"Raphael." Steven said when he got to the door. "I think we need to talk."
"Sure." Dad said. "But you'll have to be quick because I have another meeting in half an hour."
Both Dan and I watched Steven re-enter the office and go sit in Dan's seat.
"Please, close the door behind you, Gen." Dad said.
Yoké and I exchanged looks.
"It's all cool." I whispered to him. "He won't tell dad anything. I spoke to him, remember."
"You think? Cause I don't think so."
Nope. I don't. I actually think that Steven is going to spill everything out to dad. Even the guts. But I had to be positive, right? It wouldn't help if both Dan and I were stressing.
I closed dad's door as we stepped out of the office. Francis was standing by the lift waiting for it.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" I told Dan. "I need to talk to Fr
"Oh you'll really love the dress." The designer, Paul was telling me. Unlike most male designers and stylists, Paul was straight. Straighter than straight. He didn't talk or sound like a girl. He didn't walk or behave like a girl. None of that. Everything of his was just pure musculin. Except the fashion style was exceptional. Better than a guy would dress in any given day. And he always wore bright colors with many patterns."I actually like my dress." Alice told him. "You really gave it your all.""It would have been better if you didn't insist on plain black." Paul told her. I should add, Paul was openly honest. What? I know. He tells you the truth, anywhere and in any situation. He was the biggest critic there could ever beSometimes he even criticized his own work. "It made you look a bit emo. Dark little character."Alice just frowned and exchanged looks with Mom."Where is Francis?" Mom was lookin
“Quickly fix up her hair she’s supposed to go down now. It’s almost 8.” Mom told the hairdresser. A woman with colorful highlights in her hair. She had purple, pink, maroon and red.“Yes, just need more pins to keep your hair up then you’re good.” She smiled at me and then continued fumbling with my hair.“We are running out of time.” Mom said. “And did she put on perfume already?”“Not yet.” The stylist said. Another woman, but she was a redhead with a nose ring.“You people are so slow.” Mom said going to grab perfume on the draw. “I hired you instead of our usual because this day is very special, now you’re making me regret it.”“No, that’s not her perfume!” The stylist told me. “That’s Alice’s.”I looked up and saw mom with a purple bottle of perfume with a black grape drawn in the front. “Where is hers then?”“It’s right here.” The stylist took the perfume from the dresser. “I’ll just wait for Kisha to finish with her hair first.”Mom looked at her diamond wrist watch impatiently.
I hate him. I hate him. I hate him so much. He just took it too far this time. How could he sleep with Alice? How could he take it that far? How could he do this to me when I felt so bad for sleeping with Nathan even though I did it because I thought I’d never see Yoké again. But him, I’m right here. How could he? And then he still had the audacity to come dance with me after doing such a despicable thing. How has Yoké changed so much and so quickly? This is not him. The Yoké I knew would never lay a finger on another girl. What changed him so much? Maybe I’m the one in the dark. I’m the fool. Sitting around thinking that Yoké and I are playing games. Maybe he really means everything that he’s been telling me. How could I be so stupid? I can’t believe that I’ve been fooling myself this whole time.The worst thing about what he did is that he didn’t even feel bad about it. He came back wanting to dance
When we finished dinner, neither Alice nor Dan came back to the table. I could see that dad was not at all pleased with this but he didn't say anything. We sat at the table chatting with the guests until everyone finished eating. The maids began clearing the table and bringing dessert.After dessert, which was mixed fruit and some yogurt, mom got everyone's attention with a glass and a spoon."The party has basically ended now and I thank you all for being here tonight." Mom began. "If you do wish to stick around longer, please do not hesitate to. In fact many of you know that we have a guesthouse with a couple of bedrooms so those that decide to spend the night should be good."People began getting up and coming to hug us goodbye."Tomorrow is Sunday." Nathan told me, putting an arm around me as everyone left the kitchen."I know." I chuckled."Yeah, what ar
“Oh shoot.” I said, looking down at the kitchen floor but it was too dark to see.“What did you do?” He asked me, looking down too.“I should ask you that.” I said. “What the hell did you grab my hand for?”“Someone’s coming.” He said. “I heard a door open.”He took out his phone from his pocket and torched the floor. We stared at the mess. There was water everywhere and the tiny pieces of glass glimmered in the light.“Damn.” I said.“Dan?” I heard Alice’s voice from a distance.“Oh shoot.” Dan said and then took me by my wrist.“What are you doing?” I whispered.“Of cause I don’t want her to see us together.” He began taking me away. “Careful
"What's the time?" I asked him after we've been sitting quietly for what felt like forever."Half past two." He said, placing his phone on a box that was next to him. "My battery is almost dead."I didn't respond. I was sitting next to him, on a box, we had both our backs against the wall. We didn't say it but we understood each other well. We understood that Yoké was just too hurt to back out on what he had said he would do, his plan to marry Alice just to hurt me and I was just too keen on defending myself by hurting him exactly the same way too. I mean what was the use if Yoké didn't want to change his mind? If he had to tell me right now that he would leave Alice and we could get back together, I'd leave Nathan too, without even thinking twice. But he wanted it to be like this. It was all his fault. And I couldn't keep lowering my worth in front of him by begging him all the time. If he wanted it to be this way then he would get it this way. If
Nathan wasn’t in my room. I went down to the TV room and he wasn’t there too. So I went back to my room, grabbed my phone and called him.“I knew you’d show.” He said, as soon as he picked up.“Nathan, where are you?”“I didn’t even make a big deal about it because I knew that you’d show. I didn’t even tell your parents that you were not in your room whole night.”“Thank God.” I let out a sigh of relief.“I guess you where with Dan.” He said. “Even Alice couldn’t find him.”“We were not together –““Come on Gen, you two disappeared at the same time with the same excuse: water in the kitchen. It was pretty obvious. I mean Alice didn’t pick it up because she doesn’t know your history.”
As I did my own work, I couldn’t stop thinking about how Yoké was coping on the opposite side of the floor. From where I was, I could only see a potion of his office. I couldn’t see him. It was now twelve o’clock. Soon it would be lunch time, at one o’clock. At least I would get to see him in the staff room.But then I thought, what if he doesn’t finish the work I gave him? I would then have to do something. I mean I was so serious about him verifying everyone before day end, surely if he doesn’t meet up then there has to be a consequence. Otherwise, what was the commanding for?I saw Rob push the tea tray to Penny’s desk and then stop to talk to her. Penny threw him a couple of not interested expressions. After a while she burst out laughing because of something he said. Rob, satisfied that he had made Penny smile, pushed his tray against the wall, poured some tea in a cup. A few teaspoons of sugar, placed