Hi, guys!!!

Since this is my first update this year... Happy new year everyone! How have y'all been?

I know it ended up taking a while again since the previous update but I really want you guys to know that I still plan on completing this book and I will keep updating it whenever I am chanced.

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.

***

Chapter Sixty Two

GRACE

This wasn't what I had in mind whenever I thought of how this party would go.

It never included a drunk Femi resting on both me and Wole as we try to find a room to place him in.

I try to quiet my thoughts, focusing solely on how to keep moving as we climb the stairs with Femi's weight without tripping.

Wole helping makes it a bit easier as he tries to lead us into a room. After opening the fourth door and finally finding it empty, we enter and he helps me lay him on the bed.

Femi mumbles something incoherent as he lands on the bed with his eyes closed. I wonder if he has already fallen asleep.

Wole starts to remove his shoes but I stop him, "Don't worry, I will help him with it."

He nods and stares resignedly at Femi, "I hope he is better by tomorrow."

"I hope so too." I tell him.

"I will excuse you two now. Take good care of him." He says and immediately turns to leave.

Once the click of the door is in place, I put my bag on the table next to the bed before helping Femi with his shoes.

He shivers a little so I quickly grab the blanket and place it over him.

I look at him, wondering what else I can do to make him comfortable and with nothing left to do, I proceed to lie beside him and then hug him to myself.

He immediately hugs me back and calls my name, his voice sounding slightly above a whisper, "Grace?"

I snuggle into him, pulling him closer, "Yeah, it's me."

"I went to see my mum today." He tells me, probably not remembering that I already know. But I keep quiet, waiting for him to continue.

"I saw her again after twelve years." His voice cracks a little. "And she wasn't the woman I was expecting to see."

"What were you expecting to see?" I ask gently, my heart breaking for him.

He doesn't reply for a while and I can only hear the sound of his breathing. I begin to think he had fallen asleep but then he finally replies.

"I was expecting a woman that had everything in the world. A woman that was larger than life. A woman that I could continue to hate."

Oh, sweetheart. I pull him even closer to me, offering him my warmth as comfort.

"But she was none of those, Grace. She looked so thin like she had not eaten in days. She tried to hide it with her clothes but I could see it. I could feel it when she held my hands in her own."

"Tell me Grace, how do I hate a woman who is battling with one of the deadliest diseases in the world? Someone who is certain that she has little time left on earth?"

I wonder if the questions are rhetoric or if he wants answers to them but I respond anyways.

"Maybe you don't have to hate her. Maybe you can be by her side during the little time she has left."

He scoffs, "She doesn't need me by her side, Grace. She has all her other children and husband. But you know what hurts the most?" He then continues without waiting for my reply, "The realisation that if she wasn't dying, she might never have contacted me."

He removes a hand from around me and even though I can only see his neck and collarbone, I know he's wiping tears from his face.

I don't know if I should say this to him since I am probably the reason he went to visit his mum in the first place because I asked him to make me a promise. But he needs to stop viewing the situation this way and see it as a chance life is presenting to him.

"Would you prefer to hear of her death like an outsider or would you rather be next to her during her last moments?"

He keeps mute, pondering over the question.

"I'm not sure but wouldn't it be better to hear of her death like an outsider instead of getting close to her only to lose her all over again and this time, finally?"

I understand what he's trying to say without him having to explain further. Having to lose your mother finally after a short period of knowing her is going to hurt a lot but I know if he doesn't stay by her side and just leaves her to die, he's going to regret it till the end.

"Are you sure?"

I wait for his response again, but this time, he doesn't say anything. Only squeezing me even closer to him.

I almost chuckle when I remember that before I left home, I was thinking of telling him that I was in love with him and that he would tell me he was in love with me too and we would be so happy.

But the farthest thing he is right now is happy. And it breaks my heart that he is suffering like this.

After the continuous silence, I raise my head from the crook of his neck to see why he isn't saying anything then I notice his shut eyes and steady breathing, a sign that he has finally fallen asleep.

