DAMN IT. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME I'D UPDATED?! OHKAY. GREAT. ALL MY NOVEL BLOGS ARE JUST DYING... LIKE THIS. NEVERMIND. I'LL JUST KEEP POSTING. KEEP THE COMMENTS ROLLIN' GOOD OR BAD. I DON'T CARE. I LIKE MY STORYLINES AND STYLE OF WRITINGS BUT I'M PERFECTLY FINE WITH CRITICS. HELP ME REVIVE THIS BLOG! THANK YOU VERY MUCH. X) I'LL CONTINUE TO WRITE LOVE STORIES.
Chapter 3 part 2 Sorry dudes. I gave up naming the chapters.
How to read algae’s retarded story (for first timers) – Go to the left pane and under chapters, go to Chapter 1 part 1. There, start reading. Because the latest posts are already in the later chapters. POV stands for point of view. Different parts of the story are written from different perspectives. Thanks.
Darren's POV
What in the world was I trying to do? I was behaving like a stalker. I felt sick in the gut. But all I felt was warmness in my heart when I caught Claire and Emma walking into Victoria’s secret. Oh, what a coincidence. Shut up. What coincidence? You followed her here, you bastard, I scolded myself. After she drove the Volvo away from my house, my Mercedes quickly sped off and followed her back home. Then, there was this skinny guy who came out and drove the Volvo. There was no way that guy could be Claire’s boyfriend. Probably it was Emma’s boyfriend. Hey, but it didn’t make sense. Hmm… I guess he could be Claire’s brother. And Claire definitely got the better of the genes. As I was pondering about this, Claire and Emma had already finished shopping, coming out laden with paper bags. Maybe I could be gentlemen and offer them my help. “Hi Claire. Hi Emma.” I walked briskly towards them, waving my hand in the air. And I realized that I must have really looked stupid. “Hi Tisdale.” Claire muttered my last name, obviously pissed at me. “Hey Darren. What a coincidence to see you here. Shopping for your girlfriend?” Emma asked brightly. I seriously hated the word ‘coincidence’. And why must Emma be such a bitch? What girlfriend? “Not really. Just having lunch and hanging around.” I answered coolly, trying to hide my irritation. “Ooh. So don’t you have to go back now? To do the assignment?” Claire hissed as she tried to balance an adorable baby girl in her arms as she pushed the stroller laden with a few shopping bags. “Not really. I figured that you might need some help. And I would love to take a look at this sweetie pie…” I cooed as I made a face at the baby. “Humph.” Claire jerked her elbow and swished the baby out of my sight. “Claire…” Emma whined as she switched the load of bags from her right hand to her left. “Just let Darren help. After all, I think that Melanie’s tired. You’d better head down to Thriftway and back home.” And the baby girl named Melanie started sobbing. Probably she did agree with Emma. “Hush, sunshine. Hush, sunshine.” Claire wriggled a bit, rocking the baby in her arms. Wow. Look at all her maternal cells working to soothe the baby. She was really a hell of a woman. And within seconds, Melanie was tucked in her arms, suckling on a pacifier. “Please, Claire. I really have nothing to do. And if I go back, mom and dad will start to nag.” I pleaded. Emma smiled. “You have something to do.” Claire snapped. “Claire…” Emma whined. “Fine. Are you free to drop me off at Thriftway, let me do some shopping and bring me back home?” Claire finally relented. “Yeah sure.” “Thanks.” Claire relaxed into a very motherly smile. She looked beautiful. “Bye Darren. See you, Claire.” Emma mumbled, as she pecked swiftly onto Claire’s cheeks and continued her shopping adventure. I started pushing the stroller as Claire kept her arms all over Melanie. “You don’t really have to do this.” She said as we reached the car park. “It’s ok. Anyway, whose baby is that? She’s so pretty.” I asked, changing the subject. “Oh. Erm. Melanie’s my niece. And I must admit, she did got some nice genes from me, ya?” Claire laughed quietly. “Yeah. At first, I thought you were the mother. I mean, you two are so alike. Both are you are so gorgeous.” And it took Claire five seconds before she could respond. “A lot of people say that.” She muttered as looked at Melanie with loving eyes. “Of course. Everyone thinks you’re pretty.” Claire blushed, her cheeks turned into a rosy shade of pink. I leaned down to kiss her scarlet cheeks. And the movement of my lips brushing against her soft skin seemed as those it was perfect. Even though it was a fast peck, my dick remained uneasy in my pants. Ugh. “As in, a lot of people think that Melanie’s my daughter.” Claire spoke after a long silence. “Oh.” “Hey. Turn in here. Thriftway’s on this avenue.” Claire instructed, her elbow bumping into mine. And she pulled her hand back immediately to stroke the baby’s lovely face. And in that short second, I felt a great thrill. As in I have just fallen from a cliff. It was exhilarating. Claire was definitely a hell of a woman. Surprisingly, I had no problems with opening the baby stroller. I was pleased with myself. Claire too. She kept on smiling faintly as she placed the sleeping baby gently into the stroller and led me into the store. We spent nearly an hour there, checking down the items on her shopping list. At the checkout counter, she dazzled the male cashier with a heart-breaking smile. Oops. And he just dumped a packet of skittles into her carrier. I was like ‘wow’. “So where do you live?” I asked, innocently, as if I had never stalked her all the way to her home. “Twenty Fifth Avenue.” “No problem.” “Erm. Darren? Would you… kind of… like a meal at my house?” “Huh? What?” I was so shocked by her question that I nearly missed a turn. Oops. I quickly reversed and turned into the street. “Would you like to have dinner at my house?” Claire asked again, speaking more confidently this time. “Hey, I feel so bad about this.” “It’s just a way of saying thanks.” And when I tore my eyes off to look at Claire, she was smiling so sweetly that I lost my senses. “Darren! Watch out!” She shrieked, dropping her baby onto her lap and turning the steering wheel frantically. Or else we would have crashed into the approaching Rolls-Royce. “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry. I was thinking about whether I should call my mother to tell her I’m not going back for dinner.” “If it’s inconvenient for you, you could always reject my offer.” “No. It’s perfectly alright.” I breathed. Who would ever miss a chance of being led into Claire Edwards’ house? And having the honour to eat her dinner? I was a sane person. And I would forgo anything for this. “Ok then. I’ll need to help me look after Melanie while I prepare dinner.” Claire broke my heart with that sweet smile again as I helped her out of the car. “Sure.” I said and we went into the house. Given that the fact that Claire wasn’t very well-off, I didn’t expect much about the interior designing or her dwelling. But again, she took me by surprise. The entire living hall was painted white, the back wall was glass while the kitchen tops were a glossy black colour. And even the house was a little small, she made use of every single space to create a homely atmosphere. I really wished I lived here. The television- one much smaller than the one I had- rested on beige table, across from the ivory-coloured velvet couch. And there were two small flora lamps next to it, placed onto a rosewood coffee table. I guessed all these warm colours were warming up, just like the way Claire did. “Darren,” – I always felt a shot of adrenaline being pumped into me each time she said my name – “Keep yourself entertained. Switch on the telly.” Claire instructed from the kitchen. “It’s ok. It might wake Melanie up.” I called back as I patted lightly on Melanie’s thigh. This really seemed like home to me.
I was very sure he didn’t like me. Why in the first place would he like me? I’m just this stupid, married-at-nineteen woman while he was a dashing and smart prince. And why did I even bother to kiss him? He didn’t even kiss back. Or even say ‘goodbye’. He must loathe me. But I must admit, the kiss was pretty out-of-the-world. When my lips brushed again the corners of his mouth, I felt fabulous. And when our fingers touched, it seemed as though I shocked by some thousand-over-volt lightning. It was so thrilling. You’re a married woman. You’re a married woman. I reminded myself as I drove into my garage. “Dear, I hope I’m not late.” I kissed Cody on his cheek. There was no electricity between us at all. None. Zero. “Oh darling, it’s just nice. I taped the shopping list onto the fridge. And Melanie is in the playing room.” Cody was always in charge. “Love you, dear.” Somehow this sounded less convincing as each second passed. “Love you. See you at seven.” And he was out of the house already. I sighed as I went to pick Melanie up. “Hi sunshine. We’re going to go to the supermarket and meet Aunt Emma.” I tried to sound as excited as possible. Melanie clapped her hands excitedly though. In the next twenty minutes, I changed Melanie’s home clothes into a baby blue silk dress and tied her hair up into a loose French plait. Ooh… She really looked like a princess. While her mother isn’t. After that, I packed everything up and called Emma. She picked up on the second ring. “I’ve been waiting for your call for a century!” Emily squeaked. “Exaggerating.” I wasn’t even paying attention. I was trying to get Melanie to sleep in my cradle of arms. It had always seemed so easy with Cody. But I was certainly having problems here. “Whatever. Where are you now?” “Home.” I finally gave up. And strapped Melanie into the pram. “Ooh. That’s great. Can we borrow Cody’s Volvo?” “Nope. He’s gone to work.” “Then you’ll just have to bear with walking.” “I’m fine with it.” “Ok then. See you.” I didn’t know whether Emma sprinted, flew, or ran. But she got to my house in a record-time of four and a half minutes. Wow, I must say. “Oh my gosh. You sweetie little cutie pie!” Emma squealed as she took Melanie into her arms. Melanie smiled delightfully and put her hand onto Emma’s chest. Hey. This was unfair. Why was I the only having problems with Melanie. “Oh come on. Let’s go.” I urged Emma as I pushed the pram out of the house. Our first stop was Pacific Place: the shopping mall. During lunch at Johnny Rocket, I managed to dish out why Emma was so excited about shopping for new clothes. “Where do you think I should buy my clothes from? Is Ann Taylor ok? Or should I try Express?” Emma asked as she stuffed some chili fries into her mouth. “Emma, you hardly get so worked up about clothes. You wear sweatshirts over jeans every day.” I protested, feeding Melanie with one bit of my chicken salad. “But I can’t do that on a date with Paul.” She admitted sheepishly. “Ooh. Someone’s got a boyfriend.” “No!” Emma slammed her glass of coke down onto the table. “He just asked me for dinner.” “When?” I asked, desperate for more information. “He asked me out yesterday. We’re supposed to meet at the ristorante italiano on Friday, eight o’clock.” “Oh my gosh. This is exciting.” I squealed in delight as I fed Melanie with another mouthful of salad and sipped my coffee milkshake. “So you see how important this is to me?” Emma sighed. “Hey sweetie, of course I do.” Emma was never the correct girl to ask out for dates. Boys hardly approach her. And even if someone did, they would reject her after the second meeting. Apart from Bryan, the bastard that led her astray. Of course that son of a bitch wasn’t counted. He didn’t even love. He just used her. So I could see how important Paul was to her. “So how is this?” Emma asked, twirling around in an orange and yellow tank top over a yellow skirt. “Nope. Too bright, I think the blue ensemble is better.” I commented as I rocked Melanie gently in my arms. Of course I bought my stuff already. The staff hardly paid attention to me. Of course, since I was carrying a toddler. Just that the male staff kept on staring at me. And as for Emma, we had spent nearly an hour here and we only found one outfit suitable: a blue silk halter and white denim skirt. That was pretty unproductive. But we couldn’t blame Emma. One is born with their looks. Emma was not ugly but just plain-looking. Her shoulder-length reddish-brown hair made her skinny face even more angular. And her eyes. No double-eyelids. And green eyes that don’t fit her at all. Her lips were small compared to her acne-covered nose. I sighed. Probably I shouldn’t hang out with Emma. I made her look more average-looking. “Ok. We’ll take this.” She muttered to the sales staff before turning to me. “You got your stuff already?” She asked as she wrung her hair out. “Yeah. Just a blue sweater from the sales rack.” I mumbled, totally uninterested. “Hmm… Do you think we should head down to Victoria’s secret?” Emma asked as she swiped her Visa card. “For what? I don’t really need pajamas.” “Eh. Well… Just in case Paul decides to… You know. I should have nicer-looking undergarments.” Emma cleared her throat several times. “Emma!” I slapped her on the back of her head. “Just in case?” Emma looked at me with puppy-eyes. “Fine. But we need to head down to Thriftway later.” “For what?” “Not everybody has their mothers cooking for them.” “Oops.” Emma smiled back sheepishly. And just like the old days, we lounged around the mall, holding hands.
