sighs😥 Always Writing, T. C. SARAH
Jared said nothing so I continued speaking. It’d probably be the only chance I’d ever get to tell him how I really felt.“I’m sorry.” I repeated.“Why are you sorry?” I sniffled.“I am sorry for everything that happened between us. I know we can never be together, not just because of what happened but because you deserve better, better than someone who has more problems than an average person should.”“Over the weeks, I’ve come to realise that whatever happened, while devastatingly terrible, was good as an eye-opener. Imagine getting married to me.” I chuckled and wiped my face.“If I’m being honest, I’m not sure what happened. I loved you and I wanted to be with you but I didn’t think I could handle how much that would mean and I started to withdraw. I never would’ve cheated on you because I didn’t feel that way towards Ryan, but I couldn’t pretend that I wasn’t somewhat drawn to him, maybe because we had a similar background and we could relate well.”“All my life, I’ve been around
I closed my eyes and opened them again, I wasn't seeing double."What?" I'd completely forgotten he was in the same room as me, that was how silent he was."Something isn't right about this..." I hadn't expected him to be interested but he turned around and stood behind me.I could feel the heat of his body and that of his breath against my neck, despite the cold and I squirmed in my seat."This is supposed to be our annual report, it was attached to a number of files here, but this isn't the report I handled for the event or what I've been handling for the past one week. This is different.""How do you mean?" Goosebumps erupted on my skin, Jared had moved closer and his hands were spread behind my back.I quickly pulled up the records I had from the system and I actually wasn't hallucinating the figures."That doesn't seem right." I looked up at him and there was a frown on his face. He was right though."There's a bunch of zeros missing." He glanced down at me and I looked away hurr
Monday at work, I avoided Ryan like a plague. If he was coming one way, I would go the other way. Judy was back at work too and I couldn’t help but feel her eyes on me every once in a while.‘Hey mama.’ I smiled at Aly’s text.‘Hey. How are you?’ I texted back.‘Aarav’s mum is driving me nuts.’ I giggled.Apparently, Aarav’s mother was staying for a few days at their place because she had things to do in the states and it just seemed more economical to stay with them.I rolled my eyes at that when Aly told me. She could damn well afford wherever the hell she wanted to stay, she just wanted to see her son really. She would wake up earlier than they did and she made more than enough noise to keep them groggy every morning.‘Sorry. When is she supposed to leave though?’ I looked at my screen briefly and minimised the tabs I’d kept open and hibernated my system.I excused myself from the office for my coffee break, almost bumping into Lilian, another coworker of mine who seemed not to li
I rubbed my eyes and looked at my phone.‘Fuck!’ I was running out of time. I had a few hours left and I felt like I hadn’t done a lot.After a short while, I realised that, the amount missing from the account I handled at work was a couple hundred million and everything surprisingly summed up to the other accounts Ryan had personally asked me to handle, the companies that seemed not to be in business.‘Were they offshore accounts, disguised as defunct companies? What account was the real one? The missing money, was it diverted into multiple off shore accounts or the money in the offshore accounts were simply sent into Marque and Co.?’ I shook my headNo, that last thought didn’t make sense. No one used an offshore account to send money into somewhere else, they were usually accounts meant to hold money.I grabbed my hair in frustration, there was no way I was going to figure this shit out before tomorrow. I slammed my laptop close in annoyance and lay on my bed.I turned to the corne
I turned to the side and I smiled at myself in the mirror, I couldn't remember the last time I dressed up because I wanted to.‘Be happy Leah Thomas.’ It took a lot of motivation to get up in the morning these days and a lot more not to look homeless. I closed the page I’d been scrolling for the past half hour shut down my laptop. I was house hunting, living in the motel had most likely depleted my life expectancy. Today was also supposed to be Tolly’s last day and I wanted to see her, at least before we finally parted ways for good, she was leaving the country to stay with her mother in Norway.“Where’s Tolly?” I asked the new guy who seemed to be arranging a few things on the desk behind him. He turned his head and narrowed his eyes at me. Had I said something wrong?“She fucking left, everything is so fucking disorganised here.” He groaned and slammed a book on the table, making me flinch in surprise.“Sorry?” I said, unsure why he’d decided to unload his frustrations on me. He j
Jared groaned as he cradled my head. "Oh my God. I am so sorry." I quickly stood up and held him up, Aarav was cackling by the side and I shot him a glare. "I didn't think you'd fall over." "You should have seen his face." Aarav slapped his knee, bent over in laughter. Aly ran down the stairs with panic in her voice. "What happened?" Her eyes went straight to Nali who was still too engrossed in her toys to notice what was going on. "Lee scared Jared and he fell. You should've heard his scream." My face reddened in embarrassment. Jared’s heart had raced twice as fast under my ears and I revelled in that moment, however how short. "I did not scream." Jared scowled at Aarav and his laughter died down. "Sure man." Aarav patted his back and picked up the boxes he'd discarded on the chair the minute Jared had fallen down. What was he doing here? I hadn't expected him to be around, especially since Aly and I were the ones that made the plan. I shot a questioningly look
