Chapter 31
Natalie's POV
I checked the time on the wall clock. 7 more minutes till 9:00 clock. I don't know why, but I've been especially nervous—and eager for today, even though it's not a date. I checked myself in the mirror to put in some last touches; I was finally ready. I locked my room door and proceeded downstairs where I met Maggie and Greg busy with themselves.
“Hey.” I greeted as I went to grab myself a bottle of water.
“Hi..... Where are you going all dressed up?” Greg asked when he saw me. I shrugged and looked at him.
“It's just an outing... With a friend.” I answered, opening the bottle and gulping down some water.
“And you are this dressed up?” He repeated, his eyes looking me through.
“It's just a t-shirt and jeans with some boots, nothing fancy,” I replied, rolling my eyes. Just then, Jace walked in.
“She's going out with her boyfriend... And he's here.” He butted in, winking at me. I glared at him.
“Wait... YOU have a boyfriend??” Greg asked in disbelief. Maggie chuckled.
“For the last time people, he’s not my boyfriend!!” I yelled.
“Hmm, whatever, he's outside. Oh, and I'm telling dad.” Jace said and snatched the bottle from me. I scoffed and walked out of the kitchen area.
“That what?”
“That you have a boyfriend.” He stated.
“What have I been saying here..... You know what? I give up. Do what you want.” I said, and they all chuckled, earning another eye roll from me.
“I'm out... And I don't know when I'll be back, hopefully before 8:00 clock.” I said as I walked out of the house.
I approached Xavier, whose car was parked right in front of my house, and he was in front.
“Hi. Good morning.” I greeted.
“Good morning to you too.” He greeted as well, a sly smile on his face.
“I see you're here early,” I observed.
“Why wouldn't I? You said 9:00 clock sharp.”
“I did say that. Are you ready?” I asked even though it sounds stupid to my ears. Of course, he was ready!
“Sure. Shall we?” He asked, gesturing. I chuckled.
“We shall,” I muttered in reply. I walked towards the passenger seat.
“Have fun!” someone called behind me. It was Jace. When did he get out? I waved back at him before getting into the car and then driving out.
“I hope you have lots of places in mind because I know nowhere,” I said, glancing at Xavier.
“Well, I have a few options. Although they are very limited.” He replied.
“Anywhere would do. Let's just get out of here.” I said, and we chuckled. This might be fun.
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We arrived at an amusement park that had lots of roller coasters, rides, and even mighty long water slides. Everywhere was just bursting with excitement and fun as people walked in and out.
“Woah....” I exclaimed, looking up. “Look at the height of that roller coaster!! Never seen anything like it!” I heard Xavier chuckle, and I looked at him.
“I'd figure you'd like it and thank God you do.” He said.
“What about you? Don't you like it?” I asked.
“Well I do, but it's been a while since I've done stuff like this. I'm mostly indoors most of the time.”
“How long?”
“Since Mom died.” He answered, a shadow crossing his features. I stiffened, feeling sympathy for him.
“That's long. We thank God you are here now, 'cause we'll be trying out everything!” I announced, clapping excitedly.
“What?” He muttered, looking at me with eyes big as saucers.
“You heard me. First, let's go on the roller coaster. I need some adrenaline in my system.” I said and walked along.
We walked to the station where the officials strapped us into the coaches. Xavier looked very unsure of the entire thing.
“What?” I asked, raising my brows at him.
“Well... I'm not sure I want to do this... You know. Maybe you should just go, and I wait for you.” He suggested. I frowned slightly and held him on the cheeks.
“My dear Xavier, please learn to let yourself go and enjoy the ride,” I said. He looked dumbstruck for a while but quickly recovered. The coaches began moving and soon we got to the highest point of the tracks. I grinned widely as I inhaled and enjoyed the sea.
“This is the point where you put your hands in the air and scream,” I said as we came rushing down. We put our hands in the air and screamed endlessly, enjoying every second of it.
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Soon the ride was done, and we were too shaken to even walk properly. We kept leaning on each other.
“That. Was. Amazing.” I gasped, giggling.
“It's given me enough adrenaline to last the entire day,” he said. I nudged at him.
“I told you we'll have fun.” He looked at me and smiled.
“Yes. We are having fun.” He muttered. Then, I saw a puppy. It was hairy and had looked like a wolf. It melted me immediately.
“Aww, look at that puppy!” I squeaked, walking towards it. It ran towards it and jumped on me, giving me a wet lick. I giggled. Xavier just stared at me, but I didn't mind him.
