Saturday morning dawned bright and lazy, a day to unwind and shake off the week's stress. Annabelle decided to pay a visit to her friend Mirabel, something she hadn't done in a while. "I hope she's not angry with me," she said to herself as she left her home.
About 45 minutes later, Annabelle arrived at Mirabel's house. She took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. Nanny opened the door and set her eyes on Annabelle, a broad smile illuminating her face.
"It's so nice to see you, Annabelle! Welcome," Nanny said.
"Good morning, Nanny. How have you been?" Annabelle asked.
"I've been good. Come in, come in," Nanny replied, ushering Annabelle into the house.
Annabelle entered and took a seat on the couch. "Hold on, I'll see if Mirabel's done having her bath," Nanny said, leaving the parlor to Mirabel's room.
Nanny knocked on the door, and Mirabel opened it. "Yes, Nanny?" Mirabel asked.
"Annabelle's here to see you," Nanny replied.
"Oh, I see," Mirabel said, heading to the parlor.
When Mirabel entered the room, Annabelle attempted to hug her, but Mirabel shifted backward. "Come on, Mirabel, don't be like that," Annabelle said.
"Why shouldn't I? I mean, you haven't called or visited me in like two or so weeks now. When I call, you're always unavailable or busy or doing something else," Mirabel replied.
"Calm down, Mirabel. I've been busy, believe me. I had it in mind to visit you, but I couldn't find the time. Please forgive me," Annabelle said, grabbing Mirabel's arm. "Please, Mirabel..."
Mirabel smiled and said, "I was just joking. It's so nice to see you." She hugged Annabelle, and the two friends held each other for a while before pulling away to talk.
As they sat down, Nanny said, "You two confuse me a lot. There's no telling what you two will do next." Annabelle and Mirabel laughed, and Mirabel replied, "Well, that's our style."
Nanny smiled and said, "Well, I'll go make breakfast." She left the sitting room and headed to the kitchen.
"So, Annabelle, how are things? How's life?" Mirabel asked.
"Well, life's been great. Work has been hectic, but I'm sailing through , I just finished my second book, and it will be launched very soon," Annabelle said.
"Wow, that's great news! Congratulations," Mirabel replied.
"Thanks... but I've missed you a lot," Annabelle said.
"Yeah, me too. Those two weeks felt like eternity without you," Mirabel said with a smile.
"Oh, now you're just messing with me," Annabelle teased. "What do you mean?"
"How's two weeks without me eternity when Vicky's with you? I can bet you barely even thought about me," Annabelle joked.
"Come on, Belle, don't be that way. I really missed you, and believe me, I think about you all the time. Why would I call someone if I don't think about that person? Think about it," Mirabel said.
"Just kidding, so how's Vicky and your relationship coming along? How many times have you guys kissed?" Annabelle asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Mirabel's face turned bright red as she replied, "Come on, Belle, what sort of question is that?"
"What? You're dating, so what's the big idea? I'm sure you both would have kissed more than ten or so times. Am I right?" Annabelle asked, making Mirabel's blush deepen.
"Well... we've only done that once, and that was on our date," Mirabel said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"What!" Annabelle exclaimed. "You must be joking, girl. Once? That's so sad..."
Mirabel's face fell, and she said, "Well, we've been busy, and we don't have time for kisses and stuff."
"Well, you better make the most of your time. Who knows? Vicky might turn around and kiss another lady," Annabelle joked, making Mirabel's face turn pale.
Mirabel's mind swiftly imagined Vicky kissing Rose right in front of her. Annabelle noticed her friend's sudden change in countenance and said, "Mirabel, I was just joking. Don't be too serious."
Mirabel didn't respond, still lost in her thoughts. Annabelle pulled her arm and asked, "Mirabel, are you alright? Mirabel..."
"Yeah..." Mirabel finally replied.
"Are you okay?" Annabelle asked.
"Yes, I'm okay. I was just thinking about something, that's all," Mirabel said.
After a moment of silence, Mirabel cleared her throat and said, "Erm... Belle..."
"Yes, Mirabel?" Annabelle replied, dropping her phone.
"Well, I want to ask you something," Mirabel said.