Realization hit me when I woke up the next morning. I had to meet Darren Tisdale today. Oh great. I threw a glance at my alarm clock – the damn thing hardly works –it was eight thirty and I darted out of bed. "Good morning darling.” Cody greeted me as I crashed into the bathroom. He was bathing Melanie in the bathtub. "Did I tell you that I have plans this morning?” I rushed through the words as I brushed my teeth thoroughly. "Uh-huh. Don’t worry I’m bringing Melanie to Thriftway. You can do your assignment in peace.” Cody wrapped Melanie in a huge pink towel and kissed me on the cheeks. After that, I took a quick shower and changed into loose ivory sweater and body-hugging jeans. Cody was already serving breakfast. "You have to work in the afternoon?” I asked as I stuffed the cheese toast into my mouth and drowned myself in coffee. Coffee was indulgence. And Cody worked at the hospital. As a receptionist. But one day, he told me, he was going to be some doctor. That’s why he took night classes three times a week. "Yeah. But you want me to cook lunch?” "No need.” "Sure darling.” He refilled my cup of coffee and began feeding Melanie with her cereal. "Actually I think I’ll bring Melanie to Thriftway and cook lunch.” I suggested. I already felt bad enough letting Cody do all the housework. So maybe I should take on some maternal responsibilities. "Wow.” "Cody, I can handle it.” I reassured him. Even if I couldn’t, I would find a way. "Sorry.” I cleared my utensils and went over to kiss my husband. He was like the world’s best kisser, world’s best dad, world’s best husband and world’s best maid. Hmm… He tasted like cheese. And coffee. Enticed, our tongues intertwined and I savored his flavor. And there, Melanie broke our romantic moment. Cody’s lips stayed there for a second longer before he pulled away and tended to our little girl. "Come on, sunshine.” He shoved the spoon into her mouth. "Bye dear.” I pecked lightly onto Cody’s cheek and scooped Melanie up, planting a huge smacker on her eyelids. "Love you,” I muttered and I was out of the house. To make sure that I wouldn’t linger in Darren’s house for a long time, I took Cody’s silver Volvo and sped off. When I reached Darren’s house, it surprised me not to see him sitting on the porch waiting for my arrival. So maybe I’m not that attractive after all, I sighed as I brushed my fingers through my hair.
Darren's POV
"Darren!” Denise called out, jerking me from my sleep. "What is it, you bitch?” I cussed as I rubbed my eyes. "Oh my gosh, she’s just too pretty!” Denise exclaimed. "What the hell are you talking about?” I patted my dressing table and finally found my spectacles. "Claire is here!” My God, what? Claire Edwards is here? For what? Why did she come to my house? Yeah right, the freaking assignment. Crap. "Get lost!” I yelled, pushing Denise onto my bed and scrambled down the stairs. Denise was right. Claire was here. She sat cross-legged on the couch as she chatted happily with my parents. Then, she caught me staring at her. Oh no. What the hell should I do? Run back into my room? No. Then? What should I say? "Why the hell are you dressed like this?” Claire asked, her eyes incredulous. Dad burst out, laughing. Dressed like what? I tucked my chin and took a good look of myself. Crap. I was only dressed in an oversized shirt and boxers. Ugh. I embarrassed myself in front of my parents and Claire. Stupid me. "I just woke up.” I admitted, ruffling my already messy hair. "Oh Darren. Go get changed quickly. Miss Edwards will get white hair waiting for you.” Mum called out as I dashed back into my room. Then, I quickly striped myself. "Darren!” Denise shrieked. What? What? Denise was in my room. And I was naked? Ugh. Why is everything going haywire? "Close your eyes, bitch!” I screamed back as ransacked my wardrobe for something nice to wear. "Who do you think you are? A stripper? Bastard.” Denise hissed as I pulled out a loose grey sweater and black pants. "Whatever. Now get out of my room.” "We seriously need to talk.” "About what?” I was getting impatient as I brushed through the tangles in my hair. "Claire.” I froze. "What about Claire?” "She’s brilliant.” "I know that. Your brother here is the dumb one.” "I think she’s a perfect Mrs Tisdale!” The ‘Mrs Tisdale’ part made me freeze again. "Come on, Darren. She’s perfect. I had a chat with her just now. She’s just wow. Plus she’s so pretty…” Denise continued compiling a list of Claire’s qualities. Like I didn’t know those. "Hey, thanks for waking me up. Love you.” I ruffled Denise’s hair and dashed out of the room with my laptop tucked under my arm. "Mom, Dad, Claire.” I went down the stairs, my cheeks going scarlet as Claire stared at my new outfit. "Darren, we’ll leave you two to do your work now.” Dad patted my shoulders and went into the backyard. Yeah, right. Like they two would leave us alone. Every time I bring a girl home, they would be somewhere eavesdropping. And Claire was no exception. "Breakfast for you?” I asked as I offered her the hotdogs Mom left on the table. "No thanks. But I’ll appreciate if you have a cup of java.” Java? Crap. I wasn’t thinking at all. My brain was like clogged up with this haze. Java? What the hell was that? Yes. Stupid me. Coffee. Say something that makes sense, I pleaded with myself. "With creamer? With sugar?” I asked, the words rushing out like wind. "Anything will do.” She mumbled, tracing her fingers on the glossy top of my laptop. "Mom? Dad?” I asked suspiciously as I poured some coffee into my favorite mug. But I was not drinking it. Claire was. "Yes, son?” Dad answered, peering out from under the stairs. "Please tell me you two are not going to snoop around, listening to me and Claire’s conversation.” I begged with my parents as I wolfed down a hotdog. "Miss Edwards’ a nice girl. We just want to know more about her.” Mom admitted. "Claire. Not Miss Edwards.” I corrected her, getting more pissed by the second. "We’re still going to stay here.” Dad persisted. "Do as you wish.” I muttered and strolled in the living room, holding the mug of coffee in my hand as though it was a twenty-carat diamond. To me, Claire was the most beautiful diamond in the world. "Your coffee.” "Thanks.” And her long slender fingers brushed against the back of my hand. I felt as though I had been electrocuted. “Actually I think you’d better prepare more coffee. We’re going to need a lot of this.” "You’re not going to stay until midnight, are we?” "Eh, no. Of course not. I need to tend to something in the afternoon.” "Then why?” "Cause I drink a lot of coffee?” She stared at me as though I was an idiot. And yes, I was an idiot. "We’ll start work after I finish breakfast, ya?” I suggested, finishing my cup of tea in two gulps. "Actually I’ve been here since nine.” What the hell was the time now? Ten. Great. "Sorry.” I muttered. "And I have to leave at twelve.” Oh crap. Only two more hours with her. "You don’t think we can finish everything in two hours right?” "Of course not.” "So which question are we going to research on?” I asked, sounding professional. "Hmm… what are the two extra courses that you studied?” "Principles of management and introduction to marketing.” "Oh. That’s great. We have one course in common. Apart from introduction to marketing, I’m also taking business and international law.” "Wow. That’s one tough course.” I hid my smile in my refilled cup of tea. Claire was really brilliant, just like what Denise has said. "Not that bad. Anyway can I borrow your notes for principles of management?” "Yeah sure. But for what?” I asked as I opened my laptop. "Well, I actually intend to study that too. But it’s expensive outside of the syllabus. So I figured I’ll self-study it and then take the test in some renowned collage.” "So it’ll look nicer on your resumes next time?” I typed in my password to access the system. "Yup. So you won’t mind, right?” "Do you want me to throw in free tutoring?” I turned my face from the computer to face Claire. And I realized that our faces were only inches apart. The urge to kiss her grew more unbearable. More unbearable. "No thanks.” She pulled back. I don’t believe that she didn’t feel any electricity humming between us. “I think I’ll cope.” Her eyes avoided mine as she examined my wallpaper. "Shall we get started?” I asked. "You bet.” So in the next two hours, we debated and discussed, discussed and debated. And finally, we got the foundations of our assignments all hammered out. Claire would concentrate more on the research while I’ll compile all of them and present them nicely. And I had a feeling that we were going to be the best team. "Hey. Thanks for everything. I got to go now.” Claire looked impatiently at her watch. "Yeah. Sure.” I slammed my laptop down. "Mrs Tisdale, Mr Tisdale!” Claire called out as she brought my mug into the kitchen. "Yes, sweetheart? Are you going now?” Mom called out in the sweetest voice I’ve ever heard. What’s with Claire that has charmed them all? Including me. "Yes.” And Denise appeared out from nowhere. I should have known. They were all listening. “Hey Denise!” "You must come down next time. I need some fashion advice.” Denise tugged at the hem of her sweater. Claire laughed musically. "Yeah sure. Bye, everyone.” She hugged Denise. And kissed mom’s cheek. And kissed me on my lips?! My god. Before even I had a chance to respond, she was out of the house. Crap. Crap. Crap. Claire Edwards just kissed me. Kissed me. On my freaking lips. And what the hell did I just do? Stood there until one second later, she was gone. I shall officially declare myself as a retard. The world’s most pathetic retard. "Darren, we love her.” Mom came and put her small hand onto my shoulder. "Then you can marry her, Mom.” There was a sharpness in my voice. "What the hell do you think you’re talking about?” Denise demanded. "Hey. Hey. Just joking.” I laughed humorlessly. And I took off for in car.