“I've always wanted a dog, but with the type of brothers I had, there's no way I'd keep it,” I muttered while playing with its fur.
“Why? You would kill it?”
“No....my brothers would day they wanted theirs too and nobody would be to take care of them. It'll be quite a mess.” I finished.
“Oh... I see.”
I played with it for a while until the puppy saw its owner and scurried down from my hands. I waved at it, smiling.
“Bye Wolfie,” I said.
“Wolfie? Is that's its name?” Xavier asked.
“That should be his name. It looks like a wolf,” I said.
“Yeah, that's true....”
“I should go wash my hands. It would be dirty..” I muttered and made to leave but then noticed that Xavier wasn't following me. I stopped and turned.
“Why are you still standing there?” I asked.
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Xavier's POV
They said to make you fall in love with me. I had to make you smile and laugh, but every time you did that, I was the one who fell in love. For the first in a long while I had felt truly and completely happy, without the doubts and worries, and it was all thanks to Natalie. She reached to me in more ways than I could ever imagine, and I was grateful for that.
But knowing all of this was a pretense, and it was just for the main time, my heart sank. I mean... This is just a bet, but why isn't my heart listening to that? I was falling for Natalie... And I was falling hard. And it scared me a lot... No, terrified me.
“Hey? Are you listening to me?” Natalie's voice jolted me out of my reverie. I looked at her with renewed attention.
“Uh... Were you saying something?” I asked.
“Well, I have been speaking for some time now, but it looks like you're not listening.”
“Well, I am now, so what were you talking about?”
"What were YOU thinking about?” She asked, peering at me. I shrugged and smiled.
“Nothing... Let's go on some rides, we haven't tried out some yet,” I said, hoping it'll distract her.
“Well, I need to wash my hands first... I played with that puppy, remember?” she said, raising them.
“Yeah, you do that.”
“You know what? Just wait here, I'll be right back.” She said and hurried out of the place. I watched till she disappeared and then heaved a sigh.
I have to do something about these growing feelings... And fast.
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She came back, and we tried other kinds of stuff as well. At one point, a photographer thought we were couples and requested to take a photo of us. I thought Natalie would refuse, but I guess we were having so much fun she wasn't even thinking critically. We ate, talked, laughed, and even chased each other.
Sadly, the day was going by, and it was getting to evening. It meant we had to leave. After one last ride on the play stuff, we got out of the park feeling completely exhausted and with lots of memories. I didn't want to let her go just yet, but her brothers called. So I had to drive her home early.
We buckled up our seatbelts and I drove her home. With the radio playing, songs filled the car, and we even had our car karaoke version before I pulled up at her gate. There, we could see her brothers coming out.
“No wonder Greg called,” Natalie muttered. “He's taking Maggie on a date, and he doesn't want the house to be empty.”
“What about Jace?” I asked.
“That one, he's never around in the evenings.”
“Oh....” Then she looked at me. I held my breath.
“Thanks for today. I had fun and I hope I've been forgiven for any sin I might've committed.” She said, and I smiled.
“Yes, you have. And I had fun as well. Thanks for coming out with me.” I said sincerely.
“You're welcome.”
We glanced at each other and held gazes. Almost instantly, I had the craziest urge to lean in and kiss her. I guess she must've felt it cause she coughed slightly and opened the door. Closing it, she looked at me through the window. I glanced at her.
“Thanks again for today.”
“You're welcome.”
“Bye..... And have a goodnight.”
"You too.”
She walked in and just then her brother drove out, the one she called Greg. I saluted him before driving out myself. Driving out a safe distance, I parked and heaved a sigh.
No doubt I might have fallen in love with Natalie. But I don't know if she feels the same for me. Or if have gotten out of the mess, I dragged her into. Not to mention Xander..... Doing anything now might cause more harm than good, and the last thing I want is for Xander to hate me more than he already does.
So what are you going to do? My subconscious asked me. I gulped, trying to swallow the bitter feeling growing in the pit of my stomach. It hurts just thinking about it.
Let her go..... That's it. I'll have to let her go.
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Natalie's POV
Since I was the only one at home, I happily bounced to my room and dropped onto my bed, giggling happily. I don't know why I was so happy today. Of course, I do, I just don't want to admit it yet. I smiled and brought out my phone. I need to call Ari.
We talked for a few moments, with her getting super excited about my outing with Xavier. Up till now, she still can't believe I could be friends with the Anderson brothers... Sometimes it's pretty weird for me to believe as well.
