Happiness, love, laughter; the perfect life, well not exactly perfect but it was as close to it as one could get. What better than having the cool autumn wind brush across your skin as you rest your body on the soft bed of grass beneath you as the setting sun shines its last spotlight on you? Your mind as clear as ever and your body so relaxed you actually feel yourself floating in the air.

“What are you thinking about?” The inquisitive yet playful voice asked next to me. I slowly turned my head to the side to only to stare into the familiar eyes of the woman I grew up getting to know and falling in love with. Her voice always brought a smile to my face and this time was no exception. Her wind swept golden hair strew across the ground on the opposite side of her leaving nothing but our breaths separating us.

“You’re beautiful.” I slowly brought my right hand across my body and gently touched her warm cheek before tucking a few unruly strands of hair behind her ear. Her smile soothed the slight tremble in my heart. After years of spending time together, my nerves still got the better of me when I was around her. I tried my best to hide it but I was pretty sure that I just ended up looking like a fool most of the time.

“I’m serious. What are you thinking about?” The playful smile on her face kind of undermined the seriousness in her tone. It was comforting but I knew that I probably shouldn’t take her any less serious. I had the scars to prove what happens when I don’t take her seriously.

“Are you getting cold feet about telling your parents?” So that’s what this was all about. I wasn’t nervous about what we were planning to do, well what I was planning on doing anyway. I guess she still had some reservations about it.

“I’m not. Honestly, I haven’t felt more free.” I looked into her eyes and saw the slight shaking of her pupils so she definitely wasn’t confident about this.

“How are you feeling about it?” I softly put my left hand on her right hand to try and calm her and show her that she can be open and honest with me because we’re in this together.

“I just don’t want you to do something you’ll regret.” I could tell that she was being earnest about that and I appreciated it. She had basically been with me through everything so I’ve never had to hide myself from her and she never had to hide who she was from me. We knew everything about each other. Just like the waves depended on the patterns of the moon, so did we depend on each other.

“I don’t want you to lose your parents because of this, because of me.”

“And I refuse to lose you because of my parents.” I hoped the conviction in my tone settled any doubts she might be having just like her smile calmed the aching of my heart.

“All my life I’ve had decisions made for me by my parents. It was their choice to home school me. It was their choice that I was to follow in the footsteps of my father and grandfather. It was their choice that I was to marry someone they chose for me. I’m done letting them make decisions for me now. It’s time for me to stand up for myself now.” My voice was calm but my heart burned with anger as I spoke. Why did I let it get this far? My parents always wanted what was best for me but always forced me to follow their plan. I was basically born in captivity with freedom being only an illusion my parents controlled.

“At least they didn’t force you to fall in love with me.” This was one of the things I loved about her. She always managed to see some sliver of hope in the darkest despairs. She always managed to brighten the dimmest days. No matter how my day had been going, once I spoke to her then everything felt like it was going to be okay.

“I still didn’t have a choice there, it was fate.” That brightened her smile tenfold. Every part of her body suddenly seemed joyful.

“So you’re saying that we were always meant to be?” Her smile turned into a challenging smirk but she never lost the playfulness in her voice and I never wanted her to.

“I guess so. Although, I had my doubts when you literally stabbed me in my back.” This time it was my turn to smirk at her while I tried to hold back a chuckle at that memory.

“How many times do I have to tell you it was an accident? It was your fault for coming up behind me and scaring me by the way. If you hadn’t scared me while I cleaned the dishes then I wouldn’t have tripped us and end up stabbing you.” She was right as usual but that didn’t stop me from teasing her. I knew she felt bad about stabbing me but that happened years ago when we were still teenagers. It’s not like we were old though. Hell, she is 19 so still technically a teenager while I just turned 20 a couple of months ago.

“The bottom line is that you stabbed me.”

“I’m contemplating doing it again right now.” Her threat brought a smile to my lips instead of fear to my heart. I knew that she wouldn’t stab me intentionally, at least I hoped not, but that didn’t stop her from making silly threats.

“You were kind of a drag after that though. Once your mother stitched me up and sent me home, you basically stayed with me until it healed. Our parents had to drag you away from me. I guess that was when I first fell in love with you.” Her cheeks began heating up and she refused to make eye contact with me so she turned her head and looked up at the burning evening sky rather. It was a rare cloudless day during the transition of the seasons. It was bound to start reaching freezing

temperatures soon and I certainly wasn’t looking forward to it.

“So you fall in love with irritating girls who stab you in your back with knives?” I had to admire her persistence in challenging me. Despite her innocent features and joyful nature, she really knew how to push my buttons.

“Sounds to me like you’re a bit of a masochist.”

“Knowing you has been painful and tiring so I guess you must be right as usual.” She gently hit my body with her right hand but immediately grabbed it and intertwined our fingers. I loved the touch of her soft hands. It was always warm and full of life in comparison to my deathly cold hands but she never once complained about it.

“Case in point.”

“Whatever.” I knew she had given up this challenge now so I turned my head to face the sky as well. Even if silenced washed over us right now, her presence spoke volumes.

“Just because knowing you has been painful and tiring doesn’t mean I regret it. On the contrary, sticking with you through everything we’ve been through has been worth it.” I really meant that. I honestly couldn’t imagine growing up without having her in life or continuing living without the assurance that she will be by my side.

Suddenly she inched her body closer to mine before I felt her soft lips against my cheek. The sweet innocence of her romantic gesture brought an honest smile to my face. These small moments between us were the ones I cherished the most.

“What are you going to do if your parents don’t want us to be together?” I heard the sincerity in her voice as she asked the question. We had this same conversation before and she didn’t like any answer that I gave her. It was as if she was waiting for me to get that answer right before she agreed to this but I wasn’t waiting any longer. I knew who my heart belonged to and I knew what I wanted to do.

“I’m going to move out to start off with. If they don’t want to allow me to live my life the way I want to then they don’t get to be apart of my life anymore.” I continued looking up at the darkening sky but I could feel her gaze set on me as she laid next to me.

“Where are you going to live then?”

“I have a friend that owes me a favor. He owns a house in the ‘rich’ side of town so he’ll let me use it for a couple of days while I find something permanent. I have enough money saved up to by a house so maybe we could find a house together.” Saying that made me feel really older than I actually was. Which 20 year old says that?

“You think that we could live together?” Her question was filled with surprise rather than accusation. She probably didn’t expect me to say that.

“We could try.” I released a chuckle at that and I could hear her do the same.

“You do realize that both of us are useless in the kitchen. What are we going to eat?” She had a point there. She was never interested in learning how to cook and neither was I for that matter. My parents hired Mrs Davenport to do the cooking and other things since their schedules were a little too unpredictable so I never had to worry about meals.