"So you actually eat food?” Darren asked, peering over my shoulder. "What is that supposed to mean?” I muttered as I sipped champagne from the cocktail glass. "I thought someone with such a curvy figure like you will be on a salad diet.” He mumbled back. I ignored him and tucked into my spaghetti. But I still couldn’t get over how charming Darren was. Why couldn’t he just be old, ugly, boring and married? Then I will have no problems keeping my eyes off him. Tonight he is dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt and skinny black tie over denim. It made him looked like prince charming. Just that I wasn’t any Cinderella or any Snow white rubbish. I huffed in indignation as I stuffed another spoonful of pasta into my mouth. "So we’ll be working on the same holiday assignment,” Darren tried making some small talk again. "Uh-huh. And it’s so unfortunate to have a partner like you.” I hissed. "But you’ll still have to do it. It’s graded.” Darren smiled back angelically. I remained silent, drowning myself with champagne. "When do you want to come over to my house?” Darren asked with anticipating eyes. "Is tomorrow morning ok?” I would rather go to his house than have him meet Cody and Melanie. But maybe it was good. So it would dampen all his plans on me. Or maybe not. Just not this time. "Sure. You want me to pick you up?” "No thanks. I think I’ll make it there on my own.” "You know where it is right?” "2nd avenue.” Now I was getting pissed. "Yeah right.” I sipped my champagne elegantly as I listened to bits and pieces of Emma’s conversation. Darren fidgeted uneasily next to me. Damn. He seemed to be moving closer to me. "Since tomorrow is the start of the holidays, why not go shopping?” Emma claimed my attention. "Cause we have a holiday assignment to do?” "Since when do you bother so much about homework?” "Because I’ve already arranged to go to Mr Tisdale’s house tomorrow morning.” "Oh my God.” I rolled my eyes. "Then all the more you need to shop. You know, like get a few dresses to impress him. Why don’t you postpone the homework thing till the evening, and go shopping with me?” "Why the hell should I do that? Emma, I’ll go shopping with you. Tomorrow afternoon, yeah? Meet you at Pacific Place.” I spoke loud enough for Darren to hear. "Whatever, Claire.” Emma then turned to speak to Stuart. Well, the entire tables of students were talking to one another. Except for me and Darren who were totally glued to our seats, looking straight. Just that a few male students from the end were staring at me. And Karen from the opposite side was smiling at Darren. "So did you fail Mr Mason last assignment?” Darren hissed sarcastically. "You failed right?” I hissed back, oblivious to the close proximity between us. I pulled back immediately. "Not that bad. C grade.” "B plus.” Smash it in his face. "I’m sure you did bribe him right? The assignment was so freaking difficult.” I ignored him, waving a hand at the waiter. "It’s always better to be a female with a male teacher around. You’ll never know what will happen.” Darren hissed. What was that supposed to mean? I had sex with Mr Mason so that I could get a better grade? What nonsense was coming out from him? "Scheisse.” I cussed under my breath. "Menta peperita Biscotti del cioccolato per tre, per favore.” I told the neatly dressed waiter. "Posso rimuovere i vostri piatti” He asked, totally at ease talking to me in Italian. "Grazie.” I muttered back as he started clearing the plates. Darren looked at me, impressed. Hmm… I wondered which foreign language he would understand. Let me try French then. "J'ai d'autres talents aussi bien, indépendamment de avoir le sexe avec les professeurs masculins. Non plus le mauvais vous n'avez pas un ans” I hissed menacingly. Ok, he was officially an idiot. He didn’t even understand French. And I couldn’t be bothered to impress him with my Spanish, Italian or French. Speaking of which, I would love to go to Netherlands to learn Dutch. Just to escape from this Tisdale guy. Dinner ended an hour later, Stuart drove us home and I didn’t even throw a glance towards Darren.
Darren's POV
What was Claire muttering about just now? Was it Italian? French? Ugh. I don’t know. Never mind. I scribbled something I thought what she said onto the restaurant’s serviette. Karen shot a weird glance at me from the opposite side of the table. "Darren,” Karen leaned forward touching my biceps, and giving me an aerial view of her cleavage. Why couldn’t Claire be doing this instead? I would love a view of her impressive cleavage. "Would you mind driving me back home? Stuart drove me here but he took off with Claire and Emma.” Karen continued, inching across the dining table. If she continued moving like that, given the looseness of her dress, I will be able to see her knickers. I tried to control the twitching of my lips. "Where do you stay?” I asked, hoping that she stayed far, far away from me. "26th avenue.” Karen replied, her eyes tingling with excitement. Is that how I looked at Claire? It’d better not. It seemed so flirtatious. "Sorry, I stay at 2nd avenue, so it would be most inconvenient for me. Bye, Karen!” And I took off with a goodbye kiss. Or why in the first would I have been bothered, if it wasn’t Claire. Imagine the softness of her skin brushing against my lips. Men don’t melt from kisses. But I would love to. The drive back home was pretty quiet. I didn’t even bother to turn on the music. I was the engrossed thinking about Claire. Did she even like me? Maybe she did. But after my stupid small talk and snide remarks, I doubt she would. What the hell was I thinking when I said she was having an affair with Mr Mason. I was so ridiculous. Never mind. I needed to find out the meaning of the sentence or sentences she said to me. Probably sis would be able to help. I gleamed at the female passerby as I drove my Mercedes into the garage. I think the passerby nearly fainted. Why couldn’t I just do that to Claire? And she would be mine. "Denise, do you know any Italian or French crap?” I asked my sis as I sat down next to her. She was watching some dumb supermodel show. None of these girls were as pretty as Claire Edwards. "I know French,” She admitted, eye glued onto the screen. "Mom,” I greeted as she walked out of the kitchen. "Help me translate this. I don’t know what freaking language is this.” I handed her the serviette. "Hmm… Your languages suck. I should know.” Denise peeled her eyes off the flat screen as the advertisements on the TV began pouring out. Denise examined my illegible handwriting and chuckled. "Does this girl hate you? Or what offensive thing did you say to her?” Denise giggled as she handed the serviette back to me. I narrowed my eyes at her. "Just tell me what’s going on.” I urged her. "She says she has other talents apart from having sex with some guy, the name’s too blurred, it’s too bad you’re not one of them.” Denise laughed again. “What exactly did you do to her?” "I accused her of having sex with our lecturer? Because she always gets good grades in Mr Mason’s class?” "What the hell? You’re insulting her! She must be fuming mad now.” Denise turned her eyes back to the flat screen as the roaring audience announced the starting of the show. "Ok, I’m dead.” "I knew that long ago.” Denise stifled a giggle. "Claire’s coming over to our house tomorrow.” I notified her. "Who’s Claire? The person who said this? Or wrote this?” "Claire told me this gibberish rubbish.” "It’s not rubbish. It’s just that you don’t understand French. By the way, her French is good.” "Not only French. She could speak a native Italian waiter too. And I bet she knows much more than that.” "Please don’t tell me you like this girl, Darren.” Denise laughed again. I wondered was it me or the television. "Nope. I’m just interested. Claire doesn’t date, doesn’t wear revealing clothes, is gorgeous and smart.” "Wow. What a hell of a woman.” What an understatement, I thought. "I’ll love to see her tomorrow.” Denise smiled, pleased. "Like you’ll wake up that early, you sleepyhead.” "Of course I will. To meet my brother’s future wife.” She teased. I rolled my eyes at my seventeen year-old sister, kissed my mom goodnight, took a good shower and retreated for the night. Tomorrow, I will see Claire again. Smiling, I went to sleep. And that wasn’t the first time she appeared in my dreams.
ok. the response isn't very good. nvm. i'll do more advertisment. haha.
