I'm so sorry for the late update 😔😔 but I'm really happy with this chapter and I know Cynthia and Michael shippers are absolutely going to love it.

Get ready for something spicy 😋😉.

Happy reading!!!

***

Chapter Forty Three

MICHAEL

Everyone is anxious.

It's been more than an hour since we discovered Cynthia has gone missing and she is still nowhere to be found. I was too busy trying to get out of the situation with the woman that I wasn't watching her like I was before. Maybe if I had my eyes on her, I could have gotten an idea of where she went to.

"Grace, are you sure you don't know where she went to?" The teacher asks a very distressed looking Grace who shakes her head in response for the twentieth time in the last thirty minutes.

"Where could she have gone to?" Grace asks herself, her voice breaking like she is about to cry. She dials her number for the umpteenth time and it rings again until it stops.

"You said you saw her leaving with a girl, right?" The teacher asks a boy who nods his head.

"I did too." A girl adds.

"And the other girl is still not here?" She asks the girl who glances around again to confirm what she had already told the teacher previously.

"She's not." The girl replies.

What the hell is happening?

"Do you think she has been kidnapped?" Femi suddenly asks and every head around him turns to his direction.

Grace who is standing next him hits him on his shoulder, a glare on her face, "Don't joke with something like that." She tells him sternly.

"I'm not joking. She might have excused herself because she wanted to pee and might have gotten kidnapped on the way. This place is in the outskirts of town, you know?" He explains, putting more anxiety in the already anxious Grace.

"Guy, just stop it." Wole tells him with a no nonsense look.

"I'm just saying." Femi replies with a remorseful tone.

"Let's really hope it isn't that." The teacher adds with a final tone and everyone is suddenly quiet again.

John is sitting on a chair, considerably calm but I can see him dialling a number once in a while.

Peter, on the other hand, has no expression whatsoever on his face. I swear to God, they can be committing murder next to him and he will still be indifferent.

The only other people that look unbothered by the whole situation are Dorcas and her friends, although I noticed a kind of unsettled look on Dorcas face but that seems to get cleared as soon as one of her friends says something to her.

There's definitely something going on with them and I can't help suspecting that she knows something about Cynthia going missing.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I approach her and she immediately puts on a smile that only unnerves me.

How can she smile in this situation? Like how?

"Where is Cynthia?" I ask without any preamble, causing the few heads beside us to glance our way.

A look flashes across her face but it's gone within a blink of my eye.

"Why are you asking her that?"

The cat girl asks, going all defensive with a killer stare.

"Why are you getting all worked up? I was asking Dorcas, not you." I dismiss her, turning back to Dorcas.

"She's right though." Dorcas replies, looking a bit offended. "Why are you asking me that?"

"I don't know. Maybe because you look like you have done something bad and you are trying hard from stopping anyone from finding out."

She scoffs and then chuckles like I just uttered the most ridiculous thing she has ever heard.

Her laughter makes my stomach twists into knots and it's not because I'm irritated by it but rather because I'm starting to feel like I might be right and they had indeed done something to her.

"I swear to God, Dorcas, if you had done something to her, I-

"Still nothing?!"

The high pitched voice of the teacher cuts through my words as her own nervousness surfaces in her words, making her tone a bit higher.

It looks as if the strand of hope she has been holding on to has been cut when part of the students and the people in the neighbourhood who went searching for Cynthia came back to tell her that their little search has proved abortive.

"We have searched everywhere. Even the outskirts of the woods. Any deeper into the woods, I fear will be too dangerous." The leader of those who went on the search reports back to our teacher.

"And the other girl too?" She asks, referring to the girl that was said to have been leaving with her.

"We didn't see any of them." The leader responses and our teacher lets out a huge sigh.

Grace seems to be on the verge of tears as Femi pulls her closer and tries to calm her down.

I'm barely holding myself together also.

Because if something happens to her...

I can't even bring myself to complete that train of thought.

