Two weeks later. Nothing special has happened. Nobody has to worry about something or get over some losses. It’s about twelve o’clock. Terrence, Peter, and Daniel are at the home of the latter one. To be clear, in his garage, where the lads have lately been rehearsing a lot, improving their skills and performing some songs. The tour, to which Liam Caulfield, Zachary Jefferson, and Bradley Charles from the band “The Loser Syndrome” invited them, will start very soon. So, they need to get ready and work very hard not to get showered with mud. But the friends have no problems, and every one of them gives a heart and a soul to his play.
Peter is perfectly beating a rhythm on drums, getting much pleasure from the play, and sometimes singing into a microphone in his nice voice with a hoarse, and even performing short solos. Daniel is playing the bass guitar as a real professional, singing into a microphone in his low, velvet voice and performing some solo lines with pleasure. And Terrence is probably the most important and best addition. His brilliant play on a solo guitar and his absolutely clear, charming, and strong voice that makes a heart stop are beyond praise. People are right when they say that this man has a talent for singing and playing. He was really born to be the vocalist of a band or a solo performer.
First, the band that does not have a name yet performs a couple of songs. Terrence, Peter, and Daniel performed one of them for their first video that they posted on the Internet. The video quickly became very popular on the web and got the attention of the members of the band “The Loser Syndrome” that invited them on their short American tour. And now, they decide to play some songs that they personally wrote, especially like, and would like to sing for one of their videos.
So, some time later, the guys finish performing the last chords of one of their songs. When it ends, Peter sharply throws his drumsticks up but catches both of them without problems. It goes without saying, the man was working for a long time to perform this trick and learn some others that he liked. When he finishes performing his part on the bass guitar, Daniel raises his hand and head up, breathing a little heavily with a slight smile on his face. And Terrence shakes his head after finishing performing his guitar solo, and takes two steps forward, holding the fretboard with one hand and raising another hand as well as his head.
Probably, this rehearsal is one of the best ever. Nobody knows if it has to do with the fact that Terrence got the motivation and began to enjoy his life after reconciling with Raquelle. Yes, he played very well and never played out of the tune, even though it was something like everyday work for him that he was doing automatically. But now his play got many times better, and his singing got much more energy, got much stronger, and is now able to shake everyone up.
“Excellent job, guys,” Terrence encourages cheerfully, looking at his friends with a slight smile. “Today’s rehearsal was just incredible.”
“Agree, that was cool!” Daniel agrees confidently, touching a couple of strings that make quiet sounds. “It’s one of the best rehearsals so far.”
“Absolutely agree with you,” Peter pronounces with enthusiasm, putting his drumsticks aside. “The mood is whoa!”
“Oh, yeah, the mood got much better!”
“A-a-a, fuck!” Peter starts gesticulating actively. “It’s been a while since I felt such powerful energy! I think I never beat on drums with such great pleasure before!”
“Oh, men, I feel like we’re gonna become real stars if we keep playing like this,” Daniel assumes confidently. “We will be memorized for a long time. If we play so brilliantly and kick everyone’s asses, it’s going to be a ticket to a gorgeous life for all of us.”
“Having such an irresistible vocalist, we must get noticed. Such a strong voice won’t leave anyone indifferent!”
“Yeah, but sometimes I think we’re missing something…” Terrence confesses thoughtfully, running his hand over the fretboard. “I think… We need something else to kick everyone’s asses.”
“C’mon, buddy, everything’s cool!” Peter waves his hand with a wide smile. “You must only take care of your voice, and we would be afraid of nothing.”
“Aha, if you can’t sing, we won’t have success,” Daniel nods.
“I’m serious, guys,” Terrence pronounces confidently. “Everything is really wonderful, and we all play and sing well. But something is wrong… We lack some light… Some energy…”
“But I believe everything is cool! We play well, sing well, and don’t do it out of tune…” Daniel clears his throat quickly. “I get a real pleasure from playing!”
“Hey, don’t ya really feel we lack something very much? But if we change something, everything will be much better!”
“What’s up, Terrence?” Peter wonders. “Why do you insist that we lack something, and we should examine our material during every rehearsal? I’m personally pleased with everything and play with pleasure.”
“Indeed, MacClife…” Daniel agrees. “As if you wanna criticize us somehow, but you don’t know how to find a reason, ‘cause the blond and I are imitable.”
“The case is not about you, guys,” Terrence replies quietly. “Both of you play incredibly, and you don’t sing out of tune. The case is that we’re just missing something.”
“So, buddy…” Daniel chuckles quietly. “Can’t you still come to yourself after reconciling with Raquelle? Is that why you’re walking like dumbfounded?”
“Oh, it seems like you really understand everything too slowly…” Terrence moans tiredly.
“Indeed, Terry, as if you still believe your relationship with Raquelle came to an end,” Peter notices. “And that’s why you always aren’t pleased with something.”
“Not true!”
“Yes, Dan and I weren’t unhappy with our play because you were doing everything without enthusiasm. But now everything is fucking cool!”
“Exactly!” Daniel says cheerfully, holding a bass guitar in his hands. “Our play got much better because you, our lead vocalist and guitarist, finally reconciled with your beloved girl and began to enjoy your life again.”
“You know it well,” Terrence says quietly. “Because I told you everything when we met.”
“I swear, dude, if I meet Raquelle someday, I will personally thank her,” Peter says confidently with a slight smile. “For inspiring you to enjoy your life and reach something again.”
“Since she made such a miracle and got our Terrence back, we definitely must owe her.” Daniel notices cheerfully. “Without a vocalist, everything would be ruined to the fuck. We would never get a chance to become celebrities.”
Terrence says nothing and shakes his head with a shy laugh, watching his funny friends.
“Oh, guys, what do I do to you?” Terrence sighs tiredly, putting his guitar in the place where it was before. “I’ve been trying to make you sure that we aren’t perfect and lack something for a few weeks, but you don’t wanna notice it.”
“Dude, why do you constantly say: we’re missing something, we are missing?” Peter moans quietly. “Everything is wonderful! If we disliked something, we would surely show a protest.”
“But now there is no reason to change something ‘cause everything’s cool,” Daniel nods. “I personally noticed that our play got much better when we continued to rehearse after Terrence and Raquelle’s reconciliation. Of course, it was also cool, but now everything’s just perfect.”
“I ain’t even gonna argue with you, buddy!” Peter raises his hands up. “I don’t doubt our success.”
“Okay, okay, you’ll understand me better when you stop feeling the energy that I don’t personally feel now,” Terrence crosses his arms over his chest.
“Hey, MacClife, I think you’re just as hungry as a wolf,” Daniel laughs quietly. “So, that’s why you’re walking here gloomy and unpleased.”
“I am not unpleased! And not gloomy!”
“Pete and I already noticed that you would eat much food and love getting more.”
“Right, our black-haired handsome guy does just need to get a burger into his mouth,” Peter agrees. “Or better two!”
Peter starts to massage his neck and turn it to different sides.
“But actually, I wouldn’t mind eating a burger with juicy chicken…” Peter rolls his eyes dreamily. “Or better a double one… With cheese, cucumbers, and ketchup…”
“Hey, Rose, shut up!” Terrence closes his ears. “Or you will really make me go to the nearest café and buy a big, delicious burger.”
Terrence’s wish to eat something lets him know about it when he feels a slight rumbling in his stomach, and Daniel and Peter easily hear it and start to laugh quietly.
“Oh, yay, MacClife’s stomach makes everything clear,” Daniel chuckles kindly, putting his bass guitar aside.
“Erm, listen, lads, I think it’s time to take a little break,” Peter says thoughtfully, stretching himself up. “Honestly, I’m a little tired… Let’s have some rest, eat something tasty and then keep playing again.”
“Nice idea!” Terrence smiles slightly. “Although we don't rehearse for so long, we could go to clean Perkins’ refrigerator and relax on the sofa.”
“Agree, but I have to warn you that I need to set free earlier today,” Daniel replies thoughtfully and smiles mysteriously. “Much earlier…”
“Why?” Peter wonders.
“Today, I have some plans that can’t be saved for later.”
Terrence and Peter look at each other and chuckle kindly.
“M-m-m, I’m guessing what kind of plans you have,” Terrence says with a slight smile. “Gonna go on another date with your beloved girlfriend?”
“Why not?” Daniel smiles innocently. “Although we live together, it doesn’t mean we don’t need to go on dates. We actually always try to surprise each other and never refuse to walk together. For example, I recently got her surprised by a little surprise, and today in the morning, she said she prepared something for me. She let me know that we’d go somewhere tonight.”
“Okay, we don’t mind! Pete and I will let you go to your beauty. We completely understand everything. And we don’t mind you being taken far, far away.”
“Aha, let him have fun with his cutie,” Peter chuckles kindly.
“But don’t disappear for a long time,” Terrence says. “We’re gonna need you.”
“Don’t worry, my friend, I won’t do,” Daniel smiles shyly.
“Hey, Terrence, I think you’re wondering why Daniel is so smiling and quiet the next day after going on a date with his beauty,” Peter assumes thoughtfully. “I know why!”
“Why?” Terrence asks.
“She just does real miracles! When this guy spends time with that girl, nothing can make him fall into depression or become gloomy. You can tell him any kind of jokes, but he’d be only smiling like an idiot.”
“That girl is just the first one that makes me feel so wonderful,” Daniel smiles mysteriously. “I didn’t feel as good with someone else as I do with her. Fate definitely gave me a gift when introducing me to that beauty.”
“Oh, don’t start to tell us everything we’ve heard thousands of times for two or three hours,” Peter rolls his eyes, running his hands through his hair. “Or my ears will blow off if I hear the same story over and over.”
“Agree,” Terrence laughs quietly. “We actually wanna hear something new, buddy. And very, very interesting…”
“Oh, c’mon, Pete!” Daniel rolls his eyes. “When you meet a girlfriend, you will understand me well. You will also be happy after every single date with a cutie and will be telling us about how cool you feel with her for hours.”
After hearing these words, Peter gets quite sad and inclines his head for a while, taking one of the drumsticks that he starts to look at.
“Ah, yeah…” Peter pronounces in a much lower voice with sadness in his eyes. “I forgot I’m the only one from our band not to have a girlfriend.”
“Sorry, dude, but you’re guilty of that,” Daniel shrugs. “There are so many beautiful girls around, but you always find excuses and refuse just to meet someone.”
“Indeed, Peter,” Terrence agrees. “I don’t get ya! Dating a beautiful girl and spending time with her is cool. You’re missing so much! Even though you could be as happy as Dan and I are now.”
“Oh, Terrence, don’t start it, too…” Peter moans quietly. “Someone already dinged into my ears about it, and now you started doing that.”
“We just want you to be happy, as well!” Daniel exclaims. “For you to have someone to press you to the chest like a little puppy.”
“When it’s time, it will surely happen.”
“It seems like you’re really afraid of girls and don’t know how to behave toward them.”
“I do know how to behave toward them.”
“Everyone starts with something, man. There’s nothing that you could be ashamed of. I didn’t also know anything when I was a kid, but then I got experience.”
“Exactly, you need to start it someday!” Terrence notices. “Go somewhere to drink and dance, meet a beautiful girl, and pick her up. A couple of compliments about her look and a cocktail for her paid by you before she goes anywhere with you.”
“Oh, shit, I shouldn’t start talking about girls with you…” Peter says tiredly, closing his face with both hands.
“Listen, blond, if you keep finding excuses for refusing to meet girls, I’ll also start to think you’ve got no experience in communicating with girls.”
“You also say I’m gay!” Peter throws gloomily.
“So, do you like men?”
“No!”
“He said he didn’t like me,” Daniel adds. “But it’s just impossible ‘cause I’m a pretty boy!”
“Right! Because he likes me!”
“I don’t like you, either,” Peter says confidently.
“What? How could you dare?”
“I am not gay, I repeat! I don’t have a thing for men.”
“C’mon, man, don’t be shy to confess it! Nobody would eat you if you said you were indifferent to girls. Moreover, I somehow acted in a movie with a man, who publicly called himself gay. He is actually a cool man! And I do respect his choice. Anything happens.”
“I have a thing only for girls.”
“And if you’re still a virgin, you don’t have to be shy about it. Good girls wouldn’t be laughing at you if you decided to tell them that you didn’t know what to do them.”
“Fuck, why do you care about my virginity so much?” Peter resents. “I’ve said thousands of times that I am no longer a virgin and have experience communicating with girls.”
“But what’s your problem?” Daniel throws his hands up. “What’s wrong with picking up a girl and having some fun with her? It’d be okay if you were taken, we’d understand it. But you’re absolutely single! You’re in love with nobody! So, you can change girls every single day ‘till you meet the one that slays you.”
“Oh, Dan… I did say that I don’t want to date anyone at the moment.” Peter moves his eyes to his hands and starts to look at his bracelets of different colors. “Now I need to find a way to find money and do my best for our band to get successful. I don’t care about anything else.”
“C’mon, Pete!” Terrence exclaims cheerfully, comes to Peter confidently, and claps him on the shoulder slightly. “The band’s business shouldn’t stop you from having a personal life. Don’t get too obsessed with it.”
“Yeah, thinking about girls when I’m gonna have only one dollar in my pocket soon ‘cause I lost the source of money…”
“It’s okay. If it’s going on well, we will be working hard and earning money. And you’re gonna have fans, many of whom would love to date you. I am sure there would be at least someone to steal your heart.”
“Exactly!” Daniel exclaims with a slight smile and comes to Terrence and Peter, who is still sitting on the drums set. “Dating your own fan is really cool. Someone would admire you… Your girlfriend would be proud of dating you and looking at everyone like she wanna say, ‘Get jealous, bitches, this handsome guy is mine!’”
“First, we need to get these fans,” Peter notices with a quiet chuckle. “But now there are only Terrence’s fans, who are ninety-nine percent of the audience that watches our covers.”
“Wait, buddy!” Terrence replies confidently. “When we play a show with Liam, Zach, Brad, and Nate, we will become popular. Perkins, you and me…”
“I don’t know…”
“C’mon, man, you’re gonna get lucky if you want it,” Daniel encourages with a wide smile, clapping Peter on the shoulder. “When you show yourself, girls will surround you like bees. Many girls love natural blondes. I personally knew a few ones, who really loved men with blond hair.”
“Aha, since blonds are a very rare thing, you can consider yourself unique,” Terrence adds with his head proudly raised. “In a good sense, of course. We’re sure girls would surely like you, at least thanks to your hair color.”
“But if you show them a couple of your half-naked photos, they’re gonna be running after you like hypnotized,” Daniel chuckles kindly.
“Yeah, sure…” Peter laughs quietly and puts the drumstick aside that he was wrapping in his hands. “Like…”
“Why not?” Terrence rounds his eyes. “Are you kind of a special one, who beauties can’t pay attention to? You’re absolutely healthy, not ugly, not stupid…”
“Yeah, but…”
“Well, if you don’t know how to behave toward girls and have never slept with them, it’s fixable. Anyway, Daniel and I are always ready to give you a couple of pieces of advice on how to seduce a girl. My methods have never betrayed personally me.”
“The most important thing is to feel your confidence,” Daniel adds. “And never tell a girl you’re a flower that nobody has touched yet. You’ve gotta behave like a real alpha male that could get any girl to fall in love with him with just one look. At first, you seduce someone with your confidence, and then you can reveal yourself little by little.”
“Excellent pieces of advice! You’ve gotta behave in this way. Even if you feel discreet, you must at least pretend. Girls really love confident men. And many girls love men, who take them by force. Just like my cutie Raquelle. She got a thing for me ‘cause I was insolent and persistent.”
“You know, guys, I’m a little jealous of you,” Peter confesses thoughtfully, leaning on his knees with both hands. “Yes, I am… Not in a bad sense, of course… You’ve just got the girls, who love you, can caress you like cats in the evenings and make any your wish come true. But I have nobody to caress me.”
“So, if you wanna stop looking at us with pity in your eyes when we hug and kiss our girls, you need to show up,” Terrence replies confidently.
“And Terrence and I would be happy for you when you started to date a good girl,” Daniel adds. “But if you want, we can help you find a cool girl.”
“And to make sure you won't be deceived, you can introduce your girlfriends to us. We would talk to them and tell you our verdict.”
“Oh, guys, of course, thanks for your care about me and my personal life,” Peter smiles shyly. “But when I want, I will surely meet a decent and caring girl. And okay, okay! I shall introduce you to my girlfriend if I have her someday.”
“Okay, okay, don’t save it for later,” Terrence says cheerfully, clapping Peter on the shoulder slightly.
“We’re ready to bite through all your girlfriends and choose the best one for you,” Daniel says confidently. “They won’t deceive us and will tell us all their goals.”
“Oh, fuck, guys…” Peter shakes his head with a quiet chuckle. “You’re incorrigible…”
During the short silence that settles in the air, Daniel takes a drumstick that is placed near him and starts to slightly beat on one of the symbols. That’s why a quiet, deaf sound spreads throughout the whole room. And at some moment, Terrence frowns slightly, moves his eyes to Perkins, and crosses his arms over his chest.
“Hey, Dan, when are you gonna introduce your girlfriend to Pete and me or tell us just something about her?” Terrence asks thoughtfully. “You always make Rose meet someone, but you’ve never told us about the cutie that stole your heart.”
“Yes, dude, when are ya finally gonna reveal your great secret?” Peter asks with a slight smile, stroking down his little disheveled hair. “Why do we talk about me? You better tell us something about your cutie and you.”
“M-m-m, about my cutie…” Daniel pronounces thoughtfully.
“We’re your friends and bandmates. So, we must know who you’re dating and check your girls, too.”
“What if I say, never?” Daniel smiles slyly.
“Don’t make us annoy you too hard, Daniel,” Terrence says confidently. “You will tell us everything about your mysterious girlfriend that makes you go crazy.”
“Oh, guys, why do you need to know about my girlfriend?” Daniel crosses his arms over his chest. “You don’t have to check her, ‘cause I’m one hundred percent sure about her.”
“We want to hear at least a little bit of the information about your girlfriend,” Peter says and looks at Daniel more confidently, raising his head proudly raised. “Right now.”
“I’ll support you, buddy!” Terrence nods confidently, looking at Peter, moves his eyes to Daniel, and smiles slyly. “We want Perkins to tell us everything about his girlfriend immediately.”
“Keep dreaming!” Daniel chuckles kindly.
“No, Daniel! This time, you won’t get off us so easily. You will tell us absolutely everything about the cutie that conquered your heart right now.”
“C’mon, c’mon, chocolate head!” Peter jabs with a sly smile. “Since you care about my girls so much, be pleased to tell us about yours. To make everything honest.”
Two seconds later, Daniel exhales sharply with his eyes closed while Terrence stares at him.
“Okay, I’ll tell you something about her,” Daniel says quietly. “So, you get off me…”
“We’re waiting…” Terrence smiles slyly, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Don’t look at me like this, MacClife, I will tell everything now…”
“Do this then,” Peter pronounces with his head proudly raised.
“And yeah…” Daniel moves his eyes to the watch that he is wearing on his left hand. “She left for a while but is supposed to come back soon. So, guys, you have a wonderful chance to meet her.”
“So, is she living with you?” Terrence frowns slightly.
“Yup. We’ve been living together for about one month or a little longer.”
“And the amazing thing is that I’ve never seen her, even though I’ve been here many times,” Peter confesses.
“That girl recently left the home of her parents, who didn’t let her live quietly, told her to do what they wanted, and forced her to marry someone she didn’t love.”
“Come on?” Terrence rounds his eyes. “Did they wanna get her married by force?”
“Their parents do the same thing to them, and now they wanna ruin the life of that girl. But she refused to live with someone she didn’t love. So, she decided to take measures. After finding out everything, I kindly suggested my help to her and invited her to live with me. At first, she refused ‘cause she felt awkward, but it’s clear her family annoyed her so badly that she agreed and moved into my house with her stuff.”
“Did her parents probably kick your ass ‘cause you helped her get outta home?”
“Nope, I haven’t had to run into them yet. And my girlfriend doesn’t wanna contact them for a while, ‘cause she’s sure they’ll immediately make her come back home when they find her. She just left them a note before leaving to explain everything.”
“So, buddy, didn’t your magnificently beautiful eyes that you always praise help you get the love of her mother and father?” Peter chuckles kindly.
“I don’t even know them! Those people don’t wanna just look at me. When my girlfriend told them about me, they started to ban her from meeting me and said I didn’t fit her. I wasn’t from their circle. So, I was automatically added to the list of stupid, non-educated people that wouldn’t dare even to look at her.”
“But how did she leave home?” Terrence wonders. “I guess they were supposed to watch her very closely.”
“Easy! She just used a moment when her parents left for a long time to do some business, naively believing my girlfriend wouldn’t do stupid things, would stay home, read boring books and get ready to become a good wife and mother. Instead of that, my girlfriend called me, said she was ready to move in, and asked me to help her bring her stuff here. So, I agreed with pleasure. I brought my car to the place where her parents’ apartment was, put her bag in the luggage, and brought her here.”
“Wow! She’s a brave girl…”
“But how does she look?” Peter asks. “What’s her age? Is she a blonde? A brunette?”
“Well…” Daniel thinks with a slight smile. “She is a very beautiful short girl at the age of twenty-two. She’s got amazing green eyes and gorgeous red hair…”
“M-m-m… Red…”
“And she’s a very kind and educated person. Besides, she’s very economical. She can cook incredibly well and keeps my home in order and clean. She does everything at her will. I don’t make her do it.”
“That’s how…”
“I’m gonna be honest, guys, I didn’t eat such delicious food for ages. Since I lived with my parents. I thought there would be nothing better than what my mother cooked. But no, as it turned out, there could be!”
“Hey, wait, wait!” Terrence jabs, shaking his head sharply. “You said your girlfriend had red hair and green eyes? She’s short and twenty-two?”
“Well, yeah, but she’s gonna turn twenty-three on July, 15th,” Daniel shrugs with a slight smile. “And she has a very beautiful face that drives me insane… It’s a kind of baby face… That’s why my girlfriend looks a little younger than she really is.”
“That’s how…”
“But I am gonna be honest, I really like this type of face. I am delighted by girls with baby faces. They’ve always seemed very cute to me.”
“Hm, red-haired girl with a baby face and green eyes…” Terrence thinks, frowning slightly, and chews a nail on his index finger for two seconds.
“Why did you get so surprised?” Peter wonders. “Do you know her? Or did you have a girlfriend with red hair and green eyes? Thought of your past?”
“Actually, there is a girl, who fits this description… She is my friend… And one of Raquelle’s friends.”
“Come on?”
“She’s also twenty-two.” Terrence starts stroking his chin. “She also has green eyes, red hair, and a little baby face… And yeah, that girl had graduated from the university some time before Raquelle and I started to date. I clearly remember she was getting ready for the final exams and spent a little time with her friends.”
“You say, Raquelle’s friend…” Daniel squints his eyes with a sly smile on his face.
“Yeah,” Terrence shrugs.
“Listen, Terry…” Daniel glances aside. “I think – I mean I don’t doubt that – you know that girl.”
“Know?” Terrence rounds his eyes. “Are you sure we meant the same girl?”
“I am.”
“What’s her name?”
“Anna. My girlfriend’s name is Anna.”
“Anna?” Terrence shakes his head, staring at Daniel surprisingly. “Hey, wait, wait. So, do you wanna say you’re dating Raquelle’s friend? Her name is also Anna. Anna Seymour, to be clear.”
“Yeah,” Daniel shrugs with a slight smile. “My girlfriend is Anna Seymour. The one.”
“Wait, but how did it happen? How do you know her?”
“I met her two months ago at a club. I got her number, started to speak to her, suggested that we date, and eventually let her live in my house.”
“Everything happened too fast…” Peter frowns slightly. “You’ve known her for only two months, but you’re dating, living together, and sleeping in the same bed.”
“What’s wrong? I knew someone, who played a wedding in a week.”
“Come on?”
“That’s not a drill! When I was a teenager, I had one friend, who was three years older than me. So, he met a girl, fell in love with her, and proposed to her to marry in a week. And they really got married.”
“So, I guess you’re writing the same script,” Peter chuckles kindly.
“I just see no reason to waste time.”
“Yeah, and then your pal probably realized that he rushed and went to get divorced from her after living in a marriage for less than one month.”
“I understand it well,” Terrence says confidently. “I understood that this is the case you shouldn’t rush to do. You should be ready for a relationship as well as a marriage. Not to date someone or get married to someone just to make someone happy.”
“Calm down, guys,” Daniel replies with his head proudly raised. “Anna and I are living well without a marriage. We’re dating, feeling good when spending time together, and aren’t confused by deciding to live in the same house.”
“The important thing is that you are happy,” Peter says with a slight smile. “And maybe, that’s even good you’re living together. You’d see if you could live together and find compromises about household problems.”
“Now everything’s wonderful about it. Anyway, we’re always ready to have a discussion.”
“That’s good,” Terrence smiles shyly. “Anyway, you’ll always have tasty food and a clean house. I see you didn’t care about it much.”
“Oh, yeah, he can’t cook and does also clean his house probably once per year,” Peter chuckles kindly. “But now being in the house gives me nice feelings, ‘cause a housewifely girl moved in here and sorted the mess out.”
“And he wouldn’t feel ashamed of inviting friends here, who wouldn’t get horrified by how bad everything is.”
“Anna’s friends have been here several times, but they haven’t given me any claims,” Daniel smiles innocently.
“Hey, Perkins, don’t you know her friends personally?” Terrence asks.
“Nope, I don’t know them personally and have never met them at my home. But Anna has told me much about Raquelle and one more friend of hers, who she meets very often. She’s a blonde… Because my girlfriend sometimes calls her Blondie or something like that.”
“And the name of that friend is Natalia?”
“Yes, right, her name is Natalia! Anna said that the girl is from a provided family, and her parents are important people. Her mother is a lawyer, and her father is a journalist. They have to do with the fashion industry, as far as I know.”
“That’s correct.”
“And it seems like she said about her grandmother’s illness… That woman has blood cancer or something like that.”
“Really?” Peter rounds his eyes. “Is the grandmother of that girl really ill with cancer?”
“It’s true,” Terrence confirms. “But Natalia said her grandmother got much better, and her mother and father are doing their best to provide for therapy for that woman.”
“Oh my gosh… Cancer is a very serious thing! I don’t personally know a case when someone survives after that.”
“The therapy is going on successfully, and her parents have all the opportunities to take care of her. The stage of her illness is treatable so far.”
“Yeah, it’s all really very sad…” Daniel agrees with sadness in his eyes. “And that girl actually has many reasons to worry about, except her grandmother’s illness.”
“What?”
“Anna said that Natalia fell in love with someone, but she wasn't sure if her feelings would be mutual. And she is terribly afraid the guy, who she is in love with, might play love with her and reject her at any time.”
At this moment, Peter gets a little sad but tries not to show it and moves his look aside for a second.
“Ha, old information, buddy!” Terrence exclaims confidently with a loud chuckle.
“What?” Daniel frowns slightly.
“Natalia is really in love, but now it’s absolutely mutually.”
“Really?”
“Yeah! That girl fell in love with my buddy Edward and recently began to date him.”
“C’mon? Edward? Is that the guy Anna’s friend is in love with?”
“He is!”
“What a twist…”
“Two weeks ago, Edward made Natalia sure that he really loved her and wasn’t gonna leave her. And she believed him after she refused to talk to him for a long time.”
“Do you wanna say Edward fell in love with one more friend of Raquelle?” Peter concludes. “Was she the one he told us so much about? He was worried she didn’t wanna talk to him and didn’t understand what he did!”
“Aha,” Terrence smiles widely. “I must confess that they’re a very cute couple.”
“Really?”
“I don’t know why, but when I see them, I always wanna smile. They spread some kind of positive…”
“I believe Edward turned out to be very quick,” Daniel says thoughtfully. “Anna says that the guy got a delicious peace, ‘cause Natalia is unbelievably beautiful and has driven many men crazy.”
“Oh, that’s right!” Terrence nods confidently. “I still remember how Ben was trying to pick her up when he met her.”
“Ben?” Peter frowns slightly. “Who is Ben?”
“My childhood friend. We’ve known each other since we were seven, and we often hang out together.”
“That’s how…” Daniel pronounces thoughtfully. “It’s clear that the girl is really so popular among men.”
“But I didn’t think they’d have something ‘cause Benjamin is a terrible womanizer, who changes girls like gloves. So, while Parker was having fun with other girls and recently put an eye on my young servant, Edward was really much quicker and easily charmed Natalia, who strongly fell in love with him literally at first sight.”
“Yeah, it seems like your girlfriend has such charming friends that all your friends fall in love with them,” Peter chuckles kindly, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Aha, a cool thing happened: Terrence got Raquelle, I’m dating Anna, and two men fell in love with Natalia – Benjamin and Edward,” Daniel notices cheerfully.
“But even if it doesn’t go too far, there is a chance to become a relative of Natalia in case we find my younger brother, and he falls in love with the blonde.”
“Your younger brother?”
“What are you talking about, Terrence?” Peter frowns slightly.
“I still can’t believe it, but two weeks ago, I talked to my mother, and she opened one secret, which she had been hiding from me for many years. She told me that my father and I had one more son.”
“And where’s he now?”
“One day, he left home and disappeared. He kind of had a conflict with his father, who took his younger son from his mother after their divorce.”
“What a fucking twist!” Daniel exclaims. “So, can you officially be called an older brother?”
“I could say so,” Terrence shrugs.
“Is your brother actually alive?” Peter asks. “What if he got into some trouble and died?”
“I don’t know, Pete. But wherever he is, we’re going to find him.”
“And how are you gonna do that?”
“In any way. We will call everyone we know. Ask all of our friends and familiars. There’s a chance that someone can give us some information.”
“What’s the name of that guy?” Daniel asks, crossing his arms over his chest. “And how younger is he?”
“His name is Edward. And he’s now supposed to be somewhere twenty-four or twenty-five.”
“Wow!” Peter rounds his eyes. “Just like your friend is!”
“And they even have the same age!” Daniel adds. “Edward is also twenty-five.”
“I guess that’s why my mother got so attracted to him,” Terrence smiles shyly. “It’s like she sees her missing son in him. And they meet very often now.”
“Ah, there’s something suspicious and attractive about Lockhart at the same time…” Peter notices thoughtfully, putting his finger on his lip. “He’s a kind of good guy, but something definitely makes me confused.”
“He hasn’t given us a reason to doubt him,” Terrence shrugs. “But Raquelle keeps treating him with suspicion. Though, she keeps being gentle to Edward.”
“Anyway, something is wrong with that guy,” Daniel assumes. “He’s got some secrets…”
“I hope we will know them early or late. And we will find my brother or at least get some information about him.”
“That’s right! And we should also find a girlfriend for Rose to call Raquelle our blessing that gave all of us a chance to be happy with her beautiful friends.”
“Unfortunately, Anna and Natalia are the only friends of Raquelle I communicate closely,” Terrence shrugs. “But if I knew a girl, who would be single now, I would introduce some cuties to our friend.”
“Here you go again?” Peter asks gloomily.
