This chapter is dedicated to nikhatsu for being a great friend and for always understanding all my writer rants. ❤❤❤❤❤ Not to forget that she's an even greater auhtor. So please check out her books, guys!
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Voice mail of 8th March' 2010
10:12 a.m.
"Good morning, beautiful. I hope you're getting to complete your beauty sleep."
Some shuffling noises came from the background and then a few cars honked their horns. Maybe he's crossing a road, I thought.
"I've left you breakfast in the microwave and there's some tea in the pot; which should remain warm-ish for about another hour. So, I'm hoping you'll be awake by then. I don't want you drinking cold tea, which I know you'll happily gulp down. And I also left aspirin on the kitchen counter in case you wake up with a headache and can't find it again.
"I'm sorry for leaving early, but I had a class and I didn't want to wake you up given that you've had a rough week with all your assignments lately. And don't worry, I kissed your forehead before leaving; so there's your lucky kiss to protect you from all things bad for the next 24 hours."
I stopped breathing for about a second or two.
He knows about the fortune cookie.
I only ever told my mum about it and that too was only because I needed someone to kiss my forehead every day. But...he knew.
How?
My heart picked up pace with every word that came out of his mouth.
Why would I tell him about that cookie? It was the one childish belief of mine that I had held on to for all those years. But I never told anyone about it because I was too afraid they'd laugh at me and call me foolish. Then how did this stranger, this random guy from the cafe, whom my heart ached for, know all this?!
"I honestly don't get it why you still believe in that stu...stunning little fortune cookie you found-"
He laughed then for almost calling my cookie stupid, and because in all reality the whole story was extremely stupid. His laugh, however, wasn't taunting. It was filled with amusement. A rich laugh, one so warm and melodious that I found my own lips curling upwards because of it.
Melodious.
I had used that word to describe his voice again, hadn't I? First day hearing his voice and already I had used melodious as an adjective about three times.
But was it really the first time I was hearing it? Apparently not...
" – but, I'll do anything for that innocent little girlish smile on your face, my princess.
"Goodbye now. I'll see you in the evening. Love you."
With that the voicemail ended. Though I still held the phone close to my face, his last words continuing to ring in my head like a broken record with one song repeating in a loop. 'Love you.'
I pressed the phone harder against my face, against my head. I tried to pressurise my brain to remember when had he ever said that to me? When had I told him about the fortune cookie I found as a kid, which promised me good fortune for the day as long as I got a kiss on my forehead from a loved one...
Suddenly I froze and re-tracked my thoughts. A loved one to kiss my forehead. A loved one.
A single unexpected tear rolled down my face.
He was a loved one to me...?
I looked down at the phone clutched tightly in-between my fingers and stared at my picture with him – a picture that was supposed to represent a beautiful memory, a memory that I had no recollection of.
Then with another tear rolling down my cheek, I slowly breathed out into the afternoon air, "Who are you?"
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Lyrics of song "For the first time" by The script.
She's all laid up in bed with a broken heart,
While I'm drinking jack all alone in my local bar,
And we don't know how,
How we got into this mad situation,
Only doing things out of frustration
Trying to make it work but man these times are hard,
She needs me now but I can't seem to find the time,
I've got a new job now on the unemployment line,
And we don't know how,
How we got into this mess
Is it a God's test?
Someone help us 'cause we're doing our best,
Trying to make it work but man these times are hard
But we're gonna start by
Drinking old cheap bottles of wine,
[Clean version:] Sit talking up all night,
[Explicit version:] Shit talking up all night,
Saying things we haven't for a while
A while, yeah,
We're smiling but we're close to tears,
Even after all these years,
We just now got the feeling that we're meeting for the first time
[x3:]
Oooooo
She's in line at the DOLE*
With her head held high (high)
While I just lost my job but
Didn't lose my pride
But we both know how,
How we're gonna make it work when it hurts,
When you pick yourself up,
You get kicked to the dirt,
Trying to make it work but,
Man, these times are hard,
But we're gonna start by
Drinking old cheap bottles of wine,
[Clean version:] Sit talking up all night,
[Explicit version:] Shit talking up all night,
Doing things we haven't for a while,
A while yeah,
We're smiling but we're close to tears,
Even after all these years,
We just now got the feeling that we're meeting for the first time.
Ooooo
[x3]
Yeah...
Drinking old cheap bottles of wine,
[Clean version:] Sit talking up all night,
[Explicit version:] Shit talking up all night,
Saying things we haven't for a while,
We're smiling but we're close to tears,
Even after all these years,
We just now got the feeling that we're meeting for the first time
Ooooo,.. yeah, for the first time
Ooooo,.. oh, for the first time,
Yeah for the first time,
(Just now got the feeling that we're meeting for the first time)
[x4]
Oh these times are hard,
Yeah, they're making us crazy
Don't give up on me baby
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Hey guys! WE REACHED 50 VOTES!!! WOHHOOOOOO!!!!
I'M SO FREAKING PROUD OF US!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤
GOD I LOVE YOU ALL BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!!
And as I had promised, here is chapter 4!
*bows down as everyone else applauds*
Next I want to remind you guys to look for clues and identify the chapter that relates this whole story with the prologue. Comment your guess and if you're right, you'll get a dedication and I'll follow you. ^_^
Vote, comment and share me beauties!
*cue the pirate laugh*
Arr arrr
Toodles.
MUCH love,
-zainab
YOU ARE READING
The Boy She Left Behind ✓
Short Story"Hey! You dropped your wallet in - " Emma's words die in her mouth as she glances down upon a picture tucked in the wallet. A picture of her and the blue-eyed stranger to be exact - one in which he's kissing her cheek as she lovingly gazes at the ca...
