Three hours ago, when Angela came out of the shower, she decided to gift a chocolate cake to Leonardo, since the boy loved chocolate. Hence, Angela went into the kitchen and noticed there was no one except for her because Leonardo was leaving so Jennifer dismissed the staff for that day. Angela began baking the cake; when she was done, she packed it in a box and wrote a note and leave it in the box.
Angela tried to open the door of the kitchen but it didn't budge. She typed the password but didn't open. Her heart skipped a beat, she recalled something; every month the password of door changes and the password was only given to the members of the kitchen if they are present otherwise it'd be sent via message on the cell phone. Unfortunately, Angela used her grandmother phone and she didn't bring it with her in a hurry thus, there was no other way.
Angela didn't go in the kitchen for last two days hence, she didn't know the new password. She realized what kind of mistake she made while remaining in the bed for two days. If she went in the kitchen, she might had known the password. But what done is done, there was nothing she could do to change her fate. The girl hated herself for not going into the kitchen and not knowing the password. Angela glanced at the wall clock thirty minutes left until the departure of Leonardo. She began banging the door with her bare fists with the hope that someone would might hear her but alas, no one did.
The banging on the door continued for forty-five minutes. Her hands swelled; they were shivering and aching. The poor girl shouted for help in the end when she realized that it was already the time of departure for her best friend.
Angela began kicking the door in frustration. She tried to hit the glass with the broom to break it but it wasn't something that could be broken easily. It was a fire-resistant glass, Angela hit it hard with all her might but there wasn't even a scratch on the glass. As a result, the broom broke in half. She fell on her knees and began crying. She yelled with all her might.
Angela glanced at her wrist watch—her heart sank. She glared at the box which contained the cake in anger. Angela held it in her swollen hands and was about to smash it on the floor but then she remembered that Leonardo loved it. She put it back and tears rolled down her face. The little girl moved backward until her back touched the wall; she slid down and sat next to the door. She closed her moistened eyes and buried her face in her knees.
Angela recalled the memories she had with Leonardo until now.
'Maybe this is my fate! I had spent such a beautiful time with you Leonardo and I wanted to have some more—but I think this should be enough for someone like me!', she thought.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! CLANG!
As the door opened. "What are you doing down there?", a familiar dominating voice entered her ears. Angela lifted her head and stared at the figure with bleary-eyed. It was none other than Amanda.
Amanda noticed Angela's swollen eyes, and the box on the table in front. Amanda retracked her gaze at the girl on the floor, who seemed sad. Angela got up and thanked her for opening the door and turned to leave the kitchen despondently. Amanda stepped forth and grabbed Angela by her arm, "I asked you something, Angela?"
Angela faced Amanda with a dull expression. Her lower lip quivered, her chin contorted and she began crying loudly. Tears gushed out of her eyes. She fell on her knees and began sobbing. Seeing Angela weeping like that Amanda frowned in confusion. She quickly crouched down and grabbed the latter by her shoulders and inquired, "What happened? Tell me!"
The only response she got from Angela was her painful sobbing. Amanda hugged the poor girl and gently rubbed her back, "There, there! It's okay! Its okay!"
Angela calmed down a bit after few minutes. Amanda asked, "Feeling any better?" Angela nodded in response. "Can you tell me what happened to you?"
Angela explained recent incident; about being locked in the kitchen for a while after she baked the cake for Leonardo as a parting gift. Amanda understood the situation. She gazed at the helpless girl in front and pondered for a moment. She took out her phone and dialed a number. "Hello where are you right now? —okay tell them to wait—there is something they left behind!", as she hung up.
Amanda grabbed Angela's hand, "What are you going to do with the cake?"
"You can have it or you may throw it away! it's up to you." Angela replied dishearteningly in signs. Looking at the dispirited Angela, Amanda curled her lips, "How about we give it to its rightful owner?"
Angela's eyes widened; she stared at Amanda dumbfoundedly and wiped her teary eyes. "With all due respect Lady Amanda, but I think it's not right to mock someone who is already suffering from misfortune."
"Do I look like a woman who like to fool around with people's feelings?", asked Amanda with a stern gaze. Angela looked in the latter's eyes and realized that Amanda wasn't joking so she slightly shook her head.
"Grab the cake! And follow me!"
...….
At the bus station, Leonardo was sitting in the waiting area. There were two waiting areas, one on the ground floor whereas, the second one was on the first floor. He was staring at the ceiling. "The bus will arrive shortly. Is there anything you want me to buy for you? Because the journey is a quite long, you might feel hungry or thirsty." Leonardo shook his head; he looked at Hassan blankly, "Thank you for asking me though, but Aunt Amanda packed me everything I need on this journey."
"I am sure that your Aunt Amanda really loves you."
