27
Startled, she raised her head to see an umbrella over her and she turned to see Josh was the one holding it.
"Josh? What are you..."
"It's raining and you're without an umbrella so, I'll take you where you're going." He said.
"It's not..." She was about to protest.
"Hey, we're just meeting again for the first time in ten years. You don't expect me to let you run off in the rain, do you?" He asked and she smiled, realizing that the ten years hadn't changed him a bit. He was still sweet and caring just like he was in high school.
"Okay. My place isn't far from here."
"Let's go."
They fell into silence, as they walked and Tahti's mind drifted back uncontrollably to Demir. She had been a little disappointed when she had turned to see it wasn't Demir, who had been holding the umbrella over her back at the bus station. It was even raining and she hadn't received a call from him to ask if she had gotten home safe or took an umbrella or something. Was it because she had turned him down for that Sunday's exhibition?
That couldn't be true. He didn't even know she went to school to look for him, and she had missed the opportunity to announce her presence as he had been on a call with Stella.
That's right, she said to herself silently and reminded herself of one fact. Demir wasn't her boyfriend.
She still had doubts about him, especially about his relationship with Stella, but was too scared to their relationship would come to an end if she asked him that.
"Do you keep in touch with some of our friends in high school?" Josh asked, breaking the silence and she turned to him.
"Huh?"
"Some of them came to L.A, so I was wondering if you kept in touch with them."
"Nah, I lost all contacts before coming down here...How about you?" She asked, grateful he had brought up a discussion. She needed something to drift her mind from the thoughts of that infernal man.
"I only keep in touch with a few...I thought it would have been nice to meet up often over a meal." He replied.
"What about your grandpa's quick service restaurant? I loved his noodles. They were particularly amazing."
"He's not doing so well, so it's closed for now. But I'm preparing to run it again." He replied and she was surprised. Running a QSR wasn't an easy task and it wasn't something she expected Josh to do either, considering his good looks.
"You intend running it all by yourself?"
"For now, just until my grandpa feels better. I can't open it right away so I'm learning little by little." He replied as they turned around a corner and she turned to smile as she gave him a thumbs-up.
"You're so cool. You made a big decision and I'm sure your grandpa must be proud of you."
He angled his head, with a wry smile. "I'm not sure. He always nags about how unreliable I am."
"Still yet, I'm sure he's proud of you." She replied. It was the same with all parents. She had hated it whenever she got her report card from high school then. Her father had always nagged at her for being second place, although that had been after her parents divorce.
"You should come visit when I reopen it. We have a guesthouse and it'll be fun to hang out together."
"Okay." She replied and turned to see she was almost home. "We're here. I just have to turn by the corner over there."
"Oh, really?" He answered and she could hear the sadness of parting in his voice. "It's so nice to see you again."
"You too.Thanks for walking me home."
"Take this." He said and gave her the umbrella.
"No, it's fine." She protested and made to return it when he walked into the rain from the umbrella's shelter, before sliding up his hood to cover his head.
"I can just use my hood."
"Josh..."
Her eyes were still fixed on him as he turned to head back, wondering how a person could still remain the way he was after a long pert of time.
He had only walked a few metres away when he turned back to her.
"Hey, Tahti...is it okay...if I message you?"
"Okay." She replied and waited for him to leave before she headed for her apartment.
Birds chirped on the branches of the tress at the entrance, the next morning as the cab pulled up, in front of her house.
She alighted to head in, after settling her bill with the driver, before dropping her eyes to examine the untidy flowers by the lawn, which looked long overdue for some gardening. She was positive that her mother hadn't touched them ever since she had left as she wasn't the gardening type. Her mother hated touching flowers.
The door was unlocked when she opened it to walk in, which was rather strange as her mother was always the type to nag about leaving doors unlocked, so how come it wasn't locked?
"Ttoli." She called, and her pet dog ran over to greet her at the entrance with a whine as she lowered her head to slip out of her sandals, only to see a male's pair of shoes, at the front doors shoe rack.
Her mom had a man at home? Again? Would her mother ever change? She wondered.
The living room was a complete mess, when she walked in. There was a half eaten cake on the centre table and empty bottles of beer, along with the pillows on the floor told her, her mother had spent the night having fun with her lover first in the living room, before they headed for the bedroom for the main course.
She heard the soft opening of a door and she raised her head to see her mother clutching her jacket nightie, over her body. And Tahti knew from her expression, she wasn't pleased to see her that early.
"I thought you were coming over in the evening. Why did you come so early?" She asked and Tahti raised her head in time to see the door leading to her mom's bedroom, softly closing on its' own, which confirmed her thoughts. There was really a man at home.
"Why don't you stay in your room?...Or why don't you go for a walk with Ttoli?"
Totally speechless, she turned back to her mother, who in turn, started to propel her towards the door, with a smile. "Come on. Go on a walk with Ttoli..."
Tahti yanked herself and her mother flinched as she turned to her. "You're neglecting me again. As usual..."
She walked closer to whisper. "Don't worry. He'll leave soon. So if you can just..."
"Really, mom? If I just stay in my room till he leaves? How come you haven't changed, mom?" She asked and slowly shook her head. What had she been thinking when she had decided to visit her instead? Hanging out with Demir would have been better, than returning to see the scene that disgusted her the most.
"I shouldn't have come."
"Tahti..." Her mom called as she turned to storm out, slamming the door behind her as she did.
