Sarima blamed her father without hesitation.
He never stayed home unless it was time to use them for whatever deal or arrangement he was involved in. Once he was done, he disappeared again like nothing in the house mattered.
She was almost certain her mother was tired of everything too.
It wouldn't have surprised her if he had another family somewhere else. And honestly, it didn't even look like her mother cared enough to fight it anymore.
By the time they returned home, exhaustion had settled over everyone, and they each retreated to their rooms without any conversation.
Sarima barged into her room, throwing her purse onto the bed. She had unexpectedly drank too much and her legs felt too warm. The effect had kicked in while in the car and she stumbled as she tried to navigate through the room with the moon being it's little source of light.
Her feet moved straight to the bathroom despite the inconsistency of her steps. She winced as she turned on the light. Squinting her eyes from the harshness of the bright light.
The scent of coconut fragrance filled her nose as she filled the tub with water. The warm water eased her tension as she sank into it, letting the heat blur her thoughts for a while.
The world felt distant and muffled as she soaked in deeper leaving only her nose and mouth on the surface of the water.
"The kind of shit I have to go through," I could have broken his nose she sighed, her hand gripped tightly on the edge as she raised herself slightly causing some water to splash out. The bathroom door was slightly open and she stared at it absentmindedly. Her head tilted slightly, lost in thoughts in the serenity of the water. A sad smile creeped up her lips when the figure of a small girl giggling as she splashed water in the bath tub appeared. She stretched her hands towards the girl, blurring the image of the bathroom door before her.
Her eyes moistened. She withdrew her hand and faced the open door again, hot tears sliding down her cheeks.
She wiped her tears quickly and took a long sniff.
Still staring at the door, a motionless shadow moved away.
She sat up instantly, her heart jolting. For a brief moment, she hesitated.
Her eyebrows drew together in panic.
If it was a killer, she would already be dead the moment she spotted the shadow or even before, she thought, her eyes darting towards the door and her cabinet.
It would be better to be found in her bed,composed and presentable than sprawled across the bathroom floor like some cheap horror movie character.
She grabbed a towel and pulled it toward her, not caring if it got damp as the ends dipped into the warm water. From the cabinet, she took a pair of scissors and gripped them tightly before she stepped out.
The dark room welcomed her. Cold shivered down her spine and goosebumps rose all over her skin just as the hair on her neck stood on end. The window rattled violently as the wind pushed against it.
Faint moonlight spilled across the floor.
She scanned everything carefully, scissors raised high in her hand turning her knuckles white from the force of her grip.
Nothing looked out of place and that bothered her more than if something had.
Whoever had been here hadn't forced entry. No broken locks or signs of struggle. She inhaled sharply.
She bent, scanning under her bed, inside her wardrobe and the dark corners in her room capable of fitting a person. The doors to her balcony swung open, jolting her from her search.
Her heart shuddered as her feet led her there. She looked around the darkness, battling with the violent wind tugging her wet hair.
Her toes tipped as she looked over the rails. Seeing nothing but pitch black, apart from the little casting of the moonlight not helping at all due to the bad weather as she could tell a heavy rain could fall. She gripped onto the towel tighter and rushed back into her room, locking the door properly.
"No...this has got to stop if you're not willing to show yourself" she yelled as she turned toward her dressing table. Her legs froze. A pristine white sheet of paper sat neatly on top. She didn't notice it when she came out heroically and lunged to the window, expecting someone.
Her pulse spiked immediately. She rushed forward, grabbed it, crushed it in her fist, and threw it in the bin. She stormed back to the window and shoved it open. "Fuck you… asshole!...you hear me? Fuck you!"
She raised both middle fingers into the darkness, breathing hard. Then stepped back, dragging a hand through her damp curls.
"This is practically turning me insane," wide-eyed,she whispered, followed by a long sniff. She walked to the mirror, staring at her reflection. Wet hair, tired eyes and towel clinging loosely.
