Forever And Never

THREE || SASHA

My phone buzzes as soon as the alarm goes off. I flinch in surprise, startling my maids besides me.

"Miss, are you alright?" Willa asks, setting down the dish from her soapy hands.

I nod my head, shutting off my phone. "Yes, I'm okay. Where's Odette?"

"The poor girl quit today," Nora answers quickly. "She went off, screaming and crying while grabbing a taxi from outside."

My jaw twitches in annoyance. Letting out a sigh, I run a hand down Pippa's sleeping body. "That's too bad. I never wanted a stubborn bitch like her anyway." Turning around, I motion for Nora to walk over. "Please, take Pippa to her room. It's time for me to go wash up."

Nora gently picks up Pippa, whose eyes open from the sudden movement. Yawning, my small pooch cuddles against Nora as my maid walks off. I watch them go, feeling almost sad.

I wonder if Pippa thinks about Daniel nowadays.

———

The room is colder now that winter is coming soon. I shiver as I enter the basement, sealing the lock shut behind me. Turning on the lights, I listen to the familiar buzzing noise they make as I enter the quiet and old basement.

I take the small petals from the jar and rub them between my fingertips. They're completely shriveled and dead now; time has been flying by so fast. Gritting my teeth, I crumple them in my palms, my eyes wandering to the picture of my brother on the desk.

"Look at you, sitting over there without a care in the world," I mutter bitterly. "I hope you're ready to listen to another eventful story of my day."

The chair scrapes loudly against the pavement as I bring it closer to the desk. I sit down on it, gently letting go of the petals and watching them slowly drift to the ground.

"There was a new worker today," I begin. "He was really handsome. I am not joking; if you were here, you would fall head-over-heels for him. He's gorgeous and so nice, you know?" My lips pull into a smile as I remember how many times Daniel would talk about the cute boys in his class. "Anyway, there was a little mishap during a photoshoot and..." I think for a moment. "I needed to help him. Something in my brain told me that I needed to help him. When I did, I felt all these fireworks exploding in my brain. It was...magical."

Alexander. That is his name. He looked so frightened back at the company. I tap my fingers against my chin.

"I wish you could be here," I mumble. "Do you know how many years have passed since you left? Four years. Four long years." My nostrils grow wet and I sniffle. "And every single day, I end up crying because of you. Why did you have to leave so quickly?" My hands pick up the picture and I stare down at Daniel's smiling face. His hands are placed awkwardly on his lap and his back looks like he's about to bend in half. A stifled laugh escapes my lips.

"Umma, I'm tired!" Daniel groaned. "You said we were gonna be done ten minutes ago!"

My mother shook her head. "Be patient. These pictures are going on the gallery in your father's office and we need to look nice."

I failed to hide a smile, watching Daniel's face contort into a glare when he caught me.

"Noona doesn't have to take pictures!" He argued.

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up, you little brat. I spent an hour and a half for these stupid pictures too."

The photographer made a gesture with his hand. "Keep your posture straight, please!"