(Avery’s Thoughts)After meeting with my therapist and having a date with my beloved boyfriend, Jeff, I ask him to go home alone. I made an excuse saying I had to go to the museum so I could buy some gifts for him.When he proposed, I was utterly speechless, not because I doubted myself but because I couldn’t believe that he has really loved me and was willing to spend his forever with me despite all my shortcomings. That’s why, for once in my life, I became honest with him, and I promise myself to not leave him blind-sided about anything anymore. Anyway, it was a lovely day for us, and what else could go wrong? I never thought that something or even someone can ruin what this perfect day has in store for us. Or so I thought.Now, I am walking along this busy street. There’s a shop I always visit because the old woman there is so nice. I don’t know why, but I always have a soft spot with elderlies, maybe because I didn’t experience having grandparents, and my parents as you know die
(Dmitri’s Thoughts)She heard me, I know. She saw me, I am sure of it. But she disappeared in front of me. She didn’t look at me, she didn’t even bother to see a glimpse of me, to check if I was real. I was like a ghost, a bad omen she wished she never met. Then, she bolted and ran away. She disappeared in front of me, and what the hell am I doing? “Will I let her escape again? Will I let her go again?” I clench my fist, and then I hear the old woman cheers me up. She speaks in French. “Go after her, go ahead, and never let her go. Maybe, you are the reason why she was never completely happy with her boyfriend, she just didn’t know it yet. Or else, she’s denying it,” her words light my fire up. I thank her and run out of the store. I begin to look for her, and luckily, I still see her figure running away. I run after her. I chase her desperately. My decision is final, “I’ll never let you go, Avery. I thought it is best to leave you and Jeff alone, but…”I gather all my streng
(Avery’s Thoughts)I’ve been walking back and forth at the entrance of our apartment building. I can’t come up with a decision for a certain thing. “Should I tell him or not? What’s the need to tell him when I won’t be seeing him ever again,” I bite my fingers still unable to decide. The superintendent has been watching me, and maybe, he’s feeling dizzy following my movement. I take a deep breath, slap both my cheeks, fix my clothes and exercise smiling, “Okay, let’s go for don’t tell him, not needed decision,” I exclaim. “Here I go!”***Jeff isn’t in the living room or even in the kitchen when I arrive. I put down all the things I bought on the kitchen counter and then go straight to our bedroom. When I entered, I see the light is on in the comfort room, and I hear him singing and humming happily. I put the gift on the bed and goes back to the kitchen to re-arrange the things inside the kitchen cabinet. I somehow need something to do anyway, to distract my mind from that uninv
“Lying? I am not lying. I just don’t see the need why he has to know you are here,” I answer which I strongly believe is the truth. But that smile of his never disappears from his lips, he even mocks, “So, he didn’t know that we met yesterday, huh?”“Like I said, it doesn’t matter. So, if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of things I need to tend to,” I roll my eyes at him and coldly ignore him. But he never backs down, “Well, Miss Anderson, I believe your task is to accompany so I can pick a painting for my restaurant here in France.”In my mind, “He has a restaurant here?”I look at him and smile fakely, “Mister Sullivan, you can roam around the area and then let me know what you want to buy,” and I go back to what I’m doing.He clears his throat and his face becomes serious, “Miss Anderson, you are a curator here aren’t you?”I look up, well, I wouldn’t be surprised if he knows where I live at this point, “Yes, I am,” I answer straightforwardly. “Then, it is your job to inform me w
(Avery’s Thoughts)I am currently at the learning center finishing the final hours of my crash course in Art Literacy and The Way To Curating. Obviously, my body is present but my mind is elsewhere. It has been almost a week since my last argument with Dmitri. At some point, I feel relieved since the last argument already made it clear. However, a part of me is mourning for his non-existence. “Miss Anderson, are you with us?” I finally hear my British professor who’s been calling me countless times. “Uh, yes, sorry, what’s the question again?” I ask him.He crosses his arms in front of his chest and taps his right foot due to annoyance, “There’s no question Miss Anderson. I am just jutting down the list of students who will participate in our little tour, the one I’ve mentioned a month ago.”My face flustered as the other students laugh at me, “Err, yes, I would love to. Where is it again? And when’s the deadline for confirmation?”“Supposedly today, but since you haven’t decided
(Dmitri’s Thoughts)Unending calls from my sister Heather wake me up. The vibration from my phone just won’t stop. So I answer it for the first time in a week, “Don’t you have a life?”I can imagine her face with just her voice, she scoffs and says, “Well, if you had just come home a few days ago, I wouldn’t end up wasting my life calling you, Dmitri. You told me you’ll come home after your restaurant’s opening?”Blah, blah! I let her nag all she wants, “I had to take care of some things. What do you want? The Vice-CEO is there. He can do all the tasks.”“Remember, you promised Dad you’ll do better, don’t let thi-”“I know how to handle my company, Heat. So give it a rest. I can’t come home, I’ll be in Germany next week. I’ll stay home for a while. I haven’t paid Manor Sullivan a visit for a while now,” I straightforwardly express my annoyance. And I hang up. I sigh and massage my temple, “Damn it! Can’t I take a rest? As if the company will shut down without me.”***I decide to p
(Avery’s Thoughts)“Wake up sleepyhead, you still need to pack,” I hear Jeff’s voice, but my body doesn’t want to get off to bed. In fact, I don’t even want to join the tour anymore, but since I already signed up for it, I have no choice. I remain sleeping and don’t mind his wake-up call. So he pokes me non-stop on my side until I burst into laughter. “You really don’t want to wake up, huh,” he pokes here and there.“I’ll tickle you until you get up,” he continues to tickle me until I could no longer breathe because of too much laughing.I tap his shoulder, “Okay, okay, I am awake now. Stop it!”Then he showers me with morning kisses. And I hug him. I look him in the eye and say, “I am going to miss you, two months is so long,” I frown.He kisses me deeply, “Babe, it will pass by fast. Remember, this is for your career. I can wait for you. After that, we’ll plan our wedding, okay?”“Can’t I just stay here, and practice being your wife?” I ask silly. “Get up before I change my min
It is only a short flight but thanks to the alcohol, I feel I slept the whole night. I still feel warm and I bet my face, especially my cheeks are still red. We are still at the airport and it is late afternoon. Our professor and the whole class decided to eat at a nearby restaurant which we pass on our way to our accommodation.It is my second time in Germany. The first one is when I went to Manor Sullivan. “Here I go again, reminiscing and connecting every memory with Dmitri,” I sigh, feeling disappointed in myself. I take out my phone and see my wallpaper, Jeff and I together, looking happily. A girl from behind teases me, “Hey, it hasn’t been a day and yet you miss him already. Free yourself up, bride-to-be, soon you won’t be able to have fun” she even adds and the others laugh, too.My professor who’s just about our age and kinda cool scold them, “Let Anderson be, at least she’ll get married, I just don’t know about most of you.”Everyone laughs. We go straight to the parking