by S. S. Sahoo
“What?” Eve asked looking at her through the rearview mirror.
“This guy just doesn’t understand that I am just not interested,” Kiara complained as she typed furiously on her phone.
“Did that guy texted you again?” asked a bewildered looking Tess.
“Yes, he just doesn’t get it” Kiara snorted and typed something replying to that guy’s text.
“Who is he?” I asked
“Stranger”
“What is his name?”
“Anonymous”
“What does he do?”
“Keeps on irritating me with flirty and irritating cliché lines,”
“Where does he live?”
“Anonymous”
“Block him!”
“This is his probably twentieth new number”
“Change your number!”
“My bank accounts and work related stuff are linked with this number. I can’t do that! It will take time and I am lazy.”
“Well then ignore his texts”
“He will call me until I reply.”
“What does he want?”
“To meet me.”
“Why?”
“He says he has fallen for me from the day he saw me. But you what? I don’t even bloody know his face!”
“Then go meet him and sort this out!”
“What if he is a psycho? What if he kills me? Even though I have the Silver belt in Karate I don’t think I could fight a monster or a creepy Psycho,” Kiara said and I rolled my eyes at her.
“You have never learned Karate du!” I remarked.
“Yes, I have duh!” she rolled her eyes back at me.
“Oh really? From where?”
“Of course from the internet!”
We all groaned at her as she looked at each of us asking what.
The music was loud bashing into my ear as I put my hand over my ears but laughing enjoying the beats when we entered the club. People were dancing, drinking enjoying and the happy surrounding made me realize what I was actually missing. I actually felt better after a long time. Surrounded by happy people actually made me feel better and I was thankful to Kiara and my girls for dragging me out here. We drank a little and made our way to the dance floor to dance. Kiara kept on on dancing and showing her moves shaking her head and singing along with the song. I just moved in synchronization with the beats and bobbed my head whenever the DJ played my song.
Some guys asked Kiara out and she ignored them as if they were some plague.
“Kiara! That was rude!” I whisper yelled at her when she chose to ignore the guy who politely asked her to dance with him.
“What? I don’t think so! I am not leaving my girl alone,” she winked at me and I rolled my eyes even though I laughed at her.
“Okay, I’m tired now. I will just rest my feet for some minutes,” I yelled against the music and Kiara nodded getting my voice.
“Fine! I will join you in some minutes,” she replied yelling back and I nodded before making my way out of the dance floor dodging the staggering drunkards and sweaty people.
As I walked towards the couch in the corner a man walked past me in a hurry but as he went past me he collided with another man and I saw as his wallet fell on the ground from his jacket. I picked up his wallet and was about to give him but found the man staggering out of the club. He was swaying and his body language totally indicated me that the man was intoxicated but his wallet was in my hand.
I called for him to stop but due to the loud music he was unable to hear me and ignoring my voice he walked out disappearing from my sight. I looked at the wallet in my hand and then looked back at Kiara who was dancing like a maniac enjoying her time. I sighed and thought that I would just return the wallet back to the man and run back in. As I made up my mind, I hurried out following where he went.
The cold air hit my body as soon as I took a step out of the club. It was already late and I looked around searching for the man. From far away, I caught the glimpse of the man’s jacket and watched as he walked towards the car in the parking lot. He was staggering and my mind screamed at me not to go near him for he could be dangerous. I had not yet seen his face but somehow my heart told me to follow me. Reluctantly, I took a sprint in his direction and slowed up my pace when he stood keeping a hand on the hood of a car probably balancing himself.
“Hey!” I called to him.
“I have your wal- woah! Careful!” and he stumble on his own feet and fell backward towards my direction. I ran up to him for his aid as I watched the man groaning and turning around still on the ground using his hand to push himself up but failing miserably.
As I ran up to him and stood right before him thinking whether to touch him or not I chose to rely on my vocal cords as I asked him “Hey are you alright?”
The man stopped groaning all of a sudden and laid down stiff in his position. His behavior got me worried and before I could ask him anything else he moved his head up making me gasp as I saw his face.
“Za- Zachary?”
51
“Za- Zachary?”