“No… Actually, there are three more girls. Single and very sympathetic. But I’ve spoken with them several times and don’t know if they’re single now. A couple of my friends put an eye on two of them. But I don’t know what it led to.”
“Guys, do me a little favor – shut up, please,” Peter throws tiredly.
“Don’t worry, blond, I will surely ask Anna about those girls and ask her to suggest them a meeting with one handsome single man,” Daniel promises with a shy smile, clapping Peter on the shoulder. “You won’t be single, I promise! If you don’t make your personal life better, MacClife and I will do everything for you. For example, ask our angel named Raquelle for help and say we need to find a girlfriend for you.”
“Aha, and you’ll only date the one to pass our check,” Terrence adds funnily. “We won’t let you date the one, who you couldn’t count on, and who you couldn’t trust.”
“I did say talking with you about girls is impossible,” Peter shakes his head. “You two get too excited when you hear just the word ‘girl.’”
“Dude, you’re handicapped if you react to these talks so excitedly. If it keeps happening, I’m gonna think that Perkins was right when he doubted your sexual orientation. Thinking you’re shy about your affection for men.”
“Shut up, Terrence.”
“You’re making yourself lonely and unhappy ‘cause you don’t wanna date anyone. Don’t wanna at least try.”
“Yeah, I’m not dating anyone on purpose because I wanna suffer forever and envy those, who are in love with someone,” Peter throws gloomily with his eyes rolled up.
“Look at Dan and me! Look how happy we are to have amazing girls, who love and care about us. I… I don’t actually know how I could be happy without Raquelle! I don’t know how I lived without her! And now I don’t regret the fact that we met and got love for each other. I’m happy to have a girl, who became the light of my house. The light of my life.”
“And my life changed for the better when I met Anna,” Daniel says confidently with a wide smile. “I can go anywhere with a girl like her and feel unbelievably proud. If my parents were alive, I would confidently go to introduce my girlfriend to them and say I love that beauty. I’m sure my father and mother would’ve liked Anna… There is no reason why people could dislike her. She’s smart, beautiful, educated, and caring… A dream of any man!”
“Oh, fuck off, you two!” Peter says gloomily, crosses his arms over his chest, slowly gets up from a little chair, steps back from the drum set, and comes to a little window. “You two do love to remind me of being much luckier than me.”
“Sorry, Peter, but you’re the one to blame for being single,” Daniel shrugs with an innocent smile.
“I said I don’t wanna date anyone at the moment.”
“You say it like you have problems with it, but you’re afraid to confess it.”
“And if you do, you can tell us about it,” Terrence adds quietly. “We’re your friends. We would always help you if we could do something.”
“I’m fine,” Peter protests gloomily, still looking through the window. “And I am absolutely healthy if you wanna know it so badly.”
“Well, you’re just an idiot ‘cause you refuse the opportunity to have fun with a beautiful girl,” Daniel throws his hands up.
“Oh, you are really an idiot!” Terrence agrees. “There is always a choice: if you don’t like one girl, you can find another. You don’t have to marry her at once and jump in bed to fuck her. At least just meet a girl, go somewhere with her… Talk to her, find out more about her…”
“If I want it, I will surely find a girl,” Peter smiles a little falsely, glancing at Terrence and Daniel and looking through the window again. “Or I shall ask you to talk to your beauties and ask them to introduce me to someone.”
Terrence and Daniel say nothing and look at each other questioningly as they shrug. Then they go aside while Peter still stands in front of the window and nervously starts to pull down one of the bandages on his hands.
“Oh, Peter, Peter…” Terrence shakes his head, sighing desperately. “I don’t understand him… I don’t understand.”
“I mean the same,” Daniel agrees. “For as long as I’ve known this guy, he’s always been indifferent, even to those, who tried to pick him up. But sometimes girls were very nice… Beautiful, smart, and educated. Yes, of course, there have been some whores, but not so many.”
“Yeah, it’s all so strange… All men spend time with girls, and that’s absolutely fine. I don’t know anyone, who would refuse a chance to have fun with a cutie so hard. Yes, I know those, who refuse to marry and make children. But there is nobody, who would refuse to meet girls. Many people could easily have sex with someone they barely know.”
“I’m starting to believe he’s really gay. Because only gays treat girls so indifferently.”
“I’m gonna believe it, too. Because the reason for his refusal to date girls could be about it.”
“Exactly!”
“There are those, who are just ready for a relationship, just like Edward is, or such incorrigible womanizers as my friend Benjamin.”
“Sort of.”
Silence settles in the air for two seconds.
“Hey, I haven’t seen Edward for a long time…” Daniel notices, putting his hands on his hips. “What’s he doing there? Went on a date with his beauty?”
“I dunno, I haven’t talked to him today,” Terrence shrugs. “But I think he wouldn’t miss a chance.”
“You could invite him to spend time with us and listen to our songs. Maybe, that guy would advise us something or just have fun in our company.”
“I’ll surely invite him to one of our rehearsals. I’m sure he’d advise us on something that would make our band much better. Maybe, we will even let him play guitar and sing with us.”
“I’d personally listen to him playing and singing. Pete and I have never heard Edward sing, and I just believe you. But I personally think your friend plays and doesn't sing worse than you.”
“Trust me, he sings just incredibly. But I haven’t heard his play. I wanna persuade him to play something on a guitar, but I don’t have an opportunity so far.”
“Then invite him to our nearest rehearsal, and we will find out how talented that guy is.”
“I’ll surely do it,” Terrence nods confidently. “Tonight, Raquelle and I are waiting for Edward and Natalia at our home. We’re gonna have dinner that we agreed about yesterday.”
“Go, go, tell him to join us,” Daniel encourages with a slight smile. “Now we need the opinions of people, who know something about music and would let us know about our mistakes and tell us what to do to get much better.”
“Undoubtedly.”
Daniel and Terrence share a slight smile, while Peter still looks kind of gloomily and keeps his arms crossed over his chest as he is looking at something through the window.
“Alright, guys, stop talking about stupid things,” Peter says a little coldly. “Let’s better have a rest for a little time and eat something. And then continue to rehearsal.”
“You’re right, two hours of rehearsing is too little,” Terrence replies thoughtfully. “We need to work at least for two more to say everything was cool.”
“I mean the same. So, let’s have a rest for half an hour or one hour and start working again.”
“Erm, are you okay, dude?” Daniel frowns slightly. “Why did you get so gloomy as if we said something wrong?”
“Nope, everything is fine,” Peter protests with a little false smile. “I just thought about something not very nice… Suddenly got obsessed with stupid thoughts.”
“Erm, listen, Peter…” Terrence pronounces hesitantly. “If you don’t like talking about girls, just say it. We’d understand everything if you said we shouldn’t do one or another thing.”
“It’s okay, men, don’t worry!” Peter turns on Daniel and Terrence and smiles too falsely, as if he is a little mad at the words of his friends. “Everything is just wonderful! We’re gonna be touring with ‘The Loser Syndrome’, kicking everyone’s ass and working hard to get more than we have.”
While Terrence frowns slightly, Daniel looks at Peter questioningly, being a little surprised by the strange behavior of the blond, whose mood changes too fast: he may be funny and cheerful and gloomy, kind of hurt by something, and become normal again. However, despite his curiosity, Perkins decides to leave his friend alone.
“Okay, guys, I think Peter’s right,” Daniel says quietly. “Let’s go to my house and eat something. I’ve got much tasty food – as they say, for everyone.”
“Nice idea!” Terrence nods in approval. “We’d eat something and come back again.”
“Let’s go, we will find something now.”
Terrence nods and glances at Peter, who is standing with his back turned to his friends but looking less gloomy and just moving his eyes to his hands and many bandages.
“Are you coming, Pete?” Terrence asks.
“Erm, yeah, sure,” Peter replies quietly, pulling down one of his bandages. “Let’s go.”
Terrence, Peter, and Daniel go to the latter’s house located not far from the garage. His own car was placed before, but now it’s placed in a different place made especially for it. Somehow, a long time ago, Daniel freed up space in the garage to place all the musical instruments there. There is a drum set, a rhythm guitar, a solo guitar, and a bass guitar, and four microphones with stands for them, one of which is a reserved one. Even though loud music always plays here, nobody hears it behind the walls of the garage because there is perfect soundproofing. And it’s very good for the men because none of them would like to bother other people with their loud music that not everyone may like.
***
When they quickly come to the house, Peter, Terrence, and Daniel enter it after the latter one unlocks it with a key. At the moment, there is nobody here, which means that the young people have a wonderful chance to talk about something personal and laugh with something tasty in their hands.
“Oh, guys, it seems like Anna isn’t here yet,” Daniel says confidently. “So, we can sit here and laugh for some time.”
“But where did she go?” Peter asks.
“At a store. To buy something.”
“Food?”
“Nope, she just wanted to walk in the stores and check clothes. She actually loves this thing and can walk in the stores for hours.”
“Just like all the girls do,” Terrence notices cheerfully.
“Anna never leaves with empty hands. She would buy even a little hairpin.”
“M-m-m, it’s clear you’re pleasing your beauty,” Peter assumes with a sly smile.
“Actually, I haven't given her money to buy something personally for her. Anna spends her own money that she still has.”
“Money of her parents?”
“Sort of. She says she has always saved at least a little amount of money that her father and mother gave her.”
“As if Anna was gonna get out of her home before she met you,” Terrence assumes. “So, she was adding money to her box.”
“Who knows. But she has never asked me to give her money for her personal needs. Only for food.”
“I see.”
Chuckling shyly, Daniel, Terrence, and Peter come to the living room. When MacClife sees the sofa, he sits on it tiredly, while Perkins goes to the kitchen to grab some food and drinks.
“Oh, damn…” Terrence moans tiredly. “I just realized that I was standing on my feet for too long and got terribly exhausted.”
“Oh, yeah,” Peter exhales sharply, quickly sits down next to Terrence, and looks around. “I got exhausted, too.”
“But I didn’t even notice it before coming here. As if I was on the adrenaline.”
“That’s right… And my neck hurts…” Peter massages his neck a little as well as his arms. “My arms also hurt a little…”
“Wow, look what calluses I have,” Terrence pronounces in a low voice, looking at the calluses that he got on his hands after playing guitar for a long time.”
“Yeah…” Peter pronounces thoughtfully. “I thought you played guitar much. But since you’ve got these calluses, you didn’t definitely grab your guitar every day.”
“Yeah… To be honest, I’m not used to playing guitar so much. But I think I’ve gotta fix it.”
“Oh, I think your voice has become a little hoarse,” Peter notices, listening to Terrence’s hoarse voice and frowning slightly.
“It has.”
Terrence tries to clear his throat and get rid of the hoarseness in his voice.
“I ain’t surprised,” Peter confesses. “You were screaming at the microphone so loudly and taking high notes.”
“Oh…” Terrence sighs tiredly. “Next time, I will warm up my voice better. Or taking high notes would be hard for me.”
“I think it’s time to check out the Internet to search for exercises for warm-up.”
“Agree…” Terrence slightly arches his back and massages it a little. “And having a little massage session would be good for me…”
“That’s right…” Peter moans quietly. “I feel like I was in a gym class and worked too hard for about three or four hours.”
While Peter and Terrence moan quietly from tiredness and pain in the body, they hear the loud voice of Daniel from the kitchen:
“Guys, if you are moaning from being tired now, what would I do to you when we have to play a few hours per day? Would you find excuses not to work and complain that your arms, legs, and neck hurt?”
“Dude, I won’t believe you if you say you aren’t tired and have no pain in your body,” Peter replies loudly.
“Aha, you don’t feel hurt and can easily feel like your shoes are off,” Terrence says in a lower voice.
“I don’t deny it,” Daniel replies loudly, taking a package from a kitchen cabinet and putting everything from it in a transparent bowl. “I also have calluses on my hands from playing guitar, and my neck and legs terribly hurt after standing for a long time and not sitting down even once yet. But I don’t complain as well as you two do.”
“Nobody actually complains! We just feel a little tiredness and have a little hoarse voice.”
“You know, there are much worse situations. Or when you, for example, overwork at a gym class, you barely creep on your knees from tiredness and think only of reaching your bed and lying like a log.”
“Agree, I personally had such a cruel day mood that I could be sleeping and coming to myself for a few days. And I don’t mean only rehearsals. I mean also shootings in movies that could start very early or too late and last for literally twenty hours per day.”
While Terrence says it all, Daniel comes back to the living room, holding a bowl with quite tasty-looking salt crackers and three glasses of water on a plate, and quickly places everything on the coffee table.
“Everything wasn’t easy for us, either,” Daniel confesses quietly, sitting down in front of Terrence and Peter. “When Pete and I worked with Albert, we had such days when we couldn’t sit down and have a rest for a second and had a day off only one or two times per month.”
“Aha, we had fun to the fullest on our day off,” Peter nods. “Sleeping all day long or hanging around some places, drinking beer, and watching a soccer game. Well, or we just went to concerts. In short, we did everything not to think about Sanderson and his band.”
“I’m sorry you wasted a few years for nothing,” Terrence says with sadness in his eyes. “You didn’t get any offers. Albert kept you on the bench.”
“That’s right,” Daniel nods. “But we had no choice: we did need money! We earned good money for performances at some restaurants and some unpopular events. It was the only reason why we stayed there for such a long time. In the opposite case, we would’ve gotten out to the fuck.”
“But you know, how much everything annoyed me!” Peter exclaims. “Sometimes I had moments when I really wanted to stop playing in the middle of a song and run away as far as possible not to hear anyone and hide from everyone. But then I thought, ‘How are ya gonna live, idiot?’ and made myself brace myself.”
“Gotta confess that it happened to me, as well.” Daniel takes some crackers from the little bowl and drinks water from a glass. “I actually never felt comfortable in that band.”
“Yeah, the atmosphere wasn’t nice and friendly,” Peter sighs tiredly.
“There are things that you adore and things that make you sick. So, everything about Albert’s band got me irritated.”
“It was especially disgusting when that stupid chicken Marty was annoying us with her constant hysterics,” Peter confesses gloomily. “Sometimes I wanted to strangle her with my own hands not to hear the disgusting, squeaky voice of that little bitch.”
“Oh, yeah, honestly, I got overwhelmed when I saw her for the first time,” Terrence confesses, taking a glass of water and drinking a little. “She is such a little girl, but she pretends to be a star and believes everyone owes her. It would be okay if she was a famous singer, but that kid is nobody!”
“I didn’t get on well with that girl after I joined the band. Nobody could get on well with her! Patch was the one to blame for kicking out so many talented guys from the band. I mean, they ran away from that princess. They couldn’t stand that insolent idiot.”
“By the way, you fought with her much more,” Daniel chuckles quietly, drinking some water. “I didn’t even have as many conflicts with her as you did. Even if I never liked her, and she had annoyed me much more some time before I left the band.”
“But she did really get me irritated!” Peter takes a glass of water, takes a few sips, and eats some crackers. “There is nobody else that would make me as nervous as she did. However, the hate between me and Ms. Patch was mutual. I hate her, she can’t tolerate me.”
“Didn’t that girl ever show any kind of politeness?” Terrence wonders, swallowing up a few little crackers and drinking water. “She was supposed to respect at least one person just a little.”
“Respect?” Daniel laughs loudly. “Oh, don’t make me laugh, MacClife! That girl loved nobody but herself. Marty was just pretending to be an innocent lamb for Albert, even though she could sometimes be very rude to him. By the way, that’s why she was nearly kicked outta the band several times. Her daddy and mommy saved the situation. For your information, she doesn’t respect them, either. She treats them like servants.”
“It’s the truth,” Peter nods confidently. “We somehow heard her talk with them. No respect for her parents. And they take everything and aren’t definitely gonna take a belt and kick her ass as hard as possible.”
“Hey, what happened to her after you let Sanderson know that you wanted to get out of the band?” Terrence asks. “Is he gonna search for new guys? A new bassist… A new drummer…”
“I don’t know and don’t want to know!” Peter throws sharply. “I said goodbye to her some time ago and won’t talk to her, even under the gun. I’m shaking only from hearing her name.”
“I’m sure she will not forgive you for the broken bottle of perfume that she always had with her,” Daniel assumes confidently. “Even if you gave her money, it wouldn't calm her down.”
“I give a fuck. I give a fuck about what she thinks about me, and what is waiting for her after the band’s breakup.”
“And she’s gonna be mad at Perkins because of the ripped scarf,” Terrence recalls.
“She can even die from evil! I don’t care!”
“Hey, buddy, tell us the truth: didn’t you like that girl?” Daniel asks with a mysterious smile and immediately notices Terrence and Peter moving their eyes to him. “Maybe, she really conquered you, but you didn’t want to confess it?”
“What?” Peter resents, frowning strongly. “Like? Marty? Me? I liked Marty Patch?”
“Why not?” Daniel rounds his eyes. “One step away from love to hate! Moreover, you two fought much more than others…”
“Are you an idiot? I like that little fucking bitch?”
“If you hadn’t cared about each other, you wouldn’t have fought, even when you were silent and just breathing. I know a couple of cases when two people hid their feelings in that way. Or ask MacClife! He was also fighting with Raquelle, even though they had already begun to get feelings and strong affection.”
“Stop saying bullshit, idiot!” Peter sniffs with his eyes rolled up, puts his glass on the coffee table, and crosses his arms over his chest. “Were you thinking much before asking me what I wouldn’t see even in my dreams?”
“Listen, what if it’s the truth?” Terrence smiles mysteriously, clapping Peter on the shoulder. “Maybe, you don’t like to talk about girls just because you really got a thing for that girl?”
“Ar-r-r-r, don’t start it…”
“What if you understand that there could be nothing between you and that girl and have to hide your feelings for Marty so hard.”
“Oh, fuck, Terrence…” Peter says tiredly. “It’s okay Daniel says it, ‘cause I can’t expect anything else from him, and I’m used to his stupid jokes four years later. But you should understand something. You’re a smart man! But you believe the bullshit this idiot says.”
“No, couldn’t it be the truth?” Daniel wonders. “I wouldn’t personally be surprised if you didn’t wanna date other girls ‘cause you hope on the sympathy of Marty.”
“Perkins, if you say this bullshit again, I swear I will throw this glass at you,” Peter threatens, squeezing the glass tighter in his hand. “It was the stupidest thing that I’ve ever heard.”
“So, didn’t ya like her even a little?”
“I will never love such an insolent girl like her.”
“Of course, Ms. Patch was a fucking bitch, but she wasn’t actually ugly.”
“If you think she’s beautiful, you’ve got bad taste.” Peter eats some crackers and drinks water. “If I was an idiot and really felt in love with her, I’d prefer shooting at myself than living with love for that bitch.”
“If it was the truth, I would understand why you don’t wanna meet girls,” Daniel says confidently.
“That girl is not to my taste. She is not the main heroine of my erotic fantasies.”
“M-m-m, who’s the main heroine of your erotic fantasies?” Daniel smiles slyly.
“None of your business.”
“So, is there the girl that you’re thinking of?”
“Get off, Perkins…”
“M-m-m, that’s just something…”
“Don’t stick your nose into others’ business, buddy. It wouldn’t be over well for you.”
“What did I say?”
“Pete, don’t attack me with fists,” Terrence meddles a little hesitantly. “But somehow, I believed Marty was looking at you kind of strangely.”
“What?” Peter frowns strongly.
“There was something special in her eyes when she watched you.”
“Right!” Daniel exclaims, quickly takes a sip of water, puts the glass on the table, and clicks his fingers with a slight smile on his face. “Yes, yes, yes, yes! I noticed that, too!”
“Hey, did you agree?” Peter resents.
“I think Pete also looked at her strangely at times,” Terrence smiles mysteriously.
“Maybe, my theory may be true, and the blond’s heart is already taken?” Daniel assumes. “While we’re believing that he likes nobody!”
“Ar-r-r-r-r, how sick I am of you two,” Peter pronounces tiredly, moaning quietly and closing his face with both hands. “We better talk about band business… But no! Instead of that, these two idiots are sitting and talking about real bullshit.”
“We love you, too, dude!” Daniel exclaims with a slight smile, clapping Peter on the shoulder.
“Absolutely agree with you, Dan!” Terrence exclaims cheerfully and also claps Peter on the shoulder.
“Go to the fuck…” Peter throws gloomily.
“Hey, blond, don’t think of getting mad! Paleface and I joked! Of course, it just can’t be the truth, and that girl can’t really love someone.”
“Aha, we can’t even joke! You get mad as well as a girl that doesn’t get a new model of iPhone or a gorgeous Mercedes Benz as a gift.”
“Ar-r-r, I hate these idiots…” Peter blunts under his breath.
“Okay, Rose, stop being mad! We joked!”
“I am not mad!”
Peter sharply runs his hand over his wheat hair.
“It’s okay!” Peter adds with a slight smile.
“Then say that you love us,” Daniel says confidently.
“Why?”
“Is it hard for you to say that you love your friends?”
“Why would I say what both of you know well?”
“Yes, we know it,” Daniel smiles slyly. “But we wanna hear it personally.”
“I won’t say!” Peter chuckles loudly.
“Rose!” Terrence and Daniel resent.
“It’s okay you’re still getting to know MacClife better,” Daniel says confidently and raises his head proudly raised. “But I do know you surely love your old friend.”
“No hint on my orientation, please.”
“No hints! Just a brotherly love!”
“I can say one thing, dude,” Peter says with a slight smile. “While your girlfriend is not home, I promise I will watch you not to let you kill yourself. Not to burn the whole house down when cooking something, and not to have to become a homeless man.”
“Oh, brother, you’re a gem!” Daniel smiles widely.
“You’re in the trustful hands with me!” Peter gets Daniel’s hair a little disheveled with a quiet laugh. “Say it to your girlfriend.”
“You will do it when she’s back here,” Daniel smiles slightly.
“Hey, don’t forget about me!” Terrence exclaims loudly. “It’s impossible not to love me! Because I’m unique and unbelievably talented!”
“Oh, c’mon, let’s talk about your uniqueness!” Peter chuckles kindly and gives Terrence a slight clap on the back of his head. “You can’t live a day without praising yourself and getting no compliments from others.”
“As you’ve literally confessed your love for Perkins, tell me a couple of nice words.”
“Why? To make you put your nose up and fluff your peacock tail?”
“I am Terrence MacClife! No man can’t be compared with me.”
“You’re a part of the band that nobody knows yet, Paleface,” Daniel says confidently. “So, you can’t speak for yours.”
“I haven’t said anything.”
“Don’t even think you will get all the benefits. Remember, since we’re a team, we will be sharing the success between the three of us.”
“Exactly, so, don’t dare to think of getting off me!” Peter warns confidently. “I’m personally gonna reach success, despite any difficulties that we’re gonna meet in our way.”
“I want it, too, and will be working much. I know we’re gonna meet barriers in our way, and we won't get what we want at once. But I do believe we’re gonna get famous around the entire world someday. I believe we will become one of the most famous musicians of the century.”
“I want it not less than you two!” Terrence says confidently with a wide smile. “I’ve always liked playing and singing something. And I’ve wanted to do this as a professional all my life. Now, when I have a chance, I’m gonna make my dreams come true and won’t give up. I have a wish. And I promise, I will not betray you.”
“So, let’s unite together, overcome all the difficulties and reach everything we’re dreaming about together?” Peter asks and reaches his hand out with his palm down.
“I agree!” Terrence puts his hand on Peter’s hand with a slight smile on his face.
“And I’m kindly joining you, friends,” Daniel says confidently and also puts his hand on his friends’ hands.
Terrence, Daniel, and Peter glance at each other, raise and lower their hands placed on one another, and then sharply raise them up with a quiet chuckle and give each other a five.
Thus, the friends let each other know that they are ready to get over any difficulties that they are going to overcome before their band reaches something and gets famous in some circles first and then in the whole world. Terrence, Daniel, and Daniel understand they are going to take a long and hard way to reach their goals. Now their important goal is to go on the tour with the band “The Loser Syndrome” and successfully perform as the opening act. Since the band is famous worldwide, they must be ready at one hundred percent not to get showered with mud and show everything they can do. However, every one of them is sure they will get what they want early or late, and they say they are proud of what they already have.
Daniel, Terrence, and Peter get so busy talking with a glass of water and crackers in their hands that none of them notices that Anna comes in the house some time later. The girl easily opens the door because it’s not locked, as it usually happens, and comes in with two big packets of purchases. After taking off a light coat that she was wearing outside, she goes to the living room, where the men are spending time, and hears them laughing from afar. The girl looks at the three people a little hesitantly but decides to stop their talk to let them know that she is here.
“Erm, hey…” Anna pronounces quietly, a little hesitantly. “Don’t I bother you?”
Peter, Terrence, and Daniel quickly move their eyes to Anna, who leaves the packets with purchases on the free sofa.
“No, no, not at all,” Daniel says softly with a slight smile. “You didn’t bother us at all.”
Daniel gets up quickly from the sofa, comes to Anna, hugs her with one arm, and kisses her tenderly on the cheek, making the girl smile widely. Meanwhile, Terrence and Peter look at each other and cannot hide their smiles, while the lovers welcome each other. But when Daniel steps back from Anna after hugging her tightly for two seconds, the guys get up slowly and go to this couple.
“M-m-m, what tender things are happening here…” Terrence pronounces with a mysterious smile.
“As far as I understand, is this your beloved girlfriend, buddy?” Peter asks with a sly smile, crossing his arms over his chest. “Because you began to do cute things without being shy and forgot that we’re still here…”
“Yes, friends!” Daniel nods confidently with a wide smile. “It’s her.”
Daniel, still hugging Anna by the waist, moves his eyes to Terrence and Peter, who are smiling mysteriously.
“Guys, let me introduce you to my girlfriend, Anna Seymour, whom I told you much about,” Daniel introduces proudly with his head proudly raised.
Anna nods with a shy smile on her face.
“Anna…” Daniel moves his eyes to Anna. “You already know Terrence. So, I won’t introduce him. But this blond’s name is Peter Rose. He’s my old friend, who I played in the band with for many years, and who you’ve heard much about you.”
“Nice to meet you,” Peter pronounces amicably, nodding with a shy smile.
“Me too,” Anna says with a slight smile.
To show that they treat each other with respect, Peter and Anna shake each other by the hand.
“I had the honor to hear much about you from my friend,” Peter confesses.
“And I heard much about you from my boyfriend,” Anna says amicably.
While Peter nods silently, Anna moves her eyes to Terrence.
“Hey, Terrence,” Anna waves her hand with a slight smile. “Glad to see you.”
“Hey, Anna,” Terrence greets amicably and takes Anna in his amicable hug. “It’s been a while.”
“Yeah, a while.”
“How are you doing?”
“Fine,” Anna steps back from Terrence. “And you?”
“Fine, as well.”
“So… As I understand, are you playing in the band with Daniel?”
“Yup, the guys and I were rehearsing and talking about the material while you were going somewhere.”
“That’s how!”
“And then I got surprised when I found out that your boyfriend was my buddy, Daniel.”
“You didn’t know?”
“Nope, I didn’t.”
“But I’ve been aware of the fact that you know him and joined his band.”
“Really?”
“Daniel tells me everything about your business and never hides a thing.”
“Yeah, I got my luck,” Terrence says thoughtfully. “I wasn’t lucky for a long time and couldn’t get into the musical world. But then these two invited me to join them and play with them.”
“We just needed someone with a strong vocal and a great skill at playing guitar,” Daniel shrugs. “So, we thought we couldn’t find anyone better than Terrence.”
“Oh, Anna, you’re a witness to these guys confessing that I am imitable and very important,” Terrence says proudly with a wide smile. “If they wanna take their words back, you’re gonna defend me.”
“No, MacClife, you did make yourself sure about it,” Peter shakes his head with a sly smile. “We’re all the same in the band. We’re one piece. So, forget about praising yourself.”
“Daniel said much about Terrence thinking he is irresistible,” Anna laughs shyly. “And it’s the truth. I made sure about it when he began to date Raquelle. Everybody understood that he loved himself too much and would always be proud of himself.”
“You know, your sweetheart also has a big peacock tail behind him and doesn’t hide his great pride,” Terrence says confidently. “He does love this thing.”
“Yeah, this handsome guy has always been proud and confident,” Anna slightly pinches Daniel’s cheek, making him smile shyly. “I can’t remember him saying that he doubted himself at least once.”
“By the way, do Raquelle and Natalia know you’re dating Daniel?”
“They just know that I’m dating a guy. But the girls don’t know my sweetheart’s name. Don’t know who he befriends. I just described Daniel’s look and nothing more.”
“But are you gonna tell them everything?”
“Sure! I’m gonna tell them everything soon.”
“Do it soon!” Terrence exclaims. “The girls are dying of curiosity and are literally gonna torture you.”
“Don’t worry, Terrence,” Anna smiles slightly. “You can tell Natalia that I will surely tell her everything about Daniel. And I will talk to Raquelle later… Well, or my talkative friend will tell her about my boyfriend much earlier.”
“Yeah, Natalia could hardly be silent about it for a long time,” Terrence puts his hands on his hips. “Of course, she’s very loyal, but when a business is about love, she can’t keep her mouth shut.”
“You’re right, she’s a real chatter,” Anna laughs shyly.
“By the way, hasn’t Natalia told you that Raquelle and I are together again? Or did Raquelle herself tell you some pieces of nice news?”
“What?” Anna rounds her eyes. “Are you and Raquelle together? Did you reconcile, after all?”
“We did,” Terrence nods confidently. “The broken hearts story is over. It’s ended happily.”
“Oh, my gosh… I can’t believe it.”
“Wait, did the girls tell you nothing? Or Daniel? I told him and Peter that I wasn’t gonna break up with your friend a long time ago!”
“Nope, nobody told me anything,” Anna replies hesitantly, shaking her head, and looks at Daniel questioningly. “What secrets?”
“Erm, I wanted to say…” Daniel adds hesitantly. “But the lads and I had so many things to do that it got outta my mind. We were only thinking about the band and the tour with ‘The Loser Syndrome.’ Performing songs, trying to write our own songs, deciding how to name our band…”
“My gosh, if that’s really the truth, I’m very happy,” Anna smiles widely. “Accept my true congratulations, Terrence. And give them to Raquelle.”
“Thanks a lot, Anna,” Terrence thanks truly, accepting Anna’s amicable hug with pleasure. “I will surely give Raquelle your congratulations and ask her to tell you everything.”
“Wait, but how long ago did you reconcile? I spent a lot of time with Raquelle after we found out that Simon Ringer got what he deserved, but she never mentioned you. I mean, she mentioned that she was determined to break up.”
“We reconciled two weeks ago,” Terrence says with a slight smile. “But I must confess that I’m a little surprised that Natalia told you nothing. You’re such good friends and often hang out together.”
“I don’t understand it, either…”
“How could she actually keep her mouth shut and say nothing about it? Knowing her, I’m surprised Rochester hasn’t said everything to her familiars, sellers, and stylists at hair salons.”
“Honestly, I haven’t met her for a long time,” Anna confesses a little hesitantly. “We’ve just talked on the phone a couple of times. I often met Natalia, but then I began to meet Raquelle more. So to say, make up for the time when Cameron and I didn’t contact.”
“But why? You fought with Natalia?”
