Forbidden Romance

Chapter 4

Exiting the hospital, Gloria stepped onto the footpath. Her gaze fixed on the distant glow of streetlights. On the footpath, she impatiently waited for the cab that would be reaching there within half an hour.

Noah too stepped down from the hospital building and approached his car. His attention shifted to Gloria was again seemed so lost.

"Where are you leaving?" He asked her, staring at the airline tag on her bag. "Shall I drop you?" Noah asked her.

“No need of it.” She replied, attempting to slip away but Noah's hand clasped around her wrist. Their eyes locked. His icy cold fingers gripped her. His brown eyes reflected the dim light behind her. Noah noticed the pink, glassy eyes that betrayed a torrent of tears.

“Wait a minute! Did you cry?” he asked her. They were swollen red, as if something terrible happened to her. Her face was charming but at the same time, it looked quite gloomy as if she was hiding deep pain in her eyes. Gloria immediately took her glance away.

“Why do you care? Who are you?” She asked him, she was never rude to any person but today she was going through such a phase that she even hated God, the creator of the world.

“Well, I f*****g never cared about anyone’s tears. But wonder who made you cry? Is it your boyfriend? Did he break up with you?” He asked her. This made her even more irritated.

“Boyfriend? Do I look like someone who will cry over a breakup?” She reminded the people who talked about Rachel’s affair. “I’ll never do that.” Her nostrils flared up.

“Then, you can share it with me. What if I help you?” Noah said with a flirtatious tone. But that made her even more annoyed.

"What? You will help me? What will you do? Will you return the person I have lost? Will you get..." Before she could finish what was she saying, Noah pulled her and embraced her in his arms.

"You..." She started getting away from him, but he caged her so tightly that she could not even move.

"Don't move. You need a hug right now." His words were enough to make her sob crazily. She just got a shoulder to cry on, she poked her head on his muscular chest. Without having any idea that she was crying on an unknown shoulder, a boy jumped out of somewhere and now she was hugging him.

"Why this happened? Why?" She muttered, her face was soaked.

Noah never hugged anyone this way before, he had many friends and many girlfriends, but it was the first time he had lent his shoulder to someone to cry. He didn't know how to console her, but slowly his hands started moving to her back. Her curves were pressing against him, she was so fit in his hands. He easily could sniff the fragrance coming out of her shoulder.

"I would never come back to this city," Gloria said and got away from him. But Noah still had not left her hand. Gloria realised he was a kind of pervert.

“Thanks for the hug. But now leave my hand.” She asked him.

“I won’t.” He replied and raised the grip even more.

“Why?”

“Just…” He had no answer. But he kept holding her hand. He teasingly pulled her close but his every action made her irritated.

"I just confessed that you didn't hit me, and you hugged me in return. We are even now.” She snatched her hand back and gripped her travel bag. "I hope we don't see each other again," Gloria told him.

It's not like she was going to see that boy again. She sat inside the cab and left quickly. Noah too sat in his car and was surprised.

"That was f*****g rude. I just ask her if I can drop her." Noah muttered to himself. He stared at that leaving cab for a while, that girl was strange and interesting.

Gloria reached the airport and she was already late. Luckily there were still ten minutes left. She showed her tickets to the counter and boarded her flight. It was three thirty, and by the morning she was going to reach New York.

"Bye-bye, California. You gave me bitter memories for my life." She touched the glass of the window and whispered. She was taking some unforgettable memories from this city and told herself that she would never come back here.

As usual, she reached New York by early morning and went to her room.

Sylvia opened the door, and she was shocked to see Gloria at this hour. She knew that Gloria went to see her sister after long two years and she would be staying for a fortnight. But it was one day and Gloria returned.

"What happened? You said you will be.." Before she could finish what was she saying, Gloria hugged her. Sylvia was terribly scared, she had never seen Gloria crying like this. Gloria told her everything that happened when she reached California.

"I know you love your sister so much. I have no sister but I can understand your pain." Selvia consoled her.

Gloria took a break from work for a few days. She had already taken a leave for her California trip. But even after days passed to that incident, Gloria was still not moved on. It's more like her world has shattered. Sylvia felt bad seeing her in sucy state.

