Like him, I was shocked by my own gesture. He was a stranger, yet, with one look at his eyes, my body suddenly…moved.Before I knew it…my hand slowly reached his damp cheeks, caressing it carefully. Despite seeming creepy as of the moment, the only thing that remained on my mind was how pained and stressed he looked.It was like…mirrored by those eyes, were myself, from a year ago…until now…It took a few minutes for him to regain his senses and shove the strange hand touching him, prompting me to wake up from my delusion as well."I don't need your pity!" He exclaimed before taking a few steps, bewildered by the unexpected remark of a stranger.As he walked away, my sights landed on my palm.What's that all about, Lia? You don't even know him…I thought he had gone off after all that but surprisingly, he remained on the rooftop, now gazing up at the same scenery as I was before I noticed his presence. Towards Crimson Hotel…There it is…that same melancholic stare…"Is it your hobby t

"I think we didn't really get to formally introduce ourselves, did we?" He got up from his seat and lent his palm."Nice to meet you, Ms. Lianna. This is quite the unusual greeting." He chuckled. I reached for his hand to return the greeting."It really is. So, you're that woman's lover, huh? I admit, I was shocked to hear she had someone with her while she…uhmm…you know…" Hesitant as it is, my mouth couldn't help but to be curious. In just a day, a lot has happened. Until now, my mind is still taking its all to process everything, to the point we forgot even the simplest thing. To find out each other's names."I get what you mean…I have the same sentiments…" He sat back beside me, staring into nothingness."What are you going to do from now on?" I haven't thought about that…what do I want to do with this miraculous second chance? What…path would I take…this time?"Judging from your expression, you still believe that he could change…" I shivered at his remark. With widened eyes, I t

"Here""Thanks." I reached for the bottle and immediately drank it down. The moment the last drop went down my throat, my vision became hazy for a moment.Oh wow. Just how many have I drunk now? This is a first.There were several empty bottles lining up on top of the counter, as if someone just completely bulldozed the entire shelf in front of us.Yet, I wasn't the only one adding bottles to the pile. From my side, he chugged another beer down to the very last drop, exhaling a sigh as he dropped the empty glass.The pub he introduced was kind of isolated, thus there were only a handful of people inside, much to my delight.I don't want those fancy sharks seeing me like this."Hey, that's enough…"He tried to block my hand when I asked for another bottle. Clicking my tongue, I shoved his hand away."Nah. I need more. I still…ugh, my head's still aching…""You're a first time drinker, aren't you? A lightweight at that…The drink's making your head twitch…" I scoffed at his remark and to

"Ugh…" The moment I woke up, an intense pain in my head greeted me. Wait…where am I?With vision still blurry, I roamed my eyes around me. The room was dark. I thought it was still night but when I reached my phone, shock took over when the screen registered that it was already late afternoon.The heck…did I sleep all morning?I usually wake up early, but with the curtains blocking out the sunlight, I guess I wasn't aware of the time."You're awake?" Suddenly, the silence in the room where I was at broke with a woman's voice from the open door."Who…" I closed my eyes when another round of stinging pain hit my system. "Here. Drink this. It helps ease the hangover." I was busy massaging my throbbing temple when that woman slowly walked towards me, with a tray in hand. As she sat beside me and placed the metal tray on top of the bedside table, only then I managed to recognize her.That figure and this voice…its–"L-Lacey…?""Hi, Lia. It's been a while." She faced me with a smile. As s

"LIA!" Rupert's voice was the first thing I heard when I entered the apartment. He rushed towards me, enclosing me in his arms."WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! I'M SO WORRIED!" He was shaking my shoulders when he pulled away. Lacey was right. He did look so messy unlike the last time I saw him. So messy that I would have thought he neither slept nor showered since I was gone.I decided to go back…in the evening since he came barging at Lacey's place, afraid that he'll get the cops to look for me. It'll be annoying to handle."I went to Lacey's place. We finally reconciled." I briefly spoke, wandering my sight elsewhere."Wait, you were there the whole time?! That woman…I went there in case I'd find you there but heck, she didn't say anything!" He was utterly baffled, frustrated, as if he was tricked. Heavy breaths staggered his chest, restraining himself from snapping in front of me."I was sleeping. She might've wanted some peace for me to rest.""Rest? What…" I'm sure he smelt it. The smell