Read Online The Grasp of Nighttide by Sadaf Zulfikar - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sadaf Zulfikar
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Indian. There’s only Hindi at her place,” he shrugged.
“You should work on the grammar part a teeny tiny bit,” Rashi spoke up. “I’ll be back in five minutes.”
“What are you doing here?” Derek asked, once Rashi had the door shut behind her.
“I help out sometimes.” Alice pointed to the badge on her shirt.
“Well, that’s great. My aunt runs this place.” He widened his arms in pride. “I was looking to see if she was here. Guess not.”
Aunt? Mrs. Parker?
“I see she has a lot of new collections now,” he picked Stephan King’s ‘The Shining’ off the shelf, “I read this... last week.”
“What is it about then? “Alice’s brow lifted slightly; she folded her arms. “Don’t start saying it is a book on philosophy, it actually is a...”
A black and white image of a room flashed before her eyes, not a room−more like a library. And there was the same book in Alice’s hand and she was whispering the synopsis…
“I don’t want to know,” Derek admitted, letting his free hand rest on her shoulder. “I just wanted you to put a good word in about me to Anna and tell her that I am finally taking an interest in novels. I guess there’s no sense in asking you now...”
Derek held her gaze for a minute before abruptly thrusting the book into her hands and leaving without a word. Alice touched her face and looked down at her dress. Everything was okay with her. Maybe he was spooked out by whatever expression she had during her photo-negative looking library vision, which she could make no sense of. But she hoped she'd run into him again. She hadn't admitted it to herself, but she wanted to know Derek better.
She went to the window and continued looking at Derek. Though she had met him only yesterday, she knew he was a good man−like she thought Lance and her mom were good. When he was out of sight, she snapped her fingers. She felt bothered; Derek made her feel that way.
Do I want him to like me? Alice shook her head to get even the residue of the thought out of her mind.
Just then, Rashi returned and Alice was well aware that the topic of Derek was coming up.
“Hey, what were you two talking about in my absence?”
“Nothing much.” Alice shrugged. “Books.”
“Derek seems interested in you.” She winked.
“You are just saying...”
“No way am I just saying!” She snapped. “It is not the first time I’ve met that guy, and let me say he doesn’t ask about any person, girls in particular.”
"What did he ask about me?" Alice was curious.
"How long you’ve work here. And your schedule."
"He is Franny's relative. He means business," she stated plainly. She was more concerned with what Rashi had told him. She must've spilled Alice's history−as much she knew about, that is.
"He was asking: 'What is your opinion about Alice?'" She pretended to be casual. "Well, that's business ."
"What did you say?" Alice blurted.
"Getting all curious, eh? I said you were a good person." It was clear she had said just more than that. "But the bottom-line is, he asked about you!"
“So?” Alice tried to think some sense. “Anna’s his girlfriend.”
“Oh, Anna darling will have to step down. I have a gut feeling about this.”
“I have a boyfriend.”
“That guy doesn’t even message or call you. In fact, no one ever does except Franny”
“How do you even...”
“I kinda checked,” she handed Alice her phone. “I wanted to check that Derek has a clear way.”
“How can you even do that? Checking my phone without permission?”
“I’m sorry, dear,” Rashi hugged Alice even though Alice tried to resist. “Your boyfriend was a jerk for not coming up here to see you even once, good thing you broke up with him. And I’m sorry I did this. I want your boring life to change, and to see you happy.”
Alice let go of her
“You should work on the grammar part a teeny tiny bit,” Rashi spoke up. “I’ll be back in five minutes.”
“What are you doing here?” Derek asked, once Rashi had the door shut behind her.
“I help out sometimes.” Alice pointed to the badge on her shirt.
“Well, that’s great. My aunt runs this place.” He widened his arms in pride. “I was looking to see if she was here. Guess not.”
Aunt? Mrs. Parker?
“I see she has a lot of new collections now,” he picked Stephan King’s ‘The Shining’ off the shelf, “I read this... last week.”
“What is it about then? “Alice’s brow lifted slightly; she folded her arms. “Don’t start saying it is a book on philosophy, it actually is a...”
A black and white image of a room flashed before her eyes, not a room−more like a library. And there was the same book in Alice’s hand and she was whispering the synopsis…
“I don’t want to know,” Derek admitted, letting his free hand rest on her shoulder. “I just wanted you to put a good word in about me to Anna and tell her that I am finally taking an interest in novels. I guess there’s no sense in asking you now...”
Derek held her gaze for a minute before abruptly thrusting the book into her hands and leaving without a word. Alice touched her face and looked down at her dress. Everything was okay with her. Maybe he was spooked out by whatever expression she had during her photo-negative looking library vision, which she could make no sense of. But she hoped she'd run into him again. She hadn't admitted it to herself, but she wanted to know Derek better.
She went to the window and continued looking at Derek. Though she had met him only yesterday, she knew he was a good man−like she thought Lance and her mom were good. When he was out of sight, she snapped her fingers. She felt bothered; Derek made her feel that way.
Do I want him to like me? Alice shook her head to get even the residue of the thought out of her mind.
Just then, Rashi returned and Alice was well aware that the topic of Derek was coming up.
“Hey, what were you two talking about in my absence?”
“Nothing much.” Alice shrugged. “Books.”
“Derek seems interested in you.” She winked.
“You are just saying...”
“No way am I just saying!” She snapped. “It is not the first time I’ve met that guy, and let me say he doesn’t ask about any person, girls in particular.”
"What did he ask about me?" Alice was curious.
"How long you’ve work here. And your schedule."
"He is Franny's relative. He means business," she stated plainly. She was more concerned with what Rashi had told him. She must've spilled Alice's history−as much she knew about, that is.
"He was asking: 'What is your opinion about Alice?'" She pretended to be casual. "Well, that's business ."
"What did you say?" Alice blurted.
"Getting all curious, eh? I said you were a good person." It was clear she had said just more than that. "But the bottom-line is, he asked about you!"
“So?” Alice tried to think some sense. “Anna’s his girlfriend.”
“Oh, Anna darling will have to step down. I have a gut feeling about this.”
“I have a boyfriend.”
“That guy doesn’t even message or call you. In fact, no one ever does except Franny”
“How do you even...”
“I kinda checked,” she handed Alice her phone. “I wanted to check that Derek has a clear way.”
“How can you even do that? Checking my phone without permission?”
“I’m sorry, dear,” Rashi hugged Alice even though Alice tried to resist. “Your boyfriend was a jerk for not coming up here to see you even once, good thing you broke up with him. And I’m sorry I did this. I want your boring life to change, and to see you happy.”
Alice let go of her
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