in his ear that caused his expressions to return to
normal.
I glanced at Joseph with a brooding look contoured on my
face… just to tease him.
“Okay, I'm sorry—” he moved closer but I did not let him
finish and started to walk out of the house, since we were
still in the exhilarating living room.
 “Skye,” he called my name while jogging towards me.
I tried to muffle my laugh and turned around with arms
crossed in front of my chest and put on a stern expression.
“I will really tell Noah the—”
“–I don't care about the truth. I care about my kiss and
you just took my first kiss. At least you could have made it
good but huh, how could you have-”
“-First kiss?” He came closer to my face and let out a
smirk.
I almost grumbled with a pout, “Yeah first kiss.” And
briskly I could feel his hands snake on my waist and pulled
me towards him. I gazed at his dark hazel eyes.
He glanced at me for some seconds but then pulled his
hands away and took a step back, the smirk fading, “Sorry,
I'll just tell Noah whatever it is...”
My brows knit together and I grabbed his hand, causing
him to turn around with a small displeased smile.
“What's with you?” I asked, “Are you upset in some way?”
“You will get hurt, Skye. If we get any closer–”
“Joseph,” I grabbed his hand, “Why do you always put up
this wall in front of you and never let someone be
comfortable with you. You act cool and ignore what's hurting
you. This is not the way. Just tell me whatever it is. I know I
act silly and immature too but atleast I say what I feel,
“But you just keep pulling that pain in with a smile and
never listen to anyone. You just keep on hurting yourself
without giving a chance to heal. That's not how it goes
Joseph.. Forget the kiss and shit. I just want to help you
because you are my friend, though for a short time but you
still are!”
His head was hung low and his hand tightly clutched on
mine. I thought I said too much. But I couldn't hold it in any
longer. I was itching to let it all out and let him know all that
I felt.
“Joseph—”
He cut me off as he sniffed back the tears. My heart felt a
sudden twitch.
 “Why are you–”
“–Skye, help me. If you want to help me then teach me
how to live. I don't know what I'm liv-” I couldn't let him
finish and I briskly wiped off the tears from his face.
“Don't cry. I will help you,” I smiled.
He sniffed and smiled back, “The reason I don't want us to
get close is because I'll go abroad soon. In a month or so.
My mom wants to send me there before my father makes
me stay here. I don't know what's wrong. I don't know… but
it feels like something bad will happen. Really bad. I just
can't put my finger on it. And I'm sorry that I am dragging
you into this.”
“You will go?” I looked into his eyes.
“I'm sorry, I shouldn't have started this.”
I felt a strong wave of silence in my chest, just something
so blank and so dull. “Well,” I said, “Don't be sorry. When
you love someone, their pain becomes yours. And it's a
good one. Because you can help them. So even for a short
time, I can help you. You are my friend.”
“Love?” A small grin curved on his lips,  “Miss Skye, I did
not know that you would fall for that.”
I scoffed and flipped my hair back, “I don't know what love
is. Maybe I'm just referring to being friends, it's just as cool.”
He stood there smiling.
I cleared my throat, “Do you wanna leave this party? It's
not interesting anymore.”
He shook his head with a slight smirk, “Sure, I'll text Noah
then.”
Don't do that to my heart, I said to him, but inside my
head
He pulled out his phone and typed something before
hurling it in his tight leather jeans back. “Let's go baby,” he
smiled and entwined our hands together.
“My heart is really mushy sometimes. Don't keep saying
all that. I can't keep up with it,” I pouted and glanced down.
He pulled me closer by my waist, causing my arms to
wrap around his neck. What did we become, Joseph? I
refrained from facepalming myself.
“Look, it's coming from the girl who teased me in front of
everyone that day in the hallway.”
I pursed my lips with a gleam of embarrassment and gave
him a nod. “Yeah I think I'm really the type to make best
friends and then fall in love with them,” I grinned, “You
know, I might be like ice but when it's the right person.. I
melt and just keep on melting. Until they put me back in the
freezing situation. I might cringe if I were to say this in front
of someone else but,
“But I don't, in front of you because it feels as if it's okay
to feel this feeling. It's okay to feel love. Love is just a
deeper friendship anyway!”
My smile faded and I pulled my hands back, gently resting
them on his arms, “But maybe I don't want this because I
know we will end up getting hurt. Because you don't want to
fall in love.”
He held my waist even tighter and tilted his head, “I might
have asked you not to get closer to me but I never said that
I don't want to fall in love.”
“But that means the same. You don't want me closer to
you because you are afraid that one of us will end up hurt,” I
sighed.
“Woah,” he grinned, “Can you read my mind? Then tell me
is there a way we don't get hurt?”
I glanced down and then back at him with a calm smile
and nodded my head, “It's not. I guess—love is nothing
without getting hurt. If we don't hurt each other, someone
else will.”
“Oh, God,” he hit his chest with his palm and made an
expression of getting hurt, “Are you planning my murder by
these words?”
I snickered and glanced at a side, hopelessly.
“Look here,” he let go of my waist and gently cupped my
face.
I did as he said. “At least let me make your first kiss
better,” he whispered.
 “Seriously?”
“Yeah, also,” he came closer, extremely close to my lips,
“Let's fall in love.” Without letting me comprehend anything
he gently joined our lips together.
My eyes shut and my hands tenderly clutched onto his
arms. His lips were so sweet, exploring my unexplored ones.
A kiss was good. You could touch his face, feel what he was
feeling and just stop and relax. You could love. Wasn't I too
young to know what love was? Maybe that was the special
thing about a first love or a childhood love. You loved with
all that you had, loved without an end result.
He gently pulled back and gazed in my eyes with a smile,
“Let's be in love, get hurt, feel the pain and then fall in
love again.”
_
 Don't you think he expects us to do more than we
“
actually can?” Noah murmured, scribbling a small flower in
his sketchbook.
“Yeah,” I sighed, sketching small lines to complete my
miniature model of a living room, “He might expect us to
become Picasso by the end of this summer. So optimistic.”
Noah snickered and peeked at my book, “You like this
architectural style of sketching?”
“Yeah!” I gave him a nod, “I really like it. I've been
thinking about taking this as my career but I don't yet
know.”
“Yeah, everyone will get their shit right at one point in
their life. We should not worry about it too much,” he
shrugged and continued with his sketch. That was true.
I continued with my sketching but then I realized Noah
had spaced out while scribbling his pen in circular motion on
the book.
“Thinking about something?” I gently tapped his shoulder
with my pencil.
“Yeah,” he leaned back on his chair and looked at me,
“This architectural stuff reminds me of Joseph.”
 “Meaning?” My eyes darted at him perplexed.
“Meaning that he… He will,” Noah paused and glanced at
me, “Skye I trust you when I say this.”
My eyes slightly widened in curiosity, “Yes, of course you
can.”
He leaned back again, letting out a sigh and nodded, “I
mean, look, Joseph is a heir of his father's architectural firm
but he says in turn that there is someone else to take his
place and that he wants to go abroad after his studies. I
mean who would leave like this? He can have a whole
profitable job and here I am struggling to find a career.”
Not to sound dramatic, but I was amused. “So, you are
telling me he has a whole company to himself and he wants
to skip?” I asked.
“Yeah! But to be honest… It's not as good as it seems, you
know it's a dirty game.” he let out.
Game?
“Actually,” he spoke up after sensing my silence, “Joseph's
mother was his dad's ex-wife. His father married again.
Apparently, the company was his grandfather's from his
mother's side. His mother and father got married and stuff.
And now his dad is a major shareholder and the chairman.
He somehow betrayed Joseph's mother to have more power.
Rhodes is Joseph's last name because his mother took his
custody after their divorce,
“I don't know his father's last name… but maybe it could
be 'Weston', because of her cousin Jazlyn Weston who
comes to meet her once in a while. Get this?”
I blinked a few times, trying to comprehend the story, as I
leaned back against the chair.
“Yeah I guess I do. So you mean Joseph has step siblings
who will take the position he is entitled for?”
“Exactly,” Noah murmured, “Joseph should be happy. He-”
“Wait a second. He is not the legal heir, Noah. The legal
one would be his step siblings. Since his mother has all the
parenting rights. He is legally not related to his father
anymore. You came to this conclusion by yourself or did he
tell you?” I asked.
He bit his bottom lip and glanced at me, “Well I drew out
the conclusion for the heir thing. But yeah the rest of it is
not cool.”
“Right,” I murmured. That must have been the reason why
he was uncomfortable telling me about himself. That was
not so cool. But why did I feel like falling for him even more
after realizing that he was really lonely deep down? Living
away from his parents, always ignored?
“Now that you have said that, I feel so bad for him. He is
going to go abroad in a few months,” Noah sighed.
Yes… I forgot, he would go soon.
I was about to speak but the school bell went off,
indicating the school was over.
“I'm going to check your assignment tomorrow. See you in
the next class,” The teacher smiled widely and walked out.
What a nice teacher. Sitting on the teacher's desk and
minding one's own business, not caring about students
talking. I wished I could have teachers like him at my school.
Noah and I, logically the rest of the class stood up after
him. I stretched my arms and grinned at Noah, “Finally I can
go home and sleep.”
He gave me a thrilled smile and we started to walk out of
the class, after packing our stuff back.
As soon as we stepped in the hallway, I saw Joseph smiling
widely. There weren't many people, since it was just some
summer art classes for anybody in town. He walked to me
and gently entwined our hands together.
“Did you learn something or came out like this only?” He
teased. I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at him, “I
learned more than you did in your entire lifetime.”
He scoffed and tilted his head, about to say something but
Noah cut him off, “Both of you, don't be so salty. I'm
becoming like you.”
I snickered and glanced at a grinning Joseph, “Sure.”
Noah shrugged, “See you tomorrow, then.”
 And before we could say something, he paced away.
“So,” I let out, placing my arms around Joseph's neck, but
he cut me off and gently held my waist.
“—Grandma texted me just now and she wants us home
real quick,” Joseph stated.
“Why? So sudden?” I questioned, gazing at his captivating
eyes.
“I… don't know,” he shrugged. For some seconds we were
really lost gazing at each other but then I realized and
quickly pulled myself back.
He shyly snickered and grabbed my hand, “Let's go
already.”
I grinned and we started walking out, side to side,
swinging our hands back and forth like kids. But the fun was
short lived when that girl from the party at Noah's house
bumped into us again.
“Yikes, for a moment there, I almost gave a crap!” That
girl laughed with some other girls, glancing at me darkly.
I shrugged, rolling my eyes on impulse and I signalled
Joseph to continue walking away. “Such a loser,” that girl
grumbled but I flashed her a middle finger at my back.
Joseph chuckled and suddenly hugged me from behind,
causing me to stumble slightly. “What? We are in school,” I
urged but he hugged me tighter.
“Can't we just walk like this? There are hardly even fifty
people in the whole building,” he murmured.
“No, not here,” I tried to sound stern, hiding my blushed
cheeks.
“But thanks,” he murmured and kissed my cheek, “That
girl had been after me for a whole year now. She is so
scary.”
“Yeah, I can say that,” I mumbled, almost getting
immersed in my own thoughts to the point I realized I had
read her name on her badge, 'Hannah Smith'. I could not
realize when he moved away and held my hand.
“Let's head home quick. Grandma must be waiting for us,”
he smiled and kissed my cheek.
 I nodded with a small smile.
I looked at his side profile, wondering, wouldn't he tell me
what his life was like?
Ever since the day we met for the first time, we only got
closer and we enjoyed each other's company more than
anything. He had been the most honest and sincere person
I've ever seen, uttering what he felt and how he felt openly,
with me. But one thing intrigued me, his family.
He was never comfortable talking about it and so I never
asked. When Noah talked about it, I realized that it must
have been difficult for him like that, so it was better to leave
it out. To never talk to him about it.
_
“Grandma,” I called out, getting off the bike, “Are you
going somewhere?”
She and Grandpa had set a small suitcase inside their car.
“Yeah but we will be back by tomorrow morning. Joseph will
be in charge for the time being. No parties, no calling
friends over. And Joseph,” she turned to face him, “Don't
you trouble my sweetheart. Be a good babysitter and don't
you both dare to leave the house until we come back.”
I blinked my eyes a few times with a small gape,
“Grandma I'm not a baby, I can take care of myself.”
“Well we can't leave you alone, he will take care of you,”
Grandpa smiled, “He has looked after the house plenty of
times. You know he lives next door. Just call him if you
happen to need anything.”
Would he take care of me? I nodded my head with a tinge
of excitement, suppressing my smile.
“Here are the house keys, don't try to leave the house,”
Grandma warned, handing me a pair of dangling keys, “I've
cooked for both of you and all the other doors except the
main door are locked so no need to open them, okay? Be
safe and don't do something stupid, both of you.”
“Yeah we won't,” I nodded, clutching the keys firmly.
 She sat inside the car after Grandpa and smiled, “Even if
Joseph doesn't stay the night in, you can take care of
yourself alone.”
Yes, I knew I could.
I gave them a nod and smiled.
She glanced at Joseph and smiled again, “Take care.”
 Twenty-five