"Gloria, When are you going to join work? boss was asking for you." Sylvia asked her. Gloria nodded. She was sitting on the corner of her bed when Sylvia came and held her hand. "You need to step out, just for a fresh breath. Get back to work. Don't just stay within these four walls." Sylvia explains to her.

Gloria stared at her, she thought if she stayed at home she would keep overthinking and go mad. She opened the wardrobe and took out her cafe uniform an orange nylon t-shirt with three blue stripes, blue pants and an orange cap.

She got ready and left for work. She was working in Uncle Ching's cafe.

As it was rush hour, she didn't get time to think about what happened. She was just hurrying and running to serve the meals to people. She realised she had made the right decision to join the cafe again.

"Your bill. Next.." Everything was going well until someone called her.

"I want a Cappuccino and one vegan burger." She heard someone giving her order, but that voice was the same as her sister Rachel. Gloria stared at the face with hopeful eyes. She was heartbroken again.

"Vegan burger." That girl told her. Gloria turned blank. As expected that girl complained to the owner about the mismanagement in the cafe. Gloria was called in the main cabin.

"How many times should I tell you? Do you want me to kick you out?" The owner left no stone unturned to shout at her.

Gloria walked to the toilet. The tears filled in her eyes. No matter how much she tried to not think about it, it continuously ran into her mind.

Just a few days ago, Just two days before, everything was fine. She finished her chores and was about to leave the cafe. Suddenly her phone blinked, and she found Rachel was calling her. Gloria answered her call.

"I had a shopping day today. Just tell me which one is the best?" Rachel a shopping and bought herself a new pair of jeans and shoes from Zara. Even she sent Gloria a picture of it while wearing them.

"How is it? Should I keep or return?" She texted below. Gloria raised her brows to see them, it was amazing latest edition jeans that Gloria always wanted to have.

"That's cool. I love the second one. Keep the both." Gloria replied to her.

"Then you can keep this one," Rachel told her. But Gloria didn't reply to her. Because she was never going to have it for herself. On the day of her mom's marriage, she thought not to use her mom's money because it was her stepfather's money.

"I will take those jeans, please come back. I will come to California to stay with you. Please come back." She was muttering while crying. The age gap between both sisters was not letting her fight with her sister but wanted to give her motherly love.

Suddenly the door opened, and her eyes widened to see a boy in front of her. She thought she had seen him before, then the hospital room clicked in her mind.

Noah just passed by and heard a girl crying in the female toilet. He realised that heavy, sobbing voice that he heard in the hospital room.

"It's here. It's her voice." He stood and listened to her. "Looked like she was asking someone to come back. Perhaps her boyfriend." He immediately entered in the washroom and held the knob. The door opened, and Gloria stood in front of him.

"Were you crying?" He asked her. The glassy tears uncontrollably falling from her eyes, she again found that boy in front of her and started leaving.

"I told you I repay what favour you did for me." He told her, she raised her eyes. She did not understand what he meant. Noah wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her closer. Her eyes tapered as she realised that the boy was a street Romeo and was annoyed.

"What are you..." She opened her lips, but Noah placed his lips on her and without asking for her consent, he forcefully kissed her.

As soon as he kissed her, her eyes widened. She widened her teary eyes as their soft lips hit each other. It was the first time that someone kissed her.

She pushed him away, trying to get away from him but he wrapped her in his arms. He was not ready to leave her.

The fresh fragrance of oregano from Noah's lips started lingering on her. Rachel, her death, the pain behind in her heart everything vanished and the feeling of that young boy kissing her overlapped her heart.

She pushed him away, and Noah caressed his thumb at the corner of his lips. He smiled at her.

"What was that?" Gloria asked him, looked like he didn't kiss her out of any feeling. His mischievous smile was telling that he just wanted to play with her. She was irritated by his sudden action and she hated it that his kiss swayed her heart.

"Thanks for saving me last evening," Noah told her, she tapered her eyes. "You look angry better than crying." Her face turned even angrier when he said this.

"You. How dare you to kiss me? I told you it's better we not meet again." Gloria's face was red.