SYBIL'S POV

Dream Aura,
08:32 am.

I sneaked a glimpse into Lia's bedroom. She had her delicate blush suitcase placed upon her bed and she was packing her belongings.

She's departing the town for a couple of days, and I find myself pondering how I'll manage everything in her absence. I need her in every three seconds.

I ventured forth and settled upon the precipice of her bed, casting a sidelong glance in her direction.

She has embraced silence since yesterday night and it feels like her voice is the most costly thing in this world. She does respond but in the shortest way possible.

" Why so pouty?" I asked watching her chaining her suitcase up.

" Me? Not at all." She said putting the bag on the floor and dialing a number walking left to right with her other hand on her lower waist.

" Are you angry?" I asked looking at her fisted palm and then at her prettiest face which was turning more and more colorless with each passing second.

" I'm not. It's my face." She clearly lied.

" You sure, you alright?" I tease well knowing she isn't.

" I SAID I'M F*CKING FINE." She yelled turning her burning gaze at me.

I laughed as she finally lost her temple. " I see," I giggled.

" You don't know a shit about what happened to me." She glared while I was there trying to control my laugh. " Sybil, please my boss will fire me if I'll take one more day off from the club. Please I need your help." She whined sitting next to me, grabbing my palms.

" Didn't you say you'll find any other girl to take your place instead of me?" I tilted my head and lifted my left eyebrow.

" I did but-".

" But you didn't find anyone." I scoffed out of jealousy.

She's my best friend and I'm not sharing.

" Please Sybil, my meeting's ending at eight, it'll take more than six hours to get back here. If I'll get a promotion in my office then I'll not need to work as a stripper anymore. Please understand, I too don't like this job but I have to for some personal reasons. Please take my place just for a night. Please, Sweetheart, pleaseeee..." She pleaded numerous times squeezing my palms.

I relaxed my shoulders. " I don't know how to do that pole dancer thing."

" Oh come on, Sybil, you are a dance coach." She almost rolled her eyes.

" But I only know ballet dance-"

" See! You only have to cling to a pole like a kola and swing your body. Keep your eyes straight at the red VIP guest's couch which is exactly in front of the pole. That's it." She said the last words a little loudly.

" When did I get agreed to go there, that you are already explaining what I have to do there?" I questioned.

" I think I can convince you this time." She sounded confident.

" Try it." I crossed my arms over my chest and started tapping my food on the floor.

She placed her finger under her chin while her other hand on her waist and took a few seconds to think. " I'll take you to see an ocean side,"
she exclaimed, punctuating her statement with a snap of her fingers and a mischievous wiggle of her eyebrows.

She has a good memory, she remembers me telling her that I have never seen an ocean before. She played her hand skillfully.

" Plus a hot balloon ride." She added, causing a delightful flutter of butterflies within my stomach. Yet, I kept my face straight.

Come on you are only a thing away to get me ready for it.

I waited as was looking at me to get some ideas. I noticed how her eyes swept across my body and then stopped on my moving foot that had an anklet.

" How about an anklet?" She asked.

"Done." I grinned showing her thumb up.

Anklets are my first love.

" Greedy bitch." She muttered with pressed teeth.

I smiled sheepishly in response but suddenly it all faded. " But what if someone recognises me in the club and complaint to the club owner?" I questioned nervously.

" Oh come on, Sybil. No one's gonna recognise you in that crowd." She nonchalantly responded.

"I'll send one of my friends to drop you there tonight." She grabbed her mobile and typed some messages.

" Why don't you try asking her to go instead of me?" I asked still not having enough confidence.

" Him. He's a boy. He won't look good doing pole dancing in heels." She replied sarcastically.

"My parents won't hesitate to bury me alive if they come to know about my pole dancing in a scrip club here. You gotta tie the anklet on my dead body and send it to the ocean through a hot air balloon..." I was not stopping out of nervousness.

" Oh man no one's gonna know." She cut me off. " Wait." She headed towards her messy closet and pulled out a golden piece of clothing she calls lingerie as well as a Venetian masquerade. " We all wear the same. No one will recognise you."

I grabbed the straps of that lingerie in my pinches and hung in freely. " Isn't it too short f- "

Suddenly the dress got snatched from my hands. " Don't go around the house and waste my time, Sybil. Just say it you don't want to help me." Her voice had frustration. A lot of frustration.

" Hold on." I stopped her as she rolled the dress and was about to throw it back in her closet. " I'm ready to go," I said after a brief silence.

" You won't change your mind again?" She asked to reconfirm.

I shook my head and stood up.

A wide smile spread on her face as she walked to me. " Thank you." She pulled me into a tight hug.

I hugged her back loosely, thinking if I had made the right decision or not. I didn't want to go but this is all I could do to pay back something in return for her favours.

"You have no idea how big of a burden you have lifted from my shoulders." She pulled out grinning.

"Just this once, I'll never agree to anything like this ever again," I said not even smiling back.

" Absolutely, I myself won't force you in this." She replied getting my nodding head in response.

" Get ready by sharp eleven on Friday. My friend will come to pick you up. Do not take the mask off there even for a second nor get engaged with anyone. Don't tell your real name to anyone." She explained grabbing the handle of her suitcase." Will bring you your anklet. Meet you soon." She added walking towards the main door and I followed.

