20. MOON & MONEY

Dark night deepened as Talia snuggled into the comfortable duvet. After having a hot shower, she just plopped on the soft mattress with her hairs wet and shrugged off the towel robes from her wet body. Slipping into her comfy white cotton shirt and shorts, she slept soundly as the exhaustion creeped in.

She was in a deep slumber when the door of her room was pushed slightly ajar. The shadow loomed over the doorframe and then stepped inside with the tilt of his head. He slowly walked over to the bed where she laid carelessly without any care of the world.

His steps were slow but steady as he kneeled with his gaze slowly swiping over to her face. He blinked tilting his head little more. In a snap of fingers, he hovered her, making her turn over but wake up.

His thumb caressed over her face making her breath hitch, she was finally woken uo by the touch. But she couldn't show the intruder that she was awake. Her heart beating in her throat as she tried to labour down her building. A low whisper was heard making her clench her fingers into a fist.

"You didn't missed me. But, I did." The voice was low and heavy, like a growl.

Cold sweat broke on her temple making her snap open her eyes. The door of her room was closed and there was no shadow or any man on the door. Her chest heaved up and down with her heavy breath making her pat her own chest.

The only thing she could hear now, was the low ringing in her ears and her own heavy breaths. Was this all a dream?

TALIYA'S POV

My hands flies to my stomach as the gruesome feelings fill it up. That was a dream. It has to be. My minds screams but my body stays numb. I am unable to react just like those years of my life where I was nothing but an example of pathetic human.

My eyebrows creases as I tries to push away the constant flashbacks from the life I have lived, no, not lived but suffered. The suffering made me what I am today. Rude, arrogant and a witch. I am that all and nobody wants to mess with. Actually, the truth is nobody has the guts to mess with me other than my dreams. Just like right.

That dream felt too real. The soft yet haunting caress of the thumb still lingering on my cheek making me rub it and slap it. Each time harsher. I don't know when it happens but soon I found myself standing in front of my door. As I turn the knob. I didn't locked it, freaking tired self. How could I do this? Forget locking my own self so that my nightmares don't chase me.

But, even the dark night told that karma was waiting for me. And karma was a bitch. But, then again. Where the hell was karma when I needed it the most? I took my revenge on my own. Then why the hell karma has been coming for a person who had destroyed me?

Life is surely unpredictable.
Walking up to the window. I pressed my hand to the glass and pushed the window. Cold breeze flew in calming my hyperventilating senses. My eyes roaming in the clear sky searching for the one I love.

There he is, shining among the stars. Sighing, I leaned on the window frame not caring if I fell and die. The light of the moon calmed my senses as I leaned more onto the frame. My muscles melting on the cold wall as snuggled into my arms dreaming of the moon rescuing me from the world. Humans are too deceiving to trust as while moon stayed and listened my cries when I was alone. I still am alone. But it gives me hope just like how he stays every night.

I know he have his phases of vanishing. I wish I could do that, but I don't really care about it. Who would care about it? I have nothing to lose. I don't even have myself to lose. She is gone to somewhere. The Taliya who smiled to the strangers and helped them, who was happy while walking in the sun, who was always spreading happiness is gone now.

The New Taliya is rude and arrogant and doesn't care about anybody. But, had anyone cared about her for her to return the favour. I was a giver and now I am nothing. Just a fragment of existence that will be gone in some years. In other words I don't really care.

The stars twinkled in my sight as I smiled to them and heaved a sigh as my eyes dropped slowly.  I wanted to be a girl who had sang about the happiness but the world turned the tables tainting my heart black and in instant the girl vanished to the place which was dark and never returned. These are the thoughts no one knows about, not even Haroon.

Because in other words, I am not the Taliya I was.

AUTHOR'S POV

She felt asleep with her thoughts halting at a point. What she most liked was to sleep without any worry and that was what she doing every day.

To care about her meetings, works and luxury was a facade. She never wanted to deal with it. What she wanted to be was a wife, who looked after her husband and children. But, her dreams lay shattered with sharp edges as she walked on them to another world where she was nothing but a selfish woman running after luxuries

Slowly the dark pitch night didn't stay anymore and faded away as the sun rose. The rays tickled on her face making her wrinkle her nose and wake up with a hiss. The way she slept was quite uncomfortable. Sighing, she rubbed her sore muscles and cracked her neck wincing at the pain.

Her eyes stuck on the clock as she padded to the bathroom and washed herself thoroughly. Sleep still in her eyes as she finished bathing and began to put on her clothes.

Her lazily movements dragged more slower than usual as she made faces on her grumbling. Combing her long and wet hairs she tapped them dry with towel. She never used hair dryer for her hairs, even in Winters.

A knock resonated breaking her lazy movements as she strongly walked to the door and twisted the knob open.

Haroon stood with his head bobbing to his feet tapping.

"Everyone is waiting for you on the breakfast table." He informed making give him a bored look.

"I don't share my meals with anyone and you know that." She states crossing her arms with disgusted look on her face.

"I know. But, maybe a little politeness will make your employees happy." He reasoned huffing out a breath feeling nervous under her dark gaze.

"I fill their bank balance every month. What do they need more?"

"Money isn't everything in the world." Haroon states with a sharp tone.

"Yet we still live for it." She takes a deep breath before saying and vanishes into her room leaving the door wide open.

He shakes his head on her words and walks back to the diner where the employees were waiting for their boss. How could she turn out this cruel? The question ringing in his head as he ignores the strangers in the lift and bobs his head to his feet tapping against the metal floor.