The Voice on the Other End
1364 Words
The next afternoon, Zinni called Staphy.
“Call the customer and take his order,” she told her. “Once you have the details, I'll get the order prepared and have it sent out.”
Staphy picked up her phone and began making the calls.
One by one, she spoke to the customers, noted down their requirements, and handled their orders.
Finally, she reached the same number she had accidentally contacted the previous night.
This time, she didn't send a message.
She simply pressed Call.
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
“Hello?”
Staphy froze.
For a few seconds, she couldn't even breathe properly.
That voice.
It was deep, rough, and strangely intimidating—almost as though the sound itself had cut straight through her.
She had never heard a voice like that before.
For some inexplicable reason, the moment she heard it, she felt as though a terrifying dream had suddenly appeared right in front of her.
Who is this man?
Before she could respond, a customer walked into her shop.
The sudden interruption brought her back to reality.
Staphy straightened herself and tried to sound normal.
“Hello?”
There was no response.
She waited.
Still nothing.
Then, after a few seconds, a quiet voice finally came through.
“Yes?”
Staphy took a small breath.
“Hello, Mr. John. I got your number from your mother. She told me that you liked our products and were interested in purchasing some. We had tried contacting you earlier, but I wasn't able to provide you with all the information during the previous call. So I thought I'd call you again.”
There was a brief silence.
Then his voice came again.
But this time, it sounded different.
Softer.
The roughness she had noticed earlier was barely there.
Staphy relaxed slightly.
“Sir, your mother is one of our regular customers. She really likes our hair oils and perfumes. She was the one who gave us your number. Could you tell me what kind of products you're looking for?”
A few seconds passed before he answered.
“She didn't tell me much. Can you tell me what kind of products you have?”
Staphy immediately began explaining.
She told him about the different products they offered, their uses, and the options available.
But as she spoke, she couldn't shake off the strange feeling growing inside her.
Usually, whenever she spoke to a customer, they asked questions.
They interrupted her from time to time.
They commented on something.
They responded to what she was saying.
But this man...
He barely said anything.
There was only silence on the other end of the phone.
A strange, heavy silence.
Staphy had never experienced anything quite like it.
She continued explaining the products, but the longer the silence lasted, the more conscious she became of it.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the phone.
For the first time since she had started talking to customers, Staphy found herself becoming nervous.
She didn't know why.
She didn't even know the man.
Yet somehow, there was something about his silence that made her uneasy.
And she couldn't understand why.
Staphy pressed her lips together.
“Sir, if you could tell me your reference, I might be able to suggest something suitable for you.”
There was a brief pause on the other end.
Then the man spoke.
“Look, Miss, let me clear something up first. My mother did not give you my number. Because…” He paused for a moment. “I am not who you think I am.”
Staphy frowned.
“I’m not the person you were trying to contact,” he continued. “My name is Justin. I think you dialed the wrong number.”
Staphy’s eyes widened slightly.
Wrong number? Again?
But before she could apologize, Justin continued.
“However, after hearing about your products, I think I should know a little more about them.”
His voice was calm now.
“I’m interested in your products.”
Staphy went silent.
She didn't know what to say.
Quickly, she reached for a sheet of paper and checked the number she had written down earlier.
Her eyes moved over the digits.
She checked them once.
Then again.
And her expression changed.
He’s right.
She had written down the wrong number.
“Oh…”
She immediately felt embarrassed.
“I’m sorry, sir. It was my mistake. I hope I didn't cause you any trouble.”
“It's okay,” Justin replied casually.
Then, after a short pause, he added,
“But yes, I am interested in your products.”
Staphy looked down at her notes.
“I don't really have a specific reference right now,” Justin continued. “I’m not looking for anything in particular. But I do like hand creams.”
He paused.
“The one I was using before wasn't working very well anymore. So I thought I might as well try something different.”
There was something unexpectedly casual about the way he said it.
Staphy slowly relaxed.
“Of course, sir,” she replied, picking up her pen again. “I can definitely suggest something.”
For the first time since the call had started, the nervousness in her chest began to fade.
Perhaps this wrong number hadn't been such a bad mistake after all.
Staphy continued telling him about a few of their products, explaining their uses and helping him understand which ones might suit him best.
But before she could finish, Justin spoke.
“I think I have to go.”
Staphy stopped.
“Oh. Okay, sir. If you're somewhere outside right now, I can contact you later. Could you tell me what time would be convenient for you? I’ll call you then.”
There was a short pause.
“Nine.”
“Nine o’clock?”
“Yes. Nine tonight.”
“Okay. I’ll call you later.”
With that, Staphy ended the call.
The moment the screen went dark, she let out a long breath.
For some strange reason, she felt relieved.
It was almost as though she had just finished an extremely difficult session.
But it wasn't.
It had only been a simple conversation with a customer.
Still, something about Justin's voice had affected her more than she wanted to admit.
She shook the thought away and returned to her work.
---
That night, when it was almost nine, Staphy picked up her phone.
She hesitated for a moment before calling Justin.
He answered.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Justin. Is this a good time?”
“Yes.”
“Can I show you the products over a video call? It might be easier for me to explain them that way.”
There was a brief pause.
“Sure.”
Staphy immediately switched to a video call.
The moment the call connected, both of them froze.
For a few seconds, neither said a word.
They were seeing each other for the first time.
Justin was strikingly handsome.
And Staphy was no less beautiful.
There was something unexpectedly captivating about seeing the person whose voice they had been hearing on the phone.
Justin recovered first.
“Hi.”
But Staphy didn't answer.
Her eyes weren't entirely on him.
They had drifted toward something behind him.
A uniform.
Hanging neatly in the background.
She stared at it for a few seconds longer than she should have.
“Hello?”
Justin spoke again.
Still nothing.
He frowned slightly.
“Hello?”
This time, Staphy finally looked back at him.
A wide smile immediately appeared on her face.
But there was no nervousness in her expression now.
Instead, her eyes were shining with genuine curiosity.
She pointed toward the uniform behind him.
“Is that your uniform?”
Justin glanced over his shoulder.
“My uniform?”
“Yes.”
Her excitement was impossible to miss now.
“You're in the army?”
There was a completely different sparkle in Staphy's eyes as she looked at the uniform.
For the first time that night, Justin noticed that her interest wasn't focused on his appearance at all.
She was genuinely fascinated by the uniform.
And somehow, that caught his attention too.
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