"Yes, she does!"
Leonardo faced the ceiling, "Professor!"
Hmm?", Hassan looked at the boy beside him. "How many children do you have?", Leonardo threw a question to kill his boredom. Hassan raised one brow, "Why'd you ask?"
"I am getting bored so I thought we should get to know each other better if we talk more."
"I shall not answer your question right now, because in time you'll find out so be patient. Whereas, the boredom, I think I'll tell you something really important if you are interested."
"Please, tell me!"
"Okay—then listen very carefully! My grand-father used to advise me all the time; The one who speaks a lot loses a lot, on the contrary, the one who remains quiet gains a lot. So, I'd advise young Leonardo to choose the wise option."
Leonardo thought for a moment and frowned, "Are you implying that I am an idiot?"
Hassan smiled with astonishment. "I never said that! I told you to choose the right option for yourself because it will be convenient in future—and believe me—it really works."
"The bus to the Saint Valley will depart shortly! Passengers to the Saint Valley, please gather in front of gate number 13. I repeat, the bus to the Saint Valley…"
"Well, there it is! Our bus has already arrived", Hassan informed Leonardo while looking at the terminal screen. Leonardo's mood changed a bit after learning about their bus. He heaved a sigh of relief.
Ring~
Hassan phone rang; he took it out of his pocket and stared at the screen. He smiled and put the phone back in his pocket and asked Leonardo, "Leonardo! Do you wanna see something really cool?" Leonardo thought for a moment and recalled the events happened this morning in his house. The word 'cool' rang the bells in his pure mind. He suddenly thought of one thing after listening to the request of the person in front 'A new gadget!'. Leonardo got up from his seat excitedly, "yes!"
...….
At the entrance of the bus station Amanda and Angela were walking swiftly towards the terminal section. "Angela we'll search the ground floor while our men will search the first floor. Tell me immediately if you see them, alright!"
They both began to look for Leonardo. A moment later, Angela thought of something after looking at the screen. She pinched Amanda's sleeve. Amanda looked at Angela, "What is it?"
"We'll never be able to find them like this because there are so many people around us. If you know where they are headed then it might be possible to look for them in a specific place."
"I know, that is why we are heading towards the gate."
Amanda took out her cell phone and confirmed the place where they were headed from Jennifer. They both looked at the terminal screen. They saw the name of the town and went towards gate number 13. Angela was still holding on to the box. She ran straight towards the line in hoping to find Leonardo. She stood close to the gate to look for Leonardo.
In the meantime, Amanda stood next to Angela. The passengers in the line stared at the eye-catching duo. Amanda was getting annoyed by the mean comments of the passengers. Many men asked for her number to their response she gave the most insulting and meanest rejoinder she could.
"Hey lady wanna hang out with me? I'll show you a good time!", a middle-aged man grinned.
"Why don't you pay the pending bills of your apartment! You poor nut-whacking motherfucker!", Amanda lifted her middle finger.
The man became speechless after hearing her reply and passed the gate with a distorted face. The other single male passengers who heard their conversation looked the other way, they were afraid to lose face in front of many people around therefore, they decided not to mess with the gorgeous looking lady before them.
On the other hand, Angela was completely immersed in searching for Leonardo. Only ten passengers left and her best friend was nowhere to be seen. It made her worried, she began losing hope. When all the passengers left, she stood there and waited. But the boy never showed up.
"The bus to the Saint Valley is now departing! The passengers, who have failed to make it to the gate in time are requested to make another reservation, Thank you!"
Amanda and Angela heard the announcement. Angela staggered and fell on her knees. Amanda quickly moved and helped her up, "Are you okay, Angela?"
She noticed that Angela was breathing heavily; her forehead was covered with wrinkles and her complexion became pale all of sudden. Amanda felt bad for the poor girl. She sighed, "It's okay Angela! We'll find another opportunity for you to meet Leonardo! Just relax, okay?"
But Angela kept panting. Amanda supported her so that she could at least walk because the unfortunate girl was wobbling but she never let go of the box. Amanda brought Angela to sitting area.
Angela sat on the seat and leaned her head forward. She was gazing at the floor and seemed to be lost in thoughts. After few minutes later, her breathing became normal. When Amanda asserted that Angela became rather normal, she said, "I'll bring you something to drink! Just wait here, alright?"
Angela slowly nodded. Amanda turned and went to the canteen area whereas, Angela kept staring at the floor with an unfocused gaze. She recalled all her memories with Leonardo and began reacting to her memories, especially the surprised birthday Leonardo planned for her. Angela closed her eyes and gritted her teeth in anger.