I lean forward to kiss him on his forehead, my chest tightening when he lets out a strangled breath at the contact.

"You will overcome this. I promise." I mumble, caressing his face with my hand.

I try to remove myself from his embrace but he doesn't allow me so I fall back into his arms.

"Grace, don't ever leave me." He mutters sleepily. I wonder if he's having a dream or if he just doesn't want me to leave.

"I love you." He adds so quietly that I almost missed it but I know I didn't hear wrong.

Femi just admitted to loving me, even while subconscious. I feel so happy and elated, a strong surge of joy bursting through me.

I hug him even closer to me, feeling giddy as I pull him in as much as I can. "I won't ever leave you." I assure him quietly.

And after a while, I also fall asleep.

***

CYNTHIA

I watch with confusion as Wole closes the door after his words, then turn to Michael for an explanation but he has an unreadable look on his face.

"What was that about?"

His expression changes and relaxes as he blinks at me, clearly thinking over what to say. Then he finally speaks.

"He thinks Peter and I are both fighting for your attention."

"Oh." I can only say, feeling kind of embarrassed.

I don't know if what he said is true but I definitely don't want to be in the middle of their friendship.

'Michael just sang a love song for you and Peter just confessed to being in love with you.' My subconscious reminds me, letting me know that what he said might actually be true.

I try not to dwell too much on it.

"What were you going to tell me before Wole entered?" I ask Michael, wanting to change the topic.

"He already ruined the moment." He responds, looking disappointed and then glances at Peter who's sleeping on one of the beds, "I was going to sing the song for you and confess my feelings to you."

My heart stutters a little as we both stare at each other. He doesn't look like he had made a mistake when he had spoken. And it looks like he meant what he just said.

He had also mentioned his feelings for me in the restaurant yesterday so it was definitely not a mistake. And it looks like he's even waiting for my response.

Although I am too frozen by his words to react.

The sound of my phone vibrating in my pocket interrupts the moment and it takes a lot of self-control to not mutter curses at the caller for interrupting.

"You should get that." Michael nods towards the phone when it seems like I won't be taking it out of my pocket.

With an irritated groan, I remove the phone from my pocket only to see Grace calling and I am immediately struck with guilt.

"Hey, Grace." I say into the phone but all I receive in response is a dull sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"I want to go home. This party is not interesting to me anymore."

I smile sadly even though she can't see me. Being with Femi must have drained the excitement from her.

"How is he?" I ask, knowing she understands who I'm referring to.

"He is asleep."

"Okay." I reply, not knowing what else to say.

"I already called Nanny and she told me Lanre is on his way. He'll be here in ten minutes so come outside to meet me from wherever you're now."

I glance at Michael, who has just confessed his feelings and then realise the fact that I am leaving this conversation halfway.

But if Grace wants to go home, I should be there for her.

"Alright. I'll meet you soon." I tell her and she hangs up.

"Was that Grace?" Michael asks.

I nod, "She wants to go home."

"Femi is probably in a foul mood." He mutters solemnly. "I feel so bad for him. He went straight to drinking and I couldn't do anything to console him."

"You can do that when he wakes." I place my hand on his leg and squeeze it but as I try to remove my hand, he grabs it and squeezes it too.

"About what I said earlier..." My heart skips because I know what he's referring to.

He exhales softly and then shakes his head, "I should probably just let you go so you can meet Grace. This conversation isn't over though. We are still going to talk about it."

I nod at him, not knowing what else to say. He leans closer to me, eyeing my lips. "I want to kiss you right now. Actually, my plan was to confess my feelings to you and then seal it with a kiss."

His lips brush against the corner of my mouth and my stomach does a flip. My hand squeezes his in reflex since he is still holding it.

He then pulls away, "But since I am yet to confess properly, I will hold back on kissing you."

I try not to feel too disappointed by his words. It's not as if this would be the first time we would be kissing anyway. But then he stands farther, creating more space in between us.

