A year later....
"No offence but I like to eat raw foods." Zuv spoke to Nora.
"Raw food is fine but not raw spices. Gosh how do you even eat them." Nora turned around serving him bowl of ramen with bowl of black pepper.
"You know Stacey? hot but, I would say her brother his hotter." Zuv spoke savoring his ramen.
"The one with million followers and the one who runs behind you like a puppy? And the one who is stalking me?" Nora reminded Zuv how crazy she was.
"Yeah. She is not all that bad. He works in a bank do you believe that?" Zuv scrolls down the phone.
"She almost stole our keys, what part of it is fine and his brother is normal and better." Nora is amazed how Zuv doesn't notice red flag waving at his face.
"That's the difference between you and a mind of immortal. How do you even remember a normal person? That guy who went to bank? And ate home made bread for dinner?" Zuv looked in disappointed and made an extreme disgusted face.
"Understood. You know, you have changed a lot these days. And you could have still lived a normal life." Nora gets up from the table and takes out water.
"Haha it all worked out. That reminds me of your fated." Zuv smirks.
"He is not my fated!!." Nora bangs water bottle on table.
"It is still a fact. Anyway I don't want to argue about that. I saw him yesterday." Zuv spoke looking at Nora.
"So? Am I supposed to care." Nora cleans the kitchen in frustration.
"Ahem! Actually yeah. You are in for a surprise. To be honest now he looks more like his personality." Zuv smiles and slides his bowl to the sink.
"Backstabbing and a jerk. I don't know he pulled it off." Nora spoke.
"Erm. You will know when you see it." Zuv makes a weird face.
"Whatever. When will you be back?" Nora asks.
"Leo cancelled a party so as soon as possible I want to go on a date with Emmet." Zuv packs his stuff.
" It's the first day and are you seriously that busy." Nora asks.
"I'm a heartbroken guy who needs a girlfriend or something like that. I could find a guy for you." Zuv leans in.
"Ugh cut the crap. I will kill anyone who lays an eye on me." Nora huffs in cute anger.
"Nora. Whatever you do, know that things will get better." Zuv hugs her warmly. And kisses her leaves.
"It's been hundred years and you haven't gotten any better." Nora scoffs.
"I'm a changed man Nora." Zuv smiles.
The first day of college in business field. Nora has only one goal by this point, open a café and stay there forever gazing at stars and never ending beach. Working as a manager in a café she is learning the ropes. Mike is pursuing his family business and balancing fun at the same time. By mutual agreement, continuing their relationship would lead to toxic love environment in future and staying as friends would be best at the time- they split up.
Anna continued her studies in abroad. And Allan and his mother took a long vacation, Nora refused to talk before they left the place. Zuv and Nora decided to be room-mates. An unusual family bond grew between them.
And Zuv had explained a lot of things about the ring how it came to existence to how it works. Firstly ring itself was an ancient relic in his time. One day he and his girlfriend stumbled upon it when they were walking around the forest. It helped them live longer in the dimension, which is now destroyed. Days spent in the other dimension was only few seconds in their life. Was their initial conclusion he did say he could be wrong.
He didn't go into details of why he broke up with his lover. He said staying there for too long had made changes in his body and he might be immortal that's hard to believe. And Allan is pretty much my destiny and the ring can heighten one's sense making it supernatural of sort. The ring always tries to protect the owner and brings loved one closer. I am supposed to have a super natural power but I don't sense anything. Were dream part of it?
I drove to attend first day of my college filled with a lot of thoughts. Erica showed up and dragged me to her club. And there's Mike a familiar face, though we told each other that we should be friends, things are still awkward.
The memory of him in my teens is still fresh in my head, it was august he was popular and I don't know why he took interest in me. He practically dragged me out of my room. And always showed love which wasn't my thing, I was grateful. If there was a romantic story it would be us. All the time we shared were beautiful. But I had closed off my heart to the point I didn't want to be loved. If I had never met Allan would I ever fall in love Mike or was I already in love in my own way?
"Nora refill please." Zuv passed his ice cream cup, going on about his day.
It was almost closing time.
"I thought I saw a familiar face. Look outside." Zuv popped out of the chair.
"Keep it down." I spoke and looked outside, a tall muscular man in his gym clothes talking on phone in front a car.