Peter suddenly stands from where he is sitting and walks up to the teacher. He speaks something to her and she nods her agreement before he walks away.

I watch him walk out of the tent and into the open before his back slowly recedes out of sight and then I turn forward, realizing that Dorcas and her friends are still in front of me.

I walk away from them, not interested in talking to them anymore.

The teacher has since been wary of any of the students leaving her sight since two of the students that were here has gone missing so I know asking her to let me search for Cynthia would prove abortive.

I look up to the sky and pray to God for the first time in a while.

'Please let Cynthia be okay wherever she is and let her come back safe.'

***

CYNTHIA

I hear the rustling of the bushes from a distance and I'm instantly woken by fear. I open my eyes to see that it is in fact the grasses near me that is shaking and I start to struggle widely against the ropes that I'm tied with.

God, please I'm too young to die.

My heart races wildly across my chest as I try to untie the rope. The fear of getting mauled by a wild animal paramount.

A rabbit hops out of the bush all of a sudden, causing me to shriek against the gag in my mouth before realising that it's just a rabbit. I watch it hop off before sighing with little relief. At least it isn't a wild animal but I will be lying if I said my heart is returning to its normal rhythm.

Fear and anxiousness makes it hard for me to fall asleep but whatever drug Dorcas and her friend used on me must be so strong because even the adrenaline that is still racing through me is unable to stop me from feeling drowsy.

In the end, I fall asleep again.

I wake with a start to the sound of my favorite Korean band music before realising it's my phone ringing and vibrating in my pocket.

My hands are tied with my whole body to the tree so it's hard to reach for it. I try to no avail to move my hand but it doesn't budge and I sigh resignedly when the phone stops ringing.

I look at the sky and wonder how long I've been stuck in the woods. I must have been here for more than an hour because it looks like we are already in the afternoon.

I'm no longer feeling drowsy from whatever drug Chika used to make me unconscious but as I sit alone in the forest, the constant chirping of birds starts to irk me.

I still feel like the energy in me has been drained and thanks to the handkerchief that is used to cover my mouth, I can't even call for help.

My phone starts to ring again and I struggle to move my hand towards it, then I realize there's no way I can even talk to whoever it is if I end up answering so I just stop struggling.

The phone continues to ring and I pray that someone from school will walk into the forest to look for me and probably hear it ring.

It's now my only hope as that's the only way it seems like I might be rescued.

The phone stops ringing and the feeling of helplessness washes over me again.

The fact that I might really get stuck here till night and get eaten by wild animals begin to weigh in on me and I feel tears start to pool in my eyes.

How can they be so cruel to a fellow human like them? What did I ever do wrong to Dorcas? She had hated me from the very beginning. She hated me from JS2, bullied me along with her friends and spread the rumours that I was an orphan.

And years later, even after learning to defend myself so I can get out of feeling inferior to her, nothing has changed.

I'm still the one at the receiving end of their cruel acts and games.

Tears roll down my eyes at that memory and I can't help feeling sorry for myself.

If I end up dying this way, all my life would have been for nothing.

I will never get to find my soulmate, never get to date or to get married. I've never even had my first kiss.

I really can't die like this.

Someone help!

It's a silent cry and for a fleeting moment, I think I hear footsteps in the distance. The shock stops my tears and I instantly begin to feel hopeful but the sound is gone not too long after.

My phone starts to ring again at that moment and I pray that if it was indeed someone's footsteps that I heard, I hope the person hears my phone ringing and comes to me.

But only the sound of the phone ringing echoes throughout the forest and I start to lose hope again.

I close my eyes, tears flooding down my cheek and open my eyes, only to see the hazy figure of someone. I blink to remove the tears from my eyes but it only makes the person a bit clearer.

Am I seeing things?

The phone stops ringing then and I begin to hear the footsteps of the person as it gets nearer.

I breathe out with relief and quickly give thanks to God when I see Peter jogging towards me.

