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CCXVIII
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2024-09-19 13:10:37
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A Step Closer to Love CCXIX
When Kieran and Seraphina got back to the room, Ava told them to go home even though they all volunteered to stay and be with Arabella that night. They were all worried about her, but they knew that only one person was allowed to stay with her for the night. Kieran, as much as he wanted to stay, could not state a reason why he would do that, so he silently left. He drove them home, and they left for bed because of how tired they had been from the day.Kieran picked up his phone and fumbled with it; he wanted to speak with Arabella so badly, he missed her. "Should I call her or text her?" he asked himself as he sat on the bed.Are you asleep? He stared at the text on his screen. While struggling on what to do, she had taken up the courage and sent him a message instead.NoWant to talk over the phone?Isn't your mom right next to you? She is sleeping right now, and I want to hear your voice before I go to bed.Kieran felt butterflies in his stomach even though he would have argued th
Last Updated : 2024-09-19A Step Closer to Love CCXX
Kieran and Arabella spoke fofr a long time before they finally went to bed. Ava woke up early and cleaned up before helping Arabelle to do the same. The doctor came over and checked her condition and told her that she was recovering alright."Hana," Ava began sitting by the side of the bed. Arabella looked at her mom's face and she could tell that that was her serious face. She knew that whatever her mom was saying now meant serious business."Mom, that look is scaring me," Arabella said, trying to water down the tense atmosphere. She wanted to feel comfortable enough, even though she did not know what her mom was about to say."Are you still refusing to tell me what happened?" Ava asked, clutching her daughter's hand."I will tell you, but not now." She was going to try her best to keep her promise, at least."Okay, it's no problem. I would wait until you tell me, but I have something that I want you to do for me. Are you going to do it?" Ava blinked her hand, going up and down her d
Last Updated : 2024-09-23A Step Closer to Love CCXXI
"Hana Arabella Bishop," Ava screamed."Mom!" Arabella screamed back. She had told Kieran that getting a private room instead of a shared one was a waste of money, but now that she was about to go head-to-head with her mom, she was convinced that he had spent his money wisely."Listen," Ava said, trying to stop her shaky voice."Mom, me being with you and not getting hurt was not because I was with you; it was just the way life was, and now that I was away and this happened, it is because life happens. How much longer do I need to stay with you?""I don't mean you should stay with me; I mean you should come home, where protection is," Ava said confidently, like she had taken extra measures to ensure that the place was fortified."Home or abroad, this," Arabella said, pointing to her bruised face and injured arm. "This would have happened and can happen anywhere. And I told you already that I want to put myself out there as well.""I am not saying you shouldn't put yourself out there. I
Last Updated : 2024-09-23A Step Closer to Love CCXXII
TWO WEEK LATERArabella was diagnosed and was asked to take it easy. She had told Kieran that they were going to tell their parents about their relationship today. They had spent two weeks together; it was difficult for them to be together because Ava was over her daughter like a hawk and never left her side. It was even difficult for them to be on the phone because Ava wanted to know. Knowing that her daughter had a man in her life, she was curious who it was and wanted to know. She was trying her best to act nonchalant about it when curiosity was killing her. "I do hope I get to meet this mystery guy who is hiding from me before I go back in a week," Ava said as they sat in the car. Everyone had come to take her back from the hospital, making it a big deal that she was kind of embarrassed at the fuss they were making. "What mystery, man?" Everly asked, turning to her friend. "Her boyfriend, the one I told you about," Ava replied, and Everly nodded. "I also cannot wait to meet h
Last Updated : 2024-09-23A Step Closer to Love CCXXIII
"Are we meeting him today?" Everly followed up with her friends's question when Arabella did not say anything. "Yes, we are," Arabella said. "And you are just telling me, I should have stayed back at home to prepare a warm meal for him instead of coming to the hospital to pick you up. I should have also taken extra care to clean the house today." Kieran rolled his eyes at how extra his mom was being. He wondered how she would react when she got to know that he was the one she was making all this fuss over."Forget it; moreover, if he knew that you took extra care to do all those things, he would feel uncomfortable," Arabella said. "Is that it?" Everly said, biting her lip and looking out the window. "Kieran, go to Hyshoo restaurant; let us get something from there since I might not be able to make any food," she said out of the blue. "Everly, why don't you calm down? You are making a big deal out of nothing," Ethan said from the passenger's seat. It was the first thing he said sin
Last Updated : 2024-09-23A Step Closer to Love CCXXIV
The rest of the drive back home was. Even though Arabella did not picture them telling their families this, she was glad that she had gotten it off her chest. As they entered the house, Ava called everyone into the living room. Arabella had expected a reaction from her mom, but maybe she was just shocked that she had forgotten how to react. She was waiting for them to remind them of the age gap between them and the reasons why this wouldn't work out. She wanted to hear their reasons, even though she was just learning how to love him. He had admitted that he had a crush on her. When he went to the airport to pick her up, it was like love at first sight. When his mom had told him that her friend's daughter, whom he knew from his youth, was coming to stay with them, he did not know why, but for some reason, he encountered a small child and was shocked by what he had seen. He tried to suppress his emotions, using his hurt as an excuse. "Everyone to the living room," Ava commanded. It w