I looked at him stunned and startled to see him all of a sudden before me. He pushed himself up and squatted in his position looking up at me with widened eyes as if like me he was shocked to find me standing before him. It felt as though I had left him just yesterday but the facial hair which I had never seen before in his face, eye bags as if he had not slept for days and the emptiness in his eyes proved me that it had been so many days since I had met him.
“Ju-Juliette?” he voice. Oh, his raspy yet husky voice reached my ears and it was enough to break me out of my step proving that I wasn’t dreaming. The man was right before me, with his knees down and head up looking at me. The man was real.
But the disbelief look in his eyes and his facial expression shocked me because it was probably the first time ever when I was actually seeing some expressions in his face apart from the regular stoic, stern expression.
What is he even doing here?
“S-Sir” I heard someone yelling and looked towards my side to find none but Willi running to where we were. That brought me out of my state and I looked back at Zachary who was still looking at me as if I were some ghost. Finally, I saw movement in his body as he slowly tried to raise his hand up as if he wanted to touch me but before he could do that I took a step back which resulted in him to stop his action in mid air.
“Juliette?”
Exhaling out the air from my mouth I looked at the wallet in my hand.
So, it’s his I guess.
“You dropped it back there. I just wanted to return it to you,” I said as I forwarded my hand for him to take the wallet. He grasped the wallet and as he took it from me I turned around and started walking back towards the club in order to gather up my girls and leave the place.
“Wait! Juliette!” I heard him and that was enough for me to break. My hands formed in tight fists and my lips trembled as the tears fell down my cheeks but I refused to stop and look back. I continued to walk until I saw Kiara and asked her to leave. At first, she started to fight with me but then when she noticed my tear stained face and my expression, even in her tipsy state she managed to get a hold of herself and she got hold my arm as she turned around searching for the other girls.
“What happened to you all of a sudden?” Tess asked as she walked to her car looking annoyed.
“Shut it, Tess!” Marianna hissed at her. Marianna was the only one who was still in her sober state while Tess swayed while she walked with a frown on her forehead.
“I was just saying,” Tess complained and I felt Kiara squeezing my arm. I looked at her to find her looking at me.
“What’s wrong?” she asked softly.
Should I tell her?
“N-Nothing,” I said and looked at my feet as we walked to the car.
What do I have to meet him again? I thought everything is finished and just after months of suffering when I finally thought about moving forward I face him a
gain. Just why? Why does he have to show up before me again? Was it not enough?
So why?
“Juliette!” I choked on my own breath when I heard that voice.
“Juliette wait!”
Zachary.
I thought he left.
“Listen to m-”
“Let’s go, guys!” I said and pull the door of the car open in order to get in.
“Hey, someone is calling you!” Marianna said as she looked at me from the driver’s seat and I felt Kiara again squeezing my arm but this time it was a tight grasp.
“Isn’t that Zacha-” I cut her off and went inside the car.
“Let’s go!” I asked Marianna and she looked at me and then perhaps towards Zachary who was probably strolling towards us. The other girls looked confused but chose to be quiet and got in before Marianna again looked at me through the rearview mirror wanting to make sure if I wanted to leave even after being called countless times by Zachary. I nodded at her and reluctantly she ignited the engine and we drove off. I could still hear his faint voice as I leaned against the window and chose to close my eyes for a bit.
Just why?
What is this chapter of my story?
The drive back to home was quiet. Everyone kept quiet as Marianna drove us back. Tess would glance at me with a question look still wanting to know about Zachary. I chose to ignore her and I knew Kiara was surely going to interrogate me once we reached back home.
What a drag.
Why is my life like this?
The street lights had my whole attention as I leaned my head against the car seat and looked up at the dark sky counting the street lights that we passed mindlessly in hope of averting my mind from him. But I guess it was useless. He was my mind after all. How can I even avert my mind when he has already taken over it since the time I have fallen for him.
“But I got to say this he was hot!” Tess said all of a sudden making me sigh.
“Shut up!” Kiara said and the drive back home fell into a silence once again.
“Juliette!” I took in a deep breath ignoring Kiara who was walking behind me towards my room.
“Leave me alone!” I said feeling low.