"Cynthia!" He calls in surprise as he realises it's me and without saying anything else, he wipes my tears with the sleeve of his shirt and removes the handkerchief that is used to gag my mouth, then he begins to untie the rope.

When he is done, I sag against the tree in relief, watching him as he also sits in front of me and gives me a look that is the mixture of relief and worry.

"Everyone is worried sick about you. How did you even end up in the woods?"

"Do you have water?" I ask with a raspy voice

"No, I don't." He replies regretfully.

"It's okay. How did you find me?" I ask weakly.

"I was going to ease myself when I heard a faint sound of a phone ringing. We are all already anxious back at the neighbourhood because you suddenly went missing so I decided to follow the sound in case it belongs to you."

"I'm glad. God bless whoever it is that kept calling me."

"I bet it's Grace." He responds and I smile faintly. I bring out my phone to check who called and I see missed calls from Grace and John. Grace even sent some messages and she sounds worried.

"I think we should start going so others will stop worrying but you look really weak. Can you stand?" He asks and I shake my head.

"My leg feels numb."

"That's probably because it's been in the same position for long." He sighs then gives me a sheepish look.

"Do you mind me giving you a massage? It'll help in reducing the numbness."

"I don't mind." I reply and he nods. He looks a bit hesitant and I don't blame him as my legs are exposed from my ankle to just above my knees.

I laugh weakly at his awkwardness.

"I never thought I'll see the day you'll look so flustered."

"It's because I'm dealing with you." He replies quietly and starts to massage one of my legs.

I watch him and then remember what he said to me this morning.

"Peter?"

"Hmm?" He replies absentmindedly as he moves to my other leg. His hands are a little bit harder than I expected but it still gives a soothing massage.

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

He glances at my face and gives me a questioning look, "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious especially after what you said this morning." I reply but he doesn't reply. "What do you mean by what you said to me this morning?"

"Will you forget it if I ask you to?" He asks and I blink in surprise. He looks at me when I don't reply and continues, "You still haven't told me how you ended up tied to a tree in the woods."

So he is trying to change the topic?

"It's all thanks to Michael's girlfriend and her friends." I tell him with a frown as I remember her words from earlier.

"You mean Dorcas did this to you?"

"Yes. They even drugged me to be at an advantage." I clench my fists weakly. "I'll make sure they regret it."

Peter smiles at my last sentence but says nothing. He continues to massage my leg then after a while, he stops.

"Do you still feel numb in your leg?" He asks.

"Not anymore."

"Can you stand?" He asks and I nod then proceed to do so.

A wave of dizziness hits me as soon as I stand and Peter quickly supports me.

"Do you want to sit?" He asks and I shake my head.

I close and open my eyes repeatedly to stop feeling dizzy.

"Are you sure?" He asks again and I nod. "I think you should lean on me till we get out of here." He suggests and I don't argue.

He holds me closer so I can lean on him and together we head out of the woods.

Grace is the first person I see as she is waiting anxiously at the neighborhood's entrance. When she sees me, she sighs in relief and rushes to me.

"What happened? Where have you been?" She asks and holds me so I can rest on her.

"Let's get her water first." Peter tells her and rushes to the canopy.

Slowly, Grace and I make our way to where the others are and see them looking worried.

John and my class teacher are nearer so they come over first.

"What happened to you?" My class teacher asks as she gets to me. Peter comes back with a bottle of water and hands it to me.

"She should be resting right now." He says and leads me to one of the chairs.

I glance around for Michael and see him alone on one of the chairs, he looks so relieved to see me but I turn away from him

When I finally sit on the chair, the others gather around me and look at me expectantly.

"Do you know how worried we were? I thought you've been kidnapped." Femi announces and I give him a dry look.

Really?

"I found her tied to a tree in the forest." Peter tells everyone and there's a collective gasp. The class teacher gives him a warning look.