“W
oah, we are alone!” I threw my bag on the couch.
“Don't think about it,” he rolled his eyes.
“Well, do you even know what I'm thinking about?”
He looked at me with a puzzled expression and crossed his
arms in front of his chest. I pressed my lips together, trying
to muffle my smile, “I want to make a big fort in the living
room and eat french fries while watching TV. That's what I'm
thinking about.”
“Oh,” he grinned, as his arms loosened and he walked to
me, “We are going to make it here?”
His eyes roamed over the space between the sofas and in
front of the TV.
“We?” I took a step closer to him.
His figure was pushed against the wall as my hands
trapped him on either side.
“What are you thinking of?” I whispered.
He pouted and rolled his eyes, “You are literally going to
build a fort and didn't even think of inviting your boyfriend.”
I chuckled and wrapped my arms around his waist and
shook my head in a complacent no. He still seemed moody,
the pout never leaving his face. “Of course you are invited,
Joseph, my baby,” I assured in a teasing baby voice. He
might have felt so bad that he was deep down all alone.
Stop it you stupid heart, I internally sighed.
“I'm not a baby, I'm a babysitter for you,” he deadpanned.
Yeah, well.
 “Are you moody?” I pouted. He did not respond, instead
removed my hands from his waist and walked to the couch,
plopping down and curling himself into a small ball.
I pressed my lips together and walked to him, gently
crouching on my knees to face him, “I was just joking, J.”
He looked at me with a brooding expression etched onto
his face, “Then cook something for me.”
“Okay?” I murmured, “What do you want to eat?”
An anticipating muffled grin formed on his lips, “Mhm, can
we have a chocolate cake? If you know how to make one.”
He side eyed me purposefully.
“I know that one. And I think we have all the ingredients
we need,” I smiled.
His eyes were intently gazing at mine, at that moment. I
leaned closer and pecked his lips, “But on one bet.”
“What?”
I could feel a tinge of crimson red on his cheeks as I
moved back.
“That you are going to make our fort while I bring our
food.”
_
“Joseph, I'm becoming antsy, aren't you ready yet?”
“No wait! Let me complete this… last one.”
I smiled to myself in anticipation, my hands busy handling
a big bowl of fries while the chocolate cake rested on the
counter, eager to be taken out.
“Baby is it done yet?” I sang in restlessness.
“Yeah, you can come in now,” he called out. I walked out
of the kitchen to the living room. And to my surprise he had
the whole room pampered.
“Wow, Joseph. This is so good,” I grinned widely.
The big fort was made out of a white bedsheet and some
pillows and basically the whole bedroom. He had found
some lengthy pipes that supported the sheets and a few
laces of golden fairy lights. “You are good at creating forts,”
I said, keeping the bowl of fries on the table.
 “Maybe just inherited traits,” he shrugged.
Yes, that could have been inherited traits. His parents
were architects. He had never told me about his
background, and that was an opportunity. “Inherited?” I
questioned, even though feeling a tinge of guilt upon
knowing the answer.
“Mhm,” he murmured, “My parents are architects. So
maybe?”
“Yeah,” I pursed my lips together, turning around to pick
up the remote controller. Right when I thought of another
question, he wrapped me in a back hug.
“You scared me, idiot! Don't bump into me like this.”
“Thank you so much,” he whispered and hugged me
tighter, eventually nuzzling his nose against my shoulder.
His arms rested curled around my waist.
“For?” I cleared my throat.
“For making me feel like home.”
I snickered awkwardly, “That's good if you feel like that
but, uh, I feel so awkward thinking about it.”
“Why?”
“C'mon, I'm still fifteen. I mean, yeah, it's good if you feel
that way. And I'm happy to see you happy… But really, is it
because of a silly girl like me?” I almost scoffed at myself.
“Why silly? You are not silly, you are just too good and too
crazy… I can handle that much,” he murmured. And I could
sense a grin on his lips.
“Good then. At least I could make you happy,” I
whispered. Joseph, tell me, I said internally, tell me about
you. Tell me whatever I don't know.
“You will go soon right,” I sighed.
“Hm. You will go back to New York too, won't you?” He
murmured. I could still feel his eyes shut, face buried on my
neck and his arms holding me perfectly in place. I could take
in his scent more introspectively this time. Earthy and warm
and something like a bergamot. Enticing and animalistic. He
reminded me of a house within the woods.
“I will,” I let out.
 “Don't worry, we will meet someday,” he breathed, “You
know when you want something with all your heart, you do
get it.”
“How come you are so positive,” I chuckled.
He moved back and gently turned me around.
“Well don't you want to meet me someday again?” He
asked.
“Well,” I stated, “I would really want to meet you one day.”
“Then we will. I don't know how, but I feel we will.”
_
“What the fu-”
“-No cursing!”
“But what the actual—I told you not to put on this shitty
movie. I won't be able to sleep at night!” My face was
practically buried into his chest and my hands clenched
tightly on his shirt. At least I was sitting inside that fort.
“You were the only one to dare me,” he retorted.
I hastily grabbed the remote and switched off the
television.
“Skye!” He threw his hands up, “That was the best part.
You go and sleep in your room, I'll watch it by myself!”
“You think I'll be able to sleep in my room!?” I scoffed.
“Then you stay here and I'll watch it in your room,” he
countered.
I scoffed and picked up my pillow, “No you enjoy your
movie, I'll go to sleep.”
I moved out of the fort and rushed upstairs. What if a
ghost caught me from behind the stairs? The dark living
room from the top of the stairs was the scariest sight to my
eyes that night. But somehow I reached my room safely.
I sighed and quickly tucked myself on the bed, rolling the
blanket all over my body. A wave of silence grew over the
whole room. The only sound I could hear was that of the big
grandfather clock ticking.
I coughed, to let go of the tension, but then the old
wooden stairs creaked.
 Fuck, no, this was not a horror story.
Don't open the door, I repeated in my head, don't freakin
open the door please—
“Just wanted to check up on you,” Joseph casually said but
paused, astonished as he opened the door, “You are this
scared!?”
“No, huh, I'm not,” I cleared my throat and curled myself
into a small ball.
His eyes observed my figure for a while. “Good then,” he
said and was on the verge of closing the door.
“Joseph!” I called out. He stopped and glanced at me with
a questioning look.
“Can you sleep here?”
He furrowed his brows, “Why?”
“I feel scared...” I pouted, glancing away from him. He
turned away and locked the door in my face. “Joseph! Where
are you going?” I called out, but no answer except for the
creaking floors. He could have just said that he didn't want
to be there with me. I shook my head and shut my eyes,
trying to fall asleep.
As expected my eyes started drooping but my scared self
couldn't let me shut them completely. In the heat of the
moment, the door flung open, revealing Joseph with a pillow.
“I went to freshen up,” he murmured and locked the door.
“Shift,” he said, eyeing me towards the bed.
My cheeks grew a shade or coral as I gently moved aside,
making space for him. A yawn escaped my lips, causing him
to giggle.
“What?”
He shrugged with a smile and laid next to me, on his side
with an arm under his head. I loosened the big blanket that
covered me and gave him a part of it. “Come here,” he
murmured. My brows furrowed together and I pouted.
“Just come here, let me hold you,” he called out.
However it was still weird. Laying next to someone,
especially your so-called first boyfriend, was weird for me.
But I took that touch in not more than a friendly way. I just
closed my eyes and hugged him tightly, burying my face
into his chest.
When everything was quiet, my mind was the noisiest.
“Joseph?”
“Hm,” he murmured, and I could sense the wave of sleep
over him. “What baby?” He asked lazily again.
Baby…
“No, I just wanted to talk,” I cleared my throat. It was
becoming harder to control my flustered cheeks.
“Then talk, I'll listen to you the whole night,” he
murmured.
No, I guessed I would just let him sleep.
“Skye?” He called my name.
“Mhm?” I hummed.
“What do you wanna talk about?” He questioned, his voice
more charged then.
I puffed in a breath. “When did you have your first kiss?” I
whispered.
He gently moved back, causing me to face him directly.
“With you,” he murmured.
Inadvertently I bit on my bottom lip. “You know we can do
more than that,” I whispered. And internally slapped myself.
“What do you wanna do?” He questioned.
Read my mind please, I urged internally.
“You know it,” I murmured, averting my gaze from his
curious eyes.
But he briskly rolled on top of me. “Joseph, not now, we
don't have protection!” I exclaimed. My eyes widened with
the heat gaining momentum. I could feel my heated face.
“Wait… You mean that!?” He looked at me, jaw slacked,
and plopped back at my side, “I thought you wanted to go
for a ride on my bike.”
Yeah, but a different one. No, Skye, no.
“I just want to try that...” I bit my bottom lip, “You know if
we have a chance why not try. I don't know if I will ever
meet someone like you.”
 He looked at me and I could sense the soft pink shade
across his cheeks, “Then we'll do that when we have
protection...”
What?
“Okay.”
What did I just do?
_
It had been two weeks since we stayed that night alone
and more than a week since we ended up doing that. And
since that day we had been confident around each other
and as if the shyness disappeared into thin air after doing it
a few more times.
But things were perfectly fine. He still was my best friend
and the respectful boyfriend he always had been. And I felt
the most comfortable around him, to the point that I started
visiting his house, next to ours. Everything was going well,
until this day.
“Skye! C'mon honey I prepared your breakfast! Joseph is
here too,” Grandma called me for the umpteenth time.
“Y–yeah! I'm coming just a… minute,” the feel of sweat
was obvious on my palms as I checked the current date, and
then the date logged into the period tracker I had drawn in
my journal.
The tracker showed that I should have been on my fourth
day of periods, but I got none that month. And I couldn't
blame my journal because I had been using it for over a
year, and it was always consistent.
Maybe it was because I did something totally new to my
body and the period delay was just a consequence?
Or, maybe, we messed up.
-No, Skye, I affirmed, don't think like that. Stay calm. It will
be okay.
I pulled in a deep breath and unconsciously shook my
head in a no. It was okay, I hoped I was okay. Letting out a
deep breath, I walked out of my room with my backpack,
down to the kitchen.
 “Finally Good Morning,” grandmother grinned and eyed
me towards the chair.
Joseph winked with an innocent smile. Despite my worries,
I couldn't help but smile back.
We finished breakfast shortly after and were ready to head
to the art school.
Grandma escorted both of us out as I plopped behind
Joseph, resting my palms on his waist. “Bye, Grandma!” He
waved at her. I mouthed a bye and smiled as we took off.
Grandma's small figure slowly disappeared between the
horizon.
My eyes were then fixated at the side.
“Something wrong, darling?” He asked, slowing down.
“Oh, no. Nothing...” I let out a hesitant smile.
“Sure,” he called out, “Do you need something?”
My heart throbbed briskly. I didn't know what was wrong
with my body. I didn't know what to do. I glanced aside and
looked back at Joseph. What if the thing I had been thinking
about was true? God, please, no.
I could feel tears pooling in my eyes. After I was assured
that they were easing off, I called for him.
“Yeah?” he answered, the pace of the bike slowing down.
“Joseph, I need something,” I let out.
“Yeah tell me? We have time until school so we can go
shopping,” he stated. I pulled in a deep breath.
“Yeah. Can you stop at a medical store?” I hesitated.
“Medical store? Are you okay?” He questioned, the worry
visible in his voice.
“No, I'm okay. It's just some stuff I need to buy. Girl stuff,”
I sighed.
“Okay?” Joseph murmured.
_
“Can you guys wait for me here? I need to use the
restroom for a while,” I asked, causing Joseph, Noah and
Nora to stop in their tracks.
“Sure,” Noah shook his head.
 My tensed muscles eased slightly and I gave them a small
smile.
I turned around and sighted the almost empty school. I
didn't want to be there. A wave of tears gushed to my eyes
but I clenched my fists together. Take a deep breath Skye, I
tried to calm myself down, you don't even know what's
waiting for you.
As I was about to take the first step, I felt Joseph's grip on
my wrist, causing me to turn around and face him. “You both
can go,” he half smiled at the two perplexed beings
observing the two of us.
“Sure, then. See you tomorrow,” Nora cautiously smiled.
I returned them a smile before they went off.
“Let me come with you,” he asserted.
“But Joseph–” I opposed but he cut me off by placing his
index finger on my lips.
“No buts,” he deadpanned, “Come.”
He made me walk by his side. I took in a deep breath and
walked as normally I could.
The empty school intimidated my eyes. I glanced around
the hallways, clutching tightly onto his hand. A dull sound of
footsteps echoed somewhere. I glanced at Joseph.
“Are you really okay?” he questioned.
I gave him a small smile and nodded.
“Hm,” his shoulders dropped with a sigh and he nodded
back. I gave him a small smile and left his hand to go inside
the girls' restroom.
I did not look back at him and walked inside, shutting the
door closed. Was that on reflex? I did not know but tears
started gushing to my eyes. I sniffed and quickly wiped
them off. Hastily, I pulled out the kits I had bought a few
hours earlier. Skye, think about the good things, thoughts
gushed to my head, think about the moment when you will
know that you are not pregnant. Don't cry.
But that moment never came and instead the thing I
feared the most came true.
 'Positive', both of them read. And the nauseous feeling
since some days was enough for my assurance.
What was I going to tell them? Skye, what did you do, I
loathed myself for a moment. Idiot. How could you trust a
boy you just knew for a month. How could you!
“Skye!” Joseph knocked.
I wiped off the tears and briskly zipped the bag, hurling
the kits inside.
“Baby, are you alright?” He called out again, this time
more worried, “Do you need something.”
I had to tell him everything. I had to go on and tell him. He
was equally responsible, I reminded myself. I took a deep
breath and wiped off the wetness from my face. I faltered
out.
He gripped my shoulders tightly, “What's with your face?”
“Joseph,” I let out, keeping my voice to not grow brittle, “I
need to tell you something.”
“What…?” He questioned, his face dropping by the time.
“Joseph I'm– I'm pregnant...” I let out.
He looked at me blank for two moments. “Y–you are what-
Skye?” he stuttered, “What?” A visible range of panic filled
his eyes.
“I'm p–pregnant. I don't want this. If—if I tell my mom
about this, she'll be really angry. I can't. I can't keep this
baby. Help me,” my breath hitched the next moment. I
peered at the man in front of me who stood with his eyes
squinted tightly in panic.
His chest dropped and he looked at me. “B-but how can
we abort it? Skye, it has a life. We can't,” he rubbed his
temples and let out deep grunts out of frustration.
“Joseph, we have time. It-it has not even been long, it
doesn't even have his heartbeat yet. I can't keep this,
please… Please, Joseph. Please help me. I'm not ready for
this. I can't go home like this...”
I clutched his arms, and for the first time, pleaded,
peering into his panic filled eyes.
He sniffed back his tears and grabbed me in a hug.
 “Sorry, I should have stopped us. If you want—” he gritted
his teeth, trying to sound manly, “I'll help you get it aborted.
It's my fault as well.”
I tightly hugged him back, weeping.
“Give me one day. I'll do something. Don't worry about
anything.”
_
I didn't feel well, physically and mentally yet I couldn't lie
to Grandma about not going to school the next day. So I
went on, with the most cheerful face I could.
“Tomorrow, we will skip school. I told my mother about
this,” Joseph looked at me.
My heart throbbed briskly, “Did you?”
“Hm,” he gave me an assuring blink of eyes, “She'll be
flying over tomorrow. She'll help us. Please don't worry
about anything. You have to take care of yourself.” He
firmed our already entwined hands, as we walked inside the
school, “We'll get it done. Don't worry, I won't ever leave
you alone like this.”
I glanced at him and let out a sigh. I couldn't speak. My
throat was heavy. I just hoped that everything would turn
right.
We had reached my class and he turned to face me.
“Smile,” he said, smiling gently. I didn't know how.
But I gave him a nod, forcing a smile.
_
For the rest of the day, I was quiet. Only talked to Noah,
but I never told him about it. And the time passed by
quickly. I packed my bag hurriedly, since the nauseous
feeling couldn't let me concentrate.
“Skye, are you okay?” He asked.
“Yeah, I just have a little headache,” I half smiled.
He let out a half smile, “Then take care of yourself, then.”
“Yeah—”
“-Skye Waltz,” a brief voice cut me off.
 Noah and I turned around to find a timid postured girl with
glasses standing in front of us.
“Yes, it's me,” I shook my head.
“Our art teacher has called you in the old art room,” she
mumbled.
“Why?” I asked.
She fidgeted her fingers, “I don't know, he just asked me
to call you, in the old art room.” She hesitantly walked away.
Noah shrugged, “You know where the room is?” He asked.
“Yeah, I can go there, don't worry,” I half smiled, “You
three wait for me outside, I'll be back.”
“Okay, I'll tell Joseph,” he waved with a smile before I
remember walking away from the classroom.
I sighed to myself and looked around the classroom for the
girl but it was empty. I assumed the call was about the late
assignment turn in. Puffing a deep breath, I sauntered out.
I did as asked. I had walked to the old art room on the
third floor. But the hallway stood dead silent.
“Mr. Oldbury?” I called out but a familiar voice cut me off.
“-Not Mr. Oldbury, it's Hannah!”
I turned around and saw her smirking madly, with two of
her friends. “What do you need?” I crossed my arms in front
of my chest.
She scoffed and prowled to me, pulling out her phone,
“Smart, huh? You look at this?” She flashed her phone in
front of me. The video she had made when I told Joseph
about the pregnancy. My fists clenched.
“You and Joseph, huh?” She scoffed, “Bad for you, you are
still underage to do all this with a seventeen year old,
illegitimate son of a man, who doesn't even have a name of
his own! And what does he ask you to call him? Joseph
Rhodes? Huh, you trust your gloomy boyfriend way too
much?”
And the next moment I knew, I slapped her. “Stop
sneaking into people's life,” I growled.
I couldn't care what was going to happen next, though the
nauseous feeling had been draining too much of my energy.
 “What did you just do?” She howled. I wanted to smirk but
I couldn't. A strong wave of drowsiness swirled through my
whole body. No. As the moment passed by I felt weak and
heavy.
“Bitch, you think really high of yourself? Girls, let's show
her where she belongs,” her menacing eyes glared at me.
I stepped back but bumped into the wall.
“Please, go away,” I breathed, inadvertently covering my
stomach with my hands.
Not my baby, please.
“Oh, sweetheart, too bad. You want an abortion don't you?
Let us do it for you without the pain,” she growled. Her eyes
signalled the two bitches behind her.
They stepped closer and one of them hit my belly with
their foot. I crumpled on the ground upon the gnawing pain
in my stomach.
“Stop,” I cried.
But they didn't. Instead they hit my stomach even more—
until I lost consciousness.
_
My head was heavy with pain. It couldn't let me open my
eyes. I heard a faint voice calling me. My eyes squinted and
the next moment I could feel a sharp pain in my belly.
Enough to let tears stream down my face. I could feel it,
everything worse that was going on with my body.
“Skye, are you okay?” It was Nora with tears in her eyes,
“Who did this to you? Was it Hannah?”
Tears streamed down my face even more. “Hannah and
her friends,” I sniffed, and tried to sit up straight.
She helped me sit up and quickly brushed aside my hair.
Before she could say something, I had to ask her an
important question.
“Where's Joseph?”
“His mother is coming to stay with him. He went to pick
her up from the airport,” she sniffed back her tears.
“When?” I asked, with a heavy voice.
 “We were in the first class when he got a call from her. So
he left early. He said he would return in an hour after
dropping her home,” she blurted out, “But what happened
to you—”
“–But where is he? And where am I?” I questioned.
“We are in the school's nursing room. But it's been more
than three hours since he went away. Noah tried to call him
but it says his phone is switched off,” she looked into my
eyes, blankly.
“W–what?” I let out, clutching onto her hand. My heart
thumped briskly with each passing moment.
Just then Noah entered the room in a huff. “It says the
number doesn't exist,” the worry was visible in his voice. His
eyes caught me, “Skye! Thank God you are awake, are you
okay!?”
But I couldn't reply, “Where–is Joseph?”
“Skye,” Nora firmed her hand upon me, “Let's get you
home first. Call your grandfather, we can look for Joseph
later. His mother would be with him, so maybe he's busy.
Please, let's go home first. You are even bleeding.” I could
see the tears in her eyes.
I nodded fervently with tears straining my face and down
towards my neck. I couldn't let them know what happened. I
couldn't let them know I was pregnant.
“Let's go back home.”
Flashback over

