An Inevitable Fate?

Rachel was standing in front of the mirror, looking at her pale face. She looked tired.

'Why has my life become like this? I should stop thinking too much if I don't want to get old. Ugh!'

Her phone rang as she just came out of the restroom. Seeing the familiar number, a smile crept across her face. A loud voice came from the other side even before Rachel could speak.

"Dummy!!!!"

Rachel took her phone away from her ear. 'Gosh! Her voice'

"Do you want me to go deaf?"

"After doing everything, you still have the nerve to shout at me? Have you forgotten that there is one decent, humble yet gorgeous girl as your friend? Am I the only one excited to meet you? Don't you like me anymore? *sob*...You are so cruel. Wait...why are you not speaking?"

"When did you give me a chance to speak?" Rachel spoke without flinching.

"Oh, I thought you became deaf."

"..."

Rachel rolled her eyes, hearing Crysta's comment. Crysta was her school friend. She was an orphan who didn't know her parents. She grew up in an orphanage with similar kids like her. She went to the same school as Rachel. She was an introvert who hid from others. She seldom spoke. Students used to make fun of her due to her orphanage life. She never reacted to them as she had long accepted her fate.

Everyone teased her but Rachel stood up for her in spite of getting ridiculed by others. She broke Crysta's 'secure' wall and became her life. Though she didn't open up fully to her in the beginning, she gradually started trusting her.

After so many years, she started smiling. But they got separated, as a foreign couple took Crysta in, as their daughter and went abroad. That was the last time they both saw each other.

Recalling their old times, Rachel smiled. They would speak on phone but Crysta had denied meeting Rachel. She knew something was wrong but still, she respected her friend's decision.

She had missed her all these years and now, Crysta was coming. They would be seeing each other after a long time. She felt excited and nervous.

"So, why did you call now?" Rachel asked with a mischievous grin.

"Girl, are you serious? "

"I was kidding. " Rachel shrugged.

"Really? I knew my girl would not forget."

Crysta finally felt relief. Her good friend still remembered her return next week. Hehe!

"Seriously, tell me, why did you call?."

"..." There was dead silence on the other side. 'Did she cut the call?' Rachel amused. She could imagine her friend's red tomato face filled with anger. Puff!

"YOU ARE DEAD!"

Crysta ended the call shouting at her friend.

'What good friend? Bad friend! Bad!'

Rachel laughed and shook her head in disbelief. Her friend was still the same. People would think of her as an arrogant girl but only she knew that she was a small child by heart.

With a pleasant smile, she walked back to her table. Remembering that she had left two ice figures inside, her smile vanished. She just hoped that Aaron would have left. But her hope got shattered as soon as she saw both of them sitting in the same position as before.

'Don't tell me they are staring at each other from the time I had left.'

They both turned their heads towards Rachel as soon as she came. She felt a headache coming. She avoided their gazes, went and sat next to Darren.

Darren was satisfied with her behavior. He pulled her nearby holding her waist. He raised one eyebrow at Aaron which meant to say, 'You saw that?'

Aaron just ignored him and continued to sip his wine. He looked as calm as the sea but was burning inside like a volcano. There was an awkward silence between the three as none of them were speaking. Rachel spoke after racking her small brain.

"I guess, I should get going."

"Why?" Aaron and Darren asked at the same time, snapping their heads.

"I...I'm tired?" That's the only lame excuse someone could ever give. 'Shit'

Darren stood up holding her hand. "Let's go. I will drop you off."

Without waiting for her reply, he started waking but suddenly remembered something and stopped in his tracks.

"Sweetheart, you didn't tell your goodbye to Mr. Lee."

She could sense his hostility towards Aaron. Turning back to Aaron, she saw him staring right into her eyes. She felt as if she could get lost into those pitch-black eyes. She gulped before speaking.