"If I don't do that, I might give into temptation and actually kiss you." He explains. I don't know if I should tell him to just give into temptation and kiss me or if I should kiss him myself.

But then he changes the topic, "Today's Friday and school's not until Monday. Does that mean we won't be seeing till then?"

"Why? Do you want to see me tomorrow?" I tease.

"Can I?" He asks and I burst out laughing.

"One might think you are being serious and you really can't wait to see me." I say, still grinning but he doesn't look like he is joking.

My smile slowly fades as I watch him intently, "Are you being serious?"

"You think I was joking?" He asks and I'm dumbfounded for a minute.

"I guess you were not." I say more to myself than to him.

"Can we see tomorrow?"

I'm about to say yes because there's nothing more I would want than to spend more time with him but it suddenly feels like I am forgetting something.

Michael must have sensed my hesitation because he says, "It's okay. We will see on Monday. I'll tell you what I want to then." He tells me with a sad smile and it doesn't bode well with me.

"I would love to see you tomorrow." I assure him.

"But...?" He raises an eyebrow but I stare at him, not understanding.

"But what?" I ask.

"I don't know, you tell me. There's a reason you are clearly hesitating."

"No. That has nothing to do with you. It's just that I feel like there's something I should be remembering."

I watch his face and he doesn't seem convinced at all.

My phone vibrates in my hand and I got reminded of the fact that Grace is probably waiting for me.

I start to check my phone for the message she just sent, only she's not the one who just sent the message.

Hi.
I am just here to remind you of our date tomorrow. I have been planning a nice date for both of us. I'm really sure you would love it.
See you tomorrow.
Hope you have sweet dreams.

John.

And then I realise this was exactly what I was forgetting. How could I not remember that I had a date planned with John?

"Are you alright?"

It's not until Michael speaks that I finally look up from my phone.

"What was that?" He points at the phone. "You look really torn right now." I still don't know what to say so he steps up to me and reads the message.

I could almost feel him stiffen as he processes the words.

Then he turns to me, looking totally betrayed, "You have a date with John?" He asks like it's the most incredulous thing.

"It's not what you think." I blurt.

"And what exactly do I look like I am thinking?"

"I don't know. That just came out of my mouth."

He raises an eyebrow in question. I take in a deep breath to steady myself and try again. "I wanted an explanation and he insisted on a date with him." His frown goes deeper.

"But honestly, the only reason I agreed to this was so I could close John's chapter and begin with you on a clean slate." I tell him, imploring him with the look in my eyes to understand.

Just then, my phone begins to ring again and I see that it's Grace calling. She's probably waiting at the entrance already.

"Let's just go." Michael decides, shutting any further attempt on explanations on my part. "I'll walk you to the gate."

Without waiting for my response, he moves out of the secret room and I slowly follow behind me.

As soon as I step outside of the room, the bass of the music playing booming loudly is what welcomes me. It's almost as if I just got transported into another world.

I follow Michael out of the kitchen and into the living room and sure enough, the party is still going on in full swing. There are way more drunk people though and it's all not appealing.

I glance at the bar and that's when I notice Wole sitting there having a drink alone. Looking at him like this, one might think he's sad.

"He gets like this everytime at a party." Michael speaks, standing next to me. He must have noticed I wasn't following him anymore and then saw me watching Wole.

"Why?"

"Because parties remind him of his ex-girlfriend.

My eyes widen as I remember the story, "The one who committed suicide?"

Michael nods solemnly in response.

"I really hope he gets over her soon."

"We are all hoping." He replies and opens the door.

We step outside and I can't help inhaling the cool air that welcomes us. Michael is still leading and although he just explained Wole's situation to me, he is still obviously annoyed.

I can already see Grace's figure standing just a little far off the gate and we both walk in silence till we get to it. Kunle and the other bodyguard bows to Michael as soon as they see him and he groans in response.

"Grace is waiting for me already." I gesture to her. She is watching us with mild interest and looks away when I catch her eye.

