Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 234281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1171(@200wpm)___ 937(@250wpm)___ 781(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 234281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1171(@200wpm)___ 937(@250wpm)___ 781(@300wpm)
Diana couldn’t help feeling sheepish upon seeing Magnolia's frowning expression. "I'm sorry for worrying you guys the past few days."
Amine raised a brow. "And?"
"I'm, um, okay now?" Diana had to fight back a silly grin when she saw Magnolia looking ready to strangle her. "I'm really sorry for worrying you?" She saw Magnolia raise her hands threateningly and choked back a laugh. "I'm sorry, really sorry!" Diana clapped her hands together in a gesture of apology. "But that's all I can say."
"What do you mean that's all you can say?" Magnolia glared at her. "You owe us an explanation, Diana Leventis."
"I—-"
Amine shook her head, a look of wry expression on her face. "Don't bother, Mags." She made a vague circular gesture towards Diana's face. "Just look at her. It's all there."
Magnolia's blue eyes narrowed. The soft, bright light in her dark eyes, the brush of pale pink in her cheeks, and most of all, the lips that couldn't quite stop curving in a secret smile.
"You're in lust," Magnolia accused.
Amine, in the act of taking another sip of her hot soy milk, ended up sputtering instead. "Oh, for heaven's sake. She's in love."
Magnolia wrinkled her nose in distaste. "One word: yuck."
Diana swallowed back a laugh, and seeing that the two were about to launch into their usual bickering, quickly made a move to forestall this, saying firmly, "It's neither." Her friends' heads simultaneously snapped towards her direction, so fast that Diana found herself taken aback, and she said weakly, "I'm just happy?"
They crossed their arms over their chests, both of them wearing I'm-still-waiting expressions on their lovely faces, and feeling obliged to elaborate, Diana said in a small voice, "There's a guy I like...and he likes me back."
One, two, three seconds passed, and then Magnolia and Amine burst into squeals and giggles, and Diana couldn't help giggling as well as the two engulfed her in big, warm hugs.
How did it start?
How do you know he likes you back?
Were you crying because you thought he didn't like you at first?
Did he hurt you? Did he grovel for you to take him back?
On and on the questions went that Diana had to throw her hands up in a pleading gesture. "I can't. It's just...I want to keep things private for now."
"Spoilsport," Magnolia grumbled.
But Amine was looking perturbed. "He's not married, is he?"
"What? No." Diana couldn't help send her friend a chiding look. "I'm not that kind of girl."
Amine's slender shoulders moved in a shrug. "You'd be surprised at what people could do for love."
"But...to commit adultery?"
"You really never know until you're in the situation yourself."
Diana wasn't sure she agreed with this, and even as lunch hour came to an end, she found herself still mulling it over.
How far could she go for love?
She couldn't think of any ready answer to this, but then she suddenly found herself thinking of him, and a shiver ran down her spine. It was like having someone walk over her grave, and she couldn't help thinking, couldn't help worrying that for the professor, she could easily see herself doing (and had already done) crazy things for.
And to think...
She wasn't in love with him yet.
Her
DIANA WASN'T IN THE habit of eavesdropping.
But while she was waiting in line at the bus stop, words from the conversation happening behind her started penetrating her daydreams of the professor, and she found herself inadvertently doing just that.
Two women in their thirties, both of them working as cashiers for the same local grocery, and then moonlighting afterwards: one was a waitress at a diner while another did part-time at a convenience store near her house.
An idea started brewing in Diana's mind as she listened to the pair exchange horror stories about their shared workplace, which ranged from a misogynist boss who thought nothing of calling his female workers 'dumb pussies' to having to pay for a customer's groceries because an old woman had gotten away with faking an accident at Aisle 5 and blaming the staff for it.
While she wasn't quite sure of the whys and hows yet, she did know that she was listening to something important, and when their bus finally arrived, Diana made certain to sit behind the pair so she could better (and discreetly, too, hopefully) observe them.
Tired was the first word that came to mind as Diana took in their appearances, their exhaustion so deeply seated in their systems that it almost seemed a scent they wore.
The two women's talk had turned to Hollywood gossip, and Diana leaned back against her seat, feeling like she was missing something crucial.
She turned her gaze to the window in a bid to contain her restlessness and frustration.
She still had ten minutes before her stop, which was a short walk from the suicide help center Helder Meer had a long-standing arrangement with. In exchange of volunteer hours, students were given a chance to consult the staff, make use of its library with its specialized collections in medical literature, and conduct structured interviews with some of the in-house patients.