“The same day I realized I got a miscarriage. The bleeding

felt like hell. But I never let it show. I acted normal in front of
my grandparents. I smiled but cried badly at night. I coped
all alone and reminded myself that I was strong, I did not
need anyone to comfort me,
“Joseph did not return that day. And Grandma told me the
same day that my parents had returned from their trip. And
so I went back to New York the next day. Grandma and
grandpa were worried, trying to call Joseph every next hour.
But it never happened. He never came back. He was never
the person to lie so I couldn't believe it. My heart couldn't let
me believe that he ran off, after what had happened
between us. It was the worst feeling I've ever been through,
“I don't know, I felt something was wrong that day.
Something was really wrong but I just couldn't put my finger
to it,
“Noah and Nora stayed, as my friends. They came to see
me off when I was going back to New York. And it went like
this. I did it on my own and I never trusted anybody
anymore. Maybe I really believed strangers were better than
the ones you knew.” I let out a nostalgic smile and looked at
Leon.
He let out a tired smile and firmed our entwined hands as
we walked to the person he wanted me to meet. The rusted
autumn leaves crumpled under our foot.
“Those days were both bad and good. I lost trust in most
of the people but I did gain more strength. I grew up from it.
Maybe, I still resent him... but I am thankful for one thing. If
he never had broken my heart, I would not have kissed you
that night. And I never had got our two angels. I know he
might be somewhere living his life and I'm happy if he does
because I don't have anything to do with him anymore,
“It was like a summer night's dream and it was over, years
back when I kissed you for the first time,” I smiled at Leon.
“I'm happy you did,” he smiled and kissed my cheek, “I'm
happy you saved my life that night.”
I smiled, sensing the rose bouquet in his hand.
“Reminds me of the sunflower and rose fields. This
changed so much,” I smiled, looking up at him.
“Yeah, she really loved roses, so I had to bring them,” he
let out, firming his hand over mine.
“Yeah, c'mon. Let's not make her wait anymore!” I
remarked, as we walked towards the grave of the person he
wanted me to meet.
His mom
.
 Twenty-six

