Adlan
After ending the phone call with my brother, my temper rose again when my phone rang and I cursed under my breath. I angrily grabbed my phone, ready to unleash the rest of the words he had not heard but this time, it wasn't a call from my brother but an unknown number. I dropped the pen in my hand and stared at the screen for a few seconds before quickly swiping to pick up on the third ring. "Hello," I said but there was no response. I took the phone off my ear and looked at the screen again but the call was still connected. "Hello," I said again giving a second chance to the caller before I ended the call. "This is Laura George. I would like to meet up." I became alerted, checking the screen again to make sure I heard right. "Hello. Are you there?" her beautiful voice came again and I smiled. Finally! "Oh, yes. Yes, I am here. Uhmm...yes, we should meet up." "You have a place in mind or you'd want me to pick?" "Are you truly Laura George?" "Yes, I am!" She sounded urgent with all sense of quickness and I'm trying to meet up with that pace. Of course, I have always wanted to meet her. "Please, leave that to me. Let me bear the burden of getting a place." I don't know how that sounds but I hope it suits her mood. The call was silent for a few seconds and I almost thought she was upset or I had said something wrong. "I..." she paused and I could hear her swallow hard. "I don't want somewhere far away." she sounded softer saying that. "Best believe it'd be somewhere within the right proximity." She might not have noticed that night but I am a perfect gentleman. "Thank you." "No. Thank you. Thank you for finally reaching out. I almost thought that was going to be the end..." "Please...please....let's just meet up!" "I'm sorry. Okay...okay. I'll text you the address soon." "Alright." As the call ended, I stared at my screen in disbelief. "She called!" I chuckled. "She finally called!" I laughed out of happiness before getting up from my seat, adjusting my suit and walking out of my office. "Cancel all of my schedule for today," I said to my secretary before stepping out to get things done. **** I was beaming with happiness, grinning from ear to ear as I imagined her taste in choosing the right place and fitting the aura. I adjusted my suit and checked the time to the hundredth time. "That's fine. She's only a few minutes late." I said to myself as I looked outside. Was she with a car that day? Should I have picked her up instead? Was she having trouble finding this place? I was getting worried but I had no idea why but I guess I just needed something to think about while I waited. I had managed to put in some effort. It was within short notice so it might not have been a lot but I made sure no one comes in and out of this place till we're done. After sitting for about seven minutes, I got up and stepped outside, dialling her number. As I got outside, a phone rang and I lowered my hand from my ear after seeing a lady standing in front of me. She stared at me with her phone ringing in her hand and I immediately ended the call. "Laura George?" I asked as I moved closer to her and she nodded. I managed a smile as I led her inside and she nodded courteously. She looked... I don't know what description to give but she looked absolutely different or I might be tripping. I pulled a chair out for her to sit and she sat with an awkward smile on her face and hesitation. As I sat, I stared at her face but she couldn't meet my gaze. She had no smile on her face and not a trace of makeup. She looked like she had been stressed and for a second, I was a bit worried. That night, she had a beautiful black dress on; a dress that hugged every part of her curves, cupping her boobs rightly. I mean, the dress was made for her. She had black stiletto heels on and red lipstick that brightened the dark colours. Her wavy hair was folded up, wrapped in an elegant style so I had no idea how lengthy her hair was. She has a heart-shaped lip with big bright eyes. I couldn’t tell how tall she was since she had her heels on but she looked average. The summary of Laura George that night was that she looked like perfection, luxury and elegant. “Was it hard getting here? I tried to make sure to pick a place nearby.” She raised her face to look at me, staring at me for a while. I couldn't tell what was on her mind through her expressionless stare, so I spoke again. “What would you like to drink?” I asked with a smile. “Cocktail? Mocktail? Juice? Water?…” She gave no response and instead, looked around the whole restaurant. “If this place isn’t to your liking, I could arrange for a better place.” She settled her look on me as if examining me which kind of made me feel uncomfortable. “You look different from that night.” Her voice sounded as sweet as I could remember. Her heart-shaped lips remained as sexy as they were and her chest, was a little bigger than they were in that black dress but still perfect. I smiled before speaking and she raised her eyebrow. “I look lower than your taste in men?” “Oh, no. No. I mean, you look well-perceived.” The waitress brought our meal and we paused a bit. “I had arranged for your favourite meal. Specially made for you,” I smiled. The waitress arranged the meals on the table before giving a slight bow and then leaving. “The restaurant seems empty.” she pointed out and I chuckled. “I made sure it’s just us,” I replied as I opened the plate of sirloin soup and abalone