"Are you very sure of what you are saying?" She asks and he nods. I take two gulps of water as I watch all of them process the information.

"Cynthia, is that true?" She asks me again and I nod.

"I would have died sooner or later from dehydration if he hadn't found me." I further add and everyone exchanges surprised looks.

"I'm glad you were found." I look up in surprise to see Cat with a look of sympathy on her face. "Imagine what would have happened if he didn't find you." She continues.

"But who could have done such a thing to you? Did you annoy someone so much that they would want to do something like that?" Chika asks and I look at them with disbelief.

Are they kidding me right now?

Dorcas also starts to talk, "How bad would it have been to be all alone in the woods?" She shudders and then leans towards me.

"Thank you for coming back alive." She adds with a sly smile and I can't hold back anymore, I drop the water bottle I'm holding in anger and grab her by her clothes to her surprise. Her struggle to get out of my hold only strengthens my resolve to strangle her with her clothes.

"Wh-what do you think you are doing?" She gasps.

"Cynthia, leave her this instant." My class teacher commands but I don't even glance at her. Cat and Chika then come to my side and try to release the hold I have on Dorcas's clothes.

I leave her all of a sudden and she stumbles back. Chika holds her and she and Dorcas sends glares at me while Cat comes to stand in front of me.

"What do you think you are doing?" She asks angrily, earning herself a glare from me.

"What if she had slumped and lost consciousness because you prevented her from breathing?!" She shouts.

The absurdity of the whole situation irritates me so much that I find myself replying her with a slap. She gasps and holds her cheek but it does nothing to reduce my anger.

My class teacher rushes to me at that and stands in front of me, "What is wrong with you? I know you to be respectful and obedient but you've just disrespected me by attacking a student right in my presence."

"You must be wondering how I got tied in the forest, right?" I ask her, still glaring at Cat and her friends, but she doesn't speak. "It's because these girls deceived me into the woods and drugged me."

The students start to murmur and my class teacher looks at Cat questioningly who still has her hands on her cheek, "Is that true?" She asks and she shakes her head.

"It's not true. She is lying." She replies and I look at her scornfully.

"You are shameless and disgusting. You and your friends had someone lie that a child is injured in the woods and drugged me to weaken me then even tied me to a tree and you still claim that I'm lying?" I ask, starting to feel irritated again.

"What proof do you have that we did that to you?" Chika asks with a knowing smile.

"The proof is the girl you sent to lie to me." I reply and they all start to look panicky.

I glance around for the girl but she is nowhere to be found.

"You aren't the only one who went missing. There is another girl that is yet to be found." My class teacher tells me and I turn back to Cat questioningly.

So they even sent her home?

"You can't even find the girl. What will you do if they end up finding out that you're lying?" Cat asks with a look of offense and I shake my head in disbelief.

They really are shameless.

Wole arrives just then and looks at me with relief, "Thank God, you've been found and you were not kidnapped." He glances at Femi with a pointed look.

He then turns to my class teacher, "I found this girl crying by the roadside at the edge of the neighbourhood. She says she feels guilty about something and wants to speak to you." He announces and the girl I'm looking for comes forward.

I smile satisfied and give Dorcas a look that says, 'Talk your way out of this one.'

The girl sees me and sighs in relief, "I'm glad you've been found. I'm sorry it took this long for me to report to the teacher."

She tells me then turns to my class-teacher, "I'm the one that was sent to bring her into the forest. They approached me and told me I have to bring her or I'll get beaten so I had to. I never knew they were going to drug her and tie her to a tree, if I had known I would never have brought her. I was told to go home from the forest but I needed to know what was happening so I came back." She explains and my class teacher nods.

"So, it's all true then." The teacher says to Dorcas but she says nothing. "Do you know the principal is aware of what we came to do here? And she asked me to report everything to her. I think she will be very disappointed to hear what you did and you should better prepare yourselves for whatever punishment you receive."