“Will you tell me what is going on?” she asked with a tint of irritation in her voice which made me stop in my tracks right in the entrance of my room.
" I’ll let you know once I found out myself what’s going on,” and with that, I pushed the door shut not wanting to deal with her questions. At the moment I just wanted to be left alone.
“Not again!” I heard her voice from the outside and minutes later she left. I slid down onto the floor with my back against the door as I wrapped my arms around my knees and put my head on my forearm feeling drained out.
His eyes kept barging into my thoughts. The disbelieving look on his face and his condition. What has been up to all these days? Is he really with Loana now? That shouldn’t be any of concern though. But still...I just can’t forget everything this easily. But I know, I must erase him out of my mind, thoughts and..and... God damn it! How will I erase him from my heart?
Why? Just why is it so hard for me not to think about him? Why did I even fell for him? Why did he even do to make me fall to this extent in love with him? So why am I the only one suffering?
I put my hands on my ears as I heard my own self mocking at me. It was no one but me who was mocking the existence of me. I knew nobody was to be blamed for everything that has been going with me but me. Just why does he have to show himself to me after so many days? I gritted my teeth and hit the wall next to. The pain that I felt when I punched the wall was nothing compared to what I was going through right now. Just nothing.
~
Past three in the morning. All I have been doing is staring the ceiling blankly. No matter how much I tried I just couldn’t sleep. Turning into my side I looked at the sky through the glass window next to my bed. It was a full moon day. Everything was clearly visible because of the moonlight. It was a silent outside and as I gazed at the moon, I couldn’t help but feel lonely. The calm and peaceful night was like a curse for me. Because it didn’t help but get my wounds even deeper as the silence around me made me think more about him. I just couldn’t get him out of my mind.
Draping the shawl around me, I walked out of my room wanting to get fresh air. The rooms were dark but I knew my way as I was habituated to it. As I passed Kiara’s room I stopped in my tracks when I heard some mumbling. The door to her room was open slightly ajar and I peeked inside to find her strangled with the sheet as she sleep talked to herself. I sighed as it was her childhood habit of sleep talking and I opened the door and walked in.
“Tell me what is your problem ummmm tell me. I can solve every problem” she mumbled and a smile cracked onto my face as I saw her scratching her back and then kicking the sheet out of the bed.
“I guess old habits never change,” I mumbled to myself as I picked up the sheet and covered her.
“Tell me” she kept on mumbling.
I felt bad because of me she was also having mental stress. As if her family wasn’t enough I burdened her with my behavior and problems too. As I turned around and walked out of the room I stopped in my tracks when I heard her “Don’t worry I think he loves you too.”
“That was a thing which would happen only in dreams Kiara,” I muttered and walked out before closing the door behind me.
I pulled the shawl to myself as I looked out of the glass window. I didn’t really feel like going outside today for a walk. The police car drove by patrolling the region and I couldn’t feel bad for those officers who work hard during the nighttime just for our safety. They are the true heroes.
My phone beeped and I looked back towards the sofa where I put it seeing a message pop up. I ignored it thinking it must be from the customer care but then as I turned back a gasp escaped my mouth and I lost my balance and stumbled backward but held the edge of the sofa stopping myself from falling.
“Zac-Zachary?” I said out loud when I saw him standing right behind the glass window before me.
What the hell?
Where did he come from all of a sudden?
How does he know where I live?
Why is even here?
A lot of questions popped into my mind as I took in his form. He was wearing the same black suit with few of his chest button undone, hair was messy and he looked as if he was in some kind of trouble.
“Zachary?” I still couldn’t believe my eyes. He scared the life out of me. He caught me off guard when I turned around only to find him looking straight into my eyes standing quietly right behind the glass.
“Wha-What?” words were not forming in my mouth but I could feel the rising pulse and I swallowed the lump in my throat.
I stood straight and took a few steps forward, still not believing it.
He stood there quietly staring at me as I walked forward. But as I reached near to the window, he placed his hand on it from the outside and leaned closer.
“Juliette, its you!” he spoke and his voice felt as if he was breaking down. His state made me confuse yet worried. What was with him? Why is he like this?