The Love of Lies

Emotions

Cori’s POV

*One Month Later*

Out of curiosity, I looked Ashton up and found out why his fiancé didn't believe me.

The man is locally famous, and just as she said, he's one of the most eligible bachelors in the state.

It's odd how an engaged man is considered a bachelor, but based on our interaction, I'm guessing that he has no intention of making his relationship public.

I haven't lived here long, so I don't know much about local celebrities, and honestly, I don't care.

Shortly after our encounter, Ashton would ask about me, but I don't want to see him, so Syd shuts the blinds before I clean, and I no longer come in through the front door.

There is an adjoining alley between the bar and the restaurant behind it, so I take a taxi there and Syd has one of the bouncers meet me so that I’m not walking into the darkened space alone.

I don't feel awkward about staying there to wait for my shift to start because almost a year ago, they were rounding up a late dinner event, and the owner's daughter-in-law went into labor.

Syd and I could hear her screams as we took out the trash, so we rushed over to see what was going on.

Let’s just say that a baby was born before help arrived. He wasn't breathing on his own, but pediatrics is my focus, so I knew what to do.

When the ambulance finally came, I had only just gotten the boy to cry, and his family was later told that I saved his life.

It felt so gratifying that I knew I was in the right field, and since I feel like we have a rapport based on that experience, I’ve been using their restaurant to hide from Ashton, who I can’t seem to forgive.

“Just tea again?” I look up to see Wendy, the once pregnant daughter-in-law carrying her son. They always have him in the restaurant, so I get to see my first ever patient often.

“I can’t afford decent food yet,” I joke, opening my arms to the child, and he happily comes to me, not because he remembers who I am, but I like to pretend that he does.

“I can’t afford,” she mocks, and her accent makes me laugh. I don’t know if she makes that voice on purpose, but it always makes me chuckle.

“You’ve worked at Syd’s for how long now?”

“A few years.”

“And you’ve worked for my in-law a handful of times in between, right?” I nod, remembering when she hired me to help clean the kitchen during Wendy’s confinement period and a few times after. “Do you really think they won’t feed the woman who saved their grandson?” As if on cue, my stomach grumbles and I cover my face in shame.

Wendy shouts something, and Miss Su, her mother-in-law, comes out from the kitchen. I don’t speak their language, but I’m fairly sure she's tattling on me.

Before I know it, I’m being dragged to the back, and a bowl of rice is being slammed in front of me.

“You stupid girl!” The woman walks away, while Wendy and her son sit across from me.

“That means she likes you.”

“That's not what it sounds like,” I nervously reply.

Wendy hands me utensils, but before I can eat, a plate of meat and another with vegetables is set in front of me.

“Did you lose your brain in that bar?” Miss Su asks, and I shake my head. “Then why not ask for help?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“First, you start taking the alley, then Syd says you are hiding from someone, and now you're starving yourself?" The woman's English is broken, so combined with her accent and pitch, her tone is intimidating.

I know that she and her son have spotted me sneaking through the back a few times, and I noticed that they’ve cleared a walking area for me. Truthfully, I felt it was more than enough help to offer someone they barely know, and anything else is just extra.

“I didn’t want to bother you.”

“Oh ho ho…” The woman laughs mockingly. “And if we find you dead, what then? How do you think we'll feel?” My lip quivers and I start to cry like a baby, shocking the woman.

I have never been scolded in a caring manner, and for whatever reason, I’ve been extremely emotional lately.

“You're crying?” The woman asks.

“Sorry, it's just that no one has cared about me in a long time.”

“You poor girl.” Miss Su hugs me, and now I feel embarrassed, so I start to laugh at myself. “Better?” I vigorously shake my head in agreement, and she pushes the food toward me.

“We are not strangers,” she says. “If you need help, just say it.” I nod, grateful for her kindness.

Right now, I actually do need help because I haven’t been working at Syd's as much since I’m in the rotation period of clinicals.

Sometimes, I'm scheduled for nights, and while I could clean the bar in the morning, I’m typically too exhausted.

“Wow, she must really like you. She didn’t hug me like that until after she found out I was having a boy.” I chuckle, knowing that male child preference is a very real thing. “But seriously, are you okay? As a woman, it’s kind of weird knowing that you are hiding from a strange man and putting yourself in danger while doing it.

“It’s an embarrassing story,” I reply, making Wendy sigh.

“Okay, but if you ever need to talk, I’m here Monday through Saturday from 10am until closing.” I laugh a little too loudly, covering my mouth in awkwardness. “Seriously though, be careful, and if you are hungry, the kitchen is open.”

“I'll feel bad.”

“Did you not just hear my mother-in-law? We are not strangers,” she repeats mocking the woman's accent, which earns her a knock on the head. “You could have warned me,” Wendy whispers, and just like that, I feel like my life is finally coming together.

Ashton’s POV

Completely by chance, Julia found Cori.

Fortunately, I remembered her telling me her graduation date, and even showing me a countdown on her phone.