“On the positive side, if we can’t cook then there’ll be no dirty dishes to clean up.” That set our laughter off again. I loved the calm but enjoyable atmosphere around us right now. We might be talking about our future but I was glad that we could still joke about like this.

“We should probably look for a child-friendly home.” That immediately sent alarms ringing in my head. Why would she say that? Was she pregnant? We did have sex a couple of times but we were careful. We used protection as well but I guess that it wasn’t 100% safe. Was I going to be a father? Hell, I wasn’t ready to be a father. I didn’t know how to be a father. She was definitely going to be a great mother, anyone could see that but I wasn’t ready to be a parent.

“Relax idiot, I’m not pregnant.” She released a laugh at that but I felt too relieved to do anything but release a breath I was unconsciously holding in. She clearly thought this was amusing but my train of thought didn’t allow me to see it that way. If she was pregnant then it would’ve changed my whole approach to talking to my parents tomorrow evening.

“How did…”

“…did I know what you were thinking? I know you better than you think.” She had a triumphant smile on plaguing her lips as I finally turned to face her again while she turned on her side and rested one arm under her head. She placed her other hand on my cheek and gently rubbed it with her thumb as she stared into my eyes while I got lost in hers.

“I’m glad you do. I wouldn’t want anyone else to.” I gently placed my hand over hers and brought it closer to my lips and gave it a gentle kiss.

“I’m just glad that you aren’t talking about leaving the country anymore.” I released her hand so she trailed it down my neck and onto my rising and falling chest. She could probably feel my rapid beating heart right now. Maybe she wanted to test if I might be lying while I spoke.

“I haven’t ruled out that possibility yet.” If leaving the country meant that I would finally be free from my parent’s hold on me then that is what I would have to do.

“What’s stopping you then?”

“You.” That was truth no matter how I looked at it. She was the only reason why I would stay in this town or even in this country. If it wasn’t for her then I would have no problem leaving.

“Why me?” The confusion on her face was evident but understandable. If someone told you that they were unknowingly one of the factors in a life altering decision then you’d probably be confused too.

“I am not going to leave you and I am not going to force you to follow me to another country as well. I know how much you love your parents and I like them as well. I won’t interfere in your relationship with them just because my relationship with my parents isn’t what I want it to be.”

“That’s sweet and all but you can’t leave anyway. Your company is here so you need to be here.” The company was one thing I honestly couldn’t care less about. Lodge Industries, my family’s billion dollar company that ranged from clothing design to financial services. How they managed to do that was a mystery to me but it worked. My father ran the printing and advertising division in our seaside town of Oarkan Bay. My grandfather gave him the money to start it using the family company and their original contacts and since then it has grown steadily into one of the most prominent businesses in the town.

“It’s not my company. It’s my father’s.”

“You’re leading your own division in the company already and you’re going to inherit it when your father steps down so it’s basically yours.” That might be true but it was still my choice to make. Just because my grandfather handed his company down to my father and he is supposed to hand it down to me doesn’t mean that I have to accept it. We have lots of other family so if they wanted the company to stay in the family then they could give it to one of my cousins.

“If my father wants to give the company to someone in the family then he can give it to one of his niece’s or nephews.”

“Don’t be an idiot. Inheriting the company is literally what your parents have been grooming you for.” She wasn’t wrong there. I knew exactly how the company worked and I knew every single person that actually made use of our service. I knew every employee of the company better than my father probably did.

“Exactly why I don’t want it. I don’t want to be a puppet that they get to control anymore.” Why was she pushing this so much? She knew how much I didn’t want it and she knew that talking about it soured my mood.

“Just think about this realistically. You know the company better than your father does right now so if your father wants to hand it over to you then he can’t control you or the company anymore. You will be able to do whatever you want to with the company. You will be able to take it in the direction you want to take it into.” She made valid points there but that was all in the long term and I couldn’t deal with the circumstances I was put in right now. I’d rather be happy and living in some dump than be miserable and still being controlled by my parents.

“I never wanted any of this. I never wanted my family’s business. All I wanted was the freedom to make my own choices.”

“What do you want to do then? Write books?” She really did know me it seems. Writing was a form of therapy and a way to release all my anger or sadness but one day it just evolved into me writing stories and I just never stopped.

“You can’t be an author if you don’t let anyone read your work anyway. You won’t even let me read what you write. If you were really serious about writing stories then you would’ve given your story to a publisher or something.”

“Not all of us can follow our dreams. You’ve wanted to be an art collector since you were young and your parents and the rest of your family supported you. Who do I have to help me support my dreams?” My anger wasn’t with her but more with myself. I allowed the idea of becoming an author rule my dreams even though I knew that I was setting myself up for a lifetime of disappointment.

“You have me.” I looked into her everlasting eyes and found the strength to continue dreaming. I hated that she had such a powerful effect on me.

“Look, your father’s company is a printing company. They can print your story and maybe you could make use of some of their contacts from publication houses and get your stories to them. It makes perfect sense to me.”

“You’re so damn frustrating you know.” That brought a radiant smile to her face for some reason. She knew that she won whatever battle we just had but I found solace in the fact that she could do this to me.

“It’s one of the reasons you love me.” She slowly inched her head closer to mine. Everything inside my yearned for touch right now. Our breaths danced together the closer we drew to each other until finally our lips met. The unblemished act of romance only served to assure our love for each other. The smoothness of the simple movement of our plump flesh drew us closer and closer into each other trying to reach the unattainable perfection of happiness but we enjoyed the journey we were being taken on right now. No overthinking happened on both our parts, it was as natural as the sun kissing the horizon before it disappeared for the rest of the day. It was perfect, she was perfect.

“You need to get home.” I hardly registered her words. Her lips were still against mine as she spoke so all my mind focused on was the subtly of her plump skin brushing over mine causing my intense hunger for her to grow wilder with every syllable.

“Why?” I groaned out as I opened my eyes and found hers graciously looking back at mine.

“You and your parents are meeting some new clients tonight remember.” With that, my mood was officially spoilt. I reluctantly moved my head back to it’s original place on the grass as I stared up at the sky. Sometimes I just wished I could get lost in the vast ocean of space than be trapped in this bondage of life I found myself in.

“I promised your mother that you’d be there. Don’t do it for the company or for your parents, do it for me.” She tried staring at me with those ‘puppy eyes’ but she could never master them. She always ended up looking like a sad but cute girl. It brought a smile to my face watching her attempt it though.

“Do you think I’ll get fired if I don’t show up tonight?”

