Alice was back to work. Only this time she wasn't thinking of Stefen and Jasmine. She was thinking of someone else... someone who never had any place in Alice's life was now occupying her thoughts. Every activity of Jack's that day left a question mark behind it. She looked towards the handkerchief that she kept on one corner of her table as she recalled what Jack had said.
"And the only thing I want to do right now is to request you. Never ever be the Alice that you were today. Like neeevvvveeerrrr. Today's Alice was not herself. Others might say you looked like a quiet and sweet girl, but I know that it isn't you. I like the rude Alice better."
"Alice?" Rosie who was also an intern there called Alice bringing her back to present. "This came for you." She said as she handed over a cloth ba
"Hey Stef..." Tyler raised his hand."Oh, hi Alice, hey J. When did you guys arrive?" Stefen asked being a part of the gang."Just few minutes ago." Jack replied.The smile, the laughter, the voice, everything just went mute when Alice saw Stefen. She neither replied to his greetings nor gave him a second look."I'll go in first and check how Jasmine is." Alice said it genuinely and went inside the room.Jack was watching her, observing and noticing the sudden change in her behavior."Hey Alice," Jasmine greeted her the moment she entered the room. "I heard you guys talking outside. I was waitin
"Exactly what I was about to say. They look delicious and even I see nothing wrong in giving it a try." Jack finally spoke internally being proud of his own answer. Stefen was the one who was left speechless this time. The Jack in front was either acting too childish or had lost his sense. Jack continued walking and took the tray from Alice's hand. He kept it on a trestle table that was in one corner of the room. "Come guys: Alice, Stefen" Jack called both of them as he took one of the coffee cups and took a sip of it. "This coffee is too good." he took another sip and grabbed a doughnut as well and took a bite of it in a casual way as if he never hated the food. "This doughnut is delicious," Jack said in amusement and took another bite of it. Stefen had trouble recognizing the Jack who was in the same room with him, after all he just admitted that the food he hated his whole life out of blue tasted good to him. Alice walked forward reaching the table and sat on the long chair that
Both Alice and Jack bid goodbye to Celine and Tyler and headed towards the main lobby to exit from the hospital building.Jack and Alice took their respective seats in the car; Jack took his driver's seat and Alice was on the passenger's seat. They both did not utter any word for a very long time."Thank you for the concern Alice." Jack finally broke the silence that was there in the air."What?" Alice asked looking at Jack not knowing what he was talking about."I mean the food. Thanks for that." He explained."Oh please don't thank me. I just returned the favor Jack." Alice said in normal tone.But it was never a favor from my side. Jack's heart spoke. Wait, why am I thinking this way? Jack was puzzled himself."Right." He did not say anything after that. Both were silent for the rest of their ride together.On the other hand, Stefen and Jasmine were constantly looking towards the now closed door."Who was that guy?" Jasmine had a suspicious tone in her voice."Exactly my question. W
Years ago he had left her side and went somewhere without informing Jasmine and the consequences that the two families had to face was huge. This time too, he left her standing outside the office building just because Kevin called him and that led to Jasmine nearly losing her life again. Because of that reason, Stefen was afraid to leave Jasmine's side in the hospital as well. The kiss was mandatory for him. He wanted to convince himself that Jasmine was now alright and was there in his life, nothing wrong will ever happen to her again. That kiss was to assure his heart.It nearly took Stefen an hour to reach his apartment. He stood outside the door and searched for his keys in his pocket to open the door when he saw the lights coming out from his apartment. Someone was in there.He thought for a while who could that be. It was unlikely for his dad to be there at this hour. Jack usually informed Stefen before coming to meet him because sometimes Stefen used to go over to his dad's plac
"WHAT?" "Yes dad, years back I lost my mother and Jasmine nearly lost her life because of me. And now again. I feel like it's all repeating dad." Stefen said as a drop of salty water fell from his eyes rolling down his temple."How did you know about what happened back then?" Mr. William sounded shocked."Uncle Tyler told me dad.""Oh my boy, I am sorry for not telling this to you earlier. Trust me I wanted to but, Fiona made me promise to never tell you anything about that incident. Maybe, she had predicted that you would blame yourself for it." Mr. William sounded sad and in pain."I am sorry dad. I have never been a good son." Stefen said and buried his head on his dad's lap trying not to show the tears that were rolling down."Stefen, you don't have to be sorry for anything my son. Things happen because they are destined to happen, one way or another. You can't control everything in life no matter how hard you try. There will be things that will just take place and the result of i
