The Secret Sad Life of Mrs. Autumn Hall - 2

Part 2

To Autumn's surprise, the diamond studded ring on her finger had been the talk of the university. She remembered having discussion about the latest world news headlines on the lunch table but seems like it is no longer important. At least to her colleague who need only to listen to the beginning life story of the Mrs. Halls.

Ever since she tied the knot, she has never expected of having an overflown attention. All her concern before getting married was the marriage itself. How to conjugate a relationship between partners. She thinks that marriage would mean sharing only for two but now she realizes there are more beyond that. It is like merging into a joint entity. That she no longer acts on her own, and her action needs to be verified by another consent That there are legal documents and files for that. She finds it strange yet unnecessary to turn something personal into something legal and lawfully enforced. There are also families to think about. Though, she understands how consuming it is, especially towards her self-independence, the moment she peeks on the tingle of the giant stone, in the middle of exhausting newlywed conversation with a friend, she feels non chalant. Her mind wanders to the thought of her significant other. The depth of his dark brown eyes. The tingles lingering from his embrace, and the next moment she knows how lucky they both are.

...

It was nearly past lunchtime on cold fall day in Lower East Side. She realised that the return trip to her office in Manhattan would consume most of her lunchbreak. However, she did not want to cancel the trip, because she could not afford anymore, of wasting the time and energy from commuting back-and-forth from New Jersey to New York for work. She needed to find affordable place, and most importantly more closest domain in the city.

Grace Smith had been very helpful to Autumn, offering to share a 750 dollar master bedroom on her flat.  So one day, when her boss was not around, Autumn took a chance and planned a visit.

The apartment called The Vista and it was a little fancier from the place that she currently stayed in Jersey. Grace stayed with 2 other male housemates, and when Autumn reached the doorbark of house 715, she believed she had met one of them.

Very tall young man. So tall, that his head could reach the ceiling of the door fram. Young, but not that young to compare with Autumn.  She could guess that this man would be 5 years older than her. Because keeping his ash blonde hair short and wearing clean white button down shirt and a denim jeans seems like a mature look for her definition.  Beside his height, some things that stood out from this man were his thick eyebrow in the same shade of color of his hair,  he was barefooted and holding a can of redbull. Nonetheless, he was just an ordinary guy in Autumn's eyes.

"Hi," he greeted

"Hi," she greeted back. "I am looking for Grace Smith?"

"Hi, Autumn!" the girl cheerfully greeted and appeared behind the man's back. 

Both of the women knew each other ever since they studied in university. Grace took Architectural study, whilst Autumn took Philosophy and Human Science. Despite of having a very contrast major, they saw each other quite frequently and therefore remained friend. One of Autumn's classmate-cum-close friend shared a dorm with Grace. Hence, they had a pretty solid sisterhood bonding.

The man with the redbull can watched the reunion in calm before he returned to the comfort of the sofa cushion in front of the TV. He was joined with 2 other men, entertaining themselves with a rerun of a strange Asian variety show.

Grace started explaining about the house. Pointing out her master bedroom, which was quite a match to Autumn's expectation. Later she moved on the other boy's room just to show comparison of space between master, middle and single rooms. Needless to say, Autumn felt like their flat was funky enough with equipped LCD TV, dart board and foosball table.

As they reached the living/common/kitchen/dining room, Grace called to the buff hispanic boy and a very skinny nerdy looking boy in checkered shirt and horn-rimmed glasses "Roger and Stuart are my housemates. Boys meet Autumn. Autumn... The Boys."

"Hi," three of them awkwardly greeted in unison.

"...and this man over here is Wade. He's pretty quiet." now the redbull man had a name. He was the only boy who shared handshake with Autumn. Very friendly she thought. The closer she looked at this man, she was more convinced that the man was beyond her age, she could tell from the puffy eye bags, or he might just miss some sleep.

Nonetheless, Autumn was only seeing him as an ordinary man who might be a close friend to anyone.

But he was not that quiet as Grace suggested. They exchanged conversatiom. That led her to realise that they were graduated from the same university, although Wade was graduated 2 years earlier than her and he had been travelling from Hoboken to New York this past month.

"Are you kidding? Why haven't we met?" Autumn raised her eyebrows and a surprised tone of voice.

"I do not know." Wade shrugged his shoulder.

She would like to exchange more conversation, but rather not to. Because it was five minutes past lunchtime and she could not afford being late. She said goodbye to Grace, Stuart, Roger and Wade...

and Wade.

She hoped to see him one day. But if she didn't, then she was okay with it. Because, nonetheless, he was still an ordinary guy on Autumn's eyes.

Then as fate would have it, they bumped into each other on the next morning train to New York. After nearly an hour of the silent encounter, she received one contact invite on her messenger.

HallsWade

Halls, that is his last name.

...