pasta. Her favourite. She smiled as she stared at the plate and that filled my whole. “Have a taste, please.” I handed her a spoon and she waited a bit before taking it. I waited for her to have a taste, to get her satisfaction before having a taste myself. “This tastes like perfection!” “Argh…thank goodness you love it. I could have fired them all if you didn't.” “You are in such capacity to fire the chefs?” I nodded. “And the waitresses as well.” I tasted the soup and it tasted…well. As long as she loved it. “It's enough reason to fire them if the soup doesn't taste good?” “Isn’t that the point of a restaurant?” She dropped her spoon calmly and rested her hands on the table. “I beg to differ.” I sat up in my seat and looked at her. She’s quite humble. “Well, I was just being responsible.” “I appreciate that but…” “Have a taste of the abalone pasta,” I quickly interrupted. “Abalone?” “Yes. You told me that night that it was your favourite.” “Ahh. Yes. Yes. It’s my absolute favourite. I love all kinds of seafood!” she said, rushing her pasta and I chuckled. After spending satisfying hours in the restaurant, I got the confirmation I needed. She was indeed the same lady I met that night. A little different today but she was still the same. My focus was on the road ahead with my hands firmly holding the steering wheel. I could feel her eyes piercing through the side of my face. “What’s on your mind?” I asked, sparing a glance at her and placing my hand on her hands that were on her thighs. She looked down at my hand before looking back at my face and I met her gaze with a smile. “How did you get my address?” Out of all the questions I expected to hear from her, this failed to cross my mind. “I just…well…I just kind of figured it out.” “Being truthful is sexy to me.” I sighed in defeat before shrugging my shoulders. “I had one of my men get it for me.” She didn't say anything and I looked over at her. I was trying to be careful, treading softly so as not to get her upset but I think I was doing a bad job. “Are you mad?” “No. No. Just impressed.” “Impressed?” I retorted, glancing at her. “You can stop by the bus station over there,” she said, slipping her hands away from my hand. “What? Why? We’re almost at your place.” “You need to stop…right now!” Her voice sounded a little harsh and I immediately stepped on the brake. “I can’t do this!” she said before getting out of the car. When I got down after her and looked at her, her eyes were red, swollen and her skin was as well red.Laura I was treading a path of ruin or wealth or good will come to those who wait. I have been waiting all my life and this might be the good coming to me. My skin was burning inside and my eyes were itching. My blood rushed through my veins and was pumped heavily by my heart. My tongue felt twisted and my head felt as though it was about to burst. All of these were my allergy reactions. I was allergic to seafood. I had to do it. I had to make him believe I was who he thought I was. After seeing him sit before me, looking like money itself. Stepping into a fancy restaurant with a fancy atmosphere made me realize there was more to life than working at the diner. He looked good. Exceptionally good. He looked even better than his words in that letter. The grey suit looked absolutely gorgeous on him. The way his hair was combed backwards. The way his teeth glistened under the bright lights. The colour of his eyes almost matching his blue tie. His height, almost competing wit
Laura "Hey, Laura," Kate greeted as she walked in and I answered with a nod. "You look different. I would say you look bright," Andrew said with a scoff and my cheeks flushed. I knew conversations with them meant no good and for the first time, I wished Peter was around. "I..." I let out an awkward smile before I continued. "I look the same." I took off the gloves in my hands and dumped them in the trash can. Kate had moved closer to me and as I turned back around, I almost bumped into her. She intensely stares at me with her breath fanning my face but I couldn't move away from her. I held my breath while she stared. She trailed her finger across my face and rubbed my cheeks. "Why are your cheeks flushed?" she finally spoke. "That's just..." I coughed, almost choking on my spit. "That's just how my cheeks are." "Come on, Kate. Let the poor girl be. Her shift is almost over. She needs to go hang out with the deadbeat Peter." he laughed and Kate looked back at him, la
Adlan“Marry me. Marry me, Laura George.” I said the words. I hadn't planned to but staring into her bright eyes gave me the certainty I wanted. I had no idea if that was a great thing to do or if I was going crazy but I said it still. She stared into my eyes and creased her eyebrow as though she had heard me wrong. “What?” “I know it seems too early. I know we haven’t gotten to any point in love to think of marriage. Fuck! We haven’t even started dating and it's insane to propose marriage now but what’s more insane is how I feel about you. I…”She yanked her hands from my grip and glared at me. “Adlan…” she shook her head in uncertainty, disbelief evident in her countenance. She ruffled her hair before she spoke again. “This is insane.”“Yes. It is. I’m insane. I have no idea what’s going on with me. I can’t even think straight and Laura, we’ve only met for a couple of days now.”“It's all fake. The feeling you feel now, it isn’t real.”“You don’t know that.” her words hurt me.
