READ THIS FIRST!

I’m so happy and inspired with your comments, so keep them coming! ;) The more you comment, the faster I can finish the update.

To those who are asking about where they can buy The Bet, go to “My Works” and then add “All About The Bet” to your Library. The details are posted there.

The song is Inside of You by The Maine.

Thank you so much, and happy reading! =)

******

“How is your relationship with Kyle?”

I’m surprised with his question, I just gape at him.

“So?”

“I don’t have a relationship with him,” I say.

“But I saw the way you looked at him,” Seth says as he wiggles his eyebrows.

Did he? I need to lie. “Maybe you need to go to the optometrist to get your eye checked.”

He smirks.

“Besides you told me earlier that you didn’t know I was with KY,” I say suspiciously.

He laughs. “You’re good,” he says amusedly. “I was just really making sure that you’re not with him.”

I’m a really good actress then.

“Why are you so curious about it?” I ask.

“Kyle and I have the same taste in women.”

I raise my eyebrow. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

He shakes his head. “Are you that slow?”

I scowl at him.

“It means I like you.”

“You’re not funny,” I say dryly.

“I’m serious.”

“You don’t even know me.”

Seth shrugs. “I want to know you better.”

In spite of what he said, I chuckle. Seth is so easy to talk to, in just a few minutes of speaking with him, I already feel at ease like we’ve already been friends for a long time. I know how weird that sounded, but it’s true.

“Why are you laughing?” he asks.

“Because you’re funny.”

He cocks his eyebrow. “I thought I’m not funny?”

I smile. See? He’s really adorable. It’s like talking to Nate and Lance combined.

Stop it.

I don’t even know him. I can’t let his words affect me this much.

But we can be friends, right?

I process that in my head.

Yes, we can be friends, there’s nothing wrong with that.

“Are you hungry?”

“Yes,” I say.  The ride made me hungry; and I haven’t even eaten lunch yet. Actually, I’m starving. “How did you know?”

“I heard your stomach growling.”

“Really?” I ask, embarrassed.

“Wait for me here,” Seth says, standing up from his seat. “I’ll get us something to eat.”

“Wait—“

But he’s already walking.

Is it in KY’s family to leave their companions behind?

I want to choose the food that I’ll eat, but Seth beat me to it. I hope he’ll choose a variety of everything.

I don’t know where KY is. Apparently, I’m not important to him because he let me walked off. I’m trying to be the best that I can be, but he always snap at me, as if I’m a nuisance to him.

I sigh.

All I ever wanted was to have a good relationship with him. I thought now that we’re living in the same roof, we can be close. Unfortunately, he makes it too hard for me. I don’t want to get tired. I can’t just give up on him. I’ve liked him for a long time. Maybe he needs time to be comfortable around me.

It’s starting to get dark. To my surprise, Christmas lights suddenly appear around the yard. There are even lights dangling on where I am sitting, on a stone bench in the garden. It connects to the party via a mini bridge. On the side, there’s a little fountain that flows water through a pond. I have to say that it’s a good landscape. I’m impressed.

And now I finally get it.

The guys told me that KY was the one who put the lights in their studio room, and he was influenced by his parents.

I check my phone, but it’s just Naomi, asking me for updates about this trip. I can’t even tell her something juicy because KY and I fought. On the other hand, there’s Seth. . .

Speaking of, he’s back, holding two plates full of food.

“Here ya go,” he says, setting the plates on the table in front of us. “I got you everything.”

“Thank you,” I say in delight, my mouth is already watering.

There are shrimps, crabs, chicken sticks, pork barbecue, and—

I don’t care what they’re called. I’m going to eat everything.

I thought we’ll eat in silence, but Seth, I notice, likes talking. He tells me more about himself, not that I’m complaining. I can multitask; eat and listen at the same time.

He’s in his third year in college, and he’s taking up Graphic design. He lives in a dorm next to his university. He says he needs to go back after the party because he has to finish a paper.

I ask him if he’s musically inclined, and he replies that he’s not. He has two sisters who are though; one is a composer, while the other is in a choir. He’s the youngest in their family. His eldest sister came, but she had to go quickly because of her baby.

