Tuesday afternoon

Unlike my best friend, I am a student who generally enjoys school.

Today, however, I cannot wait for classes to finish - not that we would learn much of importance during our final week anyway.

For the first time in my High School career, I even have my bag packed before the end of the final period. And the very moment I can hear the school bell start ringing, I jump up from my seat and sprint out of the classroom.

As I am just closing my locker, Skylor finally manages to catch up with me.

"Have fun." She smirks, opening her own locker, which is right next to mine.

"Oh, I will." I reply, trying to sound more confident than I actually am. I am starting to feel a bit nervous now. What has my boyfriend planned for us for this afternoon?

As I walk out the school building, I already spot Jay waiting for me at the gate. Casually leaning against the wall, he'd be hard to miss. Today is a sunny day, and he is wearing a pair of navy shorts and a light blue polo shirt. His sunglasses are pushed up into his auburn hair, glistening in the early afternoon sun.

I accelerate my steps, waving at him. He waves back, flashing me his usual bright smile.

When I reach him, he places his hands on my waist and pulls me towards him.

"You look lovely." He whispers, before he connects our lips in a soft kiss. I am dressed in a knee-length black summer skirt and a simple red top.

"Thanks, you look great too." I say when we break apart. "Ugh, people are staring at us..."

"You wanna give them something to stare at?" He winks at me. Before I can object, he pulls me into another – and this time deeper and longer – kiss. My eyes are closed but I am sure that, if they weren't before, everyone's definitely looking at us now.

Our hands entwined, we walk to his car, which is parked just around the corner, the roof open. As soon as I get in, I take the lightning bolt cap from the glove department and place it on my head.

"Works perfectly with every outfit." Jay remarks as he starts the engine.

Speaking of my outfit... "So, where are you taking me?" I enquire, noticing that we are heading out of Ignacia. Maybe we are going to Ninjago City?

I am kinda worried that Jason Gordon's choice of a clothing store or even a fancy boutique may be more than just slightly above my budget. I really don't want to spend all of my hard-earned money on a dress, but I am definitely not going to let my boyfriend pay for it, even if he could easily afford it.

"You'll see." He replies coolly. But he must have noticed my anxiety, for he places one hand on mine, which are folded on my lap, and gives me a reassuring smile. "I am sure you will like it."

After driving through a rather posh residential area, Jay turns into a massive driveway and parks the car in a car park just below a luxurious villa. This does not look like a shopping centre at all.

"Welcome to my humble abode." He tells me.

"Your...?" I gasp. I was not expecting that. And I wasn't even remotely prepared for it.

"Well, technically it belongs to my dad." He explains. "But that wouldn't sound as good, would it?"

Despite my nervousness, I can't help but laugh at his remark. "How come you always find a way to me laugh?"

"Because I like seeing you happy." He says. "And if you want something bad enough, you'll find a way to make it happen."

"You're so cheesy sometimes." I say, trying to sound serious (and failing miserably at it). "But it always works." I add with a smile.

We get out the car and walk up a little cobblestone path. Standing in front of it, the house looks even more impressive than from down below.

Jay enters a code into a pin pad before he unlocks the door and holds it open for me to enter. "After you, Miss Smith." He bows.

"Thank you, Mr Gordon." I step inside and curiously look around.

Right in front of me, a white marble staircase leads up to the first floor. On either side of it, doors lead to rooms on the ground floor.

And through one of those doors on our left, an elderly, friendly looking woman with brown hair in a slightly messy bun comes rushing into the main hall.

"Ed, the boy is home." She shouts, wiping her hands on her apron. "And he has brought Nya."

"Coming, my sugarplum." A male voice calls back from somewhere in the house. And soon, a grey-haired man in an oil-stained overall appears through one of the other doors.

These two must be the housekeeper couple Jay has told me about.

"H-hey, Jay." Mr Walker (as I assume) greets my boyfriend. "Good afternoon, Miss Nya."

"Hey, Ed." Jay smiles at him. He then gives the woman a quick hug. "Hello Edna."

"Nya, these are Edna and Ed Walker, they take good care of our house – and they have always taken very good care of me." He confirms my assumption. "And this beautiful, smart young lady," Jay puts his arm around my waist, pulling me closer, "is Antonia Smith, my girlfriend."

"It is very nice to meet you, Mrs Walker." I say politely. "And Mr Walker."

"Oh, please call us Ed and Edna, Nya. We may call you Nya, right?" I nod. "We are sooo happy to meet you, aren't we Ed?"

Ed Walker nods in agreement. "We are indeed, sweetheart."

"We have heard so much about you." His wife continues. "Awww, you're even prettier than those pictures that Jay has shown us."

As she keeps talking, I can feel my cheeks heating up. My face must be the deepest shade of red ever and I seriously doubt that I look pretty at all right now.

"The pleasure is all mine, Edna." I finally get to say. "Jay has spoken very fondly of you."

"Awww, has he?" Edna squeals. "That's my little boy. Let me tell you this, Nya. He is a keeper, just like my dear Ed."

When I look at my boyfriend, I notice that the colour on Jay's face now matches mine.