“Let’s rather not find out.” Suddenly she began standing up and dusting herself off. Her white t-shirt was soiled with dirt from lying on the grass but she didn’t have any plans for the rest of the night, well not that I knew of, so she didn’t have to look neat. I didn’t really care how she looked anyway. As long as she had her picture perfect smile then I was happy.

“Tomorrow night you’re mine then.” I tiredly stood up as well then stretched my stiff muscles. My bones ached as renewed energy began coursing through my body again but I was used to it. My body was probably as weird as I was.

“No.” That was surprising. She didn’t want to go out with me. Did I do something to upset her? Was she busy tomorrow evening? I knew that she was in charge of an art exhibition tomorrow at the company she worked for, Le Belle Image, but that ended at 5 so she should be free tomorrow night. I don’t think I had anything planned for tomorrow night either so I don’t think that I was forgetting anything I hope.

“Why not?” We stood facing each other with the last autumn winds racing between the small space between us. I stood at least a head taller than her so she had to tilt her head to look into my eyes. The difference in our heights didn’t play any factor in our relationship though. It didn’t matter how much taller than her I was, she always brought me down to size, figuratively and literally if need be.

“Ask me out on a real date.” Now I was even more confused. We always went on dates and tomorrow night wasn’t going to be any different. What was the difference between the dates we went on and a ‘real date’ anyway? We went to restaurants, had picnics on the beach and in parks, went to all sorts of shows, went for long romantic walks through fields, forests or on the beach; if those aren’t ‘real dates’ then what was?

“What is your definition of a ‘real date’?”

“That’s not the issue here. We’ve been in this relationship for over 3 years now and you’ve technically only asked me out on 1 date.” That made everything clearer. It wasn’t the dates that were the issue thankfully because I honestly didn’t know what more we could do. We had fun no matter where we went or what we did as long as we did it together.

“And before you say anything, ‘wanna go out?’ and ‘let’s go out’ doesn’t count as asking me out on a date.” Her stern expression and finger against my chest showed me how serious she was about this issue but I couldn’t help but smile, more out of relief that it wasn’t that big of an issue. I gently grabbed her prodding hand and closed the gap between us. I used my free hand and placed it on her waist without breaking eye contact with her.

“You’re definitely frustrating.”

“And you’re an idiot.”

“I’m your idiot.” A smile flashed across her face before she quickly replaced it with her stern expression but it didn’t go unnoticed. I slowly intertwined our fingers as we watched each other and let our wordless actions convey the message only our hearts could understand. Sometimes words just got in the way and we have to let our actions speak for ourselves and this was one of those moments. Our movements were gradual as if time itself had slowed down for us. Nothing around us mattered and everything seemed to drown out. The only sound I focused on was the breaths she was taking. The feeling of our pulsating hearts seemed to sync up with each others as her entrancing flowery scent filled my mind. Her stern expression suddenly softened and turned into a smile.

“Stella O’Connor, will you go on a date with me?” My voice was enticingly soft enough for only her to hear.

“You almost gave me a heart attack with that question.” She released a nervous laugh but my confusion resurfaced again. Why would she be surprised by that question? It’s what she wanted right?

“Why?”

“You were so formal that I thought you were going to ask me to marry you.” That cleared up my confusion once again. I wasn’t thinking about that but it wouldn’t be a bad idea.

“Not yet.”

“So you are thinking about marrying me?” Confusion settled on her face now.

“Moments ago I asked you to get a house with me. Marriage is not that far of a step from moving in together.” Her confusion quickly changed into nervousness. I could see the fear in her eyes now. Did she not want to marry me? Was I not good enough for her? How the hell did asking her out on a date suddenly turn into this whole situation?

“Stella, we’ve known each other since we were kids. There is nothing we don’t share or know about each other. We’re still young and have our whole lives ahead of us to get married and there’s no one else I would want to marry but for now I will settle on a date so I am going to try this again. Stella O’Connor, will you go on a date with me?” The uncertainty in her expression died down leaving her confidence intact now.

“Yes Hunter Lodge, I will go on a date with you.” I was honestly glad that we could get pass that and the stupid smiles on our faces confirmed that she was feeling the same way as well.

“See what happens when I ask you out on a date?” Both our laughter filled the air between us now. I was glad that the atmosphere around us became comfortable again.

“It was worth it wasn’t it?” She challenged me so she was definitely back to her old self again.

“Definitely worth it.” I agreed as we drew each other in again for a sweet but subtle kiss.

“You need to go. We can continue this tomorrow.” She broke the kiss then tried walking away but I refused to let go of her hand so she had to wait for me regardless of the rush she was in. She tried pulling me but she wasn’t really able to move me so I pulled her back towards me.

“Why do you always have to rush?” I asked her once she was by my side again. “Slow down and take in the beauty around us.” I wasn’t looking at her but I knew that she rolled her eyes at that.

“You’re such an old man.”

“Your birthday is in a couple of months as well so you’re not too far from being an old woman as well.” I reminded her.

“Until then you’re the only old person here.” She playfully replied. I turned to her as she turned to me and just smiled at each other. We were really stupid with each other at times but that was just a part of our relationship that both of us were comfortable with. No matter how stupid, weird or irritating I was; I found comfort in knowing that she wouldn’t want me to change and that she loved me despite it.

“Hunter, tuck in your shirt.” Mrs Davenport instructed me when I entered the beautifully decorated suburban house. It was just before 7 o’clock so I should still be in time for dinner. I felt a little dirty so I wanted to go up to my room and shower me but I didn’t think my parents would allow me to especially since it was so close to dinner time. At least I looked presentable, well I wore a white shirt and black blazer so that was presentable enough.

“Sorry Mrs D.” My apology was one the older woman heard me give her almost daily. She was in her late 40’s so she wasn’t that much older than my parents but she had raised me as much as my parents did and I kind of saw her as my grandmother. She hated when I called her grandma but I refused to call her Mrs Davenport so we came to a compromise which led to ‘Mrs D’. Didn’t sound too old and still a bit formal but I had to make sure that my parents never heard me call her that or else they would give me a boring lecture about respect and manners and some other boring nonsense which would ultimately lead to me apologizing and getting punished anyway.

“Are you leaving?” I tucked in my shirt and straightened my clothing as I saw her put on the elegant coat I had gotten her for her birthday last year. When I saw it in the shop last year I immediately bought it for her and it fit her perfectly.

“Yes. My work for today is finished so I’m heading home.”

“Are you sure that you aren’t headed to date?” Suddenly she hit my right arm but smiled.

“You’re over enough to take care of so I don’t need another man in my life.”

“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, well for the most part at least.” This time I smiled while she rolled her eyes at me.

“I’d believe that more if Stella was living with you. I honestly don’t see how you could live without the two of us.” That was kind of true. With Stella and Mrs Davenport around, all I had to do was wash me, dress me and go to the toilet. They did almost everything else for me even though I was more than capable of doing it myself, except cooking where my skills sorely lacked.