"Go on, I'm here," Annabelle replied, dropping her phone.
"Well, I... I was thinking about this romance series where a woman falls in love with her employee, and they start dating. But then, her employee's ex returns, seeking a job in her company. Knowing that the lady is her employee's ex, she still employs her to work in her company. Do you think she made the right decision, and how do you think the tale will end?"
"Hmm... well, it's a two-way thing. For me, I think the woman, what's her name?" Annabelle asked.
"Erm... Tira... ra... Tirabel," Mirabel replied, stammering.
"Wow, what a name! And the guy's name?" Annabelle asked.
"Erm... Yicky," Mirabel replied, unsure of what she just said.
"Okay, so Tirabel allowed yicky's ex to work in the same environment with him. Well, for me, she made a huge mistake. Allowing her boyfriend's ex to work in her company is a big blunder. What if those old feelings sprout out? What if he falls in love with her all over again?"
"But Vicky said to trust him. He isn't going to let that happen," Mirabel said.
"I knew you were talking about yourself," Annabelle said with a smile. "How did you know?"
"Because those names were weird, plus you just said Vicky, plus you don't watch romance movies,plus .."
"Fine," Mirabel interrupted. "It's my story. I allowed Rose to work in my company because Vicky insisted. He told me to trust him, and I just had to give in."
"Look, Mirabel, I honestly don't know what to say. But since Vicky says you should trust him, I think you should. Although having Rose in the same space as him can be really tempting, but if he says it's cool and he isn't going to give in, then you should trust him. Everything will be alright. Just breathe," Annabelle said.
"Are you sure?" Mirabel asked.
"Yes, I'm sure. Nothing bad will happen. But if it were in a movie, obviously yicky is going to give in, and then he and his ex will run away, and Tirabel will be left all alone," Annabelle joked.
"Really, Belle?" Mirabel asked, laughing.
"Just kidding," Annabelle said with a grin.
Just then, Annabelle's phone rang. "Belle, who's Jake?" Mirabel asked, seeing the caller ID.
"Erm... he's just a friend," Annabelle replied.
"Are you sure?" Mirabel asked, winking at her.
"Yes... I have to take this," Annabelle said, leaving the sitting room.
"Congrats in advance," Mirabel said with a broad smile, referring to Annabelle's book launch.
Rose sat in her hotel room, fidgeting with her phone as she stared blankly at the wall. She was restless, her mind racing with thoughts of Vicky. She had been thinking about calling him all day, wondering if she should reach out and try to talk to him. After a few moments of deliberation, Rose finally decided to take a chance. She dialed Vicky's number, her heart pounding in her chest as she waited for him to answer.
The phone rang several times before Vicky picked up. "Hello?" he said, his voice neutral.
Rose's eyes widened as she heard his voice. "Vicky... hi," she said, trying to sound calm.
Vicky's tone changed slightly as he realized who was on the other end of the line. "Rose. What do you want? And how on earth did you get my number?" he asked.
"Well, Lucy gave it to me. I thought since we'll be working in the same place now, we should try and fix..." Rose began.
"Rose, the only reason you're working there is to earn money. You yourself said that. So, please don't ever call me again. Goodbye," Vicky said, ending the call.
"Hello, Vicky..." Rose said, realizing he had ended the call. She dropped her phone and lay flat on her bed. "Well, I will have enough time to see and talk to you now, Vicky. How long will you resist me? You'll eventually give in," she said, laughing as she joyfully hit her arms on the bed.
However, her laughter was disrupted by the vibration of her phone. "Did Vicky call me back?" she said, picking up the call without checking the caller ID. "Hello," she said joyfully.
"Hey, darling... it's been quite a while," a voice said.
Rose's hands trembled as she realized who the caller was. "Rufus..." she stammered.
"Yes, baby. Don't tell me you've forgotten all about me. Well, I just called to tell you that you can't hide forever. I will find you, and when I do, your pictures and your name will be dragged through the mud. And then we'll be reunited once again... just like the old days, right, darling?" Rufus said.
Rose quickly ended the call and rushed to lock the door. She dropped down to the floor, trembling and weeping. "I totally forgot about him... what do I do?" she whispered.