Dia and Grandma's house.       "Not now."    Dia cussed as she heard the thick and rich voice come from the sitting room. For a while she thought of pretending as though she was dead. If that in any way would help her avoid the morning talk. And for fuck sake, why would he stop by that early in the morning. Twas just 10am. Whatever.     She couldn't hear clearly, the conversation was indistinct. But she needed no soothsayer to tell her that the discussion they were having was about her.     She would just retire to the bed and pretend as though she was a sleeping log.    Then she heard the pressured call,     "Dia!!! Your father is here."    Her grandma was approaching her room.      "Oh... Shit!"     She flung into the bed and tucked herself into the fluffy c

     Grandma and Dia's place.      "Where to again?"    Dia stopped almost at the door. She had meant to sneak out. She turned immediately, she had been caught.      "I'll be gone for a while."   She wore the smothered face, eating up the old woman with an ambiguous look. Grandma was wearing an apron, and had just walked out of nowhere.     "Don't tell me you're still seeing that Max guy."   Grandma's feminine voice feigned a deep vibration in the throttle. They both knew she didn't have it.    "We've had this discussion, Ima. Trust me."   She said as she turned again to walk out. She heard the old woman calling,   "You do know that I'm obsessed with proofs."    Dia didn't reply. She walked to her car. She saw that taxi driver whose mother was suffering from cancer. Her n

        A luxurious restaurant.      "You come here often?"    She was the first to break the silence. She dropped the apple pie in her hand and pick up the glass of red wine. She took a sip. Crisp and elegantly. She wasn't doing it on purpose, she simply didn't want attention.     Max was seated beside her, on a wooden two seater restaurant chair, draped in black but shining leather. Twas cozy in there, and aside the unusual silence, the waiters were super professional and nice. Like they were created for the tasks.     He was having a deep dish pizza. They both were sharing the bottle of red wine. If she would be frank with herself, that was the best lunch she'd ever had.      "I'll say every week. Though not everyday."  He smiled and concentrated on the pizza. The way he slid the knife through the meal and put the fork to his mouth was

    Max's office.     "Do you have an appointment with him?"   The lady in a corporate dress shot at the man standing before her table. The man's aura was charming but the gaze he wore seemed to speak ill of the former.     "I do not need an appointment to meet Max."   His firm voice complemented the facial expression he maintained.     "A moment please."    The secretary pleaded as she punched few numbers into the landline and put a call through. She spoke over the phone,    "Sir, there is a man here of the name --"     She peered at the man, giving him the what-is-your-name stare. He said firmly,     "Derrick."     She looked away and concentrated,    "Derrick. He said he is some college friend."   He watched her receive an instruction and h

      2 day's later. Zoe's studio.      "They are getting better, I guess."    Alex said, pressing his palm tucked in hers. Zoe shot him a glance and looked away to the dance students he has referred to, swaying on the dance floor. She smiled,     "Take back the word 'guess", they're better. At least compared to the Madalin Bay girls."     He allowed himself to be distracted by that side of her face. He kept the gaze on her for a while waiting for her reaction. He wasn't stood up.      "What?"    She looked at him, her eyelids flapping to a hidden rhythm he couldn't reach at.      "I'm quite lucky to have you."    His voice small and calm, she bet he had practiced that. Though even though twas practiced, he got at her.       "Maybe I should be the one to say that. Afte