"Michael, about the date tomo-

"Good night, Cynthia." He cuts into what I was about to say and turns around immediately, not waiting for my response.

I let out a loud sigh before turning to Kunle, "Good night, Kunle."

"Good night." He replies with a smile.

I walk to where Grace is standing and give her a side hug because she looks like she needs one. Or maybe I am the one who needs more of the hug.

"If someone sees you, they will think you are the one who was abandoned by a mother that called today because she has cancer." I say jokingly but she gives me a dead look.

"Don't joke with that." She replies in a very serious tone.

"What do you expect me to do when you are being like this?"

"Should I be screaming my heart out in happiness when he is suffering then?"

"But being like this won't solve anything either."

"I would rather be like this than act like everything is alright when it isn't." She says with a note of finality and I could say nothing in response, surprised at her reaction.

I was only trying to cheer her up because she looked sad. It's not like the party ended on a high note for me too.

We stand in silence for Lanre who arrives only moments later and we sit like that in the car also, not talking to each other till we arrive home.

On our way home, I begin to feel guilty about the situation and to admit that I'm responsible for the uncomfortable silence that surrounds us so I decide to talk to her first.

But when we arrive home and I try to apologize to her, she is already out of the car before I can even get the first word out.

With a sigh, I follow after her to the front door. Nanny already opening the door for us without even knocking.

"This is just twenty minutes past eleven. Did the party end early or what?" Nanny asks with amusement as we enter.

"I wasn't really feeling the party." Grace replies with a bored expression and Nanny raise an eyebrow then turns to me.

"Were you also not feeling the party?"

"I don't know but I've come to the conclusion that parties aren't really my thing."

"Well, I guess I was worrying about not getting to sleep early for nothing." She smiles at the two of us. "Let's just all go to bed. Goodnight darlings."

Nanny goes into her room after that and Grace also climbs upstairs almost immediately, still not talking to me. I can do nothing but to just go with her.

I enter the room just as she enters into the bathroom so I decide to change out of my clothes into a towel and to make the bed until she is done so I can also take my bath.

When she is done and comes out of the bathroom, she goes straight to my wardrobe and I head into the bathroom.

By the time I'm done bathing, she is already in my pajamas and is already lying beneath the blanket on my bed. I also change into pajamas and join her in bed.

I glance at her figure and wonder if she's asleep.

"Grace?" I call silently and there's no response.

Wow! She really did fall asleep in this situation.

Come to think of it, I didn't say anything wrong. She is the one who just started giving off this attitude that-

"Cynthia?"

The sudden sound of her voice surprises me and I glance at her again, her back still to me.

"Are you awake?" I ask quietly.

"I'm sorry." She says, her voice breaking.

Is she crying?

"Grace, are you alright?" I ask with concern.

"He said he loves me." She continues like I didn't just talk. "He called my name and said he loves me." She adds and I can swear I hear her sob.

I turn her around so she is now facing me and I see that she is indeed crying.

"Why are you being like this? You are scaring me." I tell her, confused at the whole situation.

She stops crying and sits. I do the same and start to rub her back to soothe her.

"Tell me what happened." I mention softly.

"I was together with Femi in one of the rooms and he was already half asleep. All I could do was hold him in my arms to comfort him and then suddenly he confessed his love to me."

My eyes widened in pleasant surprise, "You mean to say-

"Yes, he told me he loved me and he fell asleep not too long after." She smiles.

"That's great news!" I say, smiling too. "You were scared that he might not feel the same way about you but he ended up confessing first."

"I know right?" She replies a bit solemnly.

"But why didn't you look so happy when I saw you outside?"

"Because I was ashamed." She answers and looks like she's about to cry again. "When he confessed his love to me, I was so happy. In fact, I was more than happy. I felt like dancing around in the room. I was busy daydreaming about our love but all I had to do was glance at him and see him frown even while he is asleep to make me feel bad."

"The person that I'm in love with is in a tight situation and yet I felt like dancing around in happiness. How does that sound to you?" She asks.