“You’d better not be planning on leaving me to fend for myself anytime soon then Mrs D.”

“You just need to stop being lazy.”

“I can’t promise anything.” That got a lighthearted chuckle out of her. “Can I give you a lift anywhere? Or maybe call you a cab?”

“Don’t you worry about me. I’ve been doing this since you were in diapers. Your parents and some guests are waiting for you by the dining table as well. Be good tonight.” That was just like her to refuse my offer and change the subject. She never wanted anyone to fuss over her and I respected that but sometimes I just wanted to do something to make her life a little easier. She helped my mother raise me which I can promise was no easy feat so if I could do anything for her then I would jump at the opportunity.

“That I can’t promise as well. Travel safely.”

“I will. I’ll see you tomorrow and I’m making a cake for Stella to celebrate her first art showcase so you’re going to have to take me shopping tomorrow.” That was sweet of Mrs Davenport. I was planning on taking Stella out tomorrow night to celebrate as well but we could come here first. Mrs Davenport and Stella really got along with each other and was honestly like a grandmother to both of us. Hell, my parents probably loved Stella more than me at times. She was like the daughter they always wanted but I couldn’t deny that she was perfect. I honestly didn’t see why my parents didn’t want me to have a romantic relationship with her.

“I will. See you tomorrow.” Mrs Davenport gave me a quick hug then exited the house. I watched her walk down the smooth stone steps then down the bricked pathway and out onto the pavement before I closed the door and got ready to go greet my parents and our guests. I fought my urge to go up the polished wooden staircase on my right and go to my room and wash me but I didn’t want to leave everyone waiting for me. I walked down the passage and passed the neatly cleaned lounge on the left that led into the dining area.

“Good evening everyone.” I immediately began analyzing our guests and try to assess the situation in the room. Besides my parents, there were 2 other adults who were there with their 3 children I suppose; two older girls and a younger boy. Our families seemed to be getting along by the look of things. The opened bottle of red wine on the table probably had something to do with that as well.

“Good evening honey.” My mother gave me her usual greeting. Suddenly everyone stood up which made me a little nervous but I kept my outward appearance of composure.

“Son, I would like you to meet the Andrews family. Everyone, this is our son Hunter.” My father came over to me and put his hand on my back as he urged me. He had an uncharacteristic smile on his face so he was definitely trying to create his best first impression which meant that I would have to do it as well. This whole evening immediately irritated me but I plastered a smile on my face and followed my father’s lead.

“This is Mr and Mrs Andrews and their children Naomi, Michaela and Zendé.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet all of you.” I shook their hands and most of them seemed friendly except for Michaela whose deathly stare nearly broke her red-framed glasses.

“The pleasure is all ours.” Pretty standard reply from Mr Andrews but I knew that I shouldn’t let my guard down because of it. We might want them as clients but that didn’t mean that we should let them dictate the terms of our partnership.

“Now that we’re all here, let’s have dinner.” My mother suggested.

“Good idea.” This was weird, my parents never agree with each other this smoothly unless they were really trying to impress someone. Even when my grandparents were around, they never acted this in sync with each other.

“Mrs Andrews, can you help me in the kitchen please?” My mother politely asked the other mother in the room.

“Definitely.” That was a rather eager reply. Was there something going on right now that I wasn’t aware of?

“Let’s take our seats again.” My father led them as they began taking their seats around the table again. I waited to see where everyone sat so that I could find a comfortable spot to sit since my left-handedness could cause to be an unwelcome nuisance to whoever sat down next to me. I quickly saw the seating arrangement and knew where our mother’s were going to sit and saw that they left a seat open for me between my mother and Michaela. Our father’s took the heads of the table which was to be expected so their wife’s took their seat on the right side of them. Naomi and Zendé took their seats next to their mother on the opposite side of where my mother, Michaela and I were supposed to sit.

“Michaela, would you mind if we switch seats please?” I walked towards the seat she was sitting on and stood next to where her father was seated.

“Why?” She was straightforward and a little stern which I actually found comforting in this situation. Everyone was doing their best to keep this false sense of happiness around us that her abruptness was such a relief right now.

“I’m left-handed.” I casually answered her but she looked even more confused right now. It was unfortunately a situation I faced often when it came to seated dinner events. I hated being a nuisance to others but I couldn’t really help that I was different than most of the people in the world when it came to our dominant hand.

“And that’s an issue because…?” I had to stop myself from laughing at her innocence but this was probably a situation she hadn’t encountered yet.

“Your right arm might bump into my left arm while we eat which could cause an unnecessary mess.” I could see that she understood what I meant now but for some reason she still didn’t look like she planned on moving.

“One of our cousins are left-handed as well and he sits on my right side and we’ve never had a problem.” It made sense now why she looked so confident but I wasn’t going to back down now either.

“Your cousin and I are different I suppose. This is the first time we’ve met as well so we might not have as much chemistry as you do with your cousin.” I made my way around her seat and took my seat next to hers as I waited for her response.

“We won’t know unless we try.” We sat next to each other but she chose to look ahead while she spoke. I, on the other hand, studied her facial features as she spoke and her face was flooded with confidence right now. She thought she had me beat.

“I prefer to use the ‘prevention is better than cure’ approach rather than the ‘hit and hope’ one.” That got her attention. She slowly turned to face me and the expression on her face right now instantly told me that she was planning on destroying me. I was honestly enjoying this little battle between us right now. It was different than the battles Stella and I had. This battle was purely academic while my battle’s with Stella tended to be more sensual. It was a great change of pace but I’d always prefer if it was Stella was sitting next to right now instead of Michaela.

“Wouldn’t ‘prevention’ in this case be for you to become right-handed then?” Wow, she was good, I had to give her that. She readjusted her glasses with her left hand as she tried to stare me down now.

“I would classify it as being a ‘cure’ rather. A highly unethical one which would infringe on our basic human rights to freedom of choice and general freedom overall.”

“What would you rather suggest then?”

“To act in a manner that is comfortable, appropriate and respectful for all types of people so that we could live in a way that is convenient for everyone even if it is merely a simple act of switching seats in this case.” Checkmate. I was actually interested in hearing her reply to that if she had any.

“Hear we go, dinner is here.” My mother announced as she and Mrs Andrews appeared carrying trays of some of the most delicious smelling food. Looks like she was saved there.

“Is there anything I can bring from the kitchen mom?” I asked her as they set the food in the middle of the table.

