Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26912 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 135(@200wpm)___ 108(@250wpm)___ 90(@300wpm)
It had never felt right, being married to another woman, and regardless of how things would turn out from this point, it was a mistake he would never care to repeat.
Helios: Where the hell are you?
The President and the others had been texting him nonstop since this morning; they all wanted him back in Amaryllis Plantation with them to ensure his privacy. But Andreus didn't feel he deserved his family's protection, considering the havoc he had already caused...and it could only get worse from here.
In the end, Andreus opted to check in at the most expensive hotel in the city, and it was when he was alone in his suite that he was no longer able to resist the temptation of searching for the latest news about her.
Hallie.
His guts twisted as he forced himself to look up the latest photos the Internet had of her, and indeed they were all of Hallie lining up to fly out of Corpus Christi, and later on arriving at Haneda Airport in Tokyo.
He had no fucking doubt that she had meant every word when she told everyone last night she meant to stay, and it had been why Andreus also felt he hadn't any choice but to make the truth clear to her and everyone else.
He was past saving, and there was no changing that.
While waiting for room service to deliver what would only be his first meal of the day at five in the afternoon, Andreus switched the TV on and typed the name of the only YT channel he was subscribed to.
The channel's most recent video had been uploaded just a week after his wedding to Monique; while he had already lost count of the number of times he had watched this, Andreus also knew that it was something he wouldn't tire of watching again and again.
The title sequence of the video was short but lovely: an overhead view of a wide wooden table with a distressed finish, with gossamer lines of blues and greens bringing life to its matte white surface. Clicking sounds of typewriter keys soon followed, and words tumbled into view one letter at a time.
AG | HM
Week 39: Journal with Me
The video then transitioned to the next sequence. It was still the same distressed desk, but this time with a leather-bound traveler's notebook lying flat open on the center and a couple of stationery supplies scattered around it: a set of Chamil Garden washi tapes, a Café Analog stamp, and a tin can of of La Dolce Vita girl stickers.
He knew what each and every item displayed was, not because he had watched this video repeatedly, but because Andreus had long made it his business to know everything she loved. Because what she loved, he fucking treasured as well. That was how it had always been, and that, too, would never change.
A pair of hands showed up on the screen, with the girl in the video clearly meaning to hide her identity as she waved hello to her viewers.
“Hey guys, it’s me again, and we’re doing Week 39 on my Midori slash Traveler’s Factory Tokyo Station TN.” A tiny, sheepish laugh escaped her as she closed her notebook and absently ran her fingers over the textured leather of its cover. “Honestly, even though we’ve been doing this for almost three years now, I still can’t figure out what to call these things. Is it Traveler’s Factory? Traveler’s Company? Midori?”
The girl’s hands flipped the journal back open and pinned down its edges with black wire clips to keep the pages flat. “In case you’re wondering – these wire clips are from Tools to Live By. I’ve actually gotten a lot of DMs and PMs about them so I thought I should share that here, too.”
She reached for the stamp and a Versafine inkpad. “This is the shade of Nocturne by the way.” She showed its label to the camera, which automatically zoomed in for a close-up shot.
“Anyway, if you’re new to my channel – I’m AG, and no, obviously, that’s not my real name.”
Her fingers moved endlessly and without a single second’s hesitation as she spoke, reaching for this and that, stamping here and writing there, and every layer she added to the two-page spread was a work of art all on its own.
“But don't worry, my name’s the only thing that isn't, um, real. Everything else is, I promise. And honestly, the only reason why I’m keeping my identity a secret is because I tend to chat about my personal life while journaling and, well, I end up admitting all sorts of things, which is why I decided on using all these secret initials.”
The camera zoomed in once more as the girl started rummaging through the tin can of stickers, her fingers pausing once in a while to show viewers her favorites.