The show, held in a large tent, was a combination of different performances which included skits, singing, dancing, magic tricks and ventriloquism.

My favourite performance was the fire dancers’. It was just amazing and dazzling how they jumped around in acrobatics whilst juggling torches of fire yet still managed to not cause a fire hazard. We were all wowed, and it was a little strange laughing along with Poppy for once, at the comedic skits. Of course they were all about history, but still enjoyable.

Levi also gave a beautiful performance. He sang a song he’d composed himself while strumming his guitar and got the girls fanning themselves, since it was a love song. The lyrics were divine and metaphorical and I could tell he had a talent for composing.

Forty-five minutes later, we left the tent along with the crowd, and I was hungry.

“We should eat,” I suggested to Callum, who nodded in agreement.

“Excellent idea!” Poppy chirped from behind me, and I grunted in silent disgruntlement.

But when I turned around, I forced a big smile on my face.

“The four of us should go get a table somewhere so we can talk more,” Poppy said smiling at me, then at Callum. “I really want to hear from you, Callum.”

Oh no.

“Alright,” Callum agreed, oblivious to her schemes. She was probably going to try and weasel the truth of our date out of him. And if she found out that I was bluffing to her all this while, she’d mock me for eternity.

No way in eternal life was I going to let that happen.

We walked alongside each other as Levi and Callum exchanged bits of conversation about themselves. Soon, Poppy fell into conversation with Levi, and Callum and I lagged behind them.

“Since you paid for the tickets, I’ll pay for our meal,” I said to him.

He looked at me in surprise. “What?”

I shrugged. “It’s only fair.”

“But I was going to pay for everything.”

“You don’t have to.”

His brows were furrowed in confusion. “Yes, I do.”

At that, I stopped walking, causing him to halt as well. The oblivious couple ahead of us kept moving.

I turned to face Callum as he did me.

“No, you don’t,” I told him. “It’s only imposed on you by the unwritten norm that defines gender roles. And if you haven’t noticed, I tend to twist those roles.” I grinned.

Callum’s face folded as he digested the information. Then he asked, innocently. “Would it make a difference if I wanted to pay?”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Then I want to pay as well.”

Callum’s shoulders slumped as he sighed. “Why do you have to be so stubborn?”

I smirked. “Is that resignation I hear?”

He bit his bottom lip as he contemplated, and I contemplated how cute he looked trying to glare and be all rebellious.

“If it has come to this, then we’ll both pay,” He said. “I take three-quarters.”

“Half-half.” I countered.

He huffed. “Rose.”

“I’ll pay for my meal and you’ll pay for yours,” I stated with obstinance. He still glared at me, so I added, “I’m a member of the working class who prefers to spend the money she’s earned, so don’t take it the wrong way.”

Callum’s eyes softened and in a resigned tone, he said, “And I just want to do nice things for you.”

I was touched by his thoughtfulness, and it somehow made me mellow. I had to give him something.

“Well I can assure you, I’ll be hungry after the first folk dance. You can buy me a snack then.”

His eyes lit up like stars. “Seriously?”

I nodded. “Seriously.”

He narrowed his eyes. “No take-backs.”

I laughed. “No take-backs.”

And then he smiled his white smile, giving me an appealing view of his dimple.

We located Levi and Poppy standing near one of the many barbecue stands that were scattered all over the park. They were with a lady I didn’t recognise until we got closer. I gasped upon realising that the lady was, in fact, Isabelle – the one who had previously asked Callum to be her date.

“There you are!” Poppy squawked when she saw us. “We’d just about gotten bored and irritated having to wait for you.”

“Sorry,” Callum apologised, but his attention had been taken by Isabelle, upon whom his eyes were glued. A small smile crossed his lips. “Hello, Isabelle.”

The young lady blushed and shyly smiled back. “Hello, Callum.”

A muscle in my chest ticked when I witnessed their interaction.

What sort of twisted outcome was this?

She offered me a polite smile. “Hello, Rose.”

I only gave her a tight-lipped smile and a curt nod. I knew I should be more courteous and reply but for the life of me, I couldn’t find it in me to.

“What a surprise,” Levi voiced, a pleasant look on his face. “You two already know my sister.”

“Sister!” I squealed rather loudly, causing Poppy to scowl at my unladylike behaviour.

“Yes.” Levi gave a ginger nod, clearly not understanding my overboard reaction. “She is my younger sister, Belle.”

I blinked. Again, what sort of twisted outcome was this?

*****

Thus the get together Poppy and I had agreed to ended up being one of five instead of four. The five of us sat at a round table in the lawns to eat our meal. Everyone had barbecue meat of their choice, plus mashed potatoes and gravy, with salad on the side.

Poppy, sitting across from me, started, “So Callum. How long have you known Rosa?”

I nearly choked on my steak as my pulse quickened.

“Well--”

“For a while,” I swiftly replied, not giving Callum a chance to answer. If he talked, I was done for.

“For a while meaning a long while or for a while meaning a really short while?” Poppy fired, nonchalantly cutting through her steak with the precision of a surgeon.

“For a long while,” I replied.

If you can call about two weeks a long while.

Her leafy green eyes flashed up at me. “Does he not have a mouth to talk for you to be his spokeswoman?” she said and smiled sweetly at my date, who was on my left. “Answer the question, Callum.”