Dorcas starts to say something but she ignores her, "Cynthia, you should rest. We will finish up with these." She tells me and I sit again.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Grace asks as the others start to disperse.

"No, I'm not. I just feel a little weak." I reply.

"Don't worry, I will continue with the children. Just take a rest." She assures me and I nod.

I look around and see Michael watching from a distance, he looks like he is unsure of something and takes a step towards me. I look away from him but I know he didn't go further since he never got to me.

I doze off on the chair and I wake up when I feel a light tap on my leg. I look up to see Nanny's ex-boyfriend smiling at me.

"Are you okay?" He asks and I give him a curious look. "I just heard about how you were tied in the woods and thought I should check on you." He says and I smile faintly.

"I'm fine, thank you." I reply. He starts to say something else but is interrupted by my class-teacher.

"Gather up everyone. Its time to take pictures with the people and their gifts." She announces and Grace is quick to get to me.

"This will be a perfect picture to post on your status for your parents to see. You have to be in it." She starts to pull me from my seat.

I smile apologetically at Nanny's ex-boyfriend as I allow Grace to drag me towards the others.

Everyone seems to want to be in the picture, even the chief. No one is willing to be the one holding the camera.

"Don't worry. I'll do it." The chief's son says to my class-teacher and collects the camera from her.

He smiles as he positions the camera, "Alright. I'll snap on the count of three."

Grace squeezes my hands giddily and I smile fondly at her. I'm standing with Grace and John on either sides of me. I didn't even realize when he got there. I try to look for where Michael is but I stop when I hear Nanny's boyfriend begin to count.

"One, two, three." The count is followed by the flash of the camera. He continues to snap and probably takes up to ten pictures.

The people start to disperse and soon, only the students are left with my class teacher again.

"So, we still have an extra envelope of money here. It seems one of the families, Iya Tayo's household, isn't here to collect it, the chief has agreed to keep their materials but he has refused to collect the money. What do we do with it?" She asks.

Iya Tayo? She must surely be referring to Tayo and her mother. Have they moved already?

Only Michael probably knows the answer to that question but I'm in no mood to ask him for it.

"You should keep it." I decide for her and she raises an eyebrow.

"You didn't have to help us but you did anyway and everything that happened here was possible because we had you to look up to. You deserve to keep it." I explain and she gives me a small smile.

The others start to mumble their agreements and she nods. "Alright, alright. I'll keep it."

"I'm famished." Femi groans all of a sudden and they chuckle.

"Yeah, we are tired and hungry." Another boy adds and soon the others are saying the same thing.

"Alright, everybody." Wole calls out and everywhere is silent. "Let's go have a late lunch and its all on me." He announces and there is a loud cheer from everyone. Femi goes as far as hugging him while Wole tries to shove him away.

"Cynthia, Grace. Make sure there is nothing left to be given anymore and get rids of the nylon bags and sacks." My class teacher says and we both nod. "Others, let's get going."

John stays with us as the others go and looks at me worriedly, "Are you completely fine now?" He asks and I nod, smiling up at him.

"I'm glad. I have to go now. I can't go with you guys to eat lunch." He tells me and I look at him questioningly.

"What do you mean? There are buses to take us back to school, why do you suddenly want to go alone?"

"I'm needed urgently at home, that's why. I'll call you when I get home." He replies.

“You should get going then if you are needed home urgently. Don't worry, I'll take care of Cynthia." Grace smiles at him.

"See you guys later then." He waves and begins to walk off. Grace continues to stare at him as he goes and I nudge her by the side.

"What are you looking at?"

“It just feels strange that he is going home all of a sudden." She mutters, still staring at him.

I roll my eyes at her display of sudden deep thinking, "Let's just do what the teacher asks us to do."

"What's wrong with you and Michael?" She asks as she bends to pick a sack.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't think I didn't notice you guys hardly said a word to each other today."

"There's nothing wrong."

She gives me a look then shrugs, "If you say so."

