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| SEASON OF LOVE |
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Monday.
19 November 2018.
Los Angeles, California.
"Happy birthday Hopieee!" Both Dwayne and his son, Riley, sang out into the phone early that morning. She woke up to many text messages from family, friends, and colleagues, but Dwayne was the first one to actually call her that morning.
"Awww, thank you guys," she stuck her bottom lip out in a sort of pout. Usually she would refute the name Dwayne had called her, claiming that her nickname doesn't need another nickname, but she let it slide because after all, it is her birthday.
"I'm surprised you guys are awake so early on a Monday morning. I thought school was out this week?"
"School is out," Riley answered her. "It's Thanksgiving break."
"Then why are you up? It's not even 9am there. What, lil kids don't sleep in anymore?"
"Riley always wakes up early. But it's not even 6am for you," Dwayne pointed out. "What are you doing up so early? I wasn't even sure you'd answer."
"I barely slept last night," Hope admitted.
"Why not?"
"My photoshoot and interview with Beautifiqué Magazine is today. I'm kinda nervous."
"Nervous? Hope, you know the camera loves you," Dwayne reminded her. "And you love the camera. You've yet to take one bad picture. There's nothing to be nervous about."
"I know you'll do great Aunty!" She could hear Riley's voice in the background, but he sounded far from the phone like he was walking away.
"Aww, tell Riley I said thank you and that I miss him."
"He's already gone, and I'm not yelling cause I don't wanna wake up-"
He suddenly stopped speaking in the middle of his sentence.
"Noelle," Hope finished for him. "You don't wanna wake up Noelle."
"Yeah... Sorry cuz."
"For what? You can say her name. I don't know why you're always being so weird about it."
"So you really don't think it's weird that she's been staying here with me."
"Oh, no. I definitely think it's weird, but for many other reasons. Starting with the fact that my mom says people around town think you two are secretly dating/having an affair."
"Where the hell they get that idea?" Dwayne almost sounded disgusted through the phone speaker. He loves Noelle, but he'll never love her like that.
"Because she's a newly single woman currently living with a single man. Y'all even go grocery shopping together with Riley like you're one big happy family. You know people like to talk. That's exactly why I had to get the hell up outta Riverlin. They be in each other's business too damn much."
"Well, I'm glad one of us could make it out. Some of us weren't so fortunate."
"I'm sorry Dwayne-"
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Season Of Love (gxg) | ✍︎︎
RomanceWorld famous fashion model, Hope Turner, decides to return to her hometown for the first time in five years to spend Christmas with her family. It's not that she hasn't wanted to go home and be around her family, she's just been busy with work. And...
