A random meet at times feels like a sigh from the stars. And that is exactly what Athena felt when a sudden meet up blooms into a romance so magical and unknown. But soon the fairytale crackles and she finds herself at the end of a cliff so high that she cannot stay neither jump off. The stories once told and loved, turned out to be myths, the promises once made turned out to be shattered glass and the person once love, a forged thought.
Staring at my phone screen, I know things have become more messier than a toddler eating a breakfast bowl on a buzzing Monday morning. A part of me feels as if things could have been different and better. It was a cold December night, and the breeze felt like a stabbing pin throughout my being. I cannot do this anymore! My inner being screamed. I took a deep breath and let my cell phone slip through my grasp. I picked up my laundry basket and made my way towards the roof. Maybe a little fresh air is all I need after all. For this sinking feeling to disappear, for this icky mist to vanish.
I walked out, locked the door behind me, and started the tedious process of climbing three flights of stairs. Maybe I should quit smoking! My brain yelled as I was huffing and puffing for air. I dropped my basket as my body turned into a ball of agony and my lungs were ready to explode.
I made my way towards the edge of the terrace, praying and hoping that no one was there using our only functional washing machine, but as my luck would have it, there it was occupied.
"Hey, are you almost done?" I asked as the large figure in front of me turned.
"Oh yeah, yeah, just give me a couple of minutes," he said as he hurried to finish his load. Who is this tall, almost six-foot-crossed-eyed dude?! My inner goddess asked as she pulled down her circle rims.
"Hi, I am Athena! Nice to meet you," I said as I extended my arm.
"Oh, hi, I am Arthur," he scrambled as he turned to take my hand. And that was when I saw him for the very first time. Hair greying and messy, beard so full that any saint would get a complex. Crocked eyes are hiding behind black square-rimmed glasses. His beer belly poked out of his two-size small shirt. It made me wonder: was dad bods really that much in trend?
"Are you new here?" I asked, pulling my hand back.
"No, I have lived here for more than two years." His eyes sparkled.
"Oh, that's weird; I have never seen you around," I said.
"Yeah, but I have seen you once or twice, I think. Which floor do you live on?" he smiled.
"Ah third," I shuffled; his world felt a little wrong, falling on the threads of knowing some really personal information in a blink.
"I actually live on the first floor. One zero six," his grin widened.
"Oh, that's great," I said, my eyes shifting towards the washing machine.
"Yeah and..." His words were interrupted by his ringing phone.
"Excuse me, I have to take it," he added. I gestured for him to carry on as I peaked my head to get a better look at the timer.
"Yeah, what?" he yelled into the phone as he took a few steps away. I could faintly hear him mutter something, but a part of me really did not care. I just wanted to finish and run back home.
"Sorry about that! That was my roommate asking where I was," he said. I just looked at him with eyes full of fake affirmation. Why is he telling me this?! My inner goddess snarled.
"Oh, look, my clothes are done!" His words felt like a roaring wave of relief, as now I knew this conversation could finally be over. As soon as he pulled out his clothes, I stared to shove in mine.
"Hi bro! We were waiting for you!" an unfamiliar voice called out. I slightly turned my head to find two figures emerging from the dark. I tilted my head to get a better look. It seemed like two very not-so-impressive guys. One looked rather tall, muscular, and dusky, with a little chiselled jaw and a pair of big square-rimmed glasses. On the other hand, the other one was short, puggy, a little fair, medium-long black flowy hair, a perfect definition of dad bod with similar black, big square-rimmed glasses.
"Hi, I am Sullivan," the puggy guy said.
"Oh, this is Ray and Sullivan, and guys, this is Athena," Arthur said. I smiled and waved at them.
"So, where do you work, Athena?" Sullivan asked.
"I work in real estate. In a company called El Seathen, we are competitors of brands like Keller Williams and JLL. I am their hospitality head; what about you?" I replied.
"I am a senior technical writer for a company called HermathEarth," Sullivan said. "Other than that, I have been writing for eleven years," he added.
"Oh, that's amazing! Even though I am a writer, I have two of my books published in collaboration with Amazon Kindle," I gloat.
"That's nice. What do you write about?" Sullivan asked.
"So mostly I write fiction and fantasy; one of my books is called The Veil of Faith and Destiny, which is based on Norse mythology, and the second one is called Something in the Shadows, which is proper teen fiction." I smiled.
"Oh, that's nice," Sullivan said, nodding his head.
"What do you write?" I added.
"I write mostly poetry under the name Mr. Bond, and I love performing in open mics," Sullivan said.
"That is really cool. You know, if you're into writing, you should definitely watch this show on Netflix called BoJack Horseman; it's amazing!" My eyes grew bigger.
"You have seen BoJack?!" Ray and Sullivan exclaimed together.
"Yeah..." I whimpered.