W
e walked to the grave. A gravestone marked with the
name Amelia Rhodes. Why, Leon?
“She must have been really beautiful,” I whispered as
Leon crouched in front of it, placing the roses upon.
“Hm,” he murmured.
I could feel the small crack in his voice. That was the
moment I lunged next to him unconsciously and gently
rubbed his back. “How do you know that?” He sniffed back
the silent tears.
“Just...” I let out, “She's your mother, she definitely would
have been beautiful. Her son is the most handsome man
I've ever seen.”
He let out a nostalgic smile and gently brushed away the
dust on her name with his fingers, “I trust you. If you say
she was beautiful, she really would have been. I wish I could
have seen her. Just for once.”
“W—why?” I stuttered, “You never saw her?”
I wished I could tell him how scared I was when I asked
him a 'why.' Because I never wanted him to go through that
pain ever again in his life.
He shook his head and let out a tired smile, “I mean can't
remember her face.”
Another why
. But I couldn't. I can't ask you. Why can't you
remember it? What happened to you? Why do you get those
attacks? Why does it feel like you want to say something but
you can't? Why did you want to end your life that night?
 But no matter how much I muster the courage, I can't.
I gently rubbed his back and he rested his head upon my
shoulder.
“She would have been so happy after meeting Axel and
Aria—and you. I want her to meet you so badly. It feels like I
just lost an opportunity. Something good could have
happened but I couldn't do it. It's so confusing,” he sighed.
“Don't worry,” I forced a smile, trying to stop my voice
from cracking, “She–she must watch us everyday. She must
be so happy after watching how good of a person you have
become. She must be so proud of you.”
He gently nodded and wiped away his own tears.
Just smile Leon. She will be so happy when you feel happy.
She is your mother afterall.
_
“Daddy! Can we gwo now?” Aria ran towards us and my
mother followed her tiny steps in a hurry.
Leon picked her up and gently kissed her cheek, “Sure we
can go now, my princess. Were you a good girl to your
grandparents?” Just then Axel came running out excitedly.
“Mommy, Daddy! I'm ready,” he shouted, jumping on his
feet.
“So c'mon, let's go,” I smiled. Aria jumped into my arms as
Leon opened the car door and settled Axel inside. I walked
to the door and tucked Aria on her baby seat. “Are we
good?” Leon asked for assurance.
“Yes,” they both chirped in unison.
I smiled and turned back to bid mom a bye. She smiled
and mouthed, “Take care.” I nodded and when I was about
to sit inside, my eyes spotted the barren plot of land next to
our villa. Joseph's house was no longer there. I let out a
breath and sat inside.
“Are my babies ready?” I observed their excited faces.
“Yes mommy, we will meet Griffin!” The young boy
grinned.
“Me too,” Aria chirped in.
 “What are we waiting for, then?” Leon grinned at them.
We had not been on many road trips as a family and I
wanted to experience one.
Since we took off at evening, we spent the night at a
resort in a small town, and took off the next morning again.
New York City was as beautiful as ever. And there we were,
about to reach Ash and Jazlyn's house. But first, I had to do
one of the most important things.
Aria and Axel were dozed off on their seats. I pulled out
my phone and called Terrance. I did not mind the fact that
Leon was sitting next to me. He had the right to know what
was going on in my life.
“Hey!” I called out as soon as Terrance picked up the call.
Leon's eyes darted towards me.
“Skye, you're here!?” Terrance questioned.
A big smile spread on my face, “Yes, I am. Don't tell Lily,
I'll come and surprise her in an hour or so!”
“Sure, sure. I'm at work and she might be sleeping since
it's Saturday. Wake her up and get her moving. I'll meet you
guys in the evening!”
“Yeah, I'll spend this day with her,” I smiled to myself.
“I'll be waiting to get back home. Take care okay?” He
called.
“You too, bye,” I grinned, bringing the phone down as he
hung up the phone with an excited voice.
I smiled inadvertently and kept the phone back in my bag.
“Shouldn't we wake them up? We are almost there,” Leon
asked, his eyes wavering to look at me and focus on the
driving.
I smiled and turned around on my seat. “Baby,” I gently
rubbed my hand upon Axel's knee, “Baby wake up, Griffin's
house is nearby. Wake up your sister.”
He pouted, squinting his eyes and rubbing his small fists
on them as he yawned widely.
“Ari,” he held her arm, “Wake up, let's meet Griffin.”
She yawned and opened her eyes as she looked at me
with a pout, “Mommy are we hwere?”
 Right then, Leon parked the car and waved at a smiley
Ash, who came out of his house, with the cute three year old
baby boy in his arms. Leon and I got out of the car to pick
Axel and Aria, awaiting eagerly for their friend.
“Uncle Ash!” Axel practically squished Leon's cheeks in
excitement as he took him out of the car. Leon let him down
and he ran to Ash and hugged his legs, looking up at a
grinning Griffin.
“Hi, Axel,” Griffin wriggled in Ash's embrace before Ash let
him down on the ground.
The car door shut behind me as I held Aria in my arms and
we got out.
“How are you all?” Ash asked, giving Leon a quick bro hug.
“We are good,” I answered as I gave him a slight hug and
he poked Aria's cheeks with a smiley face.
Axel tucked on the hem of my dress, “Mommy, I will stay
with Griffin the whole day!”
“Yes, you, Aria and Daddy will stay here the whole day and
even tomorrow,” I grinned.
Ash looked at me, “Are you going somewhere?” I nodded
as I let Aria down, “To meet Lily.”
“Jazlyn is not home either. She has work,” Ash let out a
breath, gently ruffling through Axel's hair who was busy
conversing and running around with Aria and Griffin.
“We'll meet at night then, Bread?” I asked, glancing at
Leon.
“You guys still call each other that...” Ash shook his head
in disbelief.
Leon laughed as he tucked my hair behind the ear, “Sure,
Nutella. And say my greetings to both of them.”
_
I was driving to Terrance's place. And I happened to pass
by the big building of Weston Architectures, the place which
was earlier known as Rhodes Architectures. Exactly, why?
Why was it's name Rhodes when Joseph was nowhere? And
why was it changed then? The new CEO did that?
  Was
Joseph somewhere closer than I could think?
I realised I was thinking too much. I did too much in the
past and now when I was happy with my life, why did I have
to ruin it by digging into a meaningless past? I didn't want to
meet Joseph ever in my life.
But even if I focused on what was with me, a question still
lingered.
Why did Leon want to kill himself that night? What in the
world was that? Depression? Force? Why does he get those
attacks? Why does he never talk about himself?
And I could get an answer. Jazlyn
.
_
I rubbed my hands in glee as I rang the doorbell to
Terrance's mansion. A house-keeping lady opened the door
and smiled at me, “Good Afternoon Mrs. Weston, Mr. Gray
told me you would come. Come in please.”
“Thank you,” I smiled as I stepped inside the bright and
lively house.
“Is Lily awake yet?”
“Miss Lily is still sleeping, do you want me to wake her
up?” The lady asked.
I shook my head in a no, “I'll wake her up by myself.”
“Sure,” she moved aside and showed me the stairs, “This
way please!”
I thanked her and ambled upstairs. The door to her room
was locked. I checked the time, it was about to strike one in
the afternoon.
“Lily?” I knocked on the door.
“Who's it?” Her voice was droopy.
I bit my bottom lip to hold back my excited grin,
“Someone you wanted to meet.” The next moment I could
hear footsteps approaching the door.
I stood smiling widely as she opened the door with the
messy hair, a night dress and the cute morning face.
“Skye!” She shouted and hugged me tightly.
 “How's my baby?” I asked as I gave her a big tight hug.
She did not answer, instead I felt my shirt wet. Tears
.
“Skye I missed you so much,” she cried, clutching on to
me tighter. That reminded me of the day, years back, when
my mother returned from France and I couldn't control my
tears because of Joseph and the pain. So I hugged her for a
whole hour and eventually fell asleep in her lap, without
letting her know what happened to me.
“It's okay my baby,” I sniffed off the tears that glazed my
eyes and gently stroked her soft hair, “It's okay I'm here.
Don't cry. We are going to have a really good day today.”
She gently moved back and shook her head to brush away
the bangs from her eyes and grinned.
“Get—”
I couldn't complete my sentence when we heard
Terrance's voice down from the living hall, and finally the
clicking of his shoes upstairs.
“Dad is here,” Lily gave me a nod as she wiped off the
tears from her face.
“Yeah,” I mumbled with a snicker as I blinked and dried my
own eyes to face Terrance.
“Skye!” Terrance remarked, pacing towards us and
grabbed me in a big hug.
“You look even better now,” I chuckled, observing his
mature and grown up CEO look, “And you got glasses too,
when? You did not have them until last year.”
“Dad works so hard the whole night that his eyesight has
become worse than mine,” Lily answered.
“Yeah, but you?” I turned to her, “You might be on your
phone all day? Don't you? Terrance you don't check it or
what? By the time you will get older, you'll get thick
 specs
like your dad.”
“Exactly! She just goes on her phone and does nothing the
whole day,” Terrance playfully hit her head.
She rolled her eyes with her shoulders dropping on a sigh.
“C'mon, Skye let's go somewhere and later at night me, you
and Daddy can have dinner cooked by you!” She remarked.
 “But I have to go to work right now,” Terrance flashed us a
smile, “You enjoy with your mom and we'll have dinner
together, the three of us. I just came to check up on both of
you.”
“Sure,” I smiled, “Work hard. We'll be waiting for you to
come back home.”
_
“Skye, you know you look really hot in red,” Lily whispered
as she inspected the two dresses I've held in front of the
mirror. I hid my flustered smile and glanced at the two
dresses again. One red and the other one a lavender color.
“How do you know?” I teased.
“I saw Mr. Weston and Dad, both fixated at you when we
celebrated Christmas last year together. Well it's not their
fault, after all I've got a pretty.. mom?” She shrugged, “You
are like my mom, right.”
“You've been on your phone way too much to notice that,
Lily.”
She grinned and took away the lavender dress from me
and hung it back. “Whatever it is Skye, you can't deny that
both Dad and Mr. Weston are crazy for you,” she teased.
“Leon is justified, but your dad still is?” I questioned.
“Well, yes. Dad still thinks about you. I've seen him
spacing out when I mention you,” she pursed her lips and
glanced at me with big curious eyes but after sensing my
lost look. She cleared her throat and grinned, “Oh let's go
with the red one already. I feel hungry.”
I nodded, breaking the chain of thoughts and smiled at
her, “Sure let's go with that one.”
After some moments of walking around the stores, we
sauntered towards a food court. “Oh, Skye, let's go home
and cook together,” Lily whined playfully, clutching on my
arm.
“We will cook dinner together, huh. Let's eat here for now.
You must be hungry,” I countered. I was too lazy to cook,
let's put it this way.
 “Yeah, I am but–” she was about to say something, but a
brief voice from behind cut us off.
“Skye Waltz?”
The voice was familiar. We turned around. And life had to
go that way. The person you never wanted to see in your
entire life, shows up.
“Oh, so you really know my mom and dad,” Lily said to the
person in front of us and then glanced at me.
I couldn't utter a word. Hannah, the person I resented the
most, was standing in front of me, right when I was with Lily.
What did she plan on doing then? After all those years?
  I
took in a breath, glancing at her five year old daughter. She
inherited the exact same eyes as Terrance.
Hannah smiled and took a step closer to us. Lily, how
badly I want to protect you from that psycho but the fact
is... that she is your mother.
The next thing was more surprising. The youngest one out
of us, the five year old kid, chirped out Lily's name happily.
And even more surprising was that Lily knew her name.
“Hey, Anna,” Lily smiled at the kid, and glanced back at
me, “Oh, and Skye I'm sorry I did not know exactly Miss
Hannah was your friend.”
Play along Skye… that's the only way you can keep it
together.
 “Hm, how do you know her?” I looked at Lily.
“You see Anna goes to the same school as me. So one day
I met Miss Hannah. She recognised me then and she told me
that she knows you and Dad,” Lily pursed her lips together
and muffled her smile from breaking out.
Even though Lily was comfortable, I couldn't bear standing
there any longer.
Hannah was scary. I couldn't stand her spiteful face and
the dark psychotic vibes she gave me. Maybe the trauma of
the day back in the art school still haunted me. It was
inadvertent, my mind rushed to the thought that my two
babies were not next to me. Skye, Leon is there of course,
don't you worry.
 I firmed my hand around Lily's and faked a smile at
Hannah, “We are in a hurry. Next time.”
A wave of disappointment grew on Hannah's face and Lily
pouted at me, unaware of anything, “Sure.”
I forced a smile at Hannah before we walked away.
Lily turned to face me, “Skye, is Miss Hannah your friend?”
“Just an acquaintance,” I smiled at her.
“I see,” she mumbled, trying to push away that
conversation to talk about going home and cooking
together.
I let out a smile and glanced at her, “Sure.” I could do
anything to not be at the same place as that woman. Be it
not eating at my favorite takeaway.
_
“Huh, you know what, nutella makes everything much
better. Try this one. Say aa,” I gently cupped Lily's jawline
and stuffed her mouth with a piece of brownie glazed with
the chocolate spread.
Her lips curled into a pout while chewing, “Yes, it's—it is!”
I grinned before my eyes darted at the wall clock, “When
will your Dad return home?”
“Dad stays at work till late night and it's only six pm right
now...” she looked at me for a second.
“Oh then will we—”
“Skye, Lily!” We heard Terrance's excited voice from the
living room.
“In the kitchen Daddy,” Lily yelled and then gave me a
whole hearted grin. I wish I could always be with you.
Terrance entered inside with a big smile, “What are these
beautiful ladies upto?” He glanced at the table set with a
scrumptious looking meal, “Ooh, we're gonna have an
awesome time today!”
“Yeah we were waiting for you,” I smiled, “Go freshen up
and then let's eat.”
“Sure,” he grinned at both of us before he sauntered out.
 “Ah, mom,” Lily spoke up, placing the brownies on the
dining table, “I was thinking. Dad is pretty tall, but I'm not.
Was my mother short heighted? I feel my height is never
going to grow.”
Lily, I'm sorry.
“Aren't you only eleven right now? Just eat good food and
take care of your health, you'll grow up really beautiful,” I
smiled.
She gave me a nod, pursing her lips together, “By the way
Skye, I want to meet Axel and Aria too. I've been missing
both of them so much. Are they with Mr. Weston right now?
Can't we call them over?”
I gently brushed aside the cascading bangs on her
forehead, “Yeah, they want to meet you too. Today they are
spending time with one of their cousins. You can meet them
tomorrow.”
“Yeah that's good too,” she grinned.
_
We three had finished dinner and were sitting in the living
room, chattering.
“Lily, it's your bedtime, it's already half past twelve,”
Terrance asserted.
“But it's Sunday tomorrow. And I want more time with
Skye,” she pouted.
I gave her a gentle smile, “We will meet tomorrow too
baby. I need to go to Axel and Aria now. You know Leon must
be really tired by now.”
“Yeah, okay. But, promise me that tomorrow I can meet
them?” She asked in anticipation.
“Yeah I promise,” I blinked my eyes in assurance.
“Sure, Lily, now you go to your room, I'll escort Skye out,”
Terrance smiled at me.
“Sure Daddy. See you tomorrow, Skye” she stretched her
arms widely and yawned.
“You too. Goodnight, honey,” I smiled before she gave me
a teasing flying kiss and ambled out of the living room. I
smiled, glancing back at Terrance and stood up.
“Did you both enjoy today?” Terrance asked with a smile
as he stood up.
“A lot,” I smiled.
But my smile was short-lived once I realized that I met
that woman earlier and the fact that Lily knew her. Terrance
looked at me questioningly. He walked to the door and I
followed him out in contemplation. He walked me to my car
and turned to face me.
“You know I was just wondering if you met Hannah over
the years,” I let out.
He let out a sigh and nodded.
“I did,” he shrugged with a nostalgic tint, “But only Anna,
my second daughter. Hannah's prison term ended when
Anna was four.”
I rubbed my arm, “Today, Hannah bumped into us at the
mall. Apparently Lily seems to know her, and Anna well.”
He glanced at me with a tinge of surprise, “Is that why
some months back Lily asked me if I knew someone named
Hannah. But I declined. So she's been meeting Lily behind
my back?”
I pursed my lips together and glanced down, “I guess so.
You should check up on Lily.”
I sighed and took a step closer to him, gently holding his
hand, “Terrance… I know it's hard but think about you and
Lily. How long will you stay alone and never let Lily get the
love of a mother? She is growing up, she would need
someone to be there with her and support her–”
“-You are there to love her.”
“Sure I am. But I can't be with her like a real mother. And
what about you? You need that too and I
 can't give it to you
in any way,” I sighed.
“I don't need it. Lily and my work is enough–”
“Don't say that. We are humans, love is a part of our lives
and we need every kind of it,” I emphasized.
“But,” he let out, “You never went through that bad of a
heartbreak right? That all your faith from love would totally
vanish? That's why you don't know how hard—”
“Terrance I know,” I let out, “You think I would be a fool to
kiss an unknown man?”
He glanced at me and let out a puzzled smile, “What does
that mean?”
“That,” I started, “You know the reason I kissed a person I
did not know? The reason was a heartbreak itself. I really
believed that the people you know don't love you but
strangers do. Look what that heartbreak made me do.. I
kissed a stranger and had so much faith in him that I started
to love myself. I don't know why I ended up trusting an
unknown person so easily but I couldn't help it because I felt
he was good deep down,
“See, I opened up, even though a heartbreak from before
set up such a hard wall around me. However I still did that
and that time it was different. I kept my cool, became a
player and what did I do? Just made me a bit vain and
stubborn,
“But then when I actually came back into my senses, I had
fallen in love… with Leon,
“I'm not asking you to trust someone too like me, but what
I'm asking you is to open up. I know it's hard but do it. Don't
be afraid anymore. You will smile, you will win, you will fail,
you will fall and that's it! So what? You have to get back up
and do it again. That is life, Terrance. And you know what?
You will become even stronger. So don't let that girl hold you
back from experiencing so many great things in your life.
You can be your own light. Promise me.”
“I can?” He sniffed back the silent tears that grew in his
eyes.
“You can. Let yourself live. Your pain will end. I know it
must be so hard right now but it does end and you will be
happy once again,” I smiled, gently wiping off the tears from
his face.
He nodded fervently and grabbed me in a tight hug,
“Thanks—so much, Skye. I don't know what I would have
done without you. Thank you for everything.”
 Thank you too, Terrance, for being a friend I never knew I
needed so much.
Thank you in every way.
Thank you for being strong
.
 Twenty-seven

