Merging Hearts (Smitten Hearts #1)

Chapter Five

Hazel

As I alight from the car, I catch the sight of Su-mi at the front of her house, her face perturbed and distraught. Guilt twinges in my heart at the sight of her bobbing feet.

Whatever you do in life, don’t get yourself a careless best friend who gets herself lost twice in twenty four hours.

Our eyes meet, and a gasp escapes her lips. She pulls me into a hug, her muscles relaxing in relief. The sound of her sniffles fills the air, and as I release myself from her embrace, I see tears pooling in her eyes. “Su-mi, I—” I start, but she bursts into tears.

Mr Joe remains nearby. His eyes flit from Su-mi to me as if trying to make sure we’re both all right.

Su-mi’s cries soon subside, and she wipes her tears with the back of her hand, revealing heavy eye bags that send another wave of guilt through my body.

“I’m sorry,” I apologize, but she shakes her head.

“No, I’m sorry. I know you don’t drink, but I still made you drink that stupid beer. I shouldn’t have.”

“You were only trying to help me have a good time. I shouldn’t have left the club without you. Although, in all honesty, I didn’t even know when I left.”

“I was so worried. I tried calling your phone so many times, but your kidnappers switched it off.” She dramatically points at Mr Joe, and I laugh, the tension in the air disappearing a little.

“He isn’t a kidnapper. It’s all thanks to him that I’m fine. He helped me last night.”

“Well, thank you,” she says softly, slightly bowing with no smile.

Mr Joe smiles at us and unlocks the black sleek car that brought me. “I’ll leave now. Have a nice day.”

He drives off, while Su-mi and I walk inside with our hands clasped together.

“I’m so sorry,” I apologize again. I know how burdened she must feel. She brought me to Florida, so she probably feels like I’m her responsibility.

“I’ll never be able to forgive myself if anything happens to you. Plus, your crazy-ass sister would murder me in cold blood.”

Talking about my older sister, Ysabelle, she might kill me before she kills Su-mi because I still haven’t called her since the seven missed calls from the immigration office. (Although, everyone knows how bad I am at communicating with technology).

Ysabelle is married in Jamaica, which makes me a sister-in-law to her ever-loving husband and an aunt to her two beautiful twin daughters.

“I’ll be careful from now on,” I say, raising up my right hand while putting the left one on my chest. Su-mi giggles and nods. “Now, guess who picked me up last night.”

Her eyes twinkle, and I press my lips together to suppress my amusement when I see all worry drained from her eyes.

“Who? Please tell me he’s hot. Wait, are you still a virgin?” She suddenly scrunches her eyes at me and searches my body. Is she searching for my virginity?

I roll my eyes and shake her hands off me. “Yes, I’m still a virgin.”

“Then who picked you up? I thought that man from earlier did.”

I shake my head. “No, he didn’t. Well technically he did, but his boss gave the orders. And his boss is none other than Mr Coaster.”

I wait for the gasp and no way , but the crease on Su-mi’s brows tells me that she has no memory of who he is. Yet she’ll never stop talking about my broken memory. “I’m talking about the man from the immigration office.”

Just like I expected, she gasps and mouths ‘No way’ “That man? That’s twice in one day. Is he your guardian angel?”

“And apparently, his name is Dacosta.”

“Dacosta?” I affirm, and she gives a casual shrug. “Eeh, Coaster and Dacosta are close enough.”

Finally, someone who agrees! I have no idea why he acted as if forgetting his name was a criminal offense.

“I know, right? He was mean, though. Very grumpy.” My thoughts trail back to the man from the immigration office. I could have sworn they were two different people, but if nothing, I recognized his cold gray eyes.

I also can’t believe he outright ignored my doe eyes. How did that not work on him? It always works.

Either he’s not human, or his emotional capability is on par with a stone’s.

“Are you hungry? Because I am. I’ve only had coffee. I would have gone crazy without it. You know coffee is my religion. You go and change–I’ll prepare breakfast real quick.”

I stand up and trail after her. “Let’s do that together.” Her lips part to protest, but I stop her. “Su-mi, I’m fine. Really. Plus, I’m supposed to be the chef here, remember?”

“Say that after you join that academy.”

“Oh, touché! Fine, I will.” Everyone who knows me knows how much being a chef means to me. That’s also how they know that it’s a great wish of mine to have Henri Leclair, my all-time favorite chef, mentor me into that dream.

Su-mi and I take our positions in the kitchen, deciding on simple breakfast pancakes.

We begin setting the ingredients on the counter, and I walk up to her fridge to see if she has sausages. Thankfully, she does. My breakfast pancakes are not complete without some sausages on the side.

“I called my brother,” Su-mi starts, as she beats the eggs in a bowl. I hum to let her know she has my full attention. “He wouldn’t tell me anything, so I called the doctors, and they asked for more money. It’s not that I’m not trying; it’s just not easy for me.” Her voice shakes, and I walk up to her.

My hand clutches her shoulder and I give it a little squeeze. “Hey, I know you’re trying. I know how hard you’re working. I know everything.”

“He told me not to worry, not to send any money to the doctors, that he’s fine. But how can I do that? I do not, in the least, feel comfortable about him being in a wheelchair.”

“I know you don’t.”

Now I know why she cried earlier.

Su-mi is that type of person. When she cries about something, she cries about everything.

“You know what? Why don’t you sit, and let me make breakfast.”