The days were going by slowly for all of them. Jasmine had to stay in the hospital for a week more and Stefen was always by her side. He had to see Jasmine in pain at times, seeing her suffer made his heart heavier but somewhere deep in that same heart of his, he was happy. He was happy to be there for her. The guilt that he had in his heart for not being there with her a decade ago was now diminishing. He enjoyed helping her and spending time with her as they were together building new memories. It was the first day at work of Jasmine and Stefen after the incident. As before, Stefen picked her up and they both followed their self-made tradition of having their breakfast together. Jasmine had slowly but surely started to realize how much she loved Stefen's company. When she was still in the hospital, Stefen barely left her side. He was with her almost every moment. He took an official leave from the office just to be by her side. They came out of the elevator and started walking tow
All of them were back to work. Jasmine had comparatively less work to do than what she had imagined. Alice was undoubtedly a genuine friend of her. ***The four of them went to canteen to have their lunch. Jasmine had a weird sensation in her body the minute she stepped in the canteen. She felt extremely uncomfortable.She felt like she became a topic of everyone's conversation. All eyes were on her. On the other hand, Stefen, Jack and Alice did not notice that and they casually walked to the counter area to grab their food.Jasmine became more and more conscious as she walked further. She guessed the reason why she was in limelight was because of the rumor Sandra had mentioned. She thought she would not be affected but she was, she was affected much more actually.They sat on their usual chairs in one corner. Stefen and Jasmine sat beside each other and Alice and Jack sat opposite to them.The comfy level of Jasmine was in minus now."So Jazz, your parents went back?" Alice asked."H
The four of them had their lives going well. They loved each other's company. But specifically, Stefen was used to having Jasmine around him and same was the case for Jasmine.They were comfortable when around each other. At times they shared things about their childhood and Jasmine also shared from the time she remembered. It somehow pinched Jasmine whenever Stefen brought the topic of his special childhood friend. According to him, she was someone irreplaceable. Stefen was very careful every time he spoke with Jasmine. He did not want to bring any topics regarding their past together. He was already very guilty for not being with Jasmine back then and no matter how much his dad convinced him, Stefen never stopped blaming himself in his heart. The Memories of their childhood together was a precious gem that he had locked in his heart, in a corner where everything was beautiful and nothing hurt. There was a week left before Alice, Stefen and Jack would be transferred to different de
Hey Jack, You are reading this letter, meaning I am not around you anymore. It’s funny when you come to think of it, we have been living under the same roof for so long but when it came to leaving, I don’t have the guts to face you and say my final goodbye. So I am writing you a letter, a letter that represents my cowardice. Thank you for giving me your friendship and the care that came along. I never realized that I had grown used to your care until now. You remember that night on the balcony you asked me ‘How you were portrayed in my eyes.’ I would like to answer that again, You Jack, you are the most annoying and stubborn person I have ever seen in my entire life. You seriously tore all our hard works into pieces without thinking deep just because you did not want me to leave. You bunk working hours and somehow always catch Sandra’s attention. You ranked 1st when it came to getting on my nerves in the initial days at the office. But… you were also the one who stood with a handke
“It feels weird to be in this room and not see Alice,” all the memories with Alice flushed back the minute they stepped in the bedroom. “I miss her too,” Stefen said. “Come,” he pulled her in and closed the door behind. Jasmine’s sadness turned into nervousness the moment she heard their bedroom door shut. She was starting to have second thoughts on letting Stefen stay with her for the night. Stefen left the hold of her hand and went to lay on the bed. He stretched his one arm on the other side of the bed, a bit lower from the pillow and titled his head, asking her to come and sleep beside him. She was happy to see him not in rush for anything and the respect he gave her and their relationship. She walked on the other side of the bed and laid on top of his hand as he caressed her hair and then embraced her back. She also hugged him tight as she rested her head near his chest, feeling his heart beat. He kissed her forehead and pulled her closer to him, “good night my princess, swee
“Are you sure about this?” Stefen said as he kept both his hands on both side of his pants pocket… helpless. “Yeah,” Alice said as she was almost done packing. She had reached Jack's apartment before anyone else and she had changed into her comfortable clothes as she started packing all her things up. “When will you be back? You will be right?” Jasmine asked standing beside Stefen, equally helpless. “I don’t know,” Alice gave a false smile. “Can we do anything to make you stay?” Stefen asked. “I HAVE TO GO. The plane ticket is expensive you know…” Alice laughed, completely failing to prove that she was fine with all this. “But I thought you were staying. you said you’d throw away the ticket,” Jasmine asked befuddled. “Well then, it’s good I didn’t, right?” She forced smile again. “Can I ask you for a last favor? Can you drop me to the airport?” Alice asked Stefen. “That's not gonna be a problem but... let’s just wait for some time. Jack must be on his way. Let me call him-” S
