Bruised cheeks and drops of blood slipping down the corner of lips was enough to set Sarah into a panic mode. Her 100th discussion of ‘what’s wrong with Michelle Ricci’ on phone with Jessica came to a sudden stop. She rushes to kitchen to get some medical supplies. Mike, frankly, still vexed with her, ignored her gesture, and strode to his room.
Reemerging with a white box in her hand, she stood puzzled at the empty hall. On the edge of balcony, his arms embraced the hand railing. Memories from his worst moments threatened each step she padded across the room. Mike’s current disconnection with her and the group is triggering uncertainty but still she came to his side. She had to, no way around it. Gently, she pushed him down to swing chair and started cleaning his wound. He hissed slightly, surging a tremble in the helping hand.
“What happen?” Sarah said calmly, despite her internal tremor.
“My dad hit me”
“What did you do to
Juggling thoughts, portrayed in his flickering eyes. Give her time to digest the fact or go after her to make sure she is safe? ’ SAFETY FIRST!!!’ finalized, he ran to grab his car key and climbed downstairs via the staircase, and sped up to home. The 10 minutes delay in his decision-making handed enough space for Sarah to vent out her frustration. The living hall was a mess. Ornaments, books, and pillows are on the ground. Her favorite monstera deliciosa is uprooted from a broken pot. Sheer curtain lumped along the floor with curtain rods by their side. He went upstairs, partly hesitant of the possible damage. The wall of clocks did take a beat with a few antiques scattered into pieces along the floor. That is not the breathtaking shock. He
Doubt that she is dreaming played tricks on her mind but quickly regained herself. She stood up and walked in. Mike gushed towards her but it was too late. Turquoise basketball varsity jacket peeped through her bulk, black blanket. The one that she snatched from him, parading herself as his lucky charm and reason behind the team’s victory in the high-school final match. It has been a while since she had worn it, claiming it to be too stuffy for her. Heavy feet dragged across the closed shut door. Reluctant, Mike left the house to settle some important business issues. But before that, he called Jessica “Jess, are you free today?”“I have a meeting in the morning, then I’m free. What do you need?”“I need you to bring Sarah to the hospital. I think she is having a fever”“You ‘think’?” she asked in confusion
Widely grinning, Robert stormed to Mike and bear-hugged him, taking him by surprise. “Finally, congratulation Mike!!!” Sarah stood there, totally blanked out “You knew? Who else knew?” “Let me see! Mike’s father knew, Jessica and Laura” Robert brimmed with a mocking look “What??? How come I didn’t know?” “Anyone with eyes can see, Sarah. I had my doubts but just got confirmed “Jessica joined them. “By the way, I need to talk to you in private. Excuse us” Jessica clings to Sarah’s hand, intending to steal her away. But Mike grabbed her other arm and pulled her towards him. She crashed into his protective side hug. Pointing a finger at Jessica, he raised his eyebrows “YOU!!! Stay away from her” “Huh??? I’m offended!!! What are you so scared of Mike?” Jessica mocked him “What??? What’s going on” falling out of the track, Sarah flickered from one face to another. The glaring eyes and side smile they returned stirred awkward
A different vibe adorned this Saturday since the pack is doing something other than clubbing. The black convertible BMW flashed across the free road, heading towards the seaside mansion. According to Robert, the family owns a 50km radius of the house including the beach. Compound less mansion with a sprinkle of heritage stood tall as proof for his statement. Tasteful interior design interludes well with the vintage outer. Riverstone walls and solid frames with dark roofing outline the structure against the vast greenery backdrop. Too big for Mike’s father alone. Servants and bulky bodyguards lined up at the entry. Mike parked the car r
Two pairs of feet raced against each other up the stairs. Laughter and childish squeaks diffused into the vast space. Room by room, they made a brief stop accompanied by a brief definition. Then came the most anticipated part, Mike’s room. A wide and tall French window framed the blaring sun. Muted by the dark, medieval-themed room. Grey cobblestones layered the walls with dark hardwood flooring and ceiling. The addition of dimmed wall light at every corner spiked her claustrophobic. She would probably need Mike in here with her– all the time– which translates as a pro to Mike. Thankfully, the closet and bathroom weren’t similarly lit. “This would be our room whenever we come to visit” “Our room???” huffing, Sarah walked in casually, turned around to face Mike, and cocked her eyebrow.