I want to ask him if he’s close to KY, but I don’t want to give him the idea that I’m interested in his cousin, so I decide to inquire the next time I see him. Yes, I’m looking forward to our next meeting even though the night is still young and I’m still with him.

I tell him little about me, because as much as possible, I don’t want to lie to him.

“I’ll get our desserts,” Seth says, and he comes back carrying a plate with marshmallows dipped in chocolate, cupcakes, cake, and cookies. He also gives me a coke in can.

I finished everything.

After, I can barely move, and so does he.

“I’m full,” I murmur.

Seth pats his stomach. “There’s still space here.”

I roll my eyes. “Yeah, right.”

Suddenly, Seth stops and just stares behind me.

I turn around and see KY.

“My mother wants to see you,” he says without preamble.

“What?” I ask incredulously. “Why?”

“Because she wants to meet you properly,” he says impatiently.

I look at Seth apologetically.

“Don’t worry,” he says, “we can catch up later.” He turns to KY and says, “Long time no see!”

KY gives him a tight smile.

There’s an unexplained tension emanating from the both of them. I’m about to ask them if there’s something wrong when KY grabs my arm.

I stand up with shaky feet. His hold on me is too tight; he’s cutting off the circulation of my blood.

“Let me go,” I say.

“Didn’t you hear her?” Seth says, standing up as well. “Let her go.”

“This is not your business,” KY snaps.

“But you’re hurting her!”

KY loosens his hold on my arm and drags me away.

I don’t want to make a scene so I follow a few steps behind him. He’s really rude. I didn’t even get to say goodbye to Seth.

I glance back and find Seth with an unreadable expression on his face. When he catches me looking at him, he gives me a small smile.

Are the two of them fighting or something?

KY stops walking in a less crowded part of the yard and faces me. There’s something about his posture and the look in his eyes that makes me flinch.

“Don’t forget that I brought you with me so that I could introduce you to my parents,” he says through gritted teeth, “and not just to flirt with my cousin.”

I control myself before I slap him. I don’t know why he likes accusing me of flirting; first with the delivery guy, then Nate, and now his cousin. I ball my hands into tight fists. I’ve never been quarrelsome before but his words cut me like a knife. He’s so judgemental; he doesn’t even know the reasons behind my actions.

I thought this trip will bring me closer to KY.

It didn’t.

I’m just back on square one.

KY pushes his hair away from his face and then proceeds to rub his eyes with his hands. He looks tired.

My room is close to his, and I know that there were nights when he walked around the house. I heard him.

Now I finally notice the dark circles under his eyes.

And then and there, I forgive his stupid outburst.

KY sighs. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

I check, and find red blotches on my arm. “It’s alright,” I say.

“Can we continue?”

I nod.

The backyard is almost empty. Most of the visitors have gone home.

I’m surprise when KY leads the way back inside their house. He opens a door beside the foyer and I find out when we enter that it’s the family room.

The first things I notice are the portraits hanging on the walls. I’m starting to walk towards them when a voice says, “Come and take a sit please.” It’s Mrs. Swift. “I’m sorry it took a while.” She smiles apologetically.

“Have you eaten?” Mr. Swift asks. He’s sitting beside his wife.

I didn’t notice them when I come in because I’m fixated with the portraits.

“Yes,” I say, though I was not with KY when I ate. I wonder what he did when I left him.

KY and I sit across from his parents. Stella is on the far corner of the room busy tapping on her phone.

“Who are you texting?” KY inquires.

Stella looks serious; her brows are furrowed, and she’s in deep concentration. It’s as if she’s arguing with her phone.

“I’m not texting,” she says. “I’m playing a game.” She flips her phone so that we can see it. On the screen there are pipes. It says Game Over, and below it there’s a box. Inside it is a bronze medal, and the words: best score is 13.

I raise my eyebrow.

“Don’t download it,” she warns.

“Why not?” KY asks.

“It’s frustrating!”

I’ve never been fond of playing—

The door bursts open and a man walks inside the room, followed by Driana.

“Did you start the interrogation?” he asks.

