Melody dressed as hastily as possible, only stopping to look in the mirror briefly. She didn’t look so bad. She was wearing a cut-off dress that hugged her curves, donned with matching sandals. Quickly, she flattened her lips together to spread the color she had just dabbed onto them, and then rushed outside. Cringing as the crisp autumn air bit her face, she pinched her cheeks to add back some color that she was sure had momentarily escaped them.

She looked back at the house she called home and sighed as she contemplated her life, along with everything that had been happening lately. She’d struggled to go to college, working through summers and winters, and even after classes, barely getting a chance to have a social life. She’d constantly envied other school mates who were afforded the privileges of convertibles and other luxuries: meanwhile, she had to suffer the painful rides on the bus to get to school. Oftentimes, she would not be able to afford the fare, or only for one direction, and not to appear ashamed, she’d walk the distance to school rather than back.

Her apartment wasn’t great, but it was what she could afford on her measly after school sessions at the hospital and at the diner on weekends. It was a wonder she had any boyfriend at all, and she was glad now that he still stuck by her given how boring she was, when there were tons of other girls out there he could have chosen. The following week would be her graduation, finally, and she was somewhat excited about her career prospects in technology. She saw her life now as a temporary situation, and with Mark on her mind, she practically jogged to the diner where she was supposed to be meeting him. He hadn’t yet arrived, so she sat in a booth at the back and ordered some soda while she waited. She glanced at the passersby, mentally comparing them with her own appearance, and was just starting to feel depressed when she saw Mark’s familiar face outside. Her heart rate increased dramatically, and a smile lit her features.

She stood up as he entered and waved him over. “Hi,” she said, hugging him to her.

“Hi Mel,” he said, and kissed her on the cheek.

They sat down just in time for the waitress to walk by and take their order, exchanging easy greetings and catching up on one another’s days.

“So, is there any particular reason why you asked me down here today? I mean, you can always ask, but...I don’t know, is everything alright?” She asked. She had an odd feeling all of a sudden that something was wrong, especially since he wasn’t normally the quiet type. And that kiss on the cheek instead of the lips…

He looked at her and it seemed like he was about to speak when the waitress returned. He bit into his burger, but she could tell he was avoiding telling her something. Melody started to eat as well, but it wasn’t long before she lost her appetite.

“Okay, spit it out,” she demanded as she tossed her sandwich onto the grease paper and leaned back against the seat, folding her arms in the process. Whatever he was holding back was too much of a distraction to ignore.

He swallowed, his face contorting as if he were eating needles rather than food. “I’m leaving for Canada after graduation,” he began.

“What do you mean, leaving for Canada?” She asked him, as if the words didn’t say it all. “Didn’t we talk about this and you told me you wouldn’t be going anywhere?”

“That was before my dad got ill and needed me to be there to oversee the company. What would you have me do? Say I’m sorry dad but my girlfriend needs me to stay here? I have to go, Mel,” he finished, and raked his hand through his hair, all nerves.

Melody sat there staring at the bubbles in her glass. She had thought that whatever life threw at her, she would at least have Mark, but now that he was going away, what did she have going for her here? Maybe she needed to leave the country as well. “Can I come with you?” She asked him now on a whim, and instantly regretted it.

The look on his face told her all the reasons she could not, including the discomfort that still worn on his face. ”Never mind,” she said softly, thinking how pitiful she must look to him for even asking.

“Mel, I’m sorry. This is honestly one of the hardest things for me to ever say to you,” he said, and she could almost see sorrow in his eyes when he looked at her now.

“When do you leave?” She asked.

“Right after graduation,” he replied. He reached his hand across the table to hold hers, but she pulled away, recoiling from his touch.

“I think it would be better for you to go now,” she whispered, a tear already rolling down her cheek. She turned her head towards the window and focused on the people walking by on the pavement, not wanting to see Mark anymore. What else could go wrong?

“Mel…I’m so…”

“Please, Mark. Just leave me alone.”

Mark stood up and traced her jaw line before he walked off, and when he did, her heart felt torn to pieces. She managed to hold it together long enough to call for the bill, which she discovered then was handled by Mark. As she hurried from the diner, her vision was now blurry as she blinked away the tears that had unwillingly escaped. She got home and she tossed herself on the bed, drenching the sheets with what tears remained.

Graduation the following week was horrendous as she was forced to watch Mark socialize with everyone but her. She disappeared soon after the end, not wanting the pity that would come from friends she would most likely never see again. Her life was a miserable sum of twenty-one years, and she sulked as she rode the bus home. Her parents had been unable to come, and for the first time in her life Melody felt completely alone. The tears let loose again but she was interrupted by a phone call.