“No, no, thank God, it’s okay. Natalia just began to date a guy and has lately gone on dates with him often. And every time we talk on the phone, she only talks about him.” Anna smiles slyly and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “But I also tell her very much about Daniel and our dates.”
“Yeah, my friend made our sweet blonde lose her head,” Terrence notices with a sly smile. “She doesn’t even have time for her friends.”
“Your friend?” Anna frowns slightly.
“Yes. Edward. Edward Lockhart.”
“Do you know him?”
“Yeah, I managed to meet him. Thanks to Natalia, for your information.”
“Wow…”
“And I must confess that these guys look very good together. I personally always smile when I look at them.”
“Blondie didn’t tell me that her admirer knew you.”
“But I know him. And I’m gonna tell you that he’s a cool guy. He’s a little weird, of course, but he’s good anyway.”
“Hey, I just recalled that Rochester told me about his wish to meet you!”
“Yeah, it’s true. Of course, I haven’t still understood what caused such a strong wish to do it. But since I felt very lonely, I decide to give Edward a chance. He wanted it, and I would feel good.”
“Interesting… Aren’t you afraid that the guy may get the knife into your back?”
“I’m afraid, of course, but I try not to think about it.”
“Wrong! You should be very careful with him.”
“I know. I’m trying to. And by the way, Raquelle doesn’t rush to trust him. She attacked the guy shortly after she met him.”
“There’s a reason.”
“But she agreed to be gentle to him.”
“Cameron wouldn’t attack anyone without a reason. Since she didn’t like Edward immediately, there’s something about him that can make us suspicious.”
“We will know it early or late.”
“Hey, do you two already know Edward?” Anna asks, moving her eyes to Daniel and Peter.
“We do,” Peter confirms confidently. “He’s a cool guy, but he’s really a little weird. We found a common language with him quickly.”
“I guess he really has some secrets,” Daniel says thoughtfully. “But they have to do with him and aren’t related with his wish to harm Terrence or his close people.”
“Who knows… As they say, trust but verify.”
“Hey, did Natalia tell you about that guy?” Terrence asks. “You communicate with her often…”
“Natalia didn’t tell me too much about her admirer that she liked so badly. Even if she didn’t hide that his name was Edward Lockhart, and she was in love with his voice that slayed her from the first minutes.”
“I guess she got mad that you told her nothing about me,” Daniel assumes. “So, she decided to tell you nothing about Edward.”
“Maybe… Anyway, I will surely talk to Rochester and find out more about that Mister X.”
“I hope we will also know what’s hidden underneath his pretty face,” Peter expresses hope.
“My gosh, we’re all in a relationship now: I’m with Daniel, Terrence is with Raquelle, and Natalia is with Edward!”
“Sort of!” Terrence exclaims. “Your friends and you got truly delicious pieces.”
“Wow…”
“It seems like Peter was right when he said Raquelle had such charming friends that one of them stole Edward’s heart, and another stole mine,” Daniel says confidently and moves his eyes to Anna with a slight smile.
“Yeah, but we need to find a beauty for Pete,” Terrence says cheerfully. “The guy not to envy us hugging and kissing our beloved girls.”
“Right, right!” Daniel jabs funnily.
“Hey, Anna, don’t you have single friends? Or Natalia? Or maybe, Raquelle knows someone?”
“Aha, sweetie, Terry whispered in our ear that there were two girls, whom Raquelle, Natalia, and you communicated with a few months ago. Maybe, you talk to them and introduce them to our good friend? He's absolutely single! We’ve been trying to persuade him to meet some girls at a club, but the blond refuses to do it.”
This time, Peter says nothing and crosses his arms over his chest with his eyes rolled, deciding to hold himself down at least for Anna, whom he does not want to get shocked. But at heart, he does not madly like the fact that he has to hear these things from his friends for the hundredth time.
“Oh, the girls and I haven’t spoken to them for a long time,” Anna says thoughtfully. “We don’t know what’s happening to them.”
“Are they single?” Daniel specifies.
“I don’t know. They were single, but now they could meet some men. As far as I remember, one of them liked Terrence’s friend, who was also picking her up.”
“Anyway, ask them if they wanna meet a young and handsome guy.”
“Okay, I shall take a note and talk to the girls when I meet them.”
“But find a very beautiful girl,” Terrence says. “So, Peter can fall in love shortly after looking at her. For example, just like it happened to Raquelle and me. When I just looked at your friend, she immediately conquered me.”
“And I believe she stole your heart for life,” Anna laughs shyly. “So, Terrence, you won’t get off her.”
“No, Anna, Raquelle will not get off me,” Terrence says confidently with a kind chuckle. “Moreover, your friend does everything to be mine forever.”
“I think she will really do it this time. My friend got a very good lesson for the future.”
“Trust me, friend, she won’t be able to resist my charm and attraction. Girls have always gotten a crush on me, and Raquelle won’t become an exclusion.”
“Oh, dude, don’t start talking about it again,” Daniel says tiredly, rolling his eyes. “We already understood that everything is cool about you and Raquelle, and you make each other crazy.”
“Aha, we’d really start to believe people are right when they say your love for yourself has no limits,” Peter chuckles quietly with his arms crossed over his chest.
“How I can’t love such an irresistibly handsome man, who has tons of talents,” Terrence says proudly with a wide smile. “There is nobody else to be better than Terrence MacClife, except for Terrence MacClife himself.”
“M-m-m, I feel the reconciliation with Raquelle got the former you back,” Anna laughs shyly. “When you were in a fight with her, you didn’t say these things.”
“Absolutely agree,” Peter agrees confidently. “Judging by how perfect his singing and playing on guitar became, I can say that Raquelle made a real miracle by literally bringing Terrence to life.”
“I just didn’t hear anything good for a long time,” Terrence confesses shyly. “So, I forgot who I actually was.”
“By the way, Pete, you said you’d thank Raquelle for giving Terrence a wish to live again if you got a chance to meet her,” Daniel recalls. “You know, I think I will do the same! Because that girl made a real miracle. We really started to play thousands of times better. With a heart.”
“Exactly!” Peter exclaims. “Now we may stop worrying that we’ll screw everything up during the performance. Because Paleface won’t frame us.”
“No, guys!” Anna shakes her head with a slight smile. “A real miracle is not the fact that Raquelle gave Terrence a wish to reach something. It’s the fact that they actually reconciled. These two fought so hard that we only had to wait for their breakup. But as it turned out, love can do truly magic things.”
“Oh, I also didn't think it would be possible,” Terrence says shyly. “But as it turned out, there’s nothing impossible. If you make some efforts and don’t run away from your problems and your responsibility for your actions, there is a chance that everything might not be lost.”
“I’m very glad for you two. And I hope you won’t bring your relationship to a critical point. Wouldn’t love to break up again.”
“Thanks, Anna,” Terrence pronounces amicably. “I wanna wish you and Daniel luck in your relationship. I’m glad he chose you. You’re a cool girl, and I’m sure he would feel good with you.”
“Thanks, buddy,” Daniel thanks with a slight smile. “I’m also wishing you and Raquelle to be together ‘till the end.”
“I’m joining your congratulations!” Peter says confidently and puts his hand on Terrence’s shoulder. “Be happy, dude! We’ve already said it, but don’t forget that we’re for your relationship with Raquelle.”
Peter moves his eyes to Daniel and Anna with a slight smile.
“Be happy, too, guys,” Peter adds amicably. “I personally like the way you look together. And I’m glad a housewifely girl moved into this house to bring here light and happiness and support cleanliness in this place. Which needed it so badly.”
“Thanks a lot, buddy,” Daniel thanks with a slight smile and hugs Peter amicably, clapping him on the shoulder.
“Yeah, thanks a lot,” Terrence nods and accepts an amicable hug from Daniel and Peter.
Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which everybody just shares a slight smile.
“Okay, so, what are we gonna do now?” Peter asks thoughtfully, looking at everybody next to him. “Leave our lovers alone and finish a rehearsal today? Or continue to get ready for the tour and give this charming girl a chance to watch and listen to us and give some pieces of advice?”
“I wouldn’t mind listening to your play,” Anna says with a slight smile, tightly locking her fingers. “I haven’t heard the way you play together yet. Since I know a lot about music, I can help you a little.”
“But I wouldn’t mind staying with you,” Daniel says in a low but very nice voice, hugging Anna by the waist. “With such a beauty…”
“Hey, is that fine that we need to rehearse?” Peter frowns slightly. “We’ve rehearsed for only two hours and haven’t played all the songs we’re gonna perform on the tour.”
“C’mon, guys! Two hours is great, too. The important thing is that we actually rehearsal.”
“Trying to get off it?” Terrence puts his hands on his hips.
“Alright, guys, we’ve worked enough today. But now I would like to stay with my beloved girl and spend some time with her. Moreover, I need to get ready for tonight’s date that I’ve already told you about.”
Peter and Terrence say nothing and look at each other with a sly smile.
“Okay, Pete,” Terrence pronounces thoughtfully, embracing Peter amicably. “I guess someone is kicking us out of here in an insolent way. Telling us, idiots, to get out of here and don’t prevent someone from spending time with the girlfriend.”
“Yeah, but I wanted to admire these lovebirds for a while,” Peter confesses with pity in his eyes. “Ah, sorry about being deprived of this chance…”
“Dudes, you said you got tired,” Daniel recalls. “Your arms, legs, neck, and back hurt… So, I can give you a perfect chance to have some rest and have a little massage session. I don’t know where or now, but I’m sure you’ll think up with something.”
“Actually, we decided not to give up and to go ‘till the end…” Terrence replies thoughtfully and laughs quietly. “But if you wanna spend some time with this gorgeous lady, it’s okay. We can give you a chance to fluff your peacock tail and proudly walk in front of her like a rooster.”
“Ha, do you mean yourself?” Daniel laughs shyly.
At this moment, Peter and Anna laugh quietly.
“The one to walk here like a plucked rooster is only you,” Daniel adds confidently. “I’m gonna be honest with you, I never met such selfish peacocks. Of course, I knew some peacocks and rooster, but you overshadowed all of them.”
“Oh, sorry, Daniel,” Terrence slaps himself on the forehead with a chuckle. “I forgot that you considered yourself a cool guy. Who, actually, is not less selfish than me.”
“I would bet who is selfish.”
“Come on!”
“At least, I’m not such a great fan of myself, even if I don’t deny that I’ve always been a freaking attractive and awesome guy that got all the best. But you literally go crazy over everything about you. Your heart starts beating faster every time you pass by the mirror and see your own reflection. That’s so attractive and sexual… M-m-m…”
“Very funny…”
“Sorry, Daniel, but sometimes you really behave like a real turkey,” Peter replies with an innocent smile. “Insolent and self-confident turkey.”
“Take an example from the blond!” Daniel exclaims. “He is the only one of you two not to suffer from narcissism. Shy, decent, never shows off and never walks half-naked at his will to drive girls crazy with his tough muscles.”
Terrence says nothing and just makes fun of Daniel, while Peter smiling shyly shakes his head and moves his eyes to Anna.
“Don’t pay attention to them, please,” Peter says quietly. “These idiots can’t decide who is the best and toughest one. When two roosters run into each other, it might lead to something bad.”
“It’s okay,” Anna laughs shyly. “Terrence often argues with his friends about who is the best. And the lads make fun of him and say he is too in love with himself and could marry himself if he had a chance to do it.”
“I hope Edward won’t let his buddy relax and won’t let Terry wear a crown on his head for a long time and think he’s the king of the world,” Daniel expresses hope.
“Don’t forget that I’ve been pronounced one of the most handsome and sexiest actors of the early 2000s,” Terrence recalls with his head proudly raised. “Isn’t that the proof of the fact that I’m freaking attractive and irresistible? And I will be the one at any age.”
“Listen, MacClife, you wanted to get out of here,” Daniel smiles innocently. “So, get out of my house. I’ve got no time for you. Because I have something more interesting to do. I don’t wanna listen to you telling me about your affection and some ratings.”
“Oh, alright, Peter, let it be,” Terrence exhales quietly, clapping Peter on the shoulder. “Let’s get out and leave these lovers alone.”
“Agree!” Peter agrees with a sly smile. “Let’s go somewhere without this romantic, who’s head over heels in love with his sweet girl.”
“May the lovebirds flirt a little. Why would we annoy him with rehearsals? You and I would go somewhere and think about the band’s name to introduce ourselves somehow.”
“Exactly!” Peter smiles innocently. “We’re for the happiness of our friends, and we ain’t gonna impose on anyone. So, let the chocolate head have fun with his charming beauty.”
“Alright, alright, dorks, when you’re meeting your girls, I will mock you, too,” Daniel crosses his arms over the chest with a loud chuckle. “I will surely go your home or where you’re gonna have a date and annoy you.”
“We love you, too, dude!” Terrence and Peter pronounce with a wide smile.
Both Peter and Terrence amicably hug Daniel to say goodbye, and MacClife does the same to Anna. They take their mobile phones that are placed on the coffee table and want to leave the house, while Perkins hugs his girlfriend by the waist from behind and slightly rubs his cheek against her temple.
“C’mon, get out of here, idiots!” Daniel exclaims. “Don’t waste my time!”
“We will leave now!” Terrence throws loudly, takes a handful of crackers from the bowl placed on the coffee table, and puts them in his mouth.
“We won’t be calling you ‘cause we’re gonna be very busy,” Peter adds funnily and does not refuse to eat some crackers from the bowl. “But if you’re bored, you can send us a couple of messages on WhatsApp.
“Hey, stop emptying the bowl!” Daniel demands loudly. “Take your stuff and get out.”
“Alright, alright, we wanna eat a little!” Terrence jabs, eating a little bit more crackers.
“Ah, yeah, you two must be at my home tomorrow at twenty o’clock. You can walk today, but, tomorrow, I will make you work off a missed day.”
“We will surely come, buddy!” Peter promises loudly somewhere from far. “Auf wiedersehen[1], buddy!”
Two seconds later, Peter starts to laugh loudly at a joke that Terrence just told him. A little later, they close the door, and the tracks of the two laughing friends disappear. Daniel shakes his head with a slight smile, looking at the closed hall door, and Anna laughs shyly, closing her mouth with a hand.
“I hate these two idiots!” Daniel chuckles kindly. “Really hate.”
“C’mon, sweetie,” Anna smiles shyly, turning on Daniel. “They said nothing bad.”
“Nah, I’m kidding! I actually love them.”
“I see.”
“But they don’t know I’m gonna kick their asses hard tomorrow after leaving now,” Daniel smiles slyly. “They will be playing guitar and drums all day long and take a break only to eat or go to a restroom.”
“If only you don’t start to go insane somewhere in the middle of a song.”
“We can’t do without it! It’s a part of the process.”
“Oh, gosh…”
“Anyway, tomorrow we’ll be working hard. Our irresistible Terry will be shouting at a microphone, my old crazy pal Peter will surely break one more pair of drumsticks or drums, and I…” Daniel smiles slyly. “I will just have fun and play the bass guitar for my pleasure.”
“Cool,” Anna smiles shyly. “I could spend time with you and listen to you playing. And get the blond to know better.”
“I don’t mind it.”
“By the way, he’s a funny guy… It’s clear he’s very good and kind.”
“Peter is really a very good man. For as long as I’ve known him, it’s always been comfortable to talk to him. He’s shy, decent, and by far not stupid…”
“You know it better. I can only say something about Terrence. I can say he’s also good, no matter what.”
“And I’m very glad Terrence joined us. We got on well with him and feel he’s already become one of us.”
“It’s easy to get on well with him. Natalia and I quickly got on with MacClife when we just met him.”
“He’s a good man, even if he loves praising himself at times.”
“It irritates at times.”
“Exactly.”
“I hope he will not suffer because of communicating with Edward. I don’t know him yet, but he already makes me have some suspicions.”
“Who knows, sweetheart,” Daniel pronounces thoughtfully. “Anyway, he completely understands everything, and people around him warm him about danger.”
“Did you and Peter know who he was in love with?”
“We’ve also been aware of Edward’s love interest. But we didn’t think your friend Natalia would be the one.”
“Yeah, it’s is very interesting: all of Raquelle friends and she are in love with Terrence and his friends.”
“And if you find a girlfriend for Peter, we’ll be truly grateful to Raquelle for making us happy, not knowing it.”
“But why does that guy have nobody?”
“He doesn’t want it,” Daniel shrugs. “At least, Pete says so. But I think the blond is just afraid to confess that he’s got no experience communicating with girls. He doesn’t wanna screw it up.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s strange…” Anna frowns slightly. “The boys I knew in childhood started to get experience at an early age. There wasn’t anyone not to date at least one girl by eighteen years. There was a boy at my school, who slept with many girls by the age of sixteen.”
“So, you’ve just met him. Our beloved drummer Pete is a flower that is touched by nobody and must find someone to care about him.”
“I see…”
“Anyway, the one to get him is gonna be very lucky. Because she is gonna get a delicious piece.”
“Maybe.”
“So, find out everything and let me know if there are single girls among your friends.”
“Okay, I will talk to the girls and suggest single ones a meeting with your friend,” Anna promises shyly. “If Peter falls in love with Raquelle’s friend, we can officially call her a matchmaker.”
“When I meet her, I’ll surely thank her for giving me such a charming beauty that I just adore.”
With these words, Daniel tenderly caresses Anna’s cheek with a tender smile, making her smile shyly.
“Daniel…” Anna moves her eyes down shyly.
“I’d love you to come to the lads and me tomorrow and listen to us playing,” Daniel says shyly, leaving slight smocks on Anna’s face. “If you want, you can invite your friends. We’d at least meet each other… And who knows, maybe, Edward would love to join us if Terrence persuaded him to come.”
“Don’t know what about the others, but I will listen to you,” Anna promises confidently with a slight smile. “Since you haven’t given me a chance to, I have to do everything and come to you by myself.”
“I would be glad about it.” Daniel hugs and presses Anna tightly to himself, caressing her head, and kisses her tenderly on the temple. “I’d play with your pretense along with the lads with great pleasure.”
“I’ll come,” Anna pronounces amicably. “Don’t doubt.”
Anna caresses Daniel’s cheek tenderly with a sly smile.
“And I will not let you be lazy and find time for stupid things,” Anna adds confidently.
“Thanks a lot, my love,” Daniel thanks with a wide smile. “You’re just a gem.”
Daniel, still hugging Anna tightly, kisses her on the cheek two times and strokes her hair for a few seconds as silence settles in the air. The girl presses herself against the man’s chest with a wide smile, keeping her arms wrapped around his neck and feeling the nice warmth he is giving her.
“So…” Daniel pronounces in a quiet and soft voice. “Since we have some free time that my best friends kindly gave me, we can spend it together.”
“I don't mind,” Anna agrees with a slight smile. “I’m ready to spend the whole day with you.”
“As well as I am ready.”
“Haven’t you forgotten that we’re gonna have a date tonight?”
“Waiting for tonight with impatience to stop dying from curiosity.”
Daniel steps back from Anna and lets his eyes slide over her face, breathing in the magnificent smell that she spreads.
“I can’t already wait to see your surprise,” Daniel confesses.
“I’m sure you’re gonna love it,” Anna smiles shyly.
“I don’t doubt it. Because I know what surprises you make for me.”
Daniel gives Anna a short, very tender kiss on the lips and runs the tip of his nose over her cheek with a slight smile.
“The flight in a helicopter was overwhelming,” Daniel adds in a lower voice. “You made my long-time dream come true.”
“You’re gonna love tonight’s one, as well,” Anna promises confidently.
“You’re intriguing me, princess, you are.”
“We’re getting closer to it.”
Anna runs her hand through Daniel’s hair on the back of his head and tenderly kisses the area somewhere under his chin.
“And to keep your interest, I wanna say that you’re gonna get something very interesting after my surprise,” Anna says with a mysterious smile.
“Ar-r-r, you’re teasing me…” Daniel growls playfully.
“I understand your impatience.”
“Maybe, you can help me shorten the time while I’m waiting? And make it unforgettable…”
With these words, Daniel kisses Anna on the lips again and slowly slides down to the curve of her neck, on which he leaves a few teasing kisses that make the girl smile shyly and close her eyes.
“Moreover, we’re far from the evening,” Daniel whispers in Anna’s ear in a much lower voice and kisses the area behind it tenderly. “Or I’m gonna die from boredom while waiting…”
“Aw, does my baby want me to play with him a little?” Anna smiles widely, stroking Daniel’s hair with one hand and tenderly running another hand over his chest and softly rubbing it.
“Very much…”
Daniel slides down to Anna’s neck again and covers the front of it with very tender kisses that make her sigh quietly, letting his hand slide over the curves of her waist and keeping them on her thigh.
“Would you deprive me of a chance to live the best minutes of my life?” Daniel asks.
“Well, if you make me go crazy, you will probably get everything you want,” Anna says in a low voice. “But I can’t promise anything.”
“What if I try?”
“Try. Do everything you can do. Maybe, you get something.”
Anna gets her hand underneath Daniel’s shirt with a sly smile and tenderly runs it over his torso up and down, biting her lip slightly.
“Easy…” Daniel pronounces with a little heavy breath and gives Anna a more continuous kiss on the lips, grabbing her face, and later running his fingers through her hair. “You do know how well I can do it.”
“Try, pretty boy, try,” Anna purrs. “I will see.”
“Nobody could be better in this business than me.”
When Daniel leaves a kiss on a curve of Anna’s neck and two more on her collarbones, she steps back from him with a sly smile and goes around him, standing behind the man’s back and putting her arms around his waist.
“Don’t rush, sweetie, don’t rush,” Anna pronounces in a low voice. “Don’t rush…”
Anna leaves a playful kiss on the nape of Daniel’s neck.
“I’m not refusing,” Anna whispers in Daniel’s ear with a sly smile and tenderly runs her lips over it, feeling that he shakes slightly.
“Decided to tease me?” Daniel asks in a little hoarse voice.
“Maybe… Maybe…”
Anna leaves a short kiss on the curve of Daniel’s neck and softly massages his shoulders.
“You’re probably tired after the rehearse,” Anna assumes. “Your body probably hurts… Right, sweetie?”
“Yes, my body hurts…” Daniel lies a little with a sly smile. “Especially much today…”
“If you want, I can fix it and help you get rid of any kind of pain. I can help you feel much better. And go to another rehearse tomorrow, feeling fresh and relaxed.”
With these words, Anna just caresses Daniel’s back and then starts to massage it tenderly, giving special attention to his spine and using her intuition to find the areas that hurt much more. While the man gets great pleasure and uses the moment when he can relax with a wonderful person.
“Oh, it would be great…” Daniel pronounces, moaning quietly from pleasure with closed eyes. “Massage my back, please… It does hurt so much… And my neck, please…”
“Do you want it so badly?” Anna smiles slyly, massaging Daniel’s spine and leaving kisses on the nape of his neck or ticking it with the tip of her nose. “Want?”
“Yes, yes, very much…” Daniel whines with pity. “Please, sweetheart, do a nice thing to me…”
“It depends only on you, honey.” Anna grabs Daniel’s ear tenderly with her mouth and then bites it slightly. “How much you want it.”
“Do a little massage for me,” Daniel keeps whining. “Please, princess…”
“M-m-m, you should deserve it.”
“Wanna play with me?”
“I want.” Anna softly steps back from Daniel. “I don’t wanna give you everything at once.”
“Ar-r-r-r, you’re waking up a fire inside me,” Daniel growls quietly. “You make me become a hungry wolf.”
Daniel sharply turns on Anna and presses her to himself by the waist, looking into her eyes.
“Calm down, tiger, control yourself,” Anna says with a sly smile.
“Do you think it’s possible?” Daniel wonders.
“I am controlling myself! Even if you’re trying to seduce me so hard by your charming eyes.”
“I can do something different. Do my best for you to become mine and do everything I want.”
Daniel sharply kisses Anna on the lips with a heavy breath, holding her by the back with both hands. Because of a sudden, the girl shakes slightly and tries to moan something but relaxes very quickly, puts an arm around his neck, runs her fingers through his hair, and puts her hand on his cheek, caressing it tenderly.
At this moment, Daniel’s hand is sliding over Anna’s spine up and down, but confidently gets underneath her shirt at some moment. Then he tenderly caresses the soft skin on her back with his fingertips and lets himself go down to her thighs and buttocks and caress them. And seeing the red-haired beauty is breathing heavily from the excitement that gets stronger, the brunet slides to the attractive curves of her neck and covers them with kisses with greater pleasure, making her go insane, roll her eyes, and make quiet, sensual moans as her heart misses a beat at times.
When Daniel has to step away from Anna to catch a heavy breath, he looks into the girl’s eyes and smiles wider and wider every new second, showing his perfectly straight teeth. She smiles widely back with the same breath, getting a little blushed from some confusion and not being able to move her eyes off such charming brown eyes, looking into which literally makes her forget how to breathe. The man completely understands it and gets much closer to her, breathing in the smell of her perfume that is mixed with the natural smell of the female skin as her body is pressed to his body instinctively.
At some moment, Daniel tenderly grabs Anna’s face and connects his lips with the girl’s lips, feeling a great pleasure from feeling these soft, nice-tasting ones. The girl answers him with the same passion that he does and sometimes adds fuel to the fire, making the kiss deeper and more exciting and letting him know that she just seems to be shy and can be the opposite version of herself. A few moments later, Perkins lifts his sweetheart up, and she uses the moment, puts her legs around his waist, and puts her arms around his neck. Holding the red-haired beauty by her buttocks, the brown-eyed one comes to the sofa, seats her down, sits down next to her, and gives her a few kisses on her neck and collarbones as his hands slowly slide over her shoulders, the curves of her waist, her thighs, and her knees, and one of them caresses a leg she puts on his lap.
Enjoying any touches and kisses of her beloved man with eyes that she closes or rolls up from pleasure, Anna does not have time to realize that she ends up in a lying position, and Daniel rising himself above her gives her a short kiss on the lips again, gives some attention to such beautiful parts as her neck and collarbones, tenderly caresses her belly after rising her shirt up slightly and does not hold down his wish to leave a few kisses on it, making her breathe much heavier, exhale much louder, bend backward slightly and feel much stronger dizziness and a shake under the influence of these emotions. But a little later, the lovers change their positions. And now the girl rising herself above him does her best to drive the man crazy with shy and sassy kisses on his lips and neck and tender caresses of his head, chest, and stomach. And judging by the fact that Daniel rolls his eyes often, breathes hard, and smiles widely, Anna does it very well and lets him know that she can do much more than it seems.
***
Somewhere at the time after lunch, Raquelle decided to walk on the streets of the city because she had nothing to do. She is looking around with an interest and examining everything she sees around, having a good mood and feeling easiness in her soul. To her happiness, the weather is just wonderful today: the sun is shining in the sky, the air seems very warm, and the light wind blows at times.
While walking, Raquelle got caught by paparazzi several times, who were taking photos of her without stopping and asking her questions about her career and the possible breakup. But the girl herself quietly reacted to such great attention, just waved a hand at them with a cute smile, and promised to tell all the news at the nearest time. Of course, at heart, she is terribly happy she has not been forgotten yet, and people are waiting for her, but what happened helped her understand that a brilliant career is not as important as her family, which she forgot while trying to get much more famous and wishing to reach something more.
No, the girl is not going to quit her modeling career. But she is determined to slow down and work much less than before to have time for her family and friends. Maybe, some time ago, Raquelle would not have even thought about it and never listened to anyone, who thought that she was working too much. But now the girl has learned a very good lesson and understood her mistakes. The case of Simon and Terrence taught her much. It opened her eyes to many things. And it eventually helped her change her mind about some things.
“My gosh, I was such an idiot when not listening to those, who told me to slow down,” Raquelle thinks, slowly walking on the streets of New York and enjoying the good weather. “They were absolutely right. But I was too headstrong to confess it. They were right when they said I was aiming to run away from my close people, who began to get me irritated…”
Raquelle swallows up nervously.
“Now I understand I really overworked and got myself exhausted,” Raquelle confesses silently. “Although I thought everything was fine, I was actually exhausted and emptied… I had depression that got much worse because of the terrible story. But thank God, I feel much better now… I feel different… And I’ve realized much. I’ve realized all my mistakes and know what I will never do again. I understand I should’ve probably needed the push. I needed something that would make me understand what I should’ve changed.”
Raquelle sighs silently.
“And I surely know that I won’t work so much anymore,” Raquelle decides confidently. “I didn't almost spend time at home ‘cause I got myself overloaded with work, but now I would like to slow down. One of the reasons why my relationship had problems is the fact that Terrence and I were too busy with ourselves and our work and aimed to reach very much. We completely forgot we had the second half that got no attention… And I really gave a damn about him… But everything would’ve been otherwise if I hadn’t worked like crazy and taken the responsibility to be a good girlfriend.”
Raquelle glances at a girl that goes by her on a scooter.
“Now I wanna spend more time with the people I love and will always love,” Raquelle thinks. “To be with those, who would support me at any moment. Support me when I feel bad. Even if we can’t avoid some problems, we will surely solve them together… The case of Simon made me understand how much my close people that I don’t wanna lose meant to me. They mean much more to me than I thought.”
Some time later, Raquelle has to stop thinking of something because of the unexpected call on her phone that immediately brings the girl back to reality. She slowly steps, goes aside, takes her smartphone from her purse, and answers the call, not even looking at the screen to find out who decided to call her.
“Hello, I’m listening to you,” Raquelle says quietly.
“Good afternoon, Raquelle,” a feminine voice pronounces quietly. “Paulina Simpson is bothering you. Do you remember me? We talked about your participation in my fashion house somewhere two months ago.”
“Erm, yes, yes…”
Raquelle needs one second to call the memory of who Paulina Simpson is because she forgot about her after everything that happened to her.
“Yes, yes, hello, Mrs. Simpson,” Raquelle greets gently. “Of course, I remember you!”
“I’m sorry for disappearing for such a long time and not contacting you,” Paulina apologizes. “I thought I would have solved my problems quickly, but everything lasted much longer than I thought.”
“It’s alright, do not worry. I was also… A little busy all this time.”
“I understand you… And now I would like to talk to you about the canceled show, in which you should have participated as one of the models.”
“Yes, yes, of course, I’m listening to you closely. What do want to talk to me about?”
At this moment, two little barking dogs run by Raquelle, and their owners are slowly going somewhere far.
“Raquelle, I think you remember that I told you my show was delayed indefinitely when we had the latest talk,” Paulina recalls.
“Yes, I remember,” Raquelle nods.
“So, I want to let you know that I have finally solved my problems that had to do with my partners and some personal business.”
“That’s how!”
“So, it means we will start to get ready for the show next week. It will be hosted in two weeks. So, we will be getting ready very fast. We have a little time, but very much work to do.”
Honestly, Raquelle almost forgot about Paulina’s show since she was too busy with her problems. She calls the memories about it now when the woman called her and reminded her of it. However, the girl is not going to refuse to participate in the fashion show of such amazing designers as Paulina Simpson, who is one of her favorite ones.
“So, do you want to say…” Raquelle wants to say, being a little shocked and confused.
“Did you think I decided to exclude you from the list of members?” Paulina wonders.
“Erm… I would say so.”