“H
ey,” I grinned widely as the person I had awaited the
most, finally was standing in front of me, my best friend.
Like a high school girl excited to meet her bestie, I ran and
grabbed her in an embrace.
“Bitch, I've missed you so freaking much!” Jazlyn yelled
and grabbed me in a hug, “When I came back from work
you weren't home and I almost
  got a heart attack. Then I
stayed up waiting for you to return.”
“I know huh. I went to meet Terrance, actually. I missed
you so much,” I hugged her tighter before we gently parted
away.
I walked to the couch and plopped down. “So why are the
lights turned off? Are they asleep already?”
“Yeah, they are. When I came back home, the five of them
were so exhausted and tired after a long day that they went
to bed shortly after dinner. Dad and kids, all the same,” she
let out a laugh as she sat next to me.
“Were Axel and Aria good kids?”
“Yeah, they were,” she smiled and filled up a glass of
water for me from the table in front of the couch.
“Thanks,” I chugged it down in one go and kept the glass
back on the pine table.
“So,” she said with an excited grin, “Shall we go for a walk
in the nearby park if you are not tired?”
This is it, Skye, ask her all of it. Now or never
.
 “Sure,” I hopped out, “I wanted to ask you something as
well.”
“Yes, you can start. I'm wondering what it is. I'm
listening.”
We both quietly sauntered out of the house, locking it on
the way out.
“Hmm,” I let out a deep breath, “Promise me that you will
answer everything I ask you.”
“Yeah sure, I'll answer whatever you want.”
_
That was it, when I realized after the conversation that a
human could shed gallons of tears and that what you saw
was not always the truth. And it was even weird. A part of
me that died once, came to life. Once you start digging for
the answers, the other ones that you were ignoring get
answered first. Because I believe that your sadness was
tied, not to a single memory but to a chain of events. The
choices that you have made, leads you to today
, the
present.
Some relations are better off broken. I thought it was the
end for me. But I forgot that I was just a human, with a
limited mind. For me it was the end to almost everything
related to the emotion called love. But that was the
beginning. A story that would feel like the worst punishment
at times, but years later I would finally understand why it
had to go that way and never in my life I would go back to
change something.
The reason why some things are better off in the hands of
destiny. In this tragedy, someone had to die, to let someone
live. Just like him. One day he loved sunflowers but the next
day, he fell in love with roses.
“He was an awesome person just how he was. But some
people are just too good to be alive.”
Flashback
?'s POV
 The eyes that had seen everything, couldn't recognize my
own face. But there were flashes of memories better than
anything else.
A kind of love I never felt but did in my memories. No
sound to it, no colors to it. All of it was monochrome. Like an
old film projecting my life. I could see her smile, everything
else. I could see her laugh and I could see the smile when I
captured her on the lenses. I could see her, every inch of
her but yet when I opened my eyes, I could only hear the
faint sound of the life support machines next to me.
At that point I wanted to scream out of frustration. Exactly
who was I?
Yet again, a tear had to roll down my face. I could think
about that feeling of belonging but I couldn't feel it. And
again the familiar person next to me wiped them off with
tears in her own eyes.
“Leon… Don't cry please—” This was for the umpteenth
time I saw her crying, trying to disguise her tears. I
remembered her. I did. But I was scared to ask her name,
because if I did then I would have been the one dealing with
that pain in my head.
Jazlyn, she said, was her name, but I dared not think about
it. My head would hurt.
And then a person had to enter that four walled dull
hospital room again. Someone I didn't want to see but I had
to because I was his son.
Jazlyn stood up and went out, without uttering a word,
with the dismal look etched on her face. The man,
supposedly my father, walked to me and sat down on the
chair Jazlyn sat on earlier. A father wasn't like that. I could
feel it in my bones.
“Leon,” he asked again, for the hundredth time that day,
“Do you remember something?”
No. And it didn't matter how much I emphasised, I
couldn't. It felt like a dream I saw but forgot as soon as I
woke up.
 I shook my head in a no, slightly, to not feel the pain
around my neck. He sighed and nodded, “Someone is here
to meet you.”
“W—who,” I uttered.
“I am going out. You can meet him by yourself,” he
couldn't look into my eyes. And he did that. He went out,
leaving me alone in the room.
Who did I have to meet then? The heavy footsteps echoed
outside the room. A feeling of hesitation and the feeling of a
stomach turning upside down. The door opened and I could
see a hesitant guy accompanied by Jazlyn, with hands
curled into fists and tears straining his face. Jazlyn gently
rubbed his back and he walked to me with a deep breath
after she went out, shutting the door behind.
“L–Leon?” He called and shed more tears at the mention
of my name.
“I'm Leon,” I said.
He walked closer to me, “Don't you remember anything?
Just—anything?”
“I don't-” I let out. The tears in his eyes caused them to
grow in mine.
“Not even my n–name?” He asked.
I shook my head in a no.
He pulled in a deep breath and wiped off the tears from
his face. “Noah S-Smith,” he stuttered, clutching his fists
tightly, “Don't forget me… Leon.”
He sniffed back his tears and his despirited figure faltered
out of the room without any more words.
Right then something flashed before my eyes. A woman,
whom I met happily. She accompanied me on a bike. I could
see our smiles and that kind of affection I needed then. A
mother. I could still feel happy in that memory. A feeling of
anticipation, even though something in that memory had
been bothering me but I know if my mom was there, it
would have been alright.
But was I sure that I wasn't fabricating my own memories?
 Then there was another one. A person whom I saw crying
in my arms. Someone I watched picking up the sunflowers I
felt like leaving behind. I had smiled at her back then. But I
cried remembering it. Because nothing made sense
anymore.
Jazlyn entered again. Her eyes reddened and face dull but
trying to put up a cheerful front. She came and sat next to
me.
Should I ask her or should I not, I was torn. In the end I
couldn't. It wasn't as easy as it seemed.
She pursed her lips and held my hand. “Leon.. I'm not
used to calling you this but I have to from now on because
that's your name,” she sniffed back the tears that grew in
her eyes, “Just know that even if others won't be here, I will
be. I don't know if you remember but you told me I am like
your little sister and that you will always love me. Don't ever
forget this—because I–I love you a lot.”
The time since I woke up, I did nothing but cry and say
'no'. But I needed to say something different, I couldn't see
her crying. I couldn't imagine my little sister crying.
“Jaz...” I said and my voice grew softer, “You—don't cry. I
won't forget you ever. You are my sister aren't you? Then
don't make your brother cry, by crying yourself.”
She sniffed the tears, wiping them off briskly and she
nodded. I smiled at her.
“Who else did I love?” I asked, “Who? Is that the guy who
came here?”
I didn't think so. But I had to say it to make her laugh.
Which she did. She snickered between the tears and
glanced at me.
“Jose—Leon, you weren't gay! God,” she laughed as he
held back tears.
“Then?” I let out a tired smile, “I feel I loved someone?
Where is she?”
“She...” Jazlyn let out, “She went back home.”
So I did love her.
 “Home? Where?” I asked. My heart dropped. I knew
feelings could change and mine did. But not the feeling of
love and affection I felt. The feelings that were altered were
of happiness and joy, to sadness and longing.
“The city where she lived. The friend of yours who came
here told me,” she firmed her hand upon mine, “You used to
talk about her a lot, even before you met her. You know
because her grandmother loved you a lot. You told me all of
it. You even showed me her photos that you clicked.”
Questions, all I had were questions.
“Then, where do we live? You and me? And… Can I see her
pictures?” I asked.
“I don't think you can, because your camera broke… And
—your dad got rid of old memories. He said it caused him…
pain,” she looked at me with tears pooling in his eyes and I
was blank, “You… used to live in this city. We are here right
now. But from now on you are going to live in New York.”
She sighed, “With your father.”
Why?
I glanced at the ceiling and let out a breath, “I lived with
someone here before?”
“You didn't.”
“Then what about my mother?” I mustered the courage to
ask her that question, “Don't I have a mother? I haven't
seen her. Does she live—in New York too?”
She glanced at me with tears glazing her eyes once again,
“You know you got into an accident? T–that caused you to
be like this. Your mother is no longer here because of it. It's
been more than two months. You were in a coma for two
months.”
It felt as if someone hurled stones right at my heart. “S—
she died?”
Jazlyn nodded and brought her hands over to my face to
wipe off the inadvertent tears that I was unaware of.
“Leon… I—I can't know how much pain you are in but
don't you worry I am always there next to you,” she cried, “I
know I can't put a value to your pain because I can't
imagine what you must be going through internally right
now. But I'll always be next to you.”
“Promise me, then?” I let out.
“Always.”
_
I used to ask Jazlyn about myself. She used to answer me.
But I always felt empty. Late at night, I couldn't sleep. I felt
exhausted. There seemed to be a kind of love I was longing
for, but I still couldn't get it. No matter who I hugged, no
matter what song I listened to, no matter how many pillows
I hugged—I couldn't get that smile and comfort out of my
mind. That girl's face faded from my memory. The doctors
named it Retrograde Amnesia.
Nothing, I remembered nothing.
But I continued to study business and architecture, to
keep myself busy. To keep myself away from thinking about
that feeling I longed so much for.
That was important, I had to study because I had to run
my father's company after graduation. But little I could tell
them that I loved photography.
Days when I was exhausted, I would just run away. To a
place from where I could see everyone, but nobody saw me.
Three years. I survived.
It was a freshmen's party that night.
The students in their first year of college had been
enjoying themselves all night. But I was still not happy. Even
sadder because in a week I had the graduation ceremony
which meant that I would become the CEO of a company
soon. Something I never wanted.
I walked out of the hall. What was there? Alcohol, horny
people, people who had nothing to do but get drunk and do
something stupid. I wanted it too. I wanted to feel that too…
But I was caught in a person's memory who was impossible
to find. I sighed as I found a set of stairs.
They led me to a rooftop. It was not particularly pretty but
enough to let my restless heart breathe. When I walked to
the balcony and rested my hands over it, a small shiny
blade slipped against my arm and fell to the ground.
I lunged down and picked it up. But then tears started
gushing to my eyes as I stood up.
Leon… Do you even know the reason you are alive? Do
you even know who you are?
I didn't.
I didn't know why I was living. I should have ended it
there. Better, right? I would then finally be able to sleep
happily. I pulled in a breath and did it. The blade pierced
through my skin and blood oozed out. That scar would mark
my sadness and the love I couldn't feel.
But that was short lived.
“Hey stop!” Someone called out.
I turned around, and saw a girl, her eyes glistening with
terror.
“Please wait,” she yelled again and her eyes squinted as
she caught hold of my wrist.
'No. Don't come here, you'll get hurt.'
But her footsteps faltered towards me.
I stepped back when she was just a step away from me.
“Please talk to me,” she said again.
“Go away,” my own voice gave me chills. But I believed
she knew what she wanted to do.
She took a step back, As I thought she would go away and
my tensed muscles loosened, she briskly flung her hand
over the one with which I held the incriminating object and
hurled it away from my grip. A shrill sound echoed through
the terrace as the blade landed someplace.
“What did you—” I muttered. She exhaled sharply and
took a step back.
But my eyes wavered over a large part of the roof,
flickering back and forth while searching for the blade.
Drops of blood dribbled on the floor which earned a gasp
from her.
“Go away,” I growled. 'Just go away.'
“N—no, you are hurt,” she said.
 “Let me be hurt, it should not bother you,” I admonished,
as darkly as I could, to scare her away.
But she took a big stride forward and grasped my hand. I
swiftly pulled it away, making her flinch back.
“You'll die like that,” she cried, “That's way too much.”
I glared at her. But she still stepped closer and gently
gripped my hand, “Please let me,” she whispered.
I peered towards the wound and then gazed back at her.
Why did her touch feel so soothing? Who was she to do
that? The people I know couldn't love me so why was she
doing that?
She rummaged in her handbag for something, still holding
my hand.
“What are you going to do,” I rasped.
I could sense the tension my voice had on her as she
looked at me hesitantly. “Come here,” she whispered,
pulling me towards the small water tank with a tap.
She tenderly placed my wrist under the chilly water until it
was clean. The blood oozed out again but in a minuscule
quantity. She grabbed the dry wipes and patted them dry,
both her hands and my wrist.
She pressed a tissue over it and dragged me towards a
bench. 'Why are you doing this?'
“I don't know why you did this but believe me.. no matter
what kind of pain it is, it does end,” she emphasised.
I stayed silent.
She wrapped the bandage over the ointment she had
stroked it with. A groan escaped my lips and my eyes
squinted in pain.
“It's done,” she murmured, pulling the sleeve down.
I opened my eyes only to find her gazing at me with a
small pout. W—why did she look like her? The person I saw
in my dreams?
She cupped my hand between hers and stroked tenderly,
“You know, you might be sad right now but that will end
soon. It's on us. How much we endure it.” Tears gushed to
my eyes and she glanced at me.
 She did something unexpected. Her soft hands gently
reached towards the exposed part of my face and she wiped
off my tears, even though I was still beneath a mask.
“I know you wouldn't want to say everything to me.. but
do you have any physical sickness or is it more emotional?
And… Why do you have that mask on?” She asked.
“I'm okay, physically. The mask is just how I want it to be,”
I inhaled deeply, glancing at the concrete ground.
“That's good to hear,” she paused, “Come, I can't leave
you alone.” I felt her hand tugging on mine.
“Where?”
“I know some really nice med students who are doing their
internship here in the university's hospital and you know
you can go to them and vent out your feelings. I mean they
can talk to you, you know psychiatrist...” She pursed her lips
together.
But I refused. I couldn't even encourage myself, so what
would a psychiatrist do?
“Please, if not for yourself then for me. Just fifteen
minutes,” she urged again.
“I… Don't want to,” I faltered and glanced away.
“Alright,” she slowly pulled her hand back and picked up
her bag. “Bye then,” she said and turned around. 'Don't go.
Don't leave me.'
“Wait!”
She turned to face me with discontent clearly visible on
her face. I peeked at her for a moment but she rolled her
eyes up and down. Okay. I held my hand loosely in front of
her displeased figure.
“What,” she asked with a pout.
“Take me wherever you want to,” I tried to sound as
nonchalant as possible.
She side eyed me. 'Don't be like this. Did someone break
your heart before?' I could feel something rushing in my
chest. A warmth that took all over my body. As if I could
touch her heart and feel all that she was feeling.
“For real or just to keep my heart?” She asked.
 Real.
“For real,” I murmured, “Now hold it, it's aching.”
_
“C'mon, they are nice,” she convinced me for the
umpteenth time as we sat down on the waiting bench. I still
held her hand gently with our fingers intertwined.
“Look at me,” she said, “Promise me you will never hurt
yourself again.”
I couldn't reply.
“If you ever feel nobody cares for you then remember this
stranger who just dressed this wound,” she sighed and
smiled at me gently.
Could I?
“Hello? You can go inside now,” a woman called out and
smiled at us. The strange girl nodded in acknowledgment.
“Okay,” her hand crawled upon my knee, “So here you go
now.”
I couldn't come to say something. What could I say to her?
We stayed in silence until I decided that I would just stand
up.
But I felt her hand holding mine.
“Will you allow me something?” She   rapidly questioned
fumbling with the hem of her leather jacket.
“What?”
“Close your eyes,” she commanded.
What?
Yet I did as asked. And then in the heat of that moment I
could feel her lips upon mine but with the mask in between.
As my eyes opened briskly, she had already stood up, with
her cheeks growing rosy. An inadvertent smile flashed on
my lips.
Unexpectedly, I grabbed her hand and stood up after her.
“How can you do this, you don't even know what I look like,”
I looked into her eyes blankly.
“I.. I believe you are a good person at heart and if
someone is good from within, he is automatically beautiful..
or handsome,” she mumbled. So did she mean she would
have been okay if I was a girl? 'No, Leon, she meant
something else.' Cute.
She peered up trying to comprehend the meaning of my
silence.
She pulled her hand back. “I think I should go now,” she
whispered. I caught the shyness escaping her eyes. As she
was on the verge of passing by my side, I stopped her with
her wrist.
“You can't just walk into a person's heart and leave as if
nothing happened,” I deadpanned.
She moved back with her eyes widened.
“Don't you want me to kiss you?” I questioned.
“I—don't mind if you don't kiss me back, but the fact that
you don't want to push me away is enough to keep me
happy...” she blurted out. I felt a gush of heat passing
through my skin and my heart thumping uncontrollably.
Then let's do it.
“Close your eyes,” I commanded.
She peeked at me perplexed.
“I said close your eyes.”
And her eyes shut gently. 'Who are you? Why do I feel like
I understand parts about you that I haven't even seen yet?' I
pulled down my mask and gently closed my eyes, before
finally closing the gap between our lips.
I could feel her hand clumsily trying to hold me causing
my heart to race even faster. I wanted to feel her. I wanted
to be closer to her. My heart felt a splash of warmth. As
though that stranger was the most familiar person I've ever
known.
I moved back, and quickly put my mask on, leaving behind
the wet sound of the friction caused by our lips and she
slowly opened her eyes. I took a deep breath, trying to calm
my pacing heartbeat.
“I hope you don't forget that you are mine,” I gazed into
her eyes.
'Don't forget it, like I did.'
 Her eyes widened as she gave me a nod, “Promise me
that you won't forget that you are mine either.” Her eyes
wavered at the side, although confident but getting nervous
beneath.
“I promise,” I let out a smile.
“Okay,” she moved aside, “Let's meet again, someday.”
 Twenty-eight

