The Age of Love (Book #1)

35. After Theodore

You'd be impressed how life changes in 2 months.

7 weeks, 5 days precisely,

Had gone by since I came back from Tokyo, my life completely shattered apart for a Failure-Tale. The most stupid decision I ever made for someone, who I... naively thought was worth all the trouble.

I should've known better.

I thought I knew what pain felt like, until I stepped outside the airport and had no home to go back to. It was an overwhelming feeling of loneliness that you probably wouldn't understand, the feeling of being let go by everyone. So here's the ending to my fairytale, there's no happy ending.

It was just a dream.

The only person standing outside the arrival gate was Jules, her big bright green eyes welcomed me with heaviest expression I've ever seen her carry. She knew every bit of my story, she was the one who went over to get my clothes tossed on the streets by my parents. They wanted absolutely nothing to do with me.

It was a fair punishment, I suppose, I thought I'd outsmart them. Julia's parents were nice enough to offer me to stay but I knew it wasn't permanent, I had to come up with something and my life after Theodore, was a sequence of unfortunate events.

The first week was the toughest.

I had to put a brave girl mask on, ignore everyone's pity looks and shameful head movements to my poor decisions and look for a job, after a few places, a few interviews, I landed at the same job I started, waitress at The Capital Menlyn Maine Hotel. A 5 star hotel around Menlyn area, thanks to my previous internship at the Sheraton I got a full time job, payment was good and tips were fantastic.

Fantastic.

Week 2 was spent trying to figure out what to say to my parents, how to ask for their forgiveness, how to get Theo off my head. Surprise, surprise, my father sent me out and my mother didn't stand up for me, she was too hurt. Granted, those were the hardest nights to sleep off my swirling thoughts like a broken record repeating just as I laid down and counted how many hours I had left to sleep.

Week 3 was another divine curse awaiting for me to appear just around the corner, I had tuition fees to pay in Uni and had no money. My parents also cut any source of income that would provide for my education. In their words: "Since Theodore can fly you around the globe he can also pay your expenses."

I had to drop college. My very last year. All because my salary didn't cover.

Week 4 was spent adjusting to my new reality, I had lost nearly everything for good, Theodore, my parents, my university. Except Jules, she was the only one supporting me the entire time, the long hours of crying and darkest moments. She was in my rock bottom holding my hand.

Week 5
I faced time Hiro, he was back in London, cheerful as ever. I never stopped talking to him, we'd talk every week at least once. I grew closer to him but Hiro was a mystery to me. I still couldn't believe this god-looking man was spending his time on the phone with me, checking up on me, introducing London to me, including me in his life, so different from Theodore.

For some reason, I thought after Tokyo we'd lose touch. But we didn't, the only times we weren't chatting was when he was busy or I was busy.

Week 6
I had been looking for apartments, rooms to rent, furniture, monthly costs, it was all so ridiculously expensive.
Hiro showed me his beautiful english style apartment by the River Lea, it was the most charming thing I've ever seen. He also had impeccable taste in furniture.

Now here we were on week 7, the 19th of February 2019.

"Madison!" Katinka, my co-worker, jumps in scaring me, holding up a box full of freshly cooked peanuts.