Chapter 27

Cutting Ties

Hani's badly ruined book was still lying on Kris' floor. Untouched but not yet discarded.

Kris stared at it, his expression a mixture of guilt and frustration. He closed his eyes and covered them with his hands, feeling regretful.

Come on, Kris, he scolded himself, you could have just returned her back...why did you destroy her book???

Kris kept blaming himself. Now, there's no way he could just return her book back in this state.

What could he possibly say? 'Oh I was just curious about that book so I secretly stole it and somehow I accidentally dropped it and it ended up like this?' or 'My mum's cousin's friend's baby took it and ripped it apart?' Please. The book looked like it had just went through gates of hell and barely made it alive.

Heaving a long sigh, Kris tidied himself, put on some decent clothes and picked up the book from the ground, slotting it into his bag carefully.

He was going to buy the exact same copy and return it back to her like as though he hadn't take it in the first place.

Thinking it was an easy task, Kris went to the bookstore near his house in search of that book. But after making ten rounds in the bookstore, making sure he didn't missed any spot, he couldn't find the exact same copy.

"Hey," He tapped the shoulder of the shop assistant, "Do you have this book here?" Kris took out the torned book from his bag and his face reddened at the mess he had made out of the book. 

"Wow this is a really old edition...I don't think we have it here." The shop assistant studied the book, her fingers on her chin. She looked as if she's seeing this for the first time. 

Kris wanted to return it back the book back to Hani and have no relations with her from today onwards. Seemed like it's impossible. 

He doesn't know what to do with it. Throw it away or keep it? Hence, Kris started sticking the fallen pages back into the book with a tape. He might have to return it to Hani anyway.

While taping the pages, Kris was also reading it, word by word.

One particular passage caught his attention:

"The boy began to notice her, her every little move. From how her lips curl upwards whenever she yawns, and how she would pick her nails whenever she was bored. He knew it all.

And the girl started observing the boy. The way his dimples appear whenever he gives a gummy smile and the way he walks while dragging his feet. She could picture it in her sleep."

Hani woke up from her bed, glancing and scanning around the room. She's at home. There's no sunlight shinning into her room and the sky is oddly dark. She had slept for almost 16 hours. But what happened yesterday? 

Holding onto her throbbing head, she tried to recall how she ended up back home. Did she walk herself home? Did someone send her back? If so, who was it?

She could almost smell a lingering scent in her house. A familiar smell of aftershave. It smelt like Kris'. But then again, she's probably making it all up. 

"Why would Kris sent me back, Haris?" She ruffled her fur but Haris kept barking furiously, as though she is trying to tell Hani so