I
 kissed her. And I went to look for her.
When she said someday, why not that day itself. But it
couldn't go the way I wanted it to. When I went there, back
to the party, she had already forgotten the promise she
made. After making me forget that I was in pain, she did
nothing but played. And that did not get me upset, but
angry.
So I did the same.
To tell myself that I did not need someone's love to make
me happy. But I was wrong. I couldn't get over her. The way
she looked into my eyes that night said a different story.
I couldn't believe that a person who would save my life
would break my heart in her spare time. So I went on,
remembering her words, and living my life. Assuming one
day, if it was destiny, I would definitely meet her.
Not unknowingly, but by digging into who she really was.
_
“Good for today then, Leon?” Ash laid back against the
chair and flashed me a smile.
“Yeah,” I crossed my arms in front of my chest, “I have a
question though.”
He tilted his head slightly, “Ask?”
I pulled in a deep breath, “You know, I did not come here
for the first time on my own. A girl left me here. Do you
keep records of who comes here and who doesn't?”
 “I don't know about it. I just keep records of my patients,”
he sighed, “But what will you do with it? It's been almost
eight years, Leon, since you came here.”
My chest dropped and I let out a deep breath.
Ash seemed to guess my silence. “Listen,” he asserted,
which caused me to glance at him, “I don't know if the
database where they stored records of eight years back still
exists but you can still try asking the receptionist. She is the
same one from years ago. She may have it somewhere on
her computer.”
Not bad. “Okay,” I stood up, “I'll get it right now.”
He observed me with a cautious look. But it did not matter
to me. He was always so particular and untrusting of things.
It was okay. I would just go and do what I needed to. I did
not glance back at him and hastily paced out of the room.
My footsteps echoed over the silent hallway. In the
daytime Ash did not have many visitors. Walking in that
hallway reminded me of the memories. 'Right here girl, wait
for me. I'll make you mine right here. I promise.'
I approached the receptionist as she gave me a smile.
“You got your refills last week. Do you need them again?”
she asked, adjusting the glasses on her nose bridge.
I shook my head, “I need to ask you something.”
“What?”
“Do you keep records–no, um do you remember the day I
came here. There was a girl with me. I asked you about her
that night too but you said she–”
“I don't know what you mean but we do have records of
people who made appointments,” she said.
Yeah. She did it. She made an appointment while we were
waiting there, right on the bench behind me. “So, can I see
it then?”
She glanced at her computer, “Look, I'm showing you
these because I know you don't have any malicious
intentions. We are not allowed to show these to anyone. You
want a record from how many years back?”
 “Eight years back… Tenth of October,” I gave her a
hesitant nod.
A range of unease grew on her face, “Good luck—it's going
to take you a lot of time.”
_
It took me a month. I had been searching for it everyday,
stopping at a marked point and then searching again from
that point to only stop without an answer. Jazlyn used to be
really busy, scheduling and rescheduling my day so that I
got enough time to search. But guess good luck really came
to me one day.
“Name, Skye Waltz, appointment made on tenth of
october, year xxxx, phone number, xxx-xxxx-xxx,” the only
appointment Ash, as a newbie intern had that day. So it was
obvious.
Without wasting a moment I scribbled the final piece of
information on a piece of paper.
“Thank you so much for letting me do this,” I gave the
receptionist a big smile, “I couldn't have done this without
your help.”
She smiled at me back, “Now that you have spent a whole
month sitting on my desk, I hope one day I can meet the girl
too for whom you are looking so eagerly.”
“Sure,” I smiled, and glanced back at the paper, rubbing
my thumb gently over her name. I was going to get her. And
then it was Noah's turn, for the hardest part of the work.
_
“This is all the information I have, Noah. Try using her
phone number...” my body was lazily buried on the revolving
chair.
But it was unlikely of Noah and the enthusiasm he had for
his deeply intellectual job. He grew silent over the call.
“Are you even listening?”
“Yeah? Yeah I am..” I could hear a sigh. He paused before
answering and his voice grew tense by the moment, “Leon,
are you sure about the name? Is it really Skye Waltz?”
 “Yeah. Is that something to even ask? I extracted all that
data by myself. That night, October tenth, it was her.”
“Not that,” he sighed, “What I mean to say is—that if it's
really her, then I know her.”
I unconsciously positioned my sinking figure up, “You know
her? Are you really sure?”
“Right now, when you dictated me the phone number, I
type it in my phone, and guess what? I had that number
saved already. By the name Skye. She is my old friend. It
was her old phone number but I still had it saved,” he let out
and my heart skipped a few beats briskly.
I did not know what to say, how to react. Was the world
actually small as people used to phrase it?
“Leon, you are lucky…You have a chance to really meet
her,” he said but I could still feel a tint of anticipation filled
with hesitation in his voice, “I don't know how this
happened, bro. I would do anything to get her back to you.”
“But how?” I asked.
“She's an architect. She's just extremely talented. She has
worked on numerous amazing projects before. You know
what I mean?”
Yes.
“I got it, Noah, this is going to be a secret between us,” I
bit on my bottom lip, “Don't let her know we know each
other at any cost. I'm going to send you something soon,
and forward it to her. Make her do anything to join this
company.”
“Alright,” I could hear a sigh.
“Are you okay, bro?” I leaned back against the chair.
After a moment of silence he spoke up, “I am. But promise
me, Leon, you will never break her heart. Please.”
I took in a deep inhale and nodded to myself, “I won't.
Thinking about her, I feel happy. She feels precious to me. I
won't break her heart, I promise.”
“Hm. Let's get it, then.”
The phone call ended on a determined note. As soon as
we hung up, I called Jazlyn.
 “Yeah?” She asked.
“Inform our chief designer that he is fired and update
about the job vacancy for it on our website. You know about
all the requirements so set the bar high. I don't want
someone incompetent and passive as him again,” I
commanded before hanging up the call.
'Leon, take a deep breath.' Yeah.
'Let's get her into the office.'
_
“Here are the applicants that have been qualified for the
post,” Jazlyn brought over a file to my desk.
“They will start coming in now?” I asked, turning the
pages to get to the page I wanted to. Skye Waltz was
talented. Even if it was not for myself, I still would have
hired her, because by her work profile I could surely say she
was a great deal.
“Yeah almost all of them are already waiting out,” Jazlyn
let out a small smile.
“Sure then, start sending them,” I stated. She gave me a
hesitant smile before turning away.
I didn't know what was wrong with her since the day she
started going through those applicant pages. She had been
acting weird. She turned back and observed me for a
second, “And ask your ex girlfriends to not call me. I'm sick
of telling them that you are busy and that they shouldn't call
me.”
She turned around with puffed cheeks and paced out of
the room.
I sighed, mentally preparing to interview people and later
to clear up the mess of my life.
_
“Thank you,” the second last person who was to be
interviewed, smiled and walked out of the room. Finally, the
best for the last. 'Skye, I might be more nervous than you
today.'
 I buried my gaze down in the papers, puffing in a deep
breath. The glass door opened. 'Stay calm. Heart please
calm down. We can't get an attack again. Calm down. You
can do it. You just have to look at her.' Yes.
“May I know your name?” I asked, never being able to look
up at her.
“I'm Skye Waltz.”
The girl—no, the woman in front of me smiled.
A nervous yet cheerful smile. Her voice and her eyes. I
scanned her face. She was the one. But those attacks were
my weakness and I could feel it taking over me. 'Get out of
here, run, Leon.'
“Excuse me,” I faltered as I stood up, trying to look casual
in front of her, “Please wait for a minute. I'll be back.”
She glanced at me with a tiny gape and nodded, “Okay.”
Her voice faded away as I paced out of the room.
My footsteps made their way to the living area but a girl
bumped into me. “Leon,” she grinned. 'Um, who? Wait,
Hannah? Ugh, Jazlyn, how did she get in?' But in the panic
stricken hurry I was, I signalled her towards my office and
scurried away.
I stood breathing inconsistently in the archive room. I
hastily pulled out the tablets and gulped them down with
water.
A determined breath left my lips shortly after. “You're
okay,” I breathed.
After assuring myself that I felt normal, I glanced at myself
once again in the designer mirror, an inadvertent smirk
taking over my lips.
'Let's make you mine, miss Skye.'
Flashback over
_
Skye's POV
“You know the day we met, I called you hot and that you
should be his girlfriend,” Jazlyn snickered between the tears,
“Well you being hot was the truth, of course
, but you know
why I said that?”
I let out a snicker, wiping off the tears that pooled in my
eyes. “Why?” I asked.
“Because, when I saw your photograph on the applicant
form I realised it was you. The girl whom Joseph told me
about so much, was right there. I was shocked. Simply
shocked at how you both could find each other in such a
strange setting again. Remember the day you told me about
that stranger?”
I shook my head in disbelief, “You knew everything about
it, right! Oh, God, all of you are such good actors. You, Ash,
Noah… seriously.”
She nodded with a smile, “He searched for you so much.
Just don't ask how because I don't know for the most part
but he really did it.”
“He really did it,” I sniffed back the tears.
Jazlyn gazed in my eyes and firmed her hands upon mine,
“You know I still did not tell you one thing.”
“Is there more?”
“When you were pregnant...” she started and my eyes
darted towards her, “Back in Brookville, when you were
pregnant, he told me all of it because he was used to
sharing everything with me. He told me he got you pregnant
and he was sorry.”
My heart thumped briskly as a tear rolled out of my eye.
“—That day, that was the day he got into an accident. His
mother was going to meet him. He told her that you were
pregnant and she said she would help you both. But when
he was with her on his bike, they got into an accident. Aunt
died that day. Leon was lucky—he would have died… But he
survived and lost all his memories. He had a severe injury in
his head. He was in a coma for more than two months.”
I couldn't utter anything. He was going to come back? In
fact, with his mother. He knew he made a mistake and he
was coming back to me that day? Joseph didn't lie to me
when he said he wouldn't leave me alone?
 “His name, why did he change it then?” I asked.
“That accident wasn't really an accident,” her chest
dropped and she looked down, “It was a planned one. His
parents were divorced. At that time Leon's mother raised
the issue of unfair shares, so the process started again. His
father was to reconsider the shares but if divided, most of
the shares would have gone to Leon's mother and Leon
himself, since it was his mother's company. His mother was
the heir after his grandfather. They were like a hurdle so Mr.
Weston planned to—kill them. I–I heard this conversation
when Leon's father was talking to my father. They are
brothers,
“My father protested but uncle did not move back. He
planned that accident on the day Leon's mother was to
meet him so he would get rid of them at the same time. But,
Leon survived...”
Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. As if my lips
were sewed together.
Jazlyn glanced back at me, sniffing back her tears, “When
Leon survived, his father changed his name to Leon Weston
and he appealed for his custody since Leon was still
seventeen. His mother was a nice person, she knew her son
wasn't interested in the corporate world. So she kept him
out of the city, away from all those people at the company.
Nobody really knew him.”
“God,” I buried my face in my palms, “I loathed Joseph for
years. I didn't know anything. I was so confused—how I
could hate him that way. He wasn't the person to lie or run
away. I knew
 he wasn't. I was so confused all these years.” I
took in deep breaths, calming myself down, integrating all
the information. He was always innocent.
Jazlyn took a long breath and glanced at me, gently
caressing my shoulder, “Remember that day we were in the
hospital? When you started crying over the mention of that
woman… Hannah's baby?”
I gazed at her with a gape, sniffing back my tears, “I
remember.”
 “I knew you were disturbed. Someone else would have
said that you were being too dramatic but that was nothing
but trauma,” She said and gently wiped off my tears with
the hem of her sleeves, “I have learned a lot about traumas
and mental health, you know, while being with Ash. He is
always educating me.”
I gave her a small smile.
She put her hand over my shoulder, “I still don't know
what happened to you the day he got into that accident.
Won't you tell me all that? What happened to your baby?”
I told her the story. Crying in between, getting hugs… But I
told her everything. After years I felt at peace. Now that
everything was solved in front of my eyes, I could breathe a
sigh of relief.
After a walk filled with tears and smiles, Jazlyn and I
walked inside the silent house. “Axel and Aria are sleeping in
Griffin's room,” she smiled at me before she stepped inside
her and Ash's shared bedroom.
The door shut behind me as I walked to the kid's room.
Aria and Axel were sleeping next to each other on a bed.
Griffin was sleeping on his little bed next to theirs. A smile
left my lips as I walked to their bed and gently sank to my
knees, next to Aria's side. I left a kiss on her forehead but
my little snow white woke up in half sleep.
“Biscuits,” she mumbled, “Dwon't tell mommy… thwat I
ate Axel's chocolate.”
“Well, mommy is listening to you,” I whispered with a
small snicker and kissed her forehead again, gently
caressing her head to make her fall back asleep.
I smiled and walked to Axel's side, lunging next to the bed.
I brushed aside his unruly hair and kissed his forehead. He
was already deep in his dreamworld. I stood up and smiled
at the three beings deep in a peaceful slumber.
Carefully I shut the door behind and I let out a deep
breath. Everything was alright then.
I finally went to the room where Leon was asleep and
changed to a comfy outfit before snuggling next to him on
the bed. I brushed aside the hair on his forehead and smiled
to myself. Why did you keep it to yourself?
  My fingers
gently caressed his cheek. Your heart is too good. I keep
falling in love again and again.
He slowly blinked open his eyes and smiled.
“Did I wake you up?”
“It's okay, just come here now, I've been waiting for the
whole day. Let me hold you,” he murmured and led his arm
over my waist, and pulled me closer. I nestled tighter into
his chest, hugging him tightly by his torso.
I'll heal you, Leon. I promise. I promise you will get over
those attacks one day.
“Our babies enjoyed a lot today with their cousin,” he
murmured, running his fingers through my hair.
Our babies
. I promise that one day we'll be able to talk
about the baby we lost, without you getting a panic attack
.
A day when I'll tell you about your memories. I have to.
Because I can't let my happy Joseph die like this. I promise
you will live as both my Joseph and my Leon.
“My Nutella… Are you asleep already?” Joseph whispered.
Not yet but let me not speak any more. This silence isn't
awkward anymore because it's love.
“So you are asleep,” he let out a smile and kissed my
forehead, “Good night. See me in your dreams then.”
Good night.
That's right, whatever happened, it happened. And now
whatever it is, if it's you, I'm sure it's love.
 Twenty-nine