"Jay, your father has called. The interviews should finish early today and he is going to be home in time for dinner, so I've only prepared a snack in the kitchen for you for lunch." The housekeeper informs us. "I hope this is fine with you. I didn't want to spoil your appetite for dinner, but you kids are still growing and need to have your regular meals. And especially your vitamins."

"Thanks, Edna. That's perfect." We reassure her.

"I am sorry I didn't tell you earlier where we were going." Jay apologises as we are sitting opposite each other at the high kitchen counter, enjoying some freshly prepared sandwiches and a bowl of homemade pumpkin and ginger soup. "I was worried you wouldn't come if I did."

"Yeah, you're probably right." I agree. "Mmh, this soup is amazing."

"Edna will be ecstatic to hear that, she really wanted to meet you."

"They are lovely." I state, taking a bit from my cucumber sandwich.

"The Walkers or the sandwiches?"

"Both." I laugh. "But that still doesn't solve the problem with my prom dress."

"Oh, I think it does." He smirks.

"Now you're being secretive again." I whine.

"You don't like surprises, do you?"

"Not too much." I admit. "I am not the most patient person, I guess." A trait I share with my brother.

"I assure you, you don't have to wait for too much longer."

After we have finished our lunch with a cup of Edna's amazing coffee respectively hot chocolate, Jay takes my hand and leads me up the stairs. On the first floor, we turn right, and follow a long corridor with several doors on either side, not too dissimilar to a smaller hotel. Who needs that many rooms for just two people? I ask myself.

"Guest rooms, we don't really use them that much." Jay explains, he must have guessed my thoughts. He points to the door at the very end of the corridor. "That one is my dad's bedroom. This one is my room." He refers to a blue door we have just passed by, before we stop in front on yet another door. "And this here was my mother's dressing room." He informs me, pushing down the handle. "My dad insisted on keeping it exactly the way if was when... you know..." A sombre expression appears on his usually cheerful face. "I don't even remember her, I was still too young when it happened." He sighs. "Is it bad of me that Edna feels more of a mum to me than my actual mother?"

I swallow hard hearing his words. Although Kai and I have lost even both of our parents, we still have our memories of them – and we have each other.

From what Jay has told me, he and his father haven't had the best relationship until very recently. While Cliff Gordon seems to very much love his son (and vice versa), the busy actor just hasn't always been there for him.

I take my boyfriend's hands into mine and look into his deep blue eyes. "I think your mother would be very happy to know that you've had wonderful, loving people who took care of you for her." I try to comfort him.

"Thanks, Nya." He gives me a little smile. "Now, you are the one who makes me feel better."

"I like seeing you happy too, you know?" I smile back.

"I will try my best then." He grins. "Anyway, there's a whole wardrobe full of designer evening dresses." He tells me. "Why waste your hard-earned money on something you don't like and you're not gonna use much?"

"And what about your father, is he okay with this?"

"Legally, everything that my mother owned now belongs to me. But I have still checked with my dad, of course. He was a bit surprised about my request, but he said it's fine." He reassures me. "Those dresses weren't made to be just kept in a wardrobe forever, without anyone wearing or even looking at them. There are a few pieces he still wants to keep, but you probably wouldn't pick a wedding dress for your graduation anyway. Although that could be very interesting..."

I vigorously shake my head. I have no intention of wearing that kind of dress anytime in the near future. But I am definitely interested in having a look at the other dresses in that wardrobe.

As we work our way through this huge selection of fancy eveningwear pieces, I can't help but wonder if he has done the same for any previous girlfriend.

"Do you like blue?" Jay's voice suddenly snaps me out of my thoughts.

"It's my favourite colour." I reply.

"What about this one, then?"

My jaw drops when I look at the stunning dress he is holding up.

I don't like dresses, but I love this one. And this is exactly what I answer.

It is a long, strapless dress entirely made from light blue silk. The strapless silk bodice has straight crystal embellished neckline. The slim A-line skirt is made from layered semi-sheer silk of the same colour, it appears to be flowing like waves in the ocean.

Jay leaves the room so I can try it on, through the closed door I can hear him walk away, along the corridor. I don't want to ask for help, so I struggle a little bit to close the zipper but eventually manage.

The dress feels as amazing as it looks. The cool silk is surprisingly soft on my skin and, despite the number of layers, the skirt is very light and flowing around my legs.

But to my disappointment, it doesn't fit me very well.

"Jay?" I call, hearing footsteps approach the door again.

"Yes. Can we come in?" Jay asks back and when I confirm, he and Edna Walker enter the dressing room.

"Awww, how beautiful." Edna coos, before I get to say anything. "I still remember when the late Mrs Gordon – well, at that time she wasn't Mrs Gordon just yet – wore this one. She was sparkling like the brightest star in the sky."

And apparently, she was taller and bustier than me – not much of a surprise, considering she was a famous top model.

"The dress is a bit too long for me." I can't hide the disappointment in my voice. "And too wide up here. Thanks for the idea, but I don't think any of these dresses will fit me."

"And that's exactly where I come in." Edna takes box of pins from the pocket on her apron. "If you like the dress, then we are going to make it fit."