chapter1 - the dinner part1 claire's POV(point of view)
It was the last day of the school year. Like finally. Three more minutes to go and Mrs Stanley is still blabbering away. The entire class gave her a sick look. I rolled my eyes. My gosh. Couldn’t she just pick up the excitement in the class? We were going to be free in another two minutes and forty seconds. I sighed, slumped back into my chair, resigned to fate and listened to Mrs Stanley’s senseless chatter. And finally, two minutes thirty three seconds later, the bell rang. Yeah! The entire class-all of them one year younger than me except for my dear friend, Emma- broke into a delighted expression. Mrs Stanley dismissed the class and everyone dashed out of the lecture hall. “We’re like finally free,” I muttered excitedly to Emma. Just that she was the only one who doesn’t look excited. "Oh please. Did you hear about the holiday assignment? They said they were going to post the groupings on the bulletin board. Let’s go check it out!” But if it comes to studies, Emma is unstoppable. That’s because she had a past that made her strive hard. While my past didn’t. I remembered on the first day of collage, Emma and I realized that we were the only ones who were twenty and we clicked immediately. And apart from the office staff, Emma was the only one who knows all my secret. Just like my marital status was changed from 'single' to ‘married while I was nineteen. She also had a sad and death-harrowing past that only I knew. I sighed at my friend’s enthusiasm for holiday assignment as I followed her towards the bulletin board. Oh please don’t make my life worse by matching me with some other person apart from Emma. "Hey, you’re matched with Darren! You’re so lucky!” Emma exclaimed and I felt as if my entire world had collapsed onto me. "Wow, I got Daisy as a partner. Hmm… I think she’s a good worker, right?” Emma continued strolling down the list, oblivious to my shocked reaction. I mean there are like hundreds of people who will be doing this assignment. But, why oh why, all of all people, must my partner be Darren Tisdale? It was already bad enough for him to be the school charm and that I have a crush on him. And now what? I have to work with him? This is going to be so terrible. "My darling Claire!” A familiar voice called out. Before I knew it, arms were wrapped around my shoulders and lips touched my cheek. It was Stuart. He was my only male friend in the entire collage population. At least I know he won’t harbor any thoughts about dating me. While we’re still juniors, we were high school sweethearts and after we broke up, he knew there was no chance between the both of us. And since Stuart and I are of same age, he was a grade higher than me. "So who are you matched with for the assignment? I hear that this is quite important.” Stuart said as he led us through the crowd of students squeezing us tighter. "Darren Tisdale.” I hissed as I pecked lightly on Stuart’s cheek. "Ha-ha. I know you hate him.” Stuart laughed as he brought us to his Mercedes. Emily’s Ford Fiesta was down so we were riding with Stuart for the time being. And Stuart has this crazy idea about Darren and I being enemies. Because we were the most charming students in collage. What a stupid idea of his. "Screw that ‘we’re enemies’ crap. Anyway, are you going for the party tonight?” Stuart asked. "Yes. I promised you, right?” "And you’re going to dress up right?” "Nope.” Stuart grumbled and went back to drive. Well, most people in school would die to see me dressed up. Well, no one had seen be out of my jeans or my plain tees. Like today. I was just clad in an oversized grey shirt and straight-cut jeans. Stuart usually chided me about not having to flaunt my figure since I have one. Like I needed the attention. But, it was be quite cool to dress up sometime. I would love to see the looks of those people. Especially Darren Tisdale. And I would say to him, "ou’re not the most charming person on Earth, you know?” Cheered by these thoughts, I kissed both Stuart and Emily and headed back home. "Caire!” Cody called out. "Hmm…” I savored the scent of his aftershave as I kissed him on his lips. Cody set down a plate and whisked me into his arms, kissing me long and passionately. He licked the sides of my mouth before setting me back onto my feet. I smiled back sweetly as I turned my attention to Melanie. "Hello sunshine!” I picked my two-year-old daughter up and nudged my nose into her hair. "Ma…Ma…” Melanie mumbled as she played with my hair. Just like all mothers, I would think that Melanie was the prettiest girl on Earth. But she was really irresistible. She’s got the best of both worlds from me and Cody. She’s got the fair skin, blue eyes, princess-like cheekbones, high cheekbones and long eyelashes from me. From her dad, she’s got the long and straight blond hair, long and skinny limbs and small, dainty features. Today, she’s dressed in a pink ruffle shirt and denim skirt. Wow. She really looked like a princess. Just that she didn’t get a king and a queen as a parents. Instead, she got a twenty-one year old still-schooling mother and a part-schooling-part-working twenty-two year old dad. Poor little girl. "Come on darling. Time for dinner.” Cody scooped Melanie from me and set her on the couch and he fed her with a small plate of soup. Cody would really make a great mom. But too bad he’s a guy. But Cody was far from Darren, my dream guy. Oh crap. What the hell was I talking about? But it was true. Cody was not bulky with muscles, or with a movie-like charming face, musical or sporting talents. But he was definitely good and cooking. I slurped down the bowl of turkey and tofu soup he put in front of me. Hmm… It tasted great. "Dear, I am going for a party in the evening.” I notified him as I washed my bowl in the kitchen. "Yeah. I think you told me something like that right?” "Please don’t tell me you have to work tonight?” "No, sweetheart. Go for your party. I’ll take care of Melanie tonight.” Cody kissed my forehead. "Thanks dear.” Sometimes it was just so easy to love Cody. He made everything so easy for me. I ruffled Cody’s hair sweetly and went back into my room to change into a dry-fit short sleeved shirt and track pants. And I headed for my weekly workout.
Darren'sPOV
Claire Edwards. Claire Edwards. Claire Edwards. Her name repeated itself time and again. Why must she be my partner for the holiday assignment? Yeah. But my heart had a totally different idea. After all, Claire Edwards was the most beautiful girl on Earth. I instantly fell in love with her. Something like love at first sight. Oh well. But she didn’t fancy anyone in collage. Probably that Stuart. He was the only guy that she hung out with. And was able to kiss liberally. I tried to touch her once. And I got the hell from her. And nearly died. So maybe it wasn’t that bad that I would be able to see her throughout the holidays. And probably I’ll to uncover more about her. But apparently, I had more important impending problems to solve. What was I going to wear for the party tonight? I tried to imagine what Claire would wear. Probably a pink silk dress. My god, imagine those curves. Ugh. Why was I having such perverted thoughts? That Edward girl was driving me crazy. I sighed as I pulled out something presentable to wear for the party.
Claire's POV
"Claire, I don’t know what to wear!” Emma shrieked at the phone. My eardrums nearly burst. "Just wear your high school prom dress.” I offered a lousy advice. I was too busy keeping an eye on the track mill. Just a little more to go. And I would have completed running five miles in forty minutes. Yeah. I’m done. I slapped the small red figures on the track mill and hopped off. "It can’t fit anymore…” Emma whined. "Then you just throw in any other normal outfit.” I wiped my forehead with the hem of shirt. Three guys shot their looks in my direction. "Please don’t tell me you’re wearing any normal outfit.” "It’s just an informal party.” I protested, smiling at the receptionist as I pushed open the glass doors. "I don’t care. You must look pretty.” "That means I’m ugly in my usual self?” "Oh Claire. Just cut it out. Come down to my house now. Please?” "For what? I just walked out of the gym.” "To help me choose something to wear. And probably you can loan something from me.” "No thanks. I’ve got to go back home, take a shower and be on my way to the restaurant.” "Whatever. I’m coming over to your house.” "Sure.” And I hung up on Emma. Emma was already lounging on my couch when I got back home. And she looked at me with anticipating eyes at first before scowling at me. "Just go get something from my wardrobe while I take a bath, please?” I kissed Cody on the forehead and went into the bedroom. My gosh. I should have known this would have happened. Clothes were strewn all over my king-sized bed. I slapped my forehead with the back of my hand. And I screamed for Emma.
Darren'sPOV
"Darren, how would you like some lasagna?” Karen Webster leaned forward from the opposite side of the table, giving me a clear view of her cleavage. Ugh. I hated all these flirting stuff. "No thanks.” I rejected her immediately. I looked around the restaurant nervously. Where the hell was Stuart? He promised me that Claire would definitely come for the dinner. "Stuart!” The voice I had been waiting called out. Oh great. I closed my eyes in anticipation and turned my head towards the voice. And I opened my eyes. Ok, where was my Claire Edwards dressed in the soft pink dress? Well, there is a Claire Edwards but no dress. And neither has she bothered to doll up. Standing at the door, was Claire dressed in a V-neck white tank top and dark blue jeans, with a dark grey coat draped over her shoulders. "Beautiful,” I breathed. She had milky white skin framed by silky dark-brown hair, high cheekbones, stunningly curly eyelashes, small mouth, dark red lips and a prefect dainty nose. Her blue eyes were like the shade of the sky on a beautiful summer day. How could anyone be so mesmerizing? "Claire and Emma, here.” Stuart led them to the seats just next to me. And she sat down next to me. She freaking sat down next to me. I rejoiced internally. "Hey Claire. Hey Emma.” I tried to sound as light as possible. "Hi Darren.” Claire and Emma chimed together. Had I not noticed how sweet her voice was? "Shall we order?” Stuart asked, his eyes fixed onto Claire too. Claire waved her hands up into the air. "Benvenuto al ristorante italiano. Posso ottenerlo qualche cosa?” The waiter asked with a pure Italian accent. Claire nodded meaningfully as though she understood it meant. Then, she turned to Emma and Stuart. "Un servizio del cannellone per questa signora. Manicotti per questo signore. E una vodka Rigatoni per me. Aggiunga una bottiglia di Moet anche” She spoke with no hesistation as she handed the glossy menu back to the waiter and smiled angelically. Not only she was gorgeous, she was fluent in languages too. I’d always seen her muttering in some foreign language but never thought that she was so good at it. I felt like a sucker next to her. "And for you, sire?” The waiter asked me. "Tortellini.” I just picked the first dish I saw on the menu. "Grazie.” Claire spoke once more before she waved the waiter off. I was totally in love with this girl.
Hello. I'm writing another story again. Haha. But I promise this time it'll be a complete one. Because it has already been done. Quite miraculous right. 80 pages on microsoft words. So you know what to expect. But I must admit, this isn't the best story I've ever written. And my darling Christina is editing the story for me now. Thanks honey! (: Ok. So enjoy. And please tag. That'll encourage me to actually finish the rest.
