"Hey," Mike said through the phone.
The grin on my face widened hearing his voice. "So, tell me, why aren't you tired?"
"Because I slept with you in the office," he said casually.
"Hey!" I shouted, a silent warning ringing in my voice. Mike must have found it funny because his soothing laugh brushed my ears.
"I meant we both fell asleep," he corrected.
"That's right. Don't. Mix. Words."
He laughed again. The sound of his laughter made me smile for no reason. Jessie… You're going crazy.
"Oh, God." Rose's loud moans startled me. "John… Yes…"
ONE MONTH LATER"Do you guys have to leave tomorrow?" Rose asked as she took a slice of pizza, which was kept on a coffee table in the living room. She sat next to John on the couch.John and Mike came to visit us before they had to leave for a business trip. Mr. Nelson was going to launch his new product in Amsterdam because their shoes were supposed to best sell there. Mike and John were going to accompany him tomorrow."Yeah. It will help our business expand overseas," John explained before taking a bite of Rose's slice, for which she frowned but she let him have it. They kept sharing the same slice as they continued to talk."For how many days?""Two weeks."
We didn't know what to do. There were no extra rooms available. Mr. Nelson had booked only two rooms—one for him and the other for Mike and John.I suggested that we could share rooms—one for the boys and one for the girls. Well, Katherine being Katherine, didn't like the idea as she wanted to stay alone and didn't want to share her room with us."What do we do now?" Rose sighed."Don't worry, baby." John placed his hand on Rose's shoulder to comfort her. "I'll check other hotels online."Rose nodded. John took his phone from his jeans pocket to search."It's hard to get a room so last minute, sir. A lot of tourists visit Amsterdam during the winter, so all rooms in the hotels are probably pre-booked," the recepti
"Jessica... Wake up... It's me, Mike!" Mike's words finally reached my mind. He was shaking my shoulders to wake me up.I opened my eyes to see Mike's face. My tears blurred my vision and the dim light that was coming from the lamp on the nightstand wasn't helping much, either.He helped me sit up by holding my shoulders. I was panting heavily. Sweat covered my entire body, especially my forehead and my neck.My body was shuddering in fear. Without thinking, I threw my arms around Mike's neck and hugged him tightly, nuzzling into the crook of his neck, seeking his presence to let my body believe that Mike was real. And...that it had just been a nightmare."Please... Please don't leave me... Please... " I mumbled."I'm not goi
"What?" I exclaimed, trying to process her words. Mike likes me?"Even John noticed. You're the only one who can't see it." She scoffed."He doesn't like me." I didn't know if it was true but for now I didn't want to ruin whatever we had. "We're really good friends.""Oh, really! What about you?""What about me? Nothing. He's just a good friend," I defended myself. Mike is a good friend. That was it."Most relationships start as a friendship. I think you sho
The next day, we visited Staalmeestersbrug, the bridge that crosses the Groenburgwal. It was a very popular photo location, with the beautiful Zuiderkerk tower in the background."Now, tell me," I said, looking at Rose, "why do you want to visit this bridge so badly?""It's a surprise," Rose whispered, looking to make sure John didn't hear us. I assumed that the surprise was for him.She kept on moving and her eyes darted from side to side as if she was trying to search for something."There it is!" Rose exclaimed, pointing ahead.She grabbed John's hand and started running ahead. Confusion was evident on John's face but he let her lead him.Mike and I exchanged a glance and shrug
Our conversation got interrupted by Katherine entering. Everyone started to take photographs of her. Mr. James excused himself and went to greet her. She always managed to grab the attention of everyone around her. I didn't mind it all. Maybe it was because she didn't have Mike's attention anymore. Mike and John introduced us to other clients. While they were discussing the upcoming projects, Rose and I excused ourselves. We sat at a table to have some wine. I had only taken two sips from my glass when Rose started refilling her second glass. I glanced at Mike and John. They were busy talking with clients and drinking a lot. These three had an incredible drinking capacity—far better than me. I preferred to drink little to stay sober.