Aly had left me to clean up while she went to set up for dinner. "Trust me, she knows." Aly's laughter echoed and there was a playful hum surrounding the house. I smelled my hair once more before walking into the room. I seemed fine. "Hey." I walked into the room and everyone stopped talking. Thankfully, Nali stumbled towards me, breaking the sudden silence. The innocence of a child was something to covet, really. The table was set with a lot of food maybe too much for a table of four and half. "Dig in." Aly said, motioning to the table. I wasn't hungry but I would eat for the effort put into the elaborate dishes. When dinner was over, Aly served dessert and I realised why there was flour everywhere, she'd made cake. "It is close to the end of the year. Why don't we go round the table and say a few pieces of our mind, starting with me." I gave Aly a look, wondering what she was playing at. "I'm grateful for the family that I have, Ravy, Nali, you guys..." She gave
I rolled over in my bed and stared at my box. Everything of value to me had been carefully and thoughtfully arranged inside it. Norway was quite the distance from the United States and I wasn’t sure I was prepared for it.‘It doesn’t matter.’ I thought to myself. Just like I’d adjusted to life, having travelled all the way from home to school, I’d do the same. I’d said my goodbyes, albeit very cowardly, only Jack was aware that I’d be leaving the country.I should’ve told Aly the night we had that conversation in the bathroom but it didn’t fit the theme of the night. Knowing Aly, she’d beg me to stay and I wasn’t sure what I would have said. Maybe a big change was what I needed, away from the life I almost ruined.I picked up my phone and stared at the message, it didn’t feel right. The bank was officially closed for the year and I doubted even the security men would still be around. A bank as big as Marque valued holidays and Ryan asking me to come seemed suspicious but if it was a m
Jared and Leah did become friends again but their interests lay somewhere else. They realised they were made for bigger things and they would do that outside the cave they once existed as lovers and even if something were to happen between them, it would take more time than expected for it to happen. Aly, Aarav, Jared, Jack and Leah remained friends but things would change over time. Work, family, life and ambition would force that circle to expand to others too. You may imagine that Leah and Jared ended up together or not. You are the author of that story, a work of fiction is a work of fiction. Author’s Note (I hope this doesn’t come off as offensive): I’ve seen some comments about therapy seeming like a bad thing. Therapy is not weakness, it is an admittance that you need help you may not be able to provide yourself. Mental health issues are not a joke and deserve audience. Some of us have been through traumatic experiences, loss of loved ones, accidents, bullying, harassmen
THIRD PERSON'S POVLeah looked different. There was something about her, like a light that surrounded her and her eyes looked burdenless. Maybe it was the Norway air, but she seemed ... better. Both she and Jared did."Mr Deric?" The secretary had her head cocked to the side, wondering why her guest was awe-struck, standing in the doorway."Sorry." Jared shook his head and walked in. Leah had a smile on her face as she watched him walk in. She recognised that air of confidence that usually surrounded him and couldn't stop watching him.Her attention was called by the men that surrounded her, as she spoke, she seemed to put everyone in a trance. Jared didn't hear a word she said, only observing how comfortable and right at home she felt."I have called this meeting here today because of a different kind of alliance about to be brokered between Norway and the US. Miss Leah Thomas has come as a financial representative of the BridgeStone Foundation, a company spearheaded by the governmen
Jared’s POVLetting Leah go was one of the hardest things I had ever had to do but I did it for her and myself. I was wrong to assume she’d come running back to my arms because I saved her. I smiled wryly to myself.I hadn’t seen her in quite a long while and our paths never crossed again. Aly was beyond pissed that she tried to leave without telling her but she quickly forgave her when she saw her condition. They talked all the time too and that was why I knew what she was up to most of the time.“Do you regret it?” I looked at the lady before me, she was seated behind her desk, peering down at me with curiosity. “What?” I’d zoned out for a minute and didn’t hear her.“Do you regret it? Letting her go.” I inhaled sharply. I’d been coming here for months. When Aarav asked me why I thought I needed a therapist, my reply was ‘who doesn’t?’“Not really. It was her decision but I got to understand much later. It would have been selfish of me to ask her to stay when she needed to go.” I f
