It’s been two years since I left the States and move here to Europe, specifically France. It wasn’t easy but after the scandal, I decided to flee from that place. All’s well, except for the fact that K, my bestfriend, blocked me from all her social media account. So, however absurd it may sound, my ex-boyfriend Seid keeps me posted on K’s life. Stating the obvious, she’s still mad at me for leaving her just like that without any word. I had no choice, her boyfriend is Dmitri’s brother-in-law, I know, somehow, Nikolai, will get the word out of her. It is best she knows nothing. So, here I am, still building a new life. I’ve been studying again some short courses about Art History. Well, I’ve ditched writing after the scandal, so at least, I have to find a new hobby, and here it is arts. Apart from writing and coordinating events, I enjoyed planning for Jodie’s exhibit the most, and since I realized I have eyes for precious potential talents, I’ve decided to apply as a curator in
Caen City, Northwestern region of Calvados, France My little happy reminiscing time with Jodie finally come to its end. She invited me over for dinner but since I already had plans with Jeff, I had to say no to her. “That isn’t the only reason, is it? You are afraid to mend the already loose ends, right?” my sarcastic mind teases me as I fix myself inside the locker room. I look at my phone to check the time and it’s already 6 in the evening. Given the walking time, I still have 30 minutes to freshen up before my date with Jeff. I tie my hair using a rubber band and hit the pedestrian street. The apartment where Jeff and I are living is just 15-minute away from here. This part of the city is my favorite place. By far, it is the liveliest corner in this city. Caen isn’t as big as France but you can enjoy a lot of things here. Well, I guarantee how I’ve been enjoying its nightlife for a year now. Unlike in the States, bars here are a little quieter, more modest, and more discr
He sighs and lifts his head. I can see his eyes almost filled with tears, trying to hold back his cry, “Tell me, Avery. Do you really love me? Or do you pity me? Am I even worth your love?” He leans back to the chair, I clench my fist, “What are you talking about babe? Of course, I do. You know that. I am not here just because of pity. I won’t ever do that. You know how I feel for you.” “Then say it, Ava. Say that you love me,” his voice raises enough to catch some of the customers’ and staffs’ attention. “Let’s not do this here, please? I am sorry if I did something wrong. Okay?” I apologize, trying to calm him down. He probably notices so he tones down a little, “No, you did nothing wrong, but you won’t let me do something for you, either. It’s frustrating. I am a man, too, Ava. I can also give you what you want. I want to give you what you want. But you keep on blocking me.” His words strike my heart. Why haven’t I noticed all this time that I made him feel that way? I wa
(Dmitri’s Thoughts)“So, what happened to your little detour, huh?” a little deep but feminine voice is heard from my phone. “What do you want to know? I’m not in the mood,” I hiss while chugging the beer in his hand. “Oh, goodness, Dee. You’ve come all the way there, don’t tell me you didn’t get your girl back? That’s not like you,” the voice teases me in an annoying way.“Shut up! What do you need, huh? Mocking me?” I angrily say. “I am worried about you, idiot! Now tell me, what happened?” the voice gets a little louder. “I lost her. It’s over. I can’t bring her back,” I feel something dripping from my nose and my eyes. I sniff trying to hold it in. But eventually, I cry as I progress with my story. “What the-! Didn’t you tell her? Did you even try to win her over? Apologize, perhaps? Or maybe tell her what you did about the scandal, huh?” the voice continues to interrogate me. But those questions are just as irrelevant as my feelings right now. I let my true feelings out. Th
(Dmitri’s Thoughts)“H-how d-did you?”“W-what… w-why are y-you h-here?” “D-do you n-need a-anything?”These were her spoken questions. I glared at her making my intentions clear. “Ms. Jen Storm, you seemed surprised. Or should I say perplexed? Tensed? Baffled? Scared?” I straightened my before-crossed arms and stepped forward. “Why? Did you do something awful to make you feel like that?” I cornered her. “N-no, of course not, sir. I j-just didn’t expect you to v-visit here, I m-mean, you didn’t know my place, and you didn’t know me,” she stuttered, still going along with her act. I scoffed, “Oh, believe me, Jen Storm, I know you very well. And in fact, I am here to give you a payback,” I took another step that made her step back, bumping on the door behind her.“A p-payback, sir?” she began sweating. “Oh, wait, did I say payback? No, what I meant was back pay. Yes, back pay. That’s because you didn’t get it when you left the company in a rush. Why Jen? Was my benefit not befitti
(Dmitri’s Thoughts)I found myself drinking again in this bar early in the morning. In fact, it’s been months now since I experienced having sleepovers in this very VVIP room where Avery and I once went. The staff on this bar already called me a regular. A few months ago, I couldn’t recall myself visiting any bars, but after Avery left, I always felt like drowning myself in beer and alcohol will somehow alleviate the pain. A few weeks ago, I finally got hold of Jen Storm and was able to get my revenge for what she did to Avery. Did I feel good about it? Well, yes and no.Now, I could feel my phone vibrating over and over on top of this glass table near me. But I couldn’t bring myself to answer my sister’s bickering because my hand and body were so numb to do it. After some time, a familiar figure appeared before my half-awakened eyes. “Dmitri!” and here we go again. I could hear my sister’s high-pitch, annoying voice. “Goodness, Heather, why are you even haunting me in my dreams?