My eyes flew open when Mike's shout reached my ears. I thought that his words had been a part of my flashback. But realization dawned on me when I found Mike crouched against the wall. His right hand was massaging the back of his head and he was groaning in pain. I pushed him. My heart dropped to my stomach. I ran to him and kneeled down. Replacing his hand with mine on the back of his head, I started rubbing the spot in a hurry. "I'm sorry... I didn't do it on purpose. Is it hurting? Of course it's hurting. What am I saying?" Mike's hiss made me freeze and guilt clogged my throat. How could I do this to him? My eyes burned but I breathed in and out to control my tears. Once I got a grip of myself, I helped Mike sit on the bed and called the hotel service to send me
"Hey, I booked an appointment for tomorrow," I told Rose. She was busy cutting the vegetables in preparation for dinner. "That's great," she responded without glancing at me. She was too focused on her chopping. "I-I want you to come with me," I stammered. I needed her because I knew I couldn't do this alone. She froze and looked at me. "I was going to go with you, anyway. There's no way you're doing this alone. I'll always be there for you." A grateful smile landed on my lips. I felt blessed to have her in my life. "I don't know what to say... You have always been there for me. But I haven't done anything—" "Shut up before you say anything els
And that's a wrap. I enjoyed writing Love Beyond The Past a lot. Even though it's my first book, I learned a lot from it. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. Thank you to each and every one who read my book and enjoyed it. It means a lot. Really means a lot. Leave your feedback because I would love to hear your thoughts about the book. Few things I really want to know: 1. What's your favorite scene of the book? 2. Who is your favorite character? 3. What's your favorite twist of the book? Share your thoughts in comments. Lots of love. Have a great day. ;)) Your's friendly author, Priyanka Reddy
Noise. Probably shuffling. Whatever the sound it was, it made me open my eyes. I turned to see Mike scrambling over the files."Sorry for waking you up," Mike apologized, staring at me. "I was looking for foreign investor's file." His gaze shifted to a bunch of files that were lying on the nightstand.I rose to a sitting position. "Found it," he said to himself.When he took the file and started walking towards the door, I stopped him. "Wait! I'll come with you."Mike turned around to look at me. Before he could ask, I said, "I want to come to the office and start working again.""No, you need rest," he protested."I don't need to rest anymore. I'm healed now." He sigh
Ninety Days of RecoveryI got discharged from the hospital after two weeks. Once we reached home, Mike instructed me to rest then left for an important meeting.After a short nap, I found Rose sitting on the bed next to me."Do you want to eat something?" she asked. It was as if she had been waiting for me to wake up so she could feed me. But I wasn't hungry so I shook my head. When I sat up from the bed, she added, "The doctor told me that you need to rest more, at least for three months.""Three months?" I frowned, staring at her in disbelief."Yes." Her tone said it all. I had no choice in this matter."I want to throttle Richard for piercing that knife into my chest," I hissed.
"Have you guys decided on the wedding date yet?" Rose asked through a video call.Rose and John were still in Paris enjoying their honeymoon. She was sitting on the bed with John, who was right next to her. I was leaning against the couch in our living room."Yes, it's on July 27th." I smiled. Warmth filled me at the thought of getting married to Mike. My excitement was at its peak and I wished Rose would come back soon so we could do our happy giggling dance."Wait," John said. "Is Mike okay with that day?"I nodded, rolling my lips to stop my smile."What's wrong with that day?" Rose asked, glancing at John."It's Mike's birthday." I shrugged. She shifted her gaze from John to h
FOUR MONTHS LATER"Here, take it." Mike stretched his hand with a shopping bag towards me as he walked into our room. He had gotten off work early and had come home to me."What's this?" I asked."Your dress. We're going on a date."After spending two weeks in the hospital, I had finally been discharged. But it's taken me ninety days to recover completely. In those ninety days, a lot had happened. Mike had moved in with me to take care of me and only left my side when he had to attend important meetings.John had finally proposed to Rose within those ninety days, too. They had gotten married recently and had gone to Paris for their honeymoon. I had moved in with Mike the night after Rose and John's wedding.
As Kelvin and Rose listened to me carefully, I explained to them how I'd faced my nightmares when I'd been unconscious after Richard had stabbed me. Rose was silent and stared at me but Kelvin's gaze fixed on the floor. He looked like he was thinking intensely about something.After a few seconds, Kelvin looked up at me and said, "That's good.""Good?" Rose turned her face to look at him."Yes, it's good that she faced them. I think that it'll be easier for her to recover from her nightmares now.""I think so, too. Now that Richard is in jail, I can finally move on and leave my past behind," I said, relaxing my shoulders."Yeah." Kelvin nodded with a smile."Ooh!" Rose squealed wi
Mike turned back to John, who was staring at Rose."John?" Mike snapped his fingers in front of John's face to get his attention."Huh?" John looked back at Mike."Take Rose and leave, buddy.""I—""It's okay, Mike," Rose interrupted John. "I'll stay here. He doesn't want to take me."Frowning at Rose, John shot back, "Did I say that I didn't want to take you?""You were about to say it, right?" she argued."And what makes you think like that?" he snapped."You." Her eyes welled up with tears. "You ignored all of my calls and now that you'
Mike sat on the bed without any response. His right hand cupped my left cheek and he started caressing it with his thumb."Mike." I said his name again to hear his voice but he kept staring at me without uttering a word.After a few seconds, the corner of his lips lifted into a smile."I want to hear it again." He finally spoke but I didn't understand what he meant. I stared at him with a blank face. The confusion must've been evident on my face, for he added, "I haven't heard my name from your lips since you broke up with me. I didn't think I would hear it again."Tears pricked my eyes. He must have gone through so much. I hated myself for doing it to him. I never meant to hurt him. I thought I was saving him from me and my past. I didn't think I was hurting him by push
When our eyes met, he gave me a smile—the same warm smile he used to give when my mom was alive. I didn't smile back. Damn! I couldn't even force a smile. Moreover, I didn't want to.As he walked closer to me, the wrinkles on his forehead and the bags under his tired eyes became clearer. He had aged a little bit and tiredness on his face said that he wasn't taking care of himself. Other than that, he looked the same as he had three years ago.He stopped next to my bed and called my name. "Jessica..." His voice was filled with the same affection but I didn't feel the same way. "How are you?"I didn't reply. I couldn't. Not after what he had done to me. How did we end up like this? We used to share a special bond. He use