I ignore her and we continue to pick everything off the floor until there's nothing left to pick.

"Cynthia, I think we are done here. Let's start going, they are all waiting for us." She adds.

"Alright."

As I begin to approach her, I'm suddenly pulled into a corner and I'm pinned against a wall.

My heart jumps at the sudden movement and it beats even faster when I'm suddenly staring into Michael's face.

"I'm sorry girlfriend, but I think you both should talk and clear whatever tension is between you. I'll wait for you in the bus."

Grace calls out but her voice sounds so distant with how loud my heart is pounding.

He leans towards me, closing the distance between us and I take a sharp intake of breath. I can feel his breath on my face and the look in his eyes is so overwhelming that I close my eyes.

"We need to talk." Michael says quietly. I swallow loudly and try to calm myself. I really shouldn't be this affected by him. This isn't the first time we are this close.

I open my eyes, determined to get all my turbulent feelings under control but my breath hitches when I see that he has gotten even closer and he is sending subtle glances down my lips.

Is it wrong that I want him to kiss me?

I shake my head at that moment, wanting to break out of the trance I had fallen into.

What were we talking about again?

Oh, yeah...

I clear my throat but my voice isn't mine. It sounds husky, "There is nothing to talk about." I reply and force myself to walk away but he pulls me back and moves even closer to me. I'm almost pressed against the wall.

Oh My God!

He looks at me with uncertainty, "Why are you ignoring me?"

His close proximity doesn't help me in coming up with an answer and for a moment, I only bask in his presence, my eyes darting to his lips.

Is it bad that I really want him to kiss me right now?

But then I remember Dorcas' words from this morning. I bet he had her against the wall yesterday just like this and was kissing her.

Bile rushes to my throat at that thought and I push him to let me go but he doesn't budge.

"Tell me what I did wrong." He demands quietly, looking a bit pained.

I look at him angrily, "You did nothing wrong." I respond bitterly. "She's your girlfriend after all."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how the both of you spent the night in each other's arms just yesterday." I bite out and he looks alarmed.

"Who the hell told you that?"

My heart breaks at his reaction, if he is this annoyed about how I found out. Does it actually mean...

My voice is laced with hurt and disappointment when I speak, "So, it's true?"

"Of course not." He stands back a little, looking annoyed. "Who told you that?" He huffs.

"Your girlfriend and her friends." I whisper.

He sighs heavily and lean towards me again, "I'm getting tired of them." He breathes out.

Then why are you still together with her?

"Is it true?" I search his eyes for the answer and he is searching mine too. I'm sure he might find desperation and longing in them but I really don't mind. Not at this moment.

"I can promise you that the last thing on my mind right now is to sleep with Dorcas." He assures me and I can't help feeling relieved.

"Is that why you were ignoring me?" He asks and I nod.

"Were you jealous?" He smiles and I glance down at his mouth, smiling too.

But was I really jealous?

Is that why I like the fact that he is grinning down at me instead of Dorcas?

I say nothing in response to his question and I realise I might have stared a bit too much at his mouth because he pulls me by my waist so I'm flushed against him, chest to chest, and then presses me against the wall.

My legs go weak and I'm putting my hands on his shoulder for support.

"Cynthia. You'll be death of me." He leans his head and mutters into my ear. A slight shiver runs through me.

I try to meet his eyes and he looks down at me, his lips only a breath away.

"What do you mean?" I ask against his mouth, our lips slightly grazing each other. A flip occurs in my stomach at that little contact.

"I mean I don't think I can hold back my feelings anymore." He responds and my breath quickens, my eyes search his. "I'll really begin to like you." He adds.

"I- I-

No word seems to be coming out of my mouth and my body is so tense. My heart feels like it's about to come out of my chest and for some reason, I can't stop trembling.

We are still so close and I want to close that inch of space between our lips so bad. I instinctively lick my lips and he lets out a groan, his grip on my waist tightening.

