I said my byes to my mother again as I slowly let go of her hands, placed a kiss on her cheek, and then waited for my father to do the same. Then, we stepped out of her room. My father practically ran down the hospital hallways whilst I walked behind him unhurriedly. He turned around and looked at me impatiently, and then, as soon as I was close enough to him, he went back to his sprint. Was he being chased or something?I looked behind me to see if anyone was running after us, but everyone seemed to look at us as if we were lunatics. So, definitely, there was no one following us. It was just my father being his usual weird self. “Tori, hurry up!” he practically yelled the second time he turned around and found me still strolling through the hallways. More eyes glared at us. I felt so embarrassed and wanted to hide when my father started telling me to hurry up in front of all those people. “Sir, no running in the hospital.” some random hospital staff called out to my father as he
“So, how are you, Ms. Carter?” the boy asked as we walked to his car. I slowly dragged my feet to the car, wondering if that would be the best chance to make a run for it. He rushed towards his small car and opened the passenger door quickly, and gestured for me to go in. “What if I wanted to be the driver?” I asked bitterly“Uhh…” he stammered “Loosen up, Mr. Bow Tie.” I sighed “It was a joke.” I climbed into the car and buckled my seatbelt while he closed the door gently and rushed off to the other side, and hopped into the driver’s side. He climbed in and nervously started the engine. The car made some weird cough sound before it finally started. “It takes some time to warm up. I am sorry.” he laughed nervously as he looked at me. I just rolled my eyes. I had no idea what my father planned and I how I even ended up in that situation. “It- It’s a little old. You see, it was my father’s car quite for some time until he handed it off to me when he was upgrading to something coo
I reached outside of the restaurant with everyone’s eyes glued on me like I was crazy. “WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT?!” I yelled at them as I continued to run through the parking lot of the restaurant. I was tired of all the stares. I had enough at my failed wedding, more at the hospital, and now there were even more at the restaurant. I was fed up.“CARTER!” someone yelled. I turned around and saw the Bow Tie guy, Stephen, attempting to run after me and catch up with me. I continued to run faster when I noticed him widen his steps, making him get closer to me. “WAIT!” he shouted. I was finally in the main street but no cab wanted to stop for me because to them, I looked like some crazy girl who ran away from her date and did not want to be seen by him. Even in situations that were not my fault, I was the one left to look crazy. So, I continued to jog down the street and realised I got more stares by doing that, so I resulted in just walking speedily. I was able to finally stop a cab
I woke up very early the next morning to the sound of my father having a very loud conversation with whoever it was on the other end of the phone. Then, eventually, I learnt that all the screaming and shouting was him answering a call from someone from the hospital. He spoke so loudly as if he was deaf in one ear or as if he wanted someone outside to hear whatever he was discussing. Then, I heard him marching around the house as if he were part of the army, and then he walked past my bedroom door, and the steps became louder. “TORI!” he called out for me as he banged on my bedroom door. He swung the door wide and came in. He was all sweaty and panting, perhaps from all the yelling and pacing around he did earlier. “GET DRESSED, WE ARE GOING TO THE HOSPITAL. NOW!” he ordered and then marched out of my bedroom, leaving the door wide open. Still feeling exhausted and sleepy, I tiredly rolled out of bed and grabbed my bathing towel and dragged my tired feet to the bathroom. “You can’
The 3 of us all hesitated to walk towards my mother, afraid. It was as if she was going to bite. She just looked different from the person we had been crying at for a while. We could not believe our eyes. “Well, come on over here, I don’t bite.” she smiled.My father, in all his shock and confusion and all possible emotions combined, slowly walked over to my mother with his eyes all puffy and red, ready to burst into a puddle of tears. “Mary…” he wailed as he dived on the hospital bed to hug my mother. She held him back tightly, leaving Roni and me completely confused and in shock. She was lifeless and practically dead the past few days, and then suddenly, she had all this energy. I eventually took a few steps towards her bed, initially hesitant, wondering if she was actually okay or if it was an act. “I hope you have been behaving, Tori,” she said as I hugged her tightly. “You know, your father isn’t as tough as me. He is fragile.”“HEY!” my father exclaimed after hearing my mot
A week had gone by since my mother’s death, and we were all in the house getting ready for the funeral. Russo had been very supportive and was always in the house, helping my father get over the grief. I was in my bedroom, fixing the top buttons of my dress and then slid on my black gloves on my small hands. “You look very beautiful.” a male voice said from my bedroom door. I slowly turned around and saw Russo standing by my door. His hands are in the pockets of his trousers. With him looking very smart and elegant in his all black suit. He unhurriedly walked in further into my bedroom with his hands still in his pocket. He closed the door and continued to walk up to me as I panicked, wondering what he was going to do to me. “Are you nervous?” he asked “Nervous about what?” I questioned back“Nervous about everything. Nervous about today. I mean, your mother was loved by everyone. Everyone will be there.” he replied “Well, I am going there to impress people and care about their