“No, Raquelle, it’s not the truth. You will be participating in my fashion show along with all the models that I chose to introduce my new collection.”
“Sure… I will be happy to participate in it.”
“Yes, my team and I reviewed the candidatures of some models and replaced them due to some reasons. But I am not going to change you.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“Besides, I even want to make you the model that would open and close my show.”
“Really?” Raquelle rounds her eyes. “Would I open and close the show?”
“Yes, Raquelle, you,” Paulina nods confidently. “I originally wanted another model to do it, but then I decided that I wanted to see you among one of the first models. And my team insisted that we choose you.”
“My God, that’s so unexpecting!” Raquelle smiles shyly. “For me, it would be an honor to open and close the show of one of my favorite designers of clothes.”
“I am suggesting you start to get ready right now.”
“I am ready to start at any time.”
“I literally ban you from losing your weight because you are skinny and look beautiful. As I have said, I do not work with models that have all the signs of anorexia.”
“I get it. I think I will have no problems with it.”
“I hope so.”
“Anyway, I have never kept any diets and lost my weight on purpose. I can lose weight only by worrying. But when everything is fine, and I have no worries, I have the same weight.”
“That’s how…”
“Genetic…” Raquelle shrugs. “My mother was tall and skinny and was never overweighed.”
“By the way, about worrying, I’m aware of what happened to you.”
“Erm, are you aware?”
“I’m very sorry that you broke up with your boyfriend,” Paulina expresses regret. “I do not know him personally, but I know much about him as a talented actor. My daughter adores some movies with him.”
“Thanks for the support, of course, but thank God, everything got better now,” Raquelle says with a slight smile.
“What?”
“My boyfriend and I are not going to break up, and we’ve resolved our disagreements.”
“Really? You reconciled with him?”
“Yes, everything is fine now.”
“Wow, I didn’t know it…”
“Do not worry, Terrence and I are still together. And I hope we will always be.”
“It’s strange that the media still says you broke up and literally decided to sue each other,” Paulina says thoughtfully.
“Nobody just knows it yet. Well, the media loves to make a big deal and tell everyone some tales.”
“Right, they love telling stories.”
“Even if Terrence and I broke up, we would do this quietly, without scandals. We have nothing to fight for: no children, no property, no money.”
“Anyway, you better deny all the rumors as soon as possible before the media comes up with something much more absurd.”
“Do not worry, Mrs. Simpson, my boyfriend and I will make a public statement that everything is fine with our relationship. We will tell everyone that we are coming back to our work: I will keep working in the modeling business, and Terrence decided to try to get into the music world.”
“So, I’m very glad for you in this case…” Paulina smiles shyly.
“Thanks a lot.”
“Take care of your boyfriend, and don’t forget about him. Men need love and care anyway. They are like little children that want to get attention.”
“Now I understand it well. Many things have happened in my life in the past two months and made me think better and change my mind about something.”
“That’s great you learned some lessons after what happened. And I hope you will not make the same mistakes that could ruin your happiness.”
“I will not do it, Mrs. Simpson, do not worry,” Raquelle smiles slightly.
Two teenage girls go by Raquelle, who recognize the girl shortly, welcome her happily, and literally beg her to take a photo with them. The brunette does not refuse to do this and, asking Paulina to wait for two seconds, poses with every one of them with a true smile on her face while someone takes a picture. And then the teenagers ask her a couple of questions about her future and breakup, but Raquelle lets them know that she will explain everything at the nearest time. The girls agree to wait and quickly say goodbye to the brunette, saying they love her very much and are impatiently waiting for new works from her, and she waves her hand at them with a slight smile and wishes them all the best.
“Fans?” Paulina asks.
“Yes, they asked to take a picture,” Raquelle replies shyly. “I usually never refuse to take a couple of photos, sign something or answer some questions.”
“I see.” Paulina clears her throat quickly.
“By the way, I forgot to tell you that I recently talked with your manager about what happened.”
“Really?” Raquelle wonders. “You talked with Serena?”
“Yes. And I must confess that Serena got very upset because of what happened to you.”
“As I understand, she says nothing to anyone.”
“Right. Your manager doesn’t give any comments to the media and is waiting for your reaction. She doesn’t want to say anything without your permission.”
“I heard everyone began to worry about me and wanted to know what happened to me. I suddenly disappeared and stopped participating in shootings and publishing posts on my social networks.”
“It’s the truth. Serena told me much about it and was worried that you broke contact with everybody and did not let her know about you even on social networks.”
“I will leave a few posts on my accounts very soon and promise to come back and explain everything.”
“Yeah, but first of all, you need to talk to your managers. Serena and the other people from your manager team tried to contact you many times, but your phone was turned off, and you have not replied to any of the emails they sent to your email.”
“I’m guessing when she tried to contact me.”
“Did you want to talk to nobody?”
“Yeah, I had a hard time.” Raquelle tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “I had personal problems that I needed to solve.”
“I get it,” Paulina nods.
“At some moment, I got so sick of everything so much that I wanted to hide from everyone. I… I needed to live quietly for some time and talk to nobody.” Raquelle falls into silence for two seconds. “I felt so badly that I thought of quitting my modeling career and returning to my home city.”
“Did the fact you that almost broke up with your boyfriend impact you?” Paulina asks.
“Yes, it did. But I had many other problems.”
“Ah, that’s why…”
“Wait, don’t you know what happened?”
“Erm… I know, one man was chasing you. I heard he was guilty of spreading the false rumors that everyone believed. Simon Ringer paid to someone to make them publish something that would have showered you with mud.”
“It’s true. He was my real punishment. I suffered very much because of that man.”
“I know. I’m very glad he got his punishment and would no longer hurt anyone.”
“Yes, thank God, this story ended.”
“By the way, I think you did a wise thing by deciding to record a video of your confession of your fault for the situation with Camilla Pettigrew. Yes, you should’ve done it much earlier, but I’m glad you decided to break the silence.”
“You watched that video?”
“Yes, I saw it on your account. And the mass media have spread it everywhere.”
“I was ready for the fact that a larger group of people would judge me. But I’m glad there are those, who believed in my apology.”
“I’m one of them. I believe that your regret is true.”
“Anyway, I was a stupid, eighteen-year-old girl that just started to work in the modeling business. It ended well only thanks to my managers. Who have always believed in me. Who protected me in any situation and tried to solve all the conflicts I was involved in.”
“Everyone is waiting for a comment from Camilla herself, but many people think she will not forgive you.”
“I’m not expecting it. Though, I got much better when I addressed her and apologized to her for everything that had happened between us. And Camilla will decide if she wants to forgive me.”
“Anyway, I hope you will no longer be involved in this type of scandal. That you’ve become smarter and learned to keep your emotions under control.”
“Yeah. I will be very careful now. And I will start to work on myself. Not to pretend to be confident. To be really the one.”
“First, I can advise you to forgive those, who made you doubt yourself. I guess those people saw an opponent in you and tried to humiliate you because of you. They wanted to assert themselves at you. But trust me, you’re a very beautiful girl, even if you really lack some confidence. And I am sure that you were the most sympathetic person in your circle. So sympathetic that girls were just jealous of you.”
“Maybe, that’s true. I didn’t differ from the others. I just had no opportunity to wear good clothes. I never made beautiful hairstyles and learned to do makeup when I started to work as a model. And I was always very shy and quiet. I did what my grandfather told me. I never snapped and tolerated all the insults silently.”
“If it’s hard for you to get through it on your own, I have a number of a very good psychologist, who literally got me out of deep depression one day.”
“Thanks, but I want to do it on my own. With the help of my close people. Whom I appreciate much more than ever.”
“Alright, as you want.”
“I no longer want to fight with anyone. I want to live in peace with everyone. All these problems made me terribly exhausted. And because of Simon, I felt much worse than I did when I began to understand that I worked too much.”
“But how do you feel now? Did you get better?”
“Yes, I’m fine now,” Raquelle smiles slightly. “Not only did the fact that the bad things are over, and I had some rest from my work had to do with it, but also the fact that my boyfriend helped me come to myself and feel a great relief. I’m grateful to him for taking care of me with all my heart. Without him, it would’ve been much harder for me.”
“I am glad you feel better. And I hope you will work on my fashion show well in two weeks.”
“No, no, I will not frame you, Mrs. Simpson. I promise. I will work on the show as brilliantly as possible.”
“Good.”
“Now I feel I am ready to work and contact anyone to wish to talk to me about something. I am open to any interesting offers.”
“Alright, if I talk to Serena, I will tell her your words and ask her to contact you again,” Paulina promises with a slight smile. “You will talk to her about what you want to say to your fans and your future work.”
“I think I will call her tomorrow and ask her about a meeting in a quiet place. And then I shall talk to the people from my model agency and agree about the plan of our work.”
“I must confess that she was very worried about you very much and wanted to help you somehow. Serena said you’d always been like her own daughter, whom she madly loved. Sadly, she does not have her own children. So, she gives her love to her wards, among whom you are not the only one.”
“Serena is very close to me, too,” Raquelle confesses shyly. “I trust her completely, am happy with her work, and am not going to change my manager. We’ve known each other since I was seventeen. She helped me overcome all the difficulties and taught me to be a professional model.”
“She was upset because she had to decline many offers that you were getting when you disappeared and were solving your problems with your boyfriend and that fraud. Some offers were really amazing and could have made you more popular.”
“I’m very sorry it happened…” Raquelle says with sadness in her eyes.
“But I heard many famous brands still want to work with you. They want to make you the face of them.”
“It will never happen again. Now I am ready to think about all the offers and accept them in case I think it’s very interesting.”
“Luckily, Serena managed to persuade some people to remain especially amazing offers in place. Now they are waiting for you to contact them and agree to meet them to talk about everything.”
“I will talk to everyone, who offered me something, at the nearest time.”
“That’s good!”
“But I want to think about my plan of work. I no longer want to do what I don’t like. I don’t want to do a few things at the same time and get exhausted in the end.”
“You should have done that a long time ago. Even the media says you should have stopped. An article in one newspaper said you ended up in a hospital with a nervous breakdown because you worked too much.”
“If I had kept working in such a crazy rhythm for some time, I would have really ended up in a clinic…” Raquelle sighs tiredly. “I used to accept all the offers of work that I had, and I never examined them. But I thought I could have enough time to do so many things at the same time psychically. Of course, I had time to do everything magically, but I always felt emptied at the end of the day… As if someone sucked all the energy and good emotions out of me…”
“Serena noticed it a long time ago,” Paulina confesses. “And I understood you needed a rest. That’s why I even began to doubt if I should have offered you to work me because you looked too bad. But your manager promised to watch you closely and decline all the offers and meetings on purpose to let you have a good rest and get ready for my show.”
“When I meet her, I will ask her not to load me with work before your show too much. I want to focus on that. Because… I don’t want to frame you.”
“Nice to hear it. I hope you will no longer overload yourself like that and will not overwork before my show, which must be over in an excellent way.
“From now on, I will be scheduling my plan of work better to work and spend a lot of time with my family and friends.”
“That’s good,” Paulina pronounces with a slight smile. “And yeah, at the nearest time, I am advising you not to accept too much work because we will start rehearsing every single day next week. And I need you to look fresh and rested.”
“I already promised that I would be focused on that.”
“The show will take place in two weeks, and almost nothing is ready. That’s why we will be working hard. I will be personally controlling the process of preparations for the show because it’s very important to me. And all my models will be under my control: if I see at least one lady, who looks bad or stickily skinny, I will immediately replace her. But I actually have no problem with it: I viewed reviews of a dozen models but did not choose many of them just because there were no places. Anyway, I did not forget any one of those, who did not get an invitation. But I am sure they would agree if I suggested they participate instead of someone.”
“Yes, of course, I get it,” Raquelle nods confidently. “I’m ready to work and get ready for the show at any time.”
“Alright, in this case, I will tell Serena everything, and then she will tell you all the details personally if you are going to meet her.”
“When will the first rehearse of the fashion show take place?”
“I will let you know when our first rehearsal starts later. But get ready that it will happen next week.
“I hope I will meet your expectations and give you a nice impression about my work to people.”
“I am doing my best for the show to be good,” Paulina says with a slight smile. “And I put great hopes on you because you will open and close the show.”
“I will not betray you, I promise.”
“Good.”
The talk stops for two seconds, during which Raquelle smiles slightly when she glances at a couple of a man and a girl that go by her, embracing each other and talking about something nice.
“Alright, Raquelle, I have very much to do now and, unfortunately, have to say goodbye,” Paulina says thoughtfully.
“Alright, I will not hold you,” Raquelle replies amicably.
“Congratulation on making your life better again and wish you the best.”
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Simpson,” Raquelle thanks with a shy smile. “Goodbye.”
“See you at our first rehearsal.”
Raquelle ends the call with a slight smile, blocks the screen of her smartphone, puts it in her purse, thinks about something with a much wider smile on her face, glancing aside, and continues to walk in the large city again. A little later, she meets a few more fans of hers, who ask her to sign something, take a photo with them, or ask her questions about her future work that she, however, does not want to answer. But she promises to tell everything at the nearest time again and wait for some time.
She really thought Paulina refused to work with her for some reason and did not call her all this time. But the woman has shown up and let her know that the girl was wrong. So, she could use a good chance to make it a first step to returning to the modeling business. A chance to start to shine just as bright as a star.
This time, Raquelle is ready. Ready to conquer the best runways, show gorgeous models of clothes, and shoot for the covers of the most popular magazines around the world. Raquelle cannot wait to start working again and do what she really wants to do. Now she is sure about herself. She is sure she wants to continue her business. And she knows her life is going to be much better. Because she has her closest and most loyal people by her side, who will always support her.
Moreover, now, when she has reconciled with Terrence and begun to live with him again, Raquelle feels a great wave of energy and the motivation to reach for something more. He is the man, who inspires the girl to fight for something and do what she wants. Both of them are the inspiration for each other… They are the shoots of the sun in each other's souls. The shoot of the sun that gives them a true belief and hope that their life is going to be much better.
***
It’s about four o'clock. It’s quite light outside, roads are free, and the weather makes the habitats of New York happy because today is quite warm and sunny. This evening, Raquelle, Terrence, Edward, and Natalia decide to come together to the house of MacClife and Cameron to have dinner and spend a good time together.
At the moment, the four people are sitting at the table, eating slowly the delicious food cooked by the servants, and talking about everything possible because they feel quite comfortable with each other and get pleasure from the together pastime.
“The rehearsal was just excellent, even though we got really tired,” Terrence says with enthusiasm, slowly eating what is placed on his plate. “But it happened that it lasted for only two hours.”
“But why?” Raquelle wonders, taking a little sip of water from a glass. “Two hours is very little! And you usually rehearse for much longer.”
“Yeah, but someone just saw his sweetheart and forgot about the rehearsal. So, in the end, our dearest bassist Daniel ‘kindly’ asked Peter and me to leave and let him have fun with his girlfriend.”
“As if you didn’t know it would happen when his girlfriend went to his home,” Edward chuckles quietly, getting something on his fork and eating it quietly.
“Oh, I’m afraid to imagine what would happen if she stayed with us to watch us play. Daniel would easily get so busy with his beloved girl that he’d forget about Peter and me.”
“Hey, did he tell you something about his girlfriend?” Natalia asks with a mysterious smile, holding a glass of water in her hand. “You said he was also secretive. Just like our little girl Anna, who doesn’t wanna show her boyfriend to us.”
“Yeah, about it!” Terrence quickly wipes his mouth with a napkin, drinks some water, and smiles mysteriously as he is looking at Raquelle sitting next to him or Natalia sitting in front of him next to Edward. “Raquelle, Natalia, you can’t believe who came to us when the lads and I were in the living room and laughing.”
“So, who came to you?” Raquelle frowns slightly. “You say it like a celebrity decided to come to you.”
“No, not a celebrity. But you’re gonna be shocked when you know who Daniel is dating.”
Natalia and Raquelle look at each other questioningly and shrug slightly.
“Hey, Terrence, stop smiling so slyly and making us guess,” Natalia says quietly, showing a plate of her hand to Terrence. “Speak up, who came to you and made you so excited.”
“Yeah, speak out everything now,” Raquelle says with a slight smile, slightly pushing Terrence on his ribs. “Nobody but a girlfriend of your friend could come there.”
“That was his girlfriend,” Terrence smiles mysteriously. “Who turned out to be your friend, Anna.”
The surprised Natalia and Raquelle open their mouths and look at Terrence questioningly.
“What?” Natalia and Raquelle pronounce surprisingly. “Anna?”
“Come on?” Natalia wonders a little louder. “Our friend Anna? Our sweet little girl with a baby face is a girlfriend of Daniel, who you mean?”
“No, you must be kidding,” Raquelle shakes her head confidently. “We don’t believe you!”
“No, girls, I’m telling the truth,” Terrence smiles shyly. “The guy, who she told you nothing about, is my friend and bandmate. As it turned out, Anna is living with her boyfriend, whose full name is Daniel Christopher Perkins.”
“Wow…” Natalia shakes her head sharply and drinks some water from her glass. “How interesting everything is…”
“What a twist…” Raquelle pronounces thoughtfully.
“So, do you want to say that our friend is dating your bandmate?”
“Yup, it’s right,” Terrence shrugs.
“Bloody hell…”
“I’m gonna be honest, I was really surprised when I learned about Anna’s affair with Daniel and saw your friend at his home.”
“So, are you trying to make us sure that you found everything out today?”
“What?”
“You knew everything, right?”
“No, Natalia, I found out everything today. Peter and I persuaded Daniel to tell us about his girlfriend, and I realized that could be your friend after hearing his story. And when I mentioned Raquelle’s friend, Perkins confirmed that his girlfriend was Anna Seymour.”
“But how does your friend look?” Raquelle asks. “Is that a tall guy with chocolate hair and brown eyes?”
“He is.”
“So, everything fits. Anna described a similar guy.”
“By the way, Perkins really loves to praise his eyes and says everybody falls in love with them. And your friend couldn’t resist when she looked into them.”
“It’s the truth,” Raquelle smiles mysteriously. “Anna talked very much about his eyes. She literally adored them.”
“Yeah, did you probably perplex and say that there was nobody more irresistible than you?” Edward laughs shyly.
“Of course, there is nobody more irresistible than me!” Terrence says with his head proudly raised. “Peter and Daniel are madly lucky I became a member of their band. And it goes without saying, they recognize my unbreakable authority.”
“Oh, c’mon, don’t praise yourself for the hundredth time!” Natalia rolls her eyes. “Everybody knows who you are. Repeating that again and again is unnecessary.”
“I’ve said nothing yet. But if I start to say something, I will surely announce the list of the reasons why I must be recognized as an attractive and very important man.”
“We know it by heart, honey,” Raquelle laughs shyly. “You can announce it to the one that doesn’t know you yet.”
“There is not at least one person that would not know such an important man as Terrence MacClife.”
“Of course, I would make you upset by the news that there are people, who’ve never heard your name…” Edward says thoughtfully, holding a fork and drawing something in the air. “But I shall rather not make you lose your appetite and will let you think you’re really so cool and important. For a while. I’ll think later…”
“Don’t open your mouth then,” Terrence smiles innocently. “Because my importance has been confirmed by many people multiple times.”
“Oh, gosh…” Natalia exhales quietly, rolling her eyes.
After quiet chuckles on the table, silence settles in the air for some time, after which Raquelle leans on the table with an elbow with a mysterious smile and leans on her chin with her hand.
“Yeah, we finally know Anna’s mysterious admirer that Anna told Natalia and me so much about,” Raquelle says thoughtfully, mixing what’s placed on her plate with a fork slowly.
“I must be honest, the guys already pronounced you our matchmaker,” Terrence confesses with a quiet laugh.
“Me? Matchmaker?”
“Yup! The lads fell in love with your friends. Edward is dating Natalia, and Daniel is going insane over Anna.”
“That’s right!” Natalia agrees with a wide smile. “We can say Raquelle is the mascot that helped us get our happiness.”
“By the way, Dan and I promised that you’d also find a beautiful girl for Pete. We’re taken, but he’s absolutely single and a little jealous when we talk about our beauties. Moreover, I saw he got very sad when watching Perkins kissing and hugging Anna.”
“Tell Peter that the matchmaker, Raquelle, will surely find him a girlfriend,” Raquelle promises funnily. “I’m gonna choose the best ladies and introduce them to your friend. Maybe, he’ll really like someone.”
“I think it’s gonna be hard to please him,” Edward assumes thoughtfully.
“Why?”
“It seems like Peter is too selective about girls and wouldn’t speak to everyone. He doesn’t definitely like a chance to date the first one he meets.”
“Anyway, when the guy is in love with someone, he’ll stop making us sure that he doesn’t wanna date anyone and feels good,” Terrence replies confidently.
“That’s right!” Natalia exclaims. “Since Raquelle, so to say, hit the bullseye two times and magically brought her friends to good men, she’s supposed to do it again. Of course, she didn’t introduce me to Edward and Anna to Daniel, but let’s think my friend has to do with our happiness.”
“But I think I’d really bring two people together this time,” Raquelle replies confidently. “And I might probably become the reason why a new couple would be born.”
“Take care of this mascot, guys,” Terrence smiles widely, embracing Raquelle by the shoulders. “She is not only the reason for our happiness, but also the one to be really able to help my friend finally meet a good girl and fall in love.”
“Raquelle gives everyone luck and happiness!” Natalia replies funnily. “I’m sure when you introduce her to that Peter, he’ll surely meet his love.”
“By the way, I forgot to say that Raquelle probably knew those guys.”
“Knew?” Raquelle rounds her eyes. “How?”
“They told me that they met you somewhere one and a half years ago when they were playing guitars near the shopping center.”
“One and a half years ago?” Raquelle thinks for a few seconds and opens her mouth slightly. “Listen, right! I remember how I once met two musicians after leaving the shopping center. The blond and the brunet! It happened in the wintertime. They were performing Christmas songs.”
“The guys said you gave them a large amount of money and had a sweet talk to them.”
“Yes, it’s true. I liked the way they sang so much that I couldn’t just go by without raiting their play. We had a very nice talk, and I advised them to keep making music. I said they’d make their dream come true and would become singers and release their own album.”
“M-m-m, it would be cool if your words were prophetic,” Natalia smiles mysteriously. “They met Terrence and created their own band.”
“Who knows,” Raquelle shrugs. “But those guys have a good chance. Of course, if Terrence and I mean the same people.”
“Didn’t you ask their names when talking to them?”
“Nope, I didn’t ask. I just talked to them and took a couple of photos with them.”
“I should ask them if they have those photos,” Terrence says thoughtfully.
“Anyway, I would be happy to meet them again. Get to know them better.”
“Listen, you all can use this wonderful chance to meet the guys if you come to our rehearsal.”
“Really?” Raquelle rounds her eyes.
“Yes, girls, arrive at Daniel’s home! You’ve been to that place and know how to go there. The lads and I would be very glad if you listened to us and told your opinion.”
“Huh, what kind of question, buddy!” Natalia chuckles loudly. “I shall come and spend time with you with pleasure!”
“And I can’t miss a chance to hear you sing in the band for the first time,” Raquelle says with a slight smile.
“Believe me, Raquelle, they play and sing just wonderful,” Edward replies confidently. “One day, I heard them playing and was really delighted. If you listen to them, you won’t be disappointed. I'm ready to bet my arm.”
“Hey, Edward, we also wanna see you at one of our rehearsals,” Terrence says confidently. “Daniel and Peter said they hadn’t met you for ages and asked me to invite you to hang out with us someday.”
“Well, if you’re inviting, I’ll come with pleasure. If you have a rehearsal tomorrow, you can expect my visit.”
“We all can come tomorrow and listen to you!” Raquelle exclaims.
“Exactly,” Natalia says cheerfully. “If we’re getting invited, it’s gonna be a sin to refuse. At least, Raquelle and I would make Anna explain why she said nothing about her boyfriend.”
“The important thing is that she feels feel good with him. And judging by her stories, Anna feels wonderful and is very happy with that guy. I’m personally happy for her.”
“But I got mad at her,” Natalia says gloomily, crossing her arms over her chest. “Why did she tell us nothing about the one she was dating? As if she would've been killed if she’d told us that great secret!”
“I’m also a little hurt ‘cause she told us nothing. But let’s not forget that you were also silent about your relationship with Edward. You told Anna nothing, and she didn’t wanna reveal the personality of Daniel.”
“Yeah, but I did explain why I did it, but we know nothing about Seymour. It’s hurtful that we’re her friends, but she told us nothing about who stole the tender heart of that little girl.”
“But she told us about her dates, feelings, emotions, and something like that. Anna just hid his name and who his friend was. Just like you did. So, I think offending is worthless.”
“Exactly!” Terrence agrees. “Better be happy for your friend, ‘cause she got a good man. Of course, sometimes Daniel is very insolent and shameless, but he is actually a good guy. I’m sure he can make that girl happy and wouldn’t spit at her.”
“Yeah, but I’m sorry that her parents didn’t wanna approve their daughter’s choice,” Raquelle says with sadness in her eyes. “They didn’t even wanna look at him and talk to him a little. Those people believed that she should’ve broken up with him and gotten married to the one that they thought was a decent man.”
“That’s wrong,” Natalia pronounces. “I think if they hadn’t done that, she wouldn’t have left her home to live her life with her beloved man.”
“I wonder, how did they react to the fact that Anna left her home forever?”
“Knowing them, I can assume they started a terrible hysteria,” Natalia chuckles kindly. “But I can’t say if someone would listen to them if they went to the police. I’m sure they decided to report a missing person, even if Anna left a note for them and explained everything.”
“Anna is no longer a child, she is an adult girl. She can live her life, get a job and live apart from her parents.
Natalia drinks some water from her glass.
“Since she was lucky to find the man, who is gonna earn money when his band gets famous, Anna is allowed not to work if she doesn’t want to,” Natalia notices. “She can just take care of him and his home.”
“I think she was born for that,” Raquelle assumes. “She isn’t confused because of the homework and does everything with some pleasure. For example, Anna has always loved to cook and can do it very well.”
“Oh, that’s the most important thing!” Terrence exclaims. “Because Daniel can’t cook at all.”
“He can’t do it at all?”
“At all. He can only put something in a microwave or boil something in a cooker.”
“Just something,” Natalia laughs shyly.
“And he doesn’t care about cleanliness, ‘cause he's too lazy to wash the floor or sort things out in his room. So, a girl, who can cook wonderfully and is ready to keep his home clean is his perfection.”
“With such a girl like Anna, it’s gonna be nice to be at his house,” Raquelle replies confidently.
“I don’t know what was happening there before, but I prefer believing Peter, who’s known him for four years, seen the mess many times, and helped Perkins get rid of the consequences caused by his attempts to cook something.”
“Anyway, Daniel is madly lucky. He is in the trustful hands of the good girl.”
“And she’s lucky to have him,” Natalia replies with a slight smile. “She wanted a man who would take care of her beautifully and treat her like a queen. So, Anna found him. And she decided to be with him, despite her parents’ wish.”
“Are they so severe that your friend ran away from them?” Edward wonders.
“Come on! They kept a hard control over Anna, but she has always shown her tough character and protested against the life they chose for her.”
“That’s right!” Raquelle nods, swallowing up some food and drinking water. “They did even wanna get her married to an unbeloved man. They found a man from their circle and let her know it. Let her know that she would marry him and live with him.”
“Wow! Does someone get their children married against their wish? Our country is free, and you can get married to any person at any time.”
“As you see, they do. But Anna refused to live with him and preferred living her own life. She watched her parents, who were never happy together and literally tolerated each other. They don’t know what love is and have gotten used to obeying older people. They think Anna is going to live with the one they chose, as they did it for many years.”
“What a wildness,” Edward pronounces thoughtfully. “I wonder, who started it all?”
“Oh, it’s lasted for many years!” Natalia exclaims. “Anna’s parents got married by her grandfathers and grandmothers, who were married by her great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers… And more. Nobody minded it. They truly believed that was right. Older people would never advise anything bad.”
“But she is an adult person! That girl can decide what to do and who to live with.”
“Alas, her parents don’t think the way we do. They look for a benefit in everything. Even in family life. All the marriages in Anna’s family were concluded for some goals. It doesn’t matter what they have to do with: their job or their wish to become a family of close friends.”
“Anyway, they’d have to accept her choice someday and understand that her life belongs to her,” Terrence replies confidently and drinks some water from his glass. “Moreover, Anna is really happy now. I saw it. I saw those two lovebirds smiling widely, who are gonna go on a date tonight.”
“Again?”
“Anna prepared a surprise for him, and Daniel can’t wait to get it.”
“I wonder, what did they decide to do after that guy kicked you and your second friend out?” Raquelle asks, glancing aside.
“There’s no need to guess! They were hugging and kissing, surely! What else they could do together. While Peter and I spent some time together and talked about some ideas for our band name, our pal was relaxing and having a little rest after playing bass guitar for two hours.”
“And how did you decide to name yourself?” Natalia shows interest. “Your band has no name yet. How are you gonna call yourself when performing as ‘The Loser Syndrome’s opening act?”
“Unfortunately, we haven’t decided yet,” Terrence shrugs. “We can’t come up with anything yet.”
“Think up with something from the initials of your names and surnames,” Raquelle suggests.
“Erm, no, we don’t like it.”
“Or use your names,” Natalia suggests. “Put them together.”
“Analogy of Tequelle and Etalia?”
“Sort of.”
“Alright, then you come up with a name for us. Since you’re a professional of this thing.”
“Well, erm…” Natalia scratches her temple. “I don’t even know… I've gotta think…”
“But honestly, we don’t like it, either. We don’t actually wanna use our names for the band’s name.”
“Then we don’t know what to suggest to you,” Raquelle throws her hands up.
“We have less and less time. The tour is starting at the end of July, but we’ve barely sorted songs out, even though there are some things that we should discuss.”
Even if Edward participates in the talk, he is silent for a bigger part of the time and looks kind of thoughtful and not very confident, often pulling down a sleeve of his leather jacket and shyly eating what is placed on his plate that he sometimes scratches with a fork.
“I can think of ideas if you want,” Edward says quietly. “As I’ve got the inspiration for songs, I will think up something for the band name.”
“It would be great,” Terrence replies with a slight smile. “The guys and I wracked our brains when trying to find a name for our band.”
“C’mon, if I have some ideas, I’ll surely let you know it,” Raquelle says with a slight smile, taking something from her plate and quickly eating it from her hand.
“I also promise to think about it,” Natalia smiles shyly, mixing the food that is placed on her plate.
“Aw, guys, what we would do without ya,” Terrence shakes his head.
Everybody sitting at the table smiles widely and continues to eat the delicious dinner silently that they liked very much for a few seconds.
“By the way, I’m getting ready to start working again,” Raquelle says confidently. “And I’m gonna have no time to be bored at the nearest time.”
“Oh, gosh…” Natalia throws gloomily, crossing her arms over the chest. “Just don’t say you’re gonna work like crazy and overwork so much that you’ll forget your boyfriend and ignore him like a stranger. Well, all of us will try to make you realize that you should slow down.”
“No, it won’t happen again,” Raquelle replies confidently. “And I’ll never forget about my boyfriend.”