A casual phone call drained the blood out of Santha’s face. It was Sarah. And she is still in the hospital. End of limb felt numb, almost nonexistent. Visions blurred. A distant buzz lingered in her ears. Breathing is still a task. But her cognitive is still spot on. She answered the call, she had to. “Mom...I need to tell you something” she tiptoed between words with tiny sighs here and there. Santha waited patiently. “I fell for a guy” As if injected with stimulant, her eyes woke wide, thrilled and surprised at the same time “Who is it, baby?” “You know him, Mike” “Oh my lord, he is hot…”“Mom!!! Behave please” Sarah exclaimed as she covers her face in embarrassment “Mom...he is not the reason I rejected your choice. Well, technically he is. He made me call off the meeting right after he expressed himself. So...” Santha exchanged the last bit of her energy for a chuckle. “Baby...I just wanted you to be happy...At that
Joseph is a cunning man. Instead of going to their place, he baited Anand Mehtra to his office. Not knowing what he is dipping his toe into, rather excited to meet Joseph Ricci for the first time, he arrived at Ricci with two bodyguards the next day itself. The 'invitation' is positive from a business spectrum. A slender, small build man with fair skin, a black and white suit with well-manicured nails, and a clean shaved face. It’s not rocket science to see his education level and professionalism. Leo bobbed his head with hands crossed in front of him and lead the way to Joseph’s office. The elevator door creaked to close when another 3 equally sized men, presumably also bodyguards stepped in. Towered by tall, WWF type of men with black glasses and black suits, Anand felt a little un
Never underestimate the mystic power hidden beneath a woman’s eye. It makes and breaks. Mike lost, even indulge in his witch’s eyes. Work is one serious place for Sarah. Her sweet voice exerting stern dominance is cute in a way but not to be taken lightly after how she dragged the big boss down the hall and shoved him into the meeting room. The cold pair of eyes staring from the end of the hall help too, though. A flip of a coin, when it comes to Mike, serene and innocence fluttered her lashes. Oddly, making him submissive. Although Sarah set the ‘no intimacy in office’ rule, it can be hard to control Mike sometimes. Now that he had touched and had a taste of her, his imagination horse runs wild. How her naked body would be like pressing against his? Tip of his nose itch to uncover
Robert and Mike came back to the hospital by 11 am. They had recollected themselves, taken a hot shower which helped calm their nerves a lot, and packed some clothes for the girls and themselves as they will not be staying in the house for a while. Investigations will soon take place and they don’t want to mess up with the evidence. Mike took the black box with him, though. He couldn’t leave it behind to the police officers, the only memory of his child. The advancing hour didn’t consulate a thing. “Jessica's heart rate has stabilized but we plan to keep her under anesthesia for at least a week. A patient recovering from rape usually will have traumatic effects when they wake up. We don’t want her to move a lot and risk tearing her stitches. But…” that was the most dreadful ‘BUT’ they had ever heard “Sarah…” the doctor sighed out “Her blood pressure is still unstable…and… she had slipped into a coma…we
It took a solid 6 hours for the surgery and the sun mists across the horizon when the doctor finally came out. She looks weak herself as she stood in front of Mike and blows empty her lungs. “We did our best to treat their wound. Surgeries for Jessica is over but Sarah would need another and immediately.” She observed each of the people’s faces in front of her. “I’m sorry to say, she needs a D&C immediately” the doctor thrust her hands into her coat pocket. “D&C??? Why?” The term D&C or Dilation and Curettage is nothing new to him– a procedure used to remove tissue from the uterus but he is baffled of why Sarah would need one. “Her pregnancy didn’t make it. We lost the baby’s heartbeat and it is already detaching from the mother’s womb” Santha snapped open her m
Mike switched off his car, eyeing the house carefully. Pitch dark, something unusual for the girls. “What happens to the lights?” Mike “They are probably sleeping on the sofa” Robert shrugged off Mike’s doubt. Regardless, Mike climbed down the car and went straight to the door while Robert shook his head and went to the booth, unloading their luggage. “ROBERT!!!” not even a minute after, his scream draw blood to shrink in his vein and he rushed into the house. Everything in a mess, the whole house thrashed. There, Mike kneeled down to the sides of a lifeless woman, thudding his palms violently against her chest. Robert's heart leaped to his mouth as he flashed across the hall. He plopped on his kneel next to Jessica and started untying her hand from the dining table. Mike is pumping her chest with force, exhaling sharp at each push but Jessica she remains motionless,