“There’s a bowl of salad still on the counter and you can bring the sauces as well.” My mother instructed me. I stood up then quickly made my way to the kitchen. I was grateful for the temporary peace the kitchen provided right now. The lounge and dining room is an open floor plan kind of set up but the kitchen was walled for some reason so it was clearly a distinct part of the house. I always wondered why my mother never convinced my father to open it up to the rest of the house. It would provide a more comfortable and family friendly feel to the house. I never spent a lot of time in the kitchen but that was mainly because I always ended up breaking something or getting hurt or both in some cases. I grabbed the rather cute wooden stand that housed a range of sauces then secured my grip around the bowl of Greek salad before heading into the dining area again.

I immediately spotted a distinct difference when I walked in; Michaela was now sitting on my seat leaving the corner seat next to her father open for me. I was grateful for it but the frustration on her face definitely scared me. If she was planning on getting me back somehow then I was certainly not going to like it.

“Thank you honey.” I handed the items to my mother then took my seat. I refused to make eye contact with anyone so that I didn’t end up in an unwanted argument again. I think once was enough for me so now I just wanted to have a great meal in a comfortable atmosphere.

“Well everyone, let’s dig in.” I definitely wasn’t going to say no to that. It was customary to let the guests go first though so I waited for the Andrews to dish their food. I liked this set up of a family-style meal where everyone dished for themselves instead of preparing a plate for everyone beforehand. It gave each person some sort of power and made them feel more comfortable with what they had on their plates. It was a pretty cool idea.

“So Hunter, your father tells me that you run the electronic advertising division in the company.” Mr Andrews might’ve been making a statement there but I knew that he meant it as a question. I guess he was trying to intimidate me so that he could hopefully intimidate my father in return. This might seem like a simple dinner between two families but this is where the negotiations started. Unfortunately, I had no idea what was being negotiated so I didn’t know what the appropriate response was. Hopefully honesty was the right way.

“I do. I made a pitch to my father a couple of years ago to join in on the electronic advertising that seems to be going extremely well in most places around the world and we’d be the first in this town so we’d basically control it. He agreed but then put me in charge of it.” I explained while I dished me some of the food. My actions were careful and calm so that it hopefully didn’t reflect my nerves. I would’ve felt more at ease if my father had briefed me on the deal he was hoping to make with the Andrews beforehand but that was probably my fault. I chose to hangout with Stella instead but that was always a decision I would never regret.

“One of my best decisions I’ve made for the company.” I immediately turned to my father to see if this was still just part of the act he was putting on for the Andrews. He looked at me and smiled then gave me a slight nod so I knew that he meant it. An immediate sense of pride swept over me and calmed my nerves. I really appreciated my father saying that. I had defiantly voiced my view on joining the family business on many occasions but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try my best at whatever I did.

“See dad, why can’t you give me an opportunity like that? Give me a team and we’ll build whatever you need us to build.” Zendé suddenly stated. I guess Zendé and I were complete opposites. I didn’t want anything to do with my family’s business yet I was forced into it while he wanted to be apart of whatever his father did but he wasn’t getting the opportunity. He did say that they that he needs a team to build something so maybe they were builders.

“You aren’t joining your father until you finish school.” Mrs Andrews clearly ran their household or else Zendé would’ve asked his mother.

“That’s unfair. You let Michaela go with dad when she was in school and she doesn’t know anything about construction.” Construction? Was this the Andrews family who owned Andrews Construction? Damn, this really was an important meeting then. I knew that Andrews Construction was one of the most reputable construction company’s along the coast. My father has been wanting to get them as a client for years so I guess this was finally his chance. I might not want anything to do with my family’s business but I was sure as hell not going to mess this up for my father. This could only benefit our family in the long run anyway.

“I was shadowing one of the managers of the company for school.” I was glad that Michaela’s frustration was directed at her brother right now rather than at me.

“So? I also need to get some work experience.” There was no quitting in him it seems. I had to admire Zendé’s tenacity though. This was actually fun watching them argue with each other like this while we ate. If anything, this could only put the Andrew’s on the back foot and give my father the opportunity to lead the negotiations.

“You are barely passing at school so what makes you think that you’d do any better at dad’s company?” That was a little harsh from Michaela but I didn’t understand her relationship with her brother so I wasn’t going to jump in right now.

“Michaela has a point there. Maybe if you pull up your socks then dad will let you help him on a job.” Naomi suggested. I guess she was the voice of reason between the 3 of them.

“That’s stupid. Dad knows what I can do and it’s better than you and Michaela combined.” I’m pretty sure that if they were at their own house right now then one of the girls would’ve ended up slapping him silly. I leaned closer to Michaela who looked like she was ready to jump across the table and strangle her brother.

“If you want to bury your fork in your brother’s chest right now then I’m pretty sure I can get our parents to overlook it.” I jokingly whispered into her ear.

“That’s not the problem, cleaning up the blood is.” I was pleasantly surprised when she whispered that in response. I turned to her and I couldn’t help but smile at our playful stupidity. Despite our first conversation, she seemed okay to have around. She was smart and playful at least so that was enough.

“Anything the two of you would like to share?” My mother asked me as Michaela and I tried not to release a laugh while we looked at each other.

“I just asked Michaela if it would be appropriate to take whatever leftovers there are to my room because this food is seriously delicious.” If anyone believed that lie then I must’ve either sounded extremely convincing or they must’ve been drinking too much of the bottle of red wine our parents were nursing.

“Sure.” My mother clearly wasn’t convinced. That was to be expected, she did raise me so she would definitely know when I was lying.

“Mr Andrews, what was your favorite building to work on?” My question was trivial but I just wanted to start a conversation around the table again before things got uncomfortably awkward for everyone.

“I don’t really have a favorite. I love what I do although I don’t get the chance to be as hands on as I would like to be these days.” At least he wasn’t ending the conversation there. On the contrary, he opened up a brand new list of questions for me to ask him.

“Which one did you enjoy the most though?” I continued prying.

“Definitely renovating our house. That was one of my favorites you could say.” I could see that he was being honest and not just answering me for the sake of shutting me up.

“Really? You and I remember those months completely differently then.” Mrs Andrews suddenly piped up. She sat opposite me so I could clearly see the slight smirk on her face before she put a forkful of food in her mouth.

“My husband tends to have that same problem.” My mother added as she turned to look at her husband. Both heads of the table were suddenly overcome with nerves. How did my questions suddenly turn into this? I swear, I was going to be silent for the rest of the night so that I didn’t cause any problems for anyone else but I had to do something about this situation I caused.

“They do say that every successful man is made by a woman who endured most of the stress. I’m sure dad and Mr Andrews would agree.” Hopefully that could defuse the tense atmosphere right now.

“Definitely.” My father nervously agreed.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Mr Andrews looked relieved so that clearly worked. Now it was in their hands to lead the conversation.