“B
ye, and be good kids!” I remarked. Terrance had come to
fetch Axel and Aria for a play date with Lily, and the three of
them were equally excited.
“Ywes mommy!” Aria grinned.
I glanced at Axel and he grinned at me. Axel didn't talk a
lot around people he didn't know much, he was more of a
sweetheart who smiled at everything, but not to forget, he
could be extremely moody at times.
“Good luck, Terrance,” I snickered.
“Sure,” he laughed with an eye smile and waved me a bye
before his car took off.
A smile of content took over my lips before I ambled
towards the house. It was eleven in the morning and the
three adults and Griffin were fast asleep. The surprising fact
was that they did not wake up from Aria's morning energy.
Well who would wanna wake up anyway? You could hardly
get peaceful days to sleep without worries. I yawned as I
entered the living room. I could have got back on the bed
but I had plans already.
With a smug smile taking over, I bit my bottom lip to hold
it back as I tiptoed in mine and Leon's shared bedroom.
“Bread,” I whispered as I sat next to him on the cushiony
bed and hugged his sleeping figure tightly that was tossed
on a side. My face sank to get buried in his neck.
“Bread, wake up,” I murmured, “I want to take you
somewhere.”
 He groaned slightly and shuffled to lay on his stomach.
I hugged him tighter but eventually lay on top of him,
teasing his cheeks from the side with butterfly kisses.
“Where?” He could barely open his eyes.
“Surprise,” I gently stroked his hair with my fingertips, not
minding that my weight was squishing him underneath. But
he enjoyed it.
“Baby, if I stay like this more, I'll become horny. So wake
up.”
“Then get off me,” he whispered. I got off him and laid
beside him with a small pout.
He stretched his arms, being in the same position he was
and he rose up slightly the next moment. The messy hair,
shirtless, rosy lips—my heart fluttered.
A smirk spread on his face and he hovered over me. “We
have to go—” I gently tried to nudge him back by placing
my palms on his chest but he cut me off with a kiss.
“Not too soon baby,” he swiftly brought over the blanket
to cover us.
The warm sunlight and a cool breeze cascaded through
the curtains. He looked even unreal under the partial
sunlight that passed by the thin blanket.
“Yeah I forgot that it's easy to turn you on,” I smirked.
His lips curved in a pleased smirk as he conjoined our
lustful lips together. My hands trailed over his neck, tugging
on strands of his soft hair. His fingertips loosely fumbled
with the hem of my shirt before he removed it. His eyes
scanned my figure and he pecked my lips, “Don't be loud
here, they'll wake up.”
“Mm, hm.”
He placed butterfly kisses on my neck and gently
unhooked my bra. “Kids are out with Lily,” I cooed, caressing
his silken hair as he sucked and licked on my skin.
“Hm,” he hummed as he continued his job.
His lips trailed, planting sloppy kisses down towards my
stomach. A chill ran over my legs as he removed my pants
and moved closer to my face. “If it hurts then tell me,” he
whispered and pecked my lips.
I nodded, hiding my flustered
  cheeks as my arms curled
around his neck. He had that
 power over me.
He positioned himself properly and gently slid inside me.
My back slightly arched up and a tingle ran through my
body. He cupped my jawline and gently kissed me as he
started slow, letting me adjust to his size. He could be a
raucous daddy who liked nothing better than choking and
tying me up, or he could be a true prince charming who
liked nothing better than spooning me sweetly while he took
control.
A wild ride. But to sum up, he knew the difference
between having fun and making love.
Every inch of his skin had met mine. His lips had tasted
every secret within me. He had become me. I had become
him. If there was a barrier then that was just our bodies. He
knew how to crawl in me, read parts of me that I didn't know
existed. Love felt like an understatement. If we existed, then
we existed in each other.
He came undone inside me, gently lowering his body over
mine.
I lay breathing heavily, integrating the explosion of
pleasure. His eyes gazed in mine, a smile taking over his
lips. I looked into his eyes. You have always been my first.
Even my first love that I hated for years.
“What?” He questioned with a confused pout, “Did you
just see a ghost or what?”
“Mhm.”
Aren't we way too horny? Having the same recklessness
like when we were young.
 
“I can count the stars by now. The time you stay lost,
looking at me,” he shook his head since he couldn't wave
his hand in front of my face to bring me back to my senses,
because his arms supported him to be on top of me.
I let out a small laugh and glanced at the side with flushed
cheeks. That means, Leon, you were my first one all this
time and you will always be my last.
He smiled gently and pecked my lips, causing me to blush
even harder. Skye, he is literally your husband, stop
blushing like this.
“Anyway, baby, I love you,” he tilted my face towards him
by cupping my chin as he let his weight loose over me and
pecked my lips, “I love you so much.”
“Me too,” I brushed aside the hair from his forehead, “I
love you so much.”
He smiled, nuzzling his face on the crook of my neck, “So?
What's the surprise?”
_
“This university,” a breath escaped his lips.
He twisted around to look at me and smiled with a tinge of
nostalgia, firming our already entwined hands. We were
standing in front of the building, on the campus of the
university where everything started for the second time. I
let out a deep breath and glanced at him with a smile, “Are
you ready to go to that rooftop again?”
He puffed his chest and let out a deep exhale, “Is it the
same as it used to be?”
“Who knows, it's been over a decade,” I gazed into his
eyes.
He nodded, “I'm ready.”
“Then, you go first. I have an urgent call to make right
now. You go, I'll join you.”
He nodded sincerely and looked ahead at the same set of
stairs that led to the rooftop.
It's a lie that I have to make a call, because, Leon, now I
need to leave your hand so that you can face it on your own
and become stronger. But that doesn't mean I'll leave your
side. I'll always be next to you. Even when I'm not here, I'll
still be there.
I pulled my hand back, curling into a gentle fist to ward off
the awkwardness. He smiled awkwardly and took ahead
with footsteps faltering with each step. Go ahead and live it
by yourself. I need to leave your hand to let you live.
I took a step back and leaned against a wall pulling out my
phone. I did not glance up at him. I stayed there, to let him
go away. Tears brimmed in my eyes causing me to
unconsciously sniff them back.
A minute or two passed by standing idle, waiting for Leon
to have time for himself. But my footsteps hesitated. I still
couldn't leave him alone for long. I couldn't risk any attack
again.
I took a deep breath and walked towards the staircase that
led me to the rooftop. A cool wind hugged my legs. It was
dark, nights ago, but that day it was bright and light. Those
were cold nights but then it was spring. Warm sunlight
caressing my skin and a feeling of warmth and love.
My restless eyes caught the glimpse of his back. I smiled
as I saw him with hands buried in his pockets, gazing far
wide over the endless horizon.
I walked to him and wrapped my arms around his waist
and rested my face against his back.
His chest rose up slightly because of the mixed feeling of
a sudden hug with a gleam of nostalgia and awkwardness.
“Why, Leon?” I whispered, “Why did you keep all of it to
yourself?”
He wasn't shocked, nor was he surprised.
The thing was, after all those years, not saying anything
about those emotions to each other didn't mean we didn't
know what the other felt. We had a bond where we could
read into each other's eyes. As if everything was alright if
you were there and I knew all what you were thinking.
“I was scared,” I could feel the break in his voice, yet I
couldn't face him.
I let him continue.
“You know,” he cried “I was scared of showing you who I
was when I myself did not know who I was. I don't know
yet… I know we both are happy, we have two awesome
kids, we have a big house, a happy life. Everything is good
and I'm so grateful for it. I don't want to look greedy but
something is missing. H–how would you feel as if one day
you forget all about yourself. You don't have any memories
to look back on. One day you wake up and feel like a
stranger to yourself. All of it sometimes feels so dull when
I'm all alone. I know you will ask me why am I talking like
this and—I-I'll-”
Beneath the tears, my brows furrowed together upon
hearing him stammer. Shit
. “Leon!” I called out and moved
back, turning to his side to face him. But he gripped my
hand tightly and shook his head.
“Wait, y-your medicine,” I stuttered, briskly opening my
bag for his medicine. Instead he held my hand tighter and
clumsily took away my bag and hurled it on a small bench.
“S-Skye, d-on't,” he breathed heavily, holding onto me. He
took deeper breaths each time.
“Leon, but you need to—” I urged with tears but he cut me
off by pressing his lips upon mine. “No,” he breathed, “I-can
do it without these medicines… I-I can do it… Just hold me—
be with me, I know I can.”
His breaths started to slow down and I could feel him
squinting his eyes in pain, gripping tightly on my shoulders
for support. Tears streamed down my face and I hugged him
tightly. He did the same and we couldn't part ways for some
time. We both stood there holding onto each other, until I
could feel he was okay.
“Skye,” he called my name, his voice was relatively calm
by then but the effect of inconsistent breathing still was
apparent.
Maybe he wanted to move back but I couldn't leave him
again because I was scared, so he just hugged me closer
and tighter. Not too tight, not too loose, just perfect to hold
me in place.
“I want to tell you something,” he whispered.
His hands stroked my hair gently. I know what you are
going to tell me. I know all of it.
 “I got into an accident..” he let out, caressing my hair,
“That night I wanted to kill myself. It used to feel like hell,
my love. I… suffered from memory loss. You can say I have
permanent memory loss because I didn't even know my own
name. It was the worst. There was this feeling I could not
feel. I don't know what it was. I still can think of it, a little bit
but I can't
 
remember
 it. And it hurts so much. I know you
must be shocked after listening to this but this is what had
happened to me. I forgot who I was. It was as if I was
looking at this life through someone else's eyes.”
Tears again left my eyes and I shook my head briskly as I
moved back. Maybe that was the only right time to tell him.
“Leon, I know,” I sniffed, “Jazlyn told me all of this last
night… And when you say there are no memories for you to
remember. You are wrong, baby.”
“What do you mean?”
Tell him, Skye. All of it.
 I took in a deep breath and let out
a gentle smile, “I wrote letters for us.”
“For us?” He sighed with a tired smile, “Skye, I mean the
memories before I lost them not the ones right now.”
I nodded with a smile, “I mean that too. I wrote letters for
you before you lost your memories.”
“Wait—but how?” He questioned. Even though it was still
a mystery to him, his eyes glimmered in a ray of hope.
I let out a small smile and held his hand, “I'll tell you
everything… Just wait until we go back to grandma's place.”
_
“Mom you will be back by night, right?” I asked. My busy
hands straightened Aria's dress as she stood swinging her
arms back and forth with a grin.
“Yeah, you take care,” mom said as she bent down a little
and opened her arms to pick Aria up. I stood up after Mom
and smiled.
“Be a good girl,” I gently tickled Aria and she giggled,
“Ywes, mommy.”
“C'mon,” Dad called out from outside, ready with his car.
 “Yes, Grandpa!” Axel, who was busy hustling to wear his
shoes, tweeted excitedly. I snickered and bent down next to
him and helped him wear it.
“Done!” He remarked as he jumped up and kissed my
cheek. “Mommy! I love you,” he grinned while he waved at
me and ran outside after Mom and Aria.
I stood up with an exhale and saw the four of them
assisted by Leon, getting inside the car. “Bye daddy!” Axel
waved at him as he closed the car door for them. “Bye
daddy!” Aria yelled as she copied Axel's gesture. I could see
Leon smiling and waving until the car took off.
I stretched my arms widely and grinned as I saw him
jogging towards me with a playful smirk. The door shut
behind him.
“We are alone,” I teased with a smug smile. He ambled
towards me with a smirk, causing me to press against the
wall.
“Mhm, so what are you planning to do?” He smirked and
started planting butterfly kisses over my jawline as his arms
pulled me closer. They were too good to stop but we needed
to stop.
I gently pushed him back.
“What, baby?”
I gave him a small smile and wrapped my arms around his
neck.
“I have to tell you a lot of things right now,” my fingertips
brushed along the protruding nerves on his neck.
He let out a deep breath and gave me a confused yet
gentle smile, “I don't know what you can tell me. I mean
how? That's not possible—”
“Leon, did anyone tell you what happened to you before
memory loss?” I cut him off with a question.
His face dropped and he shook his head, “Not everything.”
“Then, how can you say you can't trust it?” I cupped my
hands over his jawline, “I know it's hard for you to believe
anything after that incident. I know, I understand you. But
you still have to take a step to trust me, don't you?”
 He sighed, “I trust you. I do trust you. Who else can I even
trust other than you. But… Everything is just hard to grasp.
It's just—”
“My love,” I took in a deep breath, “You just have to trust
me. Just have enough faith in me. Use me to start loving
yourself again.”
A sigh left his lips, “Yes, I can.”
 Thirty

