Callouses were an inevitable part of sewing, and Rock had a few on the back of her middle finger and in the palm of her hand. Her mother Vale had had them in almost the same spots, and it made Rock happy to know her hands were coming to resemble her mother’s.
“Are you also a tailor, boy?”
Rock was surprised by her question.
“You can tell just by looking at my hand? That’s incredible!”
“My job consists of looking at men’s hands,” she said, releasing Rock’s hand and standing from the table. “See you next time, Rock. Make sure to tell Krister about me if you run into him.”
She sashayed out of the hash house without ordering anything.
“Krister has a lover, huh…?” Rock muttered shortly after Nisha departed. “He’s a real jerk, leaving his lover in the dark for a fortnight.”
“If she’s actually his lover, that is,” Phoebe quietly insinuated.
“What’s that supposed to mean? You think Nisha’s lying?”
“I don’t.” Phoebe softly shook his head. “I’m saying Krister might not view her that way.” Then he shrugged. “That girl hasn’t been in the capital long. I haven’t seen her around, and she knew nothing about you or me. It’s painfully common for girls from the countryside to be trapped and snared by city boys.”
Phoebe’s explanation was strangely convincing. But not wanting to accept that was true, Rock argued back.
“You don’t know that. Krister could feel the same for her too.”
“If he did, he would’ve told her where he lives, especially when he can’t see her for a while.”
“I…guess so, but—”
“Not telling her the truth shows where his feelings are at. Period,” Phoebe declared flatly, a hint of sadness edging into his features.
Even Rock knew Phoebe had a valid point. But knowing something and accepting it are two different things.
“I’d rather see things in a more positive light…” Rock mumbled, getting a look out of Phoebe like he saw right through her.
“What’s this, Rock? Do you see yourself in her? Hmm?”
“WHAT?! N-No way!”
“You just saw him a week ago, silly!”
Her father saw through her lies.
For a woman in love, a week can feel like an eternity.
Rock also had no time to go on dates. Work had been hectic lately, and she wasn’t making much progress on the court uniform Ebel had ordered from her. She couldn’t summon him to her shop until she got it to a certain stage.
Hence why Nisha’s sadness hit close to home, and Rock had vowed to tell Krister the moment she saw him.
✦ ✦ ✦
♚♚♚
ANOTHER week had passed.
Missing person posters had been put up around the slums. Nisha had posted them.
And naturally, the missing person was Krister Gionet.