Chapter 23

The phone rang continuously. Halle groaned. She patted all over the desk near her bedside searching for it. She squinted at the brightness to see why it was buzzing. It was a call.

Again.

Another call from an unknown number. This had been going on for a few days. Suspiciously, it started after he came to her café. Ever since that, she'd been switching off her phone at night for a good night's sleep. Today she forgot to do it. She checked the time.

1:00 AM.

"Damn . . ." Halle put back her phone and turned to the other side. She'd lost her sleep but she can't start with her work at this hour. She turned back, took the phone and switched it off. She didn't want to be wide awake in the middle of the night with nothing to do.

"What were you doing?"

Halle looked up slowly.

"You look like a mess."

"One sleepless night." said Halle. "Please leave me alone."

Shizuka sat next to her. "But what happened? If this continues, you're going to be sick."

"I'll be fine."

"Tell me what happened."

"It's nothing."

"Yui is sleeping." said Shizuka. "Tell me what's bothering you."

"She doesn't have school?"

"Holidays started from yesterday."

Halle sighed. "Been getting calls from strange numbers at night."

"Block them."

Halle stared at her. "I've blocked fifty numbers from the past two weeks and still I get calls in the middle of the night. I switch off my phone every night but yesterday I forgot, that's why I look like a mess."

"This is eating you away."

"I'll be fine."

"Here's some soup," Shizuka offered. "Drink it, you'll feel better."

Halle took it and placed it on the desk.

"At least stop coming home so late."

"There are not enough cupcakes for any day. I have to make them beforehand. And these days, I need to bake them every day."

"I wonder what will happen if I tell Aunt Cassie."

Halle stared.

Shizuka shrugged. "If I say anything, you tell me I'm being your mom. So might as well tell her and see how she reacts to seeing you slowly become sick because of worry."

"Fine, what do you want to say?"

"Come home on time as you usually will, maybe go a little early." said Shizuka. "Relax at night. If you want, give me your phone, I'll keep it with me or in the hall so you don't have to worry about it."

"The last one seems like a nice idea." Halle smirked. "The other ones, I'll try."

"Yui misses you." Shizuka added as an afterthought. "We'll be leaving for the holiday in a few days. So why don't you come early until we leave?"

Halle had completely forgotten about this. They'd be leaving to her in-laws as Yamato will be home for the holidays.

"I'm so sorry, I completely forgot. I thought if I could make it for the holidays I'd make some money."

"Say that to Yui." said Shizuka. "Did you ask Pace if she was okay with it? I'm sure she would've said yes to it but is she really okay?"

Halle didn't want to accept it. But deep down, she knew she was being ungrateful. She's been taking too much from Pace as well. Halle sighed.

"I shouldn't have done it."

"Go say that to her." Shizuka tapped her fingers. "You have two people to apologize to, today."

"And one more."

"Oh, who's that?" Shizuka's eyes widened. "Don't tell me anything about Ashley."

"What? No." said Halle. She turned to Shizuka. "I'm sorry for being immature and not thinking about you and treating you like that."

Shizuka took a moment. "Drink that soup while it's hot."

Halle saw Shizuka as she left her room and smiled. She was never one to acknowledge her gratefulness or her apologies.