Raquelle puts her head on Terrence’s shoulder for a second with a slight smile.
“I must confess that the case of Ringer made me change my mind about some things,” Raquelle confesses. “I started to understand that the people were right when they told me to slow down and take a break. Because… It all really got me exhausted. I was some kind of machine for the last few months and working non-stop.”
Raquelle sighs quietly and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I didn’t think there was a limit,” Raquelle adds. “And I was doing a few things at the same time. Besides, I always wanted to make everything perfect… I was a careerist, who wasn’t ready for changes in my life. Who just did what someone wanted her to do. Someone wanted to see her next to a man – I made their wish come true. And… I thought I could piss everyone off and keep doing what I was doing.”
Raquelle drinks some water.
“Of course, I’m still surprised that I had time to do lots of business at the same time…” Raquelle confesses shyly. “But… When I finished my work, I felt kind of emptied… As if I was deprived of the energy. I didn’t have a wish to talk to anyone, do something, listen to someone… I just wanted to lie and have a rest.”
Raquelle falls into silence for two seconds.
“Now…” Raquelle pronounces quietly. “Now I understand I no longer want to work so hard. And… I swore I’d never get overloaded. I wanna take a look at my schedule and accept only those offers that I’m interested in. Instead of accepting everything.”
“Yeah, friend!” Natalia exclaims loudly, clapping her hands with a wide smile. “You’ve finally realized it! It hasn’t been three years, but Sleeping Beauty woke up and got her mind clear!”
“Yeah, I realized… But I’d had to overcome much before I realized that I was literally burnt down emotionally.”
“Listen, I’m surprised that you didn’t go insane from working so hard.”
“Well, not quite…” Raquelle smiles shyly. “Maybe, I was really a little crazy… Remembering that I did many things I’m ashamed of now. The first I felt terribly awkward happened when I met Steven one day and took it out on him when he began to tell me to have a rest. But the fact that a few people said that I looked too exhausted and should’ve slowed down a little got me madly irritated.”
“Gosh, how much you wanted to work if you spent all your time on shootings and scheduled your day to only have time to eat at the right time or go to a gym class.”
“Ah, Natalia, I’m surprised, too,” Raquelle chuckles kindly. “But at some moment, I thought I was really, slowly going insane. Sometimes I thought I was about to have a nervous breakdown and end up in a hospital.”
“If you had worked like that for a little more time, you would’ve been there. If not for Ringer, you would’ve kept working. If you hadn’t gone crazy, you would’ve just fallen off from exhaustion on one of the fashion shows.”
“I think you’re right.”
“Nevertheless, you overcame everything and understood your mistakes,” Terrence says softly with a slight smile, putting a hand on Raquelle’s shoulder.
“Sometimes we have to sacrifice something to understand something. It’s very hard for us to learn some lessons and require something to give. The thing that might be very important to us.”
“Right. But I think what happened was a very good lesson for you.”
“Very good. I realized much.”
“That’s why I’m proud of you. I’m proud you got over all the difficulties.”
“If not for the support of the people I love, I wouldn’t have overcome even a little part of what happened,” Raquelle confesses with a slight smile. “This time, I had to take a much harder load than ever.”
“You’re a strong girl, Raquelle,” Natalia smiles shyly. “Despite nothing, you’ve got a tough character and can get over much.”
“I wouldn't be able to survive the second round of this hell. It was the hardest test in my life. I never felt as bad as I did then.”
“Don’t worry, friend, you can take anything. And we will always be by your side and help you with everything we can do.”
“And we will no longer believe any liars that would love to slander you,” Terrence adds confidently.
“You’re very strong. Unlike me, the one, who would not get through anything from what you’ve overcome for the years of your life.”
“No, honey, don’t say that,” Raquelle says softly. “I’m sure you can also get over everything.”
“You do know how sensitive I am and how close I am to everything.” Natalia quickly fixes the sleeve of her pink open-shoulder blouse with a quiet sigh. “Even if I had great support from you, I wouldn’t handle it. Unfortunately, I don’t have such a great power of endurance. I’m not so strong and brave.”
“Maybe, you’ve got no power of endurance,” Edward says softly, embracing Natalia around the shoulders. “But you’re kind, sweet, loyal, and very interesting at talks. And you can encourage people with pieces of advice and beautiful words. You can rarely meet someone, who is able to comfort you verbally.”
“I can say all the same if I was asked to describe you,” Natalia smiles shyly. “You’re also very sweet and interested in talking.”
Natalia and Edward look at each other with a much wider smile, locking their fingers tightly. Meanwhile, Raquelle looks at Terrence with a shy smile as she watches the couple in love sitting in front of them. MacClife, shakes his head with a quiet laugh, and the girl clears her throat to let the guys know that they are not alone.
“Erm, guys…” Raquelle pronounces softly. “Excuse me, but is that okay you are not alone here?”
“Yes, lovebirds, of course, we understand you can’t live without each other for a second,” Terrence says with a slight smile. “But maybe, you should hold your impulses down, at least for this dinner? I wouldn’t be able to eat quietly! Because I’d stare at you with a wide smile and an open mouth.”
Edward, coughing quietly, steps back from Natalia, runs his hand over his hair sharply, and fixes the sleeve of his leather jacket.
“Oh, we can’t even hold each other’s hand…” Natalia throws gloomily.
“Ha, dude, nothing can distract you from food,” Edward says confidently. “Even if bombs explode in front of you, you will not let go a plate with food on it.”
“Very funny,” Terrence shakes his head.
“And knowing you always eat large pieces of food, I can assume you’re always hungry. No matter how much you have on your plate.”
“Yeah, MacClife, we can’t really say you eat as little as a kitty,” Natalia agrees funnily, putting her head on Edward’s shoulder.
“Yeah, I love eating something delicious,” Terrence confesses with an innocent smile. “I can’t deny it.”
“You love eating delicious food and love eating everything,” Edward says with a sly smile.
“Listen, I remember Raquelle saying he always grabbed a double piece of food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” Natalia laughs shyly. “And his friends make fun of him and say if Terrence keeps eating so much, he will get very fat, and my friend will fall out of love with him and meet another slim, handsome guy.
“Don’t wait, friend!” Terrence exclaims proudly with his head proudly raised. “I’ve never been prone to fatness and have always been slim. And along with workouts, it has a wonderful effect. I am slim and have good physical data.”
“I shall see if you’re telling us the truth,” Edward says confidently. “I’ll surely ask Mother how often you emptied your refrigerator. When your gluttony led to turning from an irresistible handsome guy to a cute puffy boy. And when you literally had to sew your mouth to lose about forty-four lbs.”
“I’m afraid you’re gonna be disappointed when you know it.”
“If you used to have a big, soft belly and puffy cheeks, I won’t be disappointed.”
“Such a handsome man like me just can’t be fat or even a little puffy. I’ve never had a big belly. As well as puffy cheeks. I’ve always had little shrunk cheeks.”
“Yeah, I believe you,” Edward laughs shyly.
“Even with such a wonderful appetite, I will stay slender and fit. My genetics are as wonderful as I am.”
“Mine is not worse!” Edward notices, taking some food with a fork and putting it in his mouth. “I’ve also never had problems with my weight. I’ve always been as slim as a cypress.”
“Yeah, maybe, you’re shy and eat just a little now. But later, when you’re used to us, you’ll put your decency aside and eat like a little piggy.”
“I’m not such a greedy pig as you are.”
“We will see it.”
“Although I eat everything, I never overeat.”
“I never cross my limit.”
“Is a big pot of food really your limit that you don’t reach when eating?”
“Hey, Edward, I think you’re talking too much. Don’t ya think so?”
“I actually said nothing! You can’t keep your mouth shut!”
“Oh, guys, stop it already…” Natalia moans tiredly. “Sit and eat quietly…”
“What’s gonna happen when Edward is really used to us?” Raquelle asks herself. “Would these two make us and each other live a hard life and not be able to live a day without mutual pranks and stupid jokes?”
“Yeah… So, I advise you to get ready. We’re gonna live funny days very soon…”
“That’s right. We won’t be bored.”
Silence settles in the air for some time, during which everybody laughs shyly and continues to eat what is placed on their plates and drink water from their glasses.
“Hey, Raquelle, if it’s not a secret, what kind of work did you mean when saying you’d have no time to be bored?” Natalia asks.
“Yeah, Raquelle, would you share it with us?” Edward asks thoughtfully.
“Right, I wanted to tell you something!” Raquelle clicks her fingers. “Thanks for reminding, guys! You haven’t heard it yet, but Terrence is aware.”
“Erm, what am I aware of?” Terrence frowns slightly. “You said nothing about your work at the nearest time!”
“I did before!” Raquelle puts a napkin that she just wiped her mouth with on the table and moves her eyes to Terrence. “Do you remember I told you that one woman invited me to her fashion show, but later canceled everything and said she needed to solve some problems?”
“Yeah, I remember,” Terrence shrugs with a glass of water in his hand.
“So, today, when I was walking in the city, that woman called me again and said she began to get ready for it again.”
“So, did she solve her problems?”
“She did. And she let me know the show would take place in two weeks.”
“Two weeks?”
“Yes. The models will be getting ready for the whole next weeks, and the show will take place in one more week.”
“Wow, I thought that woman even forgot to think about you.”
“I thought so, but as it turned out, she did not.”
“Cool! I’m glad it happened.”
“Moreover, that woman wants me to open and close the show.”
“Come on?” Terrence wonders truly. “Open and close the show?”
“Yup, I’m gonna walk on the runway first and close the show by walking last.”
“But why didn’t you tell me you had the honor to do that?”
“We talked about just walking on a runway at first. But today she said she decided to make me the main model. And her team insisted that I become the one.”
“Wow.”
“And she has a little tradition,” Raquelle drinks some water. “When the last model walks, she shows the most expensive clothes from her collection. So, as I’m gonna close the show, I got a chance to show what she was working on for much longer. What is gonna be available as a limited thing for a lot of money.”
“Wow, that’s great!”
Terrence cutely kisses Raquelle on her temple with a wide smile.
“Who else would show clothes, so that people wanna buy them immediately?” Terrence adds with his head proudly raised. “You’re the only one to have the talent to do this.”
“I’m gonna do everything I can do,” Raquelle promises shyly.
“Congrats, sweetie, I’m very happy for you.”
“Thanks, honey.”
“Hey, when are you gonna start to get ready for the show?”
“Erm… I don’t know. But I think at the nearest time. That woman promised to send the information to my manager.”
“Great!”
“And I was literally banned from losing weight. She even criticized my weight when we met for the first time. She thought I was too skinny. That woman says she doesn’t work with anorexic models and replaces them with no regret if they lack some weight. She’s always been for healthy bodies.”
“She’s right,” Edward agrees. “You don’t really have to lose your weight. I think you’ve got a wonderful body now. Don’t keep diets and eat only salad.”
“Yeah, but sometimes it’s hard for me to keep the same weight due to the specificity of my body and genes. My mother was also very skinny… Aunt Alicia somehow said she was called an anorexic for some time…” Raquelle tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “But sometimes I’m called the one. I’m often blamed for making girls feel uncomfortable in their bodies. However, I’m used to that and always say that my weight is absolutely fine. I’m not sick with anorexia, bulimia, or anything like that. It’s just my type of body.”
“I like the fact that the woman doesn’t like those models and doesn’t work with them,” Terrence says confidently. “I know one man, who had a daughter. She got anorexia at a young age and still can’t get recovered. I somehow saw her and was horrified. That was just skin and bones.”
“I know many anorexic models, and some of them suffer from bulimia. I remember one girl actually fainting on the runway during one of the fashion shows. As it turned out, she ate and drank nothing for a few days. She was exhausted, in shirt.”
“That girl ate nothing, too. And when she was made to eat by force, she found a way to cheat on everyone.”
“That woman will never work with this type of people. She is heartless in this case. While someone needs anorexic models, she needs models that have a healthy body and good arms and legs.”
“By the way, who’s that woman?” Natalia asks. “Maybe, I know her? I would watch her show if there was a translation somewhere on the Internet?”
“Her name is Paulina Simpson.”
“Paulina Simpson?”
“She used to be a famous model, but then decided to become a designer and create her clothes. Her clothing collections are now sold around the world and have been very popular. And I love some clothes that she creates. I have many clothes from her collections that I wear with pleasure. And I couldn’t reject a chance to work with one of my favorite designers.”
“Aw, I adore her clothes! Her collections are just magnificent! Of course, my closet isn’t full of clothes made by her brand, but I always check out her new collections, and can buy something for me.”
“Agree, she has amazing taste. I like the fact that the main rule of her clothes is minimalism. Everything is simple. Simple but beautiful.”
“As far as I know, Paulina also creates clothes for men,” Edward says thoughtfully.
“Yeah, she has released a few collections for men,” Raquelle replies amicably, “But she’s been busy with clothes for ladies in the past few years.
“Her collections have very good clothes that I like. But they all have a very high cost. I wouldn’t buy at least one shirt or a pair of pants, even if I went to work at three places. But I saw her clothes at a store. And I must confess that the clothes are wonderful to touch. It’s clear they are made of expensive materials.”
“Right, she uses only the best and most expensive materials from around the world. I heard that someone makes them especially for her.”
“Her clothes are madly expensive, at least for me, but the price is fair. I would give any amount of money for such good quality.”
“Hey, Edward, how do you know much about fashion?” Terrence chuckles kindly. “And how do you know when a material is cheap or expensive?”
“Imagine, I can know good material from bad,” Edward replies confidently.
“I didn’t think the guy, who wears old shabby clothes that he kind of found in the garbage, would know just something about it.”
“I wear old clothes because I barely have money for food and some necessary things.”
“Hey, have you ever thought of going to a modeling agency, signing a contract, and showing clothes for men? People would admire your pretty face and try to guess the secret of your youth… They would think you’re a cute eighteen-year-old guy with a baby face. But they would get overwhelmed if they knew you’re actually twenty-five.”
“You know, I wouldn’t mind working as a model,” Edward replies thoughtfully, taking two sips of water and leaning back in the sofa. “Of course, music will always be my main passion, but I wouldn’t mind shooting for a commercial for clothes. I think a modeling business is cool.”
“If you get an offer someday, you can always ask Raquelle for a piece of advice,” Terrence says with a slight smile. “She’s our professional at it.”
“I’m sure your friend would get an offer if everyone knew about him,” Raquelle laughs shyly. “Edward could become a favorite man of people thanks to, as you said, his pretty face. Little girls love sympathetic guys.”
“Yeah, and I would be running after him to make sure nobody puts an eye on him and wishes to steal him from me,” Natalia says funnily, pressing closer to Edward, pinching him cutely by the chin and scratching the area under it.
“Oh, believe me, Natalia, it doesn’t threaten you,” Terrence says confidently. “My buddy was waiting for you to stop running away from me and understand he actually loved you for too long. Right, kid?”
“Right!” Edward smiles widely and cutely rubs his cheek against Natalia’s temple. “If I get famous in my unreal dreams, I will never look at another girl and leave Natalia. No fame will deprive me of what I was really waiting for so long.”
Everybody smiles shyly and falls into silence for a few seconds to eat something from their plates. Meanwhile, Violetta comes to their table and fills their glasses with crystal-clean water from a beautiful pitcher.
“Nevertheless, you two are gonna get much more attention from the media,” Raquelle notices thoughtfully. “And reporters and paparazzi won’t probably leave you alone.”
“Why do you think so?” Natalia asks surprisingly.
“You’ve got three guesses to answer,” Terrence pronounces.
“Do you wanna say Natalia and I are gonna get more attention ‘cause…” Edward wants to say.
“Exactly!” Raquelle exclaims. “When people know how you’re connected with us, you will be under a close view.”
“Relatives of celebrities rarely stay in the shadow because the media can find out anything,” Terrence adds. “I have to make many efforts not to let anyone bother my mother, who wants to live a quiet life and stay in the shadow.”
“Grandfather insisted that we buy an apartment in the quietest place in the city, ‘cause he didn’t want anyone to bother him. And my aunt doesn’t get too much attention from the media and paparazzi. Both of them are living a quiet life and try not to tell everyone that they’re the family of the girl named Raquelle Cameron.”
“Actually, I often get caught by the paparazzi when we spend a lot of time together,” Natalia notices thoughtfully. “And I’ve managed to attend a couple of events that many celebrities may visit. Thanks to my parents, who are also able to attend these parties. So, I don't have to get used to public life. I would say I’m some sort of celebrity now!”
“Ah, Natalia…” Raquelle sighs with a slight smile. “You’ve been caught by paparazzi only several times when you and I were just walking on the streets. My fans catch me in the city much more than reporters or the paparazzi.”
“Raquelle’s right, friends,” Terrence nods confidently, putting a fork on a plate and folding his hands in front of him. “I advise you to enjoy the minutes when you can quietly walk outside. Because something wild is gonna start later: paparazzi, reporters, crazy people being obsessed with a celebrity, false rumors and other ‘good’ things of public life.”
“Of course, Terrence and I are used to getting so much attention from the media and paparazzi, but it’s gonna be a little hard for you. Sometimes getting much attention may scare you, but I think you’d get used to that and probably find a way to live like common people.”
“I think we’d take it,” Edward replies confidently with a slight smile and moves his eyes to Natalia. “Right, Natalia?”
“No doubts!” Natalia smiles widely. “We promise to be good and not to get your names ashamed.”
“We don’t doubt it,” Raquelle laughs shyly.
“But I personally think we’re able to keep living quietly, even if everybody knew who we are. I am living a quiet life, even if I befriend you and Terrence. So, why am I supposed to have problems now?”
“Alright, my dears, don’t worry,” Terrence says confidently. “If you wanna live a quiet life, we will do our best to save you from the media and make them leave you alone. They’re very annoying and always bother you with uncomfortable questions, but when you severely let them know that your personal life is out of the discussion, it helps you tell them that you’re a star that doesn’t talk about who you’re dating, who your family is, if you have children, or something like that.”
“We don’t doubt it,” Edward smiles slyly.
“Both of you understand that we’re speaking to worldwide celebrities,” Natalia adds confidently. “Everyone can’t get a chance to sit and talk with the famous model and the actor loved by millions of girls in the world.”
Raquelle and Terrence chuckle shyly and shake their heads before saying something.
“Oh, gosh, Natalia, Terrence, and I are actually celebrities only at ceremonies, photoshoots, or performances,” Raquelle says shyly. “In real life, we’re common people that have the same wishes and needs that all people do. We don’t surround ourselves with bodyguards that would let nobody come to us and are open to everyone, who wants to talk to us. Fans can always take a picture with us and ask us any question that we would answer with pleasure.”
“Exactly,” Terrence agrees. “We’re common people. You don’t have to speak to us in a special way just because we’re celebrities. Especially you two, our good friend and my friend.”
“Sure! You’re our close people!”
“And I actually think you get much more attention when surrounding yourself with lots of bodyguards. I have never thought about it and don’t want anyone to follow me everywhere.”
“Me too. Bodyguards often don’t let fans come to celebrities and may hurt them when trying to protect their clients. But I wanna be close to them and talk to them personally. Keeping a connection with those, who love me, is very important to me.”
“Unlike many celebrities, we don’t hide from everyone and try to find a crazy way not to let anyone catch us.”
“We know, guys,” Natalia replies amicably with a slight smile. “You aren’t just celebrities for us. You’re our people, who we love to talk with. And who we are connected with.”
“Nice to hear it,” Raquelle smiles widely.
“But sometimes, I actually think we are very close to each other. At least, you are all very close to me and have become someone like my family.”
“That’s right,” Edward nods confidently. “No matter what’s your status – you’ll always be our close people, who we have the pleasure to spend time with. And I’m really happy that I got on well with every one of you.”
“Although you haven’t disappointed me yet I am still watching you,” Raquelle replies with a slight smile.
“Thanks for not refusing to give me a chance.”
“I always say that I did just for Terrence and Natalia. He's my boyfriend. And she’s always been like a sister to me. And I shake from thinking I could’ve lost such a wonderful friend. We’ve overcome very much for many years and helped each other out, and supported each other many times. I wouldn’t find a better friend than her…”
“Well, since you started to confess your love, I am also gonna say my word,” Terrence says thoughtfully and moves his eyes to Edward. “Edward, although we’ve known each other not for a long time, I think we’ve known each other all our life. I’m really very glad you came into my life and gave me support when I had nobody to count on. Thanks for becoming literally the only one, who didn’t turn their back on me after hearing about all my actions.”
Terrence moves his eyes to Natalia, while Edward nods silently with a slight smile on his face.
“Natalia, you’ve always been my good friend, talking to whom gives me much pleasure,” Terrence adds confidently. “Who I will always owe. It’s not a secret for you. You’ve always known how to find words to comfort and support someone. Moreover, you didn’t turn your back on me and did your best to support me. I will never forget it and will be happy to help you when you need some help.”
And then Terrence moves his eyes to Raquelle and smiles much wider.
“And you, Raquelle, are one of the most important people that mean so much to me and make my life better,” Terrence says softly. “You inspire me and motivate me to reach something. Without you, I would’ve hardly decided to try to get into the music world. I am grateful to you for making me think about it. And I hope you will keep supporting me. I need it so badly.”
“I can say all the same things about you, sweetie,” Raquelle replies with a slight smile. “Now I understand what a treasure I almost lost. And I would’ve never forgiven myself if I had let you go.”
“I think we should’ve overcome all of the difficulties. Because they made our relationship much better. And I really began to appreciate you after what happened.”
“I know. I’m very sorry about not being the best from the beginning and about thinking of me and my career.”
“Take care of this treasure, Raquelle,” Edward advises amicably. “When you came back to him, my friend got a reason to live and got his life much brighter and more colorful.”
“Difficulties really made us much closer.” Raquelle puts her head on Terrence’s shoulder and takes his hand placed on the table. “And I hope we'll never make the mistakes we made.”
“I wish it happened!” Natalia wishes. “You’re such a beautiful couple. You look together so well. As if you were made for each other. Even though you fought like a cat and a dog when you met for the first time. The fact that my friend gave tons of slaps to her self-pronounced Apollo and threatened to scream that he wanted to rape her.”
“Yeah, that was a fun time,” Terrence laughs shyly.
“We can repeat it someday,” Raquelle smiles shyly. “When I feel boring.”
Terrence laughs shyly, embraces Raquelle around the shoulders, and kisses her on the temple while she shyly looks down, pressing closer to her beloved man. Natalia watches the lovers sitting in front of her with a true smile, looks at Edward looking at her tenderly, and caresses his cheek shyly.
“I wish everybody was happy with those they chose,” Edward says confidently, embraces Natalia around the shoulders, kisses her cutely on the cheek, and rubs his nose against her nose, making her smile widely. “I wish nobody else suffered because of one or another reason.”
“Listen, guys…” Terrence pronounces cheerfully, steps back from Raquelle, and looks at everybody, who almost ate the food and drank a bigger part of the water from their glasses. “Let’s drink some cold champagne and finish this dinner in a much nicer way.”
“I’m for!” Raquelle exclaims.
“Me too,” Natalia smiles shyly.
“Well, if you have a bottle of champagne, we’d drink it with pleasure,” Edward shrugs.
“Of course, we do!” Terrence says cheerfully. “Everything will be done!”
Terrence sees Violetta walking not far from the dining room where he is having dinner with his close people and looking like she does not know what to do. The man calls her loudly and asks her to bring glasses and a bottle of cold champagne. The servant quickly does what he wants and puts glasses in front of them while MacClife opens the bottle. And then the woman pours a little bit of it at his plea and goes somewhere after putting the bottle on the table.
“So what, my dears, let’s drink!” Terrence suggests, taking his glass.
“I wish we never met naughty people that would love to revenge us or do everything to get us to fight with each other,” Raquelle says with a wide smile, holding her glass. “I wish we had people, who make us smile and motivate us to reach our goals.”
“I wish we didn’t have fights and scandals and didn't go from friends to enemies. I wish we always solved problems and misunderstandings together, even if we ran into something, not being obsessed with bad emotions.
“I wish our strong friendship lasted for many years, until the last day of our lives, preferably,” Natalia raises her head proudly raised with a glass in her hand. “I wish every one of us was infinitely happy with the ones, who make them feel protected. With someone, the pretense of who makes them rejoice and smile non-stop.”
“I hope every one of us won't lose a family and will always be by their side not only in the most terrible times but also in the good ones,” Edward smiles shyly. “I wish we had people that give us happiness and bring light to the place where we’re living by their pretense.”
“For all of us!” Edward, Natalia, Raquelle, and Terrence pronounce happily with a slight smile.
All the four raise their glasses with happy whoops, slightly click on each other’s one and take a few sips of champagne that all of them like. Then they decide to eat the rest of the food on their plates and talk about everything in the world with great pleasure.
Then Natalia, Terrence, Raquelle, and Edward come to the living room, where they comfortably sit on the soft sofas and continue their talk. And before doing this, the owners of the house let the servants know that they can wash the dishes and clean up the table, and they immediately start doing it and talking about something.
“Hey, buddy, do ya still remember you promised to go to my home and play guitars with me someday?” Terrence asks thoughtfully with a slight smile.
“Of course, I do,” Edward replies shyly. “But I didn’t take my guitar with me.”
“Do you really play guitar?” Raquelle wonders truly.
“Yup, I play quite well. And I love singing every time I can do this.”
“Wow, you play guitar and sing…” Natalia opens her mouth slightly.
“I sing. And play.”
“Damn, why were you silent?”
“Sorry, it happened,” Edward shrugs. “But you actually never asked me about it. And I never started talking about it.”
“But I guessed you could sing well.”
“Really?”
“You’ve got a too beautiful voice. I asked myself if you could sing on the day we met for the first time.”
“As you can see, I sing.”
“Wait, friend,” Terrence says confidently. “Tomorrow, the guys and I will have a rehearse, and we will make my friend sing and play with us.”
“Only after you, my dear friend,” Edward inclines his head slightly.
“Listen, Terrence, Edward, maybe, you sing something for me and Natalia right now?” Raquelle suggests shyly. “I’d have the pleasure to listen to you play and sing together. And I would be happy to know how Edward sings and plays as a solo.”
“Right, guys, would you play for us?” Natalia smiles widely. “I’ve wanted to listen to Terrence ‘cause I’ve never heard him singing or playing. Even though I know he sings and plays guitar thanks to my sweet friend, who has mentioned it many times. And I would be madly happy to listen to Edward… And something tells me I was charmed by his voice from the first minutes of our meeting for the reason…”
“So what, Terry, let’s make our beauties happy?” Edward asks Terrence with a slight smile. “Let’s sing something?”
“I’m personally ready to sing and play for such important people as much as they want,” Terrence replies confidently.
“Do this then!” Raquelle smiles shyly. “Show us how you can play and sing.”
“I will go to the room and take my guitar.”
“C’mon.”
“Bring your ass back here soon!” Natalia exclaims.
“I’ll be back now, guys,” Terrence jabs.
“Don’t look in a mirror!” Edward pronounces funnily. “What if you wanna fix your hair. Or you feel worse after you see a pimple on your nose.”
“Thanks for reminding me. I will surely look in a mirror before I’m back here.”
Terrence gets up quite quickly, comes to the stars, goes upstairs, and disappears. While they stay in the living room, Edward, Natalia, and Raquelle watch him and then look at each other with a slight smile.
“So, friend, you’ll see that I didn’t lie to you when I said Terrence could sing and play guitar wonderfully,” Raquelle says confidently.
“I believe our guys have the love for music in their blood,” Natalia laughs shyly, putting Edward’s head on her shoulder and tenderly stroking his hair down.
“That’s right.”
“And something tells me that they’ve really got a great talent.”
“At least, Terrence sings just amazingly,” Edward replies shyly with a slight smile. “He has a very strong voice and can easily take high notes. And MacClife plays guitar very skillfully.”
“I don’t have to doubt it,” Raquelle laughs shyly. “I know about his musical talent very well… But I think you have no less a wonderful one.”
“I don’t personally think I play and sing badly. But I’m way far from those great artists that are famous around the world.”
“If you have an unreal talent, I will be insisting that you take an example from your friend and create your band,” Natalia says funnily. “Well, or join the band of Terry and go on the tour with ‘The Loser Syndrome’ and the guys…”
“No, Natalia, I can only dream about it…” Edward shakes his head with a shy smile. “Nobody needs my talents ‘cause I’m nobody. And Terrence can undoubtedly do this because he’s truly talented, started a band, and has lots of contacts in the show business that could also help him start a musical career. This fact is a reason why the guys got famous so quickly and are gonna be performing with ‘The Loser Syndrome.’”
“Yeah, but he was a boy that nobody knew somehow a long time ago,” Raquelle notices. “And as you see, he’s known around the world and has lots of fans, good friends and familiars. A sense of purpose, a belief in your dream, and a wish to fight and not to give up are the key to your success.”
“I know.”
“Anyway, think about it, Edward,” Natalia insists with a slight smile. “It would be cool if the world discovered one more truly talented man, who has such a magnificent voice. Imagine how many girls would fall in love with your tender, melodic voice and listen to your songs with pleasure.”
“We’ll see, sweetie…” Edward tenderly kisses Natalia on the cheek and caresses her head, making her smile. “We will see it…”
A few seconds later after the silence that settled in the air, the smiling Terrence comes back to the living room with his acoustic guitar, which he loves to play at times for himself and for Raquelle from a certain time.
“There’s no need to turn on anything 'cause I played it some time ago,” Terrence says, sitting down next to Raquelle, placing his guitar comfortably on his laps and checking some strings.
“Great, so, what are you gonna play for us?” Natalia smiles mysteriously, folding her hands in front of her.
“Hey, what if we sing the one that you and I recently listened to on the radio?” Edward asks, clicking his fingers. “I know it well and can play it on guitar.”
“Is that the one that is about something like darkness, light, whispers, and something like that?” Terrence asks thoughtfully.
“That is!”
Edward quietly starts to sing a couple of lines from the song under his breath, shaking his head, and Terrence catches a wave later, and they finish singing these lyrics together with a slight smile on their faces. After listening to this short a cappella performance, Natalia and Raquelle smiling widely gets delighted and notice that the guys sing just wonderfully and sound perfectly together.
“Erm, listen, maybe, you play it on the guitar?” Terrence suggests, scratching the back of his head. “I don’t know it absolutely. I remember only some parts of it.”
“No problem!” Edward agrees cheerfully. “Give your baby to me.”
With these words, Edward takes the guitar that Terrence reaches out to him and comfortably places it on his laps, treating it well enough and knowing this instrument as good as his five fingers.
“Hey, it’s a cool guitar,” Edward notices, checking some guitar strings. “It’s clear that it’s very good and expensive… Not just like mine… Cheap thing…”
“Actually, it’s a very old one,” Terrence shrugs. “I don’t remember when I bought it… But it’s really very old.”
“Sometimes old things can be much better than new ones.”
Terrence smiles slightly in approval, Raquelle and Natalia glance at each other.
“So, am I starting?” Edward asks, getting used to the guitar little by little. “Ready, Terrence?”
“Yes, Edward,” Terrence nods confidently with a shy smile. “Start it.”