I smile at her utterance and remember her asking if she should be screaming out in happiness when he is suffering. It was because she really wanted to scream out in happiness.

"It's okay. If I was in your situation I would definitely be happy too. The timing was just wrong so you don't have to blame yourself." I reassure her with a smile.

"I'm sorry for reacting that way to you earlier." She apologizes, looking way too remorseful and I can't help chuckling.

"It's okay."

She then wipes her tears and gives me an expectant look, "So...

I raise an eyebrow in question, "So?"

"What were you and Michael doing together before I called you out? The both of you were definitely together because he even escorted you." She says.

I start to smile but then I remember how it all ended.

"Well, a lot actually happened today." I sigh loudly.

I really have been sighing a lot since John's message came in.

"It sure did. Tell me everything." She says excitedly and I nod then begin to explain everything from when I saw Peter at the bar - which she was really curious to hear about - to when I had to tell Michael about my date tomorrow with John - which irritated her so much, it was almost comical.

"Oh My God." She says for the umpteenth time. "A lot really happened." She adds more to herself.

"So, Peter confessed his love to you and Michael sang you a love song? Wow! Just wow! But then John really had to ruin it. I don't know how I didn't realise just how annoying he is until recently." She says with a roll of her eyes.

She then looks at me with what seems like doubt and shakes her head, "It's just that I don't know how to feel about Michael approaching you because of a dare. It does explain the fact that he approached you even after you made it known to him that you disgust him but-

"But what?"

"I don't know. He is someone who could easily say he is not interested but he did a lot just to make you his friend. And all for a dare?"

Right. It's really not making a lot of sense. Even Grace knows something isn't adding up.

Could it be that he isn't saying the truth or he is hiding something?

But what could that be?

"You said he wanted to tell you something after singing for you?" She asks, stopping my line of thought.

"Yeah, but we were interrupted by Wole and Peter." I reply then her eyes widen like she realized something.

"Do you think he wants to confess to you or ask you to be his girlfriend?" She asks and I smile.

"Yeah. He actually kind of confessed his feelings after they left but then your call came in and then the message from John."

"So is he like pissed with you for not telling him about the date or for going on the date in the first place?"

"I think it's both reasons. And I keep trying to explain that it's sort of like just getting closure from John but he wouldn't listen."

"Tsk, tsk. He's not even trying to hide the fact that he's jealous. If you ask me, I think Michael is in love with you."

My stomach clenches at her words, and I try not to smile like a fool. "You really shouldn't make me so hopeful by saying things like that."

She shrugs, "Why not? It's the truth. So you know what? Go on the date tomorrow, end things finally with John and then on Monday, when you finally see Michael, tell him you are ready to start afresh."

I smile at her for making everything sound so simple.

"That is definitely what I am going to do. And I also think you should take Femi out on a date tomorrow too?"

She looks confused for a minute, then points to herself, "Me? I should take Femi out on a date?"

I nod in response, "Yes. He's probably going to be sulking all day tomorrow because of the news about his mother so you can take him out to cheer him up. And you already know he loves you so you can confess to him first this time around, that would probably even make him happier."

She seems to think for a while about my suggestion and then she suddenly squeals and pulls me into a tight embrace, kissing my cheeks. "You are the best friend ever!"

She then suddenly releases me and goes to search for her phone. I chuckle as I watch her scramble for her phone before she finally finds it.

"I'm going to text him now and tell him he has no choice than to come on the date with me." She grins as she taps away on her phone.

"Good." I smile at her.

"He's probably still asleep so he won't see the message until tomorrow morning. I can't wait." She squeals again as she falls back into the bed.

"So I guess we both have dates tomorrow?" She asks and I smile at her before remembering who I would be on the date with and sighing.

"Except I would rather not go on this date of mine."

She laughs and squeezes my hand underneath the blanket. "Consider it a sacrifice for the greater good."

I roll my eyes, "Yeah, right."

