WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT."Hmmm. Tell me what it's like?", Angela asked moonily as she leaned on Joseph's shoulder.After the first time he asked her to be his girlfriend-to which she politely refuted-they never talked about it but they had so many dates that Angela had lost count. They met almost every day, from sharing just a bottle of coke to seeing a movie together or just talking.Just like now, they were dangerously sitting next to each other on a bench and reveling in eachother's warmth as she listened to him talk about his past. Just small talk. But Angela felt herself falling more and more in love with Joseph.She's in love. She's in love with Joseph. Joseph had captured her heart and it was totally unfair that she could try to kiss him and he would respond absentmindedly. Because he's a man and men are very good at… not falling in love.Her lips lost her smile at once that even Joseph noticed."Did I say something wrong?" he asked, also losing his goo
"Good morning".Angela opened her eyes to look into Joseph's happy ones. She felt sore but a good kind of sore. She slept like a baby. Joseph sat very close with his chest naked as he watched her sleep and was happy that he was the first thing her gaze was settled on when she woke up. She's beautiful."Good morning", Angela whispered. Her cheeks tainted red with the memory of all her boldness last night. His broad chest on display, a contributing factor."You slept well", he stated.Angela smiled only shyly. "I made breakfast for you. Breakfast in bed", He beamed proudly. As he gave some space to show the tray on the table.Angela gasped. "Thank you so much". "I'll give you time to clean up", he gave her a peck on the cheek and took the exit.Angela walked into her bathroom to see her toothbrush already layered with toothpaste, waiting patiently for her to use. Joseph had prepared bathing water for her too. He was only trying to be polite. Angela knew this but she would try to bel
"Hey, wasn't expecting you", Angela smiled more to herself as she opened the door for Joseph. Guess she had hit a jackpot unknowingly today. Joseph would make sweet love to her today. She would make sure of it.Joseph fit into her outstretched arms and inhaled deeply. He gave her a kiss on the nose instead and closed the door."You coming from work?", she tried to start a conversation as she took the abandoned remote to change the TV station. Joseph still said nothing. He took off his jacket and hung it, his shoe followed suit."Joseph?" Angela sat on a love seat as she waited expectantly for Joseph to respond. Joseph joined her and gave her another peck on the cheek.He held her hand in his, looking into her eyes like he was looking into his whole world."Let's have sushi together. What do you think?"He just wanted to have her next to him and he didn't want to give her the impression that he only came around for sex."Okay", Angela nodded. She didn't know what thoughts were swim
"Sophia! So nice of you to come", Omar greeted formally."So nice to have us here", she greeted formally as well, hand in hand with Fyodor's.He nodded awkwardly. A smile on Sophia's face looked weird, for it to be directed towards him made it even weirder. Omar turned to a child all of a sudden as he set his gaze on Angela. "Angie sweetie! You look so good!"This time, he respected himself and only went to hold her hand in his. With Joseph glaring by her side, he wouldn't be too surprised if the man threw their friendship into the mud and grabbed him by the collar.Besides, he couldn't afford to create a scene. It was his sister's engagement party afterall. He had to behave himself and be happy!"Thank you. You are not looking bad yourself", Angela commented with a little laugh. She felt somewhat comfortable around Joseph's friends now. "Follow me, there's one little Angel I want you to meet. Just like you, she's an Angel as well", he winked and took her hand in his to take her a
"Brother, she's here already", Ashan phoned Omar as soon as his sister presented herself. She was late again, it was hard to believe, even he couldn't believe it but his sister was late to his engagement party. It was always about her appearance, only that she had spent so much time looking for the right dress as she always believed. He was used to this but it offended him. Amal liked to look so good whenever it came down to attending occasions.His mother had been here since morning, even though the Asghars had promised to take care of all the finances to which they had done, his mother still helped in any way that she could. It was her son after all that was getting married and as a male he ought to be able to take care of some things even if he was poor compared to the Asghars.If not, how else was he supposed to care for such an expensive woman like his dear Nora. He knew that having Nora in his life was more than a blessing. He folded his hands in prayer and thanked his God once
"That's not the way to my house", Angela sounded amused when Joseph took a different turn. She turned to him for an explanation.Joseph tapped the steering as he teased, "Oh really?". Angela raised her eyebrow, with a smile of her own."That's a secret but it's going to be a long ride", he replied with a smirk on his face. Angela hummed and adjusted her seat to rest.Forty minutes later, Angela was greeted by the sight of a house that looked like one that came out of a magazine."We are here", Joseph announced when he had succeeded in parking his car inside the premises."Is this where you live?" "Yes""It's beautiful", she came out of the car and took in her surroundings."Thank you. Wait till you see the interior", Joseph responded proudly.It was no lie. The interior was so beautiful. Angela kept on touching and gasping as she admired everything about the house, the art around, the design. She looked and felt like a child in a candy store. "Woah, I love your house. I love it".