Wasting no time, Edward starts to pluck strings and strike chords the way he needs. Despite looking quite shy and doubting himself and his talents at times, this sympathetic man plays guitar well and is not afraid to show what he can do. It’s possible to say he plays this instrument like a professional, knowing all the chords well and looking absolutely relaxed as his fingers pluck strings at ease.
Terrence has the same opinion and gets quite happy with a wonderful play by his friend, listening to the melody with a slight smile and shaking his body slightly. And Natalia and Raquelle, who hear the play of this man for the first time, highly rate the play of the young, talented. The blonde watches the man’s fingers skillfully pluck guitar strings and press some strings on the fingerboard to strike a chord like charmed and smiles wider and wider every new second. And the brunette pays attention to the melody and notices that it’s very beautiful, and the new friend of her boyfriend, who showed up some time ago, plays guitar pretty well.
Both of the girls are delighted by Edward’s voice when he starts to sing some lines along with a guitar melody after a short intro, smiling but looking a little shy. The intuition did not betray Natalia, who understood that the man had a real talent for singing. She thought his voice seemed her madly nice, melodic, and soft from the first minutes and assumed he could sing very well. And now the girl has heard the man’s magnificent singing for the first time and is listening to him with a stopped heart and a wide smile on her face, shaking her body slightly and watching her boyfriend with a tender look. And Raquelle does not doubt that Terrence and Edward inherited a great talent for music from someone. There was probably someone in their families, who had the same one. And the fact that they must not hide this talent from everyone is clear.
At some moment, Terrence joins Edward with pleasure and sings a few solo lines while the girls are listening to his powerful, sonorous, and nice-to-hear voice, but then both of them confidently start to sing together along with the guitar sounds that the truly talented man is playing, sometimes sharing a slight smile with each other. How wonderfully the guys sound together! Their voices are similar but different, and one is a perfect addition to another. Both of them definitely like the way they sound together. Edward and Terrence highly rated each other’s talent after they spent a lot of time together and listened to their favorite songs they sang along with, having a little show for themselves and just playing the fool.
It goes without saying, none of them can hold down a wish to pay attention to their beloved girls, who are listening to the friends’ singing with pleasure, pressing themselves to them cutely, looking at them with a tender look, and kissing them on the cheek a couple of times. While Edward’s hands are busy now, and he can only share a cute smile with Natalia and rub the tip of his nose against her nose, Terrence is embracing Raquelle tightly with his arms, pressing her to himself, not letting her go for a bigger part of the time, kissing her on the top of her head two or three times and tenderly caressing the girl’s cheek. The beauties look absolutely relaxed and madly happy next to their beloved men and often put their heads on their shoulders or wrap their arms with their arms, while they make them happy by a together performance of the song that they like, singing it as a solo, as a duo and as a back vocalist of each other for three or four minutes.
However, Edward and Terrence cannot refuse to perform another song for Natalia and Raquelle when they ask them about it. The girls like their singing so much that they could literally sell their souls to hear these charming and quite strong voices that fit together very well and wonderfully sound apart. Seeing how confidently Terrence is while singing, shaking his body, and creating a rhythm by clicking his fingers, Edward becomes more confident and stops being shy of the pretense of these people, feeling a little uncomfortable with them and being as timid as he was before. It does impact his play and singing, and he starts to look more confident as he is performing a second song that is faster and much sassier than the previous one that was quieter and more relaxing.
Although Blair, Violetta, and Christiana are doing their work and moving everything off the table, on which the four people had dinner, they can hear MacClife and Lockhart, notice how wonderfully they sing, and believe they could be an addition to each other. Sometimes one of them distracts for some time and listens to them, being truly happy when seeing their wide smiles and a gloss in the eyes of every one of them. The servants also feel a little relief because everything got much better, and they were not fired and continued to do their work. Working has been much better since the return of Raquelle to the house because she brought the light and peace that this place definitely needed so badly.
***
It's about six o'clock. The sun is slowly going down, and the sky is colored with amazingly beautiful warm shades. After a nice talk and an incredible pastime with Terrence and Raquelle, Natalia and Edward are not going to come back home. The lovers went to the country to enjoy the beauty of nature in a quiet place, admire the sunset, which is especially magnificent tonight, and spend time together.
“Now I can say life finally got better,” Natalia says with a slight smile, slowly walking in a desert place from where she can see the wonderful sunset and holding Edward’s hand, and sighs quietly. “Ah… Sometimes we begin to appreciate a quiet life and our beloved people after we overcome tons of problems.”
“Right,” Edward smiles shyly. “And I’m very glad everything finally got better. I finally found the people, who love me with all their hearts.”
“Yeah, you wanted to find one man but eventually met so many wonderful people…”
“Right… And now I can relax and think about something else.”
“I’m very happy you did it,” Natalia kisses Edward shyly on the cheek and smiles shyly.
“But I’m sorry that everybody treats me with suspicion and thinks that I want to harm someone.”
“Sorry, but it’s explainable enough. You came into our life like a wind and said you wanted to meet Terrence so badly. It goes without saying that it made us think about something.”
“I hope I will win their trust someday and become one of their closest people.”
“If you reveal all your secrets, people will change their opinion about you.”
“I will do it a little later when time comes. Now it’s not a very good moment.”
“Whatever it is, I wanna believe that it really has to do with you.”
“Yeah…” Edward smiles a little tensely. “It only has to do with me… Not the others…”
“Okay. I think you will decide when we should know the truth. You will reveal it when you think it’s time. I will not make you rush.”
“Of course, I will tell everything. Don’t worry. I don’t wanna lose such wonderful people. Terrence is one of the best people I’ve ever known. I am happy that he accepted me and aims to get on well with me.”
“I’m very glad you became friends. And I see that you’ve become literally much closer to him than all his friends.”
“He’s gotten very close to me, too. I’m already tightly attracted to MacClife and feel that we’ve always gotten on well. I am very sorry that I didn’t know him before. His support and pieces of advice could have helped me several years ago. Maybe… I wouldn’t be so lonely if I had such a smart and loyal friend.”
“But there will be so many events when he will help you for sure.”
“I hope I can count on him.”
“Of course, you can. Just like on Mrs. MacClife.”
“She is an amazing woman…” Edward smiles shyly. “I’ve been attracted to her for the past two weeks. She became literally like my second mother. Mrs. MacClife is worried about me literally much more than my own father.”
“Really?”
“Yes. She always asks me how I’m doing. She cares about my feelings and emotions. And when I feel sad, that woman is worried and tries to help me somehow.”
“Great…”
“And she cooks amazingly. If only you knew what kind of cooking skills she has! I almost swallowed my tongue when I tasted it for the first time.”
“Terrence loves her food, too. He says he can eat anything that she cooks for two or three days because it’s incredibly delicious.”
“By the way, she can cook amazing pilaf that she offered me some time ago. Besides, it’s one of my favorite dishes.”
“Pilaf?”
“Yeah. The woman, who was working at my stepmother’s house, often cooked it for lunch and dinner. But when I tasted the pilaf from Terrence’s mother, I understood what delicious food really was.”
“Yeah, it’s good.”
“And Mrs. MacClife can cook incredible sweet food. I almost swallowed my tongue when I tasted her chocolate éclairs.”
“As far as I remember, you said you really loved sweet food.”
“Oh, I love sweet food! But I don’t manage to eat it so often. Anyway, I’ve always been a fan of homemade pastry.”
“I think you’re gonna eat sweet food more, ‘cause Mrs. MacClife would be happy to cook something for you.”
“She already promised to cook something delicious for my next visit.”
“I see…”
Silence settles in the air for two seconds.
“And she’s actually good,” Edward smiles shyly. “So nice, kind, caring… Every time I hug her, I feel very good. She spread a madly nice warmth… That I never felt in childhood… I didn’t know a human could feel so good and warm.”
“She’s really very good,” Natalia confesses. “One of the kindest people I know.”
“And I’m very happy she treats you so well.”
“I’d say that woman treats Raquelle and me like her daughters. She always asks us about our business and worries when we have problems. Moreover, I like the fact that Mrs. MacClife never meddles in anyone’s business. She never meddled in Terrence and Raquelle’s business and could just advise something. Even when she found out my friend wasn’t a perfect girlfriend, she didn’t turn your friend against her.”
“I see no reason to meddle in their relationship. Raquelle turned out to be a very light and kind girl, who doesn’t wish anything bad on anyone. Yes, maybe she did not behave in a very good way, but I’m glad that the girl understood her mistakes and is trying to get better.”
“There were many reasons. Her obsession with her career, her family’s pressure, her unwillingness to enter a relationship, a lack of experience in love things… One day, Raquelle confessed that she began to date Terrence two months after they met because of the pressure of her family, which was persuading her to do this so hard and saying it could be too late.”
“I get it.”
“And Simon sucked much blood out of her and settled chaos in her life.”
“You’re right.”
“I’m not surprised she didn’t appreciate her boyfriend and didn’t show such great love for him.”
“But it’s hurtful that she wasn’t too happy to meet me at first. Raquelle got a little nicer some time ago and became softer toward me. Though, she keeps looking at me badly.”
“Don’t worry, sweetie,” Natalia shakes her head with a slight smile. “If you don’t give us any reason to doubt you, Raquelle will accept you and will wish to befriend you. She will see that you’re not such a terrible man.”
“It’s hurtful, but I understand it. So, I can’t tell everyone that people don’t treat me fairly. I understand that my appearance in your lives was too unexpected.”
“It’s gonna get better. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”
“I’d like to believe it, sweetheart.”
“Give everybody some time,” Natalia advises with a slight smile. “And they will start to call you their literally close person. Mrs. MacClife is the only one, who calls you like this, but the others will also change their minds about you soon.”
“Did they accept you immediately when you met Terrence and people from his circle?”
“Yes, they accepted me immediately. The guys have always been very nice to me.”
“I see no reason why someone couldn’t accept you.” Edward cutely kisses Natalia on her temple. “You give everyone light and happiness and literally make people smile.”
“MacClife says that we two make him smile when he sees us together,” Natalia replies shyly.
“I understand him. Because a couple of your friend and him makes me admire them. And be truly happy that they saved their relationship and are living together again.”
“Despite what happened, I still think Terrence is a very good and kind man, who fits Raquelle much better than anyone.”
“Yeah, but I don’t wanna judge him. I don’t wanna reproach him for what happened.”
“Me too. Moreover, he’s really regretting what he did. He definitely wanna forget and never remember the nightmare that almost ended in a bad way. Terrence wanted to get better and prove that anything like that would never happen again.”
“Anyway, Raquelle and he are gonna need time to establish their relationship. They’re gonna have to do their best to feel truly happy and learn to solve their problems.”
“I know. But they’re ready for that and want to do everything not to make the same mistakes. For example, Raquelle’s attitude towards Terrence has changed a lot. She really began to take care of him the way she should’ve done, and she looks at him with great respect and true admiration. My friend got a good lesson and understood that she must not forget about her boyfriend, who would always need her attention.”
“I don’t know what my friend was like before, but now I see Terrence treats Raquelle very tenderly and tries to do nice things for her: saying a good word, hugging or kissing her… And it’s a true wish.”
“You’re right… As I've said, there were reasons for that.”
“But Terrence didn’t claim impossible things from Raquelle. Just some care and love – and they would’ve been very happy. You see how happy my buddy is now when his girlfriend shows her love for him.”
“I think they learned a good lesson and wouldn’t make the same mistakes again. Raquelle isn’t so stupid to do the same thing thousands of times and to get a slap on her nose when she does something wrong.”
“I’m sure that everything will be fine between them,” Edward expresses hope with a slight smile. “They fit each other so well. I can’t personally imagine any other girl next to Terrence.”
“He doesn’t need another girl, Edward. There is only my friend, who drives him crazy. And together, they make all of their fans whoop from happiness.”
“I think everyone does and will think their couple is an example of imitation,” Natalia assumes. “I don’t know if the guys decide to tell the truth about what happened between them. But I don’t doubt that their charm will quickly make them forget everything.”
“Terrence will undoubtedly use all his charm to get fans to love him and prove that he’s good and can’t do something terrible. This dude is so confident that anyone would believe him.”
“Oh, he’s really a sly fox that would get off anything easily and keep being a favorite man for so many people,” Natalia laughs shyly.
“Can’t deny,” Edward chuckles kindly. “He’d talk everyone into so well that they’d really start to sympathize with him, and people would quickly forget that scandal if the media learned it.”
“It’s gonna be fine, honey, don’t doubt it.”
“I don’t doubt.”
Silence settles in the air for a few seconds, during which Edward and Natalia are just walking in one of the most beautiful places in the city, hugging each other and watching the wonderful sunset. Sometimes the girl snuggles her nose in the man’s cheek and kisses the area above his chin a couple of times, making him smile and give her a tender kiss on her temple or forehead. And some time later, Edward stops slowly and takes Natalia’s hands with a slight smile.
“You know, Natalia, I think meeting you was one of the best moments in my life,” Edward confesses. “Thanks to you, I finally met the people, who treated me much better than my own father.”
“And I am very happy that we met,” Natalia shrugs with a shy smile.
“Tell me you just liked me from the first minutes, and you were charmed by me strongly.”
“I was really charmed. But at first, I wanted to help you just as a friend. I realized that I got sympathy for you much later.”
“Ah, honestly, I didn’t also think I’d love you.” Edward caresses Natalia’s face and head with both hands. “Everything happened by itself. I didn’t even plan to find a girlfriend at the nearest time. But one day, my inside voice told me my feelings for you were not amicable but much deeper and more tender.”
“I never thought I’d meet the man, who would love me for what I am,” Natalia replies with a shy smile, shaking her head slightly to try to move the hair off her face that gets into her eyes because of the strong wind. “That wouldn’t use me for his interests. Like it happened to me many times.”
“Even if I hadn’t loved you, I would’ve continued to speak to you as a friend,” Edward says softly, hugs Natalia tenderly, and presses her to himself. “I would’ve done a bad thing if I had stopped speaking to you. It would’ve really looked like I used you and then gave a damn about you when I didn’t need you anymore.”
“And to be honest, I still can’t believe it. I’m dating you and terribly afraid you’ll leave me someday.”
“No, Natalia, get these stupid things out of your head.”
Edward caresses Natalia’s head with a slight smile and kisses cutely the tip of her nose, against which he rubs it slightly.
“I’ll never leave the girl that I owe,” Edward adds confidently. “The girl that I love as much as nobody else before.”
“Could someone really love a girl for everything she has?” Natalia smiles shyly, looking down and trying to move off her hair that the wind is blowing.
“It’s impossible not to love a girl like you.” Edward fixes Natalia’s hair, which she tries to move so hard, and gives her a cute short kiss on her lips with a slight smile. “You’re incredibly beautiful and drive me crazy, and you’re also very kind and can be loyal and befriend.”
“Oh, gosh, Edward…” Natalia closes her mouth with her hand from shyness.
“It’s true, my sunshine. I think I’m madly lucky to meet such an amazing girl like you that makes me happier and happier every single day.”
“It’s still hard to believe that I’ve got a man, who loves me…” Natalia caresses Edward’s cheeks with both hands, examining his face with her eyes. “You came into my life when I thought I’d never be happy. When I seriously believe I’d never meet the one, who’d really love me.”
Natalia strokes Edward’s hair down.
“And when I met you, my life got happier,” Natalia adds. “I began to live the light moments that distracted me from the problems that I got. And gave me hope to become happy with the man I would love.”
“I completely understand you,” Edward pronounces softly. “But wanna remind you that I ain’t gonna leave you and really love you with all my heart. And I’ll never forget to whom I’m grateful for helping me find my close people. I’ll always be grateful to you for introducing me to them. Without you, I don’t know where I would’ve been or with whom…”
“And I’ll never forget how much you’ve done for me,” Natalia replies with a slight smile. “You literally got me out of the depression after I fought with my friend. And… It’s madly nice to know you’ve never been indifferent to my problems and always asked about me and my life. You do really care about me.”
“It can’t be otherwise, honey,” Edward shrugs with a shy smile, runs his hand through Natalia’s soft golden hair, and moves some strands off her face. “I do worry when you’ve got some problems and wanna help you if I can. Especially now, when you’re my beloved girlfriend.”
“And it’s so nice… I never got as much love and care as I get from you. And I didn’t believe I would find someone to be so close and important to me.”
“You do have the one now.”
Edward puts his hand on Natalia’s waist with a cute smile and grabs her face with another one, sometimes running his fingers over her neck or caressing softly its curves and looking at the girl with an ogle look.
“And he’ll do his best to make you happy and give you everything he can,” Edward promises confidently.
“I believe you, sweetie,” Natalia pronounces with tenderness in her eyes.
“I know…” Edward glances aside for a second. “I’m by far not a rich man and, unfortunately, couldn’t give you everything you’ve gotten from your parents. But I promise I will be doing my best to give you the best gift and spare no money for my beauty. Even if I have to work at a few places and work for hours.”
“Stop, Edward,” Natalia says softly, runs her hand through Edward’s hair with a shy smile, and puts an arm around his neck. “I don’t want you to fear the fact that my parents are provided and gave me everything.”
“I’m not scared,” Edward replies confidently. “But I am sad I am not able to give you everything.”
“Yes, I’ve got the best, and Father and Mother always give me a lot of money for my personal needs. But believe me, I’m not as much of a spender as everyone thinks. I don’t need much – only love and attention. I don’t care about how much money a man has, and I’m ready to be even with a poor man in case I love him too much.”
“I can give it to you. And I will give.”
“Many guys began to ignore me when they found out that I was growing up with the money. They were worried they wouldn’t do everything I wanted. They thought I should’ve lived only with a rich guy. I didn’t have anything to do with beggars.”
“Provided girls really scare many men. Very beautiful girls. Very smart. Because they feel uncomfortable next to them. I personally know this type. But it’s not my case.”
“Really?”
“I’m not afraid of beautiful, rich, and smart girls. I don’t feel uncomfortable next to them. Vice versa, I’d be happy to have an educated, confident beauty that knows what she wants to get.”
“Nice to hear it.”
“So, you can have no worries, sweetie,” Edward replies confidently and kisses Natalia on the cheek. “I don’t care which family you were born into. And I ain’t gonna run away from you just because you’re so beautiful, smart, and able to buy anything you want.”
Natalia says nothing and just hugs Edward tightly with a wide smile and presses herself closely to him, putting her hands on his back. The man answers her hug back and tenderly caresses the girl’s head.
“You’re gonna feel very good with me,” Edward promises confidently. “I promise you won’t suffer from a lack of attention and be unpleased with cheap gifts or a lack of them. I would always find money to buy a gorgeous bouquet of flowers.”
“Gifts and flowers aren’t important to me as much as attention and care,” Natalia says softly, moving her eyes to Edward with a tender smile.
“Anyway, I’d spare nothing for my beloved girl.”
“The most important thing is that you make me smile every single day and feel very happy.”
Natalia gives Edward a short kiss on the lips, holding him by the back of his head.
“And now you’re making my wishes come true at one hundred percent,” Natalia adds confidently, pinches Edward by the cheek playfully. “I can’t complain about anything.”
“It’s gonna get much better every single day,” Edward promises with a tender smile. “You’ll be not less happy than your friend is with my friend.”
Natalia says nothing, just looks down, and then moves her eyes to Edward again.
“You know, Edward…” Natalia pronounces quietly, a little hesitantly. “Although I’ve always been truly happy for Raquelle and Terrence, sometimes I felt sad when watching them.”
“Because you were single?” Edward specifies.
“Yes. I have been single probably since my university years. When I was getting attention, but nobody was ready for a serious relationship. And after many failures and attempts to meet someone abroad, I started to think I’d never find someone, who would love me not only for my beauty that everyone talks about but also for my inside world, my character, and what I am. Everyone saw just a beautiful body. A beautiful sexual girl that everyone undressed in their thoughts.”
“You just met those, who didn’t need a serious relationship at all. Those, who needed only sex.”
“I don’t know… But at first sight, some guys were quite decent. Smart, educated… I know different types of men: nerds, womanizers, decent, non-educated… I’ve tried to date literally all of them! But the result was always the same.”
“Sometimes men can’t also meet a good girl, even if they want it so badly. They don’t always meet good and decent ones. Not everyone cares about what you’ve got inside. I ran into that, as well.”
“At some moment, I…” Natalia falls into silence for a second, biting her lip slightly and looking down. “I even thought something was wrong about me… The problem was about me… Either I behaved in the wrong way… Or something else…”
“Natalia…” Edward pronounces with sadness in his eyes.
“Although my friends said I was a beautiful and glamorous girl that would meet her sweetheart, I didn’t wanna believe that for the time being. I was sure everything was lost.”
“Gosh, Natalia, what are you talking about?” Edward wonders, opening his widely open eyes and staring at Natalia.
“It’s true, Edward. There was the time when I thought I wasn’t beautiful and believed nobody treated me seriously because of my look.”
“Seriously?”
“I didn’t believe people and their words about my beauty and thought they were laughing at me.”
“My gosh, I can’t believe it. How could such a beautiful girl say these things about her?”
“Yeah, but it was gone at some moment. And I even loved myself. I believed in my beauty and stopped hiding it from everyone.” Natalia sighs heavily. “But nothing changed… I mean, they began to use me for their dirty interests and have me wrapped around a finger, But I understood nothing and didn’t even get upset.”
“Did someone say you weren’t beautiful and make you believe it?” Edward wonders.
“No, nobody said… But one day, a guy from the university, who was two or three years older than me, said nobody would ever take me seriously. I’d always seem like a sexual toy for men. And my destiny is to please those, who would like to relax.”
“It got you upset?”
“Yup. I was crying for two days after the insult. But then I came to myself and continued to meet someone. But those words did make me doubt that I would meet a good man someday.”
“Natalia, my girl…”
Edward takes Natalia in his strong hug and cutely kisses her on the top of her head while she is pressing herself to him and keeping her hands on his chest.
“Moreover, I didn’t get rid of all the teenage issues,” Natalia confesses quietly. “Dad always said I’d get these stupid things out of my mind after growing up. And he didn’t pay attention to these words. Just like Mom didn’t do it.”
“They were absolutely right,” Edward says confidently and steps back from Natalia. “It was just your stupid thoughts.”
“I think I would’ve gotten rid of them, but the words of that guy got me much more upset. And I began to look for something bad about me. I was losing hope of meeting a man, who would love to date me and consider me something more than a sex toy.”
“You’ve already met him.” Edward tenderly grabs Natalia’s face. “And I don’t want you to doubt you and think something is not right with you.”
“No, no, I’m more confident about my beauty and believe the people, who say I’m beautiful.” Natalia smiles shyly. “My mother and father helped me enough in this case. Without their help, I would’ve kept thinking that man was right. And my friends made me stop thinking about it.”
“Don’t even dare to think about it.” Edward kisses Natalia cutely on the tip of her nose. “People can think anything, but I think you’re not just a beautiful, sexy girl. For me, you’re more than just a beauty.”
“Really?” Natalia asks shyly.
“What kind of question, sweetie! You’re beautiful! Incredibly beautiful! I know how you look with and without makeup, and I love you anyway. With cosmetics or without – you’re madly beautiful, always look gorgeous and make me admire you.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely.”
Edward takes Natalia in his hug for two seconds, tenderly caresses her head, and kisses her temple while she smiles much wider and presses herself to the man’s tough chest with her eyes closed.
“And I actually can’t believe such an eternally beautiful girl doesn’t believe in her affection and thinks she doesn’t deserve to love someone,” Edward says confidently.
“I think someone would hardly believe if you said you see something more about me than just a beautiful girl,” Natalia assumes shyly.
“If someone dares to say it to you, I will immediately show where they belong and make them open their eyes wider and look at you.”
“You make me blush, sweetie…” Natalia moves her eyes down shyly.
“Don’t even dare to say something is not right about you!” Edward steps back from Natalia, raises the girl’s face by the chin, and confidently looks into her eyes. “I love you and will always love you for what you are. I will never dare to doubt your beauty and will be proudly walking by people with you. I’m not blind and can see my beloved girl, who is the reason why other men lost much.”
“Maybe, I taught to love myself later, but I’ve never thought I was a queen of beauty that would drive everyone insane,” Natalia says with sadness in her eyes, putting her hands on Edward’s shoulder. “Sometimes I thought I didn’t deserve to love a man like you. Because you’re just the perfect man for any girl: handsome, kind, caring, tender, and… Very warm. Really. I always feel good and warm in your arms. You spread trust.”
“I’m saying again: don’t dare to doubt you!” Edward replies confidently. “For me, you’re perfect in all senses of this word. No matter what someone says, I will always say you’re not what other people are trying to make you look.”
“Sweetie…”
“Stop, Natalia, I don’t want to hear it anymore.”
Edward caresses Natalia’s face with both hands and fixes her hair slightly, while she looks at him with her widely open eyes and closely listens to his soft, quiet voice.
“Okay, cutie?” Edward asks softly.
“Okay,” Natalia nods with a shy smile. “I’m sure I’m gonna believe in me with you by my side.”
Edward smiles much wider, gives Natalia a short kiss on her lips and a few more kisses around her mouth and her chin, and hugs her tightly, running his hands over her back and kissing the blonde’s open shoulder, which he also caresses tenderly.
“Who knows, maybe, fate didn’t let me date anyone of those men for a reason,” Natalia assumes thoughtfully. “Maybe, I was destined to date you. The man that would make me happy.”
“Who knows,” Edward shrugs. “Anyway, I am not going to let you go and will keep making my sweetheart happy.”
“It’s one of the reasons why I love you so much.” Natalia kisses Edward on the cheek cutely with a shy smile. “You make me smile and enjoy my life and believe that I’m by far not the ugliest girl in the world.”
“You’re the most beautiful lady in the world,” Edward pronounces softly, caresses the back of Natalia’s head, breathes in the smell that the skin on the curves of her neck spread, and runs the tip of his nose over them. “My beauty… Beautiful…”
Feeling Edward’s hot breath on her neck, Natalia realizes more and more that it’s getting harder for her to breathe, and her heart often misses a beat. However, the man feels the same as he runs the tip of his nose over her open shoulder and kisses it again. A little later, he slides to the front of her neck, runs his mouth over it to her lips, steps back a little, and looks into her eyes.
It makes Natalia and Edward smile widely and feel a slight shake. While looking into the hazel, wide eyes, the blonde cannot move her eyes off them and looks into them like charmed, literally not blinding. While the man examines the face of his sweetheart with interest and tenderly caresses her cheek with the front of his hand, making her close her eyes from pleasure and caress his wrist with a slight smile.
A few seconds later, Edward, still looking into her eyes, smoothly moves Natalia’s hair off her shoulder and holds and looks at her hanging earring made of sliver for two seconds. The man tenderly puts his hand on her cheek and moves his eyes to the beautiful, attractive, and amazingly soft lips of the blonde. While Natalia just smiles widely, keeping an arm around Edward’s neck and playing with his soft black hair. At this moment, the lovers can feel a special smell of each other, a hot breath, a fast heartbeat, and a feeling of slight dizziness and heat.
A little later, Natalia moves her hands on Edward’s chest, through which she can easily feel how strongly his heart is beating while he is so close to her. The man holds her face with two hands, tenderly caresses it, breathes in the female smell that drives him crazy, runs his lips or the tip of his nose over her forehead, cheeks, cheekbones, nose, and chin, and leaves a couple of tender kisses on the corners of her mouth. At some moment, he slides to her neck, over which he runs his mouth very slowly, doing this so tenderly that the blonde shakes slightly and exhales quietly with half-closed eyes.
However, later, Edward slides up to Natalia’s face and looks at her lips or into his sweetheart’s eyes, which do not stop looking at him, for a few seconds. And then, not breaking the eye contact, he slowly but confidently gets closer to her lips and gives her a little shy continuous kiss full of true love that she answers with great pleasure, pressing the man closer to herself and putting her hands on his back. A few moments later, the kiss gets more confident, and the gray-eyed brunet adds some pressure but does not rush literally to tear apart the clothes of his girlfriend when being obsessed with a crazy passion.
Edward is trying to do everything very tenderly and slowly, but he is not acting like an inexperienced teenager, who is literally afraid to peck a girl on the lips. This rhythm makes Natalia satisfied, and she can barely stand on her feet and breathe from a wave of the excitement she is obsessed with while his lips tenderly caress some open parts of her face and neck. She does not also behave like a limp doll and lets her hands caress her boyfriend’s head, face, and arms and tenderly slide over his strong chest, waking up the fire inside him and her and sometimes making quiet, sensual moans.
It later makes Edward much more excited, who is going to go a little further and decides to try to kiss Natalia on the neck, not doubting she would be delighted. But when he slides down to this gorgeous part of the feminine body, the girl decides to play with him a little and have fun. She softly steps back from him with a mysterious smile and starts to laugh flirtatiously, and he makes a shy chuckle, as well. The man tries to do what he wants again, but the girl quickly runs away from him with louder laughter, making him follow her.
Natalia gets to run away from her sweetheart for some time, and he gets a little kiss on her lips with mixed success. But when Edward catches her again, grabbing her by the waist from behind, and starts to tickle her, she turns on him pretty quickly and answers him back. But later, she finds a good moment and easily strikes the confused brunet down to the ground with a loud laugh. However, he does not leave it unnoticed, grabs her hand with a sly smile, and sharply pulls her on himself. That’s why his girlfriend falls over him with a loud whoop and looks into his eyes.
They just gaze into each other’s eyes for a few seconds, but then Natalia gives Edward not a very long, shy kiss on the lips. Then the man easily sits up, quickly gets up, and helps the girl do the same, shaking the dirt off the clothes of her and himself. And after one more short eye contact, they get each other involved in a more confident kiss. The man hugs the girl by the waist, caresses its gracious curves, and holds her by the nape of her neck, while she shyly caresses his shoulders or neck and just keeps her hands on his chest. Because of what’s happening, they feel a tickle in their stomachs, their hearts are beating like crazy and about to jump out of their chests, their hands get sweaty from the strong excitement, and a nice warmth is spreading out all over the body from every single touch of soft lips or tender hands.
Everything is fine, but sometimes it seems that Natalia is enjoying these moments but holding herself down very much for some reason and does not want to let herself relax and give herself to her feelings. Unlike Edward, who is quite confident and does not feel shy about showing his love and doing what he would like to do to his girlfriend. However, because of his strong excitement and obsession with his feelings, he does not notice it so far and is just getting pleasure from kissing and hugging his beloved girlfriend, who stopped running away from him and is making him very happy.
***
Raquelle and Terrence decide not to stay home and spend time in four walls. After the dinner with Edward and Natalia, the lovers went to the coast that has meant so much to them since a certain time because they reconciled and decided to give each other another chance right here. Some time ago, the girl came back to the man and moved her stuff into his house, which also belongs to her now. It goes without saying, Terrence and Raquelle understand that even if they decided to be together and fix all their past mistakes, it does not mean everything will really be alright. The lovers know they are going to do hard work to work it out and get happiness with each other. However, now every one of them is sure everything will be otherwise, and they will solve problems together.
“Now I can confidently say our life finally got much better,” Terrence says with a slight smile, walking on the beach with Raquelle with his arm wrapped around her neck and pressing her closer to himself.
