Twice The Trouble Book 2 of 2: Twice The Love

Chapter 63: Date Night

Sophia

November 25, 2017.

It was a beautiful Saturday morning. The sun shone brightly against the clear blue sky and the cold breeze indicated the upcoming holiday season of December in just a few days' time.

Hell week was also next week, I thought with a pang of nervousness. And I knew I should start reading up on my tedious notes and agonizingly long handouts, what with Finals looming dangerously close in the horizon, but I still had some time to spare before I really needed to jam the lessons into my brain.

And that's why I enlisted the help of Noah Torres and Jeremiah "Jerry" Ignacio for this specific mission: to learn about the world of business.

Not only were Jerry and Noah business administration majors, but they were also Lucas's closest friends and classmates since childhood. If anyone could assist me with this matter, it was them.

I let them choose our meet-up venue: The Grotto.

A grotto was a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or liable to flood at high tide. Sometimes, artificial grottoes are used as garden features.

True to its name,when I arrived at The Grotto, I was stunned and astonished by the sight of a massive, real-life cavern located near an endless body of water.It felt like I was a character in Tarzan or George of the Jungle. It was my first time here and I was glad to have heeded Noah and Jerry's advice to dress lightly: I wore my long brown hair up in a bouncy ponytail, and my outfit consisted of a crisp white shirt, thin green blazer, denim shorts, and sturdy rubber shoes.

A gust of chilly wind flew past my bare legs, making me shiver a little. Despite the warm sun, the chirping birds, and the cloudless sky, the abundance of tall, old trees provided too much fresh air and habitat for multiple breeds of birds and wildlife animals.

It had taken me two hours to commute here, and when I entered The Grotto, another tide of awe and amazement washed over me. The skylight stretched for miles over the roof of the cavern, the checkered pattern of the window making rays and beams of sunshine shoot down and into the generous body of water, much to the happiness and comfort of the other people in the cave.

The morning crowd was composed mostly of teenagers who I assumed were still in high school. They and other twenty-something people merrily sat at the wooden benches and tables, basking in the warm glow of the sunlight while everyone else stripped down to swimsuits and board shorts before they plunged into the water which I guessed reached up to four or five feet.

But as I kicked off my sneakers and dipped my bare feet into the blue, shimmering pool that sparkled like crystals, I squealed in shock at how cold the water felt around my ankles and my legs! The more I waded, the deeper it got. I realized it was at least five feet deep, and after a few minutes of trying to control my chattering teeth and shoulders, I was able to tolerate the freezing temperature.

"W-Why T-The G-Grotto?" I stuttered when I got close enough to Noah and Jerry's table. The two fellow nineteen-year-olds wore similar outfits to mine: shirt, shorts, blazer, and bare feet.

Jerry bit the inside of his cheeks, puffing them up in a futile attempt to stop laughing out loud. Noah smiled at me and helped me climb up the rocky path to their table. Once I was seated across them, with Jerry's body still vibrating with humor, Noah looked at me, the friendly smile still painted on his innocent face.

"We were planning to come here anyway," he told me. "We just kept procrastinating, and when you rang us up for help, we grabbed the opportunity, and so here we are." He surveyed the majestic, energetic environment in satisfaction.