Take Me Back To Paddington (SERIES)

Chapter 34 - The Fall

"Excuse me?"

A female voice came from behind and chased my thoughts away.

"I'm sorry" I muttered, taking a few steps away from the spot I had been standing on before.

Sighing, I took my phone out from my handbag when I finally decided; I'm going to call her. The time on my phone screen just confirmed that I had been waiting for almost 45 minutes in the same aisle of this supermarket and staring at the wide selections of cheese with none in my trolley yet. And there was no reply from her either.

So I put the phone against my ear, listening to the ringing on the line as nervousness kicking in.

"Baby?" A lovely voice pinched my heart, reminding me about how much I actually had longed for her compassion towards me. "Hey?"

"Hey, Jag. Am I disturbing you?" I chuckled in worry since she was working and I gave her a call for some stupid reasons.

"No, absolutely no"

"I'm sorry for calling. I texted you earlier."

"I didn't check my phone. Is everything alright, baby?" She asked that question immediately, expressing that she wasn't rushing to end the call like what I used to hear in the universe I came from, but she sounded genuinely concerned instead.

"Yeah. I'm just at the supermarket."

"And?"

"I was thinking of buying cheese to cook for dinner later."

"And?"

"Which one do you prefer, my darling? Cheddar or mozzarella?"

I heard her loud sigh.

"Just that?"

Laughing a little, I replied to her. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I know it's stupid."

"No, that's alright-"

"I'm about to leave, and you still haven't read my text, that's why."

I continued to explain, ensuring that she knew I wouldn't simply invade her working time with her investigating team. I had tried my best not to be the Chae I was before, who kept asking for attention at the wrong time. Thus, I wouldn't let all the efforts I had been putting on to make myself better got ruined by a cheese.

"I'm sorry, baby" But her charm was slowly winning over my defence mode. "Did I upset you?"

"Umm, not really."

"Alright then just grab mozzarella for me, please."

"Mozzarella it is" I laughed in relief, realising that she was my Lisa after all. She wasn't going to get mad at me for calling her.

"Chae?"

"Yes, love?"

"I have to go for a seminar in Glasgow on Sunday" She finally dropped something that I wished I would never have to hear again for the rest of my life, and it pressed itself on my tongue with its weight. "Can I go?"

"Lisa!"

I forced laughter instantly as tears began to well up in my eyes.

"What?"

"Are you asking my permission about your job?!" I distracted myself with a different perspective rather than focusing on the bad news she just told me.