Chapter 12

Halle got off at the bus stop. Another 15 minute stroll to the café. Today was an unusually cold morning, almost freezing and in a daze she had forgotten to bring her scarf. At least she didn't forget her purse and the keys.

She walked down the street, today it felt different. With all the thoughts in her head, every passerby made her jumpy. She couldn't shake the thought that they were all trying to get her. Are they all part of Kairo's plan? Sometimes her thoughts felt ridiculous. Will he go that far? After all this time, she didn't have an answer. The nightmare still sent chills down her spine. It was so . . .

She stopped on her tracks, a sliver of a thought. Almost as thin as a veil. The day her dad and she had fought, Kairo made it worse, he . . . because he involved in it, she could never get back to talking with her dad after that. It was shameful. She could remember the emotions; bubbling to rise to the surface even now but she couldn't get a hold of what exactly happened.

Her dad had collapsed hearing his words, but what did he say? Why had she kept quiet then? Oh yes, she wasn't allowed to talk when he was talking or to talk back, but her dad . . . what the hell happened and why—

Her phone buzzed bringing her out of the depth of her thoughts. Who was it this early in the morning?

Oh.

She took the call. "Hey, Ashley. How are things going with you?"

"Good, actually."

"Are you having a cold?"

"No, why?"

"Your voice sounds different." said Halle. "I'm outside and it's pretty cold so I'll call you back once I reach the café?"

"Hey about that, do you have a dozen chocolate cupcakes today?"

"If you want some, I can bake them fresh."

"Yeah, you know how he likes them so much. I wanted to buy some."

"Anything special today that I am not aware of?" asked Halle curiously.

Her voice fell. "You know, he's gone on a business trip and he'll come home today, so I wanted to surprise him."

"Oh great!" Halle said. "You want me to drop them by immediately or . . ."

"He'll reach here at 9, so evening should be fine." She said hesitantly.

"That shouldn't be a problem; I'll bring them by in the evening."

"That would be so nice!" she said. "How is everything going with you?"

"Uh . . ." Halle was freezing in the chilly breeze. She was never a fan of chilly climates, especially if there's no rain or snow. And it was freezing. Her fingers became numb holding the phone to her ears. "All good. Even the café sales is pretty good. I'm able to afford a living with the money I make without any issues after . . . you know."

"That's great news!" Ashley said excitedly over the phone. "I should come visit you some time. It's been a long time since we visited each other."

"Yeah, too much of work on my side." Halle sighed. "And it is important you don't make him angry either. That's a high priority."

Both laughed knowingly.

"Have you, well . . . , found someone?"

"I don't think I need it at this point, Ash." Halle said feeling drained just by those words. "But I'd love to get a million dollars and rest the next five years of my life. I've worked that many days with no progress. So I don't want to ruin it by finding that 'someone' and making it an extra burden on myself. I'm not that stupid anymore."

Halle was not sure why she had to ruin her day as soon as it started. Not that it was going great but still . . .

"It won't always be that way," Ashley continued, unaffected by her words. "Look at me. I'm doing well now, because I chose what was best for me and I wasn't scrutinizing everything."

Seriously? Halle thought.

Did Ashley call her to give a freaking lecture on how she should live her life? She wanted to reply with 'your marriage is dying and you're closing your eyes and saying that it is going great'.

"Yes, but I'm not close to 40 yet, so I can wait a little more." Halle said through gritted teeth.

"Yes, but sooner the better, right? You need to . . ."

Halle's eyes widened.

"Hey, I need to go. Bye!"

"But—" Halle cut the call. She observed the fella walking a few meters away. It was definitely him!

"Hey!"

A few heads turned. She forgot she was on the road.

Damn it! she cursed.

She ran a little closer and called again. This time the fella turned. He seemed pretty surprised for a guy who's got guts to go around sniffing around other people's business.

She smiled. She was nervous. But if she didn't show it, maybe he wouldn't know.

"You must be from the café." He said nonchalantly.

Bad start.

She should've spoken first. That's when it will work. "Yeah, you came by yesterday, remember? Or was my café too boring for you?"

His face coloured a bit. "No, I remember." He replied after a moment. "Didn't expect you to remember me. I don't remember you taking the order or me talking to you."

"You were talking to my coworker and I naturally had to keep an eye on you. So yeah, I remember." Halle was sweating on the inside despite the chilly breeze. And she felt her ears burning. She hoped it wasn't obvious.

"Ah," he gave her a knowing smile. "Can't trust people easily these days."

"Exactly." Halle chimed in. "Anyway you're going to pass my café, why don't you come inside? Have an espresso?"

"I hate espresso."

"Or a cappuccino."

"Since you ask so nicely, yeah, why not?"

"Great."