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"You don't have to go with me." Chloe reminded him. She didn't know why he was always so stubborn. Another thing which had been annoying her, was the smile that was never leaving his face. He had been smiling all day and giggling to himself like he won a jackpot.
She had thought he hadn't been paying attention in class when the lecturer took note of his unusual behaviour and asked him a question. Surprisingly, he answered it well with only a minor mistake which could be overlooked.
Seeing him in a cheerful mood, was a nice sight to behold. 'Well, he doesn't have a bad smile.' She thought to herself and shrugged.
"I reckon it must have taken you quite a lot to ask Mia to go out with you. Why didn't you just ask me? I've been going with you everywhere."
"I didn't ask her to go out with me."
"But you were about to."
"Look Jeremy, this is different. It's not a place I think you'd be welcomed. And I can go by myself."
"Then you wouldn't have asked Mia if you could go by yourself. I'm coming with you. I can wait in the car if you want me to."
"Jeremy..." She started.
"Tell me you do not want me to go with you and I'll let you be." He challenged. "I promise."
Chloe kept shut and simply looked at him before she sighed. She looked out her window in resignation. "He always have his way. How annoying!" She muttered to herself.
"Whatever. I don't know when we'll be getting back." She turned back to tell him.
Seeing she had given up on pushing him away, Jeremy smiled and fastened his seatbelt. He would have preferred to drive but she was already behind the wheel.
"It's fine. I can skip work. My boss would understand."
"Tch! What is your boss supposed to understand? That you are slacking off?" She asked as she began to drive.
"That I am being nice to people and helping those who needs my help." He answered with a shrug.
"Not like I asked you." She grumbled quietly. "What about Ellie?" She asked.
"She's good. I'll leave a message for her."
"You always leave that girl by herself." Chloe said with a disapproving tone.
"I do? It was her who always complained that I was always at home with her and said I should go make friends. Besides, she's now always at her piano and ballet class. She's happy." He said with a smile before taking out his phone to leave a text for her.
"Did she call to say thanks for the chocolates?" He remembered to ask.
A faint smile appeared on Chloe's lips as she remembered her conversation with Ellie. The girl always had her ways of cheering her up.
"She called." She replied Jeremy.
*********
"Did you wait for a long time?" James asked as he opened the back door of the car for Mia to get in.
"Not really. Hey, hi!" Mia greeted when she saw Peter and Rachel. Peter was driving while Rachel was at the passenger's seat.
The siblings also greeted her while James joined her at the backseat.
"You both didn't go to school today?" Mia asked.
"I was supposed to be the only one skipping school but Rachel is as stubborn as a bull." Peter said.
"Hey! Do not call me a bull." Rachel frowned before looking at Mia behind.
"I didn't want to miss seeing James off. Only God knows when he'll return." She told Mia.
Mia nodded before turning to look at one of her best friends, while the siblings at the front kept bickering.
"It's a good thing you don't look too happy with my leaving. At least, I know you still have a special place in your heart for me." He said with a smile.
"Stop joking around! When are you coming back?"
"I don't know for now. But seriously, I do not want anymore holidays. I just want the school to run smoothly and to graduate already."
"Truthfully, you do not look like a doctor." Mia said, making him laugh.
"You always say that, so I know. And I'm glad. Everyone expects doctors to always look serious and boring. I can't be that."
"Can I ask you a question?" Mia suddenly asked, making James sit up.
"Okay... that's weird. You never ask for permission before asking me a question."
"I'm just curious about something." Mia said lightly, making him relax.
"And what is that?" James asked.
Mia inched closer before asking, "Do you have a special kind of feeling for Mira?"
James eyes widened a bit while the car suddenly turned very quiet making Mia realise the siblings had heard her question.
"What the hell! No!" James said immediately.
"I've been wondering same. Especially lately. There's this kind of weird tension between you two." Rachel turned to say and quickly looked ahead when James glared at her.
"That's weird. Mira is my friend, just like you are to me."
"I don't think he likes Mira that way. He treats her like he treats Rachel." Peter said with a shrug but kept his gaze on the road.
"He treats her better than he treats me!" Rachel corrected.
"What prompted you to ask that question?" James asked Mia, deciding to ignore his siblings.
"I don't know. Maybe I've always thought something would go on between you two, or was even going on between you two already but you're keeping it from me."
James observed her for a moment before whispering inside her ear, "She told you about what happened that night right?"
Mia nodded. She was about to say she also knew it wasn't his fault he had barged in on her inside the bathroom but he continued,
"Look, I was drunk. She was drunk also. I would never take advantage of Mira, and I swear, I didn't touch her." He said in a whisper for only her to hear.
When Mia looked at him in confusion, he mistook it for suspicion and confessed, "Maybe I was tempted, but I didn't touch her. I even left the room immediately she fell asleep."
"What the..." Mia gasped. "Something else happened that night aside from the bathroom incident?" She whispered in surprise.
Realizing his mistake, he sighed and covered his face with his hands. He just shot his own foot.
**********
Chloe turned to look at the boy who was beside her. He had slept off on the drive there. "Tsk!" She shook her head before blowing the horn to wake him up. It worked, and he woke up.
'Finally!' He thought. She had been driving for a really long time.
"Sorry." He apologized sheepishly as he tried to swallow a yawn. She had refused to indulge him in a conversation and out of boredom, he dozed off. He observed her expression and wondered why she looked so... sad, worried? Something about her had changed.
"We're here." She said softly.
When he looked ahead, he saw a large house painted in White. There were flowers everywhere and even a water fountain with a statue of a young boy at the Centre of the compound. "It's beautiful." He said.
"And empty." Chloe added sadly before facing him.
"Just wait here. I don't know how much time I would spend inside."
"Are they having some kind of party inside?" He asked when she reached for a gift box at the back seat, and began to wonder why he didn't want her to go with him. Maybe he embarrassed her? Or maybe his presence would put her in some kind of trouble?
"I'll wait. I suggested it anyway." He said with a shrug, trying to make himself feel better.
Chloe didn't know how to explain the reason she didn't want him to go inside with her, so she took out one of her books from her bag and gave it to him. "You should study. I'll try not to spend much time inside." She said before leaving the car. She was about to close the door but stopped midway.
"There's a little bag at the backseat, there are some cookies inside and some things you may like... well, I don't know." She paused. "Just do your thing." She suddenly closed the door and began to head towards the entrance while Jeremy looked at her retreating figure with a smile. "She's adorable." He said to himself.
Chloe had carefully selected her outfit this morning. A black trousers and white shirt with a low heel. She took in a deep breath once she got to the door before ringing the doorbell.