The next day.
It was her first night in the house and surprisingly, she had the best night ever sleeping on the old and strong mattress.
In her sleep, she felt herself cuddling Camry's soft body. It felt so warm and comfy, each time she snuggled closer to Camry, the latter never pushed her away. In fact, she thought she felt Camry also hug her back in her sleep.
It was her best night ever. A thousand times better than her sleeping in her queen's bed back at home. She had a sleep filled with nerve calming dreams.
Halona's eyes fluttered open like a little bird spreading its wings to fly. She hugged her body in consciousness and a bright smile engulfed her chubby face.
Realizing that she was sharing her room with someone, she turned around and,
"Good— ah? Camry is up?" Halona sat up and glanced around the room but there was no sight of Camry in the room.
"That is surprising.." Halona mumbled to herself. She did not expect Camry to wake up so early after witnessing her sleep so deeply for hours the day before.
She stepped out of the bed and walked in the direction of the bathroom. She knocked on the closed door but got no response. She pushed it open without much hesitation and peered inside.
"Eh? She is not inside here too?" Halona turned around and walked out of the room, the house was just a small apartment and it was so easy to walk around it.
She looked around but did not find Camry anywhere. Her brows scrunched in worry, she was new in the neighborhood and had no idea of where she could find Camry.
Her eyes darted around the room and fell on the wall clock. She looked at the time, it was just six-thirty in the morning.
"Oh..." something struck her mind. Could it be that Camry had gone to work? Is she not supposed to get to her workplace at seven, why does she have to leave so early?
Halona pursed her lips with concern. If truly Camry had gone to work already...
"Is it not just too early?" Halona snorted and bit her lower lip.
She had plans for the morning already, after finding out that Camry will be going to work, she thought she would make her breakfast, help her pick her dress... She had so many plans but did not expect Camry to get up so early.
"I don't even know If she had her breakfast... What kind of cloth did she wear? Jeez... I am so worried for her!" Halona pressed her lips in a thin line.
She felt the urge to give Camry a call but she was worried the latter would not want to be disturbed. She knew their relationship was not that stable yet. She did not want to be discouraged by Camry's cold response.
Just as she was thinking of what to do, a gentle knock on the door distracted her. Her eyes shifted to the door.
"That is... could that be her?" Halona raised a brow, she walked to the door. She noticed there was no way she could know who was behind the door without having to open the door.
She opened the door with a tiny creaking sound. What she saw surprised her. An old granny was standing in front of the door holding a small plastic bag.
"H-hello" Halona opened the door and greeted the granny politely.
"Hello my dear, good morning" The granny mouthed with a wrinkled smile. Her words came out cracked but Halona heard her.
"Ehm... who are you looking for..?" Halona asked carefully. Perhaps, because she lived a sheltered life, her guard was not raised against the nice-looking old woman. She just spoke to her kindly with a sweet smile.
"Ah, where is the pretty child that lives here?" The granny asked.
"Oh? That should be Camry?" Halona perceived.
"Yes, that is the pretty child's name. This is her house or have I come to the wrong place?" The granny said worriedly and clutched her plastic bag tightly in her bony fingers.
"No, no... you have come to the right place," Halona said hurriedly.
"Oh... where is the child? I brought her breakfast, that child... after she lost her job again... I can't bear to watch her not caring for herself" the granny said in a whispered monotone but her voice was audible to Halona.
"Ah, thank you, grandma. Camry got a new job and she left already" Halona said with a flash of a bright smile. Seeing that the granny was someone who cared for Camry, she treated her even better.
"She did? Good, that is very good. That child is not just pretty, she also is very hardworking. I just pity her so much that she does not have many people around her to care for her. Uh!" The granny sighed deeply. Her forehead creased, evident of her worry.
"You do not need to worry about that again. I am here to take care of her!" Halona voiced with a puffed chest. She was making a promise. Right from start, she already knew Camry had no one to lean on and she will never ask if she needed something. She was so pitiful...
"Good, good. Child, who are you, I have never seen your face around" The granny said.
"Yes, I just moved here yesterday" Halona uttered as she reached out to take the plastic bag from the granny. She then ushered the old woman into the house.
"My name is Halona. I am Camry's friend" She introduced herself to the granny with a smile.
"You are her friend? The pretty child even had friends now? Ah, this news gave my old heart so much joy. Good, now, I have little to worry about" The granny said and patted her chest as she sat down. Her crystal clear eyes did not miss the changes in the house. She nodded her head.
Although she had only been in the house once or twice, she remembered how shabby the place used to be. Then, she would offer Camry a little amount of the allowance her son sent her but Camry never took the money from her.
The granny knew that Camry was a good child, she loved her dearly, just like her own child. She gave birth to her only child in the later years of her marriage and her husband died a few years later. She knew how it felt to be alone.
"Granny, do you mind a cup of coffee, or I should brew tea for you?" Halona said. She distracted the granny from her thoughts.
"Dear child, you are too nice. It is very good to have you besides that child. The two of you will make a very good companion. That child... Camry, she has been alone for too long, She may appear cold and distant but she is a very good person. I hope you two can uphold your friendship for long" The granny expressed. She took a deep breath and sighed.
Halona saw the depressed expression swimming in the eyes of the granny, she sat beside her and clasped her hands around the granny's hand.
She could not contain the smile on her face, the granny was the first person she was familiar with within the place and she had spoken well of her relationship with Camry. That made her like the old woman immediately.
"Granny, don't worry. Camry is my best friend, I like her so much and I will take good care of her too. I will not let you worry about her anymore. You can trust me on that" Halona assured.
The granny nodded, "You are a good child too" she said and Halona bobbed her head happily. She loved to be praised too.
"I should go back now" the granny stood up and patted her laps. Halona walked her to the door.
"You should visit us some other time too" Halona waved and called out to the granny as she walked away. The granny chuckled.
Halona walked back into the house as she hummed a tune. She checked the time again and it was only a few minutes to seven. Hopefully, Camry will have gotten to work...
Meanwhile, along a highway in a dark alley on the outskirts of the city, five motorbikes were parked by the side, the owners of the bike stood beside their machine, each puffing out smoke from their cigarette but one was different.
She held her helmet in one hand and let her waves cascade like a waterfall down to her waist. Today, she was dressed in tight black leather trousers that outlined her curvy figures. A white sweatshirt that was slightly tucked in her trouser.
She held a can of soda in her other hand and twirled it around. Her head tilted to the side in nonchalance, she paid no attention to the chats of the group.
"Hey C, do you want a stick?" A guy in the group came up to her and offered her a packet of cigarettes.
"No" she answered coldly and took a sip from her can, her head turning to the side to avoid the nicotine smell in his breathe.
"What are you doing, Birdie? Did you forget little sister C does not smoke?" Another member of the group, a lady twirled her waist as she walked close to the two. She threw her half-burnt cigarette aside as she approached.
"Little sister C, when are you joining us to race again. There is a race with Hawk and his team today at midnight, will you come?" the lady asked.
"Not chanced." She crushed the empty soda can with her glove-covered fingers and threw it aside.
"Oh.." the lady mouthed. "You are leaving?" she uttered seeing that the other person was getting on her bike.
"Yes, work" With that response, her bike zoomed off with an angry roar against the breeze.
"Even Lolita can't win her over" someone commented as they watched the bike disappear from their sight.
"Little sister is so-so" Lolita commented and smirked. She whirled her waist as she walked back to the group. Unlike her flirty self, C is a cold member of the group. Although the youngest, she was the hardest to relate with.
However, with her in the team, they had won so many races.