She headed back to school as she knew more than anyone else that the least thing her mother would do was come after her to apologise or stop her from leaving, and as far as she knew, it had always been like this.
Her mother had always made excuses for not playing the role of a good mother, in moments of her life.
The time in high school when she had won awards, the time when she had gotten injured when playing during inter-house sports at school...
At first, she had understood her mother, even when she gave excuses but that understanding, ended on one of her birthdays when she had returned from school, which her mother had said she couldn't spend with her as she was going to spend the day in the hospital, only to find her mother in bed, with one of her numerous male friends.
Her mother had tried to explain but she had been too upset to listen, then.The incident changed their relationship, since then as there was no way she could ever see her mother in the same light again.
She had started to live her life they way she'd pleased ever since then and had celebrated the rest of her birthdays in high school, with friends who liked to go karaoke and during that period of time, celebrating birthdays with friends, was all she looked forward to.
And when she started dating, that changed. She had lost contacts with her friends from then, and only looked forward to spending her birthday with her boyfriend, who kept spoiling her and showering her with attention. And at that time, she thought love was everything.
Now, it had almost two months since her first relationship ended.
Her phone buzzed and she took it out before dropping her head to look at it. It was a message from April, who was asking if anyone wanted to have lunch with her.
It would be weird to volunteer herself. It was her birthday after all and she wasn't supposed to spend it "just having lunch with a friend".
And there was Demir, her friend who she had sex with, who wasn't even aware that she had feelings for him. How could she even think of spending her birthday with someone who wasn't even her boyfriend?
Cabs were unforthcoming even as she arrived the bus stop, where a couple of people were waiting for the bus, and she joined them to wait.
She should have just stayed back at school. This was the worst birthday ever, she decided.
The breeze that blew dislodged her hair, blowing it across her face and she raised her hand to tuck it behind her ear when she caught a glimpse of Demir, standing at the opposite side of the road.
A bus pulled up in front of the stop before she could confirm what she had seen and people in the stop started to embark as she peered through to look at the other side.
"Hey, aren't you getting in?" The driver asked, when she was the last one remaining and she turned to him.
"No." She replied and he shrugged, before closing the doors.
She was unable to find him later when the bus drove off and she gnawed at her lower lip in disgust. Was she so obsessed with Demir that she even saw him in hallucinations? She was really fucked up.
She groaned as she wondered when another bus would show up. She'd just missed one, going her uni's way because her mind head been so preoccupied with Demir.
She recalled the exhibition was ending that day and she wondered who he had decided to go with. Could it be he went with Stella?
Another bus was approaching and she decided to shake off the thought. Demir's personal life wasn't her business, she reminded herself as she rose when the bus pulled up in front of her, so there was no need to be nosey.
She was just getting in, after some passengers had alighted, when an arm grabbed her from outside, pulling her out to collide smack bang with a surprisingly warm chest, before she could protest.
She raised her head, with a glare but ended up blushing fiercely when Demir cupped her shoulders, while peering down into her highly flustered face.
"Got you." He panted and Tahti felt her knees were going to water right there and then.
"Are you getting in or what?" The driver asked.
"She's not." He replied, not breaking the eye contact and the driver proceeded to close the bus' doors before driving off.
"What...What are you doing here?" She stuttered.
"Happy birthday."
There was a foreboding expression on April's face as the cab was headed for a hotel, with Henry, her date for the night. She'd been hanging out and sleeping with a lot of guys ever since the incident with Derek, but she didn't enjoy sex with them as she did with Derek and the fact alone seemed to tick her off. She had been drunk when it had happened, yet she knew she'd felt sexually satisfied for the first time in her life.
"Should we have a drink now or go right away?" Henry asked and she picked up her phone.
"Well, whatever you prefer." She replied, feeling pissed that Derek hadn't contacted her in a while. She hadn't seen him in a while too and she dropped her phone with a sigh, to look out the window, wondering what he was up to lately.
The cab driver past a fancy restaurant and she spotted Derek, having lunch with an unfamiliar lady.
"Stop." She blurted, without thinking and the driver stopped the car. She hadn't seen or heard from him for days and there he was, having lunch with another girl. How could he do that after their one night stand?
"What is it?" Henry asked.
"I'm suddenly hungry. Let's eat here, first."
"You're hungry?" He repeated as she opened the door, to swing her legs out of the car.
If he thought he could move on like nothing had happened between them, she would keep appearing in front of him to remind him.
She pushed the one of the transparent double glass doors that had 'Layal' in black lettering on one and 'Foods' on the other and walked in, with a glare.
"What's your ideal type?" The girl was asking, and her frown deepened. Was she thinking of snaffling him up for herself?
"Me?" He asked, raising his cup to his lips and April neared, after deciding she had finally had enough.
"Yes."
Derek was about to say something when he went into a fit of coughing on seeing her pull out a chair next to his table, before sitting and April grimaced as she watched the lady lean forward to press a handkerchief to his lips.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm okay." He replied and turned to glare at her as she turned to the lady. Although she hated to admit, she was pretty
"This place is actually pretty lame." She said, rising. "Let's just go straight to the hotel."
Henry seemed confused. "Aren't you feeling hungry?"
"I lost my appetite." She said and snaked an arm around his, before she turned to head out with him.
"Do you know her?" She heard the girl ask on her way out.
"No."