'It is a beautiful morning'Alina sighed and proceeded to open the window, she pushed her head outwards and smiled happily.The sun had risen already with its beautiful rays falling into the room, Alina found it beautiful. She scratched the skin underneath her eyes and looked longingly at the beautiful sun, bathing in the warm light that fell on her skin. She had woken up earlier than usual and cleaning seemed like a better option today. She wanted to wipe the glasses-too much dust had settled on them these past few days. The sink in the bathroom would appreciate a little scrubbing, even the bathroom floor seemed a bit sticky.Alina sighed. She proceeded to fetch the needful to begin her task.As her pregnancy progressed, so did many changes began to occur. She preferred to cover much more skin as she chose baggy hideous clothes, she began to detest company and ate so much. Alina couldn't even stand Ivan these days. Especially when she felt sick, she would raise her voice and yell at
Omar was seeing red. He turned the pages of the document like a mad man. He was busy talking to a business correspondent when his assistant came tumbling in with a file in hand. Omar's talk was cut short as he couldn't help the anxiety that bubbled as he watched his assistant fidget. He stood at once and calmly dropped the phone on the table before turning to his assistant."What has happened?""Sir…"His assistant bit his lips like a child and handed the document over. Omar took his time to read the first two pages before he began to turn the pages as if to tear them apart. As well as the man behind the predicament. That's if he had the man within contact. When he didn't even know his name. Yet. He didn't know yet but he would find out soon.He had to deal with it once and for all. But where would he start? He had been able to gather a few tips but all felt like nothing. He needed to catch the thief and he needed to do it fast. Before, the thief was discrete but not anymore. The
Her feet felt heavy with every step she took afar, her heart was drumming wildly within her ribcage and it felt like she was nauseous. As she ran, all she thought of was Joseph, he'd definitely misunderstood. Fate was cruel. Too cruel. Things were only just beginning to look bright only for this to happen. Angela didn't even care when her legs stopped moving or when her butt cheeks found comfort on the floor. She cried as the turnout of events replayed in her head, mocking her. When Joshua had noticed her unenthusiasm in whatever he had to say, he had proceeded to physical contact and just before she could have acted on his inappropriate manner of touching her, he had forced their lips to merge and enforced a rhythm. Angela regretted her decisions, she shouldn't have acknowledged his message when he'd sent it and even if she had, she ought to have picked a cafe that was packed with customers, not to reserve the most remote seats just so they do not get distracted easily with the da
The next morning, they took a bath together again. Even though Joseph's eyes twinkled with interest he didn't do anything out of question. He still respected the distance between them but he was insanely aware of her naked body throughout. After the bath, he made breakfast while Angela watched.Angela was happy. She was so happy that she couldn't control it when a tear slid down her face because she thought she wouldn't see a day when Joseph would be capable of taking care of his daily needs, talkless of another. Even though she had promised Joshua brunch, she ate a lot. After breakfast, they cleaned the dishes together and that was when she saw it again. That undeniable gaze that said it all. She had noticed it when they were taking a bath and how it didn't disappear when they broke their fast. Joseph would secretly watch her and shyly take his eyes somewhere else when she caught him.She held his hand in hers and smiled before she whispered with all alacrity, “I'm all yours. Foreve
Like a cycle, days turned into weeks and weeks to months but Joseph still didn't get better. He still said close to nothing to Angela. He'd rather spend his time in his study. He had turned lean with time, as he barely ate. He barely associates with anything or anyone apart from his study. Angela has had enough. She didn't care what Joseph thought anymore or what her next actions would incite. Because he was slowly losing it. He needed help. And so, that fateful morning, after preparing a hot soup with easily digestible contents, she marched straight to his study and tried to force her way in but the door was locked. With no other plan but to scream, shout, cry or even use force if she had to, Angela marched towards the familiar corridor. Her next destination was his room, still no Joseph. She forcefully pushed the slide-in door that led to his bathroom and there he sat. Joseph sat like a fetus in its mother's womb as he wept. Like a child.Her eyes lost all the fire and she somewha
“Oh, I've always had a thing for grotesques but for work, it'll always be romance”, the writer chuckled to the camera as he adjusted his sitting position a few more times to look good for his audience.“What inspires your books then?”. Angela read out loud, totally uninterested. Joshua, the writer looked at nothing as he tried to form the right words or what he believes is right. “Love inspires my book”, he smiled to himself like he had just found something no one would ever find. “Love is real. Now, not the kind between siblings or relatives. The simple attraction you feel towards someone you don't even know too well”. He frowned as he continued, Angela almost thought he was already possessed by what made some writers write so well. “That wanton feeling is power. It's so powerful and beautiful and there's a lot to unravel, so yeah. That's why I always find myself writing about it”. He smiled finally, awarding himself marks for a test no one gave him. Angela nodded when she was su