She shakes her head mulishly. “No, no, we’ll do it together. It’s your first morning here.” I accept to make her feel better. “I’m going to work even harder. I won’t leave my brother on the wheelchair. The doctors clearly said he can walk again, so he will walk again,” she affirms more to herself than to me. “If I can’t do this for him, do I even deserve to be called his sister?”

“Don’t say that. You work more than anyone else I know. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

“The more time he spends in that damn chair, the more I feel like I’m failing him. Every day, I tell myself that if I had more, I could have gotten him proper care. But I still feel like it’s my fault that I don’t have more. I don’t even like going to see him anymore. Whenever he looks up at me, it’s as if he’s asking me why I haven’t fixed him yet.”

I give a deep sigh, wishing I can help somehow. This is why I’ll never recommend two broke people coming together as besties.

Su-mi’s younger brother, Jae-mi, had an accident four years ago and he has since been assigned to a wheelchair. A few months ago after his usual check-ups, the doctors said a successful surgery can get him back on his legs and since then, Su-mi hasn’t stopped trying to save up money for the surgery.

It’s only a little she can do while working as a waitress.

She has a Mom, but that woman is–

Well, it’s not my story to tell, but as Su-mi always says, she’s a deadbeat, and the jokest of all the jokes of mothers.

She dramatically shakes her whole body. “Forget about me. Tell me, is Dacosta hot?”

My lips twitch when I remember that he is hot. Is it his gray eyes that I felt staring into my soul each time they met mine? Or his voice coupled with that –still unidentified– accent that comes out effortlessly sensual? It also didn’t help that it’s the first thing I saw and heard when I woke up.

Heat pools in my lower belly when I remembered how he checked me out earlier when he thought I wasn’t looking. I might or might not have stalled while looking at the frame in his room, so he could explore much longer.

His accent appeared in his words whenever he spoke and when he creased his brows, they formed a V that pointed down to his slightly crooked nose.

Oh Santa Maria, it’s only a little a girl can take.

Su-mi nudges me in the waist and I flinch involuntarily. How long was I gone for?

“Oh my God, are you thinking about him now? Girl, it was only one night.”

I turn away from her to hide the smile threatening to break free. I shouldn’t let her know that I think Mr Dacosta is hot. She’ll never let me live it through.

“He’s not hot, not to par, but… but he’s okay,” I manage out, but I sound pathetic even to my own ears.

“Okay?” Su-mi crosses her hand on her chest and raises her brows. “He’s more than okay if you look like you’re about to combust, but whatever you say.”

I grunt and throw my head backward. I swear, I hate this girl sometimes.

“Seriously, he’s just okay. And I look like I’m about to combust because of the heat… in the kitchen,” I clarify again, but she only nods, the amusement in her eyes not dousing.

“You’re pathetic. That’s why you’re a virgin.”

I gasp and clutch the fabric around my chest. “You did not just insult me with that.”

“How dare I!” We burst out giggling while we set the six pancakes on the table.

Su-mi makes coffee for herself again and makes hot chocolate for me. Concern simmers in my chest like a slow-steaming stew at how much caffeine she consumes daily.

I shake it off before the worry appears on my face. The last thing I want is to appear judgemental.

We eat and chat about a lot of things: my sister, my lost job, and my falling apart life (although Su-mi says otherwise). Her Mom, her brother, her jobs, and every other thing there is to talk about.

It’s so satisfying.

In our six years of friendship, we’ve met in person only three times; when she came to see me for the very first time, when she visited for my sister’s wedding, and now when she insisted I come instead.

“I have to go to work tomorrow. My boss isn’t accepting my one week leave. I’m sorry.”

I stare blankly at her. “Don’t be like that. I’m not a stranger that you’ve to take a leave to spend time with.”

“Right.”

“Remember what we spoke about on the phone?”

I had told her I’d love to work when I get here. I can’t imagine myself being on ‘holiday’ while my best friend hustles her ass off. Su-mi works as a waitress in a restaurant, and she’s also a freelance model who hasn’t gotten an agency deal yet.

“Yes. I’ll talk with my boss. I also think we could use a new worker.”

“Don’t force it, okay? If we don’t work in the same place, I’ll find another one and we can meet at home.” She nods, but I know her. She won’t stop until we both work together.

“You go freshen up and change. I’ll clean this place up and we’ll go out for a tour around town.”

“No, you go. I’ll do the dishes.” She nudges me and stands up. I raise my eyebrows at her plate. Out of six pancakes, I ate four and with the two I served her, there’re still halves.

“That’s all you’re eating? I thought you said you haven’t eaten, so why—” Su-mi’s smile falters, her gaze darting away as she focuses abnormal attention on the plates she’s packing.

“I’m just… not that hungry. I’m still stressed, I guess.”

“About your brother?” I ask, my voice softening. She nods and sadness pricks at my heart again. “It’s going to be fine. I trust you and I know you won’t stop until he’s perfectly okay. You know I love you and I’m here, right?”

A snort escapes her lips as she rolls her eyes, the movement sharp as a razor’s edge. “Yes, yes. I’m fine. Go.”

“Jeez, okay. You’re so cold.” I joke with a pout and make my way upstairs.

As I stand under the shower, my mind reels back like a snapped rubber band to the events of the last twenty four hours.

It’s been a chaotic one. From boarding the plane, to being detained in an immigration office, and finally, getting into a stranger’s car

A stranger with gray bewitching eyes and a sharp sin-like voice.