Two weeks later
"Are you blind!" Jordan spat at the waitress with a pixie haircut, then he used a mug of beer to splash right in her face and said, "I'm watching the match- Fuck!" Jordan yelled as he threw up his hands and waved her away, "Get lost, troublemaker!"
The waitress bit her inner cheek and took the tray and left the table as she went to another table to take the empty bottles away before returning to the bar. "Dyke!" Jordan scoffed as he took one of the bottles from a bucket of four to drink.
He couldn't afford to book a room to have cocaine and liquor with a group of friends and women since he lost his side income from Tom, who always gladly gave him some nice support to get the drugs and girls. But, since his sister had left the house, Tom was disappointed, and he had cut off contact with him.
Jordan chugged down the beer and put one last small bag of pills on the table. He scowled at the small amount of the drugs before throwing it all into his mouth as he shrugged and took a second bottle of beer and drank.
After half an hour had been spent, he ran out of beer and had nothing but the empty bottles. He checked his money balance from his jeans pocket, but only had a few coins left that couldn't even afford some candy. He was getting thirsty, and he craved the pills. He was desperate for them, and had to go look for his other friends even though they weren't as wealthy as Tom. But maybe he could get a few shots of cheap liquor and cigarettes.
He searched for the contact from his phone and he finally picked up a number and made a call. "Absolutely, brother. I'll get more babes for you! Yea, I'll see you there in 5 minutes sharp."
"Woohoo!" Jordan pumped his fist and stood up from his seat as he wobbled a little. He laughed while flipping off the people when he walked past them. He was getting excited and couldn't wait to meet his friend who was right next door to the bar.
Jordan was walking down a flight of steep stairs when he slipped and quickly gripped the handrail. "That was close, fucker!" he barked with laughter and smugly jumped to skip a few steps of the staircase. However, he twisted his right ankle when he reached the quarter landing. He couldn't even have a chance to scream as he lost his balance and fell down the remaining flights of the staircase with a few cracking noises made from his ribcage, lower spine, and lastly, his neck. When his tumble was done, he ended up on the cement with his full body laying flat on the floor.
His vision was blurry, and he was in agony but barely made a voice to call for help. After a while, the last figure he could see was the same waitress with the pixie cut hair who cursed out loud in a terrified voice and called out for help. He was regretful that he might need to take back his rude words for the lady as he breathed out a chuckle before he blacked out.
******
The red light above the door of the operation theatre went off, and the parents stood up abruptly from the seats in the waiting area of the hospital and quickly walked toward the direction the doctor and nurse went out of the room.
"Are both of you the immediate family of patient Tang Jun Jie?" the doctor inquired while the parents quickly nodded their heads and the man said, "Yes, we are his parents. How is my son?"
"The surgery went well, but I might need both of you to be ready for this," The doctor said and waited for the parents to respond, the lady whimpered while the husband let his eyes close briefly as he slowly nodded his head.
"Your son's head had a critical injury and we just got the brain to stop bleeding. But, the recovery might take months or years and he will stay like-"
"Does that mean he will go into a coma?" the man interrupted, and he sounded worried.
"Yes, but there is one more thing we need you to know about his body condition. His spinal cord and his neck had broken, and this will impact his movement," the doctor finished as he showed his sympathy to the parents who were sobbing, before heading for another surgery with the other surgeon and nurses.
Three months later
"It's our honor to give you great service!" Giselle beamed through the phone with a bright smile radiating on her pretty face, "Thank you! Have a nice weekend, Mr. Turner." She finally ended the call and she turned to look out of the window of the office.
The sea was reflecting the shiny afternoon of the summer sun, but it would never be as luminous as the smile of the taller girl who was having a friendly talk with a client. She was wearing a beige cap with her braided silky dark hair, a light blue polo t-shirt with the printed company logo on her top left side, a pair of arm gloves to avoid her skin getting sunburnt, a pair of khaki slim-fit long pants and a pair of white vans.
Giselle couldn't help but chuckle at Drew's braided hair, which was actually done by her, since her senior practically begged her to do one for her after she saw Giselle braided her own hair this morning after they got ready. That side of Drew quite surprised Giselle but in a good way. Giselle would always be happy to do anything that Drew wanted.
The hot weather got the girls' skin very tanned, since they often had to go out of the office whenever the customer dropped by to check out the boat they would be using for their fishing.
Giselle rested her cheek on an open arm and watched as her senior patiently explained something to the customer. She adored Drew's confidence whenever she worked and communicated with their bosses and customers. Besides, Drew was fast to catch up with the culture, the slang, and the accent of the local Australians.
"Why are you still here, mate!" Giselle smiled at the familiar deep voice with an Aussie accent from her boss, Hugo. She quickly turned to give her boss a wave as a greeting. Hugo had a broad smile with an arm leaning against the frame of the door. His blue eyes were covered by a pair of aviator glasses, nicely groomed dark brown hair, and a short stubbly beard covering his sharp jawline. He was wearing the same polo uniform, khaki shorts, and a pair of slippers.