“Yeah, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Raquelle replies with a slight smile. “We can finally exhale with relief, ‘cause all the bad things are over.”
“Of course, I’m sorry we made so many mistakes and almost ruined what we had… But I think we are gonna be wiser and won't do anything like that in the future. I did understand everything well and will try not to make them again.”
“And I realized I was a stupid idiot, who thought only of herself. But I’m glad I was given another chance to fix everything and get much better.”
“I’m making more and more sure that sometimes I need to get a hit on my head to understand some things,” Terrence says funnily. “Not because I’m stupid, but because I can easily turn into a psycho. Sometimes I definitely need a little shocking therapy.”
“No, no, I won’t hit you on your head.” Raquelle caresses Terrence’s head with a shy smile and presses herself against him closely for a second. “I have other ways to get your hot temple colder and make you sober.”
“You can do anything to me,” Terrence replies confidently, kisses Raquelle’s temple, and cutely rubs his nose against her cheek. “I’m allowing you to do that. And I won’t get hurt if I get a couple of claps on my head from you.”
“I won’t even ask for permission! Because I have a right to do whatever I want to my boyfriend.”
“Okay, okay, I got it,” Terrence laughs quietly while Raquelle slightly tickles his stomach. “You can do this…”
Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Terrence presses Raquelle closely to himself with his arms and caresses her head to calm her down a little, and she stops tickling him and just smiles widely as she is in the arms of her beloved man and walking on the desert coast with him.
“So, I believe you and I need to be a good example for imitation,” Raquelle says thoughtfully. “We got a new cute couple. And I think Natalia and Edward need to watch us and find out what they shouldn’t do.”
“Can’t disagree,” Terrence agrees with a slight smile. “But I think anything like that wouldn’t happen to them. Edward and Natalia know our situation and have learned some lessons, as well.”
“And I think sometimes my friend would be a little capricious and make her boyfriend nervous. I say it like a girl that suffers from it at times.”
“Well, a true girl does love that thing,” Terrence says funnily. “So, hold on, Edward… It’s gonna be hard for you.”
“I hope he’s got good mental health.”
“I think my buddy will get over that. He’s much quieter than me and tries to solve everything peacefully.”
“I hope your Edward will do this and be able to tolerate short hysterics of our beloved blonde.”
“Living without conflicts and misunderstandings is impossible. I hope our lovebirds get it.”
“They’ve got those, who they could always ask for a piece of wise advice.”
“Anyway, they’re an amazing couple. I don’t know how serious all of that is, but I hope their relationship won't be over at the nearest time.”
“Yeah, I love their couple, too…” Raquelle smiles slightly. “I hope my friend made the right choice. I can’t imagine what their relationship will lead to, but I hope it won’t last for a few weeks.”
“For Natalia, it’d be a strong hit… She was waiting for someone to come into her life for a long time, and if she’s left again, that girl may easily stop believing in love if someone leaves her again.”
“Hey, you reminded me of something…” Raquelle says thoughtfully, moving her hair off her face.
“Related to Natalia?”
“Yup.”
“What?”
“You see, there was a period when Natalia believed she wasn’t beautiful and wasn’t happy with herself…”
“Natalia?” Terrence rounds his eyes. “Believed she wasn’t beautiful?”
“Yup.”
“Come on! You must be kidding!”
“Not at all,” Raquelle shakes her head. “While everyone admired her beauty, she didn’t even wanna look at herself in the mirror and always looked for some weaknesses.”
“Wow…”
“Anna and I always told her that wasn’t the truth, but she didn’t wanna believe us.”
“Damn, I refuse to believe it! How could Natalia think she wasn’t beautiful? It’s not the truth!”
“Everyone thought so, but her parents didn’t pay attention to that and were sure it would be gone later. They thought she was a teenager, and they’re always not happy with themselves…”
“Not everyone loves themselves at the teenage age…”
“Besides, one guy from the university that she was studying at insulted her and said her destiny was pleasing men her whole life and being a sex doll for them.”
“Is that why she got so upset?”
“Natalia was crying for a few days because of that. And then she stopped believing she would meet a good man, who would see something special about her, not just a beautiful toy.”
“Wow… I didn’t know it…”
“But some time later, she accepted and loved herself. And she began to take care of herself much more carefully and go to the gym glass after gaining at least one pour. But alas, she didn’t get a belief in love.”
“I understand everything, but she shouldn’t have hated herself like that,” Terrence says confidently. “Natalia is a very beautiful girl that everyone admires for a reason. Edward would’ve hardly paid attention to her if she wasn’t so beautiful.”
“Yeah, but everyone saw just a beautiful doll about her. Nobody cared about her inside world.”
“My buddy said he was delighted by her beauty and then realized she was very kind, smart, educated, and caring.”
“She was always afraid that guys loved her only for her beauty and didn’t wanna know what she actually was. Even if my friend was dating someone, she was loved just because she was madly beautiful and charming. Edward became the first man to show interest in her soul.”
“So, they didn’t need her so much. Those men wanted to go on one date with her and make love with her to leave her and find another girl.”
“She also said they needed only sex from her. And those guys always left her first. Even if Natalia agreed to spend a night with someone she was madly in love with, a guy forgot everything and pretended that he didn’t know her the next day. And my friend was worried about that very much and often said she wanted to be ugly not to let men use her beauty and the fact that she could easily fall in love with someone.”
“She falls in love easily?”
“I've caught her literally eating a sympathetic man with her eyes when he goes by her many times.”
“It’s okay, she won’t have to suffer anymore, ‘cause she has Edward. My friend loves her not only for her beautiful face and gorgeous body.”
“I hope he’ll do his best for her to be happy with him and not to dare to doubt her at least once. I’ve always wished her happiness, and I want her to be with someone, who treats her like a queen.”
“I’m sure he’d surely do it,” Terrence replies confidently. “Edward loves her so much, and Natalia goes crazy over him. I saw how they looked at each other and definitely dreamed of hugging and kissing.”
“Oh, yeah, but we were near them and not letting them do it!” Raquelle chuckles kindly.
“Right! But I think they’re gonna do this after getting out and going on another date.”
“C’mon, let the guys walk together and live the best moments of their life. I don’t mind their relationship and am very happy they’re dating.”
“I see you aren’t so categorical towards Edward now.”
“No, not at all. Edward is still in my list of suspicious people. But I promised to give him a chance for Natalia and you. And as you can see, I am keeping my promise. I’m trying to behave gently enough.”
“Wow…”
“Moreover, when Natalia is next to Edward, she always has a bright fire in her eyes, and she can’t stop smiling widely.”
“Relax, sweetie,” Terrence says confidently. “I see that Edward is really a good guy and can take care of the girl he chose.”
“So, he should pass the check of her parents. Let’s see what Natalia’s mother will say when she’s back to the city and meet that guy.”
“And when is she planning to come back?”
“I don’t know. But I think, soon.”
“I think Mr. Rochester could take Edward with him and go to Mexico. My friend would go abroad and meet Natalia’s relatives.”
“Maybe, it will happen. I can say nothing. But the most important thing is that these guys feel good together and look truly happy.”
“That’s so good we found someone we love…” Terrence smiles shyly.
Raquelle moves her eyes to Terrence after watching the amazingly beautiful sunset with admiration for a few seconds.
“Do you mean not only you and me and Natalia and Edward?” Raquelle specifies.
“Yup, I mean Anna and her boyfriend…” Terrence says confidently. “Who turned out to be my friend, Daniel.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t know Daniel personally and can’t say what sort of man he is. But looking at the madly happy Anna, I can assume your friend is perfect for her.”
“M-m-m, that couple has infinite romance in their relationship.” Terrence smiles shyly. “Today, Daniel looked especially happy when being next to Anna and hugging her. That guy was shining with happiness. And he madly wanted Peter and me to get out quickly and leave him alone to stay alone with her.”
“I get it.”
“But after any date with her, nothing can make his mood worse. Especially if your friend invites him somewhere and prepares a good surprise.”
“All the same about Anna…” Raquelle puts her head on Terrence’s shoulder with a slight smile and puts her arms around the small of his back. “She always looks so happy when telling us about how she goes on dates with that guy. I remember Anna shining when she told him about her first meeting with him… Natalia said our friend couldn’t stop talking about him and admiring him for the first few days after meeting him. Anna told us everything about him…”
“Somehow, Peter complained to me that Daniel dinged into his ears about meetings with Anna and could be talking about her for hours. He says any other girl couldn’t slay him as hard as your friend did. When he saw her, he lost his mind!”
“I wish Anna’s tale lasted as long as possible. And didn’t end by being founded by her parents, separated from Daniel, and made to get married to someone she doesn’t love.”
“I’m sure everything would be wonderful between them, and that girl would be fighting for her right to date anyone until the end,” Terrence smiles slyly. “Or, maybe, Daniel uses his charm and tries to charm the several parents of his girlfriend…”
“Do you think he can do this?”
“Who knows! Anyway, despite dating a little longer than Edward and Natalia are, these guys will hardly break up at the nearest time. Their feelings are too strong, and Perkins doesn’t wanna let Anna go.”
“I’ll be absolutely sure about it when I meet that guy and personally see what kind of relationship they have. But I’m gonna hope you’ll be right.”
“I’ve never been wrong about these things and have always rightly said who would be together for a long time, and who would break up the next day.”
“That’s how!”
“So, believe me, honey, everything would happen as I said.”
“Aw, I believe you, my love things expert,” Raquelle laughs shyly and kisses Terrence on the cheek. “I believe you, my sunshine…”
Terrence presses Raquelle a little closer to himself with a slight smile, caressing her head and kissing her on the top of her head. Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which the girl presses herself to the man with a true smile, putting a hand on his chest, and he watches her with a tender look and carefully moves some strands off her face.
“Hey, how is your grandfather doing?” Terrence asks. “Did he recover after the illness?”
“Thank God, he’s fine now,” Raquelle replies confidently with a slight smile. “Grandpa has almost recovered and is doing what he needs again. My aunt had to do with that because she didn’t leave him alone and was taking care of him like a close person.”
“And you also helped him recover!”
“Sure! Even after coming back to you, I visit him as frequently as possible. Sometimes I help him at home, buy something or just talk to him with a cup of coffee and some tasty things.”
“I’m glad you don’t forget about him.”
“No, I won’t forget my close people for months and will find at least two hours for them.”
“He raised you and didn’t leave you when your parents died. You should be grateful to him and your aunt for having those, who took care of you.”
“I never forget it. I’m answering them back and doing everything I can do to show my love and help them when they need it.”
“Hey, how long is your aunt gonna stay in New York?”
“Erm, she’s coming back to London in two days.”
“That’s how?”
“Aunt Alicia says that if everything is fine with us now, and Grandpa almost got well, she calmed down and can go home with a quiet heart. That woman promised to stay here until everything got better. So, now it’s time to leave. She’s already ordered a ticket and is packing her bag.”
“I must confess that Alicia and Mr. Cameron helped us well,” Terrence says with a slight smile. “I’m grateful to them for forgiving me and giving me a chance to prove that you’d feel good with me.”
“They just saw you were true when you said you regretted it,” Raquelle replies shyly.
“But it was much harder to make Mr. Cameron sure about it. It was easier in Alicia’s case.”
“But Grandpa usually, quickly gets cold and doesn’t get mad for too long. He aims to forgive everyone or just forget about offenses and dirty things of people not to make his mood worse and worry about what happened or is happening.”
“Yeah, but I think Alicia also had to do with that and managed to make his heart softer. Without her help, something good would’ve hardly happened.”
“I’ll never forget what she has done for me. And I shall always be grateful to her for the support we needed so much.”
“You’re right,” Terrence nods confidently. “Her role in our life was quite major. And I will owe her forever. Alicia could find words of support well and knew what to advise in one or another situation. Her pieces of advice and words of support helped me very well… With her support, it was kinda… Easier for me to overcome what was happening.”
“She’s a very wise woman, who’s gotten over much in her life, and who has enough life experience. Auntie has never advised anything bad, and her pieces of advice have always helped me.”
“That woman was kind of mad at me but continued to treat me as good as she did from the beginning. I guess she understood I was literally the only one to help her.”
“Maybe.”
“And I’m madly glad. Glad she didn’t turn her back on me. I’m glad the others understood everything and came back to my life again.”
“Everybody just knew you didn’t want to do that. So, not only did my grandfather and aunt forgive you, but also all your friends.”
“I don’t know what I would’ve done if nobody had forgiven me. If everybody had wanted to stop speaking to me…”
Terrence swallows up nervously with sadness in his eyes, thinking about something. Raquelle quickly notices it, presses herself against him again, and kisses the area above his chin, making the man smile shyly and caress her cheek with the back of his hand.
“You know, Raquelle, I would like to forget what happened for the past two months and never think about that terrible time again…” Terrence says thoughtfully. “But I understand that if it hadn’t happened, we would’ve never known all the mistakes we made and could’ve made.”
“Everything in the world happens for the reason,” Raquelle smiles mysteriously. “As it happened to us, we needed it. We should’ve understood something.”
“Yeah, I think it happened to see how much we actually meant to each other. And our breakup would’ve been a huge mistake.”
“Right.”
“I did a stupid thing when I never tried to save our relationship and gave a damn about them when you stopped caring. But I will no longer make his mistake and will be fighting for us and our relationship until the end.”
“I promise I will no longer forget you and will appreciate and respect you,” Raquelle promises confidently, caressing Terrence’s cheek with a slight smile. “I think I got the lesson and realized that if I decided to date a man, I must take care of the one I chose.”
Terrence stops sharply with a slight smile, turns on Raquelle, who stands against him, and takes her hands.
“Maybe, all those terrible things happened to us, but I never stopped loving you,” Terrence confesses with a slight smile. “The love was still alive. Alive… My love just fell asleep but didn’t die… But when I woke it up, I realized that I didn’t wanna let you go.”
Raquelle says nothing and moves her eyes down with a shy smile.
“Now my love for you got much stronger than before,” Terrence adds. “And I think I learned to love you not only for your beautiful face and gorgeous body, but also for what you are.”
“I also started to understand how important you are to me,” Raquelle replies with a shy smile. “The more I tried to make myself sure that I didn’t love you anymore, the stronger my feelings for you were getting. I was fighting with myself and my love for a long time, but I ran into probably the biggest loss in my life.”
“But this loss made me the happiest man.” Terrence caresses Raquelle’s cheek softly and runs his hand through her hair. “I’m starting to realize that I will love you even if you do something that breaks my heart.”
“No, Terrence, I’ll never do anything that would break your heart.” Raquelle shakes her head confidently and pulls Terrence’s shirt down. “I don’t want to make you suffer and feel lonely and unhappy anymore.”
“I know, my love.” Terrence softly grabs Raquelle’s face and cutely kisses the tip of her nose. “I know we’re gonna take a long way to the final reconciliation. But I don’t doubt we'll get what we want soon. Begin to live with love and peace.”
“Anyway, I’m ready for anything to make amends. And prove that I can be a good girlfriend.”
Raquelle smiles slyly and starts to walk her fingers over Terrence’s chest shyly, biting her lip slightly.
“I’m gonna be ready for anything you want…” Raquelle adds in a low voice.
“M-m-m, I like the way you think, beauty…” Terrence purrs with a wide smile. “But I recently got another very good suggestion that you’re gonna love.”
“Really? What is that?”
Before answering, Terrence says nothing for two seconds and smiles mysteriously, and then he tenderly caresses Raquelle’s cheek and fixes her hair.
“Don’t you wanna go somewhere abroad with me?” Terrence suggests. “We could get two free weeks and go where only you and I would be…”
“Go abroad with you?” Raquelle smiles shyly.
“You and I got busy with our work when we moved in together. We didn’t go on dates and didn’t go anywhere… But now I would like to fix it, go somewhere with my beloved girl, and spend some time with her. Have a long trip somewhere abroad.”
“And where would you like to go?”
“Anywhere you want. If you want, we can go to a winter resort first or lie under the sun in a hot country. Everything depends on your wish. I will go anywhere.”
“Well, I don’t know…” Raquelle rolls her eyes dreamily.
“You dare to doubt?”
“Of course, this idea is wonderful, but would we get time to go somewhere? You’re gonna be touring with ‘The Loser Syndrome’ soon, and I’m gonna start rehearsing for the show this week and have the show the week after this week.”
“The tour starts in one month, at the end of July. We’re gonna have a lot of time to go on a trip together,” Terrence smiles slyly. “I think the guys would let me go with pleasure if I explained everything to them and said I would like to go to have a rest with you. Before the start of the tour. To go on the road, feeling fresh.”
“Yeah, but I think you should get ready for this event very well. That’s your chance to start a musical career. I wouldn’t miss it, and I will do my best for this dream to get real.”
“But I’m gonna go on the tour and will not refuse it. I just wanna have a good rest and spend some time with you before we get separated for one month.”
“Erm…”
“Honestly, I’ve wanted to go somewhere abroad and see the world as a tourist for a long time. But not alone, with my beloved girl.”
“Erm, listen, I don’t even know…” Raquelle says hesitantly, glancing aside for a second. “Would going to have a rest some time before the start of the tour be right? This business requires special attention… And I’m gonna have much work soon. I won’t be sitting and suffering from boredom.”
“But, sweetie… Don’t you wanna spend some time with me?”
Terrence presses Raquelle closely to himself by the waist and gives her a short kiss on the lips, while she softly squeezes his tough-to-touch arms.
“Imagine a wonderfully beautiful place where only you and I would be…” Terrence adds in a lower voice. “Where nobody would bother us… And stops us at the wrong time…”
Saying the last words, Terrence leaves short kisses on Raquelle’s face or just runs his lips over her cheeks and cheekbones while she smiles with half-closed eyes.
“Someone here has a habit of bothering us when we wanna stay alone…” Terrence notices confidently. “For example, my friends feel I wanna stay with you and always bother me at the wrong time. But we could turn off our phones, lock ourselves in a room at a gorgeous hotel, and play a little…”
Terrence tickles Raquelle’s stomach slightly, making her laugh shyly and try to step away from the man softly.
“Erm, it really sounds just wonderful…” Raquelle says softly and thoughtfully. “It would be great to stay with you and forget everything in the world…”
“So, why don’t we do this?” Terrence wonders, tenderly caressing Raquelle’s cheek with one hand and running another one over her back up and down. “Go, Raquelle! Now we have such a wonderful chance to relax after the stress and come back to our business, being full of energy. I’m gonna work on my music career, and you will shine on the runway and on the covers of magazines.”
“Well, I don’t even know…” Raquelle rolls her eyes with a sly smile. “We have so many things to do that…”
Raquelle does not say what she wants because she shakes from feeling Terrence’s hot breath on the curve of her neck and realizes her heart misses a beat.
“Forget about business…” Terrence pronounces with a deep breath, hugs Raquelle tightly, presses her to himself, and runs the tip of his nose or little-open mouth over her temples, cheekbones, cheeks, chin, and shoulders, breathing in the madly nice smell of the female skin that drives him crazy.
“But…” Raquelle exhales quietly.
“Are you ready to prefer your career over me, your beloved, freaking attractive boyfriend that is ready to move a mountain for you?”
“No…”
“Then let’s have some fun.”
Terrence moves some strands of Raquelle’s hair aside and covers a curve of her neck with tender but exciting kisses that make her breathe heavily and shake slightly.
“Please, baby…” Terrence pronounces quietly with pity in his eyes. “Let’s go somewhere together and have a little rest.”
Terrence leaves a kiss in the hole on the front of Raquelle’s neck and a few more on her collarbones.
“I think we deserved it,” Terrence adds softly. “Moreover, this trip would make our relationship much better and get us much closer to each other.”
Although Terrence does everything slowly and carefully, he gives his hands more freedom every second. Now, while the man covers Raquelle’s neck with kisses and caresses it with his half-open mouth, his hands move from the curves of her waist to her thighs and buttocks, which he caresses tenderly. By this moment, the brunette can barely breathe and understands that she gets obsessed with a wave of heat after every single thing the man does.
“Two weeks, just you and me…” Terrence continues to persuade. “No work… Only together walks in a city and an incredible pastime in the evenings in the best hotel.”
Terrence grabs Raquelle’s face and gives her a few short, very tender kisses on the lips.
“Isn’t this happiness?” Terrence pronounces softly. “I ain’t gonna miss a chance to spend time with such a stunning beauty that I can proudly call my girlfriend.”
“So, do I have no choice?” Raquelle asks with a mysterious smile, putting a hand on Terrence’s chest and tenderly running it over his tough torso.
“Erm…” Terrence thinks, glancing aside, and looks at Raquelle with a sly smile. “No! You will have to agree to go!”
“Come on?”
“I am a man! I am the head of the home. So, you must listen to me.”
“What if I confidently say ‘no?’ Let you know that I give a damn about your opinion and am not going to obey you?”
“Well, I would have to buy tickets and pack your bag personally.” Terrence slightly grabs Raquelle by the throat and confidently looks into her eyes. “Seat you in a taxi by force and go to the airport. To get on a plane and fly far away from here,”
“Oh, I’m so scared!” Raquelle chuckles slyly.
“But I hope you’ll make the right decision and won't force me to grab you and take you with me.”
Terrence tenderly caresses Raquelle’s cheek, but then kisses it tenderly, grabs her chin with his mouth, and runs his lips over the front of her neck to her collarbones and décolleté that is seen out of the light coat that she is wearing.
“Well, if you are rebellious and as headstrong as a donkey again, I will have to use force,” Terrence says confidently. “As your sweet friend advised, I will buy tickets and get you on a plane against your wish.”
“Oh, how severe we are…” Raquelle laughs playfully.
“Remember, babe, I won’t let you work too hard and bring yourself to exhaustion this time. I’m gonna be stubborn about it. If I notice you get yourself exhausted, I will take measures.”
“I’ve said many times that I don’t like when someone keeps me under control.”
“Get used! Get used to the fact that you sometimes have to follow my rules.”
Terrence leaves a couple of short kisses on the curve of Raquelle’s neck as she makes a quiet moan with her eyes rolled up.
“So, my love, no matter if you like it or not, we will have a trip together in two weeks,” Terrence says confidently and raises Raquelle’s face by the chin. “We will save our relationship and have a rest after a few months of the hard work and the crazy hell we lived because of the bastard named Simon.”
“C’mon, pretty boy, relax,” Raquelle smiles shyly, puts her arms around Terrence’s neck, and runs her fingers through his hair. “You won’t have to take me to the airplane by force. Because I will go to relax with you with pleasure.”
“Go?”
“For us, it’s really gonna be a wonderful chance to have a rest and establish our relationship. Moreover, I wouldn’t also mind going somewhere as a tourist.”
“M-m-m, I knew you’d agree.”
Terrence caresses Raquelle’s head and wraps a little strand of her hair around his finger with a sly smile.
“You just couldn’t miss a chance to have a rest with such an irresistibly handsome man like me,” Terrence adds with his head proudly raised.
“Beloved, handsome man,” Raquelle fixes playfully.
“Exactly!”
“But let me, please, work on Paulina Simpson’s show in two weeks. And then I’m gonna be all yours and ready to go anywhere with you.”
“Alright, I agree,” Terrence pronounces with a slight smile and slaps Raquelle on her nose with a finger that he runs over her collarbones. “You will work on the show, and then we will decide when and where to go.”
“As you wish.”
“Grab your most beautiful dresses, bikinis, and other clothes,” Terrence runs his hands over the curves of Raquelle’s waist and her thighs. “Because who knows what’s gonna happen…”
“For you, I’ll grab all the best I have,” Raquelle promises confidently. “And I will be teasing you with pleasure.”
“Ar-r-r, my cutie…” Terrence growls playfully and rubs his nose against a curve of Raquelle’s neck, the skin on which he slightly bites and kisses.
Raquelle laughs shyly and glances at the ocean, which is pretty quiet today because the wind is weak in this place, while Terrence runs his mouth over the area behind her ear, kisses it, and grabs her earlobe with his lips.
“Hey, wouldn’t you like to come to the show and watch me walk on the runway?” Raquelle asks with a shy smile.
“I would love to,” Terrence pronounces in a low voice, leaving a few kisses on the corners of Raquelle’s mouth. “Very much.”
“I could try to get an invitation to Paulina’s show for you to be able to watch me.”
“Could you really get an invitation?” Terrence steps back from Raquelle. “Can I watch you walking?”
“Sure,” Raquelle nods. “Just let me know it, and I’ll talk to Paulina. Ask her to give you an invitation.”
“Is it possible?”
“Many celebrities are supposed to attend her show, many of whom will fly here from abroad. So, I think she wouldn’t refuse to give you an invitation.”
“If it’s possible, I will go to the show and watch you with pleasure,” Terrence replies confidently.”
“Okay, I will talk to Paulina then.”
“But I want a place in the first line.” Terrence softly grabs Raquelle by the chin. “Closer to the runway. To see you better and rate everything you’re gonna show.”
“Of course, honey,” Raquelle pronounces confidently, caressing Terrence’s cheek softly. “I’m gonna get a place for you in the first line. Not to be excited before a walk and to know you’re there and supporting me.”
“Get the invitation to that show, please. I’ve never managed to see you do that with my eyes – only in videos and photos published on the Internet. But I do dream of personally watching you walk on a runway and participate in photoshoots.”
“I think I could invite you to a photoshoot someday. But in two weeks, you’re gonna be able to watch me walk on the runway. And then, we’ll get ready to go abroad.”
“I agree,” Terrence pronounces confidently with a wide smile.
“Gonna have a rest and establish our relationship.”
“So, did you and I agree about everything?”
Terrence, putting a hand on Raquelle’s cheek and starting to hold her by the back of her head, gives her a tender, short kiss on the lips.
“We did, sweetheart,” Raquelle smiles widely. “I’ll get an invitation to the show, and you’ll get tickets to go to any country.”
“Okay. So, call me the places that you prefer. Where would you like to go?”
“The choice is yours, I’ll go with you with pleasure anywhere if you’re with me.”
“What about starting a trip from the Maldives or Bali? Or do you like winter resorts somewhere in Europe…”
“Wonderful idea!”
“Excellent then. I will check all the flights, and you and I will choose the day after the show.”
“Okay, let it happen as you want,” Raquelle smiles shyly.
Terrence hugs Raquelle tightly with a wide smile by the waist and gives her a more continuous kiss on the lips that she answers to with pleasure, putting an arm around his neck and running her fingers through his hair that she pulls slightly with a feeling of the sweet tension that is slowly getting through every single cell of her body.
Later, he also starts to play with her hair and leaves tender kisses on every part of her face, while his free hand stays on her thigh for some time but later tenderly caresses and slightly grips her buttocks. And then it slides underneath her shirt and caresses her naked back. Raquelle softly caresses Terrence’s face, and leaves kisses on his cheeks and neck with a quiet breath and bites slightly his ear, which she caresses tenderly with her mouth.
And when the man breathing heavily starts to caress her neck with his lips and leave different kisses and slight pinches on it, the girl cannot hold down her quiet moans and often closes and rolls her eyes, feeling that a strong heartbeat echoes somewhere in her head.
“Ah, damn, MacClife, you’re so crazy…” Raquelle pronounces quietly in a little hoarse voice, slightly squeezing Terrence’s shirt a little. “Damn…”
“You know well that it’s just the beginning and not everything I can do,” Terrence replies with a sly smile in a low voice, running his little open mouth over a curve of Raquelle’s neck, sliding up to the area behind her ear, which he caresses with his lips. “Just tell me you want a continuation, and I will get it…”
“Erm…”
“Oh, no! Don’t say anything! I do know everything! I fluently understand your body language and can easily translate everything it tells me.”
Terrence’s hand gets underneath Raquelle’s blouse and tenderly caresses her belly while she shakes slightly and barely can breathe because of what her beloved man is doing to her. Seeing this, the man smiles slyly and covers the girl’s neck with kisses, feels her breasts underneath her clothes, and squeezes them tenderly.
“Oh, damn…” Raquelle makes a much louder and more sensual moan.
“Just try to tell me I wanna get off you…” Terrence whispers in Raquelle’s ear in a low voice, running his little open mouth over the front of her neck, and grabs her chin. “That I wanna forget her and find another girl…”
“How could you actually think so?” Raquelle chuckles quietly. “Did you naively think you’d easily get off her after getting her attracted to you?”
Raquelle steps back from Terrence softly but sharply and slightly grips his yawl, looking into his eyes confidently.
“No, Terrence, it will not work with me,” Raquelle says with her head proudly raised. “Don’t even dream of getting off me. I’m not gonna leave anywhere. Hear me, anywhere.”
“Do you think I’ll let you go?” Terrence wonders with a slight smile, slightly grabs Raquelle by the throat, and looks into her eyes for two seconds. “No, babe, you are wrong! Don’t even think you’d get off me so easily. I mean, you will not get off me.”
“And I ain’t gonna leave,” Raquelle replies in a low, nice voice. “I ain’t gonna give you to anyone. Because you’re only mine.”
“And you belong only to me and nobody else…”
Terrence leaves a few kisses on Raquelle’s collarbones and slightly pinches the tender skin on them.
“I will not give you to another man,” Terrence says confidently and sinks his fingers tightly into Raquelle’s buttocks. “What I got once is going to be mine forever.”
“Don’t relax, pretty boy,” Raquelle says confidently with a sly smile, tightly grabs Terrence by the collar, and confidently looks into his eyes. “If I see you with another girl, I will kill you with my own hands. If I know a gal licks you from head to feet, she will regret it.”
“No, sweetheart, it will never happen.”
“I am not kidding, MacClife. If you cheat on me, you will know who Raquelle Cameron is, and why you must not get her mad.”
“I need nobody but you.” Terrence hugs Raquelle by the waist with his arms and presses her closely to himself with a slight smile, tenderly caressing her head and kissing her on the forehead. “After getting a second chance to get happy, I will not miss it or the one I madly love. The one, whom I can’t imagine my life without…”
“I did warn you,” Raquelle says quietly, putting her hand on Terrence’s forearms, still being in his strong but tender hug, and looking into his piercing blue eyes with tenderness. “Remember, I can be a sweet and obedient cat that purrs on the laps of its owner. But I can also become an evil tiger that would pity nobody.”
“I got it very well, my gorgeous queen. Very well…”
With these words, Terrence slightly runs his hand over Raquelle’s cheek, and she closes her eyes from pleasure for two seconds and relaxes much more. At some moment, the man grabs her face softly with a free hand and, caressing her neck with his fingers, leaves a few kisses on it with a slight smile. The girl smiles widely and tenderly runs her hands over the man’s tough torso and gets underneath his clothes for a few seconds, feeling up the pretty strong muscles of his stomach and getting a little excited from touching them, while her free hand slightly pulls down his thin silver necklace hanging on his neck.
“Oh, I almost forgot…” Terrence pronounces with a slight smile. “I would like to give you something.”
“Me?” Raquelle rounds her eyes.
“Yup. Actually, I wanted to do it a long time ago, but I forgot about it because of rehearsals with the lads. But I took a little gift with me.”
Two seconds later, Terrence takes a little dark blue box from the inside pocket of his light coat and gives it to Raquelle, saying:
“So, it’s for you.”