“You said that you couldn’t be as ‘hands on’ as you would like to be so will that mean someone else will be leading the construction?” What construction was my father talking about? Was this the deal they were negotiating?

“I’ll definitely be leading the team, you don’t have to worry about that. We’ll use our best resources to construct your new headquarters.” New headquarters? Why wasn’t I informed of this? If we were moving offices then my father should’ve at least informed me since it affected my department within the company as well. I’m not going to lie, I felt the ugly beast of betrayal and anger clutching their claws around me but I needed more information if their presence was to be justified.

“That’s good to hear. I look forward to working with you.” My eyes fixed themselves on my father who refused to look at me right now. He probably knew that I had a sea of questions ready to drown him. I wasn’t going to make a scene about it now though but I was definitely going to question him after dinner about this because he really couldn’t afford to have me angry right now and sink the deal he was cultivating with Mr Andrews.

The cool night air swept past my tired body as I leaned against the sturdy wooden railings on our white-painted porch. The sun was a long forgotten thought as I stared up the ominous dark sky while nursing a glass of red wine that I’d stolen from the table after a rather interesting dinner. It left me with a lot more questions than answers but I was glad that it was finished. I found out that the Andrews family would be staying the night which I didn’t mind. There were 8 bodies in the house now and only 4 rooms so I guess each room would have to house 2 people. My parents would probably stay in their room while Mr and Mrs Andrews sleep in one of the guest rooms. Naomi and Michaela would most likely share a room which meant that their brother and I would be sharing my room. I didn’t care who slept in my room anyway because I wasn’t planning on sleeping here tonight.

“Your mother doesn’t like it when you drink.” I was so lost in my own thoughts that I hadn’t even heard my father exit the house and make his way over to me. I looked to the side without turning my head then saw that he too held a glass of red wine in his hand. That was more than likely his 10th for the evening while the glass in my hand only happened to be my 1st.

“And I don’t like it when you guys keep things from me so I guess we’re even.” I mockingly raised a toast to that before sipping the sweet liquid into my mouth. It splashed its way down my throat and left a mouth-watering aftertaste so I understood why our parents had as much as they did.

“We were going to call a meeting on Monday morning to inform everyone about it. Your mother and I decided that it was best to wait until we could close the deal before making any announcements.” That made sense I guess. The feeling of betrayal still lingered a while before I gave up and just accepted his excuse. It’s not like they did it to hurt me.

“What exactly is this deal anyway?” I slowly positioned my body so that I could look at my father as we spoke. I didn’t have that deep of a relationship with my father but I respected him and loved him no matter what. He taught me some invaluable things about being a man and caring for your family first that I could never forget and I really appreciated it. He helped me where he could but most of the time he was at work which I never resented him for. The only issued I had with my father, and my mother I suppose, was that they were forcing me to take over the family business.

“I bought the old shoemaker’s building near the pier and I’m hiring Mr Andrews to tear it down then build a bigger and better facility for us to use as our main headquarters in town. Even you have to agree that our current building is becoming a little cramped.” I couldn’t deny that. In a business sense, this was a brilliant decision so I couldn’t fault him there. Hell, I would’ve done exactly what my father was doing if I was in his position.

“It’s a prime piece of real estate that you bought. How much is the construction going to cost?”

“Mr Andrew’s couldn’t give me an exact amount but he estimated between 10-20 million.” Damn, that was a hell of a lot of money. We’d probably only see the return on that investment in a couple of years so it was worth it in the long run but it was still a huge amount of money.

“How about you offer Mr Andrew’s a trade of services?” I suggested. My father immediately raised his eyebrow at that as he looked at me. I could see that he was waiting for me to explain what I meant so I set my glass down on the wooden railing and straightened myself. If I was going to pitch this suggestion to my father then I was going to do it properly and to the best of my ability.

Suddenly the door opened as I was about to start talking so I waited for the presence to reveal itself. Mr Andrews came onto the porch and looked around before his eyes settled on us.

“Andrews, perfect timing.” My father told him once they stood next to each other.

“What’s going on?” Mr Andrews looked at me then looked at my father as he tried to figure it out himself.

“My son was just about to pitch an idea about our deal.” My father explained. Suddenly both their attention fixed on me. I felt nerves trying to overcome my confidence but this wasn’t a formal meeting so I didn’t really have any pressure. I took a breath then organized my thoughts again before I began speaking.

“As I suggested to my father, why don’t your two companies merely do a trade of services? For example, Mr Andrews, your company will build my father’s company’s new headquarter and in exchange my father will handle your advertising for a period of 5-10 years. Obviously the value of Mr Andrews service exceeds the advertising however, the length and value of the advertising could compensate for that and the measure of goodwill for Andrews Construction will increase as well. This way both companies benefit from the partnership while also reaping rewards from new customers. Obviously there has to be a clause somewhere that states that if Mr Andrews does not want to continue our service then we’ll have to pay him the outstanding amount of advertising or if we want to end the advertising for Andrews Construction then we’ll have to pay as well but I don’t see that being a problem, at least from my father’s side. What do you guys think?” I immediately released a sigh of relief once I finished. That really took more energy that I thought it would. I studied both men’s faces but they turned to each other and smiled for some reason.

“I told you, didn’t I?” My father smirked as Mr Andrews put his hand on my father’s shoulder.

“You sure did.” What the hell were they talking about now? Did I do something they expected? Did they plan all this? They couldn’t have known what I was going to say so just what the hell were they smiling at?

“Well Lodge, come see me before you go sleep and we can discuss a way forward.” At least they were working together now so I guess I should be happy about that.

“I will.” My father held out his hand and Mr Andrews firmly shook it in response.

“Well done Hunter.” Mr Andrews surprisingly told me then turned around and made his way back into the house. I was left dumbstruck and unmoving. What the hell was happening?

“Dad, what just happened?” I gulped as I leaned against the railing for support again. I don’t know why I felt so nervous right now. I pitched my idea and everything went great surprisingly so why did I feel like I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me?

“Relax son, you did excellently.” My father raised his glass to that before taking a sip. I immediately grabbed my glass and drained it of the red liquid before I turned my attention back to my father.

“What were you and Mr Andrews smiling about?”

“We finally agreed to work together so thank you for that. I liked your idea and I guess Mr Andrews did too. Like he said, well done.” This certainly didn’t go the way I was expecting it to. I guess I should be happy though, everything seemed to be working out.

“If I had known that all I needed to do to get Mr Andrews to work with me was to let you present an idea then I would’ve done it long ago.” My father released a laugh at that which seemed to calm my racing heart.

“I deserve a promotion then.” I jokingly challenged my father as I released a few nervous chuckles.