"You know I don't remember all of your hot friends right?" I spoke to Zuv.
"So you agree he is hot." Zuv sat down smiled eating his ice-cream.
"Is this your date trap again?", I asked.
"Ugh you are such a dumbo, look it's him." Zuv got a brain freeze.
"Who?" I spoke and took another look at him familiar huh yeah something does feels familiar, face?
"Oh no! He turned away, or is he talking about someone else. Erm no else stands out. The car yeah the shit its him."
"He is crossing the road." Zuv keeps watch.
"Damn he is headed this way." I(Naomi) literally got a panic attack, what should I be focusing on his face or his muscles or the way everyone is staring at him.
"You! take his order." I shoved my apron on Zuv's face.
"What?" Zuv looked at me leaving the counter and sitting in excluded spot in the café.
Allan walked in and everyone became silent for a second. He looked at the empty counter. He had this aura that made everyone go silent and take a glance at him. A weird silence and admiration ran in the air.
Zuv stared at me and got his apron on.
"One iced tea and chocohazel cake slice." Allan handed over his card.
"You back in town?" Zuv asked.
"huh?" Allan started blankly.
"Ugh. No respect for elders I see." Zuv knocked on his forehead.
"It's you!" Allan was surprised, and smiled a little.
"You look so different." Allan spoke.
"You are the one to talk. You changed so much that your lover didn't couldn't identify you." Zuv took a look at me.
"My love? Who?" Allan asked. And Zuv realized he was in trouble and Nora wouldn't hesitate to kill him.
"Do you have a lover? I know a lot of girls and boys who are single. I could set you up on a date." Zuv tries to put together a drink sensing intense glare from me as he looks at me with side eye.
"Not necessary." Allan speaks in an awkward tone.
"There you go. Made with love." Zuv gave him the order staring.
"It's not what I...., Nevermind." Allan started at his order mocha and an ice cream. He smiled and left after paying.
"I can see girls taking picture of him, aren't you going to stop?" Zuv asked me.
"shut up" I pulled apron from him.
"Ouch, that was rash."
"so how is it to see your love after a long time. I can for sure this is a different guy. Just look his muscles. Boy grew up after messing with my life's feelings." Zuv kept talking.
"Are you done? I'm leaving." I replied being unable to manage my heartbeat, Meeting him felt dangerous.
Next day in the club.
"Guys guess who is back?" Erica spoke with excitement.
And I know whom she would drag into this club and introduce, my heart is already beating so loud in pain. I can hear it, if I'm not mistaken the person next to me can hear it too.
"Allan is back!" Erica screams in excitement. And everyone joins in and screams as they admire his looks everyone looks interested in him. Mike looks down and gets back to his phone. And I tried to maintain a plain face. These feeling I can't control are tearing me apart, He used me and betrayed me and yet my heart yearns for him.
"Hello" he greets everyone, he has changed his smile was no where to be seen, his eyes looked sorrow yet attractive, his body and height looked like he put in a lot of work to it. And I turned my gaze away with mixed feeling and saw Mike looking at me for a second and turned away. I screwed up even though we aren't in a relationship.
That evening I decided whatever the situations is I'm never going back to how things were.
"Zuv set me up on a date." I asked, Zuv broke the glass.
"ugh, you are such a drama queen. You will be paying for this." I got annoyed by his reaction.
"I'm just surprised, and again I knew this would happen someday, your heart going back and forth with Mike and Allan, one day you would want neither of them." Zuv replied.
"Stop analyzing my love life." I sighed.
"Alright, whom should I set you with? Casual or serious? A nerd or a cool guy." Zuv asks.
"Doesn't a nerd like it serious?" I asked.
"How funny! Sweety, nerds like it casual these days, and cool guys are into serious ones. I know a dancer who is cool but a little reserved, girls go crazy for him and bonus he is hot." Zuv settles in on a person.
"Alright, do your best." I said. Sometimes meeting new people can shift perspective or at least distract you for a while. No more ghost hunting or love triangle.
"I heard Allan doesn't ghost hunt anymore." Zuv bought Allan up.
"These days you can't help it right? You have to bring him up." I grumbled.
"Well we are trying to get over him. To be honest I was going to ship you guys but I got to know something." Zuv toned his voice down.