“Tori! Roni! Let’s go!” my father yelled as he banged on our bedroom doors. “And where the hell is Alessandro?!” Alessandro blinked at me as if he was thinking about what he was going to do and what he was going to say when or if he saw my father in the hallway. It was as if he did not expect my father to be looking for him. “I think you should leave,” I whispered, hoping no one else who may have been on the other end of the door would hear us.“No, I can’t,” he replied in a hushed tone“Why not?” I asked back, feeling all panicked and sweaty. It was not as if we had done anything, but we felt guilty. I mean, it did look wrong that my father’s good friend was in my bedroom when the door was closed.“It will look even more weird for me to come out of the room right now when he sounds very angry. Let us first wait for him to cool down or hide away then, we can go out,” he whispered. “TORI!” my father yelled again. I heard Roni’s door being opened and the sound of her shoes clicking
The tension was so awkward in the car. Roni was not helping by giggling and making comments under her breath after my father asked that awkward question. “Alessandro, why was the door closed?” he asked againHe did not even bother asking me because he knew I would find a way to change the story and make my father look like the bad person. “I guess the door just closed.” Russo finally shrugged. My father laughed, and Roni giggled in the backseat as if that was very amusing to her, while I was the only one sweating. I mean, I had not done anything fishy with Russo, but it just felt weird for my father to be pressing, my sister to be giggling, and Russo to be panicking. At least we reached the destination, and the second Russo opened the door, I hopped out. I needed air. Roni and my father walked ahead with everyone else as if we were the royal family or something while I was still at the car with Russo. “Are you okay?” he asked in a low voice.“I think you should go ahead, or I sho
I woke up much later than usual the next morning, the weight of sleep still clinging to my body as I slowly sat up. The room was quiet, the faint scent of lavender lingering in the air—a familiar trace of Roni. Glancing over, I realized she was already gone. The neatly folded pyjamas on the small chair in the corner confirmed it; she had woken up early, tidied up after herself, and probably gone about her morning without disturbing me.Of course, she had already showered too. That was just like Roni—always efficient, always put together. She had always been that kid—the one who wanted to impress the parents by being the perfect daughter. She’d wake up at the crack of dawn, get out of bed on time without anyone needing to call her and move through the house like a well-rehearsed routine. By the time the rest of us stumbled out of bed, she had already prepared breakfast, set the table, and even started cleaning, as if proving her worth with every chore she completed.And after she got
“What in God’s name is happening out here?” my father questioned, clearly baffled and annoyed. His voice was sharp, the irritation in his tone unmistakable as he looked from Russo to me and back again.It was the worst way to be caught. My hands were still on Russo’s bare chest, and he was only in his towel while I stood there in my skimpy pyjamas. The dimly lit corridor felt suffocating as I tried to pull my hands away, but it was too late. My father’s glare felt like it could burn right through us. I could barely breathe, knowing I was standing there like this with no explanation to offer. My heart pounded in my chest, and every nerve in my body screamed for me to run and hide, but I was frozen in place, unsure of how to make this nightmare stop.“Uhmm…” I started, my mind racing for something, anything, to say. But nothing came.“Victoria, what the hell is going on out here?” my father asked again, his voice rising, now laced with frustration and confusion. His eyes flicked between
“Actually, you wanted to talk. What was it that you wanted to say to me?” I asked, trying to bring us back to the moment before everything got tangled up.“Uhmm…” he stammered, clearly not focused, his mind still reeling from the tension in the air.He turned away, facing the wall as he shoved his hand in his pants, clearly trying to adjust the situation. After a few moments, he turned back to face me, the bulge now less visible, though his flushed face told the story of how much he was trying to regain composure.“I forgot,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration.“Really?” I raised an eyebrow, not sure if I believed him.“Yeah, I’m sorry. I lost focus once I saw you like that.” He sighed again, his gaze drifting.“It’s okay,” I nodded, trying to brush it off.“Tori!” I heard Roni’s voice calling from outside her bedroom, interrupting the moment.I slowly walked away from Russo, the weight of the moment still hanging in the air. As I left the room, I found Roni sta