"Forgive me for this, Cynth. But I can't hold back anymore."

Before I can even begin to process his words, his lips presses against mine.

A whimper leaves my mouth immediately and like we aren't close enough, he pulls me even closer, his hands on my waist pressing me against his body.

He kisses me like he has been waiting to do so for a long time and now that it's happening, he isn't going to hold himself back any longer. And I submit to him, allowing him take everything he wants. He pulls my leg and wraps it around him and then he pushes me to the wall, his body hovering against mine, his mouth never leaving mine.

He nips, sucks and pulls at my lips and a small sound leaves me. He groans in response to my moan and his hands slip under my clothes. His hands on my bare skin is like fire to gas. I gasp at the feel of his hands on my back, shuddering, and my hands tighten on his shoulder pulling at his shirt.

I want so much to feel his skin too and if I wasn't enjoying this too much, I would probably be scolding myself mentally for even thinking of it. But right now, I don't care.

I want all he can give and for him to take everything he wants. His hand never moves against my back but where his hand is touching is so warm and I want him to spread that warmth around me. I want him to touch me everywhere.

He slows the kiss and pulls apart from me and I instinctively try to close the distance again, not wanting him to stop, not wanting the moment to end.

I open my eyes slowly and his eyes has gone dark, his pupils dilated. He is breathing heavily like I'm doing and we just stare at each other, both of us saying nothing.

I don't think I can say anything if I try, my vocal cords are numb and my brain cloudy. I bring my head closer to his and suck gently on his lower lips, he lets out a groan and angles my head to kiss me properly again, his mouth claiming mine once more.

Then he pulls away again, his hands still on my back. His lips grazes my jaw softly and my legs tighten around his back, a small gasp leaving my throat.

"If we continue this, I'm afraid of what I will do." He breathes against my chin and then lifts his head, staring straight into my eyes, my soul. I immediately understand what he is saying.

The words 'I don't care' are on the tips on my tongue but I know I'm only being influenced by the moment.

He must have noticed the uncertainty in my eyes because he smiles and then gives me a swift peck on my lips.

"That was the best kiss of my life." He grins and I smile at him, feeling my heart swell so much with feelings.

I know at that moment that I am not only attracted to him, my feelings for him goes deeper.

I really, really like him and it's nothing compared to what I feel for John.

John.

John!

I totally forgot about him!

Why do I feel like I have just betrayed him?

"Michael! Cynthia! Are you done talking yet?!"

Grace's voice seems to clear all the kiss induced haze and I'm suddenly back in reality, my grip on his shoulder loosening.

Michael drops me gently on the ground and he is the one who looks unsure now.

"They are probably waiting for us now. We should start going." He tells me, standing upright. He keeps searching my face, and I am not sure of what he might see.

No one makes a move to leave but I know we can't just keep standing.

Maybe I should leave first.

We stare at each other for a while and then my legs begin to carry me away from him. I hear his faint footsteps behind me and I control the urge to turn around to look at him.

It's clear that something is changed between us.

And I don't think any of us is ready to deal with it.

***

*clears throat* *fans self*

If you like the kissing scene, raise your hand, 🙋🏾‍♀️.

If you don't know what's going to happen next, raise your hand, 🙋🏾‍♀️.

Yeah, I raised my hands because I honestly don't know what's happening next 😭.

My old readers would know that the kissing scene was just added, it was not in the old version. It just kind of happened and I'm really pleased with myself 😌.

So I wasn't joking when I said I didn't know what is going to happen next because this is new and it's going to change the dynamics of the whole story. And honestly, the story needs to be changed because if I go by the previous storyline, we will still have a very long way to go. Longer than you can imagine.

The next chapter is going to take some time to get uploaded or it might not, it all depends on how soon I get inspired so I'm only giving you a head's up.

I really hope you enjoy this chapter though.

Don't forget to share, vote and comment.

Until next time,

Love you guys ❤️❤️.