Having lost the man she loved to the cold clutches of suicide, Amara's impulsive decision to join him leads her to accept the marriage proposal of a mysterious stranger she shares a drink with at a bar.
Xelan's weddings were an awful affair, with ea...
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She hadn't immediately delved right into her impending doom. Death wasn't something to be rushed, and well, the time was only three in the afternoon. So to kill time, she visited her favourite ice cream depot a block away from her apartment, treating herself to a curious combination of all the flavours of ice cream she was partial to.
Each bite was savoured as she chose the outdoor seats to enjoy her treat, watching the pedestrians come and go and the fellow customers discuss in light tones. Each scene had a new delight to her as she hummed a jazz tune, tapping her foot rhythmically. The paper the dark-haired stranger left her laid on her table right beside her, like a friendly reminder to her fatal appointment. Maybe she was being crazy, he might have just been making a tasteless joke at her expense. But she could only find that out tonight. She took one last bite, emptying her semi-large bowl and stood up, waving at the owner of the bar.
"Come back again sometime," the petite woman called. She only smiled in return before walking back to her apartment. She must have looked normal. A small part of her was scared she would have seen through her ruse. Not even the building doorman noticed, giving her a curt nod to acknowledge her cheerful greeting.
The sound of silence greeted her as she opened her door, stepping into her living room. She moved over to the window, pulling back the curtains to let light fill the room to have a good look at it. Cleaning would be appropriate. She couldn't have the person who would clean up here think she was a complete slob.
Her bathroom was the first thing she cleaned, scrubbing until the blue tiles gleamed. With her hands occupied with the toilet bowl she vomited into earlier in the morning, her mind wandered and planned. The money she had received from Jack would be passed on Carlos and Daya. A small token of appreciation for all their support, and her way of apologizing for leaving them. And since the girl had a key to her apartment, it would be better if she packed some items for show. The money had been withdrawn and placed in a drawer in her wardrobe next to the small jewellery set Daya loved to borrow from.
After an hour of putting her place in order, she took a small duffel bag, placing a few clothes inside. Then she stared into her closet, looking for something suitable for the occasion of the proposal. Her new red dress with knee-length knife pleat skirt and tube quarter sleeved top finally came out from the back, as there was no use in saving it anymore.
Once dressed, she zipped her duffel bag, looking up to see the framed photograph on the bedside table. It had been taken when she just got out of high school, alongside one of the two most important people in her life. She hugged a girl with an auburn pixie cut closer, showing off their matching hoodies as she had been averse to getting a tattoo. The hoodie had been part of the clothes she packed, despite it being years since she bought it and her body had gone through changes since then.
The second frame held the picture of her store's opening with Jack smiling at the camera. She stood beside him, holding on to his arm with one hand while her other arm went around Carlos' neck as he scratched the back of his head, his lip ring missing. The youngest of the four, Daya, leaned in on his right, her hazel brown eyes twinkling as her shoulder-length hair was swept to the side. Redhead Kaitlyn was absent from this recent photo, having not made it past nineteen. She removed both pictures from their frames, placing them in her duffel bag. With one last look at her bedroom, she gave a small wave and walked out.
