Samuel went out for his run before Kali woke up. His lungs burned as his feet pumped, pushing him forward faster and faster. The morning air nipped at his exposed skin, cooling the beads of sweat that formed on his face and neck. His breath came by harder and harder as he ran under the dark sky, the yellowish glow of the streetlight brightening his path.
After an hour and a half of running, he stumbled to a stop, bracing his hands against his knee to catch his breath. Running had always been a means of escape. Kali liked to gouge herself on treats, and he enjoyed running.
Dawn was breaking over the buildings, and colours blended into the dim sky, chasing away the darkness. Tired, Samuel sat on one of the park benches, looking at the sidewalk as other joggers walked by. On the other side of the street stood a tall hotel. Its flashing lights showcased the name with each blink.
The first and last time he stepped foot in that hotel was when he was sixteen years old.
Kali returned home that night and only had enough energy to walk up her stairs and drag herself to the nearest couch. Work wasn't as hard as the first day she went, but she was still in her transitional period. She was not only working full-time at the office, but she also tried to maintain her previous clients. It was proving difficult, but she was determined to find a balance.When hunger broke through her exhaustion, she strolled languidly to the kitchen and went straight for the fridge. The first thing that caught her eyes was a large sheet of paper plastered on the body of the fridge with a note written by her sister.
"Here's to another one of us bitting the dust." Holland raised his glass, and all the other men followed.With his glass high, Samuel slapped his recently engaged friend on the shoulder, shaking him hard. "Congratulations, man.""To Reggie and Victoria!" Holland bellowed."To Reggie and Victoria." The guys chorused.Their glasses cl
Kali sat in the middle of her bed, trying to lose herself in the videos she streamed, but her mind was pressed to go back to the night before. Samuel confessing that he was attracted to her had been an interesting surprise, to say the least. As someone who had been attracted to him for months, she couldn’t see the big deal in him finding her attractive as well. Except, at first, she believed he was mortified at the idea of being drawn to her.“Wait. Wait. Wait.” She had held her hand out in front of her, her mind running to process the three simple words he had said. “You like me.”“
“This has to be the best girl’s day out I have had since I got back?”“What?” Kali gasped. “Just since you go back? Then I am doing something wrong. I plan to top all of them.”“You are on the right track.” Ember looked up after tightly lacing her neon orange skates.Kali helped her up, and together they walked around the ring. As she got more comfortable with the shoes, they started to skate, meandering through the bodies of people in the ring, moving in sync, hand in hand. Ember chuckled, allowing the music lead her when they let go of each other.“You are good.”“I used to enjoy skating so much. My brothers were very good with skateboards, but I wanted to outdo them in something. So, I learnt how to skate and a few skills here and there. Sure, they can beat me on the boards, but on this,” She twirled on the toes of her shoes before gliding over the floor. “They c
Kali lathered herself up, humming as she enjoyed the warm shower. It was Friday. That meant she got to come home and enjoy herself without thinking about work for the next couple of days. But she wasn't in the mood to stay home. She wanted to do something else, something different, something fun. She heard the door to one of the closest shut, and she rushed out of the bathroom, grabbing the bathrobe from the rack and throwing the door open. Samuel was almost out of the room when she caught up to him. "Samuel. Stop." He did, turning to find her soaking their tiled floor and clutching the front of the robe with her hand. "You're wet and dripping." "I can tell. I'll mop it up. Are you going out?" "Just downstairs. I want to get something out of the car." "Alright." She swiped a wet hair from her face and nervously smiled. "Are you free tonight? Or do you have any plans?" "Plans? No. I don't." "Do you want to go out to eat?
"Come on, dad. A short walk around the street will be good for you."Flora pulled off the blanket and helped him up to his feet. He had been spending so much time at home that she wondered about his health. Aside from the drugs, he needed good meals and exercise. He had been neglecting his exercises. Since he was on a break from work, he had little to do in the house but the small chores he could find because she didn't leave much for him to do."You don't have to stay around fussing over me every night. Go out. Enjoy some friendly company.""I will, Dad." She helped him into his jacket and set his sandals down at his feet. "As soon as we get you on a planned schedule.""I'll start taking walks. I'll eat whatever you leave in the fridge for me if it means you'll get back to even a semblance of your past self.""I will. I will."She was putting in the effort. Thankfully, aside from the magazines that posted stories of Samuel's family here and
"Hey." Kali smiled as she heard Samuel's greeting. "How's it going?" "Same as yesterday. I called to tell you I'd be late again today." "Alright." She heard a door close and the jangling of keys. "Did you get home right now?" "Yes. I spent some time with Peter at the mansion. We talked, and time escaped me." "I hope things are fine?" "They are good." "Fine. See you later." "Take care." She placed her phone down and collapsed back on her seat. Even with all the work she had to do, her mind travelled back and forth between the present and the past. Samuel didn't say much about their run-in with Flora, and she didn't push him to. With his relationship, she only listened and gave as little of her opinion as possible. No matter how close they were as friends, she believed his decisions regarding the woman he loved were his and his alone. Flora had barely looked at them on the street. She said hello and goodby
“Ember would be so disappointed in me. She taught me the steps, and somehow I mess it up after a week of her gone.”Samuel laughed. “I mean, you were juggling a lighter schedule then compared to now. Maybe you should return to the drawing board and see how to manage yourself while employed.”“I will. Thankfully, I was able to get something for tonight. Thanks for going with me.”“It was a pleasure.”He set the bags on the coffee table, and she took out the items they bought. First, from the flower shop, she got some hand-weaved baskets and a bunch of flowers to send to her sister on the anniversary of her parent’s death, which wasn’t too far away. She had also stopped by the mall to pick up