Mag-log inLiora. "Do you two know each other?" I asked, curiosity flickering in my eyes. I didn't know why I decided to ask. Maybe because of the thinly veiled tension that pulsed between the two? Or, was it because of how they kept on staring at each other?... yeah. That. Coupled with how they resembled each other. For a moment, at my question, Soren froze, his hand, which was holding a folk, faltering, but only briefly. And, watching all that, then adding my earlier doubts, I was halfway convinced that my doubts were real. "What do you think?" After a moment of silence, Soren asked, his features straight and all composed, giving nothing away. For a moment, my resolve wavered, and I began questioning my own logic. Coming to think of it, maybe I was just overthinking, or maybe there was something the two weren't saying. Either way, did it even matter? Thinking about it was clearly pointless. Besides, it was not like I knew much about Aunt Astra either. For the years that we had kn
Liora. "How do you know her?" The fork was a few inches from my lips when Soren asked, his voice deep and unreadable, and I froze, just momentarily, before a smile bloomed on my lips. Slowly, I placed the spoon back on the plate before I turned to face him, my eyes watering as memories from years ago resurfaced in my mind. "She and I have known each other for close to two decades now," I whispered, my voice all shaky. "Two decades." He wore a distant face as he repeated, as if he was trying to figure something out. Well, he also looked intrigued, and I took it as if he wanted to know more about me, my past and such. So, I went on. "She is kind and loving. If I were to make a wish, I would want to be her daughter in the next life, maybe?" I whispered, then I laughed at how silly that sounded. "We met under very strange circumstances," I added, a mocking smile tagging at the corners of my lips. Before, my life in the orphanage was genuinely horrible, but that was all.
Liora. "What are we celebrating this time?" Aunt Astra asked, her eyes moving to Soren, who stood a few meters away, looking out of place. "Love?" before I could respond, she asked, and heat flooded my cheeks. Were we truly celebrating love? That sounded... warm? The thought itself had me blushing. "A lot of things!" After recomposing myself, I added, my features softening as I recalled all the good things that had happened to me recently. There was the baby, the graduation, the job, and maybe.... Love.. The thought had my hand immediately flying to my chest, as if trying to steady it. " This is Soren...." At the end, I couldn't bring myself to say all those things to Aunt Astra, and instead, I introduced Soren, my eyes softening as I looked at him. The fact that he had decided to follow me all the way in didn't fail to surprise me. Did he care about me... that much? "My husband," I added, and at the introduction, sounding so warm, so real, my cheeks heated up,
Liora "Do you like me?" " Did you buy me a ring and the flowers because you were jealous of the attention that I was getting at the company? For a moment, those words burned at the tip of my tongue, but in the end, they choked back, failing to come out. Inwardly frustrated, I tightly clenched my fists before I weakly leaned back on the seat, utterly defeated. They were just a few words, and yet, I couldn't find the courage to say them! "Are you okay?" Noticing my movements, Soren asked, his brows furrowed in concern, and at that moment, I only wanted to smack my forehead. His eyes were on me, unmoving, and now, I needed to say something, and desperately so, and yet, I didn't know what to say. Just as I was about to pass out from frustration, I caught sight of a familiar street, and my eyes brightened. "Soren!" I called out, my voice soft and light, as a wave of nostalgia washed over me. "Can you pull over?" I asked, my voice almost shaking. "I would love to vis
Liora. "Get in." The moment I walked out, Soren's car was parked a few metres from the entrance, and when he saw me, he lowered the glass window before he informed, and I wordlessly got in. "Hi." Now seated in the car, I greeted, my eyes searching for his. If it were in the past, I wouldn't have dared to greet him or speak when I wasn't spoken to. But now, things were different between. We were freer and slightly more open with each other, and surprisingly, the usually quiet Soren now talked, not too much, just a few words here and there. But that was something. Also, he seemed to be kinder, gentler and more patient with than back when we had just started... this.. After spending months with him, I had come to learn something about him. He wasn't as cold and as unfeeling as he appeared. He had emotions, and there were occasions when he showed emotions, and that was whenever we talked about fashion and garment designing. It was like he would transform into a different
Liora. "It's been a week now since you started receiving tulips." She reminded me, shooting me a suspicious look. "So, tell me, dear Liora, who is the mystery guy?" She asked, and to that, my heart missed beats, for obvious reasons, of course. "Ever since he started sending flowers, most of your admirers in the company were discouraged!" She grumbled, displeasure written all over her face. " You are such a beautiful girl! You deserve all the pretty flowers the world has to offer." She looked all serious as she said that, and for a moment, I was lost for words. " Why would you limit yourself to only receiving his flowers? Our office needs to have different vases of different varieties of flowers in every corner. The mood in this company is already so depressing!" " We need something to light things up, more scents, more colours and more life! " She gestured, wearing a dreamy face, and I shook my head helplessly as I listened to her. " Tell me who he is, and I am going
Liora.A sob escaped from my lips as I picked up the gift.I expected to see a necklace, maybe made of gold, silver, or even moonstone, you know? a super expensive one, probably worth more than I had spent in my twenty plus years of life.....I had also expected to see a bangle, priceless, timeless
Liora. "Thank you." I whispered, my voice shaking with disbelief as I took the gift box from Soren's outstretched hand. A gift? My hands almost shook as I held the box, disbelief and curiosity contouring my features. My mind reeled with so many questions and thoughts that I felt like I was sp
Liora."Huuuhu!" His body stiffened next to mine, and I gasped."Sorry." The words stumbled out as I let go, too quickly. You would think I was electrocuted.In a moment of impulse and excitement, I had hugged Soren, and now? Now I didn't know what to do.I took another step back, desperately creat
Liora.It was the second day of the domestic workers being away.I woke up feeling quite energised, and from across the bedroom mirror, when I was stepping out of the room for breakfast, I caught my reflection. My cheeks were rosy, almost glossy, and there was a hint of life in my eyes. Clearly, I