Mr. Swift smiles and says, “Not yet, you’re right on time.”

The man looks like Seth, an old version of him. He has blonde hair with gray at the tips, and while Seth has blue eyes (which I realized he got from his mom) this man has green instead. He must be his father, and I’m pretty sure that Driana is his mother.

The man walks to where I am, and to my astonishment, he gives me a bear hug. My eyes widen in surprise while my mouth drops open.

I can hear Mr. Swift’s laughter followed by his son. Mrs. Swift scowls at them, but she’s smiling.

“Andre, let her go,” she says. “You scared her.”

“Don’t just hug people you haven’t been introduced to,” says Mr. Swift.

The man, Andre, pulls away. He has a huge grin on his face. “I’m Andre,” he says. “And you are Brielle, I heard. Seth told me you two met earlier.”

I nod. I still can’t find my voice.

“That hug was from him,” he continues. “He told me that he can’t say goodbye to you because he need to go back to his uni. He said he’ll see you soon though. Just passing my son’s message.”

I blink. Seth wanted to give me a hug but he couldn’t so he told his father to hug me instead? That’s sweet.

“How are you, young man?” Andre asks, and envelops KY in a bear hug just like what he did with me.

I can see that Andre is an easy going man. Maybe Seth got that from him, that comfortable vibe.

They have a small talk, and then Andre focuses back on me.

“How old are you?” he asks as he studies my face.

“It’s inappropriate to ask a lady her age,” Driana reprimands. Then she turns to me and says, “You look too young to be a band manager. I already said that before, didn’t I?”

I nod and smile. “I’m twenty two,” I lie. “I took up Public Relations, and I graduated this year.”

“I take it this is your first job?” Mrs. Swift asks.

“Yes,” I answer.

After, they ask questions about my family; the basic things. What my parents do for a living, how many siblings I have, and my hobbies and interests.

Like Andre mentioned before, it’s an interrogation.

KY should have prepared me for this.

When they inquire about KY and me, I elbow and KY and whisper it’s his time to talk. He’s been listening to my stories about my family earlier, and he’s silent. Now the spotlight’s on him. Besides, it’s his story. I don’t want to meddle with what he wants his family to believe. I already have my share of lies.

As they catch up with KY, Stella sits on the other side of me, and starts asking about Nate.

I should have known.

“Does he really have a girlfriend?” she asks in a quiet voice.

I bite my lip.

I know perfectly well that KY will be furious at me for getting into his business, but I’m still a little bit pissed at what he did earlier. This is payback.

“No, he’s single.”

Stella gasps. Her eyes are round as saucers. She grips my arm, like she can’t contain her excitement.

“Don’t tell your brother I told you,” I hiss.

She nods, still grinning.

Mr. Swift puts me as the main topic again.

I’m not comfortable answering their questions and I’m afraid I might slip up and they will call on my pretentions.

This night I realize that because of my lies, it’s harder to talk to people. It’s as if I’m carrying a heavy burden on my shoulders. Now I become paranoid; scared of getting caught. This is a huge problem than I thought. I didn’t realize that more people will get to know my lies. I feel guilty for deceiving KY’s family. Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do, but just to finish what I started.

I need to turn the spotlight on KY’s parents so they will not notice me dodging their questions.

“How did you meet Mr. Swift?” I ask KY’s mom.

Mr. Swift leans over and pats my head. “Just call me dad,” he says. “Soon you’ll be an official part of our family.”

I glance at KY. He has an unreadable expression on his face. Did he talk to his parents behind my back and told them we’re dating?

I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

I want that to happen, but real, and not pretend.

“Okay,” I say, forcing a smile on my lips. “Can I hear the story?” I probe. The more they talk the better.

“Well. . .” Mrs. Swift hesitates.

“Go ahead Sophia,” Andre says. “If you will not tell her, I will. You know how much I enjoy telling your love story with Drake. Do you want me to sing your theme song?”

Driana elbows her husband, but there’s a smile on her face.

“Here we go again,” Stella mutters.

The way she said it makes me feel like she heard the story before.

Mrs. Swift clears her throat and begins, “It all started with a bet. . .”