Loud laughter snaps him back to reality and he looks to his left. He pushes himself off the wall and narrows his eyes. Is that . . . Lianna? The girl walks closer to him, still laughing loudly. He notices the dark blue highlights in her hair. She did not have those last night, did she? She seems so different from last night.“Look at you. You’re a mess,” Lianna says, followed by more laughter. William closes his eyes and sighs heavily. At least she made it. “What happened to you? Why are your shoes covered in mud? And your coat?” William looks down at his shoes. He tries to calm his breathing, the anger rising in his chest. Why is she laughing?“I had to walk all the way because my driver could not drop me here. Why didn’t you give me better instructions on how to get to your apartment?” He stares into her eyes and sees how her smile disappears.She clicks her tongue and walks closer to him. Rich people are always so serious.“Are you angry? Aw, mianhae.” Lianna says with her hands tog
William sits on the bed, drying his hair and talking to his mother. He has not told her about Lianna’s living conditions. He is aware that she will use this as an excuse to get him out of the marriage. The call does not last long, and his mother ends it without saying goodbye. She is still furious that he might get married to Lianna and not the girl she chose for him.“Dinner is ready!” Lianna calls and William gets up. He walks out of the room into the living room. There is a nice aroma of soup hanging in the air. Lianna is busy placing two bowls on the island with spoons.She lifts her head when she senses William coming closer. She gestures for him to sit down. “How was the shower?” she asks while she gets the bread from the refrigerator.“It was fine, thank you,” he answers and takes his seat across from her. She eyes him for a moment before she shakes her head slightly. “Bon Appetit,” she says suddenly and dips the bread into the soup. William sighs and takes a piece of the bread
Lianna has managed to clean the whole kitchen and living room within an hour. William is sitting on the couch with his laptop on his lap. He would occasionally look up and see Lianna dancing to the songs.She is currently busy sorting things out in the bedroom. A gag echoes from the bedroom, followed by Lianna almost falling out of the door. A soft chuckle escapes him.“I asked him to stop the horror of the broccoli, but it is only getting worse. Ugh, where’s the fan? How are you going to sleep there tonight? You will be gassed,” she says and gags again.William watches her struggle to get a box from on top of the shelf. He places the laptop on the table, gets off the couch, and walks to the shelf.“Here,” he says and lifts the box from the shelf. He hands it to Lianna before returning to the couch.“Kamsamida,” she says without even looking at him as she is walking back to the bedroom. He sits down with a sigh and stares at the empty PowerPoint in front of him. He does not even know
William checks his watch while he sits in the corner of the restaurant. The waiter stops at the table and checks if he wants to order. He declines and explains that he is still waiting.Giggles erupt from a few tables away from him. Two girls are staring at him and wave when he looks at them. He gives them a quick smile and waves back. They giggle again before standing up from their chairs.William rests his hands on the table, keeping his eyes on them. They quickly make their way over to him.“Can we get a picture with you?” they ask innocently, and he smirks.“Of course. Here,” he says, standing up. They put their arms around his waist and the girl lifts her phone to take a picture. He places his arms around their shoulders and gives his signature skewed smile.She snaps the picture and checks to see whether they look good. She nods her head and takes her friend's arm. They thank him as he sits back down and they head back to their table. He watches them sit down and smiles to himsel
William unlocks the door with the spare key Lianna left for him this morning. He enters the apartment and throws his stuff onto the island. He loosens his tie and sits down on the couch. The sun shines through the window, and the heat warms his skin. He lies back on the couch with closed eyes.“Lianna?” A high voice calls from behind the closed door. William frowns and looks at the door. It swings open and a small figure walks into the apartment. A little girl appears next to the island. She stares at William with big eyes.“Where is Lianna?”“She’s not here.” William sits up. Who is this girl?“When will she be here?”“Probably soon.” The little girl walks over to the coffee table and sits on the chair, crossing her legs. William notices her dirty feet on the light blue chair.“What’s your name?” she asks and tugs her hair behind her ears with both hands. William stands up and walks back to the kitchen.“William,” he answers and closes the door.“I’m Daisy. And I’m seven,” she says pr
Lianna sits on the floor while she grades some papers. She hates grading papers and she can tell that the students did not do their research properly. William is still busy in the kitchen. She chuckles whenever he sighs or clashes the pots together. If it fails, she can always order pizza.“Okay, I think dinner is ready,” he says, unsure of himself. Lianna places the papers on the coffee table before she gets up. She watches William take the plates from the cupboard along with knives and forks.How did he know where it is?He gestures for her to sit, and she takes her seat. He brings the food to the island when he finished setting the table.“Spaghetti Bolognese,” he says. Lianna laughs. “What?”“You should say it with an Italian accent,” she jokes. “Like this. Spaghetti Bolognese,” she says with a horrible Italian accent and her hands moving around. A smile spread across his face and he shakes his head. Lianna laughs at herself.William is tense as he waits for her to take a bite from
