𝓢𝓸𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓪𝓻𝔂 𝓢𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓷𝓪𝓭𝓮

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓

It was already dark as we made our way back home, strolling along the streets. As we approached our house, Alec finally broke the silence. "I've been curious for a while now. Why did we walk instead of driving to the town?" he questioned, his voice laced with intrigue. I furrowed my brows in confusion.

"You have a car?" I asked, genuinely surprised. Alec chuckled and pointed behind me towards the parking lot. "It's right there," he said.

"This is your car?!" I exclaimed, half-screaming in disbelief. "Why didn't you mention it earlier?" I groaned, feeling a mix of exhaustion and exasperation.

Alec laughed heartily. "I don't know, you start walking confidently so I just follow your lead," he replied with a playful grin. I stared at him incredulously, unable to comprehend his absurd reasoning.

"Earth must be so thankful to me then," I mused sarcastically and rolled my eyes at my own silliness.

Suddenly, Alec leaned forward, bringing himself to my eye level, his gaze locking with mine.

He spoke sincerely, "Thank you, Miss Tour Guide. I really enjoyed our tour today." He gently patted the top of my head. "Let's ride in the car next time, okay?" With that, he walked towards his house and called out a cheerful "Goodnight." I couldn't help but smile as he waved his hand in the air.

I discreetly omitted the "next time" part, as I wasn't certain when or if we would go out together again. Hastily, I made my way towards my house, the darkness of the night enveloping me as it was already past 10 pm. Once inside, I promptly took a refreshing shower and prepared myself for bed. Just as I was about to settle in, my phone began to ring, and a smile illuminated my face as I saw the name displayed on the screen. Eagerly, I answered the call, greeted by the sweet voice of my boyfriend.

"Hey, babe! Are you done with work?" I responded joyfully, thrilled that he had taken the time to reach out to me despite his busy schedule with college and work.

"Yes, I was so tired," he responded wearily. My heart felt a pang of sadness for his exhausting situation. He was juggling work and studying at a college in a different town, and our relationship had become long-distance as a result. Even during the semester break, he had to continue working.

"You're still up for the reunion, right?" I asked, hoping he would be able to join me as I planned to introduce him to my high school best friend. We hadn't had the chance to meet each other's friends yet, as our relationship had only started toward the end of our final high school semester. And it is almost a final year in college now, time flies.

"I'll do my best to make time for that," he replied, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his tone. I brushed it off, knowing he always tried to keep his promises. "Let's have a little date when you're here too," I added cheerfully.

"Of course, of course. Babe, I have to go. See you this Sunday," he abruptly ended the call before I could even say goodbye. He seemed a bit off, but I attributed it to his tiredness from work.

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Days passed by without anything out of the ordinary. It was Saturday when Ava called me to meet up for coffee by the river. I got ready for our date, putting on my floral white dress. Hearing a honk outside, I grabbed my long brown jacket as the late autumn chill already set in and hurried downstairs.

I saw Ava waving to me from her car and quickly hopped in. We let out excited screams, a touch of drama in our voices. "Ava! How have you been? How are you?" I exclaimed, reaching in for a hug. It had been a while since we last saw each other, as she had been busy with her internship. She graduated earlier than me, so her schedule had been packed.

"I'm a busy person, now, Skye," Ava said dramatically, playfully flipping her hair. "But I've missed you so much."

We drove to the nearest café and made our way to the riverbank. Taking a leisurely stroll, we eventually settled on a bench shaded by a large tree. Ava turned to me and asked, "So, how's everything? Are we still on for tomorrow?" I nodded and replied, "Yes, I can't wait to introduce 'the someone' to all of you," using air quotes to emphasize the phrase.

Ava chuckled and said, "Ah, the mysterious guy. I'm curious to see what he looks like. Why did you hide him from us, your best friend?" Her curiosity was evident in her tone.

I gazed at the tranquil river, contemplating the real reason behind my actions. After all, Ava was the closest person to me in our group of friends, I should have at least to her. Perhaps it was the fact that this was my first relationship, and I wasn't certain if it would last. I didn't want to parade him around, only to face a breakup in the end.

Ava eagerly awaited my response, and with a playful tone, I replied, "You know, just for fun, I guess?" I chuckled lightly, deliberately evading the real answer. I didn't want to delve into the true reasons with Ava, preferring to keep them to myself for now.

I decided to change the topic and asked Ava, "Have you ever hiked those mountains?" I gestured towards the distant peaks, prompting her to follow my gaze. She responded, "You mean those massive mountains?" I nodded, taking a sip of my coffee.

"Yeah, I've hiked about half of it, but that was a long time ago. Why? Are you suddenly into hiking these days?" Ava asked sarcastically, knowing me all too well. She understood that I didn't typically engage in physically demanding activities willingly.

"Nah, someone actually invited me to hike those mountains together," I replied, taking another sip of my coffee. The chilling breeze from the nearby river sent a shiver down my spine, almost freezing me in place.

"What? Why would someone invite you?" Ava burst into laughter, aware of my aversion to such activities. She then probed further, "Is it a guy?"

I squinted my eyes and glared at her, trying to defend myself. "Why not? I could enjoy it if I gave it a try," I retorted.

"It's my neighbor." I simply answered, revealing the identity of the person who had extended the invitation.

"Mrs. Kadin, not in the possible way?" Ava's eyes widen.

I chuckled lightly, imagining the idea of Mrs. Kadin inviting me to go hiking. "No, definitely not Mrs. Kadin. I can't picture her asking me that," I said with a grin before turning a serious face again.

"It's actually her son."

"Her son? Wouldn't he be about around 60 then," Ava wore an uneasy expression. 

"Maybe one of them would, but this one is the youngest of Kadin's family. My dad used to be friends with him." I replied hoping that would at least alleviate her unease.

Ava's curiosity deepened as she inquired further about the age of Mrs. Kadin's son. "Is he younger than your dad, or are they around the same age? Because if they're the same age, this situation would be even more weird," she remarked, her tone filled with intrigue.

I paused for a moment, considering her question, "I still don't know his real age, but he's definitely younger than my dad," I replied, hoping to clarify the situation. "They were friends from their younger days."

Ava was silent for a moment and suddenly clicked her tongue and continued, "Nah, Skye. Whether he's 60 or not. Just go if you want to. You should start to exercise by now," with a mischievous grin, she pinched my tummy before swiftly getting up and running away, laughing hysterically.

My jaw dropped in disbelief at her audacity. "How dare you?!" I exclaimed, standing up and giving a chase, determined to catch up with her.