章 7: Irene Would Rise Again

She had become an emotional mess yet again. She needed water again. She pulled herself up in a sitting position and mentally smacked herself. She had forgotten to bring the jug along that she had left in the kitchen when that delivery boy had appeared.

The delivery boy.

Recalling that reminded her about the gift. She stared at the paper bag lying on the edge of the bed. She wiped her tears, yet again. Her hand reached out for it and she pulled it toward her.

She pushed her hand inside the bag and took out the pizza and a letter that was there.

Should she read the letter?

It didn't seem a good idea but then, it wasn't her fault. It was that stupid's fault who couldn't inform them of the right address and caused the whole mess.

It was a pretty purple paper that almost instantly brought a smile on her face. She loved purple. For some odd reasons, she absolutely and undoubtedly did.

'Even if you don't think that this is for you, know... that this... IS for you.'

The first line itself caught her attention.

Her curious gaze narrowed at that line. Was it really for her?

She wondered for a moment before dropping the thought. It couldn't be for her. How could it be? Who would send that to her? Ayden most definitely would not. He hated sending gifts after any fight with her. He never sent her any. It could be a stranger but Ayden? Never.

'I know, you are upset and haven't eaten properly. Please have the pizza before you read further.'

"What the..." Her mouth fell wide open. She was slowly beginning to believe that it was for her.

"Don't be stupid, Irene. This can't be for you," she told herself though a part of her was willing to believe otherwise.

Just before she could read more, her stomach growled. Being a foodie, the soup that she had wasn't enough and even though she wasn't feeling like eating, her stomach did not feel the same.

She glanced at the pizza from the corner of her eye, battling with herself whether to eat or not.

Letting out a sigh, she kept the letter aside and quickly went to wash her hands before she got them on the pizza. The topping seemed fresh and fragrant even though it had been quite a while to it. It looked like a Hawaiian pizza. She hadn't had one so far but since she loved pineapple, she believed that she would love the Pizza as well.

But as she put one bite in her mouth, she grimaced. She found it awful.

"Ugh, could you not send a better one?" She complained even though she knew that she was being foolish.

Her brows drew together and she grabbed the letter again.

'You did not like that, did you?'

"What the real f..." She did not utter the last word but it didn't matter because her expression gave away the ridiculous shock that was painted all over her face.

'You like pineapple. You like cheese as well but you didn't like the pizza that had both of them. It's similar in life. You like someone. That someone is nice also but you two, together, do not make a perfect duo as you imagine. Sometimes, things are beautiful in their own selves but mess up when brought closer to some other ones.'

She raised her eyes from the letter momentarily, wondering how unrealistically relatable it was. Almost as if every word was written for her, to soothe her aching soul.

'Come on, finish that pizza now. I know you can. Haven't you silently swallowed all those awful incidents? This is nothing in front of them. Besides, your stomach demands that pizza.'

'Who was this mysterious person?' It no longer seemed to have landed on the wrong address. Rather, it felt as if it was especially for her.

After a small staring session at the pizza, she began stuffing it inside her mouth. With every bite that went inside her, she was reminded of every unpleasant situation that had encountered in her relationship with Ayden.

By the time she finished the pizza, she was left with a perspective that actually made her believe that perhaps... Irene and Ayden weren't meant to be.

With her left hand, she lifted the letter again and she was back to reading it. There were still some lines remained for her to read.

'Your first relationship doesn't necessarily have to be your last. You meet some people to explore your needs and wants. You meet them, spend some time of your life with then to know what you truly desire to have. A break-up is not the end of the world. Do not treat it as one. Now no more shedding tears. Get some rest because tomorrow... is going to be a new day.'

She had a faint smile on her lips throughout reading those few lines. Even though they changed nothing, they certainly made her feel a little better and something was better than nothing, she believed.

"Whosoever you are... thank you," she murmured while folding the letter.

She terribly failed at deciding if it was really for her or just a mistakenly delivered thing. Having already been mentally exhausted, she had no energy to spare in figuring out the letter's owner and intentions.

Believing that someone had actually sent it for her sounded foolish to her because nobody knew about their break-up yet apart from Grace. As much as she adored Grace, she knew that Grace wasn't the one with those unconventional and deep thoughts.

And Grace was particularly bad at expressing her emotions through writing so it couldn't be Grace. Nobody else knew. Then who could it really be?

She put the letter in her drawer, the pizza box on the table, washed her hands and got in her bed. Pulling the duvet all over, she hid herself in, desperately wishing to get everything out of her mind for a couple of hours.

'I don't know what tomorrow has in store for me. I don't know how I am going to react when I see Ayden tomorrow. I don't know how I am going to pick myself again but... I know that... sooner or later, Irene would rise again. She has to. She hasn't come so far to give up.' She closed her eyes to remind herself that she was supposed to hold on in every awful situation.