Lianna rests against her apartment door as she tries to catch her breath. She slides down against the door, her chest burning from all the running. Her head rests against the door. She can hear the footsteps climbing up the stairs to her apartment.“I win. You owe me five bucks,” she breathes out when William stops at the top of the staircase. He looks at her and slightly rolls his eyes.“I never agreed to that. You just took off when I got out of the car and yelled something. I am not giving you any money,” he says while walking closer to the door. Lianna stands up and crosses her arms. He moves her away from the door and unlocks it.“Nah, you’re not going in until you give me my money.” She puts her body between him and the door. He steps back and stares into her eyes. Her eyes are narrow as she holds her arms out to block the entrance.He steps closer and uses one hand to move her away, but she does not budge. He puts his suitcase down with a sigh before taking out his wallet.“I kn
“Thank you, uncle. Bye.” Lianna waves to Uncle Dean as he enters his own apartment. Maeve has already left a bit earlier to get back home before it is too dark. John stands next to the island while he waits for Lianna. She closes the door with a sigh and lifts herself onto the counter.William is in the bedroom, talking to his mother over the phone. Rose has been calling almost every evening. Lianna can tell it irritates William. After every call, he is more tense than usual. She looks at her dad and he has a warm smile. She smiles back at him.“How are things?”“Interesting.” Her dad nods and holds his hand out for her to take. He squeezes her hand when she takes his hand.“I just came to check-in. How are you feeling about the weekend?” Lianna frowns.“Uh, it’s just a weekend. I don’t have to work this weekend. What do you mean?” she asks, confused by the question. John sighs and rubs the back of his neck.It would seem that William has not told Lianna about the plans for the weekend
William groans softly as he opens his eyes. He looks around the dark room, hearing music from the radio. He lets out a sigh and closes his eyes again.Lianna stirs next to him and he remembers that she is next to him. He turns his eyes to her, looking at her through heavy lids. She has a peaceful look on her face and her arms are wrapped around his chest and waist. A smile spreads on his face as he relishes the warmth and comfort.He turns on his back, lifting her head so that his arm can slither between her neck and the pillow. He pulls her closer to him before closing his eyes. The loud sounds of the nearby apartments allow him to appreciate this life. The one Lianna had shown him. To find peace amidst all the noise and chaos.With a wide smile, William drifts back to sleep.Laughter rumbles through William and his eyes shoot open. He takes a moment to orientate himself. He feels Lianna next to him, talking to someone. He notices his arms wraps around her middle and he turns his hea
The cab stops near him and he hurriedly gets into the car. The facility is quite a drive from the apartment and by the time he gets to the apartment, it is already half past ten.Luckily, Lianna is not home yet, so he has time to take a shower and make himself some food. He sits on the couch as he eats his spaghetti bolognese. His eyes scan all the pictures and books on the bookshelf in front of him. At first, he thought that this apartment might lead him to insanity, but he appreciates the distractions.A photo catches his attention and he gets up, placing his plate on the coffee table. He walks to the shelf and takes one of the pictures that were standing out from the shelf. It is a large picture of what looks like Lianna, but it is not Lianna. William inspects the picture and concludes that it might be Lianna’s mother. She looks exactly like Lianna, except for the green eyes and darker skin, She is holding two baby turtles. William smiles at the picture and realizes that Lianna and
The cab driver bids William farewell and William turns to the facility in front of him. “Harmony Haven Residence” decorates the pale building. He stuffs his hands into his pockets, trying to pull himself together.“William,” one of the nurses greet him. She walks up to him, her hands full of papers and files. “How are you?” She gestures for him to follow her and he obliges.“Busy, but I cannot complain.” She nods knowingly and stops when they reach the elevator. William pushes the button for the doors to open since Nurse Madrich’s hands are full. He pushes the button for the fifth floor and the doors close.“Has anyone else come to visit her since the last time I was here?” he asks. The nurse shakes her head.“We missed you last week, but unfortunately, no one has come to visit Nora. You are the only one,” she says with sadness in her voice. He hums absentmindedly.The elevator comes to a stop and the doors open slowly. William embraces himself and exits the elevator. Nurse Madrich le