Mr James Wilson was buried on Friday. A very sunny Friday. It was so sunny that Joseph wished that it was raining. They had set up a small gathering, rather too small for a man established as Mr James. But still, many came to pay their respects, some even flew in that morning just to pay their last respect to such a kindhearted man like Mr James. As the priest said the prayers and Mr James' coffin was leveled into the ground, Joseph only prayed to wake up from this dream. He still hadn't accepted the news. He still remembered the conversations he'd shared with his father prior to his surgery. The words he had shared with Angela up to the time he had patiently waited to be reunited with his father once again. Alive. Not dead. But Dr. Murphy's downcast look had ruined it all. Joseph had waited patiently all for nothing. Had believed Angela's words before the surgery, all for his father's death to drive him to the end of time. He had killed his father.No. Not the doctor, at least J
Accuracy. That was definitely Dr Murphy's best word. He was always accurate. He knew the human anatomy like the palm of his hand. As a career man, he was never wrong, and has never lost a single patient during his thirty six years of treating patients. Dr Murphy was literally known as an aldonis in the surgery room.As he scrubbed in and entered the operation room, he said a little prayer to God that he’s kept his nickname this long. Inside the OR, he shook his head vehemently like a boxer ready for battle and whispered “Let's do this” to himself after washing his hands and went in where a nurse came forward to help him wear his sterile gown.A nurse eyed his scrub cap knowingly and turned to share smiles between her colleagues. They all knew Professor Murphy to be present for only very important surgeries and whenever he wore the specific cap on his head, it meant real business. That means the patient on the table would survive no matter the cost. The patient's lucky, she concluded
Morning came, even though Joseph was sore, his whole muscles ached and he had barely even slept, he was glad that an hopeful day had come. A day, he was allowed to dream. That morning Joseph prayed. He hadn't prayed for a long time but he found himself kneeling on the floor as he prayed for a successful procedure.Omar and Fyodor, Angela and Sophia had spent the night at the hospital but Omar had to leave because he had a meeting that couldn't be postponed, he had to be there. But he promised to return as soon as he could.Joseph watched Angela quietly from his side view, he hadn't said anything to her after crying at the garage, now, they were no different from two strangers. Or that was what he thought. She was saying something to Sophia before Sophia left to take a phone call.He watched her as she rubbed her eyes sleepily and sank deeper to the seat, she raised her legs from the ground and folded them to cross one another. These past few days, he had been rough. Very rough with he
Joy. Ultimum joy. Not the kind you feel after bagging a million dollar deal or getting a scholarship but the kind you feel when a ray of sunshine graces your head and suffices your skin with vitamin D, the kind of happiness you feel when the calm breeze grazes the short hairs on your skin. That kind of joy that bubbles from within, that shows itself even when you have a straight face. And that was all the duo felt as they watched intently.Fits of laughter, though weak, rumbled from Mr James chest as he watched closely. Upon his request, his son had transformed his hospital room into a cinema room. The lights turned off, except the lights sourced from the machines attached to him, Mr James relaxed into his bed folded halfway to allow him see the screen comfortably. Joseph was surprised when his father told him where he'd kept all the video clips in his house. He had thought naturally, that clips as such would have been lost. His parents hadn't parted in good times and his mother clea
And there he sat. Like the dutiful son that he will always be. After the little episode at the garage, under the pretense of getting some air, Joseph returned to his only reason for both his unshed and shed tears of agony. Joseph adjusted the duvet that covered his father's body a few times. Afterwards, he'd stand and walk around a few times, he'd grit his teeth a few times, sometimes, torturing his poor nails as well. Only to look outside the window again, rake his hair frustratingly and then sit again. Joseph messed up the routine a few times, willing to do everything to while away time, he only wondered when his father would wake up again. He had to try again.He had to try to convince his father again. He just had to do something. His hands raked his hair again before a sob broke out. A second followed.“Son”, though hoarse, his father’s voice called out. Joseph jerked up immediately and covered the little distance between them.“Big man! Big man!!” His voice was hoarse too. May