Sarah slowly blinked open her eye. The flesh prying pain on her spine yields back a 3-Dimensional world under her feet. A sort of electrical tickle ringed over her ears and cold touched her skin, sending a shiver to radiate through her body. Profuse sweat covered her face and it chilled once she regained her consciousness. Her breathing constricted at the disabling pain. She forced her eye to regain their visual and regret it the minute they did. Jessica squirmed in front of her. Her hands are tied to the dining table leg as she laid flat on her stomach, partially dressed. Her skirt is missing, exposing her to brutally in the form of a man, standing behind her, thrusting his erect manhood through her butt hole. Her scream was muffled due to the cloth tape sealing her lips. Sarah gasped sh
Mike and Robert had been planning the proposal behind Sarah’s back. Just a week away from the proposal date. From their anniversary, the day she confessed her feelings with a drop of tear, legs wrapped around his waist. “What meeting??? I didn’t know we had anything scheduled” Sarah vented out her frustration, sitting on the bed with her arms across her chest. “It's a last-minute thing and we have to go, baby…Please...” Mike, busy laying out his clothes in his luggage. “I understand that, but why can’t I follow you? I will be really good girl, pleaseeeee….” Her palms joined in prayer with a sad face and puppy eyes for added effect. Mike let out a quick sigh and pulled her to his chest. His finger now caressing her cheeks. “You have been very weak lately, aren’t you? Always looking pale and you feel dizzy quite often, ever since the 4G project took off. You can only rest on weekends. I don’t want you to get more worn out than you already are.” He place
Returning to work diverts Sarah and having a little bit more extensive socialization has done well for Sarah. She slowly regained momentum and propel ahead in these 2 months. On the contrary, Mike seems to have difficulties focusing on his work ever since Sarah came back. The added curve and extra glow on her cheeks demand another glance– another touch or kiss, perhaps, ever so often. The whole office floor emptied for lunch except for Sarah. Numbers blurred her mind and she lost track of time. After making some corrections, she heads to the copier room. Mike, who had just come back from his clinic, noticed the whole floor subjected to pin-drop silence except for the shuffle from the copier room. He peeped in to find Sarah, singing a song in a funny, squeaky voice while the machine in front of her whirled
As a consequence of the unnerving event, Sarah was ‘forced’ to stay at her mother's house for a week. Not exactly the serene getaway doctors prescribe since the other 3 kept calling her every hour of the day. Mother’s constant love and home-cooked food made her recover mentally and physically. “You look a bit chubby!!!” those were the first word uttered by Jessica when she walked into Santha’s house, being bluntly real as she usually is, leaving Sarah to scoff. Mike followed behind Jessica and instantly leaned closer to her ears for a whisper “Making you a little bit curvier and sexier as hell, baby” “Miss you too Mike” she rolled her eyes at Mike as he hugged her by her neck and dented her cheeks with his impact called kissed. Robert is next in line and hugged Sarah, lifting her off the floor a few inches “Get your hands off my girl” Mike slapped Roberts hand playfully, to which he just chuckled “He is a bit insecure” Robert winked at Sarah
Every human has a good side and a hidden bad side. They carry their baggage to their grave. So did Mike. He gave his word to Dr. Ajay under solid ground and his evil side surfaced as he took revenge for the prank or precisely, harassing phone call she received earlier. Rewind a few hours ago, when he set motion to his fury. A small room with dingy single bed portraits nothing but melancholy and lonely. The hallway leading to the room shadowed by a dying light bulb, making it difficult to see anything around midnight. There lays a man, who once was glorious, rich, and handsome as well as drooling material among girls– Suman Mehtra. Unfortunately for him, Mike’s traced the landline number from Sarah’s phone to central jail, where he is serving time now, exactly 4 months and another 2 to go. Consequences– a few cel
Lifeless and unconscious, just like the water body at the foot of an iceberg tip, Sarah laid there in her bed. No protest. No nightmares. “Her blood pressure dropped drastically. I have given an injection to stabilize her. She may have trouble balancing herself in the morning, so someone please be by her side. I would highly advise to bring her to the hospital once she is better” Dr.Nora gave a word of caution as she prepared to leave. However, a wide frame crossed her path, blocking her from taking a step further out of the room. The crease fallen face with threading veins up his neck made her sigh. Dr.Nora had a feeling that she won’t be able to leave without comforting him. The old lady with middle-of-the-night under-eye bag gently smile as she cupped his face with a palm “Don’t worry Mike, she is fine. Just need some rest, ok?”. Her words don’t seem to affect the ex