“That reminds me, Ari,” I said into the phone. “Sooner or later you'll be coming to New Orleans.”
“You're joking, right? How can I come over there?”
Well, I said sooner or later. I'll have to see first with my brothers and, of course, Ambrose high.” I said.
“But... What will I do there?”
“About the case with the brothers. I'm afraid if I do it alone, I might mess things up. I don't want that to happen. It'll be pretty much easier to handle if you were here with me.”
“So if I hear you right, I'll be going to Ambrose high school..... And meeting the brothers!?”
“Pretty much, yes.”
“Ah!!” She screamed. Again, I had to put the phone out of my ears and return.
“I'll love to come. There's nothing to do here, anyway. Ever since you left. So when's the time?”
"As I said earlier, I'll have to check with my brothers. If they agree, you can come over.”
“I'll have Terrance drive me. He's around.”
Terrance is her supermodel brother. He's just as handsome, but Jace would beat his hands down. I chuckled.
“Okay bye. Talk to you later. Say hi to the brothers for me.”
“Will do. Goodbye.”
I hung up and lay on the bed for a while. Okay, to get rid of these clothes and have a long soak in the bathroom.
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Mira's POV
Darren: I'll be coming over by 5:30. Hope you'll be ready by then. I can't wait to see you. Kisses.
I stared at the message for the thousandth time. Darren had sent me the message since lunch, but I still found it hard to believe. Ever do that visit to his house, we've been incredibly close, and he had even come to visit me once at home. It's a memory I'll never forget.
Now he wants me to get ready since he'll be taking me out on a date. But something tells me he might not be returning me home tonight. I smiled to myself then a heard a knock on the door.
“Come in,” I said, and the person walked in. It was mom. “Good evening mom. “I greeted, bowing slightly. She smiled and walked towards me, holding my hands and caressing my hair.
“Aren't you going? It's almost 5:30!” She said gently.
“I am going. And am almost ready. Just a few finishing touches and some accessories.” Yeah, I had bathed, scrubbed massage, and done every other thing I had to do. I just finished putting on my dress.
“Look at you, you look like a real princess.” My mom said.
“Well, I was given birth to by a queen,” I said, and we chuckled. Then it died down, and she looked at me softly.
“You'll have lots of fun. I know that for a fact. You and the man of your dreams... Alone. How grand is that?”
“It's beautiful. More than what any imagination can conjure.” I said.
“You two remind me of my youthful days... And I'm proud of that.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I said, my eyes getting Misty. I didn't want to cry now.
“One more thing....” she said and brought a tiny parcel that had been carefully wrapped up. I wondered what it was. She placed it in my hands.
“Here, have this. Make sure you keep it.” Then, taking in a deep breath, voiced out the rest. “If it doesn't happen, don't force it, but if it does, you'll know what to do.” She said quietly.
“Don't force what?” I asked, confused. She smiled smugly.
“You'll find out soon.” I nodded and put the parcel in my bag. Then hugged my mom.
“Thanks, Mom. For everything.”
“Anytime dear. Anytime.” We stayed like that for a while before a knock interrupted our special moment. A maid walked in.
“I'm sorry ma'am, but someone is waiting for miss Mira downstairs.”
“That's Darren.”
“Come on, hurry up.” My mom prodded. I giggled and picked up my bag. Going downstairs, I could see Darren already. He looked breathtaking!! Too handsome! He soon saw me, and his expression was something to laugh about.
“Hi....” I greeted shyly.
“Wow... You look...” He couldn't finish it. He's lost for words. I smiled and went on to hold his hands. My mom descended right after.
“Look at the latest couple in town. You too go on now and make memories. Note that I said memories, not kids. I'm not ready to be a grandma yet.” Darren was dumbfounded.
“Mom!” I said, blushing. She chuckled.
“Don't mind me.” Then, turning to Darren said. “Please take care of her. I've only got two.”
“I sure will, “he said sincerely. “Good night ma'am,” he said and gently pulled me, so I went along with him. I waved before finally leaving.
Getting outside, I saw the car he brought. It was different.
“Wow...” You prepared for this,” I muttered. He glanced at me.
“What did you expect? Am about to take the most beautiful girl I've ever seen out.” He answered. I blushed at hearing that.
“Let's just go,” I said. He went on to open the passenger seat and I got in. Then he did as well. When he was seated and ready to go, I asked him.
“Where are you taking me to?”
He looked at me and smirked. “To forever.” He answered.
I stared at him and smiled. Darren Kentucky is one love of a man. An absolute love. The word love echoed in my mind for the longest time.