FACADE

Chapter 37:

   The holiday home was a simple duplex that looked like the rest on the street, since it was an estate, the buildings were built in the same fashion. The exterior was very simple, and I wasn't surprised since my parents had never liked showing off. As soon as I unpacked my luggage in my room, I was called down by one of the entourage of housemaids my dad just hired and I used the excuse of being travel sick to avoid going downstairs.

   The truth was, in fact I was just finding somewhere to keep my diary. I have never been a fan of crowds and I didn't trust the butler and about ten maids either so I preferred to be at ease with where it was hidden beford leaving the room.

  I searched cluelessly for another hour and finally decided to tear open my pillow and hide it inside, before covering it with two pillowcases.

    When I was done, I entered the bathroom and used the shower, I was in the middle of dressing up when I heard a knock on my door.

   Usually it was me, my mom and dad, junior and Kara in the house but now that we had a lot of maids, I cautiously asked who it was as I slipped into one of my sweatshirts after putting on my bra.

   “It's me, Kara” I heard the familiar voice of our nanny and heaved a sigh of relief. I opened the door to let her in when I saw that she had came upstairs to deliver my food.

  I was pleased that my parents could sense my uneasiness around the others that they specifically had Kara bring up my food.

  “You can drop it there” I pointed to the nightstand beside the bed and went ahead with drying my hair.

   Hearing the door shut, I finally tied my hair to a bun and picked up my phone, before opening the blinds. I took my time to admire my room, wooden tiles, a study table, and a sliding door that lead to the balcony where I can watch the hustling and bustling of the city. Just perfect.

    My stomach was grumbling by the time I was done looking around and managed to eat part of my lunch. I lost appetite in the middle and stopped eating. I felt dizzy and my head felt light, probably due to the long distance travel so I lied on the bed to get some rest.

   It was already morning when I woke up and thankfully, I had tied my hair up to a pony so it wasn't all messy. I looked over at where my food was and saw nothing then realized Kara must have probably came back to the room while I was asleep.

   Groggily getting off bed, I headed for the balcony as the view from my bedside looked exhilarating and I wanted to take a closer look. The chilly winter wind blew through the trees and even the streets was covered in snow. But that wasn't all, the snow just added to the beauty and ambiance of the tree.

  Unfortunately, there was a house right beside ours and I wasn't able to take a good look at the whole scenery. Screech. I heard the sound of a sliding door being opened and I looked towards the other house.

    That I was surprised should be considered an understatement as I kept staring. The other person seemed to have noticed my eyes on him as he looked around. I was met with a top less Matt.

    He waved as soon as he sighted me, flashing me his clean set of teeth and I quickly palmed my face. I didn't believe in coincidences and I strongly believed that he had followed me here.

   One is because only my parents would think of having an holiday in a very secretive place. Two is, it was impossible that our thoughts were in sync. But how did he know I was here?

  'At least you have someone you are familiar with' my mind tried to console but my heart refused to agree. I wasn't happy. No I wasn't.

    Such a good intention of enjoying the early morning scenery was ruined by Matt...

....
   I remembered that I hadn't gone downstairs since we arrived and my parents must be probably worried, so after brushing my teeth, I headed downstairs.

  I was surprised when I saw my dad dressed in his office attire. Funny how I thought we were here mainly for an holiday.

   “Ooh cather dear, something important came up in work and we have to go. Sorry we can't accompany you much, we would be back in time for Christmas” My dad explained as usual and I nodded in understanding as they left after a goodbye peck to Junior and I.

   “Why do I feel like mommy and daddy are trying to flake out on us?” Junior tried to whisper in my ear but it was unfortunate that his height couldn't reach mine. Pitying him, I whispered back.

   “No, I don't think so.” Even though that was what I also thought. I saw no point being in a foreign land if they were not going to be there and I was starting to suspect this holidays of theirs.

  It looks like it is just a cover up for something. After finishing breakfast, I went out for a jog, half hoping to see Matt on the way.

  I slipped into my gym wear and and with the right music on, I headed down the streets. After running a few laps and not seeing Matt, I thought he wasn't going to come so i decided to stop by a bench on the roadside to rest and have some water.

   I finished half the water in my bottle in a big gulps and was about standing up when I heard someone clear his throat. I had long since heard footsteps and was sure the person was trying to be sneaky but who else would it have been if not Matt? My lios curved to a smile when I was proven right and shook my head.

   “Who else would it be if not you. Tell me you followed me here didn't ya?” I asked the question that was on my mind and he smiled, leisurely taking a seat beside me.

   “What if I did? What if I didn't? The reason doesn't matter as long as I am currently having a good time.”

   He was very good with arguments and sometimes his reasoning was out of the book. Seeing that there was no point in bickering with him, I stuck out my tongue but was still in no hurry to leave.

  For someone who hates staying in the midst of crowd, I would rather speak to this Matt who only knows to spout nonsense than to put up with a house filled with strangers.

   I remembered that I had an embarrassing picture of him and I stared at him, comparing both looks in my mind. I couldn't help but burst into laughter and I unlocked my phone to show it to him.

    “So will you tell me why you came now or I'll have this on every social media platform. That time, even the girls that used to fawn over you wouldn't even want to see your face anymore.”

   Surely enough, his face turned red in embarrassment and he 'tried' to snatch the phone from my hand but to no avail so he finally gave in.

   “OK fine you win this time. But you have to promise to delete this and every other copies you have.”

  I mulled over it and thought since I already had it imprinted in my mind, I need not to keep it on my phone so I nodded.