(Avery’s Thoughts) “Nous ne vous laisserons jamais tomber, madame,” I heard Madame Claudia talking to one of our VVIPs. I am currently at the reception area right now, still fantasizing and reminiscing about the wonderful night I had with my boyfriend, I mean, my fiancé. I look at the engagement ring on my left hand. Yes, Jeff, finally popped the question yesterday night. Everything went magical, and for some reason, we got really lucky because the restaurant didn’t let us pay in celebration of our engagement. To be honest, I never imagined myself being married after Seid and I broke up. Well, he was my first and long-time boyfriend, and experiencing such pain at that time made me lose faith in love. I exclaim, “Well, look at me now, I am definitely getting married,” I unconsciously blurt it out. I didn’t even notice my colleague beside me, so she bumps my shoulder and poke me on my side, “Congratulations, Avery dearest,” her French accent is really strong, but I am glad she
(Jeff’s Thoughts)I am happily preparing a meal for my future wife tonight. My uncle, who’s also my boss at the cafe asked me to pamper my woman. And I must admit, I feel like I’m on cloud nine until now. I doubt this feeling would ever disappear. I didn’t expect Avery to say yes to me with just one try. I thought she was going to decline my proposal yesterday night because for some reason, probably she’s not yet ready, or wants to go further on her career, but I was wrong.All this time, I thought I was just a rebound love for someone that she has never once mentioned or talked about ever again. I thought she didn’t like fixing herself because she just doesn’t care about how she looked, or she didn’t want me to invest too much in her because I am just a temporary love for her. But all my doubts melt away when she explained to me the reason why. For almost a year of living together as a couple, she wanted to have a frugal life so she could save up money and buy a property here and l
(Avery’s Thoughts) (Two Years After The Divorce)I am standing backstage at one of the famous morning talk shows here in NY.I don’t know why I feel so nervous, well, it is my first TV appearance nationwide.Then I look at the mirror and fix myself, “Well, I am not yet ready to reveal my personality so I think of a way to hide my identity, and that is to use a pen name and a sophisticated mask, like the ones you wear in a masquerade ball.”A staff finally reaches out to me and says, “Miss Sparks, in a minute they are going to call you on stage. And your cue is the dimming light, okay?”“Uh-huh,” I hesitantly answer.But she is there to boost and cheer me up, “Take a deep breath, relax, and remember, you are good, and you definitely got this!”The sound from the crowd suddenly dies down and the voice of the host is heard. I look up at their gigantic spotlight and wait for the cue.I take a deep breath and say to myself, “You got this, Avery. You got this!”“Let us all welcome with a ro
(Avery’s Thoughts) “Dear Avery - My Loyal Wife, When you came into my life and agreed to be my wife, that was the best day of my life. That day, on our sudden wedding day, I promised that I would cherish you more than anyone else.I swore to protect the smile on your face, a smile so genuine when I first met you at that hotel five years ago. Avery, I know you’ve been trying so hard, and you never once failed to fulfill your duty as my loving wife, even if it means putting your heart aside. You’ve been so good to me, and you’ve been faithful to me like you promised me. But sometimes kindness and compassion aren’t enough when love is forced. Eventually, the true feelings will immerse.With so much regret, I’ve seen you fell right in front of my eyes. I’ve witnessed how your bright spark faded when you married me. I’ve become the reason why you lost yourself.I let it happen. And I can’t forgive myself for that ever again. You were forced to love me. I forced you to love me. And
(Avery’s Thoughts)“Babe, did it come out now?” Jeff yells behind the door. While I am damn nervous to even peek at it. “It is only a minute, it needs another minute, babe. Please, don’t stress me out,” I yell back at him. “I’m sorry. I just feel so excited about the news. I can’t wait to tell mom and dad about our baby!” he says exhilaratingly. “Don’t jinx it!” I scream angrily. “Okay, okay, I’ll wait here patiently,” answers Jeff. I am here sitting on the bathroom floor, waiting for the result to come out from the pregnancy test kit. It has been almost three years since we got married and there was never a time that we didn’t try having a baby. But until now, there’s still nothing. I hug my knees and start crying silently, “What if it fails again? Am I infertile?” I ask myself. The kit finally ticks and now I have to face the truth. God knows we’ve been trying so hard that’s why I even ask Kendra to take full charge of the business for now. I stop all my physical activities
(Avery’s Thoughts) Our El Nido, Palawan experience was splendid. And of course, I still can’t believe it. I came there single, “And now, I am officially Avery Tales. I am now married,” I murmur as I stare at both my and his wedding ring while he’s holding my hand in his sleep. It’s been a week since we came back here to America. Of course, the honeymoon stage has just begun and Jeff wants to make love to me almost every time. And me, being a good wife, always give him what he wants. Although, right now, I think I am still a little swollen down there. I go to the bathroom to clean myself up and wash my face as I promised Kendra I’ll be meeting her so we can talk about our new business venture. After brushing my teeth, I wake Jeff up, “Hey, babe. Didn’t you say you have an interview at Kirkland’s Best?”He groans and instead of getting up, he pulls me into the bed and showers me with morning kisses. I giggle as his kisses tickle me, “Babe, stop it. We have a lot of things to do tod