“You’re already inheriting the entire company so I think that’s reward enough.” That’s true I guess.

“Well I am going to be taking a long break after we move to our new headquarters and have everything set up there.”

“That’s okay I guess.” It was clear that my father was in a good mood right now. Maybe I should try to get him to agree to something else.

“What do you think of Michaela?” That was certainly something I didn’t expect him to ask right now. He caught me clear off guard right now.

“She’s cool I guess. Despite the start we had, I actually enjoyed her company at dinner.” That was the truth no matter how you looked at it. She is a strong-willed woman but she’s actually very accepting it seems. Despite her proud and slightly arrogant texture, she really took in and understood everyone’s viewpoint and didn’t try to impose it on anyone else. Other than that, she was extremely smart and witty and I enjoyed her slightly dark sense of humor.

“I’m glad you guys are getting along after what happened at the beginning of dinner.” I could see why my father would be relieved at that. If Michaela and I continued our disagreement then it could tank the deal between our fathers. I guess it was best for everyone that we could get along then.

“It was just a bit of a disagreement.”

“You destroyed her. If that’s just a disagreement then I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of your wrath.”

“I’ve seen you destroy your competitors as well so I wouldn’t want to go up against you too.” This was one of those rare moments between my father and I where we could speak honestly with each other without the fear of judgement. It was the perfect time for me to bring up my relationship with Stella.

“Dad, can you be honest with me for a moment?” He turned to me with an intrigued look on his face. I would’ve love to know what he thought this was about.

“You and mom both love Stella so why don’t you want me dating her? She is clearly good enough for me and she knows me like the back of her hand and the same goes for me.” I’ve never been this direct when it came to questioning any of my parents about Stella so I didn’t know what to expect his answer to be. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t afraid right now.

“Stella is a great person. She’s pure of heart and always tries to do what’s best for other people. You’re right, your mother and I both love her but it’s because of her purity that you guys won’t work out. If you inherit the company and you guys decide to be together then things are going to end badly between the two of you. In business, you have to be a shark. You have to be devoid of emotion and have to make decisions based on the information you have at hand and neglect your emotional attachment. That’s going to cause a rift between you guys and will ultimately end up destroying your relationship.” I understood what my father was saying but I didn’t want to accept it. Stella’s purity was one of the things I loved about her. Her untainted smile and angelic laugh always lifted any dark clouds that hovered around me. Her purity was the one thing that would save me from becoming a heartless tycoon.

“If you’re saying that I need to choose between Stella and the company then that’s an easy choice for me dad.”

“I’m saying that if you want to keep Stella happy then don’t get intimate with her.” Too late for that but I wasn’t going to change my relationship status with Stella despite that. I believed in her and I believed in our relationship. No matter what challenges we might face, Stella and I would do it together just like we planned. No one was going to stand in our way.

“You might not see it now son but you’ll realize that I’m right about this.” My father hadn’t lied to me once and I appreciated that. He might’ve kept information from me at times, just like he did tonight, but he was always truthful when we spoke. I admired that about him but I just couldn’t accept it this time. There had to be a way that Stella and I could be together that wouldn’t end up in heartbreaking failure like my father predicted.

“No one knows what the future may hold. I might be homeless in the future.” A stupid suggestion but I wanted to change the subject. I didn’t want to be talking about everything that might drive Stella and I apart one day.

“Or you might be the leader our family needs.” I knew that was just a suggestion as well but I could hear the seriousness in my father’s tone as he said it. It actually scared me. Lodge Industries was way more than just my father’s advertising sector. It was an international company right now that was solely controlled by my father, his brothers and their parents. Obviously my father or one of his brothers would ultimately take over their parent’s place if something should happen to them or if they step down. After my father or one of his brothers’ step down then it would be up to me or one of my cousins to take over. The thought of running a multimillion dollar company scared me. It was way bigger than just running an advertising company, that’s for sure.

“First you hand me the keys to your company and now you want me to take over the entire family empire? Dad, just how much have you had to drink tonight?” That evoked a smile out of him as he looked at his glass then took another sip.

“You’re capable of doing it though, don’t sell yourself short.” Suddenly the door opened once again. My mother appeared and immediately headed straight towards us.

“Guys, we have guests so whatever is happening out here will have to wait until tomorrow.” My mother instructed us as she hooked her right arm around her husband’s left one.

“We were just talking.” I tried defending us but I knew that it wouldn’t amount to anything. My mother’s word was final so it was futile to even think about challenging her.

“And drinking it seems. Get inside and go make friends before I ground you.” Like I said, my mother’s word was final.

“Yes ma’am.” My mother hated it when I called her ‘ma’am’ which is why I loved doing it. I couldn’t get one up on my mother but that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy teasing her a bit. They controlled almost every part of my life so it was my small way of rebelling I suppose. I made my way past my parents but handed my glass to my mother to hopefully show her that I wasn’t planning on drinking anymore tonight. I entered the house then immediately made my way up the stairs to my room. I didn’t know where Mr and Mrs Andrews children were but if any one of them were in my room then I’d have to entertain them I suppose. If not, that just gave me more free time to myself.

I reached my room and thankfully found it empty. The familiarly dull room was one of my few sanctuaries and I was glad that it was unoccupied right now. I emptied my pockets onto my chaotically ordered desk then made my way into my adjoining bathroom. All the rooms in the house were en suites except the one downstairs. That bathroom was next to the bedroom so that everyone could use it when they were downstairs. I closed the door behind me then switched on the shower so that I could wash me quickly before I did anything else. I undressed me down to my underwear and neatly put my clothes in the laundry basket in the corner of the room but stopped in front of the unnecessarily large mirror as I stared at one of my scars on my chest that I got courtesy of Stella. I found myself stupidly smiling at the painful memory but at least Stella and I shared equal blame for that scar.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you were in here.” Michaela suddenly announced. I was so lost in my memories that I didn’t even hear her open the door. The splattering of the steamy water from the shower didn’t help either. I turned my attention to Michaela in the mirror and saw that she had my slim towel wrapped around her probably nude form. The towel just barely covered the intimate parts of her body. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t slightly aroused by it.

“It’s okay.” I replied as I pushed myself away from the mirror and made my way to the small wooden cupboard next to the laundry basket. “If you continue standing there instead of dealing with your damp hair then you might get sick.” I saw that she stood unmoving by the door. She was so dumbstruck that she didn’t know if she should leave or continue with what she planned. I didn’t have time for her indecision though so I grabbed 2 towels out of the cupboard and made the decision for her.