DAMN IT. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME I'D UPDATED?! OHKAY. GREAT. ALL MY NOVEL BLOGS ARE JUST DYING... LIKE THIS. NEVERMIND. I'LL JUST KEEP POSTING. KEEP THE COMMENTS ROLLIN' GOOD OR BAD. I DON'T CARE. I LIKE MY STORYLINES AND STYLE OF WRITINGS BUT I'M PERFECTLY FINE WITH CRITICS. HELP ME REVIVE THIS BLOG! THANK YOU VERY MUCH. X) I'LL CONTINUE TO WRITE LOVE STORIES.
Chapter 3 part 2 Sorry dudes. I gave up naming the chapters.
How to read algae’s retarded story (for first timers) – Go to the left pane and under chapters, go to Chapter 1 part 1. There, start reading. Because the latest posts are already in the later chapters. POV stands for point of view. Different parts of the story are written from different perspectives. Thanks.
Darren's POV
What in the world was I trying to do? I was behaving like a stalker. I felt sick in the gut. But all I felt was warmness in my heart when I caught Claire and Emma walking into Victoria’s secret. Oh, what a coincidence. Shut up. What coincidence? You followed her here, you bastard, I scolded myself. After she drove the Volvo away from my house, my Mercedes quickly sped off and followed her back home. Then, there was this skinny guy who came out and drove the Volvo. There was no way that guy could be Claire’s boyfriend. Probably it was Emma’s boyfriend. Hey, but it didn’t make sense. Hmm… I guess he could be Claire’s brother. And Claire definitely got the better of the genes. As I was pondering about this, Claire and Emma had already finished shopping, coming out laden with paper bags. Maybe I could be gentlemen and offer them my help. “Hi Claire. Hi Emma.” I walked briskly towards them, waving my hand in the air. And I realized that I must have really looked stupid. “Hi Tisdale.” Claire muttered my last name, obviously pissed at me. “Hey Darren. What a coincidence to see you here. Shopping for your girlfriend?” Emma asked brightly. I seriously hated the word ‘coincidence’. And why must Emma be such a bitch? What girlfriend? “Not really. Just having lunch and hanging around.” I answered coolly, trying to hide my irritation. “Ooh. So don’t you have to go back now? To do the assignment?” Claire hissed as she tried to balance an adorable baby girl in her arms as she pushed the stroller laden with a few shopping bags. “Not really. I figured that you might need some help. And I would love to take a look at this sweetie pie…” I cooed as I made a face at the baby. “Humph.” Claire jerked her elbow and swished the baby out of my sight. “Claire…” Emma whined as she switched the load of bags from her right hand to her left. “Just let Darren help. After all, I think that Melanie’s tired. You’d better head down to Thriftway and back home.” And the baby girl named Melanie started sobbing. Probably she did agree with Emma. “Hush, sunshine. Hush, sunshine.” Claire wriggled a bit, rocking the baby in her arms. Wow. Look at all her maternal cells working to soothe the baby. She was really a hell of a woman. And within seconds, Melanie was tucked in her arms, suckling on a pacifier. “Please, Claire. I really have nothing to do. And if I go back, mom and dad will start to nag.” I pleaded. Emma smiled. “You have something to do.” Claire snapped. “Claire…” Emma whined. “Fine. Are you free to drop me off at Thriftway, let me do some shopping and bring me back home?” Claire finally relented. “Yeah sure.” “Thanks.” Claire relaxed into a very motherly smile. She looked beautiful. “Bye Darren. See you, Claire.” Emma mumbled, as she pecked swiftly onto Claire’s cheeks and continued her shopping adventure. I started pushing the stroller as Claire kept her arms all over Melanie. “You don’t really have to do this.” She said as we reached the car park. “It’s ok. Anyway, whose baby is that? She’s so pretty.” I asked, changing the subject. “Oh. Erm. Melanie’s my niece. And I must admit, she did got some nice genes from me, ya?” Claire laughed quietly. “Yeah. At first, I thought you were the mother. I mean, you two are so alike. Both are you are so gorgeous.” And it took Claire five seconds before she could respond. “A lot of people say that.” She muttered as looked at Melanie with loving eyes. “Of course. Everyone thinks you’re pretty.” Claire blushed, her cheeks turned into a rosy shade of pink. I leaned down to kiss her scarlet cheeks. And the movement of my lips brushing against her soft skin seemed as those it was perfect. Even though it was a fast peck, my dick remained uneasy in my pants. Ugh. “As in, a lot of people think that Melanie’s my daughter.” Claire spoke after a long silence. “Oh.” “Hey. Turn in here. Thriftway’s on this avenue.” Claire instructed, her elbow bumping into mine. And she pulled her hand back immediately to stroke the baby’s lovely face. And in that short second, I felt a great thrill. As in I have just fallen from a cliff. It was exhilarating. Claire was definitely a hell of a woman. Surprisingly, I had no problems with opening the baby stroller. I was pleased with myself. Claire too. She kept on smiling faintly as she placed the sleeping baby gently into the stroller and led me into the store. We spent nearly an hour there, checking down the items on her shopping list. At the checkout counter, she dazzled the male cashier with a heart-breaking smile. Oops. And he just dumped a packet of skittles into her carrier. I was like ‘wow’. “So where do you live?” I asked, innocently, as if I had never stalked her all the way to her home. “Twenty Fifth Avenue.” “No problem.” “Erm. Darren? Would you… kind of… like a meal at my house?” “Huh? What?” I was so shocked by her question that I nearly missed a turn. Oops. I quickly reversed and turned into the street. “Would you like to have dinner at my house?” Claire asked again, speaking more confidently this time. “Hey, I feel so bad about this.” “It’s just a way of saying thanks.” And when I tore my eyes off to look at Claire, she was smiling so sweetly that I lost my senses. “Darren! Watch out!” She shrieked, dropping her baby onto her lap and turning the steering wheel frantically. Or else we would have crashed into the approaching Rolls-Royce. “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry. I was thinking about whether I should call my mother to tell her I’m not going back for dinner.” “If it’s inconvenient for you, you could always reject my offer.” “No. It’s perfectly alright.” I breathed. Who would ever miss a chance of being led into Claire Edwards’ house? And having the honour to eat her dinner? I was a sane person. And I would forgo anything for this. “Ok then. I’ll need to help me look after Melanie while I prepare dinner.” Claire broke my heart with that sweet smile again as I helped her out of the car. “Sure.” I said and we went into the house. Given that the fact that Claire wasn’t very well-off, I didn’t expect much about the interior designing or her dwelling. But again, she took me by surprise. The entire living hall was painted white, the back wall was glass while the kitchen tops were a glossy black colour. And even the house was a little small, she made use of every single space to create a homely atmosphere. I really wished I lived here. The television- one much smaller than the one I had- rested on beige table, across from the ivory-coloured velvet couch. And there were two small flora lamps next to it, placed onto a rosewood coffee table. I guessed all these warm colours were warming up, just like the way Claire did. “Darren,” – I always felt a shot of adrenaline being pumped into me each time she said my name – “Keep yourself entertained. Switch on the telly.” Claire instructed from the kitchen. “It’s ok. It might wake Melanie up.” I called back as I patted lightly on Melanie’s thigh. This really seemed like home to me.
I was very sure he didn’t like me. Why in the first place would he like me? I’m just this stupid, married-at-nineteen woman while he was a dashing and smart prince. And why did I even bother to kiss him? He didn’t even kiss back. Or even say ‘goodbye’. He must loathe me. But I must admit, the kiss was pretty out-of-the-world. When my lips brushed again the corners of his mouth, I felt fabulous. And when our fingers touched, it seemed as though I shocked by some thousand-over-volt lightning. It was so thrilling. You’re a married woman. You’re a married woman. I reminded myself as I drove into my garage. “Dear, I hope I’m not late.” I kissed Cody on his cheek. There was no electricity between us at all. None. Zero. “Oh darling, it’s just nice. I taped the shopping list onto the fridge. And Melanie is in the playing room.” Cody was always in charge. “Love you, dear.” Somehow this sounded less convincing as each second passed. “Love you. See you at seven.” And he was out of the house already. I sighed as I went to pick Melanie up. “Hi sunshine. We’re going to go to the supermarket and meet Aunt Emma.” I tried to sound as excited as possible. Melanie clapped her hands excitedly though. In the next twenty minutes, I changed Melanie’s home clothes into a baby blue silk dress and tied her hair up into a loose French plait. Ooh… She really looked like a princess. While her mother isn’t. After that, I packed everything up and called Emma. She picked up on the second ring. “I’ve been waiting for your call for a century!” Emily squeaked. “Exaggerating.” I wasn’t even paying attention. I was trying to get Melanie to sleep in my cradle of arms. It had always seemed so easy with Cody. But I was certainly having problems here. “Whatever. Where are you now?” “Home.” I finally gave up. And strapped Melanie into the pram. “Ooh. That’s great. Can we borrow Cody’s Volvo?” “Nope. He’s gone to work.” “Then you’ll just have to bear with walking.” “I’m fine with it.” “Ok then. See you.” I didn’t know whether Emma sprinted, flew, or ran. But she got to my house in a record-time of four and a half minutes. Wow, I must say. “Oh my gosh. You sweetie little cutie pie!” Emma squealed as she took Melanie into her arms. Melanie smiled delightfully and put her hand onto Emma’s chest. Hey. This was unfair. Why was I the only having problems with Melanie. “Oh come on. Let’s go.” I urged Emma as I pushed the pram out of the house. Our first stop was Pacific Place: the shopping mall. During lunch at Johnny Rocket, I managed to dish out why Emma was so excited about shopping for new clothes. “Where do you think I should buy my clothes from? Is Ann Taylor ok? Or should I try Express?” Emma asked as she stuffed some chili fries into her mouth. “Emma, you hardly get so worked up about clothes. You wear sweatshirts over jeans every day.” I protested, feeding Melanie with one bit of my chicken salad. “But I can’t do that on a date with Paul.” She admitted sheepishly. “Ooh. Someone’s got a boyfriend.” “No!” Emma slammed her glass of coke down onto the table. “He just asked me for dinner.” “When?” I asked, desperate for more information. “He asked me out yesterday. We’re supposed to meet at the ristorante italiano on Friday, eight o’clock.” “Oh my gosh. This is exciting.” I squealed in delight as I fed Melanie with another mouthful of salad and sipped my coffee milkshake. “So you see how important this is to me?” Emma sighed. “Hey sweetie, of course I do.” Emma was never the correct girl to ask out for dates. Boys hardly approach her. And even if someone did, they would reject her after the second meeting. Apart from Bryan, the bastard that led her astray. Of course that son of a bitch wasn’t counted. He didn’t even love. He just used her. So I could see how important Paul was to her. “So how is this?” Emma asked, twirling around in an orange and yellow tank top over a yellow skirt. “Nope. Too bright, I think the blue ensemble is better.” I commented as I rocked Melanie gently in my arms. Of course I bought my stuff already. The staff hardly paid attention to me. Of course, since I was carrying a toddler. Just that the male staff kept on staring at me. And as for Emma, we had spent nearly an hour here and we only found one outfit suitable: a blue silk halter and white denim skirt. That was pretty unproductive. But we couldn’t blame Emma. One is born with their looks. Emma was not ugly but just plain-looking. Her shoulder-length reddish-brown hair made her skinny face even more angular. And her eyes. No double-eyelids. And green eyes that don’t fit her at all. Her lips were small compared to her acne-covered nose. I sighed. Probably I shouldn’t hang out with Emma. I made her look more average-looking. “Ok. We’ll take this.” She muttered to the sales staff before turning to me. “You got your stuff already?” She asked as she wrung her hair out. “Yeah. Just a blue sweater from the sales rack.” I mumbled, totally uninterested. “Hmm… Do you think we should head down to Victoria’s secret?” Emma asked as she swiped her Visa card. “For what? I don’t really need pajamas.” “Eh. Well… Just in case Paul decides to… You know. I should have nicer-looking undergarments.” Emma cleared her throat several times. “Emma!” I slapped her on the back of her head. “Just in case?” Emma looked at me with puppy-eyes. “Fine. But we need to head down to Thriftway later.” “For what?” “Not everybody has their mothers cooking for them.” “Oops.” Emma smiled back sheepishly. And just like the old days, we lounged around the mall, holding hands.
