CHAPTER - 12 Dina wants to be a free bird

As Mike did not say anything for quite some time, Dina looked at him with innocent eyes and asked,

"Boss, if you allow me, can I ask you something? Trust me, it’s very important and you will understand the reason behind why I am biting people." 

"Go ahead!" He gave his permission as he thought that she finally figured out the reason behind her biting habits.

He nodded his head in assurance as he saw that she was hesitating to speak. 

"Do you know which animal is the most popular among us that bites?" She asked him.

"No, I don't." He said.

He could not understand why she was asking him this question out of nowhere. He couldn’t relate her question with her biting habits. Does she think she is also an animal?

"It must be either a cat or a dog.  Do you know why I said that?" Dina answered and asked another question.

"Why?" Mike asked her while trying to keep his patience in check.

"Because they are the animals that are kept as pets by humans from so many centuries ago. Even though they know these animals bite, they still love them a lot and keep them at their home." She replied.

"That does not imply that they are the most vicious animals. Other wild animals bite too… Wait, hold on why are we even discussing this?" Mike asked in confusion. 

He even forgot what they were originally discussing earlier. Dina ignored him and continued to say,

"But I don't want to be both. Maybe, how about a bird? I read that pet birds do bite if they feel threatened. So, if I am a caged bird then I would rebel and would like to fly freely. I bite when someone tries to cage me." She spread her hands and started to fly around the shop like a bird.

"Stop talking nonsense so early in the morning. Nobody is caging you. Moreover, you go and bite people randomly because you're a vicious animal. You act like a stray dog that bites for no reason. You have to stop drinking alcohol from now on! I know for sure that it was because of that you are acting as a wild dog." Mike concluded and pulled her collar to make her stop from flying around.

He wanted to finish this conversation and get back to work. Because of her, they had already wasted so much time. People would start to come into the shop anytime soon. He has lots of work to do. But Dina had other ideas.

"Nooo….." Dina protested and tried to get away from his grasp.

"Yesss…." Mike replied and pushed her into the studio.

"No... no…" She held the sides of the door and didn’t want to get back to work yet.

"Yes.. yes…" He said and pushed her with all his might.

"Ok! Let us stop it right there! There will be no end to our no and yes or yes and no. You do know why I am drinking right? I see things, I hear them whisper near my ears, I feel them… Every doctor and psychiatrist my mother took me until now, could not find a cure for my disease. Or even can tell the reason behind it." She said while leaning against the door.

"Dina…" Mike wanted to explain everything but he did not want to spoil the perfect world she was living in right now.

"No, let me finish…" Dina stopped him.

All he could do was wait on the sides while looking at her face with sorrow-filled eyes.

“Only by drinking alcohol can I gather enough courage to face them. Or at least I don't remember them for that time being. So, you cannot ask me to stop drinking! That's the only way that can help me sleep peacefully at night." Dina looked at him with puppy eyes.

"Dina, I think you have become an alcohol addict. More than your medical issue, I would say that it was all because of alcohol you are talking like this. You were drinking from, what like, fifteen years? Now you are almost twenty-four years old and you are still sticking with that nonsense. It's going to become a permanent mark in your life if you don't find a way to stop drinking. Listen to me, I did some research and I brought a few brochures for you from where you can get help! You can get treated and forget alcohol once and for all." Mike said and handed her some brochures.

She pulled the pamphlets from his hands and threw them on the ground without even glancing at them. Then she stamped it under her feet and crushed them all.

"You of all people would suggest such a thing!  I did not expect it from you, Mike. I am totally disappointed. Also, I did not think that it would hurt me so much. I can't believe instead of trusting me, you would also push me to an end. I hate you, Mike! I am leaving! Do not come after me! Please! Don't come after me and stop me… Seriously do not come…" She turned around but did not take a step out of the shop.

Or even move from where she was standing. She even held her hand near him so that he could easily pull her and stop her from going. Mike sighed and did not do anything.

“I am going, I am going… Don’t come behind me,” She said while moving back and forth.

“I am not coming anywhere. You are just not leaving from where you are standing. Why don’t you try to leave for once in real, instead? You scaredy-cat! Come, let us go in. We have lots of work to do and I have my last semester project that is still pending and waiting for you as a whole.” He stated.

He put his hand on her shoulders and pulled her inside.

“Do you think I am your assistant who would finish your homework all the time? You have to do this project by yourself. Did you not hear me? Didn’t I say earlier that I have to get ready for this fashion week and my designs are not complete yet?” She said and pushed his hand away from her shoulders.

“OK fine! But if I get into any trouble with the project then be ready to help me out of it. Anyway, I still have one more secret of yours in my hand. So you better be careful in the future. Or else I will not show mercy next time. I will inform Kara about everything that you did from the time we met until now.” Mike warned her.

He walked towards his cabin while Dina showed her tongue at him and shook her head. She even did an ugly dance and tried to irritate him.

“I can see your grisly face on the glass in front of me! You look like a chimpanzee who has escaped from the zoo. Maybe, I should call the zookeeper and ask him to come and pick you up,” Mike commented and slammed the door behind him.

Dina dusted her shoulders as if nothing happened and walked towards her workspace. Right now, they were the only ones who took care of the shop as well as outside work. If this fashion week was successful then they were planning to hire a few more people to help them around the shop.

She came out of her workspace in a couple of hours and opened Mike’s office door slightly without knocking. She inserted her tiny head inside and peeked into the room. Mike was changing his dress and had his back towards the door. So he did not notice her. 

She saw a tattoo on his back. A flower symbol was on the top and there were two swords drawn below that flower. It looked like the flower was being protected by those swords.

“Did you get yourself a tattoo? You did not even inform me. If you had then I would have come and watched how much you suffered while getting that tattoo.” Dina said with a wicked smile.

Mike turned around and immediately pulled the shirt down in a hurry. 

“Why can’t you knock on the door before you enter? Don’t you know that is expected as a basic mannerism! Forget it, whom am I even talking to? The most carnivorous animal that would just jump on any available prey.” Mike commented and walked towards her.

“Yes, I am carnivorous. Rawr… Rawr… I am going to bite your throat and eat you alive. Roarrrrr…” Dina went near him while scratching the air using her hands.

“Shut up! Tell me, Why did you come here?” Mike hit her hands away and asked.

“Didn’t you say, you have a project to finish? I came here to help you with that. But looking at the situation here, maybe I should reconsider my decision.” Dina said and looked at him with her side-eyes.