"Roni!" my father called out, his voice firm yet laced with urgency.But she didn’t respond. It was as if she hadn’t heard him at all—or maybe she was choosing not to."Roni!" he called again, louder this time, his tone edged with frustration and concern.Reluctantly, Roni turned and walked away, heading toward my father, leaving me alone to stare at Russo. I hesitated, unsure whether I wanted to talk to him and risk hearing what Roni might say later—or simply ignore him altogether.“Tori, could we talk for a moment?” Russo asked again, his tone firm yet uncertain.“Uh… let me get dressed first, and then we’ll see,” I replied quickly, not waiting for his response before turning and walking away.I hurried to my bedroom, grabbing the nearest outfit and slipping into it in a rush. Just as I finished, the door creaked open, and Roni stepped inside, closing it firmly behind her.“So, looks like we’re roommates for the night,” Roni whispered.I frowned. “What do you mean?”“Russo is stayin
My father’s voice rang with shock. “Russo?”“Eli…” Russo mumbled, his words slurred.I stiffened. Was he drunk?“Are you drunk?” my father questioned, his tone laced with concern.Russo slid off the couch and stumbled around the living room.“Roni, you’re also here,” he said, his words a bit unsteady.“And now I am going,” she replied bitterly, turning to walk away.I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him, still in shock, wondering what on earth was going on with him.“What happened, Alessandro?” my father asked, his voice filled with concern.“Me and Maya got into an argument again,” Russo finally responded.Maya?It felt like every day I was learning something new.I glanced at my dad, who slowly turned to face me, as if embarrassed on behalf of Russo.“Are you drunk?” my father asked again, a bit more firmly.“No, just tipsy and annoyed,” Russo muttered, sounding almost apologetic.Russo finally made eye contact with me, and instantly, I got goosebumps, but at the same time, a wave o
My eyes widened when Joey finished speaking and then continued to speak. Bash and Roni came back into the kitchen, holding a few more dishes that were used during the dinner. I now could not take my eyes off them after hearing what Joey had just said. I tried to imagine them dating each other or at least having anything else more than a friendship. “Joey, that’s enough,” Bash said sounding irritated when he found her still adding a few more drops of vodka in her cup. “Could I have another sip, please,” Roni said as she reached out for the cup. I watched in surprise as Roni drank some of the weird combination in Joey’s cup and did not even cringe. It was as if she regularly did this. “Are you sure you don’t want even a sip?” Joey offered me the cup as she handed it to me. I shrugged and slowly walked closer to her and took the cup. I took a sip and surprisingly it did not taste weird. “So, how does it taste?” Bash asked before I could even swallow it. “It tastes good,” I answer
“Uhm…” I froze. “Oh please don’t act shocked or anything.” she laughed. She pulled out more dishwashing liquid and handed it to me. “No, I am genuinely confused.” I sighed“Why though? Weren’t the two of you sticking your tongues down each other’s throats or something?” she asked as she laughed a bit.“When?” I questioned“When you went to the bathroom,” she replied “Oh no! We did not. He only escorted me and then we returned to the dining room.” I responded. “Really? So, he was not lying?” she asked “Yeah, we did not kiss or anything like that,” I answered “Dammit! Now your sister owes me like fifty bucks or probably even more.” she groaned. “Anyway, let’s go back to the kitchen. We will continue this conversation later.” We walked back to the kitchen with me feeling so confused. So that is what the two of them were probably betting on. We walked back to the kitchen to find Roni and Bash giggling about something. “Are we interrupting something?” Jo asked as she started lau
We all froze. Roni and I slowly turned to look at our father wondering how he was going to answer that question. He looked at Roni and then at me and then gave a slight nod as if we were supposed to know what it meant. “Uhm… my better half.” he started to speak with his voice shaking a bit. It definitely still pained him. I knew it did. We were all hurt by her sudden death but I felt like everything was rushed over and we did not get enough time to feel the pain or the grief. “My better half passed away not too long ago.” my father finally replied as I saw one tear drop escape his eye and trickle down his cheek. He casually wiped it away and then smiled weakly after that. “I am so sorry. I apologize for asking.” Joey gasped. “I am sorry for your loss,” Bash said. “I am sorry.” Katie also finally spoke. She also looked genuinely shocked about what she had just heard. So, I wondered how close Katie and my father were if my father could not even break the news to her about losin
He had long reached the dining room while I was still stood by the bathroom door trying to understand what he meant by that. I eventually found my way back to the dining room with everyone’s eyes on me - including Bash. “Are you okay?” Katie asked “Yep, I am good.” I replied and quickly grabbed a plate to serve myself. Katie and my father were still flirting with each other and making all these weird noises while I continued to stare at Bash trying to read his face. “Give me my fifty.” Jo whispered to Roni who sighed. “Fifty for what?” I questioned “None of your business.” Roni answered quickly. “I will give it to you later.” She answered as she turned her head to Joey. I served myself some food and then worriedly and slowly walked to my seat next to Bash. He pulled out the chair for me and patted it gently signalling me to sit down. “Thank you.” I whispered“Yep, you owe me like another fifty.” Jo laughed while looking at Roni. “Most probably.” Roni replied.“What’s going o