" Take care." My voice came out low.

" You too." She hugged me once again and pecked the side of my head. Soon the elevator arrived and she left.

I sighed looking at the closed doors of the elevator.

The silence gonna hunt me for sure.

I went back inside and got ready earlier for the classes, it was somewhat better outside.

The entire day passed coaching the children then I went back to my apartment bringing meals for myself.

The first thing I did was turn on the music a bit loudly so I could hear it inside the bathroom while showering.

Freshening up I ate my dinner and talked to my parents for around an hour to kill the time.

I got to know that my mom isn't getting any better, she's just too weak physically and mentally. She forgets things too often. Sometimes she forgets about me while sometimes wanting to see me as my father said she was crying all day for me but didn't recognise me when I talked to her on the phone.

I had literally nothing to do or a person to talk to just when my gaze fell on the lingerie hanging in my room. I reminded myself that I needed to learn at least the basic moves of pole dancing, I just couldn't go and start doing random moves.

I got up so quickly as if I got a reason to live for, I searched for something rode like substance to practice pole dancing but all l found was mop. It was better than an imaginary pole so I began.

I twirled around, most of my time spent balancing the mop as it was continuously wiggling.

To be honest I disappointed myself to the core. They gonna throw stones instead of money at me in the bar.

AUTHOR'S POV,

Same Night at The club,
03: 21 am.

Hunter walked out of a VIP room wiping sweat off his temple. The stripper he was with winked at him before getting mixed up in the crowd.

He fixed his clothes while heading towards the couch where sitting Dash. He was drinking non-stop having his gaze fixed at the crowd of youngsters dancing on the face floor.

" She was a good f*ck." Hunter sat next to him and grabbed a short.

It was Dash's right to know after all he selected that stripper for Hunter. But the most loyal person in the underworld didn't even lift his gaze even when there were nearly nude strippers dancing in front of him.

One of them walked to them. The blonde was younger than other strippers. Hunter raised his hand telling her not to go to him so she turned her gaze at Dash.

" lap dance or blowj*b?" She offered huskily to the last person who would get seduced by any other woman besides his.

Hunter chuckled internally, sipping his drink and watching the stubborn girl sitting on his friend's lap.

" Tell me." She placed her finger under his chin and made him face herself. He stared but didn't respond until she started moving her hips sexually.

" Your sandals," Dash spoke.

The girl paused. She looked down to see her sandal not even touching him, she turned her gaze back at his elfin face. Even Hunter didn't know what Dash was up to this time.

" My sandals?" She joined her eyebrows.

Dash gave her a nod. " Let me have them." He demanded.

" S-Sure." She let out a nervous laugh before bending and taking off her golden sandals.

" Get off." She obeyed only to get handed some cash. " Go home, you most probably have school tomorrow." He dismissed her.

She nodded her head and went away barefoot.

Dash stood up and faced Hunter. " Good night." He picked up those sandals and went out with unsteady steps. He sat in his car and placed the sandal on the passenger seat.

When he approached his apartment he unlocked his door and threw one of those sandals on the doorstep while the other one was inside and left the door open ajar.

He went towards Zoe's door and rang the doorbell of her apartment. Before she could open the door he went inside his apartment.

He took off his coat and plopped on his couch not even bothering to turn on the lights.

" One." He said making a finger gun and pointing it at his door.

" Two." He counted.

" Th-"

The door slammed open entering furious Zoe. She looked around in an attempt to find any women.

Dash's dark chuckles echoed as he threw his head back and laughed.

Zoe's face turned red out of embarrassment when she realized there weren't any women in his apartment.

" I won't touch a woman who is not you." He mumbled not opening his eyes nor lifting his head.

Zoe's gaze softened looking at the most strong yet broken man like that.

She concluded that he was not in his right senses asleep that's when she went closer. She quietly sat on her ankles and took off his shoes. She left his socks as his living room was cold.

She looked around to see no sheets to cover him up with. She stood up and hesitantly went towards his bedroom.

Twisting the lock she entered. All she witnessed was her frames all over the walls.

She sighed.

She knows there's no end to his love but at the same time, she knows the same heart that beats for her has no mercy for anyone besides for her.

Sometimes she thinks it is better to be unaware of his reality. But now she can never look at him the same way she used to.

She grabbed his duvet and went back to the living room. She covered him with the duvet and sat next to him and rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes she listened to his heartbeat for a while.

Each day there's a war between her mind and her heart. One says to move on but the other is hugging all the memories. One that makes her wildly nave while the other makes her dangerously intelligent.

A tear rolled down from her eye. Wiping that off she stood up quickly just when Dash's mobile screen lit up and a notification plopped.

She looked at Dash then silently picked up his mobile to read...

. ^ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - .
' They have landed.    '
' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - '
. ^ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - .
' Get underground until my next '    '    ' command.                                              '
' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  '
. ^ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - .
' Let's paint the town red together.    '
' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  '

• It's easy to call someone heartless but it's difficult to live without a heart.

Chapter Published On: 15 October 2023.

I'm so sorry PoonamGaur I tried my best to give you the prize but I'm just too busy nowadays.

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