She was angry at herself for not attending her lessons in the kitchen for last two days. Her body trembled and tears flowed down her snow-white cheeks. Angela didn't want to cry anymore so she wiped the tears. The girl put the box beside her and looked to her left where she saw Leonardo, who was staring at her with a puzzled gaze. Angela took it as her imagination.
'I cannot believe myself! I am already missing him so much! My imagination has become a reality! I am sorry so Leonardo! Please, forgive me! I hope you will not resent me for this. Be safe and please remember me as I shall remember you until I see you again!', she smiled inwardly and closed her eyes and leaned back.
"Angela!", a voice belonged to someone who was imprinted in her heart and mind came from her left. She quickly looked to her left and saw Leonardo was still standing their motionlessly; he was staring intently at her.
At first, Angela ignored it because she believed that Leonardo was already gone and what she saw was just a hallucination of her mind but the voice was as real as the person whose eyes were locked on her.
"Is that really you?"
Angela got up from her seat and moved slowly towards the boy. Leonardo, who thought of her to be an imaginative figure was assured that Angela really came to see him off.
Angela stood before Leonardo. She poked his left cheek gently just like she did when they met for the first time.
"What are you doing Angela?"
"Ah!", Angela cried out in shock and gazed at him in daze. Leonardo waved his hands in front of her after witnessing her strange conduct, "Are you treating me as a ghost or something?"
The boy himself couldn't believe either the moment, when he saw her sitting in the waiting area. To eradicate the doubts from Angela's mind, Leonardo stepped forward and gently pinched her soft milky-white cheeks, "Here! now, do you believe that I—"
Leonardo didn't even finish when Angela hugged him tightly. Leonardo was caught off guard but he didn't push her away instead hugged her back because he could feel her body, which was trembling. The girl began sobbing softly. The boy could only sense longing and warmth from her.
They remained like this for few minutes. The people around passed comments when they saw the duo.
"Whoa! Look at that!"
"Aw! They're so young and cute!"
"I wonder, if they are engaged!"
"Go ahead girl, just kiss the boy!"
"They are both good looking!"
It affected Leonardo but Angela seemed completely unaffected while she was cuddling him. Angela didn't care about her surroundings, she wished for the time to be stopped forever like that, where she embraced Leonardo so affectionately in her arms.
Few minutes later, "A-Angela, can you let me go!" Leonardo pleaded. Angela let go of Leonardo after hearing his plead. She gave him an awkward smile while Leonardo wiped her tears with his handkerchief.
Shortly after, Angela grabbed Leonardo's hand and walked towards the place where she was sitting before. Leonardo handed her his handkerchief so she could clean her snot.
"Feeling better now?"
Angela nodded; she sat on her seat and patted on the seat next to hers. He sat next to her. She handed down a box to him.
Leonardo received it and asked with gleefully, "Is it for me?" Angela gave a nod and smiled brightly in agreement.
The boy accepted the box and asked, "Can I open it?" Angela giggled after witnessing his reaction. She affirmed. The impatient little boy opened the box and smiled beamingly. "Wow! Did you make this for me?", Leonardo inquired as he gazed at the girl next to him.
"Of course! who else is going to bake you a cake like this!", Angela mentioned.
Leonardo stared at the chocolate cake like a hungry beast thus took a mouthful bite. "Hmm~ ish sho gelicious! (it's so delicious!)"
Leonardo gulped down the cake in his mouth and complimented, "Angela you are the best! I love your cooking!"
With that said, Angela face turned red, she looked the other way. She was feeling shy but at the same time she felt good.
Leonardo noticed Angela face becoming reddish; he brought his face closer to her.
"Angela!"
Angela looked at him and raised her brows in questioning, "Hmm?"
Leonardo touched her forehead while eating cake. "Your face is red! Are you okay?"
Angela pursed her lips. She raised her hand to slap off the hand of the boy but she stopped mid-way because she sensed pure concern in his deep blue turquoise eyes, which were fixated at her. Angela lips curved into a beautiful smile; she put her hand on his and shook her head and told him that she was fine.
Leonardo heaved a sigh of relief, "Ah! And here I thought my best friend is burning up in fever after hearing the news of my departure." Seeing Angela smiling Leonardo smiled back but when he observed her face closely, he noticed that her eyes seemed a bit puffy then he glanced at her hands and narrowed his eyes.
"Angela! can I ask you something?"
Angela thought he might ask about why she didn't show up earlier when he was leaving and waiting for her so, she nodded.
Leonardo put the cake behind him; he wiped his hands and mouth with another handkerchief and brought his face closer to hers where their noses were few inches apart. Angela was taken aback because Leonardo always kept a distance and never invaded her personal space before but it was the first time, he did with such a serious look on his face. Before she could manage to handle her emotions, Leonardo gently propped her face with his hands and looked straight into her bottle-green eyes, "Angela, answer me truthfully, alright!"