“Here’s a towel for your hair. I’m going to take a shower so you can do your hair in front of the mirror.” I saw that she had a couple of bottles in her right hand and a comb in her left hand. I stepped into the steamed shower and threw my underwear out before I continued. The glass panels of the shower had an opaque section in the middle so she could only see my legs and chest if she had the urge to look at me while I showered me. I noticed that she had moved towards the mirror now and placed the bottles and comb on the smooth marble countertop beneath the mirror while she fetched the stool for her to sit on.

“What are you doing in my room by the way?” I decided to ask Michaela so that this didn’t turn into an uncomfortably awkward situation.

“My parents thought that it would be best if I slept in your room with you since we kind of got along at dinner rather than having an awkward situation with Naomi or Zendé.” That kind of made sense but weren’t her parents afraid that Michaela and I might get intimate with each other during the night? Hell, the situation we were in right now was one that I would try my best to make sure my child wasn’t apart of if I was a parent.

“Did we really get along though?”

“An enemy of my enemy is my friend.” I couldn’t help but smile at that reference. She really kept me on my toes with these quick quips but I enjoyed the mental challenge.

“Is our enemy your brother or our parents?” I shot back.

“Right now they’re dead even.” I turned my head and saw her smiling in the mirror as well. She was enjoying this as much as I was it seems.

“How could they be even? One side is an annoying prick and the other side is your brother.” I heard her involuntary chuckles at that and I had to stop myself from laughing aloud at that too.

“If it were up to those ‘annoying pricks’ then we’d be getting married right now.” I honestly wouldn’t put it past my father to suggest that. It would be one way to close the deal and solidify our partnership with the Andrews family. I don’t know about Michaela’s parents but my parents were certainly planning on picking someone for me to marry and I probably wouldn’t be able to have a say in the matter.

“I’m pretty sure that if our parents walked in right now then they’d be really confused about what was happening right now.”

“What’s so confusing about me doing my hair while you’re showering?” She had a point there. If you look at each of our actions individually then they shouldn’t have a problem with it.

“The confusing part would be two basically naked young adults who didn’t even know each other an hour ago in a bathroom together.”

“Okay, I see your point I guess.” At least we were agreeing with each other now. “Like you said, we’re basically naked so there’s no hiding from each other so let’s get to know each other then.”

“True. Our parents are going to be working together so it would be best if we got along with each other as well. What do you want to know?”

“What do you want to tell me?” Why did she constantly have to be this challenging? Couldn’t she just be direct and tell me what she wanted to know? It’s not that difficult. I know that I haven’t exactly been forthcoming so I could see why she didn’t think I would answer her properly but I thought my behavior was appropriate when it came to having a conversation with her.

“I was homeschooled all my life so I didn’t make a lot of friends growing up which basically means that I didn’t have an exciting childhood really. I don’t have any pets or siblings either. My hobbies are writing and basically just being lazy. I can’t cook to save my life but I can clean rather well even if I must say so myself.” That was a comprehensive answer right? If she wanted to know something else then she was going to have to ask.

“Your turn.”

“I went to a private school called Academy of Excellence. I wasn’t really popular but I had a few friends. Didn’t really go to parties but my friends and I hung out at the malls a lot. I don’t have any pets either and you met my siblings. I like doing wordy puzzles, reading and swimming. I can cook and clean as well but I prefer cooking. That way I can make as much of a mess as I want to and someone else would have to clean it up.” Pretty much what I expected from her if I was being honest although the swimming was a bit of a surprise. Her body looked fit and definitely in shape so I guess she wasn’t lying. She followed my lead and didn’t give any detailed information but there was still a whole lot of questions that I could ask her right now.

“I have a feeling that your brother ends up being the one to have to clean up your mess in the kitchen.”

“It’s his fault that he doesn’t want to learn how to cook so he’ll just have to do the cleaning.” That was one of the reasons I was glad that I didn’t have siblings and that Mrs Davenport was around. It just made life so much more simpler and everything flowed smoothly.

“I know this is asking a lot but is there any way you might have some hair grips?”

“First or second draw on your left.” Her face definitely showed a whole array of emotions and I didn’t even want to know what questions were circulating in her head right now.

“Do I even want to know why you have hair grips in your bathroom?” She asked me as I heard her opening the drawers.

“One of my only friends leaves some of her hair grips here.” It was Stella’s obviously. She basically lived here. She had her own draw in my room and some of her dresses and other articles of clothing were hanging in my cupboards right now as well. I had some of my clothes by her house as well, mostly hoodies and t-shirts that she ‘borrowed’.

“She’s clearly not just a friend if she leaves this many items here. I honestly didn’t expect you to have a girlfriend.” She closed the first draw so the items she was looking for were probably in the second one.

“Do I want to know why you thought so?” I was actually interested to know her answer to that. Did she not think that I was capable of having a relationship or that no one would be interested in me?

“You’re just… different. You were homeschooled and you said you didn’t have a lot of friends so I just assumed that you wouldn’t have a girlfriend as well.” The ‘different’ part kind of offended me a little but I couldn’t argue with the rest of her statement. She had a point.

“Like I said, she’s one of the only friends I have.” I finished washing me and relaxing under the massaging pressure of the showerhead so I switched it off and grabbed my towel.

“I assume by the ring box I saw in the top drawer that things are serious between you guys.” I forgot about that actually. That ring was a family heirloom that my grandmother passed down to my father who proposed to my mother with it. My parents then passed it down to me on my 18th birthday and I basically forgot about it but I was planning on moving in with Stella pretty soon and I would love to propose to her with that ring.

“Your assumptions seem to be a little off tonight. The ring is a family heirloom. My grandmother gave it to my father and he gave it to me on my 18th birthday.” I quickly explained while I wrapped my towel around my waist to cover the lower part of my body before exiting the shower.

“I assume you have a boyfriend as well.” I studied her face in the mirror to see if she was going to reply truthfully or not.

“Yes.” There was a little hesitation in her voice and a small twitch by her right cheek but that wasn’t enough to prove that she was lying so for the most part I believed her. Maybe she was in a relationship but unable to define it at the moment.

“I don’t think our partners would like the fact that we’d be sharing a bed tonight then.” That gave me more reason not to stay at home tonight.

“I’m sure they would understand.”

“I’d rather not put them in that position.”

“What are you going to do then? All the beds in the house are taken and I am not going to allow you to sleep on the floor when your bed is big enough for 3 people.” At least she was somewhat concerned about me. I really appreciated it.

“I’m going to go sneak out and spend the night by a friend.”

“How are you going to sneak out without our parents hearing?”

“I’ve been doing it for years, it’s no problem for me actually. If they do ask you where I went to then just tell them that I went to Stella’s. My parents will understand.”

“Okay. If they end up punishing you then don’t blame me.”

“I think I can handle it. Don’t mess up my room tonight.”