CHAPTER 22. A PORN BARHARA“But – but that's against the rules. You do know that, right?“ I asked skeptically.“I do, and I'm so sorry for putting you in such a hard spot, but I have no choice. I need to be home. I need to be with my child,““Isn't there someone else who can cover for you? Someone from your floor,“ Quizzing her so much seemed to be getting her more agitated. I couldn't help but feel bad.“We all got the same shift. I wasn't early enough to meet those whose shifts already ended.”“What about a friend–“ I got cut off by the constant buzzing of her phone. Her eyes lit in agony and she was looking up at me again.“Please, dear. My son's just 8 and he's got a walking disability. And did I forget to mention that he's alone? I can't be with him all the time, but in times like this, I should be by his side,““Don't you have a nanny or someone who'd attend to him till you get home?““It's just my Mum. But she's old and got dementia. Not much of a help. Please, dear. I know yo

CHAPTER 24. A RIDE HOME HARAWho would have thought, right? Out of all the places I could see him again, it was here in the Red Cross pack, in this bar. With thousands of people in this pack, What are the odds that our paths would align? Indeed, the world is a small place.If I said I thought about him a lot, then I'll be tagged a lair. But in the past months, he did cross my mind a few times. And I get lost wondering what had become of him. If he was real, or just a ghost that had popped out from nowhere and had said something I needed to hear.His words that night had been my muse for escaping from Roland. I'd never thanked him enough for that night. For showing up. For saying something.”You're a member of this pack?“ My voice was in a brittle whisper. I feared he might not even hear me. “Yes, and you're not. So what are you doing here?“ I was going to answer, but he hushed me with his finger. “Hold on, don't you recognize me from somewhere else?““What?“ I was slightly taken aba

CHAPTER 26. IN A DEEP SHITRYDER“Don't you get it, Tiffany? I'm gonna be out of town for a day or two. There's no way in hell I'm attending these meetings,“ I stared horribly at the hundred scheduled meetings she'd emailed me. How the fuck did my schedule become this jam-packed? And I'm just one person, My God. How am I expected to attend all these meetings?“But Sir, the meetings were confirmed and scheduled at the beginning of the month. It would be rude to cancel now. Can't you reschedule whatever it is you wanna go do out of town?““I'm visiting the flooded packs. There's no way in hell I'm canceling that.“ “But–““Cancel the meetings. I don't care if I come off as rude and inconsiderate. I'm not attending them. But feel free to reschedule…“The undertone sigh from her showed her damning frustration about everything. The meetings were over a hundred. Asking her to cancel and reschedule was a herculean task. But there was no other way.“Isn't there a possibility that you're gonn

CHAPTER 28. A WEIRD FEELING HARAI filled the lined-up shot glasses with a martini, attended to three orders at once, and filled up a bucket with bottles of beer on the rocks but I wasn't ready to take a break. I didn't want to.Anyone would say I was especially energetic today, seeing how I was all over the place, refusing to take as much as a two-minute worth break.Deep down, I knew I was getting exhausted. I could feel the tiredness slowly taking over me. I shut it out, forcing myself to exceed my limit.I had to be busy, so I wouldn't have the time to think. These churning thoughts wouldn't let me be and this was the only way I could keep them in check.Also, I was working a night shift. And for once, I welcomed its excessive buzz with an open heart. Keep the orders coming. I'd rather sink deep into work than into my misleading thoughts.“Can I get two bottles of tequila over here?“ A man asked, signaling with his hands.“Coming!“ I was already taking out the bottles from the ce

CHAPTER 30. WATCHING YOU FOR ANOTHERHARAI let out another loud laugh and patted my chest, trying to soothe the hiccups.Jason handed me a glass of water and I quickly gulped it down.I dabbed at the water drops below my lips with a towel. Composed, I looked up to find him watching me with an amused look.“You don't have to laugh so loud. You're gonna choke on your saliva,“ He said, smiling at me.“Yeah, I know. What you said just cracked me up badly. I couldn't help it,“ I said in a low tone.“Has it been a while since you laughed this much?“ He asked, becoming serious all of a sudden.I nodded.He grinned, “So technically, I made you laugh after years of being sad. I can't help but feel proud of myself,“I chuckled. But I didn't say anymore words. My gaze was on the table which had our plates of chocolates.“Does that mean we're cool now?“ he asked. I looked up. “I brought you here without your permission. I'm asking if you've forgiven me for it.“ He added.Right. I almost forgot I