"Spill it, I know you brought him up to tell me about whatever you found out." I asked.
"That's true, you have to know this all girls are over him very since he came back. Those jawline, ripped body, tall and sweet sad voice and i don't care attitude is so sexy." Zuv started stanning.
"Someone has a crush." I spoke in a plain voice, as if I couldn't care. I had been seeing him with bunch of different girls all the time, were there so many girls in this small town. Where are they even coming from.
"I can't say I don't. But that's not the point. I went to this bar and saw a girl all over him, he was going along and then they kissed. Guess who that girl is- Kira, the most beautiful girl in this town famous for modelling, music and dance. On top of that she is freaking hot. Not only that, I heard she is transferring to your college. Isn't that cute." Zuv went on to be a teen girl.
"so?" I glared.
"I feel sorry for you, you don't stand a chance." Zuv ran away before I could throw anything quick on his face.
He knows it bothers me and it's undeniable if that comes true. All that shit about true love is irritating, I want to yell and cry but I feel like a stone locking it's true self away, shielding itself from the cruel joke called love.
It's a struggle to sleep sometimes when I'm alone, every shadow and every sound freaks me out, I stare at my phone until my eyes are strained and my ears starts to buzz, then I have no choice but to live a horror show.
I closed my eyes all I could see is I'm running in the forest with little too no light, carefully placing the feet with less pressure on it, enough to take the next step. I turn around and Allan is right next to me running along holding my hand and our eyes meet as pale moon light falls on his skin, so beautiful I could forget everything else.
He pulls me closer and we crash down a slope, my lips are scratched and my hands are bleeding, something chaotic is happening but all my focus is on him, like a fan meeting their celebrity crush for the first and being mesmerized by them. I know I should focus but damn him, I just want to kiss him. And I did without hesitation, he was surprised and stayed still for a second and then pulled me closer and continued the kiss. That was the worst nightmares I had in ages.
What the hell was I thinking kissing him first? No I should push him away even he kisses me first! What the... That's just a dream.
Classes are boring and most of them just stare at me and doesn't speak a word. Being an outcast sucks especially when you have a group project and no one wants to be in your team,
"Am I late? Can I come in?" A boy asked at the door, looks innocent enough but something's off.
"You are 10 minutes early for the next class." Lecturer replied calling him in.
"Sorry!" he smiles cutely and everyone's at Awe. He sat in the middle row after class was over he approached me.
"Did you find a group to join in yet?" He asked with introduction again with that smile.
"Not yet." I replied.
"We have an absentee and you and me. Let's be a group." He proposed.
"....Sure." I answered as I looked around everyone doing their own thing.
"Your number and email address?" he gave his phone and I saved it.
"I'll text you bye!" he left with little to less conversation.
I left for my club meeting apparently there is a big announcement. I walked to the club room and it was chaotic and people were openly taking pictures and going live, I was confused for a second. Erica walked behind me.
"Alright time's up, get moving, we have a meeting to finish!" Erica yelled and the crowd started to slowly clear out. And I see a girl who looked like she came straight from fashion show, and next to her is Allan in all black, perfect!
Both look like they are in a movie than a being student. With no introductions I knew who she was and their possible relationship.
"So guys, our club is hosting an event for public awareness and we have been given permission to host it with IAG." Erica screams in excitement at the end.
"IAG as in I am god? That cult?" one of the club member asks.
"They might be, but they are widely know to be public friendly. Nothing weird, I hope." Erica answers with less confidence.
"That was assuring!" club member replied.
"We have a lot to prepare and host, lets divide the tasks. Every senior gets a junior to work with. Where is Mike? Gosh he is so busy." Erica continued with her work.
I was told to gather all required items and maintaining bills.
They started to discuss, and behind me there's the conversation I didn't want to hear.
"Are you free tonight?", Kira asks. Allan replied without using words, that's even more frustrating as I cannot hear his answer.
"My place after dinner then?", Kira speaks and I'm loosing concentration.
"I might be late." He replied. Wow so it's true.
"You have the key, you can enter whenever you want." Kira speaking in a soft and giggly voice.
"Is that okay?" Allan asks.
"yeah, but you have to sleep next to me, I need my body pillow." she speaks. And my brain shuts down, I don't want to hear them.
"Did you hear that?" Kevin, senior whom I'm teamed up with asks.