Raquelle opens her mouth slightly and looks at the box that she takes from Terrence from all sides.
“Wow…” Raquelle wonders. “What is this?”
“Open and see,” Terrence smiles mysteriously. “I hope you’re gonna love it.”
Raquelle unties a little bow on the box for a few seconds, opens it, and sees a very beautiful necklace made of clean rose gold with a little pendant in the form of a heart covered with little brilliants.
“My gosh, it’s so beautiful!” Raquelle admires with a wide smile and shyly runs her fingers over the necklace in the box. “Just magnificent!”
Raquelle shakes her head.
“Is this really for me?” Raquelle wonders.
“Who else?” Terrence chuckles kindly. “I can’t wear feminine jewelry.”
“My God, Terrence…”
“I never bought you jewelry. At some moment, I even stopped doing little surprises for you and buying you flowers.”
“Did you remember my words about not giving me even one gift?”
“It’s the truth, So, I decided to fix it. I saw this necklace at the jewelry store and liked it very much.”
“My gosh…”
“Gonna specify something, this is real rose gold, and these brilliants are not rhinestone.”
“Aw, Terrence, it’s so cute…” Raquelle smiles widely, carefully getting the necklace out of the box and closely looking at it from all sides. “I love it very much. This necklace is incredible!”
“Maybe, you try it on? I want to see how this necklace looks on you.”
“Only if you help me…”
Raquelle gives Terrence the necklace with an innocent smile. While the girl turns her back on him and raises her hair up, the man opens up the clasp and puts this jewelry on, and easily zips it on her. She looks at the pendant in the form of a brilliant heart with admiration, while MacClife cannot hide his wish to kiss the nape of her neck and tenderly runs his lips and the tip of his nose over it. And he would give it more attention if she did not turn on him, looking at him tenderly with a wide smile.
“It looks magnificently,” Terrence says with a slight smile, puts his hand on the brilliant heart for a second, takes it, and looks at it from different sides, seeing how beautifully it shines on the sun. “I didn’t doubt this necklace would look incredible on your gorgeous neck.”
“It’s so beautiful,” Raquelle replies shyly. “I already love it. I promise I am gonna wear it often.”
“I’m glad you liked it.”
“Thank you so much, Terrence. This gift is just amazing.”
Raquelle hugs Terrence tightly, putting her arms around his neck and kissing him on the cheek two times, while he just presses her to himself with a wide smile. But she steps back very quickly to give her boyfriend a continuous kiss on the lips, grabbing his face. When she breaks it, the girl caresses the man’s cheeks with a tender smile.
“Thanks, sweetheart, you’re the best,” Raquelle thanks truly. “So tender, caring, and generous.”
“It’s always nice to do something good for your beloved person,” Terrence smiles shyly.
“Thanks. I really love it.”
“Yeah, but… That’s not everything.”
“Not everything?” Raquelle rounds her eyes.
“I…” Terrence bites his lip slightly and glances at his hands. “I… I would like to do one little thing…”
“One little thing?” Raquelle frowns slightly.
“Yeah…”
“What’s wrong, sweetheart? You’re kind of… Excited…”
Raquelle looks at Terrence better, while he suddenly changes and looks kind of anxious and tense.
“I just…” Terrence pronounces hesitantly, looking at his hands.
“My gosh, Terrence…” Raquelle pronounces with sadness in her eyes. “Why are you so nervous?”
“I just… Erm…” Terrence swallows up nervously. “I just want you to listen to me. Listen to what is very important to me.”
“Erm…” Raquelle gets confused. “Yeah, sure… Speak, I’m listening to you.”
Terrence hesitates for a few more seconds before he finds the courage to start to say what is so important to him that he gets quite nervous.
“You know, Raquelle…” Terrence pronounces thoughtfully as the warm wind blows his hair. “When we just began to date… I don't take it seriously. I didn’t understand that what was happening between us wasn’t quite right. I was thinking only of the fact that you got me attracted sexually. And I never hid it. I didn’t hide that I wanted to take you to bed.”
“Yeah, we were united by the passion,” Raquelle agrees.
“But everything is different now.” Terrence swallows up nervously. “Absolutely different… I looked at you differently and saw you not only as a sexy cutie that I madly wanted to fuck. I also see the girl that I want to take care of. Whom I want to be with in good and bad times.”
“Terrence…” Raquelle smiles shyly.
“It’s the truth, Raquelle.” Terrence tucks a strand of Raquelle’s hair behind her ear. “Yes, I needed a lot of time to get attracted to you mentally. But now I understand that I don’t wanna let you go anymore. I wanna take care of you and give you everything you want.”
“I will never thank you enough for everything you do for me,” Raquelle replies confidently. “No matter how much I do, it wouldn’t be enough.”
“The most important thing is that you’re with me.”
Terrence takes Raquelle’s hands.
“I can call you my girlfriend,” Terrence adds. “I’ve been able to do it for a few months. Which have been the best in my life.”
“I hope everything is going be much better,” Raquelle expresses hope. “We would get much closer to each other. And happier.”
“Anyway, when we just met, I knew for sure that I would do my best to make you mine. And it happened. And…” Terrence smiles shyly. “I became the happiest man in the world.”
“Terrence…” Raquelle pronounces softy.
“Seriously, Raquelle, I never felt as happy as I do now. I’m madly lucky to have such a wonderful and unbelievably beautiful and charming girlfriend, who makes me feel so good.”
“I’m doing my best for that. Everything to know that you feel good with me. Everything to see your smile.”
“And I’m also ready to answer you back and will always do it,” Terrence replies confidently, caressing Raquelle’s head. “And I want you to never doubt your beauty. Never doubt anything about you.”
“I don’t doubt. Even more, I began feeling much more attractive after we started dating.”
“You’re my beauty…” Terrence caresses Raquelle’s cheek tenderly with the back of his hand, while she looks into his eyes and smiles widely. “The most attractive, beloved, and wanted girl that I love so much. If you sometimes doubt it, I am banning you from even thinking about it.”
Terrence grabs Raquelle’s face.
“Remember, Terrence MacClife’s girlfriend is the most beautiful and attractive,” Terrence says confidently with his head proudly raised. “He always chooses the best.”
“Oh, gosh, Terrence, stop making me blush…” Raquelle pronounces shyly and closes her face with both hands.
“But it’s true, my love.”
Terrence moves Raquelle’s hands off her face and takes them softly, looking into the girl’s eyes confidently.
“I can go somewhere with you and proudly tell the whole world you’re my girlfriend,” Terrence adds. “My magnificent brilliant that I was lucky to get. Walk down the red carpet, go to hang out with friends, visit relatives or powerful, familiar people… It doesn’t make sense. I’d always walk beside you with my head proudly raised and confidently introduce you as my girlfriend and make everyone jealous and bite their elbows, ‘cause I got an amazing girl that makes me madly happy.”
“Oh, gosh, it’s so nice to hear it…” Raquelle smiles widely.
“My life changed for the better after you came into it. I consider our meeting one of the best moments that have happened in my life. Yes, maybe, we didn’t get on well at first. But I am glad we’ve become a couple. Because… Missing out on such an amazing chance to date the best girl in the world would be my great mistake. And breaking up with you or refusing to become your boyfriend would be a much greater mistake.”
“And you, silly boy, are afraid that I’d decide to leave you?” Raquelle laughs shyly.
“Can’t deny. I never want to lose you. I don’t want to break up with you.”
“It won’t happen, Terrence.” Raquelle caresses Terrence’s cheeks with both hands, looking into his eyes with tenderness. “I will never forgive myself if I wish to break up with you. If I make at least one little mistake, which would make you decide to leave me.”
“And I won’t forgive myself for that…” Terrence confesses. “Never…”
Terrence falls into silence for two seconds and exhales slowly but quietly while Raquelle puts her hands on her shoulders.
“But now I’m ready to be not only your boyfriend…” Terrence says confidently. “Now I understand that I want to start a new level in our relationship. Ready to live my life with the one I madly love.”
“Oh, gosh, Terrence…” Raquelle shakes her head, starting to understand Terrence’s hints, not hiding her wide smile and looking at the man with a gloss in her eyes. “You…”
“Right now, I want to ask you one very important question,” Terrence says, hiding his excitement skillfully enough and still looking proud and confident. “And I hope I will hear the answer that would make me happy.”
While Raquelle keeps smiling and starts to realize what might happen now but does not believe it and thinks she is sleeping and seeing a wonderful dream, Terrence hesitates for two seconds. Then he slowly lets the girl’s hands go and goes two steps back from her, not stopping looking at her tenderly. He puts his hand in the pocket of his jeans, takes a little white box with the logo of a brand, and slowly gets down on a knee in front of his girlfriend, opening it at the same time. The girl rounds her eyes, staring at the man surprisingly, closes her mouth with both hands, and shakes her head, not believing what’s currently happening.
“Raquelle Allison Cameron, my sunshine…” Terrence pronounces in a little shaking voice. “Will you marry me? Will such an attractive and wonderful girl give me the honor to become my wife and live a long, colorful life with me?”
Raquelle stops holding down tears of happiness that start slowly rolling down her cheeks and tries to make herself sure what’s happening is her dream, and Terrence did not propose to her to marry a few moments ago.
“My gosh, Terrence…” Raquelle pronounces in a shaking voice, shaking her head slightly. “You… Are you serious? Do you really want to…To marry me?”
“I don’t doubt that I’m doing the right thing,” Terrence replies confidently. “And if you agree, you will give me a great honor and make me very happy.”
“My God…”
“I think it’s time to let you know my plans for my relationship with you are very serious. I am going to live my life with you. And I am no longer going to lose you and give you to anyone else.”
Although it’s a little hard for Raquelle to speak because of the excitement, with which she suddenly gets obsessed, she does not want to torture Terrence for too long and quickly gives him the answer that he is waiting patiently but with anxiety and fear to hear a refusal.
“Yes…” Raquelle nods energetically, closing her mouth with both hands with eyes that are wet from tears, and sniffs quietly. “Yes… Yes!”
“Yes?” Terrence smiles much wider. “So, do you agree to become my wife?”
“I can’t refuse what I couldn’t dream about.” Raquelle carefully wipes the tears under her eyes and caresses Terrence’s face tenderly, sniffing quietly with a wide smile. “So, that’s why I can say, ‘yes, I will’ thousands of times.”
All the fears and doubts of Terrence are gone when he hears the confident answer of Raquelle to his proposal to marry. His smile gets wider and wider, and he is ready literally to yell with happiness at the whole beach because his beloved girl said yes and gave him such an honor to marry him. Terrence does not even think of hiding how proud he is to date the famous model that many men around the world would love to be with. That agreed to have a wedding with him.
“Say it again,” Terrence says with a wide smile. “Say it to make me sure that I heard everything right. Will you marry me?”
“I will!” Raquelle exclaims loudly and confidently.
“Say it again! Loud!”
“Yes, yes, yes, ye-e-e-es!” Raquelle makes a happy whoop, not hiding her wide smile through tears of happiness and jumping two times. “I wi-i-il!”
Terrence laughs shyly and watches the funny Raquelle for two seconds. Then he takes an unbelievably beautiful thin gold ring with a brilliant of several carats from the open white box that he puts in his pocket because he does not need it. The man takes the girl’s left hand and puts on the ring on her ring finger with a wide smile, while she closes her mouth with a free hand, sometimes giving quiet sobs.
After looking at the ring that perfectly looks on the hand of his girlfriend for two seconds, Terrence moves his eyes to Raquelle, who is shining with happiness, and looks at her new jewelry given her for the engagement with admiration. At some moment, the man slowly gets up on his feet and kisses her hand, on which there is the gold engagement ring.
Raquelle admires the stunning ring that definitely costs very much for some time. And then, making happy, loud whops again, she literally attacks Terrence with a hug, putting her arms around his neck tightly. He instantly answers her back, lifts her up from the ground from happiness, and spins her around several times while she keeps shooting, not giving attention to the tears that still roll down her cheeks.
When he puts the girl on the ground, they just hold each other in a strong hug for a few seconds with a wide smile. While Terrence tenderly caresses Raquelle’s head and back and gives her a cute kiss on the cheek, she snuggles her nose in his shoulder, puts her hand on the top of his head, strokes hair on it, and runs her free hand over his spine up and down, sometimes making sobs and squeezing her sweetheart too tightly in her arms. However, he takes it patiently and keeps being tender and careful towards his beloved girl.
After stepping back from Terrence a little later, Raquelle grabs his face and gives him a very tender kiss on the lips, which he answers immediately, hugging her by the waist tightly and pressing her closer to himself. Nobody cares about the warm wind that is blowing their hair and clothes, rises the sand up, and gets it sucked into vortexes that shortly fall down when calm comes.
Being obsessed with bright emotions, Terrence and Raquelle are enjoying these unforgettable moments and try to calm down a little and realize that they just got new statuses – fiancé and fiancée – and will have a wedding that their relatives and friends are dreaming about at the nearest time. Which their fans are dreaming about. The fans, who have never doubted that these two would make a beautiful couple.
The first kiss between the engagement lovers lasts for a few seconds before they break it and give each other a few short kisses on the lips and wide smiles full of tenderness and happiness. Their foreheads touch one another, and they are breathing a little heavily with a feeling of the light hot flash, trying to calm down a little while the man’s arms are wrapped around her waist closer to her thighs, and she keeps her hands on his chest, through which she can feel the same strong heartbeat as her own.
“Tell me it’s the truth,” Raquelle says with a wide smile. “Am I really engaged with the love of all my life?”
“It’s hard to believe it, but it’s the truth,” Terrence smiles shyly and carefully moves a strand of Raquelle’s hair that gets into her eyes aside. “We are engaged.”
“My God… I can’t believe I’m gonna get married to you very soon.”
“And you will live with me in the status of my wife.”
“I think today is one of the best days of my life,” Raquelle smiles widely and sniffs quietly.
“Mine too, sweetheart.”
“My gosh, Terrence…” Raquelle smiles much wider. “It’s all happening like in a movie… Like in a good love movie…”
“I think you’ve understood that I am really no longer going to lose you,” Terrence replies confidently. “I want you to be only mine.”
“I couldn’t dream about it.” Raquelle glances at the engagement ring she has on her hand. “Wow, this ring is so beautiful… I guess it’s a very expensive one…”
“You like it?” Terrence asks.
“Very much! It’s flawless! I actually have enough beautiful jewelry, but this thing is the best.”
“A beautiful girl must have all the best.”
“I promise I won’t take it off and will be proudly wearing it everywhere.”
“Moreover, I guessed the size,” Terrence takes Raquelle’s hand. “You just look at how perfectly this ring looks on your hand!”
“My God, Terrence… It’s so touching… So touching that…” Raquelle sniffs again with a slight smile and carefully wipes off tears under her eyes. “Oh, I can’t even speak… You got me very nervous.”
Terrence says nothing and just takes Raquelle in his hug with a wide smile, pressing her closer to his chest, in which she snuggles her nose, caressing her head tenderly and kissing the top of it.
“Sweetheart…” Terrence pronounces tenderly.
Saying the truth, Terrence also barely keeps his emotions inside because this moment is too touching, but he does control himself and does not turn into a too sentimental guy that would cry for any little things. However, the man does not try to hide his feelings and is letting her know he is madly happy to marry such an attractive girl that literally all the men are dreaming about.
“I love you, sweetie…” Raquelle confesses in a little shaking voice with a wide smile.
“Me too, my love,” Terrence pronounces with tenderness in his voice and kisses Raquelle cutely on the cheek. “Me too…”
A few moments later, Raquelle and Terrence step away from each other and look into each other’s eyes. And then the man gives her a few short kisses on her lips with a mysterious smile, putting his hands on the sides of her waist, getting absolutely relaxed after the girl agreed to marry him, and definitely not minding coming back to where he ended it before asking what would change his life.
“I wanna believe the ring on your finger would make you more obedient,” Terrence expresses hope, using a good moment and tenderly running his lips over the front of Raquelle’s neck, sliding down her collarbones, and feeling how she shakes unconsciously and makes a sensitive moan. “And make you stop pretending to be hard to reach…”
“Actually, I didn’t say you could feel me up and kiss everything about me,” Raquelle replies in a lower voice with a sly smile.
“No, beauty, it’s not the truth. You just gave me your agreement.”
“I agreed to marry you, I didn’t agree to let you get your hands loose.”
“When you become my wife, you will automatically sign permission to give your body to me.”
Yeah, but I am not your wife yet.”
“You will be soon.”
“When I become, you will do anything you want.” Raquelle smiles slyly. “Now, be pleased, control your lust and wait for some time.”
“No!” Terrence protests. “I will not wait for too long!”
“You will, pretty boy, you will!”
“I will start it now! Not to have problems when you become my wife. To make you an obedient girl and not to let you even think of resistance towards your future husband.”
“Ha, we’ll see if I’m gonna be obedient…” Raquelle chuckles kindly.
“Are you gonna tease the lion?”
“Maybe…” Raquelle gives Terrence a couple of short kisses and one more continuous kiss on the lips. Then she leaves a few ones on his neck, smiling smugly when he laughs shyly, and slowly running her hand over his chest. “My hungry tiger. My hero…”
“It’s nice to be called like this,” Terrence smiles slyly. “Very nice…”
“Telling you the truth.”
Raquelle softly grabs Terrence’s chin with her mouth and leaves a couple of short kisses on it, while his hands are placed on her buttocks.
“My gosh, I was such a stupid idiot…” Raquelle shakes her head and sniffs quietly. “I can’t believe I almost pushed such a wonderful man off me.”
Raquelle fixes Terrence’s disheveled hair with care.
“I wouldn’t have forgiven myself if I hadn’t given you a chance,” Raquelle shakes her head. “Never… I would’ve hated myself all my life if I hadn’t understood all my mistakes…”
“Don’t think about it, sweetheart,” Terrence says softly, fixing Raquelle’s hair that gets into her eyes, under which he carefully wipes tears off. “Everything is over. Nobody will longer tear us apart.”
“I wish it happened.” Raquelle presses herself closely against Terrence and puts her hands in the back pockets of his jeans. “And I’m not gonna make the same mistakes, because of which I could’ve lost what I couldn’t live without.”
“Don’t think about our past and the hellish time we lived,” Terrence says confidently, grabs Raquelle’s face, kisses the tip of her nose softly, and rubs his nose against it slightly. “This time, we’ll surely be very happy together. And our together trip abroad is the first step to establishing our relationship and getting much closer.”
“I wish it happened!” Raquelle expresses hope confidently, looking into Terrence’s blue eyes with a much wider smile and putting her arms around his neck. “This trip is gonna help us get closer and become an example for many couples.”
“Better late than never, my love.”
Raquelle says nothing and gets Terrence involved in a tender, continuous kiss on the lips with a much wider smile, holding him by the nape of her neck and keeping her second hand on the man’s shoulder while his hands are placed on her back. At some moment, the girl steps back, saying:
“I’ve got a surprise for you, too.”
“For me?” Terrence rounds his eyes.
“Yup. You recently had a birthday.”
“I had…”
“So, I wanna congratulate you and give you a gift with all my heart.”
“Wow!” Terrence smiles shyly. “What’s that?”
“M-m-m…” Raquelle glances aside for two seconds, twisting her arms behind her back and locking her hands tightly. “How curious you are…”
“C’mon, beauty, tell me what you’re gonna give me for my belated birthday.”
“Anything you want,” Raquelle smiles mysteriously.
“What?”
“You will choose a gift.”
“Me? Choose a gift?”
“Yeah, and I will pay for it. That’s gonna be my gift for your birthday.”
“But what can I buy?”
“It depends on your wishes. What would you like to buy right now?”
“Erm… I… I don’t know…”
“Think a little and let me know when you’re ready. We will go to a store together, you will show me what you want, and I shall pay for it and give it to you as my gift.”
“Are you serious?” Terrence shakes his head. “Would you give me anything I want?”
“Absolutely! A price doesn’t matter. I will buy anything you want, no matter how much it costs. But if you want something exclusive that you can’t find in stores, I will do my best to get it.”
“My gosh, Raquelle…” Terrence smiles widely. “I… I don’t know what to say.”
“I also wanna fix the fact that I’ve never given you good gifts,” Raquelle says shyly, still keeping her hands locked behind her back. “I wanna make you happy and let you know that I didn’t forget about your birthday.”
“I will think and let you know what I’d like to get from you as a gift.”
“Remember, you can ask me to give you anything you want.”
“Okay, I got it.”
“If I have to, I will call all my good familiars and find what you need.”
“I’ve already received my best gift. I got you back and had a chance to establish our relationship. And I got your agreement to get married to me.”
Terrence grabs Raquelle’s face and leaves a couple of short kisses on it.
“That was a wish I would’ve made when blowing candles on a cake,” Terrence adds in a much lower voice. “If I had celebrated my birthday, but you hadn’t been back to me.”
“And now I understand what real happiness is,” Raquelle says with a slight smile. “Real happiness is when we have love. When we have a love for those, who love us. Those, who we want to see next to us every day. Those, who take care of us so touchingly that it makes you wish to become a child for some time and enjoy the attention, care, and love.”
“I agree. But still, the real happiness for me is just to be next to you.” Terrence hugs Raquelle by the waist with his arms, presses her closer to himself, snuggling his face in her shoulder for two moments, and kissing her tenderly on the cheek. “When you’re beside me, I need nothing else. Even my best friends couldn’t give me as much happiness as you do. To be absolutely happy, I just need to have you by my side.”
“Aw, Terrence…” Raquelle smiles widely, closing her face with her hand. “It’s so touching…”
“I can’t be silent about my feelings. Now they are speaking louder than anything else, and I can’t go against them.”
“You know, I used to think you weren’t able to be tender and always seemed too passionate.”
“Yeah?”
“No, of course, you treated me very well… Don’t think of anything bad… I just think you began to treat me much more tenderly. And you take care of me literally better than my grandfather and aunt. You… You make me feel like a little, unprotected girl that would always feel good in your strong arms.”
“Because I madly love you and am ready to do anything for you to make you happy,” Terrence replies with a slight smile and presses Raquelle closely to his chest, tenderly caressing her cheek and breathing in the nice smell that the girl’s dark hair spreads. “The wish to be tender for you wakes up inside me by itself. I don’t always wanna be a hungry tiger and tear your clothes in passion.”
“Be like this often,” Raquelle smiles shyly. “I wanna hug you more and feel your warmth. The warmth of your body…”
“Anything you want, sweetheart.” Terrence puts his hands into the back pockets of Raquelle’s jeans and kisses the tip of her nose with a wide smile. “Anything to make you happy… And make me happy, as well…”
“I wanna make you happy every single day,” Raquelle says confidently. “But I can’t imagine what could make you happy right now.”
“Just never leave me, love me with all your heart, take care of me, and make me go crazy from you.” Terrence caresses Raquelle’s cheek tenderly. “And I will be the happiest man in the world. The realization of the fact that you’re near me gives me great confidence about me and tomorrow.”
“I will always be with you, my love,” Raquelle smiles widely and tenderly kisses Terrence on the cheek. “Do my best for you not to wish to think of someone else. And not to doubt my love for you. After what happened, I learned one thing… Life has no meaning without true love and strong friendship. These things make you understand you are not alone and can ask someone for help in the darkest time.”
“I don’t think about anyone else. Because I need only you, my gorgeous lady. The queen of my heart…”
With these words, Terrence tenderly kisses Raquelle on the cheek and leaves the same kiss on a curve of her neck, making the girl smile shyly and play with his hair, while he does not refuse to do this a couple of times, runs his half-open mouth over all the parts of her face and breathes on them with a hot or cold breathe.
But then the man steps back from the girl and looks into her piercing gray eyes, laughing quietly along with her at some moment. The wind got their hair disheveled, but warm gusts that got stronger by this moment still blow their hair and clothes. However, none of the lovers pays attention to it because their attention is focused only on each other. Their feelings. Their wish to get closer to each other.
Terrence tenderly touches Raquelle’s cheek with a slight smile, and she grabs his hand and caresses his wrist, closing her eyes from pleasure and bending her head slightly aside. The man’s smile gets much wider, and he puts an arm around the brunette’s waist and caresses her face and neck, softly holding her by the throat while his eyes stop on the feminine scarlet, little puffy lips that have an especially nice smell of a fruit lipstick that she used.
Raquelle herself puts her arm around Terrence’s neck and puts her hand on his chest, feeling his strong heartbeat, looking at something that is lower than his chin, breathing in the smell of the perfume that the man used today, and closing her eyes from pleasure. The smell makes her feel a slight dizziness and obey the one that smells so sexually. Who smells like a man… A beloved man…
When the lovers get sick of playing time some time later, they confidently shorten the distance and get each other in an innocent, tender kiss, during which they hug each other as tightly as possible. While Terrence’s hands confidently caress Raquelle’s head and back, she tenderly caresses his face and neck and slightly pulls down the hair that she runs her fingers through. The excitement that gets stronger quickly does its business, the kiss gets much deeper and wet, and Terrence and Raquelle are not shy of showing their feelings and letting themselves go further, giving themselves to their greatest wishes. The man’s hands slide down to the curves of the girl’s waist, her thighs, and her buttocks, and even get underneath her jeans and feel up her underwear. Then he covers greedily her neck with shy and passionate kisses and slight pinches with great pleasure, making her shake, breathe unevenly, and feel like her heart stops every time the tender hands and the soft lips touch all the parts of her body. Especially the ones that could make her excited for a few minutes.
A little later, Raquelle takes the black coat off Terrence for two seconds and throws it aside, and he, giving the girl a passionate kiss on the lips, takes off her light crème coat that he lets fall on the sand. She shamelessly gets underneath his shirt and tenderly runs her hands over his naked torso, moaning quietly with closed eyes, while he breathing heavily leaves kisses on her chin and the front of her neck that he softly caresses with his fingertips. Later, MacClife unbuttons two buttons on her blouse to caress her collarbones and breasts with his lips, drives his beloved girl much crazier with tender and passionate kisses, and teases her a little with his tongue that he runs over some especially sensitive areas. And he does it so well because she cannot hold down her quiet moans, is breathing heavily enough, and is answering him back with the same passion.
Some time later, Raquelle steps back for a second to catch a breath and then gives him such a passionate and breathtaking kiss that Terrence’s heart stops for a moment, and he makes a quiet moan with a sense of slight dizziness. Her warm hands confidently side over the man’s chest or just hold the tough arms of her beloved man as his fingers slightly squeeze the lady’s buttocks. When she chooses a good moment, the girl falls to her knees and lies on the sand in front of the ocean, pulling the man with her, who falls over her but supports his body with his arms. Then both of them continue to kiss passionately, barely remembering how to breathe.
Raquelle’s hands confidently get underneath Terrence’s shirt, caress and scratch his back, and her fingers slightly pull his disheveled hair. A little later, the man randomly covers the face of his beloved fiancée with kisses, slides down to the girl’s neck, and kisses it with great pleasure while she smiles widely with closed eyes and thinks only about how good she feels now. And she starts to feel a strong tickle in her abdomen when he slowly covers her breasts with kisses and tenderly massages them, as if he wants to tease her a little. And then he opens a couple of more buttons and caresses them with his lips, caressing her knees, crotch, and the inside of her thighs.
At some moment, Terrence opens a couple of buttons on his shirt, raises Raquelle’s blouse a little, and runs tenderly his mouth and the tip of his nose over her belly, does it with both hands, and spares no exciting kisses for this beautiful part of her body. While the girl bends backward like a cat with much louder and more sensual moans, closing or rolling her eyes and letting him know how confidently she feels thanks to this man, who knows what to do.
When Terrence slides up to Raquelle’s lips and connects them with his lips for another dizzying kiss and caresses her mouth with his tongue a little, she easily lies him down on the sand and lies over him, sharply raising his hands above his head and taking them strongly. She takes control of the situation, continuing this little filthy kiss, during which she sometimes makes quiet moans. A little later, the girl quickly slides down to his neck and covers it with kisses it with great pleasure, seeing how he shakes slightly and rolls his eyes with a heavy enough breath and a feeling of slight dizziness. He would be happy to caress his sweetheart, but the fact that his hands are pressed to the sand does not let him do it.
However, later, Raquelle gives him a chance, which Terrence uses with pleasure, running his hands over the curves of her waist and her thighs and tenderly squeezing and massaging her buttocks and breasts. The girl herself runs a free hand over his hair along and against the grain, slowly lets it get underneath the male shirt, and caresses his abdomen, making him delighted again and making him believe he is irresistible and freaking sexual. But MacClife gets much more excited when Cameron not only caresses his torso with both hands, raising his shirt and unbuttoning almost all his buttons, but also does it with her lips, and leaves kisses on his chest. At some moment, she grabs his nipples and caresses them with her tongue to tease the man, who is fully enjoying what’s happening and not hiding his quiet moans.
But some time later, Terrence chooses a good moment, sharply strikes Raquelle down the sand, raises himself above her, and greedily kisses her on the neck with a quiet groan and leaves a few slight bites on it. That’s why her heart stops, and she takes her breath away. The girl herself slightly scratches the man’s back with a deep breath and pinches his buttocks quite strongly when being obsessed with a strong passion. That’s why he laughs loudly, unbuttons the rest of the buttons on her blouse, and covers her belly, breasts, and collarbones with shy and passionate kisses, wet paths, slight pinches, and bites, not hiding his admiration while watching the attractive feminine body and its curves that make him take a breath away.
However, Raquelle also focuses on Terrence’s perfectly tough body and admires it when they stop for a few seconds and just look into each other’s eyes. Until the man wakes her up from a trance with another dizzying kiss on the curve of her neck and an amazingly skillful caress of her breasts and nipples that are easy to feel through her bra, knowing well when he should do everything slowly but when he should show some passion and insolence. Because he knows her body perfectly, Terrence drives Raquelle crazy without problems. And she makes him very excited, knowing what to do to make this man belong to her for a few seconds.
None of them notices what’s happening around them because their brains are turned off, and the minds of the two are focused only on each other. To be clear, the fact that every one of them wants this moment to last as long as possible. Although every single kiss was full of great passion, now they sometimes have tenderness, sentimentality, and softness. What’s happening between the lovers is a little drunk condition when neither of the two people can control themselves, and they think only of each other.
The feelings between Raquelle and Terrence are so deep that it would be hardly possible to get rid of them, no matter how hard they try to do it. After every single action, the lovers get obsessed with a great wave of truly exciting emotions. They feel that a nice warmth is spreading all over the body, which makes them feel good. And sometimes they get obsessed with a strong shake caused by the amazing caress of soft lips and warm hands on the skin. The heart is beating so crazy that it’s possible to hear and feel it by doing nothing, a tickle in the abdomen is getting stronger, and the breath stopped being normal a long time ago.
Raquelle and Terrence do not definitely want to get rid of some sort of dependence on each other. After they broke up for some time, they realized that they did not want to live without each other. It does not mean they would feel very good together. But living apart is going to be just impossible. They need each other. They need the love that every one of them can give. And the lovers are very happy that they can spend as much time with each other as they want because they finally reconciled. They do not have to be worried that these magical moments will be just a wonderful dream. They believe that every one of them is going to do their best to always stay strong, brave, and happy.
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THE END OF BOOK TWO
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