Glaring at her, I rolled my tongue in my mouth and stabbed my meat with my fork. I hated having to use a knife and fork while eating my meat because I was terrible at it. I normally used my hands. I would have gone for the chicken or the goat’s meat, but steak was easier to cut up so I had to suck it up at the moment.

“Uhm, for a long while,” Callum replied. “Although I only got to really know her recently.”

Relief waved through me at his vague answer, and Poppy’s smile turned into a frown.

“How unfortunate,” she said.

“Unfortunate?” He echoed in a query.

“That you met her, of course.” Poppy shrugged. “She must be driving you crazy with her absurd tantrums and uncouth behaviour.” She took a bite of her meat from her fork.

I scoffed. “The only uncouth person here is you, who has the need to nitpick amidst an amicable dinner.”

She glared at me and I glared right back.

“So Belle, did you manage to catch the show?” Levi changed the subject in a bid to ease the tension clouding the table. I tore my eyes from Poppy and resumed eating.

“Oh yes I did,” Isabelle’s soft voice replied. It was sweet yet it exasperated me in an unjustified manner – contrary to Poppy’s which was justified. “I saw you perform and you were magnificent.”

“As always,” Poppy added smugly. “He’s so richly talented just like me, the pageant queen. I’ve won every beauty pageant I’ve been in since I entered and it’s four years now – and counting. What’s your talent, Callum?”

Callum fidgeted in his seat. “Uhm, I don’t really have any. You two are so gifted compared to me.”

“Oh.” Poppy’s eyes that had sparked with interest dulled and she frowned in contempt. “How disappointing.”

I was beyond irritated. “She toots her own horn while belittling others. Maybe she’s not uncouth, but she sure is inane.”

Heavy silence filled the table as I stabbed a piece of my meat and put it in my mouth.

Poppy lowered her cutlery and hissed, “If you have something to say to me, say it.”

“I just did. Any sane and bright person with ears heard it.” I looked up and glared at her.

She opened her mouth to retort but Callum spoke up. “Belle, do you have a talent?”

Belle? Since when did he call her Belle? It was ‘Isabelle’ a few moments ago!

I turned my head and saw them looking at each other. They sat next to each other, so what was the need for them to look at each other?

“Well.” Isabelle smiled. “I do play the pianoforte.”

“Really?”

“My sister is a master when it comes to the pianoforte,” Levi praised. “She always plays at home, when father has people over, and at his parties. Everyone loves how marvellously she plays.”

Callum looked dazzled. “That’s impressive,” he told her.

She blushed, lowering her gaze. “It’s nothing.”

The ticking in my chest spread at simply watching these two, especially her. So she and her sibling were musical geniuses from a sophisticated family. So.The heck. What? It wasn’t my place to feel bothered by them. By her.

I sliced and forked another piece of meat. I aimed for my mouth but somehow, it poked the side of my mouth.

Great. Now my nerves weren’t connecting right.

“That makes three gifted people at this table,” Poppy’s annoying voice pointed out. “I wonder who the odd ones are.” She looked pointedly at Callum and me, vindictive mirth in her eyes.

She was mocking us, and it got my blood boiling.

Callum started, “Actually, Rose sin-”

“You sing, right Rose?” Levi cut in, gazing at me.

Callum went rigid beside me, then retracted back into his chair.

“Wh-what?” I stammered, caught off-guard by Levi’s statement.

How did he know?

A small smile tugged his lips upwards and his amber eyes shone at my reaction. “Yes, you do sing.”

Poppy scoffed. “Horribly,” she stated. “I’ve heard Mr. Gareth the choir master groan at how horrid her singing is; that it makes him want to cut his ears off.”

“Then he should go ahead and cut his ears off because clearly, they don’t work,” Levi expressed, still keeping my gaze.

I was starting to feel quite warm.

“I’ve heard you sing, Rose, and it’s beautiful,” Levi spoke to me in a way that made me feel like we were the only ones at the table. “Gareth is an arse for looking past that. Although, even his eyes are of no use, as they don’t know beauty when they see it.”

Was...was he referring to me? The way he looked at me felt like he was.

And now I was stupidly blushing.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Poppy scowl as she practically fumed with anger.

Huh. Maybe this ‘dinner’ wasn’t so bad after all.

After the meal, Poppy clung to Levi’s arm like she was a conjoined twin, and said she didn’t feel like moving in a big group anymore. Thus she went her separate way, taking Levi and Praise to God, Isabelle, with her.

“Looks like the get together was cut short,” I declared to Callum with blatant cheer. I could finally breathe fresh air, with no menace to hang around us now.

He let out a sigh of relief. “And thank goodness for that too,” he confessed. “I liked the original plan better, when it was just me and you.”

Little did he know that the original plan was actually the get together. But he didn’t need to know about my and Poppy’s dealings or situations – that chapter was closed now.

“No Isabelle, no Poppy,” I chanted.

“No Levi,” he said it with a hardness in his tone, but it softened when he added, “Just us.” And smiled a smile so warm, it made my heart swell.

“Just us,” I repeated, smiling back.

I didn’t need to worry about Poppy anymore. The plan was complete, and the poisonous witch was off my back. I would stop fretting, and everything would go back to normal.

A/N:

Because who doesn’t like a little jealousy?😝

The plan’s done so what next?

Thank you for reading😊 and don’t forget to vote⭐!