Chapter 12 - Chapter 11

@International_Pen

((( CLAIRE )))

I smiled at the idea of helping out someone who needs somebody to talk to. The night was quiet and my heart felt perfectly cheerful as I approached the car.

I was about to speak when my feet slipped on the small pebbles at the parking space and fell on the ground butt first.    

"Ouch." How clumsy…

((( ZHIO )))

At last, some quiet place. It was what I needed.

My head throbbed but thankfully the tears had stopped. I closed my eyes and tried to block the memories from coming back again. How I wished something could make me forget my miseries. Something to live for, especially now that a person dear to me was gone.

I wiped the wetness off my cheeks and attempted to relish the peace.  

The chirping of cicadas…

The gentle rustling of trees...

The cool night air brushing against my nape…

Until a loud thud and shuffling of small rocks destroyed the quiet. I swiftly turned my head around to see who or what it was. My body moved instinctively when I saw it was a woman on the ground. She has already stood up and was collecting her things from the dirt when I opened the car door. Three pieces of white roses remained on the ground which I picked right after I disembarked.

"This must be yours," I held out the flowers.

She smiled out of the blue and panic suddenly rose up to me. Did she recognize me? My face has been all over the news for a month already.

"I was really about to approach you," she said.

Why?

I gave her a bitter smile. She really did recognize me?! I wanted to cut the conversation short and drive off somewhere again but my hands suddenly reached out for hers to give her the flowers back.

"Those are for you. There must be a reason why I slipped and you picked them up. You looked upset when I first saw you so I want to give them to you," she said "It should remind you that everyone in the world has their own problems to deal with too."

I was confused so I called out. She played deaf to my call and continued walking. Without thinking, I ran after her and grabbed her by the arm to face me. I withdrew my hands immediately when I noticed her staring at it with concern,

"Hey…"

"Take it," she looked back at the roses.  

"They weren't mine," I replied coldly like I usually do to people.

She smiled again and this time grabbed my arm to drag me inside the building. I was suddenly like a child who blindly followed his playmate and allowed her to do to me whatever she liked to for the sake of innocent fun.

@International_Pen