"Goodnight, Cynthia. Have a good night rest." She beams at me before switching off the table lamps.

"Goodnight." I respond back to her in the darkness, my mind drifting to my date tomorrow and the many ways it can go wrong.

***

"This long navy blue gown suits you." Grace comments as she places the gown against my body in front of the mirror.

The gown is only long in the back while the front is short, a little above my knees. It's a really stylish and beautiful gown.

We just finished asking permission from Nanny for the dates and relieved that she had agreed seeing how I had forgotten that I have a date today in the first place and didn't bother asking for permission.

"It looks extravagant. Especially since the date is with John." I retort and she sighs.

She is already dressed up in a short sparkly purple dress and a black heel to go with it. She looks totally gorgeous in the dress and makeup she is wearing even though she has asked me more than ten times if her dress is suited for a dinner date at a five star restaurant.

That's where she plans on taking Femi to. It's to go with her love confession theme according to her reason for taking him there.

"Just wear it. It looks good on you. You looking good should have nothing to do with John. You have to look beautiful and intimidating while he spews the nonsense he has to tell you."

"Alright." I finally give in.

With a shout of glee, she thrusts the gown in my hand for me to wear while she goes to pick out a shoe to wear.

"I don't like heels." I stare pointedly at the five-inch heels in her hand.

She laughs a humourless laugh and makes a straight face, "So are you going to wear running shoes instead or what?"

The sarcasm is evident in her voice and it only makes me want to say yes but I know what's going to end up happening if I say yes so maybe just wearing it without any hassle is better.

"Fine, I will wear them. Are you satisfied?"

She gives me a bright smile in response and I roll my eyes.

I put on the gown and at Grace's exaggerated gasp makes me glance at the mirror and give a tiny smile. The gown really does suit me, I should be wearing this for Michael to see and not John.

At that thought, the tiny smile on my face vanishes and I promise myself to settle everything and put them in place tonight.

My hair has been curled already and Grace is arranging them on my shoulders again so they fall perfectly on my face. My makeup is simple and I look... Sophisticated. I have a feeling that look was what Grace was going for.

"Why are you staring blankly at the mirror?" Grace asks and snaps her finger in front of me, pulling me out of my reverie. She bends down and places the heels in front of me.

"Our dates will be here anytime soon and I'm so excited." She beams as she gets up and gestures for me to put on the shoe.

I put my legs in the shoe and try to walk the little distance from my mirror to my bed and end up wobbling.

"Do I really have to do this?" I ask with uncertainty but Grace seems too busy with holding in her laughter to even come up with an answer.

I watch her drily until she has composed herself and she puts out her hand, I hold it and she pulls me.

"What are you doing?" I ask and she looks at me like I've just asked a dumb question.

"I'm trying to help you learn how to walk with heels."

She didn't add 'duh' but I can practically hear it at the end of that sentence.

Or maybe just let me wear normal shoes. But I don't say that out for her to hear of course.

I let her walk me around the room until I can walk by myself without falling and I'm still practicing the walk when a horn sounds from outside the gate.

"Oh My God! Someone is here!" Grace squeals and I wince. Someone will think she is going on her first date when it is actually a date with her boyfriend.

The door to our room opens and Nanny comes in. She smiles when she sees the two of us and approaches Grace, "Both of you look absolutely beautiful."

She pulls Grace into a hug and releases her then comes to give me a kiss on my head.

"Your date is here. It's the guy from the hospital. The one I told you came looking for you while you were unconscious." She explains and I nod.

"Yeah."

"You don't sound too excited." She teases but I don't deny her sentence.

"Enjoy your date!" Grace waves at me as Nanny and I walk out of the room

I doubt that.

"Enjoy your date too." I say to her and she grins.

"I'm sure I will." She replies.

As Nanny and I approach the front door, my stomach begins to twist nervously. Different scenarios from the date I'm yet to have plays in my head.

Nanny opens the door and stands guard, blocking me from seeing him and him from seeing me.