Without hesitation, she opened her wardrobe and pulled out a pair of pajamas.
If there was one thing she had learned, it was that sleeping half-naked was no longer an option when some creep kept breaking into her room.
The towel fell off with a soft thud.
She quickly dressed, tucking in her wet strands into a bonnet and hurriedly laid down.
Her heart was still beating frantically. She slid her hand under her pillow to confirm her comb knife hadn't grown legs.
She had bought plenty, keeping them in strategic places she could easily reach, just in case the serial killer finds her appealing for kidnap.
Her hands slid out and she pulled the duvet closer. She turned, still uneasy and she flicked the bed light on, illuminating the space with a warm glow. She couldn't tell if it was because of the wine or just her usual deceptive mind conjuring figures in the dark.
Memories of the day crept in slowly. One after another, until eventually, exhaustion pulled her under.
She woke up with a heavy yawn, her body stiff and sluggish. Her sinuses were blocked and she turned to the window, realizing she never shut them after her display. Dragging herself up, she went through her morning routine of bath, clothes, perfume, shoe, with some shine on her lips before leaving her room.
Downstairs, the house was already bustling with movements. She could perceive the delicacies being prepared as the maids moved around the kitchen efficiently. Sarima grabbed a bottle of water with a few pancakes, stuffing some into her mouth.
Her parents' arguing echoed faintly through the house. She heard something clatter and knew her mother was having a crash out. Could they be any louder? She rolled her eyes and walked out."So Annoying." She muttered with a full mouth.
She stepped outside and moved toward her car. The dullness of the weather matching with her already sour mood. Her breath caught and she stopped abruptly.
"Uhn uhnnn," her feet moved faster towards her car. It was better to see a snake or someone's body at that point as what she saw made her blood boil.
Carved into her black Audi R8 was a single initial "A" in red. Her fists clenched immediately and she threw it midair, raising her middle finger with a scowl on her face.
She ran her fingers over the engraving. It wasn't random. It was deliberate and personal. Her brows knit together as she got into the driver's seat. She was already late and pissed off to start wiping off some shitty carvings.
****
"I could swear, these drivers get stoned before coming out" she swerved, dodging an overtaking car that ran the red light.
The sharp clatter of her teeth cut through the soft rnb playing. She turned off the air conditioner, stretching to the backseat to get the throw blanket.
Her eyes were still on the road as she struggled with her hands touching everywhere but the blanket.
"For Christ sake..."
She turned quickly to spot it but something else caught her attention, a blue handkerchief. She faced the road again with a frown, glancing at the campus traffic light impatiently. She had convinced herself it was faulty and had formally filed a complaint on the campus portal yet, there were no workings on it. She reached for the handkerchief, her eyes still on the traffic light. As she touched it, the light turned green.
Her car revved before zooming off, startling a couple acting romantic on the pedestrian lane. Parking the car near the lecture hall, she sank into her car seat, the handkerchief still in her hand.
She brought it closer to her face, her eyes narrowing at the same initial carved into her car. Whoever was messing with her wasn't the type to leave clues, except... he wanted her to find him, she thought.
Lowering her head slightly, she closed her eyes, flared her nostrils ever so slightly and took in a quick wisp, she pulled away then took a longer sniff. That spicy cologne lingered at the back of her throat. It always did things to her, things she couldn't explain.
She walked into the lecture hall as if nothing had happened. Composed with her head high. Lora waved her over, her eyes lingering on Sarima's hand.
"Babe… I've been trying to reach you since yesterday," Lora whispered, her eyes trailing her friend as she relaxed into the chair.
"I was quite busy," a small frown adorned her face.
"Nice hanky... thought you were more of a burgundy baddie"
Sarima followed Lora's stare to the handkerchief she was still holding. "I'm just helping someone hold it for the meantime" she laughed lightly, stuffing it hurriedly into her bag.
Lora smirked, her eyes lingering on someone.
"Your new love interest?"She teased.