"You should be at home at this hour! I assured Drew that I would take care of the rest," Hugo said with a chuckle.
"We might need to help with some paperwork before calling it a day. I didn't think Drew would have time!" Luke, Zack's uncle, laughed while gently using a stack of invoices to hit his husband's arm. Luke liked to keep his dark hair short in a crew-cut style, and a clean-shaved face. His clothing style was twinning with Hugo and they were similar in height.
"That's wonderful!" Hugo winked at Luke as he gently slapped his husband's firm butt and whispered something with a click of his tongue.
"So, I might need it quick before we get a nice dinner on the yacht!" Luke beamed.
"And a cool sunset!" Hugo chimed in.
"That's okay, gentlemen! I got this. I can make it quick!" Giselle gladly offered since she knew her bosses would need their fun time sooner.
"Hey, you should go before you get late for Delilah's recipe cooking class!" Hugo said with a digit finger tapping his watch while Luke snaked an arm around Hugo and chuckled, "I already told Drew she can leave after another appointment with Miss Clement. And I might need an urgent meeting with Hugo."
"Okay! I'm leaving!" Giselle said with a heated face after she got the hint. She quickly took out her clutch and bid goodbye to her bosses. She waved at Drew and gestured to Drew about their boss's activity earning a light chuckle from her as she waved at Giselle before continuing talking to the client.
******
"Oh, that's your secret recipe for the curry!" Giselle was surprised at the recipe that Delilah had taught through the video call as she was holding the can of condensed milk to pour a little into it. She used the ladle to stir the curry chicken in the pot and she was already salivating with the pleasant aroma of curry and the lovely color of the sauce.
"Now take a spoon and taste it!" Delilah giggled as Giselle complied and she moaned and nodded her head, "Yes! That's exactly what they taste like!"
"I'm sure this will make Drew cry and think about me!" Delilah joked.
"She will always miss you," Giselle smiled softly at Delilah and she asked, "Anyway, how long do I need to stir it?"
"It's almost done, and your next job is to keep the curry chicken in your slow cooker, and next you and Min Min can enjoy it anytime!" Delilah grinned.
"Yay! Thank you so much for taking the time to teach me, Lilah!" Giselle beamed while turning off the gas of the cooktop.
"I'm glad you're taking over my job to keep her full," Delilah winked at Giselle as the brunette gave an overwhelmed smile at Delilah and said, "Thank you for helping me. I wish I could hug you."
"Me too," Delilah gave a warm smile at the brunette.
"Hopefully, Drew can taste it as if you were cooking. She misses this a lot. This is going to be her little surprise!" Giselle said delightedly as she was a little too excited to share her accomplishment with her favorite friend.
"She will love it," Delilah assured her.
"Thank you, I will let you know about Min's feedback later. Bye Lilah for keeping your time."
"It's my pleasure. Drew was lucky to meet you."
Giselle's face tinted at the compliment and mumbled, "I'm the lucky one."
"You both are just perfect," Delilah said with a chuckle and they chatted another minute before Delilah had to hang up after her husband was calling for her help in taking care of their grandkid.
Giselle turned and looked around at the mess she had made in the kitchen of the rented studio they were living in since she was in a hurry. She chuckled to herself, shaking her head, and knew it would take about an hour to wash the utensils and clean the kitchen. By that time, hopefully Drew would have returned home.
"Hi," the voice from Drew was soothing as her warm arms wrapped around Giselle's waist and she inhaled her hair and mumbled, "I can tell I'm gonna have a nice meal tonight."
"Are you talking about the main meal or your dessert?" Giselle teased with a faint smirk while washing the pot.
"You know what I'm talking about," Drew teased in return as she softly kissed Giselle's neck to her ear and whispered, "You will get a very sweet treat after your wonderful curry cooking and cleaning the kitchen."
"You tried it?" Giselle asked with a grin as she turned to look at her senior.
Drew shook her head and said, "No, I would prefer to try it with my chef of the day." Drew chuckled softly, "You actually smell like one, you know."
Giselle playfully huffed as she turned back to rinse the pot as she used her fingertips to touch the pot to ensure the stubborn stain had gone. "All done!"
"Then it's bath time!" Drew mirrored Giselle's tone as she turned Giselle back and eagerly walked her to the bathroom and added, "I can't wait to show you the cloud rainbow bath bomb. It just arrived today."
"Why didn't you tell me earlier!" Giselle giggled excitedly and she took Drew's hand and tugged her for them faster to reach the bathroom. They didn't need to shut the door and Drew already turned the tap of water to fill the bathtub while Giselle started stripping off her clothing.
