MELODY (Book 1) ✓

Chapter 10 (Addiction)

A/N

Hello my lovely readers!! (Wow! this sounds arrogant to be honest!)

Any way. I am soooo grateful to all of you who supported Melody so far, even unintentionally (if that's possible)

Enjoy this chapter. And don't forget to V♥TE & C♥MMENT if you like it enough.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

It had been nearly 2 months since the day I've taken the barista job. The same hectic day when Tina had attempted her self-destructive stunt. I had been trying my best to avoid Vivian since then. She'd never talked to me again since the police investigations, but I could feel the electric waves of stinging, hateful energy radiating from her looks whenever we bumped into one another.

Tina had returned a week later from the hospital, even more remote and spaced out. Her night trips with Vivian continued as if nothing had happened. All the times that I'd come upon Tina in our dorm she'd been silent, detached, like her mind was swimming in a parallel world that had nothing to do with our reality. The dead stare in her eyes scared me for her, but it made me feel so helpless.

I had tried once again to talk to her though, hoping she would listen this time. Tina was curled up on her bed one morning as she'd returned from outside before Vivian came back. She was getting ready for bed, her flaming curls tied in a loose ponytail that gave her face a childlike look along with her scrawny frame.

"Just try to stay away from harm. Talk to someone. Take good care of your self, you know." I told Tina, standing awkwardly beside her bed and nervously twiddling my fingers . I wasn't really good at giving advice.

Tina hardly lifted her green eyes to meet mine with a lifeless gaze and replied faintly.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of everything. It's going to be over soon."

Her words could've been a reassuring reply, except that I felt my heart shudder at the possible hidden meaning behind them. A rough lump rose to block my windpipe and I walked away. We haven't spoken since.

The rhythm of my life began to stabilize. My workplace was wonderful, thanks to my little friend Asha and her energetic personality. She'd come to work everyday after her school sessions and made my life a little bit easier. I got better at the coffeehouse business under her supervision. Asha also taught me how to make the traditional Masala Chai which was the café special. I even started to save up most of my weekly salary, planning to open a bank account once I cross my target. Five was my lucky number if there was such a thing.

Strangely, the other thing that made my life easier was not something to be proud of.

My name is Melody Summer. And I'm an addict!
.
.
.
.
.
.

Well, it was the most idiotic, immature, freaky addiction ever. I had become a stalker. And I was now addicted to stalking Mr. Mysterious, AKA, Clark Kent.

Embarrassing and creepy, I know, but I couldn't resist. Something about him was nudging my curiosity, pulling me from inside to keep peeking at him whenever he came to the café.

He came everyday at the same time, ordered the same things, sat on the same table, and did the most extraordinary, simple yet intriguing gestures. The fingers workout was the oddest of them, but sometimes he'd brought sheets of papers and kept reading and writing notes, cracking his knuckles every now and then. Sometimes he'd brought his laptop, plugged in his earphones and made the most mesmerizing facial expressions while he seemed immersed in something of great importance to him. Sometimes he listened to something, probably music, on his phone, squeezing his eyes shut in concentration, sometimes he cracked an occasional natural smile that would increase my heartbeat for some unknowable reason.

Clark was super cute, and I normally don't see guys as cute - not in comparison to Liam Hemsworth- but even from my safe hideaway behind the coffee machine I could determine he would be even more attractive in close proximity.

I had a few glimpses of his profile when he'd stood close to the counter to order his cappuccino and grilled cheese sandwich. And I had to admit, he got the most perfect jawline and dark chocolate hair that looked incredibly smooth. But It wasn't just his good looks. It seemed to me that there was something more behind the gorgeous face. Perhaps I was just too carried away with my new obsession.

Gosh! This was just so wrong! It wasn't even like me to ogle at people and violate their privacy, because I hated when they did the same to me and now I was being such a hypocrite.

"Someone's going cuckoo!" A thin and bubbly voice startled me while I was lost in my trivial thoughts that were generated in an alternate world, between the espresso machine and the coffee grinder.

Holding my hands over my heart, I gasped and bent over slightly "Asha! You scared me!"

"No I didn't! You actually had been visiting the outer space for a while. I thought you were abducted by aliens from Planet Krypton." She smirked, and started fiddling with her long ebony hair.

Heat rushed up to my face, embarrassed just like each time she'd caught me red-handed.

"It's your fault, you know. If it weren't for you I might've never noticed him." I accused her weakly, knowing how much I was fooling myself. I knew it was all me. I got caught up in my own absurdity.

She snorted.

"I don't blame you though. I think you need him more than I do." She smiled playfully.

Her words hit me straight on the face. My eyebrows lifted. She thought I was some desperate girl looking for any guy to cling to? Or... maybe I really was! Oh my God! Was I really that desperate? But I'd never...! No. I'm not. I wasn't going to throw myself at some stranger and end up being humiliated again.

Being single was less complicated. Plus, no one would ever want to be with me just for me. My parents wouldn't. Why would anyone else?

"Why do you think that I need anyone?" I asked quietly, crossing my arms and trying not to look offended.

"Well, everybody needs somebody, Melo. And you are single so maybe... I dunno!" She wrinkled his nose and shook her shoulders.

"I thought you liked him." I asked her in surprise.

"Oh yeah! But he saw me face to face and didn't melt into a puddle on the floor sooo... I think it's his loss." She rolled her eyes, " and remember this. Every girl deserves her own superman. Maybe he's yours since he's not mine."

"You're weird! You know that?" I told her shaking my head at her sudden change of heart.

She giggled and then curtsied, "Thank you! Thank you! I get that a lot but I'm really flattered." She jumped straight up, making the familiar clattering sound of her bead jewelry. Then a serious frown bobbed up on her face, "now back to work! Move it! Move it!"

"Before I go back to work. Can I have one more peek? Please?" I pleaded jokingly - or not- holding my hands in front of my face.

"Go ahead, Snoopy! Help yourself. " she rolled her eyes and started turning around but then she leapt all of a sudden to stick her face into our secret peeping hole.

"Asha! Don't be such a kid!" I whined.

She turned a disappointed face to me, pursing her lips.

"And Poof! Clark has left the building!"