Jack looked at Alice hearing her as he narrowed his eyebrows, questioning her what she meant. “You don’t have anything to worry about,” Alice looked back at Jack with tears threating to fall down anytime. “Because we are not together… and we will never be together,” tears rolled down her cheek as she said those words. But she immediately wiped her tears and smiled. She gave one last glance to Jack and she walked away without another word. “Alice?” Jasmine followed her. Jack stood still, processing what Alice said. Just few hours back Alice promised to be by his side despite any hurdles and now she was contradicting her own words. Realizing that he can’t let her go he walked forward to go after her but he was held back by Alison. “Where are you going?” she questioned him. “Don’t tell me you are going after her after hearing all the things I’ve just said,” she was exasperated. Seeing that he was being the extra in the conversation Stefen approached Jack and tapped his back, “I’ll g
Alice reached the top floor and when she went to the roof no one was there. “Ha,” she gave a short sarcastic laugh. “Another prank-” But before she could say anything more, she was pushed from behind and she fell on her knees and hands. The slit dress contributed in bruising her knees. She turned around to see the person and was out of words at the sight. Alison stood tall in front of her with a cunning smile. “Hello there! Are you hurt?” sarcasm was evident in her voice. “What the- it was you all along?” Alice said slowly getting back on her feet, dusting her hands, suppressing the pain her new bruises gave her. She was shocked. “Surprise,” Alison moved her hands from her head to toe presenting herself. “Do you like my surprise?” “There,” Stefen pointed at a TV. “There’s Alice.” “She's on the rooftop," Jasmine exclaimed. "Let's go." "Okay, I will call Jack and tell him to be there," Jasmine picked her phone and dialed his number. They rushed towards the elevator and pressed o
“Okay everyone,” the host stood with a mic and grabbed all the attention with his voice audible from all the speakers from all the directions. “The most awaited time has finally arrived. Grab your partner and be ready, because today the sun will set only after witnessing 'A Beautiful Couple Dance'. So hurry up and ask for the permission to dance… LIGHTS,” the lights in the hall all went off and in the center blue and white lights glowed, making the air more calm and peaceful. Couples started coming forward and dancing along the music, under the blue and white light in a slow and romantic tune. The lights gave a winter vibe and the dance between two hearts warmth the place. “Can I have the honor?” Stefen opened his hand. “It would be mine,” Jasmine placed her hand on top and they walked towards the dancing area. “Will you dance with me?” Jack asked… unsure. “I don’t know, I am a terrible dancer,” she wasn’t lying. “Then that makes the two of us.” Alice chuckled and accepted his h
Stefen looked at the person and chuckled. “Yeah, we are where we should be,” he made her sit down and he himself took a chair beside her. “Hello Mr. Wills!” Jasmine said in a low voice and the man diverted his focus from his PA to Jasmine. “Oh, didn’t see you two arrive,” he smiled. “And please Jazz, call me Uncle, end the formalities,” he raised his eyebrows and nodded wanting Jasmine to approve. Jasmine just smiled and Mr. Wills went back to talking to his PA. Jasmine pulled Stefen by his coat and whispered in his ears. “Why is Mr. Wills talking this sweet and how does he know my nickname?” Stefen laughed hearing her. “Hey, what’s so funny?” “Why don’t you ask these questions directly to him?” “What?” Jasmine’s eyes widened knowing his intention. “No Stefen, no no-” “Dad?” “Hmm?” Mr. Wills looked back at Stefen. “Dad?” Jasmine was addled as she looked at Mr. Wills. “My girlfriend here wanted to know why you asked her to call you Uncle and how do you know her nickname.” “
As they were walking down the stairs the boys were waiting for them with their hands in their pant pockets and legs slightly parted. Jack had worn white shirt whereas Stefen had worn a black shirt. However it did not do a good job when it came to hiding their well-built body. Both had worn black coat on top and black pants. Both the boys and their cool pose flew along the thin air when they saw the girls. Jasmine walked down with a shy smile as she saw Stefen and his intent gaze. She looked down on her steps to avoid his eyes to which Stefen smiled. He was swooned. On the other hand, Jack was frozen. He had seen her after so long though they were living under the same roof and after all the distance he suffered, this view blew him away. Alice was walking beside Jasmine, her eyes only focused on his. She noticed how her heartbeat rose seeing Jack and she was happy feeling that loud pump inside her. She knew that her decision to be fearless was the best one because she could never let
It was a hectic hour in the hall. People were rushing around, frowning and screaming at each other. “Are you freaking deaf? I said only white lilies will be put on the stage. What the heck are you doing you freak. Are you colorblind?” the manager shouted at a staff. “Sorry sir, I will do it correctly this time,” the staff said pitifully. “You better…” the man said. “And you fool…” he shouted at another staff. “Are you going to finish that next month? Are you preparing all these for your own wedding or what?” “Sorry sir!” “Hurry up.” The staff nodded. “Mr. Gill?” a man in a blue suit called out the manager. “Yes, yes sir,” the manager responded. “Is everything ready?” “Yes sir the staffs are doing their work. Just an hour at most and we will be ready.” “All the top businessmen in the country will be here this evening, make sure everything is arranged perfectly. From the décor to the meals, I want everything to be PER-FECT.” “Yes sir, I’m at it,” the manager nodded. “Good,”