"Gurl, you mean your talking stage? His name is Olrey and he asked about you apparently, sneaking glances and all the stylish shmanzes." Lora wiggled her fingers around Sarima's face.
"How does he know me?" Her eyes narrowed at her friend.
Lora shrugged "who knows? It's not like I went out of my way to approach him some days back and talked to him about you with pictures then invited him here to see you."
Sarima glared at her friend "that's quite specific" she glanced briefly at the young man Lora was so obviously hinting at.
Her eyes moved away, scanning the faces carefully.
"Chen isn't here," Lora murmured accusingly.
"What makes you think I'm looking for Chen?" Sarima replied quickly, clearing her throat.
Lora raised a brow "Of course you're not." She rolled her eyes.
Ignoring her friend's sarcasm, her eyes continued moving across the room. The ongoing seminar had the hall filled with people she could identify and many others she didn't know. Her neck crooned slightly, still looking around until they briefly locked with the slim looking young man her friend was trying to hook her up with. She looked away almost immediately.
"What's with all these new faces?" she asked, rubbing her arms with her palm.
"They aren't new students," Lora whispered, leaning closer. "They were invited."
"Invited indeed" she eyed her friend and breathed into her palms.
"I love you too" she winked and blew an imaginary kiss at Sarima.
"Oh my goodness" she pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head in embarrassment. A quiet sneeze escaped her mouth as she breathed into her joined palms.
"Are u alright? U look cold" Lora searched her bag, quickly unwrapped a gum and threw into her mouth.
"It's just a headache. I'd be fine when I rest at home" if they're not ready to deafen my ears in that house.
Sarima sighed, irritation building up.
"Sarima… you're burning!" Lora suddenly said, moving her hand from Sarima's neck and placing it on her forehead.
"I'm fine," Sarima muttered with a sigh. "Let's not cause a scene Lora-"
"You need the sick bay, like right now!" Lora cut her off and before Sarima could argue she was already packing up their things.
They slipped out through the back door quietly. Sarima handed over her keys to Lora in defeat. She knew Lora wouldn't back down as she found out. The cold she had felt earlier was there and she waved it off but didn't expect to fall sick so suddenly.
Sarima leaned back into her car seat as her fingers slid up the dashboard, increasing the temperature to heat up the car. Her body felt heavier than it should and her eyes had already begun blurring far objects as the headache worsened. She sniffed in and let out a weak sigh.
A tall blurry figure appeared at the side of the road and got closer as the car slowed in speed. "I thought you wouldn't come today," Lora said, hitting the brake.
"I was on my way," he replied. "What's wrong?"
"She caught a fever," Lora answered.
Chen moved closer and lowered in front of Sarima. Their eyes met and everything seemed to still for her. Her heart shuddered at his intense gaze.
He placed a hand on her forehead and clicked his tongue in disapproval. Sarima gave an awkward smirk. "Finding love in my eyes?" Her toes curled as it came out weaker than she expected.
He released a soft sigh and stepped backwards for lora to drive off, gesturing for her to move. She hit the road again, shaking her head slightly as Sarima kept turning backwards.
"You always look like you're going through withdrawal whenever you see him," Lora said, half laughing and took a U-turn.
"You are so rude Lora.....I could swear there's this connection between him and I that I can't just pinpoint," Sarima muttered.
"Mhmm....You say that like you don't know that connection is one-sided and awful, I'm not liking it. That guy is one hundred percent a player." She replied back.
"Just cause he loves people easily doesn't make him a player." Sarima retorted in defense making her friend to roll her eyes.
"Love does veil people's eyes" Lora scoffed, already used to her friend's bias judgement when it came to Chen.
Sarima opened her mouth but closed it, not knowing what to reply.
Lora turned to look at her suddenly with a questioning look. "By the way… First it was the color, now an initial. Did u adopt a new name per chance?" Amusement flickered in her face.
Sarima's face dropped."I didn't."
Lora glanced at her, deeper in amusement "Then whose initial is on your car?"