I nodded.
"Man to have a girlfriend like that, he is lucky." Kevin sighs, and works on his laptop.
The event day.
Everything went well, and Erica was exhausted and proud. It was getting late, and we were cleaning up, Kevin gave me some stuff to give back to Iag cult. I walked to their store room and kept the things, it was creepy as expected and I walked out quickly. I stepped out and there was no light I stepped back in the storage, and dug up the torch with 2 percent on phone, I wasn't too scared but I wanted to rush.
I stepped out and started walking where there was marking on tree for the direction, and heard a growl. I turned around I saw a wolf like animal standing, I got scared immediately and I started to walk with shaky legs and picked up a little speed.
"what are you doing here?" Allan popped out of nowhere. I screamed and the torch fell down.
"Are you alright," He asked, I turned around to see I could see anything, my ears were on high alert.
"I'm ok." I spoke.
"You were running." He spoke, honestly I'm barely standing here.
"It was dark and just some imagination. Probably." I bent down holding my legs.
"why are you here?" I asked.
"I came to check on light, and you are going in the wrong direction." He replied.
"Is that so? Well thanks." I turned around and thinking is this how our first conversation is going to be? Damn
I walked a few steps, realizing that I didn't pick up the torch from the ground, and I raised my head- that thing was much closer now with red eyes staring at me and whole forest went quite. And I stood their without moving a muscle
"Hey, you forgot your torch! Do you want me to walk you back? It's so quiet here." Allan kept talking to me, I couldn't reply.
It started to shake its body and I started to see the world in slow motion I grabbed Allan's hand and glanced at it and saw it was putting it's leg forward and it's about to growl and I started to run with my full strength and it growls so loudly and Allan turns back as he runs holding my hand. It's just like that dream, but a little less romantic and more scary shit.
"Slope" I spoke. Not being able to finish the sentence.
We could hear it, running through the woods and I started to look for that slope we went through. It was getting closer and we were wounded.
It got hit by a bird and Allan pulled me closer and we fell down in a slope leading the fall to below the tree masking the spot. He quickly cover it up with a tree branch. Not exactly what happened in my dream. We could hear the growl and walking away after rounding the area twice.
After a while in silence he took out his phone and contacted his friends. They arrived with police and ruled it as someone pulling a prank on us, and they did take it seriously as the cult was involved and a girl got chased.
I washed up all the scars and sat drinking water and noticed how warm my hand was holding Allan until everyone arrived.
Things went back to normal pretty soon, and Allan and I went back to how we were supposed to be, like strangers. It was a summer break when things took a slight turn and this time I was standing alone inside a haunted house scared, hurt and nowhere to run.
Let me dial back a little, it all started when Zuv got a proper girlfriend Crystal, a business women who is actually a cool person and way out of his league. Although Zuv things started with a hookup, Zuv found her to be different and unusual.
"Do I need to hear your hookup story again?" Nora asked.
"Yes, and it's not a hookup story. It's a tale of a beautiful romance. The night I met her her lavish brown hair felt like a " Zuv started his story.
"like a rope?" Nora cuts him off.
"Anyway we are going to her sister's wedding, pack up." Zuv sat straight with a proud look.
"Yeah wedding. why am I invited?" Nora asks squinting her eyes.
"Because you need distraction from Allan and Mike. just look at you trashing all the guys I set date on." Zuv nods his head side ways.
"That's not true, and the guys you set up with were trash. One guy wanted me to put on heavy makeup and the other went on about his gym life. And one more guy begged me to call his ex-girlfriend to pretend that I'm madly in love with him. I can't believe you picked them up for me." Nora sighs.
"Well, they were all handsome?" Zuv looked at her blankly.
"At what time are we leaving" Nora stood up.
"11am in the morning. I would only recommend Allan to you he is hot and your fated." Zuv yells walking away.
"You don't mind a few scars on your face while dancing with your new crush , do you?" Nora asks smiling wickedly.
Zuv laughs and runs off the door.
It was a small wedding around 60-80 people in total, the whole venue was decorated in white and little bit of lavender flowers and the open space facing ocean made it impossible to fall in love, you don't need to spend millions on wedding to make it beautiful, there was no chaos. everyone enjoyed their conversation, soothing live music which took turns and fresh dessert to make your whole body feel at easy.
