[Unknown's POV]
I dug my right hand into my pocket as I wandered down the street; the nightlife here was vibrant. I have just been told that it'll take at least an hour for the car to get fixed, so I thought a walk would help kill time.
I figured this was a good enough reason for me to miss an appointment I was scheduled to attend, so I had Tyler call and tell them I couldn't make it. Serves those fucking bastards right.
As I continued to walk through the bustling street, out of nowhere, it felt like I was encircled with whispers and strange looks, so I took longer strides while occasionally scanning the windows of open stores and restaurants.
Turning at a sharp corner of the street, I carried on walking but caught a glimpse of something that made me glance back and come to a stop.
Each step towards the window, an image of a woman grew bigger and clearer. She seemed familiar- like I've seen her before so as I took one final step towards the glass window; A woman in her late 20's stood right in the middle of the room- Clearly, just her presence has captivated the entire room; Clothed in a pair of sweatpants and a white hoodie, with her black hair tied back. I tilted my head as I squinted my eyes more to study her face.
That was when a ton of bricks hit me. Bingo. She's that girl with the blue eyes. The girl who threw me down the ground when I was in university. Huh, what are the odds of that.
When I followed her line of sight, a man that was a head taller than her, appeared to be aggressively talking to her as he drew his head back and forth at her. I watched the scene unfold. She seemed way too calm and was trying to handle the situation carefully- A sense of respect was hinting off her eyes.
Her face... And her eyes...
Now the man grabbed her by the neck and the tension in the room skyrocketed as some people continued to film the scene like idiots. I should help her. But this might attract unwanted attention- The last time that happened... As I reached for the door, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the man getting ready to punch her.
My mind raced as I thought of the consequences if I were to intervene.
Deciding to help her, I grabbed the doorknob and as the door swung open with force, the man had already struck her face. An imprint of his hand was visible across the room, yet she turned back to look at him with a small smile.
My breath shortened and I locked my eyes at the bastard that has the audacity to even hit a woman. I rolled up my sleeves as my hands itched. I was nearing him but I suddenly blurted, "Son of a bitch." That seemed to have caught his attention as he turned his head towards me.
But before he could even react and before I even had the time to draw my fist back to punch him square in the face- He was smoothly tackled by the arm and was now pinned on a table with his arms behind his back. In awe, I stared at whatever the fuck was happening with a visible "O" forming on my lips. Everyone in the room was also nearing the edges of their seats.
Damn, girl. Give him more- Kick him in the dick. He at least deserves that.
"Sober up before you start an actual fight." The woman quietly said as she lowered herself to the man's ear, tightening her grip on his arm. "I'm sorry for doing this but for future reference," Her grip tightened even more, while an unreadable expression was plastered on her face- The man continued to wince like a baby. "Any kind of violence against women of any age is considered illegal." With that, she freed him from her grasp and finally looked around the room, wide-eyed.
The room exploded into an applause, as she made her way to the door with a hand covering her face. She kept her eyes trained on the floor, hence why she bumped into me, causing her to slightly stumble backward. Afraid she would fall, I stepped towards her and swiftly wrapped my arms around her waist.
Funny how we find ourselves like this again. Still wide-eyed, she opened her mouth but closed it back as she got back on her feet- Oh that's cute, little miss badass looks flustered. "Thank you." She touched the nape of her neck as I withdrew my arms. Then as if she realized something, she took a step towards me. I don't know why but my heartbeat increased tenfold like I've been caught cheating. She narrowed her eyes at me and said, "You... We've met before." She tilted her head. "You're not wearing a mask this time." She pointed at my mouth.
She remembers me too.
She continued to stare at my lips, boldly, I smirked as I was getting ready to say something- A brown-haired man in his late 20's approached her with an overly worried face, "You dingus!" His voice might have shattered my eardrums. "I heard that you let him hit you!" I glanced up and down- Her boyfriend? He began shaking his head in disapproval. "Let's get out of here, Amora." With that, he stole her hand and dragged her out of the place, while glaring at the douche who hit her.
Yeah fuck off, man- What are you looking at? I shot the fucktard a glare.
The entire time she was being dragged off, she stared at me in confusion like she was trying to solve a puzzle while I just stood there like a log. Numb.
Numb from all the feelings that were flying all over the place. What the fuck.
Amora? That name?
The word that echoes in my sleep? The word I hear every time my mind decides to play an image of a girl for the briefest moment, that it drives me insane.
The woman I met just now has to be the same girl I met on campus that day. And... And her face was so similar to the face I keep seeing in my sleep. The face I've been seeing ever since I woke up from that surgery.
~~~
The day of the dinner party...
*Amora's POV*
"Don't you dare lie to me, amore." Evan answered back in a serious tone as he closed the door to my office. Then he noticed I was packing my stuff up, his mouth twitched up to a cunning curve of a smile. "Why are you leaving work on time..?" He wiggled his eyebrows then softly nudged me at my right rib.
Instantly, I turned my face away to mouth an "Ow." I scrunched up my face in pain- Just last night, a last minute assignment came in as an anonymous person tipped us off. And when we finally caught the culprit- Let's just say he likes being stubborn and has a knack for throwing ceramics at agents.
