Roman’s gaze involuntarily drifted to her lips, and sothing shifted in his expression, his curiosity suddenly stirred. They had never been this close before, and for a fleeting mont, she felt like a woman in his eyes.
Slowly, he raised his hand toward her face, but just as he moved, Michelle appeared and exclaid, "Oh! You both are here!" Giggling like an excited child as she approached them.
Startled, Patricia’s brows furrowed, and she instinctively pulled back, putting distance between herself and Roman. He, too, lowered his hand and turned away from her.
"I guess you both couldn’t sleep either," Michelle said as she reached them and plopped down between the two, glancing back and forth.
Sensing the awkwardness that lingered after the mont they had just shared, Patricia cleared her throat and stood. "I am feeling sleepy now. I will head in first," she said quickly, already walking away before either of them could respond.
Back in her room, she locked the door and slid to the ground, resting against it as she silently scolded herself for her lewd thoughts. It wasn’t the first ti, and she feared it wouldn’t be the last, not unless she kept her distance from him.
With a sigh, she rose and made her way toward the bed, but just then her phone beeped. Changing direction, she walked over to the desk and picked it up. It was a ssage from Zara. She opened the chat.
’Let’s go out this weekend. Co and watch a ballet show with , it will be fun.’
Patricia blinked. Suspicion crept in. Zara? A ballet show? That didn’t sound like her at all. Zara hated peaceful, slow-paced events because they didn’t excite her. She preferred wild parties or adrenaline-fueled outings, anything that stirred her rather than soothed her. Could soone have hacked her phone?
’Tell sothing about only I would know,’ she typed after a mont’s thought, hoping her instincts were wrong.
’Ughh! You dramatic bitch. Fine. I knew you were secretly crushing on that senior who dropped out when we were in second year of middle school.’
Patricia’s face turned red, not from embarrassnt, but from pure shock. She had been sure no one knew about that crush. Back then, she and Zara weren’t even close, just casual friends. Even then, she only stalked that senior through his socials. Glancing at him was nearly impossible because she only saw him after or before classes when everyone was outside. So how?
’How did you know?’ She texted back.
’We might not have been best friends yet, but I noticed you all the ti. You were too cute to ignore,’ Zara replied, adding a cheeky emoji at the end.
Patricia smiled, montarily forgetting how sharp her best friend could be. Of course it was Zara, queen of romance and an expert in love. Nothing slipped past her.
’Point of correction, I only admired him. I was never crushing on him,’ Patricia texted back, though deep down, she knew that wasn’t entirely true.
’Anything you say. So? What’s it going to be? I will co pick you up,’ Zara replied.
’Fine. Just one hour, then we leave. I have a lot of research and work to do,’ Patricia finally agreed. The rest of their conversation drifted to casual chatter and the upcoming eting with their potential investor.
...
That weekend
On Saturday morning, Patricia got ready for her outing with Zara. Once she was done, she stepped outside to wait.
As she stood near the gate, it opened and a car pulled out. Recognizing it was Roman’s, she didn’t pay much attention and glanced away.
Suddenly, the car ca to a stop, and the back seat window rolled down, revealing Michelle beaming at her.
"Where are you headed, Pat? We can give you a ride," Michelle offered cheerfully. It was then Patricia noticed Roman at the other side, focused on his phone.
"No, my friend is coming to pick up. There’s no need," she replied politely, returning the smile.
"Oh, have fun with your friend then," Michelle said. But just before she turned away, Patricia thought she caught a flash of sothing else in her expression, sothing sharp, almost hateful. Was she imagining it? Michelle had been kind to her ever since she started living in this house. Why would she suddenly seem hostile?
Not long after Roman’s car drove off, Zara pulled up, apologizing for the delay and explaining what had held her up. They got in and drove to their destination.
Patricia’s anxiety spiked when they arrived. The parking lot was packed, cars lined up everywhere. Her heart thudded in her chest. Why were there so many people here? And what was Zara, of all people, doing at an event like this? It didn’t make sense. She wasn’t sure she could handle a crowd this large.
Seeing the color drain from Patricia’s face, Zara unbuckled her seatbelt and said reassuringly, "Don’t worry, he...I an, you will be well protected." She quickly corrected herself, but Patricia caught it.
Her frown deepened. "Is there sothing you need to tell ?" She asked, unable to ignore the signs any longer. Zara froze, her gaze suddenly evasive as she looked everywhere but at Patricia.
With a nervous chuckle, Zara replied, "What do you an? We are just here for a great show. Let’s go," and she quickly stepped out of the car.
Patricia took a deep breath and followed. Together, they walked toward the hall entrance.
Just as they reached it, Zara suddenly stopped in front of a man. Patricia’s steps faltered and then her eyes widened when she saw who it was.
"You?!" She gasped, the uneasy feeling in her chest suddenly making sense.
"I had no choice," the man replied.
It was Syres.
Patricia’s mood plumted. Her chest tightened with anger as her gaze snapped to Zara, who now looked everywhere but at her, feigning ignorance. Of course, it was a trap. Zara wouldn’t attend a ballet show in a thousand lifetis.
She should have known.
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