I waited for him to clear his bed and offer me a seat before I sat. I shook my head internally. How did it get to this? I asked myself.‘You did it.’ I exhaled loudly and watched him perch himself on his work chair. He turned to me and rose his brows as if to say ‘what did you want to talk about?’ I cleared my throat and rubbed my clammy hands against my gown. I’d resorted to wearing gowns due to the fact that it was less constricting than most and easier to pull off, I just had to undo the zip and let the dress fall to my legs.“Yeah… uhm…” He continued looking at me and I couldn’t bear it anymore, so I found interest in the bedsheet. It was a fine looking colour, regal and plush looking. It felt so soft to touch, almost like you’d sink into it and be enveloped in a word of threads and fabrics.“Leah?” I hitched a breath when I heard his voice. No matter how many years I’d known him, no matter how many times he called me, I’d always feel the fluttering in my stomach whenever my name l
“I injured my spleen, not my legs. I can walk for myself.” I smacked Jack’s hands away from me. “It’s so you don’t try to run away again.” I rolled my eyes at him even though I felt a stabbing pain in my chest.“Pretty sure I can’t move past this house without falling over.” I’d been recuperating for the past week and Jack was coming over once in a while to check on me. Let’s just say he is more overbearing than most, and I thought Jared was worse.Speaking of Jared, he’d been avoiding me. The only reason I was sure he was even around the house was the fact that food and my pills were always made available. The pills I took made me drowsy for most of the day, so I spent most of it sleeping.“Have you seen Jared today?” I asked Jack as I swallowed my pills and washed them down with water.“Nope.” Jack said and turned the T.V on. If I was being honest, I feared speaking to him. No doubt, my accident had changed the dynamics of our relationship and I wasn’t sure if it had become worse o
Most of the time, situations arise, things happen and we are inclined to judge of the situation. It is easier that way because, sometimes, it makes us feel better about ourselves.When the tides turn and we become recipients of judgment, we understand the situation better. It takes a human to realise his mistake, but it takes a humble human to admit it. How many times have we judged a situation wrongly and admitted our error?We’re all guilty of hurting someone, friend, foe, lover… not intentionally but we seek forgiveness. Forgiveness isn’t just feeling sorry, it’s also a way of cleansing our souls, freeing ourselves from the guilt.Jared never told Leah that he forgave her and she couldn’t forgive herself, she couldn't free herself from the guilt.***JARED’S POV “What’s going on?” I asked the doctor who’d just come out of the operating room Leah had been moved to. 14 hours was the longest time I’d had to wait for a report from a doctor and the expression on his face wasn’t looking
I ran my fingers through my hair, walking to and fro like a sojourner who had lost his compass, I’d probably lost mine. The ambulance had arrived shortly after but the Leah was already… I shook my head. ‘No, she can’t be.’ I couldn’t focus on any other thing than the fact that there were many doctors running with Leah’s gurney, one was on top of her, doing chest compressions. The sweat beaded on the doctor’s face told me they’d been doing it since she was in the ambulance.I was slowly losing my mind and Aarav wasn’t here. He was busy trying to sort everything out while I went with Leah. I didn’t want to leave her side, if only I could have followed her into the OR.“She has lost too much blood, especially with the damage to her spleen and hypothermia already seeped in…” I didn’t want to know all the negatives, I didn’t want to know what was wrong.“Can someone tell me, is she going to be okay?” I yelled at the people who had brought Leah in, who seemed to be conversing with a doctor
JARED’S POV“What are you going to do?” I flipped the documents that Leah had sent. I hadn’t had the chance to look at it because I didn’t want to, not initially. Anything involving her work place kind of pissed me off but when I finally did, I could stop the fear that ran through my bones that Leah could be in danger because of it and I needed to act fast.I looked up at Aarav whose facial expression mirrored mine. He too was very conflicted and while he trusted Leah, it would be a big move to change banks, disastrous if it was the wrong move. We had been using Marque and Co. for so long and the previous leadership had proved capable of handling our assets.This new guy, this Ryan Fisher, from the moment I first saw him, I knew something wasn’t right with him. What Leah had sent hadn’t pointed to him as the culprit but with just enough evidence to let us know that something shady was going on and we needed to act fast or we’d lose more than just money.“We should involve the cops.” I
I felt a kick to my head and I groaned, my head feeling like it was split open. I blinked my eyes to get accustomed to the light before trying to sit up, something I found difficult and almost impossible to do.I tried to move my body and realised I was bound hand and feet. This slowly entered my consciousness and my drug-induced haze cleared up, I was face to face with a horrid looking mask and I scrambled backwards, bumping into something that felt horribly cold to my skin, metal.The person in front of me moved back, giving me room to at least breathe.“What the hell is going on?” I looked around to see not one, like I had imagined, but four people, armed with guns. My heart started to beat faster than normal at gauging my situation and my throat felt dry. It was dark outside and I realised I must’ve been asleep for hours.I was going to miss my flight, if I even made it out alive in the first place. No one replied me and I couldn’t even make out anything with the ridiculous outfit