Dancing On Thin Ice // KTH

Chapter 58

(Wowowowowow DUDE WE'RE LITERALLY AT 3.9K reads like I'm literally deadddd<3 Thankyou so much everyone for continuing to support this book! Keep reading my loves, the climax is coming your way real soon af:))))

"I think it's a wallet." Carmela picked up the black square lying at her feet. "Someone probably lost it. What should we do?"

Jules glanced at the photo shop beside them.

"Go in there. You can give it to the person at the counter. It'll be their problem then." Jules said, swinging her shopping bags in her hands.

"Haha, okay."

Carmela walked into the shop full of photo booths and printers and film rolls, approaching the cashier. The elderly woman smiled at Carmela as she stepped forward.

"Hey um, I found this wallet right outside your door." Carmela said, holding it up. The woman peered at it from behind her square glasses.

"Oh, I wonder who's it is! Poor fella must've lost it! Let's have a look inside, maybe there's an ID of some sort." The old woman said, holding her hands out.

Carmela nodded and handed the wallet to the cashier. The woman's wrinkled fingers grasped the wallet and she unfolded it, peering at it closely with squinted eyes. 

"I don't think I see any name... but my eyes aren't the same as they used to be. Do you mind checking, dear?" The woman smiled with aging lips and handed the wallet to Carmela. 

Carmela unfolded the black case, preparing to search for an ID card.

But her thudding heart dropped through the floor and her fingers tightened as she gazed at the contents of the wallet. 

W-what the...? 

She peered closely with disbelief, completely awestruck.

It was a photo... of Carmela looking out of a car window, with her fingers touching the glass. There was a shining lake outside and a setting sun... 

It was that day.

That day she and Tae were driving back home.

He had said... he was taking a picture of the lake... for his sister, but--

"Do you see anything?" The cashier questioned. 

But Carmela's throat was choked up and her mind was foggy as she gazed at the picture in the plastic slit of the wallet. How... why... was this... Tae's wallet?

"Uhm... I know who's wallet this is." Carmela said, her voice uneven.

"Really?" The woman looked confused and she took back the wallet, peering at it again.

"Here's his number." Carmela whipped out her phone and scrolled to his contact. She pushed her screen in front of the woman. But the cashier's eyes widened and she narrowed her wrinkly eyes at Carmela.

"So this wallet belongs to Curly Haired Asshole, huh?" 

Carmela pulled her arm back, and gulped nervously. Oops.

"Just, um... let me write his number down." She said, flustered.

"I sure hope this isn't some kind of prank, dear." The woman said cautiously. She placed a post-it note and a pen on the counter, and Carmela quickly scribbled Tae's number on.

"It's not." She straightened up and turned to leave.

"Have a nice day!" The cashier called from behind, and Carmela briefly glanced back at her with a small smile.

She returned to Jules who was waiting outside the shop, scrolling through her phone and blowing bubbles with her pink chewing gum. Jules looked up as Carmela came back.

"All done?" Jules said.

"Yep. Let's go." Carmela said, her voice a pitch higher than usual. 

Jules blinked with confusion at her sudden mood change, but followed beside Carmela anyways, her shopping bags loudly dangling from her arms. Carmela hadn't bought anything. She wasn't much of a shopper. She did buy a chocolate bar though, because it's impossible to go shopping and not buy chocolate. 

They strolled all the way to the front of the mall, and exited the building. Jules chatted as they walked to the row of bus stops but Carmela's mind was elsewhere occupied. She did hear her say something about Hosi's dad coming back soon. Maybe that was why Hosi was in a bad mood lately.

"Well, my bus is that one." Jules pouted her lips, getting ready to go.

"Mines this one." Carmela said, moving in to hug her friend. "Love you, Jules. I'm so lucky to have you. You make my shit life seem like heaven sometimes."

"Aw, Carmela, I love you so much! You're literally my favourite person, girl, and don't you worry. Everything is gonna be okay. You just need to be okay first. Hm?" Jules smiled as they touched their foreheads together. Then Carmela pulled away, taking a deep breath. 

"Okay. Bye, Jules! I'm gonna miss you." Carmela said, stepping backwards.

"Me too, girl. Bye!" Jules waved before turning around and blending into the crowd of people stepping onto the bus.

Carmela stood next to her own bus stop, squinting her eyes against the sun. The bus to her house's street would arrive in a couple of minutes. 

One minute.

Half a minute.

Any second now.

*Ring ring!* 

Carmela groaned as her phone vibrated in her pocket and she fished it out. She looked at the caller.

An ache pounded through her bones and her heart leapt out of her chest.

Should she answer it? She had to... she wanted to... she needed to. She would probably regret it if she didn't. 

With trembling fingers, Carmela swiped the call open and brought the phone to her ear. 

It was silent for a couple of moments, and she held her breath waiting for the voice on the other end.

And then it came.

"Um... hey." He said.