Last Updated : 2024-09-23A Step Closer to Love CCXXV
"Where are you going?" Kieran asked Arabella as she stood in the kitchen sipping from her juice. She was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. "Eh?" she replied, turning to him as he entered the kitchen. It seemed like her plan had failed. Aurora had been tried and given a sentence of a year in a detention centre, seeing that she did not have a record of then. Arabella, however, felt that it was unfair to her and that she wanted to hear from Aurora why she would do that sort of thing. She was going to sneak out of the house and go see her. She did not want Kieran to know because she knew that he would kick against it."Where are you going?" he asked again, waving to the fridge to take a bottle of water. "Out," she said with her voice coming out like a mouse. "Out where?" he asks, taking off the cap of the bottle and gulping down the entire bottle. She looked at him and turned her back to him. The reason she wanted to sneak out was because she did not want to lie to him. Why did he
Last Updated : 2024-09-24A Step Closer to Love CCXXVI
"Why are you laughing?" Arabella was shocked. That was not the expression she was expecting from her. "Dearest Arabella, you must think the world revolves around you," she said, leaning in that she was seated at the edge of her seat. "Why do you think I would apologize to you? I did what I did, and I would do it again and again if need be.""You are not sorry for kidnapping and assaulting me even though you ended up here?" Arabella asked. "Of course, if I had the chance to, I would do it again. Can you imagine how hard I worked? I worked hard on Kieran, and you swooped in from nowhere and decided you wanted to take him from me. Oh, please, like you deserve him," Aurora said, leaning into the chair. "If you are here to ask me for an apology, I am afraid that you have to go back without one today and that you need not expect one from me," she said, looking at her nails like she had gotten a fresh set of nails. "Arabella, I think one of the problems you have is that you seem to overra
Last Updated : 2024-09-24
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A Step Closer to Love CCXXXIV
"I am so happy for you," Ava said as she stood with Kieran and Arabella; they had just got married, and it was truly a joyous day. Kieran had been so quick with the preparations that it took them barely two months to put everything together. "I just couldn't believe that my little one had found love," she added, tears welling in here again."Mom, you need to stop crying; seeing you cry makes me cry as well," Arabella said, blinking back the tears. Her make-up artist had retouched her make-up multiple times because she knew she was getting annoying already, but she could not control the burst of emotions flowing from her body. "Mom," Seraphina said, coming from behind and putting her hand over the shoulders of her mother. "It is a happy day; why do you keep crying? Someone, I mistake you to be mourning." "I am just thinking of how proud your father would have been to witness today.""I am sure he is watching over us from above," Arabella said, holding her mom's hand tightly."Mom, let
A Step Closer to Love CXXXIII
1 YEAR LATER Arabella was meeting Kieran after work; she had moved out because she was not comfortable with being there while dating him and had found herself a new job where she seemed to function much better. She was even on her way to write a book of her own. Kieran, who started a book publishing house solely for the money, now began to learn about this thing so he could help her out with the publication.She was glad that she had given in and tried to date him, or else she would never understand what this kind of relationship meant. Kieran was so attentive and made her feel like his entire world revolved around her. She learnt to drive and even bought her car.Sometimes she believed that he was going to propose to her because he would bring up discussions that centered around their future home, but then after that, it would be like they were back to base one. She liked base one, but she hated living all by herself. She wanted to move back in with him, and she wanted to begin havi
A Step Closer to Love CXXXII
"A trip?" Arabella asked, taking up the blanket and covering herself. "Yes, a couple's trip," he said, dropping the phone back on the table and walking to her. "What about work? Aren't you going to work again?" she asked. "Are you afraid that you would live broke?" he asked in a teasing tone."Of course I am," Arabella said before tilting her head. "I am jobless now; at least one of us needs to work so we can live a happy life," she added."You know that I do not mind you still thinking with us," Kieran said. After the trial, Arabella decided to stop working there even though Aurora was no longer there. How could she work there after everything that happened? She would be able to face her co-workers if that were the case. "I am sure I will get an offer soon from one of those companies," she said, and he sat beside her. "And you know you do not need to work again; I can take care of you and as many children as you want to have," he said with a wink. "Children?" she said flustered
A Step Closer to Love CXXXI
