Chapter 49

I looked at him stunned, and startled to see him all of a sudden. He pushed himself up and squatted in his position looking up at me with widened eyes, as if he was shocked to find me standing before him. It felt as though I had left him just yesterday, but the facial hair, which I had never seen before on his face, eye bags as if he had not slept for days and the emptiness in his eyes, proved to me that it had been many weeks since I saw him last.

“Ju—Juliette?” he said. Oh, his raspy, husky voice reached my ears, and it was enough to prove that I wasn’t dreaming. The man was right in front of me, on his knees, and looking at me. The man was real.

But the disbelief in his eyes and his facial expression shocked me, because it was probably the first time I ever actually saw something in his face besides a regular stoic, stern expression.

What is he even doing here?

“S-Sir,” I heard someone yelling, and looked to my side to find none other than Willi running to where we were. That brought me out of my state and I looked back at Zachary, who was still looking at me as if I were a ghost. Finally, I saw movement in his body as he slowly tried to raise his hand up, as if he wanted to touch me, but before he could do that, I took a step back, which resulted in him stopping in mid-air.

“Juliette?”

Exhaling, I looked at the wallet in my hand.

So, it’s his I guess.

“You dropped it back there. I just wanted to return it to you,” I said, as I offered him my hand for him to take the wallet. He grasped the wallet, and as he took it from me, I turned around and started walking back to the club in order to gather up my girls and leave.

“Wait! Juliette!” I heard him, and that was enough for me to break. My hands formed in tight fists and my lips trembled as the tears fell down my cheeks, but I refused to stop and look back. I continued to walk until I saw Kiara and asked her to leave. At first, she started to fight with me, but then when she noticed my tear-stained face and my expression, even in her tipsy state she managed to get a hold of herself and she grabbed my arm as she turned, searching for the other girls.

“What happened to you?” Tess asked as she walked to her car, looking annoyed.

“Shut it, Tess!” Marianna hissed at her. Marianna was the only one who was still in her sober state, while Tess swayed while she walked with a frown on her forehead.

“I was just saying,” Tess complained and I felt Kiara squeezing my arm. I looked at her to find her looking at me.

“What’s wrong?” she asked softly.

Should I tell her?

“N-Nothing,” I said and looked at my feet as we walked to the car.

What do I have to meet him again? I thought everything is finished and just after months of suffering when I finally thought about moving forward I face him again. Just why? Why does he have to show up? Was it not enough?

So why?

“Juliette!” I choked on my own breath when I heard that voice.

“Juliette wait!”

Zachary.

I thought he left.

“Listen to m—”

“Let’s go, guys!” I said and pulled the door of the car open to get in.

“Hey, someone is calling you!” Marianna said as she looked at me from the driver’s seat and I felt Kiara again squeezing my arm, but this time it was a tight grasp.

“Isn’t that Zacha—” I cut her off and got inside the car.

“Let’s go!” I asked Marianna, and she looked at me, and then perhaps towards Zachary, who was strolling towards us. The other girls looked confused, but chose to be quiet, and got in before Marianna looked at me through the rearview mirror, wanting to make sure I wanted to leave, even after being called countless times by Zachary. I nodded at her and reluctantly she ignited the engine and we drove off. I could still hear his faint voice as I leaned against the window and chose to close my eyes for a bit.

Just why?

What is this chapter of my story?

The drive back to home was quiet. Everyone kept quiet as Marianna drove us back. Tess would glance at me with a curious look, still wanting to know about Zachary. I chose to ignore her, and I knew Kiara was surely going to interrogate me once we reached home.

What a drag.

Why is my life like this?

The street lights had my attention as I leaned my head against the car window and looked up at the dark sky, counting the lights that we passed mindlessly, in hopes of averting my mind from him. But I guess it was useless. He was on my mind after all. How can I even avert my mind when he has already taken over since the time I fell for him.

“But I must say, he was hot!” Tess said, making me sigh.

“Shut up!” Kiara said and the drive back home fell into silence once again.

“Juliette!” I took in a deep breath, ignoring Kiara who was walking behind me towards my room.

“Leave me alone!” I said feeling low.

“Will you tell me what is going on?” she asked with a tint of irritation in her voice, which made me stop in my tracks in the entrance of my room.

"I’ll let you know once I find out myself what’s going on,” and with that, I pushed the door shut, not wanting to deal with her questions. At the moment I just wanted to be left alone.

“Not again!” I heard her voice from the outside, and minutes later she left. I slid down onto the floor with my back against the door as I wrapped my arms around my knees, and put my head on my forearm, feeling drained.

His eyes kept barging into my thoughts. The look on his face and his condition. What has been up to all these days? Is he really with Loana now? That shouldn’t be any of concern though. But still...I just can’t forget everything this easily. But I know, I must erase him from my mind, thoughts and...and...God damn it! How will I erase him from my heart?

Why? Just why is it so hard for me not to think about him? Why did I even fall for him? What did he even do to make me fall in love with him to this extent? Why am I the only one suffering?

I put my hands on my ears as I heard my own self mocking me. It was no one but myself who was mocking the existence of me. I knew no one was to blame for everything that happened to me, but me. Just why did he have to show up, after so many days? I gritted my teeth and hit the wall next to me. The pain that I felt when I punched the wall was nothing compared to what I was going through right now. Nothing.

~

It was passed three in the morning. All I have been doing is staring at the ceiling blankly. No matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t sleep. Turning onto my side, I looked at the sky through the windows next to my bed. It was a full moon day. Everything was clearly visible because of the moonlight. It was silent outside, and as I gazed at the moon, I couldn’t help but feel lonely. The calm and peaceful night was like a curse for me. Because it didn’t help, but it made my wounds even deeper, as the silence around me made me think more about him. I just couldn’t get him out of my mind.