Meanwhile, Drew quickly did the same and she excitedly took the newly bought bath bomb to unwrap it and she passed it to Giselle to drop it in. The rainbow colored foam was filling the water of the bathtub that reflected the girls' eyes and they were grinning from ear to ear like kids as they looked at the magic show in awe. They carefully dipped into the bathtub and their bubbly giggles and squeaking voices echoed from the bathroom.
Giselle was trying to shift her body to avoid disturbing Drew who had fallen asleep by the evidence of her gentle snore. Midnight had passed, but Giselle found it hard to get some sleep, even though her body was tired.
The warmth draped Giselle's back, followed by Drew spooning Giselle from behind as she tangled their legs, her face rested next to Giselle's and an arm wrapped her waist. The muscles of the brunette's body eventually loosened up, letting them fill the void of their body, and all her tension escaped from her pouty lips with a long exhale, "Min?"
"Yes, Maylee?" Drew's voice was groggy, but a hint of a soothing smile got Giselle to smile in return.
"I can't sleep," Giselle admitted.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" Drew asked softly as Giselle nodded her head and said, "I wanted to, but I don't even know what I'm supposed to start with."
"Take your time, Maylee. I'm all ears for you," Drew assured Giselle as she softly kissed Giselle's cheek and snuggled her face with hers again.
Giselle sighed again and said, "I don't like how I'm feeling with my parents. I am still disappointed with them, But I..." the tears escaped from her light brown eyes as she sniffled. She felt the warmth from Drew fade, but it resumed after a while. Drew used a tissue and gently wiped the tears around Giselle's face, holding her tight and the brunette eventually broke down after she had kept this feeling for so long.
"You miss them, but it was the happy times that they had shared with you," Drew said softly.
"I can't believe they don't even care how I feel, I'm still mad at them," Giselle admitted and wiped off her angry tears with a tissue that had passed from Drew.
"Do you... ever regret leaving with me?" Drew asked hesitantly after a minute of silence.
"No, never. If you asked me again, I would always say the same, but even sooner!" Giselle veered around to bury her face in the crook of Drew's neck and said, "I had hurt you too much. But you still waited for me with your open arms."
"That day, I never thought that I would see you again. I just wished you would be there. Then you made it," Drew admitted and she held Giselle tighter and said, "I will always be grateful to have you. You gave up your family for me."
"I was blinded. I thought they loved me, but they don't. They don't even care how bad my life would have been if I had gone to live with..." Giselle clamped her eyes shut and couldn't finish when she pictured that she would have been living in misery, if she never overheard what her parents had said that day.
Drew kept circling Giselle's back to calm down her shaken body and said, "That will never happen. I'll always be here for you, I promise."
"I know," Giselle eventually broke into a soft chuckle, and held her senior tight, "I know I'll be safe as long as we stick together."
"I like the sound of that," Drew beamed as Giselle giggled.
"Thank you, Min. I feel so much better," Giselle sighed and nestled her face in the crook of Drew's neck.
"Anytime, Maylee. I'm glad you feel better," Drew said softly as she kissed the top of Giselle's head.
Giselle used a hand to clutch the cloth of Drew's chest and said, "You're the only one who keeps me happy."
"You too," Drew hooked her chin on the top of Giselle's head and quipped, "I will always feel proud to have found a tiny girl as brave as a superheroine just for me."
"What kind of heroine would I be?" Giselle asked with a grin while she shifted her head a little to look up at her senior.
Drew looked at Giselle with her half-open eyes that seemed like closing. She made a thoughtful face and said, "Sailormoon?"
"Yea, she is clumsy like me!" Giselle broke into laughter and gently slapped her senior's arm and Drew pressed her lips against Giselle's and mumbled, "Hey, she is my favorite all the time. I like her bubbly vibe and I couldn't believe she walked into my real life."
"And you are Jupiter! Tall and cool!" Giselle said before kissing Drew's neck and earning a soft moan from her senior.
"Do you think that's a way to bid a good night to me, Maylee?" Drew said in her lower voice and turned their body for her to pin the brunette in the bed, a hand reached to the hem of Giselle's gray baggy shirt while Giselle grinned cheekily as she used her hands to push Drew's shirt up and said, "It's Friday anyway. We could get a long sleep after this."
"Yay," Drew said with a grin and the girl's hands traced familiar routes to reach each other's soft spots, earning sighs of anticipation and a shriek of giggles filled the room. But they would try to be subtle when they realized they had gotten carried away even though the studio was soundproofed.
The next day in the morning, the girls were walking hand in hand freely down the street walking to the postal station. After another long discussion, Giselle decided to courier a letter to Amy to bring to her family's house without her new address attached.
They agreed this would be a way for Giselle to tell her parents that she was doing well and still disappointed at them, unless they changed their mind and accepted her relationship with Drew they would see each other again. Otherwise, they should no longer count her as a daughter of theirs since they never care about the happiness that she wanted. If they wanted to reply, they could send a message through Amy in return.