"It's you and me. Together," he says. "Us against the world."
*****
All my life, I've never trusted men. The image of them planted in my head is the figure of my abusive stepfather who has made my mother and I live in hell.
But then, an encounter w...
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I hum, glancing at my reflection in the mirror. I'm wearing a sundress under a denim jacket, my long dark brown hair styled in loose waves.
Today, I'm going to visit Jake's house again to have breakfast with his family. A smile touches my lips as I remember how his Mom is looking forward to spending time with me again.
As I've lost my Mom, being with Veronica reminds me of how it feels to receive a mother's love. Her affection and kindness sip into my heart, to the point that I'm afraid to get hurt if I feel too attached.
I don't want to hold on a hope that seems too high. I don't want to experience another heartache from being left by the most important woman in my life.
I glance at my wristwatch. 7 AM. Jake must have been ready to pick me up, and it's time for me to go downstairs to wait for him at the lobby.
After grabbing my shoulder bag, I exit my room and head to the elevator. I press the button, and it opens, revealing the bellboy already standing by to assist me.
I step into it, and he asks, "Which floor, ma'am?" A warm smile forms on his lips.
"Ground floor. The lobby, please." I return his smile, walking further in before turning around and leaning my back against the elevator wall.
The bell boy presses the button, his back facing me.
My phone buzzes, and I take it out of my bag. I smile, seeing a text from Jake.
I'm on way. I'll be there in around 10 minutes.
Sighing, I shove my phone back into my bag, trying to calm my heartbeat. Even though I've spent time with his family and already know how wonderful his parents are, I'm still slightly nervous, more like not wanting to ruin everything.
When I look back up, the elevator door opens. But then, I frown, because we're not arriving at the lobby as I expected.
Instead, I see a car basement.
The bellboy looks troubled. "My apologize, mam. I think there's something wrong with the buttons."
I watch as he presses the button to close the door, but the door doesn't move, still revealing the basement. He punches the button again, but still, nothing happens.
He finally turns to me, guilt crossing his expression. "Mam, I think we have to get out and take another route. I'm sorry for this inconvenience."
Well, that's okay. I can walk a bit more.
"It's okay." I smile.
"Please follow me," he says, and I step out of the elevator after him.
Something catches my attention. Signboards are blocking the two other elevators, announcing that they are under maintenance, which means that we're not going to go back up to the lobby by using one of them.