Realization hit me when I woke up the next morning. I had to meet Darren Tisdale today. Oh great. I threw a glance at my alarm clock – the damn thing hardly works –it was eight thirty and I darted out of bed. "Good morning darling.” Cody greeted me as I crashed into the bathroom. He was bathing Melanie in the bathtub. "Did I tell you that I have plans this morning?” I rushed through the words as I brushed my teeth thoroughly. "Uh-huh. Don’t worry I’m bringing Melanie to Thriftway. You can do your assignment in peace.” Cody wrapped Melanie in a huge pink towel and kissed me on the cheeks. After that, I took a quick shower and changed into loose ivory sweater and body-hugging jeans. Cody was already serving breakfast. "You have to work in the afternoon?” I asked as I stuffed the cheese toast into my mouth and drowned myself in coffee. Coffee was indulgence. And Cody worked at the hospital. As a receptionist. But one day, he told me, he was going to be some doctor. That’s why he took night classes three times a week. "Yeah. But you want me to cook lunch?” "No need.” "Sure darling.” He refilled my cup of coffee and began feeding Melanie with her cereal. "Actually I think I’ll bring Melanie to Thriftway and cook lunch.” I suggested. I already felt bad enough letting Cody do all the housework. So maybe I should take on some maternal responsibilities. "Wow.” "Cody, I can handle it.” I reassured him. Even if I couldn’t, I would find a way. "Sorry.” I cleared my utensils and went over to kiss my husband. He was like the world’s best kisser, world’s best dad, world’s best husband and world’s best maid. Hmm… He tasted like cheese. And coffee. Enticed, our tongues intertwined and I savored his flavor. And there, Melanie broke our romantic moment. Cody’s lips stayed there for a second longer before he pulled away and tended to our little girl. "Come on, sunshine.” He shoved the spoon into her mouth. "Bye dear.” I pecked lightly onto Cody’s cheek and scooped Melanie up, planting a huge smacker on her eyelids. "Love you,” I muttered and I was out of the house. To make sure that I wouldn’t linger in Darren’s house for a long time, I took Cody’s silver Volvo and sped off. When I reached Darren’s house, it surprised me not to see him sitting on the porch waiting for my arrival. So maybe I’m not that attractive after all, I sighed as I brushed my fingers through my hair.
Darren's POV
"Darren!” Denise called out, jerking me from my sleep. "What is it, you bitch?” I cussed as I rubbed my eyes. "Oh my gosh, she’s just too pretty!” Denise exclaimed. "What the hell are you talking about?” I patted my dressing table and finally found my spectacles. "Claire is here!” My God, what? Claire Edwards is here? For what? Why did she come to my house? Yeah right, the freaking assignment. Crap. "Get lost!” I yelled, pushing Denise onto my bed and scrambled down the stairs. Denise was right. Claire was here. She sat cross-legged on the couch as she chatted happily with my parents. Then, she caught me staring at her. Oh no. What the hell should I do? Run back into my room? No. Then? What should I say? "Why the hell are you dressed like this?” Claire asked, her eyes incredulous. Dad burst out, laughing. Dressed like what? I tucked my chin and took a good look of myself. Crap. I was only dressed in an oversized shirt and boxers. Ugh. I embarrassed myself in front of my parents and Claire. Stupid me. "I just woke up.” I admitted, ruffling my already messy hair. "Oh Darren. Go get changed quickly. Miss Edwards will get white hair waiting for you.” Mum called out as I dashed back into my room. Then, I quickly striped myself. "Darren!” Denise shrieked. What? What? Denise was in my room. And I was naked? Ugh. Why is everything going haywire? "Close your eyes, bitch!” I screamed back as ransacked my wardrobe for something nice to wear. "Who do you think you are? A stripper? Bastard.” Denise hissed as I pulled out a loose grey sweater and black pants. "Whatever. Now get out of my room.” "We seriously need to talk.” "About what?” I was getting impatient as I brushed through the tangles in my hair. "Claire.” I froze. "What about Claire?” "She’s brilliant.” "I know that. Your brother here is the dumb one.” "I think she’s a perfect Mrs Tisdale!” The ‘Mrs Tisdale’ part made me freeze again. "Come on, Darren. She’s perfect. I had a chat with her just now. She’s just wow. Plus she’s so pretty…” Denise continued compiling a list of Claire’s qualities. Like I didn’t know those. "Hey, thanks for waking me up. Love you.” I ruffled Denise’s hair and dashed out of the room with my laptop tucked under my arm. "Mom, Dad, Claire.” I went down the stairs, my cheeks going scarlet as Claire stared at my new outfit. "Darren, we’ll leave you two to do your work now.” Dad patted my shoulders and went into the backyard. Yeah, right. Like they two would leave us alone. Every time I bring a girl home, they would be somewhere eavesdropping. And Claire was no exception. "Breakfast for you?” I asked as I offered her the hotdogs Mom left on the table. "No thanks. But I’ll appreciate if you have a cup of java.” Java? Crap. I wasn’t thinking at all. My brain was like clogged up with this haze. Java? What the hell was that? Yes. Stupid me. Coffee. Say something that makes sense, I pleaded with myself. "With creamer? With sugar?” I asked, the words rushing out like wind. "Anything will do.” She mumbled, tracing her fingers on the glossy top of my laptop. "Mom? Dad?” I asked suspiciously as I poured some coffee into my favorite mug. But I was not drinking it. Claire was. "Yes, son?” Dad answered, peering out from under the stairs. "Please tell me you two are not going to snoop around, listening to me and Claire’s conversation.” I begged with my parents as I wolfed down a hotdog. "Miss Edwards’ a nice girl. We just want to know more about her.” Mom admitted. "Claire. Not Miss Edwards.” I corrected her, getting more pissed by the second. "We’re still going to stay here.” Dad persisted. "Do as you wish.” I muttered and strolled in the living room, holding the mug of coffee in my hand as though it was a twenty-carat diamond. To me, Claire was the most beautiful diamond in the world. "Your coffee.” "Thanks.” And her long slender fingers brushed against the back of my hand. I felt as though I had been electrocuted. “Actually I think you’d better prepare more coffee. We’re going to need a lot of this.” "You’re not going to stay until midnight, are we?” "Eh, no. Of course not. I need to tend to something in the afternoon.” "Then why?” "Cause I drink a lot of coffee?” She stared at me as though I was an idiot. And yes, I was an idiot. "We’ll start work after I finish breakfast, ya?” I suggested, finishing my cup of tea in two gulps. "Actually I’ve been here since nine.” What the hell was the time now? Ten. Great. "Sorry.” I muttered. "And I have to leave at twelve.” Oh crap. Only two more hours with her. "You don’t think we can finish everything in two hours right?” "Of course not.” "So which question are we going to research on?” I asked, sounding professional. "Hmm… what are the two extra courses that you studied?” "Principles of management and introduction to marketing.” "Oh. That’s great. We have one course in common. Apart from introduction to marketing, I’m also taking business and international law.” "Wow. That’s one tough course.” I hid my smile in my refilled cup of tea. Claire was really brilliant, just like what Denise has said. "Not that bad. Anyway can I borrow your notes for principles of management?” "Yeah sure. But for what?” I asked as I opened my laptop. "Well, I actually intend to study that too. But it’s expensive outside of the syllabus. So I figured I’ll self-study it and then take the test in some renowned collage.” "So it’ll look nicer on your resumes next time?” I typed in my password to access the system. "Yup. So you won’t mind, right?” "Do you want me to throw in free tutoring?” I turned my face from the computer to face Claire. And I realized that our faces were only inches apart. The urge to kiss her grew more unbearable. More unbearable. "No thanks.” She pulled back. I don’t believe that she didn’t feel any electricity humming between us. “I think I’ll cope.” Her eyes avoided mine as she examined my wallpaper. "Shall we get started?” I asked. "You bet.” So in the next two hours, we debated and discussed, discussed and debated. And finally, we got the foundations of our assignments all hammered out. Claire would concentrate more on the research while I’ll compile all of them and present them nicely. And I had a feeling that we were going to be the best team. "Hey. Thanks for everything. I got to go now.” Claire looked impatiently at her watch. "Yeah. Sure.” I slammed my laptop down. "Mrs Tisdale, Mr Tisdale!” Claire called out as she brought my mug into the kitchen. "Yes, sweetheart? Are you going now?” Mom called out in the sweetest voice I’ve ever heard. What’s with Claire that has charmed them all? Including me. "Yes.” And Denise appeared out from nowhere. I should have known. They were all listening. “Hey Denise!” "You must come down next time. I need some fashion advice.” Denise tugged at the hem of her sweater. Claire laughed musically. "Yeah sure. Bye, everyone.” She hugged Denise. And kissed mom’s cheek. And kissed me on my lips?! My god. Before even I had a chance to respond, she was out of the house. Crap. Crap. Crap. Claire Edwards just kissed me. Kissed me. On my freaking lips. And what the hell did I just do? Stood there until one second later, she was gone. I shall officially declare myself as a retard. The world’s most pathetic retard. "Darren, we love her.” Mom came and put her small hand onto my shoulder. "Then you can marry her, Mom.” There was a sharpness in my voice. "What the hell do you think you’re talking about?” Denise demanded. "Hey. Hey. Just joking.” I laughed humorlessly. And I took off for in car.