One of Julia’s classmates has a sister in a nursing program with the same graduation date, and from our research, we know that nursing schools in the area are careful not to overlap their ceremonies.

I also remember Cori telling me that her school does pinning and graduation on the same day, so I’m certain that we are looking in the right direction.

Now, all I have to do is get us tickets.

Julia’s friend had no extra, and when I called the school, they told me that the venue was limited and full. I didn’t want to pull rank and force my way in, so I started looking to buy them.

It’s harder than it seems because other people are doing the same thing, wanting to include their entire families in their achievement.

It’s a shame because I know Cori won’t have anyone to represent her, so if I manage to buy tickets, it will likely be ones she sold herself.

Cori’s POV

*Some Time Later*

Clinicals and rotations have been a nightmare, but today I’m finally done.

I sold my three remaining tickets at an obscene amount online and used the money to buy a classy white dress, which is the event’s theme.

I want the photos I take to be ones I’m proud of; something I can show my future children with pride, unlike my mother who was embarrassed into hiding all acknowledgement of her accolade.

My father hated her graduation photos so much that she was always afraid he would destroy them, so when I left, I made sure to take them with me.

My apartment may be bare, but my mother’s ashes are in a beautiful display below a picture of her proudly holding her graduation pin.

I don’t know who took the photo, and I don’t care. I'm Just grateful that the person was able to capture her smiling face so clearly.

I’m oddly nervous about the ceremony, but in a good way. Once I walk across that stage, I'm only free for two days before I jump right into work.

That sounds bad, but not all my classmates are as lucky, and while they will all find a job, it’s not like mine.

The hospital where I will work offers loan assistance, and if I stay employed with them for more than a year, they will begin paying my student loans off for me. I can’t ask for much else, and although working for a public hospital is mentally demanding, I’ve already got battle experience.

“Hey Cori,” I recognize the voice speaking, but I’m not sure why Tyler is talking to me. Like everyone else in the program, he typically stayed away from me. “You look amazing.”

That’s what it is; I’m dressed up, and he probably just wants to have s*x with me. He’s handsome, so he probably has a girlfriend, and he probably just sees me as something to use, the same way Ashton did.

“I was wondering, would you like to go to dinner with me sometime?”

“No thanks,” I reply, not meaning to sound rude, but I’ve only just had a traumatic experience happen to me and I’m uneager to do it again.

“Oh, Okay. Um… well…” The man looks put off by the rejection, and I feel a little bad about it.

“Sorry, I’ve just got a lot going on right now, so dates are not in my schedule.”

“Understood,” the man replies, flashing a smile that while nice, isn’t as nice as Ashton’s. “Maybe we’ll cross paths one day?”

“You never know.” The man chuckles, fist bumping me before walking away.

I seriously hope that I’m not chasing away my happiness because of a man who probably hasn’t thought about me past the few times he asked for me at work, but every time I see a couple, I wonder if they are cheating on each other because of him.

Ashton’s POV

I spent one thousand dollars on what should have been free graduation tickets that were mailed to me after a fifty percent deposit.

I was afraid to go alone, so I brought Julia and Troy with me, hoping they can act as a buffer between Cori and I, but I’m not sure it will work.

“How do I look?”

“Nervous,” Troy replies, and Julia straightens my jacket for me. I bought a large bouquet of flowers for Cori, thinking they may help to soften her mood, but I don’t know if she'll like them.

We settle inside the auditorium, and names start being called in alphabetical order. That should mean that Cori is near the end of the list, and when she finally walks across the stage, I’m blown away by how stunning she looks.

She’s added a little weight, which suits her, and the elegant bun she has pinned to the back of her head makes her look refined.

“She looks great,” Julia says, clapping loudly as the woman gets her pin with a smile. She steps down from the stage, and I notice a random man give her a hug. “Oh…”

I feel my heart sink as I start to think that the woman is already in a relationship with someone else, but I don't want to assume.

As soon as the ceremony is over, I try to get to Cori, but so many people have the same intention that it’s nearly impossible.

By the time I got to the stage, security was telling us that we had to wait until after the photo session to greet the graduates, and they sent us into a reception area.

I know enough about Cori to know that she isn’t going to awkwardly stand around while her classmates and their families celebrate, so I go outside, fiddling with the flowers as I nervously wait for her.

Family after family leave the venue, but she’s nowhere in sight.

Finally, I see her, and cheerfully call out her name, but she takes one look at me, and runs the other way.

I go to chase her, but my brother pulls me back.

“Wait… You don’t know what she’s thinking. This may be more traumatic to her than you think.”

“What do you mean?”

“What if she doesn’t remember anything except waking up naked?” Horror consumes me and I break away from my brother.

I know what he was hinting at, and it's entirely possible that she doesn't remember consenting, which is why our father has always told us that drunken deals hold little weight.

Bottom line, I shouldn’t have touched her, and now, I’m left to deal with 'this.'

I don’t know what to do, but I'm unable to find her, so I leave the building, feeling completely deflated.

I know that Cori has quit working at Syds because I’ve seen the new girl, and now I’ll never be able to find her without violating her privacy in the process.