Getting confused.
Getting confused.
Mia didn't want to spend the night alone. Thankfully, Jeremy asked if she wanted to sleep over when they got to the neighborhood and she agreed.
She sat in the dining and waited patiently for Jeremy who insisted on making her something to eat when he noticed she looked hungry. She didn't eat before going for the competition so she was starving. When he offered, she could not continue to act modest when she was really hungry so she agreed.
"I haven't gone grocery shopping to restock the fridge in a while so I couldn't make you something really nice. You don't mind having pancakes right?" He asked as he served her. The weather was a bit cold so he made her a warm tea to go with it.
"Thank you." She said with a smile.
Ellie had already gone to bed so it was just the two of them. He sat down across her and asked,
"I'm just curious. Aren't you supposed to be partying with your teammates since you guys came second place? You look unhappy and even left early."
Mia sighed. "What's the point? Besides, I need to read. We have an important test tomorrow. I can borrow your textbook right? I'll just snap the pages with my phone camera and hand it back so you can study."
"You can use my textbook. I don't like reading at nights."
"Do you even read at all?" She asked with a raised brow which made him chuckle.
"Of course, I do."
"I saw you with Benjamin earlier. He... didn't try anything stupid right?"
"He didn't." She shook her head. She remembered the man who had been with Benjamin. Oliver Brown. He wanted to poach her so she would be a part of his industry. Did she want to do this? He had asked her to call him in case she was interested in his offer, but she was a bit skeptical especially after seeing him with Benjamin. What if this was planned by Benjamin? Even though he hadn't approached her in a while, she still wasn't sure what his purpose was and she didn't wait to be poached because someone recommended her. She wanted them to see her talent and want her for what she had.
"Are you okay?" Jeremy asked when he noticed how lost she looked.
"I'm fine. I was just thinking. How are you? Have you heard from Chloe since Friday?"
He nodded. "She came to the talent show and sat beside me." He said with a sad smile.
"Really?" Mia asked with an excited tone but frowned when she noticed how Jeremy looked.
"I resigned from my part time job in CONVENIENT. It was bound to happen sooner anyway." He shrugged.
She noticed how downcast he looked with his head was down even though he tried to make it sound like it wasn't a big deal.
"I'm... sorry." Mia said before reaching to touch his shoulder.. "I know how much you like her."
"I wish I didn't."
"You do not mean that." She said. "I know you. And I know you love the fact that you love her. Look Jeremy, I have been able to understand a few things about the King's family."
He raised his head to look at her and waited for her to continue.
"The King couple are like those kind of rich couple we see in movies who wants to control their kids and also choose their partners for them. If they try to rebel against their parents, they have a lot to lose."
He thought about what she just said with a frown. "So... Leo rebelled and that is why he is free to date you and live the way he chooses but his twin brother didn't that is why he is a doctor and still lives with the King couple?"
"Exactly." Mia nodded. "But there is more to that. Leo was practically cut off from the family. They expected him to run back home after facing the harsh world, but he was able to overcome it. So although he is free compared to his other siblings, he is still a King. His parents doesn't approve of me."
"So for Chloe..?"
"I think she likes you. But she has a lot to lose if she decides to follow her heart. Maybe she isn't ready for that?"
He thought about it and sighed. "I was wrong to have wanted someone like her to like someone like me. What do I even have to give to her?" He sighed again in resignation.
"I don't want Chloe to be unhappy because of me."
'I'm not sure she'll be happy without you either.' Mia said in her head. She couldn't assure Jeremy that Chloe liked him because she wasn't sure about it either. Chloe was good at hiding her emotions really well.
"I wanted to ask earlier... what was Louis doing there tonight? Does he like you?"
"What? No!" She shook her head immediately. "He just... I don't know. The other time, he said he liked the look on my face whenever I saw him."
"That's crazy. You should be wary of him." He warned.
"Of course."
"Do not let him confuse you."
"Confuse me?" She asked, looking confused.
"He is the identical twin of your boyfriend. Imagine missing Leo too much and then Louis comes to ask you to go out with him, you may want to convince yourself to hang out with Louis and pretend you are with Leo."
"That's.... absurd! I wouldn't do that!" She rejected immediately.
"I'm just saying."
"Well thanks, but that is impossible!" She said confidently.
The next morning, Mia left early to Leo's apartment to dress up for school.
Immediately she entered the house, she felt Leo's absence. There was no Leo. There was no Tara. Tara was back to living with the King's family.
"Can I really live here alone?" She asked herself as she looked around the house.
She was about to go to her room when she heard the doorbell.
'Who is that?' She wondered. She wasn't expecting anyone. Leo's only friend was Richard and he knew Leo wasn't around. So who?
She walked to the door and checked the peephole. Her eyes widened when she saw who was outside and she opened the door immediately.
Chloe looked haggard, like she hadn't slept for days. She had obvious dark circles under her eyes and looked unkempt. There was a luggage bag beside her.
"I'm sorry but... can I come in?" She asked weakly.