"So you actually eat food?” Darren asked, peering over my shoulder. "What is that supposed to mean?” I muttered as I sipped champagne from the cocktail glass. "I thought someone with such a curvy figure like you will be on a salad diet.” He mumbled back. I ignored him and tucked into my spaghetti. But I still couldn’t get over how charming Darren was. Why couldn’t he just be old, ugly, boring and married? Then I will have no problems keeping my eyes off him. Tonight he is dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt and skinny black tie over denim. It made him looked like prince charming. Just that I wasn’t any Cinderella or any Snow white rubbish. I huffed in indignation as I stuffed another spoonful of pasta into my mouth. "So we’ll be working on the same holiday assignment,” Darren tried making some small talk again. "Uh-huh. And it’s so unfortunate to have a partner like you.” I hissed. "But you’ll still have to do it. It’s graded.” Darren smiled back angelically. I remained silent, drowning myself with champagne. "When do you want to come over to my house?” Darren asked with anticipating eyes. "Is tomorrow morning ok?” I would rather go to his house than have him meet Cody and Melanie. But maybe it was good. So it would dampen all his plans on me. Or maybe not. Just not this time. "Sure. You want me to pick you up?” "No thanks. I think I’ll make it there on my own.” "You know where it is right?” "2nd avenue.” Now I was getting pissed. "Yeah right.” I sipped my champagne elegantly as I listened to bits and pieces of Emma’s conversation. Darren fidgeted uneasily next to me. Damn. He seemed to be moving closer to me. "Since tomorrow is the start of the holidays, why not go shopping?” Emma claimed my attention. "Cause we have a holiday assignment to do?” "Since when do you bother so much about homework?” "Because I’ve already arranged to go to Mr Tisdale’s house tomorrow morning.” "Oh my God.” I rolled my eyes. "Then all the more you need to shop. You know, like get a few dresses to impress him. Why don’t you postpone the homework thing till the evening, and go shopping with me?” "Why the hell should I do that? Emma, I’ll go shopping with you. Tomorrow afternoon, yeah? Meet you at Pacific Place.” I spoke loud enough for Darren to hear. "Whatever, Claire.” Emma then turned to speak to Stuart. Well, the entire tables of students were talking to one another. Except for me and Darren who were totally glued to our seats, looking straight. Just that a few male students from the end were staring at me. And Karen from the opposite side was smiling at Darren. "So did you fail Mr Mason last assignment?” Darren hissed sarcastically. "You failed right?” I hissed back, oblivious to the close proximity between us. I pulled back immediately. "Not that bad. C grade.” "B plus.” Smash it in his face. "I’m sure you did bribe him right? The assignment was so freaking difficult.” I ignored him, waving a hand at the waiter. "It’s always better to be a female with a male teacher around. You’ll never know what will happen.” Darren hissed. What was that supposed to mean? I had sex with Mr Mason so that I could get a better grade? What nonsense was coming out from him? "Scheisse.” I cussed under my breath. "Menta peperita Biscotti del cioccolato per tre, per favore.” I told the neatly dressed waiter. "Posso rimuovere i vostri piatti” He asked, totally at ease talking to me in Italian. "Grazie.” I muttered back as he started clearing the plates. Darren looked at me, impressed. Hmm… I wondered which foreign language he would understand. Let me try French then. "J'ai d'autres talents aussi bien, indépendamment de avoir le sexe avec les professeurs masculins. Non plus le mauvais vous n'avez pas un ans” I hissed menacingly. Ok, he was officially an idiot. He didn’t even understand French. And I couldn’t be bothered to impress him with my Spanish, Italian or French. Speaking of which, I would love to go to Netherlands to learn Dutch. Just to escape from this Tisdale guy. Dinner ended an hour later, Stuart drove us home and I didn’t even throw a glance towards Darren.
Darren's POV
What was Claire muttering about just now? Was it Italian? French? Ugh. I don’t know. Never mind. I scribbled something I thought what she said onto the restaurant’s serviette. Karen shot a weird glance at me from the opposite side of the table. "Darren,” Karen leaned forward touching my biceps, and giving me an aerial view of her cleavage. Why couldn’t Claire be doing this instead? I would love a view of her impressive cleavage. "Would you mind driving me back home? Stuart drove me here but he took off with Claire and Emma.” Karen continued, inching across the dining table. If she continued moving like that, given the looseness of her dress, I will be able to see her knickers. I tried to control the twitching of my lips. "Where do you stay?” I asked, hoping that she stayed far, far away from me. "26th avenue.” Karen replied, her eyes tingling with excitement. Is that how I looked at Claire? It’d better not. It seemed so flirtatious. "Sorry, I stay at 2nd avenue, so it would be most inconvenient for me. Bye, Karen!” And I took off with a goodbye kiss. Or why in the first would I have been bothered, if it wasn’t Claire. Imagine the softness of her skin brushing against my lips. Men don’t melt from kisses. But I would love to. The drive back home was pretty quiet. I didn’t even bother to turn on the music. I was the engrossed thinking about Claire. Did she even like me? Maybe she did. But after my stupid small talk and snide remarks, I doubt she would. What the hell was I thinking when I said she was having an affair with Mr Mason. I was so ridiculous. Never mind. I needed to find out the meaning of the sentence or sentences she said to me. Probably sis would be able to help. I gleamed at the female passerby as I drove my Mercedes into the garage. I think the passerby nearly fainted. Why couldn’t I just do that to Claire? And she would be mine. "Denise, do you know any Italian or French crap?” I asked my sis as I sat down next to her. She was watching some dumb supermodel show. None of these girls were as pretty as Claire Edwards. "I know French,” She admitted, eye glued onto the screen. "Mom,” I greeted as she walked out of the kitchen. "Help me translate this. I don’t know what freaking language is this.” I handed her the serviette. "Hmm… Your languages suck. I should know.” Denise peeled her eyes off the flat screen as the advertisements on the TV began pouring out. Denise examined my illegible handwriting and chuckled. "Does this girl hate you? Or what offensive thing did you say to her?” Denise giggled as she handed the serviette back to me. I narrowed my eyes at her. "Just tell me what’s going on.” I urged her. "She says she has other talents apart from having sex with some guy, the name’s too blurred, it’s too bad you’re not one of them.” Denise laughed again. “What exactly did you do to her?” "I accused her of having sex with our lecturer? Because she always gets good grades in Mr Mason’s class?” "What the hell? You’re insulting her! She must be fuming mad now.” Denise turned her eyes back to the flat screen as the roaring audience announced the starting of the show. "Ok, I’m dead.” "I knew that long ago.” Denise stifled a giggle. "Claire’s coming over to our house tomorrow.” I notified her. "Who’s Claire? The person who said this? Or wrote this?” "Claire told me this gibberish rubbish.” "It’s not rubbish. It’s just that you don’t understand French. By the way, her French is good.” "Not only French. She could speak a native Italian waiter too. And I bet she knows much more than that.” "Please don’t tell me you like this girl, Darren.” Denise laughed again. I wondered was it me or the television. "Nope. I’m just interested. Claire doesn’t date, doesn’t wear revealing clothes, is gorgeous and smart.” "Wow. What a hell of a woman.” What an understatement, I thought. "I’ll love to see her tomorrow.” Denise smiled, pleased. "Like you’ll wake up that early, you sleepyhead.” "Of course I will. To meet my brother’s future wife.” She teased. I rolled my eyes at my seventeen year-old sister, kissed my mom goodnight, took a good shower and retreated for the night. Tomorrow, I will see Claire again. Smiling, I went to sleep. And that wasn’t the first time she appeared in my dreams.
ok. the response isn't very good. nvm. i'll do more advertisment. haha.
