When Bluebirds Fly | ✔

Part Three : Chapter Fifteen

Through the glass-sheathed walls, I saw Isaac smiling to a lady customer as he was about to serve their doughnuts when the lady's pre-pubescent kid (who had been eyeing the treats all this while) reached up to grab the doughnuts from his hands. The mother reproachfully looked at her son, but hearing Isaac laugh, her disapproval vanished, replaced by an embarrassed laugh. Isaac set the food in front of the kid, adding extra chocolate syrup which made the kid jump on his seat and he ruffled the kid's sleek hair.

Just then, his amiable face turned towards me and his eyes widened when they connected to mine. Before I could process anything, I was in his arms with his lips pressed against mine and the mother irked, distracted the gawking kid by pointing at the doughnuts. I could feel Isaac smile, the corners of his lips lifting against my skin, making mine lift up too like gentle breeze swaying a little stalk.

"You came to visit me," he said almost to himself, in astonishment.

"You expect too less from me. I'm glad," I whispered since his face was so close to me, his forehead touching mine.

He broke into a smile with all those wrinkles that I traced softly with my fingers.

"Okay wait," he said, gripping my shoulders. "Wait right here, okay? I'll come in a minute."

"Where else can I go?" I laughed nervously, but the seriousness of his expression didn't leave. "Okay Isaac, I'll be here."

Within a minute, he was out again without his apron and red cap, wearing a plain black t-shirt and black jeans and his curls arranged on the right part of his head. "I took a leave today. Tony and Lola will cover for me."

"You didn't have to. We could have hung around in the pantry."

"But I want you all to myself," he said sheepishly and held my waist, pecking my cheek as we strode in an urgency on the streets that I couldn't comprehend. "Bailey's Nuts not the same without you."

"You're joking- hey, where are we going?" I asked as he dragged me, both of us running across the street.

"A surprise!" He showed his hand to a car in the middle of the street which grudgingly stopped and he guided me to the other side. "We don't have much time."

"Are you mad? We have hours before I have to go back."

"That's not enough. Not when it comes to you." He stopped in front of a bike rental shop and grinned. "Remember how we used to race from my house till the park and the loser had to buy the winner an ice cream?"

"I always lost and bullied you into buying me an ice cream,"

"Now you won't be able to bully me."

"That's because I'll win." I raised my chin up and taking it an invitation to kiss, he quickly leaned down. I stepped back. "No, first the race."

He ran a hand through his curls, messing them up and groaned. "Alright. Let's go."

We booked two road bicycles and off we headed, initially at a leisurely pace, chatting and lightly bumping into each other which made us giggle like children. When we were a street away from the park, our real race commenced. Both of us took off instantly, pedalling furiously and dodging all the hindrances.

Before I could blink, Isaac was one step in front of me, then two, then three and my body grew smaller and he grew gangly and my voice squeaky as I hollered after him, both of us transported a decade back.

"This was fun," Isaac breathed as he reached the entrance a minute before me, his eyes shining in delight.

"Your idea of a date is to make a woman lose and derive happiness from that? Sadistic---" my words were swallowed by him as he kissed me feverishly, letting go of the bicycle which crashed on the ground and his hands caressing my cheeks while I held on to the handles of my bicycle.

"I didn't forget my ice cream," he said against my lips, pulling away.

"Kiss me more first." I sunk my hands in his soft hair, tugging it which surprised him.

"People are seeing us, Ana---"

"I don't care." I kissed him, matching his fervour till we both knew that our displays of affection should be censored in public and yearningly pulled away. To quell the passion blazing in our stomachs and tongues, we got ice cream, sharing and playing with it till we dropped it and sensibly bought two and ate our own.  The sun was setting and I knew that it was time for me to return.

"Can we stop by my apartment for a minute? I need to grab a few things," I lied to Isaac who nodded without a clue. A tiny thought- fear- I couldn't distinguish from the two was prodding me in the back of the head, nagging me to seek for answers, answers to the hazy image of the crumpled underwear underneath his bed. I had to check whether Abel was home or not and confront him, I had to know what happened.

What was the 'nothing' that I kept telling myself?

"You wait here, I'll go up and be back in a minute." I kissed Isaac and climbed the stairs, each step sending a jolt of weakness through my wobbling legs. I walked cautiously in the corridor, praying that I wouldn't run into my father (which was unlikely considering his promise of finding a job) and I stood with a thumping heart outside Abel's door.

I couldn't hear anything from inside which gave me the courage to ring the bell. Once. Twice. Thrice. My frustration increased as I forcibly kept ringing the bell, then kicked at the door. Nothing. Nothing must have happened.

"Ana?" Isaac's face appeared in the dim lights and I smiled, taking his hand.

"Yeah, I forgot that I had already carried the book in my bags. It must be under the clothes," I lied again and hurried him to exit this goddamn building.

Once outside, it was dark, the sort of dark that caused one's instincts to go blaring. Only weak streetlights kept the place somewhat illuminated which made the darkness prominent. There was nobody around and Isaac and I foolishly sauntered with interlinked arms, leaning on each other and kissing occasionally. Suddenly, out of thin air, the silver of a knife glinted in front of us and a slurring voice yelled, "Give me your wallet! Give your fucking wallet and you can fucking leave!"