I reached fifteen minutes early and waited for them in one of the coffee houses on the ground floor. Soon, they both arrived, and we placed our orders.
"Wow. Norway looks like a beautiful place." Britney was scrolling through pictures of the place on her phone.
"And you know it's the best time to visit Norway now, especially with the Northern Lights." She added excitedly.
"Of course, it is one of the most romantic destinations in the world. You never know you may find your prince charming there." Niki piped in.
"Did you miss the memo where I mentioned that it was an official trip? Sorry, Prince Charming - not going to happen."
"You never know Emma, what if Mr. CEO becomes your savior again and you find your prince charming in him?" Britney butted in and gave Niki a high five.
"Guys, can you stop obsessing over him? I could barely stand him. He is nothing but an egoistic asshole." I stuck my tongue out to both of them, and they burst out laughing.
"Yes, we know how you love to hate him. But my bets are still high and up on him." Britney was such a tease. Ever since I told these two about the club night encounter, they had been nonstop ranting about Jake.
"Please, you know he is a womanizer, right? Girls on his arm change faster than the days of the week."
"Yes, but lately he has been quite inactive. At least that's what the gossip-mongering paparazzi say." Niki seemed so amused by this whole situation. For them, my love life suddenly became more entertaining than a soap opera.
"Whatever. Can we please change the topic?" I insisted.
"Okay, as you wish. Let's discuss Mark. How's he? You have quite many admirers, I must say." Britney gave me a dreamy look.
"What about him now?" I got irked at his mention. I had huge respect for Mark and saw him as a good friend.
"Well, he might be one of your many suitors Emma, and he is a hottie too. At least his Instagram pictures seem to say so." Niki passed her phone with Mark's profile open on the app.
"No way. Mark is a colleague; a friend and I respect him for his work. I can learn a lot from him. I don't see him that way."
"No, please don't friendzone him already. Give him a chance at least." They both giggled again. I gave them literal death stares, and they finally took the cue. After chatting about other random things for almost an hour, we decided to shop.
As per the program details that Mark gave me, we had dinner parties virtually every night of the next week. A big charity gala event with a particular dress code on Friday evening, that is, the last day of the one-week long agenda. The gala event was a masquerade ball, and I immediately decided to think of an excuse and give it a pass.
I was feeling quite edgy attending such high-end events; it was totally out of my comfort zone. Anyways, my girlfriends made me shop for all the events, just in case. We spent a great day, and I was exhausted when I reached home. I still had to pack, but before I did, I video called my parents and updates them on my upcoming plans.
Before hitting the bed, I decided to search online about Aurora Borealis. I scrolled through various bookings and reservation options for seeing the northern lights. I was too fascinated by them, and if I was supposed to be there, I made up my mind to take a small detour and visit the place. When my eyes couldn't be kept open anymore, I shut my laptop and slid beneath my comforter.
Contented with the way my life was heading, sleep came easy, and I dozed off within seconds.
****
Next day I woke up with a smile on my face. How I wished this could become the general norm.
I rushed through my morning routine and spent the time tidying up my apartment. After cooking and eating breakfast, I started packing for my week-long trip. It was almost noon by the time I finished.
I was exhausted, so I decided to visit my favorite coffee house, located two blocks away. I often went to that place as they had the best coffee in town, the interiors were cozy and calm, and more importantly, I was very fond of the lady who owned the place.
Aunt Amy was a single lady in her late fifties. Her husband died a couple of years ago, and since she had no kids, she ran that place by herself.1
The weather was pleasant, and my short walk ended sooner than expected. The place was almost empty, and I saw Aunt Amy brewing a coffee for the only customer who sat at the far corner.
"Hey Emma, how is my beautiful girl doing today?" She gave me a broad smile as I approached closer to her.
"I am good aunty. How are you? Do you need a hand with that?" I gestured at the open account book laying on the counter. She seldom struggles with maintaining accounts, and I had been helping her on and off with it, whenever I got the chance.
"That's so nice of you, my lovely child. I will get your usual coffee in a minute. Here take this, I finished half of it." She handed me the book, which I took to a table placed next to the glass window and started filling it for her.
Many minutes passed, and I felt an unusual vibe, there was a presence behind me, and it felt someone was observing me, up and close. I turned around and was dumbfounded to see the person standing next to my table, looking down at me with a smirk on his face.
God, not him again!
"What the