"This wedding is the best decision I have ever made" Nora smiled brightly relaxing on the chair as Zuv came back from chatting with his new friends.
"Yeah, the best one. Just look at Crystal I have never seen her this happy. It sure is a blessing." Zuv takes a bite in my cake.
"Smell of a freshly baked cookie, I'm going put on weight at this rate." Nora speaks admiring new cookies on the dessert section. She walks towards the counter and Zuv follows.
"Usually people have ex-boyfriend right, I'm curious who is her type.." Zuv wonders as he looks at Crystal talking to some men.
"Someone who bakes cookies I guess, look at all the dessert." Nora takes a plate and put some on her plate.
"How come all the colors look good on her, but she like black though. I had always seen her in black, now looking her in different colors is making me blind.
"Can I get tomorrow's menu? I wonder what's going to be there, now that they have covered almost everything." Nora takes a bite and smiles widely and starts grinning.
Both of them continued to talk their own things, Crystal who saw them thought they were in a deep conversation.
They night ended with Nora eating to the brim and Zuv being mesmerized by Crystal.
"Hey Zuv could you do me a favor?" Crystal asked.
"Yes, tell me." Zuv stands up.
"I left a note for my speech in your room, could you bring that for me. I'm getting held up here a lot." Crystal asks.
"Sure, no problem. It's on the pink table right? I remember you keeping it there." Zuv asks.
"Yes, thank you so much." Crystal speaks.
"You owe me a dance, I'm not doing it for free." Zuv winks.
"Of course. We can dance all night." Crystal smiles and walks away.
"Sweet!" Zuv talks to himself.
"Come on, put that wine down." Zuv turns around to Nora.
"What did the wine do?" Nora blinks as Zuv takes her glass away.
"We are on a mission. We need to rescue the letter and give it back to my dear Crystal." Zuv speaks.
"You sound like Allan. He was always like that, we need to solve this and that." Nora speaks about Allan and stands up and walks with Zuv.
"Crystal just you wait, we will be dancing in no time." Zuv speaks as he hold Nora's hand.
"I had so much fun with Allan, it never felt boring. This one time he and I went to his friend's house. We performed a ritual, somehow ended up being tied together in a room, moon looked just like this from the window" Nora speaks with her eyes filled with tears.
"You must be drunk, I have never seen you talk about him. I wonder if all true love is fated to end." Zuv thinks of his own love as the walk the hallway filled with silence and cold breeze.
"Maybe, but that night when I saw him hurt made me hurt even though I had it worse. And that inner voice screaming at me to freeze that moment was priceless. why did he had to keep things from me. Maybe I would have helped. Now it's too late isn't it. He has changed hasn't he ?" Nora speaks her heart, truth hidden under her self worth.
"You know it's not true. Love is twisted, you are a good person, whether it's Allan or someone else, I'm sure your heart will be healed in time." Zuv grabs the note with smile no longer on his face, reminded of the past he wanted to escape badly.
"I hurt Mike just as badly as Allan did to me. Maybe even worse. I'm no good person." Nora sits down.
"That's not true, you don't know how powerful curse is, Mike will also understand it someday. Lie down for a bit, you will feel better." Zuv offers some water.
"Yeah." Nora closes her eyes and sleeps on the bed.
Zuv leaves and locks the door which could be opened either way. And gives Crystal the note and joins in the celebration thinking about the pain he had went through in all those days alone trapped in his own decision.
Nora fell asleep remembering the nights they hung out. A knock on the door over and over woke her up. Her blurry eyes searched lock to open. She didn't have the energy to walk, she kept falling. And opened the door, no one was around. She stood there holding the door tightly and swinging her body, focusing in and out. She saw Mike standing far away, and Nora walks stumbling along the way, hitting her body multiple times and follows him through the hallway. He turns around and it wasn't Mike , he looked at her and went the other way.
Nora looks at the house in front of her with a door open and sees Allan and his new girlfriend inside it, she hesitates to go in. Allan turns around and calls Nora, Nora smiles and walks into the house.
Locks herself in, the haunted house that no one in twenty years had stepped foot in.
Crystal's mother always said this to her when she was a child, "If you see a black house with red door, and someone you know calls you, even if it's me don't go in. You will be trapped in there forever."