I faced him as I hung my lab coat over the rack. "I need to stop by and get groceries before the party tonight." I motioned him to face the wall as I gave him a look, signaling that I needed to take off my shirt that was blotched with plaster and soil.
"What are you- The catering chef? Why do you need to buy groceries?" He questioned as he faced the wall. I took my shirt off then quickly put on a sports jersey and a hoodie over it.
Getting ready to leave, I called out. "I'm decent," Evan walked up to me with a questioning look. "What? Someone has to feed you- And not to mention myself." I said as I hung my bag over my shoulder and made my way to the door.
Evan walked alongside me, "What do you mean?" Rolling my eyes at him, I opened the door, got out of the room and locked it, as he waited behind me.
"C'mon you know that one of the reasons I cook is so that you don't get any kidney stones from eating all that Chinese takeaway you keep ordering." He opened his mouth for a sly comeback but closed it again. I mean right now it's a lie because I'm not going grocery shopping, but it is true- Someone has to feed him a home-cooked meal.
As I padded down the hallway- without turning my back- I waved him goodbye. Then I heard him call out, "Ugh well- But just so you know it's a formal dinner party so please make an effort at dressing up!" His voice echoed through the hallway, causing a wave of looks to pinpoint straight at me- I smiled at the bystanders.
~~~
I visited "the mall" for a quick training session although John highly advised me not to. After an hour worth of krav maga with some new recruits, I decided to stop by and get a status report on the USB.
Turns out, if her calculations and coding is right, she'll have the USB accessible around midnight. So, going over the schedule for tonight in my head- Everything seems to be in order, I thought as I left the Women's locker room after a quick shower.
With my hood pulled over my head and a black cap, I left through the back entrance of the actual mall while I kept my eyes glued to the floor.
As a gust of wind slapped on my face, I continued pedaling on my bike. Abruptly, I pushed on the brakes with my foot. And loudly face-palmed myself. Ouch, I didn't think it would hurt that much. My mind has really been all over the place these days because I just realized I forgot to pack something formal to change into for the fucking dinner party. Oh. Shit.
Not wasting anymore time as the party starts at 7 pm sharp, I pedaled for dear life and made my way to my apartment. Thinking I could probably put together an outfit that would work.
I huffed as beads of sweat slowly cascaded down my face. Nodding my head with the slightest ounce of approval at what I have chosen, I mean... It will have to do because apparently this is the only dress I own that's decent enough to wear to a fancy dinner party. I changed into it and stood in front of the mirror.
I couldn't bear to look. Because it was the funeral dress I wore that year.
Pushing the thoughts away, I just pedaled as fast as my two legs could. It felt like my lungs were about to give out and my legs wanted to deflate.
Evan called while I made my way to the Grandiose Spring Hotel, so now he knows that I came using my bike.
Practically throwing my bike in a parking slot, I unhooked my helmet and got off the bike in one spur moment. I locked my bike onto the metal stand and walked towards the back entrance of the hotel, where I found Evan standing on top of the steps, carrying a black paper bag while he impatiently checked his watch.
When he spotted me, he yelled across the parking lot. "You're late! I had to hold the fortress down all by myself." I pulled my coat tighter so he won't see what I was wearing. He cocked an eyebrow as I ascended up the stairs.
Laughing nervously, "What are you doing? Don't just stand there- We're late!" I said as I attempted to run past him, still holding onto my coat. But he grabbed my arm and pushed the black paper bag to my face.
He sighed, "Here, change into these. I had a feeling something like this will happen, so I took the liberty of going to the mall to buy you this. What are you going to do without me, amore?" For a second, I gave him a confused stare but then he spoke again. "Seriously, amore, get changing- We'll talk about this later- Right now, you can't miss Mr. Young's speech." Evan took me by the shoulders and led me to the toilet.
"Oh Evan- No, no, no. I can't wear this! I'm not wearing it- I'm sorry- I'll pay you back and just get a refund, Evan! What I wore before was fine!" I screamed through the bathroom door- Clearly not thinking if he was even going to hear me.
I was in hurry putting the dress on that I didn't have the time to even look at it. And now that I'm standing in front of the mirror, wearing it... The dress is too... Umm...
A laugh echoed from outside, "Just come out!" Evan knocked on the door. "It isn't too revealing right?" I twirled around the mirror- What do you mean? It's too revealing for me. For. Me.
In response, I exclaimed. "It is!" Then I heard a laugh again- Oh you're enjoying this aren't you?
He called out, "C'mon, I asked the sales lady- She said it's fine for a dinner party. It's just you, amore- It's cause' you don't normally wear shit like this!" He knocked again as I tied my hair into a ponytail- Not sure what hairstyle to do. "Which you should wear more often- I'm sure you look great!"
Hesitantly, I pulled the bathroom door open and got out. "Really? Then why do I look so- So weird? And naked?" I asked as I placed my hands on my bare back.
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Pheww, that chapter took so long to write and edit. I'm sure it's still crap though ;) Oh well!
love you if you're still reading after the end of this!
vote, comment and stay safe and happy :) :)
ireck_wings