“Where are you?” It was Crystal, one of her closest friends in college.

“Home. Where else should I be?”

“Home? It’s our graduation day. Come on! A couple of the guys are going out for a drink. Wanna come?”

“Not today. Maybe some other time.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah, just tired. Maybe tomorrow?” Melody hated lying to her friend but there was no way she would survive socializing with anyone right now.

“Want me to come over?”

“No Crys, it’s okay. Well catch up later. I’m just going to take a nap.”

“Alright. Later then.” Crystal said and hung up.

Melody sat alone that night in the coldness of her apartment, still wearing the graduation gown from what should have been a celebration, forcing back tears that struggled to come out. She woke up the following morning, with her hand brushing against the battered carpeting and one foot of her shoe still on. She tried to move, but she felt cramped, and she could hardly believe she had fallen asleep right there. She took up her diploma, at least satisfied that she had graduated with honors; if nothing else, she had accomplished that educational feat. She wiped the sleep from her eyes as she got up and walked to the small kitchen. Before she got there, though, she heard the familiar sound of the bell from the postman and the lifting of the flap as he deposited her mail in the slot by the door. Job acceptances don’t normally come in the mail, so there didn’t seem any particular reason for excitement, or immediate attention.

She sipped her coffee when it was brewed, and almost forgot about the mail until she was half way through drinking. She rested her cup on the coffee table and walked to the door, opening it wide enough to remove the envelopes and close the flap once more. Bills! She sighed and opened a mail from her school. She still owed tuition. She was lucky they’d given her a diploma at all since she knew most schools wouldn’t in this situation. Could life get any more complicated? She tossed the bills aside and sank back onto the sofa. She needed a job, and quick!

CHAPTER 2 - MELODY

Melody searched high and low, starting from the higher-end offices and working her way down to diners and pubs in a bid to get a job, any job. She had thought she’d be more comfortable in a corporate office, but at this point anything counted, even her local strip club. She was just about giving up for the day when she rounded the corner and came face to face with a software company that she had forgotten about. Maybe they needed a young intern! She whispered a silent prayer as she crossed the street and nervously opened the glass door leading to the building.

She noticed the receptionist eye her as she walked in. The woman paused just before looking at her over her horn-rimmed spectacles, and clamping her hand over the receiver of the phone that she had been talking into. Melody indicated she wanted to leave a resume, and the woman smiled and took it from her, mouthing the words ‘we will call you’, to which Melody smiled and exited.

As Melody stepped outside, she realized how sore her feet was - it seemed to be on fire. The day was not just going good, she thought as she walked gingerly through the last three blocks that lead to her home. She was hungry and would have like to eat outside, but the only place she could afford to eat was the diner and ever since she broke up with Mark, she avoided eating or visiting that diner. Melody so was grateful when she entered the last block where she lived, and before she could make it through the door, her shoes were already off. She breathed a sigh of relief as her feet levelled on the cool surface of the hardwood and she hobbled over to the sofa, sinking down on it gratefully. She tossed her handbag down next to her and relaxed her head against the sofa, while wiggling her toes, trying to work out the kinks already building up in her muscles.

She couldn’t escape the sight of the stack of bills that had greeted her as she walked in, so she picked up the phone and dialed a number she now knew by heart. “Miss Greaves’ office please,” she told the woman who answered the phone.

“Who may I say is calling?”

“Melody Mitchell.”

“One moment please,” the woman said, and Melody sat there nervously as she waited for the school bursar to come on the line.

“Miss Greaves here,” she said finally.

“Hi, Miss Greaves. This is Melody Mitchell and I’m calling about an outstanding balance with the school. I need an extension for payment as I’m currently unemployed, and I don’t have assistance from anyone else.”

BOOK: Billionaire Romance: Desires (Complete Series)

3.49Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

Read Book Download Book

ads

Other books

Billionaire's Defiant Mistress by Longton, Heather

Two Corinthians by Carola Dunn

Who Do You Trust? by Melissa James

Texts from Bennett by Lethal, Mac

Negotiating Skills by Laurel Cremant

When Dreams are Calling by Carol Vorvain

International Security: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by Browning, Christopher S.

Chances Are by Michael Kaplan

Mine Until Dawn by Walters, Ednah, Walters, E. B.

Delphi Poetry Anthology: The World's Greatest Poems (Delphi Poets Series Book 50) by Homer, Shakespeare, William