A huge flame of mortification whacked Callan in the face when Orla ignored him, but he quickly veiled the spurting hurt before it became visible in his countenance.He contemplated walking away and staying back to give the cat to her but he couldn't go back. He was already in front of her and he got the cat for her, it didn't matter if she wanted to see him or not. He had to give her what he got for her.Orla was oblivious to the cat that was behind Callan. Though her eyes were on him, her vision was fuzzy from unshed tears and she could barely see that he came with a cat.With her fingers, she brushed the flowers off her hair and dress and rose to her feet. She looked at Callan again and this time, she glimpsed the cat. A small smile popped up on Callan's face when he noticed Orla's eyes were on the cat behind him, he walked closer and towered above her."Orla?" He dubbed tranquilly."What do you want from me?" She responded harshly, obviously not interested in the cat. She was a ca
This chapter is dedicated to all Writers who lost their lives in the course of writing their books. You will always be remembered for good.Keep resting in peace, Heroes."Mr Barlowe, do you have any contribution before we round off the meeting?" Rosa asked, glancing towards the direction her boss was seated. He had been blank since the beginning of the meeting, he hardly heard a word they said.Callan stared back at her, stunned. He shook his head and the corner of his lips twitched in a small smile. "That will be all for now."Rosa and the board members exchanged ungratified glares, that shouldn't be all. He hadn't even said anything since the inception of the meeting and there he was, telling them that would be all for now.She knew something was wrong with her Boss, but she didn't know what it was. He had been like that for days now—lost in his thoughts, contributing less to the discussions she had with him, staring into space whenever she talked to him."But sir, you haven't spo
"Your wife is fine, Mr Barlowe." The Doctor said clearly without an ounce of doubt in his voice.Callan was relieved. Thank God he had that discussion with Rosa, thank God the thoughts of seeing Orla crossed his mind, thank God he hurried home to see his wife, thank God he didn't hold back. He didn't want to think about what would have happened if he was later."What happened to her?" Callan asked the Doctor."Fatigue, an extreme case of fatigue." The Doctor adjusted his glasses so that they sat at the bridge of his crooked nose. "What has she been up to that got her so exhausted?"Callan sighed. It was fine that it was just fatigue, maybe not just, but it was something curable. He guiltily stared at the Doctor and shook his head painfully. "Nothing, she's not been doing a lot. Except that, she's been brooding over her dead cat.""Her dead cat?" "That used to be her best friend," Callan interjected, massaging his fingers against his chin. He was stressed and it was just a matter of t
The house scented the same as it did before she left. Minty, woody and manly. Orla had never had plans to remake the fragrances, but now it occurred to her to probably add something feminine to compliment the strong manly scent that subjugated the whole house."We are back." Callan proclaimed, lowering her hospital bag on the divan close to the spot Orla stood. Her eyes prowled the living room, nothing had changed. It'd been two days and she found it weird that she wanted something to change.He smiled at her, but she returned a scowl. Her dingy countenance disturbed Callan. He overlooked it and smiled again, "Here, sit." He pointed his hand at the couch close to her.She hesitated before finally settling down. She took another cursory look around the room, a billow of irritation assailing her chest. She was so easy to forgive him. It shouldn't be so."What now?" She begrudgingly asked."We are home." His long arms drew a descriptive circle, showing the house to Orla."I know that."
A lulling languor infused Orla immediately after she was done showering.Her feet suddenly stiffened causing difficulties to her mobility. She managed to haul herself to the bedside and flopped on top with the towel still draped around her chest.She was peckish, but her eyes were barely opened. She rested her head on one of the many pillows arranged on the king-sized bed. The bed was cozy and the bedsheets, silky, inclining her to stoop to its mastery. Slowly, her eyes began to shut until they eventually closed and she drifted into a deep slumber.When Orla didn't show up after a while, Callan decided to check on her. He got inside and found her peacefully sleeping on the bed.Ambling closer to where she lay, he grabbed the duvet and flattened it over her body. He then proceeded to watch her for a few minutes before retreating to the kitchen.He was still cooking, hoping that she'd wake up before he was done. Cooking was not a problem for him, but he had little to no time to spend i
Callan strove to dissemble his edginess as he stood in front of Orla with a tray in his hands. He had chosen to prepare scrambled eggs and sablefish in hopes that she would love them. He was certain of the fact that she must have eaten scrambled eggs a couple of times, but he knew for a fact that she had never had something as good as his and the mixture he just thought up. Orla was enthusiastically positioned on the dining chair, one of her eyes ceaselessly studying Callan. She could detect that he was keyed up and she smiled slyly. Callan could never be tensed up, maybe she was imagining things. But then it was obvious from how his shoulders toughened whenever Orla looked down at the food, the small smile that followed after he looked at her. They all read nervousness. Something within her urged her to trust Callan's cooking dexterity. She smiled again, keying into whatever that was. "You should sit too." She said, motioning to the chair opposite the one she was seated on. Call
"So, what do you want then?" She whispered."What do you think I want from you?" He continued with his food, and Orla briefly looked at him."I don't know what you want, Callan." She was getting tense and was almost out of words."Kind payments are allowed. Kisses and orgasms." He blurted out and this time, Orla choked on her food. "Are you good?" He handed her water. She snatched the glass from him and downed the content at a go.When Orla glared at him, he threw his head backwards and burst into laughter. "Really? Kisses and orgasms?" "Better payments than cash, don't you think?" He smirked, still laughing."Huh, I will think about it." She shifted uncomfortably on the chair, eyes on everything in the dining aside from Callan. After observing everything, out of the blue, she asked. "Why don't you have a maid here?""A maid?" He smiled, "I don't think I need one." He said thoughtfully."You didn't think you needed one before we got married?" Her plate was almost empty now. Callan w
A month had swiftly passed. A whole month without abhorrence towards Orla, a month of tranquil cohabitation.The amity between Orla and Callan remained unaffected. Instead, it grew better and stronger with each day that passed by.The truth of it was that it was Unexpectedly sweet and still unbelievable to Orla. Callan had transformed into the sweetest human she'd ever met in her entire lifetime. He was so sweet sometimes she feared he would turn stale if she tasted more of his sweetness.She was cuddled up in his arms on the bed. They both were asleep after spending the night watching a family soap opera but Orla was stirring in her sleep and Callan was yet to notice that.The nightmares were back after months. It was funny how she always thought she was over them whenever they didn't occur for months."Orla, you do not deserve happiness." The same little girl that always appeared in her dreams asserted in a low voice. Her bleary eyes were swollen and she desperately scratched them.