Draping the shawl around me, I walked out of my room, wanting to get fresh air. The room was dark, but I knew my way around; I was used to it. As I passed Kiara’s room, I stopped when I heard some mumbling. The door to her room was open slightly ajar and I peeked inside to find her strangled with the sheet as she was sleep-talking. I sighed, and I opened the door and walked in.

“Tell me what is your problem ummmm tell me. I can solve every problem,” she mumbled and a smile cracked onto my face as I saw her scratching her back and then kicking the sheet off of the bed.

“I guess old habits never change,” I mumbled to myself as I picked up the sheet and covered her.

“Tell me,” she kept on mumbling.

I felt bad because she was going through so much stress. As if her family wasn’t enough, I burdened her with my behavior and problems too. As I turned around and walked out of the room I stopped when I heard her say, “Don’t worry I think he loves you too.”

“That was a thing which would happen only in dreams Kiara,” I muttered and walked out before closing the door behind me.

I pulled the shawl over myself as I looked out of the window. I didn’t really feel like going outside for a walk. The police car drove by patrolling the region, and I couldn’t help but feel bad for those officers who worked hard during the nighttime just for our safety. They are the true heroes.

My phone beeped and I looked towards the sofa, where I put it, seeing a message pop up. I ignored it, thinking it to be nothing, but then as I turned back, a gasp escaped my mouth and I lost my balance and stumbled backward, holding onto the edge of the sofa, stopping myself from falling.

“Zac—Zachary?” I said out loud when I saw him standing right behind the window in front of me.

What the hell?

Where did he come from all of a sudden?

How does he know where I live?

Why is he even here?

A lot of questions popped into my mind as I took in his form. He was wearing the same black suit with a few of his chest buttons undone, his hair was messy, and he looked as if he was in some kind of trouble.

“Zachary?” I still couldn’t believe my eyes. He scared the life out of me. He caught me off guard when I turned around only to find him looking straight into my eyes, standing quietly behind the glass.

“Wha—What?”

Words were not forming in my mouth, but I could feel the rising pulse and I swallowed the lump in my throat.

I stood straight and took a few steps forward, still not believing it.

He stood there, quietly staring at me as I walked forward. But as I got closer to the window, he placed his hand on it from the outside and leaned in.

“Juliette, it's you!” He spoke, and his voice felt as if he was breaking down. His state made me confuse yet worried. What was with him? Why is he like this?

As I waited for him to speak further, my patience drained out when he didn’t utter a single word. I broke out of my state and placed my hand on the window.

“What are you doing here at this time of the night? And how did you even get inside the boundary?” I asked, but all he did was stare at me.

“Zachary!”

“Zachary!”

“It’s you! Juliette,” he spoke and I stopped asking him questions.

“What is wrong with you?” I asked.

“Open the door and let me in!”

“What?” I asked incredulously.

“Open the door!”

“No! Just leave!” I said, and turned around to leave, but he banged on the glass window like a maniac.

“What do you think you are doing? Are you mad?” I hissed at him.

“Let me in!”

“No!” I said and turned around to leave. As I walked towards my room, I gasped and stopped, looking at the glass door to the left with wide eyes. There he was huffing as he looked inside. He ran all the way to the other side of the house to the glass door.

“What do you think you are doing? Just leave Zachary!” I said, and as I walked towards him, he coughed and collapsed down all of a sudden, causing my breath to hitch.

“What?”

“Zachary!” I screamed and ran to him. What just happened? Why did he collapse? As I ran I could feel my eyes watering looking at his collapsed form on the ground.

Undoing the lock, I opened the door and knelt down next to him, and held his arm. “Zachary! Zachar—”

“I knew it!” A gasp escaped my mouth when he held my hand and looked at me.

“W-What?”

“I knew that you care for me don’t you?” he asked and I looked down at him as if I just saw a ghost.

“What is the meaning of all this?” I gritted out and jerked his hand away, as I got up and turned around to go back. That idiot. Who does he think he is? How dare he trick me? And just look at me how shameless I am. I am still running to him like a mad woman who is deeply in love with her husband. Well...

As I turned to shove the door, he stopped it and tried to push it open.

“Just what do you think you are doing? Stop it!” I hissed at him as I tried to shut the door.

“Move aside and let me in!” he said and effortlessly pushed the door open and barged in, with me taking few steps back as he shut the door behind him.

“Just who do you think you are, barging inside somebody’s house like this in the middle of the nigh—”

I was engulfed into a tight hug as he buried his face in the crook of my neck and held the back of my head and waist, stopping me from talking any further.

“Wh—What?”

“Who is shouting?” I heard Kiara and looked to the side from above Zachary’s shoulder to see her rubbing her sleepy eyes and holding the pillow to her chest, as she yawned and walked out of her room. As soon as she realized what was going on, she stopped in her tracks and looked at us with wide eyes. Then she realized who the person was who was still embracing me, refusing to let go of me.

“Oh my God! I am sleeping!” she cracked a nervous yet weird laugh as she took few steps backward. I raised my hand in her direction wanting to stop her from leaving me alone with Zachary, but she kept on mumbling, “I am still sleeping? Oh my God!” and vanished into the dark and shut the door closed.

Kiara I am going to kill you!

“W—What are you doing?” I realized he was still clinging to me. I tried to push him, but he did not budge.

“Let go, Zachary!” I pushed harder.

“Never!” he wrapped both of his arms around my waist and pulled me even closer, blocking the air out of me. But in that position, the blocking of air out of my lungs didn’t shock me; his words did.