"Like I said earlier, you are not to stay a minute later than nine o'clock." She warns.

"Yes, ma'am. I'll bring her back safe and sound." He replies politely and for some reason, his voice and the supposed politeness makes me squirm.

This is going to be a long night.

"Of course, you are bringing her back safe and sound. I don't want anything to happen to her." She adds.

"Yes ma'am."

Nanny then opens the door wide enough for me to step out and when I do, I find a mouth agape John waiting by his car.

I smile tightly at him, at a loss of what to say. He is dressed formally, in a dress shirt and trousers.

"Young man, will you keep staring at my daughter like that or will you head out to your date already." Nanny admonishes and he finally blinks back to reality, an embarrassed smile on his face.

"I'm sorry. You just look so pretty." He mentions softly, his eyes cast downward.

I would have found that cute if he hadn't deceived me for years. I know I should say something complimentary to him too but I keep mute.

He looks a bit awkward just standing there before he finally opens the car door for me to enter. He then rushes to the other side and enters before driving out of our compound.

The ride is silent and uncomfortable, a far cry to how it was between us before I found out the truth about his lies.

"We will arrive at our destination soon." He announces.

"Where are we going?" I finally ask him, uttering my first words to him.

"It's a surprise." He replies with a grin. He seems pretty please with himself.

I really hope what he has planned isn't an over the top date.

He turns towards a big gate all of a sudden and starts to horn.

I glance at him with confusion, "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean? We are at our destination." He replies with a smile and I turn to look at the big black gate in front of us.

A security man opens it just then and smiles at John, "Welcome back, Oga." He greets and John smiles in response.

"How are you, Victor?" He asks.

"I'm fine, sir." He replies and then waves at me. "Welcome o, madam."

Madam?

"Hi." I say with uncertainty but he smiles nevertheless.

John drives into a huge compound and parks the car. I'm left staring in awe at the beautiful building in front of me, it isn't as huge as Michael's but it's definitely more aesthetic.

I mean for John to be schooling at Dreamers' High, he has to be from a well off family but seeing his place of abode is making me realise that he is in fact more humble than I expected.

Good for him, I guess.

"We are at my house. Well, technically it's my parents' house." John says and I turn to look at him.

"Why?" I ask, not understanding why he brought me here. He chuckles.

"It's because we are having the date here." He replies and I stare blankly at him. "Come with me."

Before I can get another word out, he is  out of the car. I do the same and walk around the car so I'm standing next to him.

He smiles at me again and begins to walk towards the house, leaving me to follow him. He opens the front door and enters into the living room and I follow suit.

Whoever decorated the house did a very good job because the interior is much more beautiful. Everything in the living room is either black, white or gray and I didn't know those neutral colours could form something so beautiful.

I'm so fascinated by the living room that I don't notice that John is now across it and is waiting patiently for me.

I start to make my way to him quickly but almost trip when a young girl suddenly appears in front of me.

I look up from the girl to John then back to John again and then I notice the resemblance.

"She's your sister?" I ask and he nods.

"Wow! I never knew." I reply and glance down at the girl. She looks to be around Sam's age.

"Hi." I say to her.

"Hello." She replies with a giggle, making me smile. I already find her cute. Too bad she has a liar as a brother.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Jane. What's your name?"

"It's Cynthia." I respond and she giggles again then glances at her brother. She gestures for me to come closer and then she whispers in my ear.

"My brother's love of his life is also Cynthia." She tells me and I feel taken aback by the revelation. I glance up at John who is watching me, confused at the look on my face.

Once upon a time, those words would have delighted me so much, my grin would have taken half of my face. But now, there's nothing.

Just an empty space that he left when I found out he had lied to me.

And until, I get an explanation, it's safe to conclude that nothing he does or says can move me.

***

Our long awaited date with John is finally upon us.

How do you all think it's going to go down??

I really hope you enjoyed reading. Don't forget to vote, comment and recommend.

Until next time,

Love you guys❤