LauraI had lived all my life with the wall I had built around my world. Never been in a relationship, never had a first love, never had a genuine close friend and never had an experience with most typical things in life. Those walls were crashing now as I felt my back crash in my bed with our lips intertwined with passion burning through us. When he drove off, I could feel my heart break into a million pieces. I wish it wasn't that hard to see things the same way he saw things and at that moment I felt I had lost him. As I walked back in, the thoughts of how I lost my job came rushing through my head. I had lost everything. I rushed out of my clothes, ready to drown myself in the shower. I had only stepped under the shower for a few minutes when I heard the knock at the door. As I opened the door, seeing him stand by my doorway, my breath ceased for a swift second. I stared at him in shock and maybe disbelief and joy. He came back. When his lips met mine, I wanted to push him
LauraI twirled and turned in bed, stretching at full length before slowly opening my eyes which was met by the stinging ray of sunlight that had found its way through the little opening of my curtain. I squinted my eyes before turning away from the sun and sleeping on my side. I stared blankly ahead with a glimmer of sleep still hovering over me while my mind juggled back to the previous night. He had just presented his heart in his hands, offering them to me without remorse or holding back. He wouldn't even think twice as to this offering if it was a great choice or otherwise, he just plainly trusted me with his all. I have never imagined myself in a situation like this; a situation where I would have all of my thoughts wafting all about a man—a man I had lied to. I quickly felt a pang of guilt but I was too selfish to dwell in that feeling. Adlan loved me, at least, he has shown to love me within just a few days. Even when I had tried to be nonchalant about his feelings. Even
LauraThe dress hung on every curve that resides on my body, portraying an illusion of an hourglass shape which was not so defined without the dress on. The silver dress stopped mid-thigh, just enough to cover my butt with a little ruffle at the end of the dress. It has a tiny strap and a v-neckline that stopped before my cleavage was revealed. I loved everything about the dress, including the diamond stones that designed the neckline. I managed to apply a little make up which I usually practice on days that I was meant to freelance. I tied my hair up in a high bun, letting a few strands drop on my face and also grace my shoulders. To be honest, I was proud of myself. A few minutes after I was done, I got a text from Adlan, telling me to come outside. I checked myself for the last time in the mirror before hurrying out. His car was already parked outside but this time, it was a different car from his usual one. As I opened the car door, I was taken aback by the driver as it wasn'
Laura The diner was quiet and dark and the only light in here was the dimming light from the kitchen gas...uhmm...intended exergeration. The diner had almost lost its frequent bubbly spirit that moved the enthusiasm to a whole higher level. I sighed before turning the gas off. "Hey, Peter. I bet I'll be clocking out now." I took my apron off and waited for Peter's response who had just walked into the pantry only a few seconds ago. "Peter," I called out but got no response. I walked to the pantry and as I pushed the door open, walking a little deeper, I instantly froze in my stance with my heartbeat frozen as well while I stared in horror at Peter and he stared back at me, except his stare held no life. "Peter!!!" I finally broke the internal cord that tied my voice. I rushed to him, kneeling on the pool of blood with my trembling hands moving slowly to his bloody face. I whimpered, slowly lowering my head to his bloody shirt to listen to his heartbeat and t
Laura The whistling sound of the kettle brought me back to my reality and I sighed. I turned the stove off and made a cup of coffee as I was going to need all the energy I could get today. The thought of going to work broke my heart into a million pieces. Aside from the fact that Peter wasn’t the best co-worker to work with, especially when you are having a hard time with life as it is, working three different jobs just to pay off some loan isn’t better either. On days when I wasn’t bullied to stay the shift with Peter, I’d be working my ass off as a doordash delivery lady or freelancing when I need to lay my head to rest. Life is tough. I sipped the coffee, almost forgetting it was scorching hot and ended up burning my tongue and throat. “Son of a…!” I groaned before dropping the cup and a stomping sound came from my ceiling followed by a voice. The apartment above me had been empty for God knows how long since the rent was enough to buy a villa on an Island where no ey