Arabella rolled over, and she landed right into Kieran's hands. She looked at him like it was an offence for her to do so. She peered at him and then covered her eyes with her hand. She could not believe what she had done over the night. If her mom heard she was going to give her a long lecture and then have her head afterwards. She looked at him, and she was tempted to trace her finger across his face in frustration. "Sleep so much more," she was startled to hear him talk as his mouth moved without even opening his eyes. "How long have you been awake?" She muttered, feeling shy that he had caught her staring so much that she could drill a hole into his face. "A while now," he said, his eyes framing open like a princess that was cast under a spell but was now liberated all of a sudden. He pulled her closer as he wished they could somehow get closer and maybe even mesh together. "Should we go home? Everly must be worried searching for us," Arabella murmured into his chest. He opene
A Step Closer to Love CXXX
"Somewhere, like where?" she asked shyly, dropping her head so their eyes would not meet. "You would see," he said, lifting her head gently. "But we have to make sure that the ride ends first," he said, looking around. He had thought that they were going to have a moment there, but seeing how things turned out, he could not wait to be out of there. Finally, the ride was over, and he drove out of the amusement park to a hotel. "You brought me to a hotel?" she asked in shock as they drove into the underground parking lot. "Why?" she asked now that her tone was in a hushed whisper. "I told you we should come somewhere, and you agreed," he said as he drove by the cars looking for a place to park. "That was because I thought you said that we should go someplace nice," she muttered, looking around like they were sneaking around. "Why are you looking around like we are committing a sin?" he asked, noticing how uncomfortable she got. "It is not that...""Am I being clueless? Am I jumpin
A Step Closer to Love CCXXIX
Kieran paid the operator to let the ride go in a loop three times, and Arabella wondered why he did that."Why?" she whispered to him."To have some alone time," he replied with the same wink from earlier. She gulped down hard, wondering what he was thinking.As the ride got into the tunnel, Arabella held the hand of Kieran tightly with her eyes closed. She had no time to think of what he might have meant with the wink and statements because the ride was definitely scarier than she had expected it to be. She looked at him when she felt his firm hand hold her face and turn it to him. "Are you scared?" he asked, dropping a kiss on her lip. "Kieran," she said in a hushed whisper as she looked around. "There is no one here, and I have been waiting all day just to get that," he said before dropping his head for another kiss. She placed her hand over her mouth because he could kiss her and therefore kissed the back of her hand. He took her hand from her mouth and began to drop multiple k
A Step Closer to Love CCXXVIII
Arabella could feel Kieran's excitement for the date, and she wondered why they got so lucky. They went on every ride in the park like they had been waiting to do this. Arabella was more proud of the fact that a handsome hunk named Kieran was with her. In every line, they heard murmurs of people talking about how handsome he was. She was not letting any of that bother her because she could disagree with them; he was a beauty to behold. She did not let the nasty comments, such as those criticising his choice, get to her. He glued to her like gum on the sole of a shoe, and it must have infuriated the crowd the more because of the kinds of dirty glances she received from them. Kieran was always pushing back her hair and staring at her while holding her hand tightly and dropping random kisses on her forehead. She was shy, but she liked how he marked his terror so openly. She was on a date, and she was going to try her best not to be affected by any of that. "Should we go there?" Kieran
A Step Closer to Love CCXXVII
"Do you want to explain why you are here?" Kieran asked. Arabella had expected him to scream his lungs out, but he was wrong. Myabe's drive down has calmed him down. "It is a stupid reason; I don't want to tell you," Arabella murmured to herself. She had wanted to hear an apology so much that it felt like her self-worth depended on it. She turned her head to the side so she was looking out the window. "Look at me," Kieran said softly. "Look at me," he said again, this time turning her head with his hand gently. "I am so ashamed of myself; I don't know what I was thinking," Arabella said again. Seeing Kieran had somehow triggered something in her. It was like judging her actions without even saying anything. "Tell me, I want to know why you dressed up and left the house to come here when you should be resting.""Okay," she said as she heaved a sigh. "I wanted an apology so bad." "What?" "See, I knew you would judge me.""Ara, I am not judging you. I just want to understand what y
A Step Closer to Love CCXXVI
"Why are you laughing?" Arabella was shocked. That was not the expression she was expecting from her. "Dearest Arabella, you must think the world revolves around you," she said, leaning in that she was seated at the edge of her seat. "Why do you think I would apologize to you? I did what I did, and I would do it again and again if need be.""You are not sorry for kidnapping and assaulting me even though you ended up here?" Arabella asked. "Of course, if I had the chance to, I would do it again. Can you imagine how hard I worked? I worked hard on Kieran, and you swooped in from nowhere and decided you wanted to take him from me. Oh, please, like you deserve him," Aurora said, leaning into the chair. "If you are here to ask me for an apology, I am afraid that you have to go back without one today and that you need not expect one from me," she said, looking at her nails like she had gotten a fresh set of nails. "Arabella, I think one of the problems you have is that you seem to overra
