All day at school passes like usual except the fact that I don't evade Joseph's eyes as much as I used to. I even look at him myself in some classes. 

" Do you know there's football match next weekend? With Baton High School. I would be staying for extra practice after school. Would you like to come? " Peter smiles slightly at me and Cathy.

" Where, to the practice? " Cathy looks at him in confusion.

" Obviously not, as if. To the football match. " Peter asks us in U.S. History class.

I have never been to a match before. To be honest I didn't feel like. Although Joseph asked me several times, I knew that Isabella, Sofia and Scarlett would be there, cheerleading in their red skirts and white polyester top.

Joseph always asked me but didn't say anything when I said no.

" So you will be there right? " Peter whispers when Mrs. Sheridan starts teaching us.

" Okay " I whisper back.

He gives me a grin then we both get into writing the notes.

After school, I take a shower and wait with bated breath. I look at the clock, almost 4. Is he going to come? To distract myself I open Netflix and start watching Friends.

My doorbell rings, making me slightly jump from the sofa. I open the door almost running on the white marble floor. " Hiii " Joseph smiles at me, his jersey drenched in sweat.

" Hiii. Come inside. " I open the door and step aside to let him in.

He does and I click the door shut.

" You were watching Friends? " He turns towards me and gives me an amusing smile. His blue eyes shining as if a sun  glancing from behind it.

" Yeah. " I say.

" Okay. Ahem " he clears his throat. And touches his brown hair softly. " Would you.. would you liketocometomyhouse. " He says so fast , that all I can understand is would you like to.

" What? "

He leers at me, again moving his hands through his hair. " I was asking would you like to come to my house. "

Then the shreiking voice of Chandler coming from the other room stops. Everything else just stops.

It's just us. Him looking at me. I looking at him. The weird tango going around in my stomach increases when Joseph takes a tentative step towards me , his eyes as if waiting for my reply.

As weird as it may sound. I haven't been to his home before. Even though I see his fake portico door everyday. Even though I have seen his big iron gates almost all my life.

Going to his home was too much. Too much vulnerable. Too much open. My parents sometimes asked did Joseph never invites you to his home. But they didn't say anything when I told them that I didn't feel comfortable with his stepmother. Obviously it was a lie, because I haven't even been to his house in the first place.

He asked me, a lot of times. But I told him If he had so much problem coming to my house, he doesn't have to come at all. That was the last time we talked about it.

Until now, where he is standing too close. And all I can see his blue eyes and all I can hear is him.And all I can smell is him. That's why I  don't like to stay too close to him. He fogs my brain. All I can feel is my heartbeat thumping up and down.

" Would you? " he says standing close to me. His face just an inch away from me.

I take a gulp, a dry gulp.

He doesn't say anything. I don't say anything. We are just standing, close to each other my heart even then wrapped around him. It's like I can't fight him. All my defences going down when he is staring at me like that.

" Please says yes " he says with a whisper of desperation in his voice.

I nod my head slightly. He sighs and puts his head on my head. His nose touching me. " I won't let anything ever happen to you. Okay? "

Don't say such things she wanted to say to him. I wouldn't be able to take it anymore. But she knew maybe he deserved a chance, maybe her skin crawling inside her deserved a chance.

So she didn't say anything but kissed him. Kissed him until she let him feel that every part of her already belonged to him. Until she felt like his heart was beating in hers.

His house was unusually large. Why did four people would need such a big home she thought. But then the question was answered when she saw three people dressed in completely white and black crisp clothes. Not even an inch of wrinkle on it.

She consciously looked at her clothes. Dressed in plain black oversized t-shirt and corduroy pants, she must be looking like a hippie.

Joseph-

He could see that she was getting concious of herself. She usually did, in front of strangers. He pulled her hands tightly in his. The servants eyes widened a bit he noticed. But he didn't give a damn.

Not when she was there beside him. To hold her, to never let her go. To make her realise that she belonged with him. Belonged with herself.

So he did the only thing he knew would make her distract, he touched her hair.

Kimberly-

Too big, she thought the whole time, too tinselled. The high big golden chandelier. The big living room. The spiral golden staircase. The ancient white floors. Paintings of artist she didn't even recognised. She knew that Joseph had money, but never knew he had that much.  She felt like she was into some story where the hero showed the heroine the big white dazzling castle and the heroine watched with gooey eyes.  Too bad she wasn't a heroine, and more of  sort it made her to wanting to turn and run away from the place.

She had watched in papers sometimes his father's face with his stepmother's dressed in sparkling designer clothes,  on one of his movie premiere, he was a well known producer. Often times he lived for months in Los Angeles, Joseph told me. He didn't want Joseph in Los Angeles because he wanted him to have a normal lifestyle. But Joseph said, it was because his father didn't want Joseph near him.

Was it true? If his father wanted him to have a normal lifestyle. Was it normal according to him?

Joseph-

" Do you want to go upstairs? Or we can continue watching Friends if you want. " Joseph looked cautiously at her. His own insides playing football with him.

She looked around as if not sure. It seemed like she was nervous.

He touched her hair again.

" Somewhere quiet " she whispered.

He nodded and took her upstairs. It was a two- storey house but it was much larger in size. He was going to take  her to his room. The only place where he thought maybe could make her feel as if he was normal.
The only place from where maybe she will not run away. Maybe he can show her his library. She likes books, he thought.

" Wait let us take a detour. " He said. She looked confused but followed him.

He opened the door to library, the wooden door had brass handle. It creaked slightly opening to a circular giant collection of mahogany shelfs holding thousands of books. He was still into his school clothes. Watching the look in her eyes for books , he didn't even felt like to change even if he was smelling until and unless she didn't mind.

She hesitantly took a step into the library. The wooden floor looked too beautiful to her. Everything looked too beautiful to her.

She turned to him. " Can I see the books?"

" You can see anything " he said. He took a deep breath, it was a good decision to bring her here, she wouldn't run. She loved books too much to run from them.

He didn't know he could feel jealous with books. But he smiled when he saw her moving her hands through them as if they were too valuable. He wanted to give her every book in the world right at that moment.

He saw her hand stopping on " The Bell Jar. "

" You can take it. " He said.

She looked at him then.

He felt himself going gobbledygook. How could he ever make her understand what she did to him.

He wanted to. He wanted to make her feel everything.