Read Before Time (The Time Trilogy Book 1) Online
Authors: Xunaira J.
Before Time (The Time Trilogy Book 1) (28 page)
It felt so lonely without him there. There were no flowery greetings anymore; nobody making me laugh like he used to. Everything looked dull to me, and I desperately wanted to talk to him, to feel the peace of mind that I always felt.
There must be some way to contact him,
I thought. As I was looking for some way to contact him and make him come back, my eyes scanned the channel list and a nick crept out to me.
Fireworks.
He was Asher’s friend. Sometime back, he had introduced me to him, and I still talked to Fireworks sometimes.
ME:
Hey Fireworks.
Fireworks: Hello, Princess. How are you doing?
ME:
I’m good. What’s new at your end?
Fireworks: Shifting my place, that’s all.
ME:
Oh! That sucks real bad.
Fireworks: I’m almost done with it, though. So, you tell me what’s new?
ME:
I was wondering whether you’ve talked to Impassioned lately?
Fireworks: No, not really.
ME:
I haven’t seen him online since a long time. I was worried about him.
Fireworks: Well, I’m sure he is fine. You should email him or something.
ME:
Well, I don’t have his email and never asked for it.
Fireworks: Well, that’s sad. What would you want me to do?
ME:
Do you have contact info for him?
Fireworks: Yes, I have his email.
ME:
Will you give it to me, please?
Fireworks: I’m not sure that I should.
ME:
Please, please, please, Fireworks. I really need to talk to him.
Fireworks: Alright, alright. Hold on a second.
I waited and waited. Five minutes later, his private stream blinked.
Fireworks: Here it is.
ME:
Thank you so much, Fireworks. I owe you for this.
Fireworks: No, Princess, you don’t. Alright, I gotta go now. Take care.
ME:
You take care of yourself, Fireworks, and thanks once again.
When Fireworks left, I looked at Asher’s email address. Now I had it, but should I email him or not? What would I say to bring him back? I didn’t know, but everything was so lonely without him. I decided to be straightforward with him and tell him about my feelings. With that in my mind, I sat down to write a long email.
EXCERPT FROM AFTER TIME
I walked quickly, my footsteps purposeful as I rounded a corner on the gravel path. There was only one car parked in the garage, which belonged to me. I was suddenly beneath an arch, with moss, leaves and jasmine covering it all around. It was the entrance of our garden, and I knew I would find what I sought here. The scent of the flowers, mostly jasmine and roses, hung in the air. I sniffed and then entered the garden; it was dark all around me. The only light was the small beams filtering out from the many windows of the house. It was a three-story house, with about ten bedrooms in total. I glanced around the garden, searching for something.
I took two steps into the garden and came to a stop. In the center of the garden, there was a snow-colored pedestal, on which a beautiful angel stood. It was white; with its wings outspread and a beautiful innocence on its face. I stood there, mesmerized, admiring the sculpture. It looked like it was made of ice, but it wasn’t; otherwise it would’ve melted right here. Something about the sculpture rang a bell. All around the garden, beautiful flowers grew, making it a welcoming place. This garden looked like someone had lovingly taken care of it. I reveled in the beauty that surrounded me. It seemed like I had entered a dream.
Who did paradise belong to, I wondered? Then I knew: this was my house.
I turned around at the footsteps behind me. They were light, as if they belonged to a child. At that moment, a little girl of about two years old, wearing a white, frilly frock, her hair in a ponytail, ran towards me. Her face was the exact duplicate of him. I could see his eyes, his chin, his nose; everything about her was exactly like Asher.
“Mommy!!” She called out and ran towards me, hugging my legs as she reached me. I quickly pulled her in my arms and kissed her face. She looked just like the angel I was watching on the pedestal. There was a natural light about her, as if she shone in the darkness. She was my beautiful baby girl. She closed her eyes and rested her head against my shoulder. I smiled at my daughter.
My daughter.
When did that happen? I didn’t know.
I wrung my fingers through her soft curls and smiled. Turning back towards the house, I was about to go inside and put her to bed when I saw a movement at other side of the lawn, which had a small batch of trees there. I strained my eyes to see who it was.
It was Asher.
It’s time he showed me his face.
I rudely turned my back on him and walked towards the house, intending to put my little angel to bed. I didn’t want her to hear us fight again. All this would have such a bad impact on her.
“Onaiza!” he called to me. I didn’t stop. I walked to the backdoor and quickly opened it with one hand. I entered the darkened hallway and was about to ascend the staircase when I heard the door open behind me.
He caught my hand when I was on the fifth stair.
“Onaiza! Listen to me, please,” he said.
I turned around to face him and looked at him questioningly, coldness in my eyes. His gaze was filled with sadness. His eyes. They were the reason I had ruined our lives.
I looked at my daughter, fully asleep with her face on my shoulder and her mouth slightly open.
“Let me put her to bed,” I said. He nodded in response and stood there on the staircase.
I quickly ascended the staircase and put her in her room. Kissing her forehead, I covered her with her Barbie quilt and retreated from the room.
He was still standing on the staircase, with his eyes on our daughter’s bedroom. I shoved past him downstairs, towards the lounge, where she wouldn’t be able to hear the noise. He followed me there. It’d been six months since he had shown me his face; nor had he asked about his daughter. Now here he was, looking guilty as the day was long. What the hell he thought of himself, I couldn’t imagine.
I rounded on him as he closed the door behind him.
“Onaiza! I’m sorry for everything.”
“I’ve heard that before. Anything else?” I said coldly.
“Please give me a chance to explain.”
“You have three minutes.”
“Please. I made a huge mistake, and I’m sorry for that.”
“Too bad it took you six months to realize that, Asher. I think another six months would be better to make you understand why you did what you did.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I don’t care anymore if you’re here or anywhere else. I simply don’t give a fuck anymore. You made me into what I am today. It’s enough of a punishment for you to live through it. You can leave now.”
“Please don’t do this. I love her.”
“And I loved you like a madman, but that never changed anything,” I said, looking at him for the last time. I moved towards the door, but he stopped me. He turned me around and then, pressed his lips against his. His hands pulled me closer while his lips ravaged me, shaping the contours of his lips over mine. It was a sweet drug to my senses, and I moaned at the back of my throat.
I wanted him badly, but I wasn’t supposed to have him, I knew. My mind screamed out a warning that what I was doing was wrong, but why did it feel so right to me? His hands were all over me. They searched my body, gripped me like a starved man takes food. The pressure increased on my lips. Despite myself, I moved closer to him and kissed him back. His hands touched my breasts and then moved downwards towards my legs.
No!
I quickly broke away from him and glared at him.
“Onaiza…I…!”
Before he could finish, my eyes opened and I was covered in a sweat.
Table of Contents