William walks through the door of the bedroom, heading to the kitchen. He passes Lianna who is still asleep on the couch. The conversation between her and her dad replays in his head.He stops to look at her, wondering what her intentions are. She has been pretending everything is fine for the last few days. She did not once mention Evelyn or his mother. How can she forget things so easily?A sharp sound pulls him from his thoughts. There is a reminder on his phone.NoraAnother exhausted sigh leaves his lips. He completely forgot about that. He chuckles at himself. He supposes that is why he had the reminder; to remind him.He grabs his suitcase and adjusts his tie. He glances back at Lianna, contemplating whether he should say good luck. He could always just send a text.No, he could not do that.His feet carry him back to the couch where Lianna is sleeping. Her hair is sprawled out on the pillow and she is sleeping in a strange position. How has her back not disintegrated from slee
A knock at the door drags them from the moment. Lianna lets go of William and stands up, making her way to the door. William wipes his eyes and face, ensuring that Lianna would not be able to tell that he cried.“Dad.” William also gets up and waits for John to appear. Lianna’s dad enters and smiles widely when he sees William.“Ah, William. So nice to see you,” John says, holding his hand out and William shakes his hand.“What are you doing here?” William asks, glancing at Lianna who is busy making coffee in the kitchen. Did she tell her dad about what happened? It makes sense.“Lianna called for security, but apparently the threat left. I just came to see whether you two are still okay.” John sits down on the couch and William sits on the chair.“Oh, yeah, yeah. We are fine. So, this is security?” William asks, chuckling at the idea that Evelyn and his mother were so scared about security. It was just Lianna’s dad all along. It’s quite funny.Lianna places the mugs on the table and
There is nothing.He hears his mother arguing and he opens his eyes.“No, lady. Not in my apartment. Thank you very much for dropping, or rather breaking, in,” Lianna says while she drags Rose out of the apartment. Rose tries to fight back, but Lianna has her in a tight hold and forces her out through the door. Evelyn rushes to William to check on him.“Just leave,” he mutters, stepping away from her. She lets out a huff before she stomps past him, calling after Rose.“If you don’t leave, I’m calling security.” William hears Lianna saying from the hallway.“You can’t afford security,” Evelyn remarks. “No, wait, wait.”William walks to the door and peaks his head out to see what is going on. Lianna is talking on the phone to what seems to be security while his mother and Evelyn rush down the hall to the stairs.“Wait till your father hears about this,” Rose calls over her shoulder to William. Lianna finishes her phone call and looks to where Rose and Evelyn disappear down the stairs. S
William swiftly opens the door and enters the apartment, leading Lianna with him. His eyes scan the apartment as he looks for his mother and Evelyn. Where are-“I cannot believe he chooses to live like this,” Evelyn’s voice rings through the apartment. His mother appears from the bedroom with Evelyn on her heels.William lets out a silent sigh, already aware of what is going to happen. His grips tighten on Lianna’s arm, pulling her even closer to him.“What is going on?” Lianna asks in a whisper from behind him. He gives her a quick warning glance and she purses her lips together with a frown.“William,” his mother says with a scornful tone. He steps forward and lets go of Lianna. Another sigh leaves his mouth.“Mother, and Evelyn,” he greets them with a bow of his head. His mother takes a few steps toward him, her arms crossing across her chest.“William.” His mother glares at him. “You should have told me that this was your living condition. I would have told your father you wanted t
Light rain tickles Lianna’s face as she makes her way out of the school, William running in front of her. They had finished the color run, but it started to rain while they were cleaning up. They managed to finish packing up and are now hurrying to the car that William arranged for them.“Come on,” William calls over his shoulder, slowing his pace so that Lianna can catch up. She falls into step next to him and he lifts his jacket over them to shelter them from the rain.William leads her to the abandoned building across from the school where they can wait for the car. He ushers Lianna to the nearest wall which serves as protection from the weather. Lianna falls back against the wall and rests her hands on her knees. She tries to catch her breath. William also rests against the wall, running his hand through wet hair.“Ugh, I am soaked,” she says, twisting her shirt between her hands to get the water from it. William turns his gaze to her and notices that her white shirt is clinging to
William leans against the wall, looking around at his surroundings. There are a few people walking past him, all on their own mission.He turns his gaze to the school building across the street from him. The school building looks abandoned, except for a few children running through the halls. The pale grass in front of the school building makes him feel depressed.He checks his watch and lets out a frustrated sigh. Blake wanted to see him before he went to the color run. And now he is going to be late. He will just explain the situation to Lianna. She will understand. She always does.“Oi, why are you standing out in the open?” Blake’s gravel voice startles William. He jerks his head to Blake and finds him standing around the corner of the wall.“Good afternoon, Blake,” William greets while making his way over to him. Blake lets out a grunt as he leads them around the old wall. They come to a stop and Blake rests against the old wall.William steps next to Blake and crosses his arms.