(Avery's Thoughts)Even though the wedding is sudden, Jeff managed to pull it off, and he has planned it all along. So after the wedding ceremony, we stayed for a little bit, I got to finally meet his parents. And for the longest of times, I once again felt the warm embrace of a parent. It made me cry because I knew that I am no longer alone, and no longer an orphan. Because now that we are married, his parents became my parents, too. And I can’t deny, my heart is full. After that, we stayed to talk to our guests for some time, and then we ate and enjoy the party, too. And now I am here standing on the balcony staring at the moonlight, while Jeff is still cleaning. I don’t know why. It isn’t the first time we are going to have sex, but for some reason, now that we are married, there’s this tension inside me, a feeling of hesitation, a feeling that I am officially owned by him. And unexplainably, I feel afraid. And now, my heart almost stops as I hear the gushing of the water fina
(Avery’s Thoughts) Later this evening, all four of us will meet Jeff’s parents. And because of it, I am so dead worried and I can’t get this nervousness out of my system. So while Jeff is away meeting his parents ahead of time, I rush downstairs and go to our neighboring villa. I knock ceaselessly, but Kendra and Nik aren’t coming out. I move back to look up, and I see that the light is on, it means they are there, so I continue to rampage on their door. “Kendra, Kendra,” I knock nonstop, “Open up, please!” I scream a little loud. Then after five minutes of almost breaking their door down, someone finally opens the door for me. “Thank God you finally come out, what took you so l–” I am about to complain but when I see her glaring at me with her hair a little bit frizzy and wrap in a blanket, I know that I should be more careful with my next words. Then later on Nik comes down with a little sweat on his forehead. “Uh-oh, definitely bad timing, Avery,” I say to myself. Then Kend
(Avery’s Thoughts) “Hey, we are going to be late for our flight!” I yell when I notice Kendra still struggling with how to put all her stuff in one big luggage. “Wait up! This stupid luggage just won’t listen to me!” she frustratedly yells back at me. Kendra is not a patient and she hates dealing with this kind of stuff. So I go to her room to check up on her. And there I see her leg wrestling with her luggage just so she can close it up. “Stupid-little-luggage!” she yells and kicks before she pounds it hard in the end. And then she sits beside it looking at me with so much energy wasted. “Help me out, A?” she begs. I smile at her and then gently hit her on her forehead. “That’s why I’ve been telling you to pack a week ago,” I nag at her a little and she sticks her tongue out for a moment. “Hmm, let’s see what unnecessary things you put in here,” I tease her. Then I begin to take out some clothes and things she can’t wear to our destination. “Nope!” “–But I need it.” “–It’
(Kendra’s Thoughts)Then a slight touch on my shoulder and a breathy apology are enough to get hold of the situation, “I am sorry, Kendra. Let me fix this,” is all he says. And even without looking, I know this one is definitely Dmitri’s voice since it triggers the hatred hidden deep within my bones.And as he passed by me, he steps up and grabs the arms of that tallest guy, “Let go, Luke, please,” he calmly says.Then the man who fell suddenly stands up continuing his tantrums like a child, “Why are you siding with them, Dee? He punches me first, you should get mad at that bitchy Heather’s husband” then scowls at Dmitri. But Dmitri is true to his words for the first time in his fucking life, he is trying to fix the situation. He glares at him and Luke, “I said Let go, Luke. Don’t make me say it for the third time, and you, I told you to be more careful with your words, this is my city, they know me here as a businessman, you should have thought of me more before creating a scene. T
(Kendra’s Thoughts)Avery finally got discharged from the hospital and in the meantime, I invite them over to stay in my apartment instead of wasting all their money paying for a hotel room. I have two more spare rooms in my apartment so I guess it is fine. Kervin is still here, so they will look after him while I go out with Nik and enjoy our anniversary. I am about to finish dolling up when A enters my room. “Hey there, gorgeous,” she says while leaning on the side of the door. I am currently wearing my earrings when my side zipper comes undone. So she goes to me and says, “Here, I got this,” she says and helps me out. I can’t stop smiling. I am just happy to know she’s here. I am happy we get to do this again. I hear the zip sound finishes, “Okay, you are good to go, sexy K. Are you going to bring the house down tonight with your fiery red velvet bodycon dress?” she pokes my side. “Oh god, no. We will just eat and then go home since that bitchy wife already knew our annivers