A blonde haired girl opens the door. The first thought that comes to my mind is she’s so pretty.

She has an annoyed expression, but her face suddenly brightens when she sees KY.

To my surprise, she jumps up and throws her arms around him.

He chuckles and puts his arms around her. He ruffles her hair, and I can see that she’s smiling affectionately.

She must be his sister. Because if not, oh God, I don’t want to be jealous.

Apart from the colour of their hair, they look alike; same nose and same mouth. KY’s eyes are much bluer than her sister’s.

I’m just standing here, watching them, when KY finally remembers that he’s not alone, and he brought me with him. He pulls away from his sister and smiles at me.

“Brielle, this is Stella, my sister,” he says, “Stella, this is Brielle, my friend.”

Friend.

I clear my throat. “Stella, as star?” I ask.

She rolls her eyes. “My mother has fascination with stars.”

I raise my eyebrow.

“Just call me Fiona,” she continues.

“Pretty name.”

She nods. “Suits me, right? I’m pretty.”

KY laughs; probably at the expression on my face. “Go ahead and lead the way to the party,” he tells his sister.

“Being conceited must run in the family,” I whisper to him.

He smirks. “Wait till you meet my dad.”

“Is he worse than you?” I ask amusedly.

KY is handsome, and Stella is beautiful. I wonder what their parents look like. I don’t want to be intimidated. I’m just simple and ordinary. I’m just in the cute category.

“What are you two whispering about?” Stella asks, turning back to us.

“Nothing,” I say quickly. “I’m just asking KY how old you are.”

“Liar,” KY murmurs.

I ignore him. I’ve told much worse lies than that.

“Sixteen,” Stella answers. Then she scowls at her brother. “I can’t believe you didn’t bring Nate with you!”

Nate?

“Wait, do you like him?” I ask incredulously.

“I’ve been in love with him the moment I laid my eyes on him,” she says proudly.

“How old were you then, ten?” KY asks dryly. “How many times do I have to tell you that he’s too old for you?”

Stella stops walking and stomps her foot dramatically (only a teen can maneuver that). “Age doesn’t matter!”

“Nate already has a girlfriend.”

“He does?” Stella and I say simultaneously.

“Girls,” KY mutters.

Stella keeps on bugging him about the issue, but I tune out.

I know Nate doesn’t have a girlfriend. I would have known. Maybe KY just wants his sister to move on so he made up a lie.

They are quite funny as they argue about the technicalities of love. I think Stella is only one of the few who can talk to his brother this way.

I look around the house and admire his parents’ exquisite taste in furniture and paintings.

Stella leads the way to the back of the house, looking like she just heard a bad news. I feel sorry for her. His brother can be so annoying.

My jaw almost drops to the ground when I see a lot of people gathered in their backyard.

“I thought it was just your family,” I hiss under my breath.

“This is my family,” KY states.

We continue to walk, and every now and then there are people stopping us to ask how KY is. He introduces me as his special friend. Yeah, right. As if they buy it.

We’ve been here for a couple of minutes already but we haven’t seen his parents yet.

“Mom,” KY says suddenly.

A woman turns around, and her face lighting up when she sees KY.

The woman wraps him in an embrace, and I can see there are tears in her eyes.

I look away because I feel like intruding in their private moment.

KY has that effect on people. It’s like magic.

A man goes to where we are and claps KY’s shoulder. “I’m glad you made it,” he says.

KY is the spitting image of his father; same dark hair and blue eyes. Now I have an idea what he will look like when he gets older.

“I won’t miss Mom’s birthday,” KY says.

The woman smiles genuinely at him and says, “Welcome home.”

“Kyle didn’t even ring the doorbell,” Stella complains. But I can see that beneath the irritation, she’s happy that her brother is here.

His parents finally remove their gaze from their son and look at me.

“Mom, Dad,” KY says, “This is Brielle. Brielle, this is my Mom, Sophia, and my Dad, Drake.”

His dad, even though he’s in his forties is still handsome. Is that even possible? They said beauty fades with time. Apparently, that didn’t apply to his parents, because even his mom still looks beautiful.

