Chapter Thirty-Eight – Questions.
The flower shop was officially open after a week. Arya hurriedly checked her mail box to see if she got requests.
She hoped she hadn’t disappoint any of her customers. They were few so it was important to keep them.
Only about three requests were in the mail box and all where to one address, she smiled within herself. “Maybe a wedding and they need variety of flowers to decorate.”
Again, she wished she knew some interior designing so she could be of some help and have that as a side income.
Either ways, she began arranging the flowers to deliver before Damien would pick her up. Some of them had began losing color but she watered them diligently.
A florist shop was hard to maintain but she loved it. It stayed to remind of her mother and sister in hard times.
The place was more than her shop but comfort place, away from her abusive father.
If these flowers could bloom so beautifully despite how bad of a handler she was, then she could too after everything she has been through.
Just as she was about leaving, a mail man went to her mail box and delivered yet another letter. She stared quizzically at the mail contemplating checking it.
She decided to and realized it was from the same sender. To deliver cactuses to a particular address.
“I’m already heading there. And Cactus isn’t needed in a wedding. What does this person need these flowers for?” She wondered within herself.
Reluctantly, she unlocked her shop and packaged a cactus plant to deliver. “I hope this person knows my price. I really hate these door to door deliveries.”
The shop was locked and she hit the trail heading to the address.
It grew hotter as she walked under the sun and it reminded her of when she was under the rain on the day she met Damien but as Mr. Wade.
Their conversation replayed in her head. He must have never seen her before to have tried to be her romance counselor. She stopped in her tracks.
“Since when was he a romance counselor? He’s a CEO, isn’t he? He does business not counseling.”
It was strange to her that she hadn’t realized that long ago and asked him what exactly he was doing that day they met.
He’d been recommended by his friend, Dean, so surely Dean knew what profession he worked and it wasn’t counseling.
Arya resumed walking trying to brush off her questions, at least till later.
The events of that night had caused her to be embarrassed when she knew Mr. Wade was Damien, her arranged husband.
If he wasn’t even a counselor yet played the role due to unknown reasons, then she deserved an apology for her troubles.
She got close to the address and looked around. As she walked deeper down the street, presence of passersby reduced. The street got lonelier.
A cold ran down her spine and she shook her head. “Why are all my paths ending in scary lonely places today?”
A huge abandoned house became clear in front of her. She glanced at the address on her phone and the one on the door of the apartment. It marched.
There was no wedding happening, it didn’t even look habited.
Arya shook her head again. “I am not doing this.”
She turned away, whilst taking out her phone that rung.
Why was her path leading her to dangerous spots? Who had taken her sister away? Why was Lucy being nice to her today?
The day had brought lots of questions to her and she couldn’t get an answer to any of them. She couldn’t keep brushing them off, she wanted to know.
Her train of thoughts jammed when she heard a depressed sigh from the other end of the call she just answered. She tried to remember who called and then smiled.
“Junior?” her smile fell. “Are you alright? I didn’t know you had my number. I have yours but I’ve never called.”
There was silence before the depressed sigh came again. “I’m not okay, Arya. I need someone to talk to, I’m not at home.”
Arya’s eye brows furrowed and she nodded. “Where are you? I’d meet up. Don’t be sad, okay?”
“I can’t help it. I’m at school. I’d send the address.” He sighed again.
A thought crossed Arya’s mind and she blurted it. “Did the hospital tell you that your father died?”
She tightened her hands as the words left her, wondering if she should have been that blunt.
“Um… no. Not yet, I’m expecting it honestly, it’s been three years. It’d be better for him, me and my aunt paying the bills. He’s sick and old and should rest now.”
Arya bit her lips, nodding vehemently, regretting opening her lips. “Sure. Sorry for bringing it up. Why are you sad then?”
“Well, I thought I knew a lot about women but no, your gender is just unpredictable. I don’t want to go in much details on phone. I’d send my school address.” He replied.
A smirk flashed on Arya’s lips. So it was a heartbreak that made him sad? She began leaving the abandoned house.
“Okay, I’d hang up first. Send the address. Don’t beat yourself too much, alright?” she bit down a snicker.
He made an hmm sound before she hung up. Her head turned to the abandoned building as she drifted farther away from it.
She would have to cancel that order, after all, it was sketchy. Also Junior was her new family and he needed her so she’d be there for him.
Just before she could board the taxi she called, Damien called her. “I’m on my way to pick you up. Please don’t go into any house or car.”
She glanced at the taxi driver and stepped out. “Sorry, sir. Please go ahead.”
The taxi driver made a grunt before driving off.
“What’s wrong? I’m not in my shop now. I went to deliver flowers but the place was… abandoned.”
Damien stepped on the acceleration pedal. “I’m on my way, Arya. Don’t move. I’d find you.” He hung up.
She blinked. Twice. He’d find her? How did he plan too?
Her phone beeped. It was the address Junior sent to her. Was it safe for her to go when Damien said she shouldn’t move? How’d she go to Junior?
She rubbed the back of her head and rested on her right leg. “Could it be he would track me down here?” she looked at her phone and smiled. “It must be that. I shouldn’t move then.”
Finding a place to sit, she plopped down and sighed. “Today has so many questions, I’d figure them all.”