The clock was about to strike 6 in five minutes, and Autumn had already packed. She could not wait to return to home and to  her spouse who had been travelling for work to New York. It had been a while since she hadn't had a New Yorker pizza or bagels from Auntie's Rhonda just across The Vista. She hoped she could get some by dinner. Now that she has transferred home to Santa Monica. Miles away from Kansas, where her hometown was and her dream job. Everything was sunny and warm that bagel and hot coffee won't mix together with the weather.

"Hiya, Autumn!" a voice called.

It was Ryan Todd, the only university associate with adorable curly dark hair. Autumn wonders how could he pull a horn rimmed glasses without looking a day over 25.  He had dark green eyes with same frame of height as her but more masculine build. They know each other less than a year, when Autumn accepted to work in the Early Childhood Psychology and Research Department.

"Somebody directs this to Miss Harper," he handed her over an envelope with red rubber seal a smirk, "Seems like they don't know you have changed your last name. Congratula..."

"Oh My God!" Autumn leaped in excitement the moment she read the big title of the letter. "Oh My God!" she repeated, and Ryan looked at her just as surprised as she is.

"Congratulations," he said softly as Autumn is leaping onto his body, giving him a big hug. "You have been shortlisted into the Master of

Philosophy scholarship in Universiteit van Utrecht!" he continued as if Autumn needs to hear it out loud.

"I am so happy." she said as she contemplates on the opened envelope. "It is just..."
"You don't have to tell me. I can see it in your eyes." he said as he contemplates on the auburn-haired girl who stands before him.
"Thank you for handing this to me," she waved the envelope as she means goodbye. "You're making my day."
When she was about to turn her back, Ryan stops her. "Where are you going?"
"I am going home."
"C'mon, are you not going to celebrate? We can visit the local bar and have few drinks."
"Maybe, not today Ryan." she sighed.

He watcheed her taking steps down from the stairs and unbuckled her white bike that was parked next to the building. He followed her step from behind.

"Look at you, just married and now about to continue Master's study in the best city." he murmured to her.
She caught unusual tone on his speaking manner. It makes her pinched her eyes. "I am just shortlisted. There still a possibility that I might not get it." She snapped the lock and the bike was now separated from the pole after the hard second attempt, "Maybe when my dear friend Ida from New York come to town, we will have a drink. The more the merrier."  she hoped that the answer would sound better to him.
There was a glimpse of flat smile arching on his lips. "Okay!" he sounded as enthusiastic as possible, but more like concealing. 

"Okay, Ryan. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow,"

The mountain bike strolled further, and just before he turned his back in, he shouted. "Be safe!"

Autumn answered with a tiny smile over her shoulder.

...

Autumn came home only to find Wade laid on the sofa and the remote control was on his hand.
"Hey look who's back!" She greeted as she placed the groceries onto the pantry counter, only to find four large square cardboard boxes that held pizza with unrevealed topping she could help but guess, and a paper bag of Auntie Rhonda's bagel next to it.

Like a kid to her halloween sweets, Autumn rushes to open the box and the paperbag. The smell of warm melted cheese and fresh baked dough invites her appetite.

"2 Beef Pepperoni and 2 Vegetarian," she was satisfied by looking at those 20 inches pan of thin crusted pizzas.
"There is one Margarita," Wade hummed without leaving his eyes off from the TV.
"Okay, I have never tasted Margarita before."
He clears his throat, "That is my favorite. Can you heat and bring 'em in?" said Wade without looking at her.
"Sure," she answered gleefully as she prepares the processed evening meal without even bothering the fresh groceries she had just bought over the cook. "Honey, we have some can drinks here. What do you want?" her voice resonated as she ducks to the inside of the fridge, looking for refreshing beverages after setting the microwave for 3-minute heating.
"What do we have?"
"Dr. Pepper... Coke... Diet Coke... Beer..." her voice lowered as she heard footsteps approaching. Light taps on the surface like a tease. "Juice..."
"Say no more."

Without her knowledge, Wade had stood after her and put his hand all over her waist. He tucked his head under her neck and his lips start to brush her.

"Honey," she murmured, slightly felt uncomfortable.

Before she knew it, Wade lifted her up on her feet. And after finding a right balance to stand, swiftly, the man brought the woman up to the clean surface of the kitchen counter. He begun to explore his woman by the lips. From one kiss to another. It was all so sudden that Autumn was torn between both confused and pleased. Their body leaned closer now, and she could tell that her man was well-thrilled eventhough what she did was nothing but to sit on the kitchen counter with legs apart.

He slipped his hand over her shirt and reached for the breasts. The kiss was going intense as soon as he took a firm grasp on her body. Autumn's squeak was hidden underneath his tongue. That she did not have any idea of alerting him but to bite on it.

"Shit," she caught her man curses before he gives her an apologetical look.

Autumn placed her hand over the lips. She could see the tiny cut over Wade's lower lip. He bled.

"You bite me," Wade said, tried to sound as calm as possible. He wiped the blood with the tip of his thumb.

The microwave started ringing and the last thing Autumn saw before the man turns his back was the smirk that drove a chill right to her bone.