His mother is striking with her pale blue dress that compliments her eyes. Now I know where Stella got her charm.

Mrs. Swift is wearing a single piece of jewelry. It’s a necklace with green pearls that looks like a rosary because of the silver cross pendant.

 “Happy Birthday Ma’am,” I say as I give her my gift.

“Thank you,” she says, smiling at me. “You can call me Sophia.”

“And you can call me Dad.”

“Draky,” Mrs. Swift chastises her husband.

What did she call him again?

Mr. Swift grins. “What, Pie?”

I frown. How did he know that my gift is pie?

Mrs. Swift smiles and says, “Just ignore my husband. He likes teasing people.”

“Mom, guess what her gift for you is,” KY says amusedly.

Mrs. Swift peers inside the bag, and a second later, she’s laughing.

I glance at KY. “Did you change my gift for your mother?”

“Of course not,” he says.

“What is it?” Mr. Swift asks.

Mrs. Swift hands him the bag, and he takes the container from it. “A pie,” he says, grinning. “Does she know?” he asks his son.

“Know about what?” I ask, confused.

I feel like I’m missing a huge part of the conversation.

“She doesn’t,” KY says, his lips forming a smile.

Stella sighs. “When my parents were teenagers, they made names for each other. Dad calls my Mom, ‘Pie’.”

A smile automatically forms on my face. “That’s so sweet!”

Mrs. Swift smiles. “Thank you, Brielle,” she says. “And it’s so thoughtful of you to bake me a pie.”

“You’re welcome,” I say shyly. Now I understand why KY told me to make my specialty for his mom’s birthday.

More people arrive after, so Mr. and Mrs. Swift, the good hosts they are, tell us to eat first and we’ll catch up later. Of course that means time for questioning. They’re a bit reluctant to leave us, but KY assures them that we’ll stay and wait for them.

I’m kind of wondering if it’s the first time KY brought a girl with him to meet his family.

 “Are you hungry?” KY asks.

“No,” I answer.

“Thirsty?”

“Yes.”

“Wait for me,” he says. “I’ll be back.”

I’m about to tell him that I’ll gladly go with him, but he’s already walking.

There are quite a few people in the garden. I suddenly feel shy because I don’t know any of them. I’m an outsider.

I walk towards the pool and stand on its edge, away from the sight of the guests. I’ve never been a fan of social gatherings.

I get my phone from my bag to not appear alone and out of place. I also want to check up on the boys. I’m pretty sure they’re having a good time, but I need to make sure that Nate is okay.

“Are you Nate’s girlfriend?”

My heart leaps in my throat. Fortunately I’m holding my phone with both hands, because if not, it’s already drowning in the pool.

I can feel Stella’s scrutinizing eyes on me. “Don’t worry,” I say, “I’m just their band manager.”

She nods slowly. “I’m glad.” She breathes a sigh of relief. I feel bad for her; I want to tell him about Nate, but I’m afraid KY will be angry at me if I meddle with them. “What about my brother?”

I shake my head. I wish.

“That’s good.”

Her answer shocks me. “Why?”

“Because he already—“

“Talking about me?” KY asks, interrupting Stella.

“No,” she says quickly, shooting me a look.

KY gives me a glass of lemonade. “I told you to wait for me, but you wandered around.” And then he faces his sister. “Fionna—“

“You two enjoy the party,” she interrupts. “I need to do something. Catch you later!”

I frown as I watch her leave. I wonder what she’s going to say.

“What was that about?” KY asks curiously.

“I don’t know,” I respond. “You came before she said something interesting.”

“Come on,” KY says, ‘I’ll introduce you to my relatives.”

“What?” I ask incredulously. “No!”

“Why not?”

“I’m shy!”

He rolls his eyes. “They already saw your video with Nate.”

My eyes widen at what he said. “Are you serious?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?” He grabs my arm and drags me to a table beside the refreshment area.

“Kyle!” a woman exclaims, the surprise evident in her voice. “How are you?” she gets up from her chair and hugs KY. “I’m glad that you’re here! Have you seen your mom?”