"Are you sure about that?" I give my boyfriend a questioning look. "I mean, are you really fine with altering your mother's dress?"

"This dress has spent over 17 years just hanging around in the closet." Jay reassures me. Wow, that means that I am the first girlfriend of his who gets to wear one of these outfits.

"And I am sure my mother would also approve of this." He adds.

"Oh, absolutely." Edna confirms. "If only she could see the two of you, she would be so proud of the young man her little boy has become. As am I."

"O-okay then." I agree. "Thank you."

"Do you have any shoes to go with it?" Mrs Walker asks.

"These are the matching one, but they might also be too big." Jay hands me a pair of silver low heel sandals. Guessing from the old photos hanging around the house, Mrs Gordon was slightly taller than her husband, so she would generally wear rather flat shoes.

"No, they are perfect." I tell them. "And very comfortable."

Jay looks down at my rather big feet. "It's no surprise then that you are such a great swimmer." He jokes.

After Edna has finished measuring and marking the positions for the alterations, she helps me take off the dress without losing any needles. And it saves me another fight with the zipper.

As I slip back into my regular clothes, she carefully folds the dress to carry it downstairs. "I will get started straight away, it will be ready by Thursday." She promises.

"Thank you, Edna." I smile.

"Oh, you don't have to thank me, I am happy to help." She smiles back. "Jason is like a son to me, and you two make such an adorable couple."

She opens the door and steps outside. "All clear." She tells Jay who is waiting outside the room.

He walks over to me, his blue eyes lock with mine. "You should wear blue more often." He says. "The colour really suits you."

Before I can respond, he presses his lips onto mine. But when he tries to deepen the kiss, I refuse and pull away.

"Sorry." I mumble. "It's just... this was your mother's room and..." well, I just wouldn't be comfortable making out in here.

"Yeah, I get that." Jay sheepishly rubs his neck. "I usually avoid coming in here myself. And you are only the second person I have ever shown this room. When we were younger, Cole and I used to play hide-and-seek all over the house. And that was probably the last time that I looked inside this wardrobe before today." He smirks. "But now that we've got the dress problem sorted, what about I show you my favourite room of the house?"

I nod. Jay leads me back downstairs to the main hall and opens one of the doors.

I am expecting some kind of high tech game room behind it, but to my surprise the door only hide a small spiral staircase leading down to the basement.

While it is a lot simpler than the upper floors, this is the cleanest and tidiest basement I have ever seen. I can see some well-organised storage compartments on both sides. "There is also a temperature controlled wine cellar that can be accessed directly from the kitchen." Jay informs me. "And this here is the workshop." He opens a wooden door.

We enter a spacious but plain room. Most of the space is taken up by a huge workbench. All four walls of the room are covered with shelves, packed with tools and, what I assume are, Jay's creations.

"This 'car' was one of the first things I've made." Jay says, seeing me scrutinise a blue painted wooden block with four wheels drawn on the sides. "I was about five when Ed showed me how to use a saw. We cut a wooden bar into pieces and I decided to turn them into these vehicles. There's a bus somewhere as well." He points at a longer, yellow painted block with wheels and windows on the side.

"But this one here is my latest project." Jay announces proudly. "It was for one of our classes at university."

A square wooden board with a couple of wires and switches is sitting on the workbench. I raise an eyebrow. "It looks like an ordinary electric circuit to be." I can't see anything special about it. To be honest, the bus was more interesting than this.

"Yes and no." Jay laughs at my expression. "It is a simple electric circuit, but it is not just an ordinary circuit. Before coming up with this, I have spent weeks trying many different conducting materials and ways to combine and connect them before I came up with this solution. If you measure the input and output, there is hardly any loss of energy. Although I've only used reasonably cheap standard materials, the efficiency is almost as good as that of the supra conductors currently in use."

Okay, now I am impressed.

"I want to keep working on this project in the next term." Jay continues. "There is still a lot of room for improvement in the way I've merged the metals I think."

I take a closer look at the wires and I have to agree. I am not a blacksmith's daughter and sister for nothing. "You should talk to my brother about that." I suggest. "He might be able to help you."

"That's a great idea. Thanks Nya." He beams at me. "I hope we can work together when you start college in autumn."

That sounds like a wonderful idea.

Just at that moment, a knock on the closed door interrupts our conversation.

"Jason?" Cliff Gordon's voice calls. "Edna said that you might be down here. And that you have a guest."

"We are in here, dad." Jay shouts back. "Please come in."

His father slowly opens the door. "I am very sorry to interrupt you, but dinner will be served in a few minutes..."

"It's fine, dad." Jay tells him. "We were just discussing my project from college."

"Oh, okay." As he visibly relaxes, I blush. What was he thinking we were doing down here?

These past few days have been very interesting, to say the least.

After getting caught making out by my brother and getting interrupted almost making out by Lloyd, now my boyfriend's movie star father has caught us not making out.

I am seriously wondering what is going to happen next.

——-

Phew, longest chapter of this book so far.

And we're almost there, only two more chapters to come. I'll be both excited and sad to finish this book.

Already working on an idea for a new Jaya story 😊!