Fan Fiction |
by Jiajia
“What were you thinking of, Gallen?” Moses asked as he places down the files in his hands, signaling Gallen to go through them.
“I have been having these uneasy feeling lately.” Gallen knew he could speak his mind to his old time buddy.
“What feeling?” Moses raised his eyebrows.
“Somehow things are too good to be true… just like for instance, the company is doing so well and Flora had returned to me…” He was having qualms of his own words.
“Or do you prefer the earlier period? When all things were getting in your way…? You’re weird, Gallen!” Moses suddenly felt he didn’t get what he meant.
“No, I…” He paused and looked through the transparent window in his spacious office. “Flora? What is she doing her?” He stood up.
Flora walked into his office. “Gallen, Gor,” She greeted them. “Why are you staring at me, dear? Anything on my face?” She smiled and questioned him.
“What are you doing here? Don’t you have to work today?” Moses inquired Flora.
“I won’t have to work in HT in future!” She sounded a bit excited.
“Why?” Gallen looked at her weirdly.
“Bowie approved to let me quit earlier,” She answered. “And I decided to come back to “Angel’s Scent.””
Gallen looked a bit gloomy, for an unknown reason.
“Don’t you welcome me back?” She gazed at him in bewilderment.
“Eh…Of course I do.” Gallen replied.
“Ok, you’ve been absent for long, let me fill you in the recent changes here. Come with me.” Moses led Flora out of the room.
Gallen was rooted to his position. His mind was full of question marks. Why would Flora not fulfill her 3 months notice to Bowie? Why would she leave HT for “Angel’s Scent” when HT is now in trouble for 2 consecutive months? Why did Flora seem so close, yet he is feeling a thousand of miles away from her? Everything seems in their proper order. But something appeared to be missing. What was it? His mind drifted to the past again…
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22 October. The day when he saw her and Bowie in their little melee.
He resolves to make another headless search as he approaches the door and opens it.
There she was! There were apparent trails of dried tears on her snowy face. She raises her head and gazed helplessly into his eyes. His heart melted. She throws herself entirely into his embrace. He encircled her tautly in his arms. His organs were vibrating vigorously, and his rib-cage could hardly accommodate the fluctuation. He carried her in…
“What happened, Flora? Why did he slap you?” He asked anxiously.
“He said I was seeing you behind his back. He wasn’t like that in the past. Now that HT is in trouble, he seems to be more and more quick-tempered than before. He would yell at me for the slightest mistake. And…” She looked down and paused, seemingly have her own reasons to do so.
“And what?” He asked in a concern and low tone.
She didn’t utter a word, but instead rolled up her left sleeve. There were obvious bruises near her shoulder, seemingly human premeditated.
Gallen was shocked. “What? He hit you?”
“No, Gallen… he had already apologized to me. He was drunk that day and he didn’t mean it…” Flora tried to calm him down.
Gallen wasn’t pacified yet. “Being drunk doesn’t warrant him to do so! He…” The side effects of the alcohol seem to have got the better side of him. He tried to open his eyes wider, his body was still swaying.
Flora tried her best to support him. “Are you ok? Why did you drink so much?”
Gallen places his left hand on his forehead. “I’m ok…” Soon, he fell on her half drunkenly.
She used all her might to haul him back to the room. She finally dumps him on the bed and went forward to get a hot towel for him. Placing the towel gingerly on his forehead, Flora shakes her head to see Gallen drunk.
Suddenly he grabbed her hand. “Don’t leave me please, don’t leave me…” His eyes were still closing, but his grip grew tighter and tighter.
“You are drunk, you need to rest, let go…” She tries to push his hand away with her other intact hand.
“Flora…” He utters and pulled her closer… No, closest to him. Their faces were 7 cm apart; her hasty breathing warms his eyelids. He opens his eyes and stared at her. Their distance gets closer, 5 cm, 3 cm, 1 cm… Flora tried to withdraw herself from Gallen but he got up and pulled her close to him again. Then he holds her hands down and presses his lips forcingly on her. There was no room for struggling…
The next day started rather early as Gallen opens his eyes refreshingly. He turns and looked at Flora, suddenly feeling extremely guilty. There were obvious dried tears at the corners of her closed eyes, he could swear they were not the ones he saw last night.
He hated himself! Goodness! His heart now hurts, badly. He wished he could turn the clock back. Before he could think further, she woke up. He dithered for a second, and then spoke up.
“Flora…” He spoke weakly, as she turns her head away from him. He felt worse. But nonetheless, he still continued with his words. “I’m sorry, but will you please give me a chance? Can we start all over again?”
“So you did it on purpose?” She finally turns to face her, a bit shaken.
“No! I… I was drunk…” He tried to redeem himself.
“Being drunk doesn’t warrant you to do so!”
“That sounds familiar.” He looked a bit silly.
“Someone doesn’t even remember his own words…” She rolls her eyes slightly.
“Oh yeah, I said that last night. But this is a different case here.” He feels relieved although a bit bewildered by her sudden change of attitude.
“And how different will it be?” She clung on the blanket tightly.
He breathed in deeply and declared, “I’ll assume responsibility if you let me do so! Can we start all over again?” He waited patiently yet anxiously for an answer.
She smiled. He knew he had gotten the answer. Now there was another thing for him to worry about. Things started to happen so ridiculously and abruptly. He wonders whether his heart could take the fluctuations…
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“Where’s Flora?” Gallen asked Moses when he couldn’t find her after work.
“No idea! I didn’t see her.” He shrugs.
“Your mobile is ringing.” Gallen informed his friend.
“Whoa, you surely have sharp ears!” He took out his phone and picked it up. “Hello? Ada? What’s wrong? Huh? Ok, we’ll be right there!” He hangs up the phone. “Trouble!”
“What happened now?” Gallen wasn’t exactly prepared for anything big.
“Ada saw Flora!” Moses exclaimed.
Gallen didn’t seem to catch his emphasis. “So?”
“She…”
“Excuse me,” A voice broke their conversation.
“Maggie? What’s the matter?” He looked at her bemusedly.
“I need to talk to you, and I got something to ask you too…” She spoke squarely to Gallen, sounding rather uptight.
“Me?” Gallen points a silly finger to himself.
Maggie nodded. “Uh huh, can you spare me the time? Eh… it’s something rather important…”
“But I need him for something important too!” Moses was showing his protest.
“Eh… Moses, why don’t you just go there first, and I’ll meet up with you later?” Gallen suggested, hoping there will somehow be a compromise.
“Ok, since you said so.” Moses sounds rather helpless.
“We’ll talk in my office,” He guides the way. “This way please…”
“What’s the important matter, Moses?” Jessica startled the guy.
“Since when have you been here?”
She sipped her coffee quietly. “Since you started to mention Flora. So what’s up exactly?”
“Since you are so curious, why not you tag along? I’ll explain to you on the way.”
Jessica raises her eyebrows a bit. “Why not?”
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PS: Why does Maggie want to talk to Gallen? And what had happened at Ada's side?