KY grins. “She’s ecstatic.”

The woman realizes that KY isn’t alone. She turns her gaze to me and asks, “You brought your girlfriend?”

If only that’s true.

“Hi,” I say, “I’m Brielle, Infinite Chase’s band manager.”

“Aren’t you too young to be a manager?” she asks, confused. “I’m Driana by the way, Drake’s twin, and Sophia’s best friend.”

Right. Now I can see her similarities with Mr. Swift.

“I thought you’re Kyle’s girlfriend,” she continues.

KY shrugs. Isn’t he going to deny it? Or maybe he’s planning to make his relatives confused so that they won’t question him about his love life anymore. I elbow him on his side.

“What?” he whispers.

“I’m not your girlfriend,” I mutter.

“Let them wonder.”

“What are you two whispering about?” Driana asks, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Mom,” a young woman calls Driana from across the table. “I need your help with something.” It looks like she’s having a hard time holding the baby in her hands. “Hi Kyle, and his girl!”

KY smiles and waves at her.

Driana excuses herself and says she’ll find us later to ask us how we two met.

Did she think we’re dating? But I already told her that I’m just their band manager.

So, KY and I are alone again. I know I should celebrate, but I can’t even move freely with too many people staring at me.

“Who are these people?” I ask curiously. My gaze wanders around the place.

“My parents’ friends.”

“So your dad has a twin.”

“Yeah.”

“What about your mom?” I ask. “Doesn’t she have siblings?”

“He’s dead.”

“Sorry,” I murmur. I really know how to end a conversation.

“I didn’t even know him.” My expression must have been confused because he says, “He died when he was just ten, I think; a car accident.”

“I’m sorry,” I repeat. That’s tragic; he was so young.

“Erase that pitying look on your face.”

“I’m not—“

“How can you be sorry? You don’t even—“

“Don’t be such a jerk!”

His expression is priceless; I wish I can take a picture of him. But I’m so mad right now so I just decide to leave him with his mouth hanging open.

There are times when I can’t stand him. He can be so cruel, it’s not even funny.

I storm off, not knowing where to go, and probably not looking at where I’m walking either because I bump into someone.

“Sorry,” I say.

“Are you alright?” a voice asks.

I glance up and see a blonde young man with deep blue eyes. He’s tall and handsome, I find myself staring at him.

“Hello?” he says, waving his hand in front of me.

I snap out of my trance and give him a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s two for tonight,” he says, grinning.

“What?” I ask, confused.

“You said ‘sorry’ twice already.”

“Oh,” I murmur.

“What’s your name?” he asks. “Are you a distant relative of Aunt Sophia?”

I shake my head. “I’m Brielle, just a friend of KY,” I say. “No, I mean, Kyle.”

He nods slowly. “Aren’t I familiar?”

I study his face and try to remember if I’ve seen him before, but no memory resurfaces. Besides, you can’t just forget a handsome face like his.

“Should I know you?” I ask. Don’t tell me we already crossed paths before but I didn’t notice him.

“I’m a model!”

“For what?”

“Underwear.”

I gape at him, and when he laughs that’s when I only realize he’s kidding.

Did I mention that he has a sexy laugh?

“I’m still a college student,” he says. “And I’m Seth, by the way, Kyle’s cousin.”

“Nice meeting you, Seth,” I say, though I’m still a bit plastered with his joke.

“The pleasure is mine,” he says amusedly. “So what are you doing here alone?”

“I left KY.” I gasp when I realize I said something honestly. I’m tired of my lies. It feels good to say the truth for a change.

To my astonishment, he laughs. Can I record his laugh and assign it as my ringing tone?

“He’s moody, isn’t he?”

“That’s an understatement,” I say wryly.

Seth grins. “You’re sure you’re not his girlfriend?”

I frown at his question. “Of course I’m sure,” I say. “Why?”

“Because I know we’ll have fun together.”

******

The characters of The Bet are here! Kyaaah <3 Did you miss them?

I hope you liked this chapter! Don’t forget to leave a comment! :)

The song is Find Home by The Honey Trees.

Thank you for reading my story! =)