A
 dry cough echoed over the old basement, followed by my
loud sneeze.
“Do you want me to come down and get that thing for
you?” Leon's worried voice reached me.
“No, I'm okay. Wait in the bedroom, I'll be there in a
minute,” I yelled back, loud enough for him to hear.
“Okay.” I heard him call out as I walked towards an old
chest kept in a dull corner of the basement. The last time I
went there was years back. The chest had a key and I was
the sole owner of it. It had my diaries, childhood memories,
anything else that my younger self felt like cherishing that
time. It could have been kept at a better place, though. I
puffed out a breath as I opened the old wooden thing.
I had diaries, the most. But my eyes darted towards what I
was there for. I picked it up and gave the old metallic box a
blow as I opened the lid, and there they were. Letters for
Joseph
.
I took a deep breath and turned around to find a puzzled
Leon gazing at me.
“Oh God!” My chest rose heavily, “You could have called
my name.”
He let out a small laugh, peeking at the wooden chest
afterwards. His brow quirked up. “Here is some interesting
stuff and you didn't let your husband come over?”
I rolled my eyes with a slight grin, “A lot of that chest is
filled with you, I bet you would have gone blank processing
everything at once.”
“Then I still want to see it all, won't you show me all that?”
He stepped closer to me.
“Mhm,” I gazed into his eyes, “This box is the first thing
that I want to show you.”
“Then what are we waiting for?”
I gave him a nod with a slight smile as I handed him the
box. His restless eyes still glimmered in a sign of hope. “Go
upstairs, start reading these, I'll close this basement and
come in a minute.”
“Alright, I'll go first,” he nodded and walked away.
Phew, I need to get ready to cry.
I walked out of the old basement and locked the big rusty
door behind. I could sense Leon's footsteps already receding
towards my room on the top floor. I pulled in a deep breath
and walked towards it. Worse feeling than entering a
principal's office.
Author's POV
Leon's hands trembled in an unknown feeling of fear and
uncertainty as he removed the rusted lid. He trusted his wife
on the matter of his past but he knew he couldn't trust
himself.
Still, he took a deep breath and pulled out the first letter
from the stack of the neatly organised yet old crusty
envelopes, all arranged in a chronological manner.
“To,
The Sunflower Boy, J,
I don't really know why I am writing this letter, but I feel
like it's okay if I do this. It feels weird because I've never
made a person the recipient of my letters—I always write
them to an imaginary pet called Byul. Byul means a star. But
right now, I want to write this to you.
I saw you today while I was simply wandering off all alone
in the forest. You sat there with your cat and you made a
sunflower garland for her. That was way too big for her so
you left it and wrote a note asking whoever saw it first to
wear it and keep it safe. I'll attach the polaroid of your cat
that you left. She is cute. But I found you to be cuter. Your
voice was familiar. As if I've known you for a long time. No,
wait, it was as though I just knew you were meant to collide
with me. As if in between a jungle, I found my best friend.
Well, isn't it weird how I'm saying all this and I don't even
know who you are? I'm a little restless about spending time
here at my grandparents' Villa, maybe that's why I bought
my diary and pens. Honestly I can't really go anywhere
without those.
I'll wait. Maybe we'll collide again. If we do, will you be my
friend?
Love,
Skye.”
Leon's thumb brushed over her name. His heart felt a
warmth surging inside. He surely was making friends with
an intimidating unknown at that time. He picked up the next
letter with a feeling of anticipation as he kept the first letter
back.
And outside the bedroom, Skye had been faltering outside
the door, hesitant to get inside.
“To,
Joseph Rhodes,
Your camera, your bike, and your own self. Do you know
how alluring that is to me? The way you brush your hair
back, how you call my name. Your voice. All of this feels like
I was always meant to experience this. As if I was always
meant to meet you at some point in my life. And that point
is now.
Joseph, will you ever read these? Should I just stop? You
know, though, you don't have to read these. I'm writing
these, yes, with a lot of excitement, but maybe I'll be okay if
you never read these. There is no pressure. You just seem to
be a worthy recipient and I lack a best friend. How cool is
that combination!
By the way, I came to Brookville to escape school. It is
summer vacation but still, to me it's a vacation from school.
But you know what? Now we go to a summer art school
together… on your bike. It's fun, yes, but honestly you are
too reckless. Get a helmet, will you?
Love,
Skye.”
“To,
My friend?
Are we friends already? I think we are. And we have made
other friends as well. We are a group of four amazing people
now.
So, my dear friend.. do you know you are really flirty? Like
really flirty. I wonder why you have been single for your
entire life. You are hot and anybody would say that. But you
know when you are so reserved and introverted, it makes
you look even sexier. I am being transparent right now.
Sometimes I feel like I can't control myself in front of you,
but I have to. Because we are just friends, aren't we?
Regardless of that, you are still a precious person to me,
Joseph.
You are a precious friend to me. You are sarcastic, loyal,
have a voice that causes my heart to feel like it's on fire and
you are irritated all the time, I find that sexy. What goes on
in that cute little brain of yours? I wish I could read every
detail about you. Aish, but we are stuck as having the title
of being friends. So yeah. There you go for today.
Love,
Your so-called friend.”
“To,
You freakin Idiot!”
 Leon smiled unconsciously upon reading those dull
marked words on the crusty paper.
“We kissed! I mean holding hands and kissing the cheeks
was fine but we kissed. I should not react too much but, ah!
My first kiss. Oh it was way better than I imagined it to be. It
was a little awkward though, since we both kissed for the
first time. I didn't know I would feel so special and good
afterwards. Did you feel the same?
You know I recently unearthed a signature style of yours.
You hold out your hand to me with an 'almost' grumpy pout
sometimes and say nothing. Then I ask, what? And you say,
hold it, it's aching. My cute jerk.”
It was a sudden throb in Leon's chest. It was his way of
expressing himself but how was it in the letter? His fears, or
rather something he unknowingly wanted to be true, was
coming true? Tears started to glaze his eyes as he read
further,
“Also, tonight's party was pretty fun. You know why?
Because we left early and had burgers near our usual lake.
And we stargazed.
Joseph, I want you more and more. I feel like I can never
get enough of you. Like, ugh. Also, wait, don't you think
Noah is totally nuts for Nora? They just look so good
together.
Love,
Your First Girlfriend.”
“N-Noah,” Leon's lips trembled. He realized in fact that
Noah was the only one who made his search successful. All
because Noah knew Skye—and Noah knew him too. He
came to visit Leon at the hospital. And the place where
Jazlyn told Leon he used to live? Brookville
.
A silent tear dripped on the letter and he picked up the
next one.
 “To,
Joseph,
We had sex. Joseph, are we too reckless? I trust you. I feel
like trusting you. And I'm kind of glad we did what we did.
Because I feel like I know you more now. You are mostly
alone, you live far from your parents, you will go abroad
soon. I feel a little bad but I think while you are here, next to
me, I should spend as much time as I can with you. I don't
want to regret this.
I feel happy when I'm with you, so let it be. Plus even if
you go abroad, we won't stop texting each other right? I
know you are a sincere person, you feel like family to me. I
feel, no matter where you go, you'll still have a piece of me.
Same with me.
I'll always have a part of you in me. Because sometimes
we can't forget the things that brought certain parts of us to
life. If love exists, then I think you are mine.
Love,
Skye.”
He had been crying, without realising it. He had always
been crying on the inside, longing to bring that lost piece of
him back to life. He couldn't do it, though. His strength
wasn't enough. He needed someone to lean on who would
catch him if he knew he was falling.
His quivering fingers rubbed off the interjecting tears from
his vision. He pulled out the next letter. The last one.
His breath had started to rise yet he squinted his eyes
upon inhaling deeply. Deeply enough to calm each restless
nerve in his body.
“Hi,
Joseph,
It has been weeks since I met you. Right from the moment
I saw you, I knew you were a real deal. But why did you do
this? Why did you lie to me? Why couldn't you...”
 Leon clutched the letter to his chest, as tears trailed down
his cheeks and neck. Nothing, he remembered nothing, but
something felt so real, so painful, that he didn't have any
choice.
He opened his squinted eyes as they scanned the faded
words on the letter. That was the ink, gone with his lover's
tears.
“I loved you, Joseph. You were one of the best things in my
life. But you are gone. Why? Why did you do this to us,
Joseph, why? Everything felt the worst today, I felt the worst
pain of my life today.
I hate you, Joseph, and I hate that I'm saying it.
Goodbye.”
His throat was as if coiled tightly by a sharp spring. He
read it this time on his own, something that his wife had told
him about, the day she was in the hospital, and the day they
visited his mother's grave.
His hands quivered as he kept all of those back. He buried
his face into his palms, fighting back the pooled emotions in
the form of tears.
His memories were the most haunting place to be. The
doctors had told him, he had almost no chances of
remembering anything, but if he ever did, he would know
things deep from his childhood, like recognizing people who
had been in his life for years on end. When he woke up after
months, he knew he had something waiting for him, but it
felt like a dream and eventually it erased completely. His
mind forgot her, but his soul knew he lost something.
Those letters to him felt like a home. Though not
memories of all his past but in fact, a memory he never
wanted to forget. He was tongue tied.
How could he be that guy? But as much as he wanted to
push it away, he couldn't. All because it made sense. Then
the last thing he saw was enough for him to be sure.
 Polaroids. Joseph and Skye. Of course, he just lost his
memory, not his face. How could he forget the way he
looked? Even though young, reckless, different, it was still
him, and the person he loved. He loved her.
Even after the accident, he wanted her. Because she was
the first one to make him feel like he was home. She gave
him a feeling of comfort that he never felt before. He felt
frustrated after that accident, because all he faced was a
disturbing world and when he needed the faded love, he
couldn't get it, which caused him to feel like ending his life.
And that night, strangely enough, destiny gave them a
chance.
But they both were still silently broken deep down to make
it seem sincere.
But the universe was generous enough. When it knew that
they both were exhausted and had used up every last
resource of their energy, it gave them something to keep
them going.
That night he saw the reflection of the person his soul was
in shambles about, in that girl. So he decided, if not the
past, then why not the one he just met? Why not her? His
ambition took over. He felt betrayed when he saw her
kissing someone else, but he raged. He did not let the weak
Leon take over. And what did he do? Got labeled as an
intimidating player, who broke so many hearts just to find
his one.
One day he did. He found her. But that time instead of
loving the cheerful sunflower as Joseph, he loved the
seductive thorny rose, as Leon.
She changed. The heartbreak put a wall in front of her,
which no one could break. She became cynical. One day she
was as bubbly and sweet as the sunflowers he left for her,
but now she was a beautiful and mysterious rose that grew
up with a lot of thorns.
He stayed patient. He let her come to him, slowly and with
pain, but he let her. Because he knew that they could be
something amazing together. And it was as if all the pain he
had gone through, just vanished. After all, she was the only
one who asked him not to give up, both in the past and at
that night.
Warm tears trailed down his cheeks as he hurled out of
the room, only to find her standing there with eyes shut
tightly, hoping so eagerly, that everything would turn
alright.
The only thing she cared about at that moment was for
him to feel safe while exploring that part of himself. She
could have been next to him, reading those old memories,
but she knew it wasn't a matter to be involved in. She had
to let him face himself.
A smile inadvertently curved on Leon's lips and he
grabbed Skye tightly from the back in his embrace.
She flinched, her chest rising with an inhale, “Don't bump
into me like this Leon! How many times do I have to tell you
I'm freaking soft hearted.” Aware of her husband's habit of
teasing her, she let out again, “Yeah, and I know you are
going to say that I'm a scaredy silly sheep but—”
But instead of letting her complete, he hugged her tighter.
His head was befogged but he knew in his soul that she was
the place where he was meant to be. At that moment he
didn't care if he didn't remember every single detail about
his past. He remembered her, in his soul
, and that was
enough. After all, what was a part of you, would always stay.
“No, baby,” he let out a smile, placing a kiss on her cheek
as he shut his eyes in between the tears,
“You are not silly. You are just too good—
and too crazy
.”

-The End-
 -Acknowledgments-

A big thanks to my readers on wattpad because of

whom a story written as a pastime hobby could
become a novel. And thanks to my sister, my parents
and all my friends that filled me with a plethora of
positivity while I undertook writing this book. I feel
enough words don't exist to describe the
encouragement you guys have given me.
My gratitude isn't described enough if I fail to
mention you, the reader who enjoyed and stayed
through the many roller-coasters of the book. Your
participation and enjoyment is my biggest source of
motivation.
Finally, thanks a bunch to my imagination and to the
beautiful stranger in my dreams.
♡
 About Author

Mr. Stranger is Saby Faruqui's debut novel. She began

writing and scribbling early on in her life, immersed in the
detailed fantasies that live in her brain rent-free
. Being a
Mass Communication student, she was determined to set
herself up for her career, but each time something didn't sit
right with her. But writing her novel, Mr. Stranger proved to
be a different game. She liked it.
Indie publishing has been a great opportunity for anybody
wanting to narrate a story, and she is truly grateful for it.
Live your dream. Doesn't matter if you don't have a five
year plan. Simply start it, and don't look back, ever.
Live and let live.

Meet her at:

sabyfaruqui

 sabyfaruqui@gmail.com
 ♡

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