chapter1 - the dinner part1 claire's POV(point of view)
It was the last day of the school year. Like finally. Three more minutes to go and Mrs Stanley is still blabbering away. The entire class gave her a sick look. I rolled my eyes. My gosh. Couldn’t she just pick up the excitement in the class? We were going to be free in another two minutes and forty seconds. I sighed, slumped back into my chair, resigned to fate and listened to Mrs Stanley’s senseless chatter. And finally, two minutes thirty three seconds later, the bell rang. Yeah! The entire class-all of them one year younger than me except for my dear friend, Emma- broke into a delighted expression. Mrs Stanley dismissed the class and everyone dashed out of the lecture hall. “We’re like finally free,” I muttered excitedly to Emma. Just that she was the only one who doesn’t look excited. "Oh please. Did you hear about the holiday assignment? They said they were going to post the groupings on the bulletin board. Let’s go check it out!” But if it comes to studies, Emma is unstoppable. That’s because she had a past that made her strive hard. While my past didn’t. I remembered on the first day of collage, Emma and I realized that we were the only ones who were twenty and we clicked immediately. And apart from the office staff, Emma was the only one who knows all my secret. Just like my marital status was changed from 'single' to ‘married while I was nineteen. She also had a sad and death-harrowing past that only I knew. I sighed at my friend’s enthusiasm for holiday assignment as I followed her towards the bulletin board. Oh please don’t make my life worse by matching me with some other person apart from Emma. "Hey, you’re matched with Darren! You’re so lucky!” Emma exclaimed and I felt as if my entire world had collapsed onto me. "Wow, I got Daisy as a partner. Hmm… I think she’s a good worker, right?” Emma continued strolling down the list, oblivious to my shocked reaction. I mean there are like hundreds of people who will be doing this assignment. But, why oh why, all of all people, must my partner be Darren Tisdale? It was already bad enough for him to be the school charm and that I have a crush on him. And now what? I have to work with him? This is going to be so terrible. "My darling Claire!” A familiar voice called out. Before I knew it, arms were wrapped around my shoulders and lips touched my cheek. It was Stuart. He was my only male friend in the entire collage population. At least I know he won’t harbor any thoughts about dating me. While we’re still juniors, we were high school sweethearts and after we broke up, he knew there was no chance between the both of us. And since Stuart and I are of same age, he was a grade higher than me. "So who are you matched with for the assignment? I hear that this is quite important.” Stuart said as he led us through the crowd of students squeezing us tighter. "Darren Tisdale.” I hissed as I pecked lightly on Stuart’s cheek. "Ha-ha. I know you hate him.” Stuart laughed as he brought us to his Mercedes. Emily’s Ford Fiesta was down so we were riding with Stuart for the time being. And Stuart has this crazy idea about Darren and I being enemies. Because we were the most charming students in collage. What a stupid idea of his. "Screw that ‘we’re enemies’ crap. Anyway, are you going for the party tonight?” Stuart asked. "Yes. I promised you, right?” "And you’re going to dress up right?” "Nope.” Stuart grumbled and went back to drive. Well, most people in school would die to see me dressed up. Well, no one had seen be out of my jeans or my plain tees. Like today. I was just clad in an oversized grey shirt and straight-cut jeans. Stuart usually chided me about not having to flaunt my figure since I have one. Like I needed the attention. But, it was be quite cool to dress up sometime. I would love to see the looks of those people. Especially Darren Tisdale. And I would say to him, "ou’re not the most charming person on Earth, you know?” Cheered by these thoughts, I kissed both Stuart and Emily and headed back home. "Caire!” Cody called out. "Hmm…” I savored the scent of his aftershave as I kissed him on his lips. Cody set down a plate and whisked me into his arms, kissing me long and passionately. He licked the sides of my mouth before setting me back onto my feet. I smiled back sweetly as I turned my attention to Melanie. "Hello sunshine!” I picked my two-year-old daughter up and nudged my nose into her hair. "Ma…Ma…” Melanie mumbled as she played with my hair. Just like all mothers, I would think that Melanie was the prettiest girl on Earth. But she was really irresistible. She’s got the best of both worlds from me and Cody. She’s got the fair skin, blue eyes, princess-like cheekbones, high cheekbones and long eyelashes from me. From her dad, she’s got the long and straight blond hair, long and skinny limbs and small, dainty features. Today, she’s dressed in a pink ruffle shirt and denim skirt. Wow. She really looked like a princess. Just that she didn’t get a king and a queen as a parents. Instead, she got a twenty-one year old still-schooling mother and a part-schooling-part-working twenty-two year old dad. Poor little girl. "Come on darling. Time for dinner.” Cody scooped Melanie from me and set her on the couch and he fed her with a small plate of soup. Cody would really make a great mom. But too bad he’s a guy. But Cody was far from Darren, my dream guy. Oh crap. What the hell was I talking about? But it was true. Cody was not bulky with muscles, or with a movie-like charming face, musical or sporting talents. But he was definitely good and cooking. I slurped down the bowl of turkey and tofu soup he put in front of me. Hmm… It tasted great. "Dear, I am going for a party in the evening.” I notified him as I washed my bowl in the kitchen. "Yeah. I think you told me something like that right?” "Please don’t tell me you have to work tonight?” "No, sweetheart. Go for your party. I’ll take care of Melanie tonight.” Cody kissed my forehead. "Thanks dear.” Sometimes it was just so easy to love Cody. He made everything so easy for me. I ruffled Cody’s hair sweetly and went back into my room to change into a dry-fit short sleeved shirt and track pants. And I headed for my weekly workout.
Darren'sPOV
Claire Edwards. Claire Edwards. Claire Edwards. Her name repeated itself time and again. Why must she be my partner for the holiday assignment? Yeah. But my heart had a totally different idea. After all, Claire Edwards was the most beautiful girl on Earth. I instantly fell in love with her. Something like love at first sight. Oh well. But she didn’t fancy anyone in collage. Probably that Stuart. He was the only guy that she hung out with. And was able to kiss liberally. I tried to touch her once. And I got the hell from her. And nearly died. So maybe it wasn’t that bad that I would be able to see her throughout the holidays. And probably I’ll to uncover more about her. But apparently, I had more important impending problems to solve. What was I going to wear for the party tonight? I tried to imagine what Claire would wear. Probably a pink silk dress. My god, imagine those curves. Ugh. Why was I having such perverted thoughts? That Edward girl was driving me crazy. I sighed as I pulled out something presentable to wear for the party.
Claire's POV
"Claire, I don’t know what to wear!” Emma shrieked at the phone. My eardrums nearly burst. "Just wear your high school prom dress.” I offered a lousy advice. I was too busy keeping an eye on the track mill. Just a little more to go. And I would have completed running five miles in forty minutes. Yeah. I’m done. I slapped the small red figures on the track mill and hopped off. "It can’t fit anymore…” Emma whined. "Then you just throw in any other normal outfit.” I wiped my forehead with the hem of shirt. Three guys shot their looks in my direction. "Please don’t tell me you’re wearing any normal outfit.” "It’s just an informal party.” I protested, smiling at the receptionist as I pushed open the glass doors. "I don’t care. You must look pretty.” "That means I’m ugly in my usual self?” "Oh Claire. Just cut it out. Come down to my house now. Please?” "For what? I just walked out of the gym.” "To help me choose something to wear. And probably you can loan something from me.” "No thanks. I’ve got to go back home, take a shower and be on my way to the restaurant.” "Whatever. I’m coming over to your house.” "Sure.” And I hung up on Emma. Emma was already lounging on my couch when I got back home. And she looked at me with anticipating eyes at first before scowling at me. "Just go get something from my wardrobe while I take a bath, please?” I kissed Cody on the forehead and went into the bedroom. My gosh. I should have known this would have happened. Clothes were strewn all over my king-sized bed. I slapped my forehead with the back of my hand. And I screamed for Emma.
Darren'sPOV
"Darren, how would you like some lasagna?” Karen Webster leaned forward from the opposite side of the table, giving me a clear view of her cleavage. Ugh. I hated all these flirting stuff. "No thanks.” I rejected her immediately. I looked around the restaurant nervously. Where the hell was Stuart? He promised me that Claire would definitely come for the dinner. "Stuart!” The voice I had been waiting called out. Oh great. I closed my eyes in anticipation and turned my head towards the voice. And I opened my eyes. Ok, where was my Claire Edwards dressed in the soft pink dress? Well, there is a Claire Edwards but no dress. And neither has she bothered to doll up. Standing at the door, was Claire dressed in a V-neck white tank top and dark blue jeans, with a dark grey coat draped over her shoulders. "Beautiful,” I breathed. She had milky white skin framed by silky dark-brown hair, high cheekbones, stunningly curly eyelashes, small mouth, dark red lips and a prefect dainty nose. Her blue eyes were like the shade of the sky on a beautiful summer day. How could anyone be so mesmerizing? "Claire and Emma, here.” Stuart led them to the seats just next to me. And she sat down next to me. She freaking sat down next to me. I rejoiced internally. "Hey Claire. Hey Emma.” I tried to sound as light as possible. "Hi Darren.” Claire and Emma chimed together. Had I not noticed how sweet her voice was? "Shall we order?” Stuart asked, his eyes fixed onto Claire too. Claire waved her hands up into the air. "Benvenuto al ristorante italiano. Posso ottenerlo qualche cosa?” The waiter asked with a pure Italian accent. Claire nodded meaningfully as though she understood it meant. Then, she turned to Emma and Stuart. "Un servizio del cannellone per questa signora. Manicotti per questo signore. E una vodka Rigatoni per me. Aggiunga una bottiglia di Moet anche” She spoke with no hesistation as she handed the glossy menu back to the waiter and smiled angelically. Not only she was gorgeous, she was fluent in languages too. I’d always seen her muttering in some foreign language but never thought that she was so good at it. I felt like a sucker next to her. "And for you, sire?” The waiter asked me. "Tortellini.” I just picked the first dish I saw on the menu. "Grazie.” Claire spoke once more before she waved the waiter off. I was totally in love with this girl.
Hello. I'm writing another story again. Haha. But I promise this time it'll be a complete one. Because it has already been done. Quite miraculous right. 80 pages on microsoft words. So you know what to expect. But I must admit, this isn't the best story I've ever written. And my darling Christina is editing the story for me now. Thanks honey! (: Ok. So enjoy. And please tag. That'll encourage me to actually finish the rest.
SORRY