"You have good taste! Because very few people watch BoJack," Sullivan smiled.
"Yeah, I love that show; that is a master piece!" my eyes shimmered.
"So, what does a hospitality head do?" Arthur jumped in.
"I have eleven of their sites under me. I am the starting and end point for the customers, so in a nutshell, I make sure their experience is seamless," I smiled.
"Do you mind me asking how much you get paid?" Arthur asked.
"I make seventy-five thousand dollars a year plus incentives every three months," I replied. I could see his eyes widening and his mouth opening.
"Is there a vacancy?" he questioned.
"I am not sure, but I need to know about your job profile and designation to know about a vacancy," I replied politely.
"I am a relationship manager at HSBC. I also have a little experience in sales," he said.
"Okay, forward me your CV, and I will check," I said weekly.
"Sure, can I have your number?" he said, offering me his phone. I quickly grabbed it and punched in my number.
"Thank you, I will text you!" Arthur said. I nodded and turned to get my clothes out of the washing machine.
"You're done so quickly? It takes Arthur ages to wash his clothes," Sullivan said.
"Maybe you guys don't know the settings; maybe someday I will teach you," I said, closing the lid.
"Okay, I'll see you guys around!" I smiled as I picked up my backpack and made my way towards my apartment.
As soon as I entered, my phone rang.
"What?" I yelled as soon as I pressed the receive button.
"Hun, are you mad or something?" the voice calmly asked.
"No Kai I am not mad. I just feel like you are too clingy, dude. You need to have a life of your own." I replied as I set my basket down.
"Hun, it's not about that. It feels like lately you are slipping away. You never have time; you hardly pick up my calls." Kai chocked.
"Look, I just feel you should go out and do your thing and let me do mine, okay?! Now I will talk to you tomorrow. I gotta go." I hung up.
Things were not that bad between me and Kai; they have just been rocky. With our new jobs and lives, it did feel like things were slipping away lately. He was right; maybe I was changing, and maybe for the worst. Who knew? All I knew was that after almost two years of being the university sweethearts, we were crumbling. And it seemed there was no going back or saving it. I mean, we really tried to patch our cracks, but unfortunately, things kept getting swept under the rug. Days kept passing, voices kept getting muffled, and opinions kept getting disregarded. Deep down, I did not want to hurt Kai, not because I loved him, or maybe I did. I don't know. A part of me just pitied him-pitied everything. I pitied the fact of what we have become and mostly the fact that I longed to go back to my university days. When all we knew was each other and all we longed for was each other's loving embrace, when bunking our lectures for each other wasn't that big of a deal, lying for each other became a daily schedule. I missed the days when I could just lay on his shoulder and forget that there existed a world outside of us and outside of him. And this was where I started pitying myself, because my pathetic self was longing for something that could never be brought back. I collapsed on the floor, curling myself into a ball as tears started streaming down my cheeks.
Stuck in her miserable life, Azura makes her way towards a sorceress hoping to find an answer. As she walks down the Dark Forest, her heart pounding in her chest she knocks on her door. The seven dreadful knocks as the stories told her. The sorceress points her towards a small cottage in the graveyard, arming her with a task and promising her answers once she is done. But things end up taking a turn for the unknown as she in transported to a totally different world. The world she never knew existed.
Travelling to a new town, and leaving behind your home can be a scary though but sometimes it's just something one has to do. Annica finds herself in a similar situation when he travels miles from her home country to New York, USA to peruse her dream and work under the most renowned chef Christopher Edwards. But things start taking an interesting and disturbing turn when Annica finds herself entranced and captivated by the charm of her boss. But what will happen when she learns about the dark secrets that are hidden behind those beautiful blue eyes?
Combination of two romantic/tragic stories that combine reality and fantasy in a perfect blend. Who's The One? Stacy takes a walk down the memory lane when she is asked about how she met Derin, the love of her life and how much she loves him. As the conversation progress and some dark and unsettling truth is revelled that makes her suddenly being asked to confront her biggest REGRET; the thing she everyday; till date; regrets. An Unfolding Tale The journey of Ana, who lives her life the most. She never paid any heed to the problems in her life, would do anything to let her life be PERFECT. But as all humans who walk in the search of perfection: something she does goes horribly wrong with turns her life upside down. She is struck by realization that she is loosing the the most precious thing in her life.
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
Belinda thought after divorce, they would part ways for good - he could live his life on his own terms, while she could indulge in the rest of hers. However, fate had other plans in store. "My darling, I was wrong. Would you please come back to me?" The man, whom she once loved deeply, lowered his once proud head humbly. "I beg you to return to me." Belinda coldly pushed away the bouquet of flowers he had offered her and coolly replied, "It's too late. The bridge has been burned, and the ashes have long since scattered to the wind!"
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. “It's time to reveal your true identity, darling.”
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"