Stand By Me Darling
Chapter 77: Chance Meeting

Chapter 77: Chance Meeting

Talia walked out of her apartment building and waited for the cab she booked. Rebecca was sending ten messages per second asking her when she’d be there and Talia regretted ever promising that nagging woman to go shopping with her.

As she was watching the road as the app said the cab was near her, a little blond boy wearing red coat caught her eyes. He was walking towards her in the sidewalk and seemed to be in a hurry. He looked seven to eight years old and had the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen.

Well... She had already seen those blue eyes before.

"Wait!"

Before she could even realise what she was doing, she had already stopped him by grabbing his shoulders.

The little boy looked at her with a little frown and tried to get out of her grip.

Talia didn’t realise what she is doing can be considered assault. She took a closer look at his face and felt her knees go weak. A thin layer of perspiration formed on her face.

The boy who was slightly above her waist, resembled Cyrus a lot. She is not someone who can recognise faces that well but even she could see it clearly. She grew up with Cyrus and have seen him growing from a teen to a man and has seen a lot of his childhood pictures.

She could recognise his face! Especially the color and shape of those eyes.

It’s Cyrus!

He ruled her mind! He is in her fondest memories of her past and also in her worst nightmares in the present.

There is no way she’d ever forget that face especially those eyes, ever!

"What’s your name?"

She asked. She didn’t know what she was thinking. This boy who resembled Cyrus that much cannot be his child. He is too young. But she asked for his name anyhow.

Her voice shook but her behaviour made the boy scared as his eyes watered a bit. There were people passing through them but as the true occupants of the city they didn’t care as they passed them.

"Name?"

Talia asked once more and without knowing she had raised her voice and shook him making the boy more scared.

"Cyrus" he answered out of fear.

Hearing his slightly trembling voice saying the name, Talia took a couple of steps backwards in shock.

No way! No way! Just how is this possible?

"Cyrus what?"

Talia grabbed the boy trying to run away and asked once more trying to get the whole idea.

Could this actually be Cyrus’ child?

"Hey, lady! What are you doing?" she felt a strong shove as a man wearing navy blue coat stood in between her and the boy, "Son, you okay?" he asked as he knelt in front of the boy and patted him to check him and the boy wrapped his arms around the man’s shoulders as he was scared. Talia could see the closeness between them.

"It’s okay... This is why you are not supposed to run away from me, alright?" his voice was a little worried as he advised the boy.

Then he turned to look at Talia and his face was filled with anger as he clenched his teeth.

"What were you trying to do to him?" he took a step forwards and Talia who was already confused, took a step back.

"Are you his father?" she asked looking at the man with blond hair. There could be some features of him similar to the boy. He could be his father.

"Tch! Crazy people!" he cussed and left holding the boys hand.

Talia stood there for a minute and she realised she didn’t have her phone in her hand and saw it lying on the floor and went and picked it up.

’ I must have dropped it when I ran towards the boy,’ she wiped the phone with a tissue in her purse and unlocked it to see it still working and sighed in relief.

’It’s surprising no one stepped on it!’

She felt a little relieved and only after picking up the phone did she realise her hands were trembling. She still hasn’t come out of the shock of meeting that boy.

At the same time her cab arrived and she got in and sank into her own thoughts as she watched the sea of people moving when the cab stopped and the passing buildings when the cab moved.

Maybe it was her own guilt that made her see some random boy as a carbon copy of Cyrus. But she knew Cyrus is not that of a common name. For a boy to have the same eyes as Cyrus and have the same name as him... What are the odds, right?

Before she knew it Talia already reached Levitt square and she got down at the Olympus Plaza where the toy shop Rebecca mentioned is. She decided to put the thoughts about the boy to the back burner and change her mood.

This being the morning of a week day, the entire place was crowded with the office workers who work in the other buildings closer to the plaza.

In spite of that, she could see Rebecca in a hot pink coat with silver Jimmy Choo shoes and purse right from a distance and rolled her eyes as she walked to her. If there are people out there to get her, she is making herself an easy target.

Speaking of targets... She looked around to see many abnormalities around her. Her usual bodyguards were there but there were only a few.

Her head spun as she saw all the tall buildings around her.

If there are any snipers...

Talia shook her head not to think about those unusual thoughts. It would be highly unlikely for her to be attacked now after so many years.

In the past when she used to go shopping with Cyrus, he’d make sure to teach her all the likely ways she could get killed and how could she escape even in his absence.

She sued to be alert all the time and she still couldn’t shake off his voice in her ears teaching her to be cautious.

For some reason ever since the salt spilled, she’d been feeling weird and as she walked she could fee nervous.

’Ah, Talia! You’ve been living in this city for years. When were you in actual danger before?’

Talia took a deep breath to compose herself. Superstitions are superstitions. Only fools believe them!

"What took you so long?"

Talia was broken out of her string of thoughts by Rebecca’s voice full of cheers and before she could answer, Rebecca hooked her arms around hers and dragged her to the nearby building to a restaurant and Talia’s eye brows twitched as she was stuffed a menu card in her hands.

"What?" Rebecca wasn’t feeling a least bit shameful for dragging Talia here amidst her protests.

"The breakfast here is really tasty. I asked Joe for a long time to bring me here but he never did..."

"And I’m the scapegoat? I already had breakfast! I thought you wanted to buy toys for your niece and nephew. What are we doing here?" Talia got tired already.

"You’re no fun!" Rebecca pouted. " Other girls would have loved all these..."

"Then why didn’t you bring them?" Talia looked over the menu. The dishes all looked tasty but she already felt full and decided not to eat anymore.

Who can cook better than her Fred?

"Hey Talia... You are not ordering anything?" Talia asked in a whisper seeing Talia closing the menu card. "Will you order this, this and this for me?"

Her eyes looked at Talia pitifully making Talia take a nervous gulp.

What now?

"Why don’t you order it?" Talia asked confused.

All she wanted was to help Rebecca buy some toys and be on her way and spend the rest of the day with Fred and now she is stuck in a restaurant.

What next? A spa?

"Please... Tallie...." Rebecca placed her palms together.

In the end Talia gave in without arguing with that foodie and ordered the food she asked for her. She probably feels embarrassed to order that much for herself.

This vain woman!

Talia couldn’t help but laugh at the woman in front of her, eating to her fill with a bright smile in her face. She felt it odd to see her look around nervously as if she was scared someone will recognise her.

"Stacy kept on asking about you. Why didn’t you reply her? She said she wanted to see you in person for something and asked where to find you. She even offered to join us today. But I refused her knowing you won’t want a crowd. You know what they say... Three’s a crowd, right? " Rebecca asked taking a sip from her milkshake.

"I’m not working," Talia replied bluntly.

Stacy is her secretary. Out of work she had no obligations towards her. She sometimes found her to be a little pushy. But then she is cute so it is bearable.

"You’re glowing!"

After having her fill Rebecca was in a good mood and she started her grilling.

"So, did you do it?"