It’s Saturday, and that meant Angel had free time on her hands to visit Aunt Cathy in Manhattan to return the necklace she had asked for a week earlier. Angel hadn’t had the time to go and see her because of how busy she had been with work. Bob offered to take her, and they left after breakfast. Angel would’ve loved for Carly to come with her to visit their old home, but Carly had already made plans with Leo to spend the day together. Angel knew better than to interfere, so she was to go on her own.
On her way to Manhattan, Angel sat in the back seat of the car as Bob drove. From time to time, she looked out of the window and found the scenery changing little by little as they entered Manhattan. The sense of familiarity came to her, and she couldn’t help but feel a smile play across her face. She still missed the place. It had been her home for many years. She would do anything to find herself back.
Angel directed Bob where to go, and they soon found themselves parked in front of Aunt Cathy’s house. Bob had a few errands to run but promised he would pick Angel up once he had completed them. So immediately, Angel got out of the car, and Bob drove off. Angel watched the car go, and soon her eyes flew across the street to her old home. Angel quickly looked away, knowing well enough not to let her emotions get the better of her.
She studied the street on both ends when she realized a black car stopped a few houses down from where she stood. Angel studied the car for a second, as the engine died and no one in it got out. She couldn’t see who sat in the driver’s seat as the car was a long way off, and the windows were tinted. A funny feeling came over her as she looked elsewhere. Before she could dwell on it any further, the door to Aunt Cathy’s house flew open, and Angel turned to find Aunt Cathy at the door.
“Angel,” said Aunt Cathy as she walked down the steps of the front door and onto the street. The two of them hugged. “It’s nice to see you, dear. Let’s go inside.”
Angel followed Aunt Cathy into the house. She settled in the living room as Aunt Cathy went into the kitchen.
“The house is quiet today,” said Angel as she noticed the silence. “Are the children out today?”
“Yes,” Aunt Cathy replied. “Their father took them out for the day. They will be back in the evening, though. It’s good to see them all happy when they spend time with him.”
“Good for them. It’s nice to have a father who cares.”
Aunt Cathy in the kitchen noticed the tone in Angel’s voice as she set two cups of hot coffee on a tray alongside a plate of cookies. She carried the tray into the living room and set the tray on the coffee table in front of Angel. She took her seat next to Angel on the couch.
“Speaking of fathers,” said Aunt Cathy as she took a cup and handed it to Angel. “Have you spoken to yours yet?”
Angel took the cup from Aunt Cathy. “No,” she replied. “And I don’t plan to.”
Aunty Cathy slowly shook her head. “Has Carly ever asked to meet him?”
“No. I doubt if she would want to.” Angel took a sip of the coffee.
“Well, that’s a bummer. I thought, given a little time, you would want to meet him and talk.”
“I plan to keep things the way they have always been.” Angel didn’t look up at Aunty Cathy as she took a cookie from the plate in front of her. “Let the past stay in the past. I’m afraid if I meet him, it would open up old wounds that took so long to heal.”
Aunt Cathy sighed. Afterwards, she tried to put on a smile. “Okay, then. You seem settled on not meeting him. I won’t bother you about it. I hope.”
Angel looked at her after biting into her cookie. “I finally found the necklace you asked for. Mum had so much jewelry, so it took me a little more time than I thought to find it.”
Angel set her cup down and got her handbag beside her. She put the whole cookie into her mouth as she looked through her bag and removed a necklace with a sapphire stone. She slowly handed it over to Aunt Cathy, who took it with both hands.
“Oh, thank you so much, Angel,” said Aunt Cathy as she smiled at both Angel and the necklace.
“You’re welcome,” said Angel as she took the warm cup of coffee into her hands again. “If there’s anything that’s yours that Mum borrowed, you let me know. If anything, I plan to give away most of her things. I don’t need them.”
“I can help you deliver them to a donation home nearby. They are always in need of things people would like to give away.”
“Great. We’ll make a plan. Before I forget, I wanted to ask you something.”
Aunt Cathy set aside the necklace on the table and picked up her cup. “Yes, what is it?”
“When I was looking through my mother’s things, I came across a pearl necklace I had never seen before. I know Mum wore necklaces, and if it were for special occasions, I knew which ones she would wear. However, I have never seen her wear pearls. Moreover, the necklace looked quite new, actually. I was thinking maybe it could be for someone else instead.”
“A pearl necklace?” Aunt Cathy asked. Angel quickly gave a nod of her head. “Mm. I feel like I’ve heard your mother talk about it once.”
“So it must have been hers, then.”
“Yes, most definitely. If I’m not mistaken, your mother received it a month or two before she died.”
“Did she purchase it?” Angel asked with an eyebrow raised. “It looks like quite an expensive necklace. She couldn’t have bought it, could she?”
Aunt Cathy remained silent for a moment with a certain look upon her face. “No, she couldn’t have,” she said after she cleared her throat. “If I can remember correctly, someone mailed it to her. It was more of a gift, actually.”
“A gift? Did she mention who sent it to her?”
Aunt Cathy turned to look at Angel as a look of realization came on her face. “You’re not going to like this, Angel.”
“What do you mean, Aunt Cathy?” Angel now set her cup down and turned to look at Aunt Cathy. “I just want to know who could have sent it to her.”
Aunt Cathy also put her cup down, looking like she was about to fall sick. She turned to look at Angel. “Your father sent that necklace to her.”
Angel’s eyes grew wide as she couldn’t believe what she heard. “What?”
“Yes, it was him. I remember now. Your mother tried to hide it from me, but it was from him for sure. Maybe I’m wrong. I happened to be at the door when the mailman came around that day. When she took the parcel, it came with a note. She didn’t read it out loud, but she uttered your father’s name. I had asked if he was the one who sent it, but she quickly denied it, saying it was from someone else. She packed the letter and the necklace away and went to put them away in her room. Maybe I must have heard it wrong, but I’m pretty sure she mentioned your father.”
Angel remained silent as her mind continued to work on this new information. This meant a lot of things. She turned to look at Aunt Cathy.
“You might be right,” said Angel. “It must have been from him. If it wasn’t, she would have put the pearls along with her other necklaces. But she hid the necklace in an old shoe box. Carly and I would borrow her necklaces sometimes from her jewelry box. It made sense for her not to put it in there because she knew we would ask questions.”
“That does sound like your mother. She was always a bit secretive about things and her life,” said Aunt Cathy. “But all this means your father has been in New York even before she died. And she knew.”
Angel gulped at the thought. “But what if he was elsewhere and just thought of sending it via mail?”
“If he had, then that mailbox would’ve had many stamps on it and a postmark. If I remember well, it didn’t have any.”
“That means it might have been sent from within.”
The realization of it all fell on Angel’s head like a heavy rock, making her head start to ache. Her father had been in New York even before her mother’s death. And her mother knew. She knew he was here, keeping his distance but in some way still keeping in touch with her mother. How could her mother have kept this from her and Carly? And for how long has her father really been here?
A dead silence fell in the room as the wheels in Angel’s mind continued to spin, trying to put two and two together. In the last few days of her mother’s life, Angel tried recalling if there had been anything off with her mother or if there was something that might have given her a hint that her father was still around. But nothing came to mind. Her mother had hidden this from her daughters quite well. Angel never thought she would ever come across this information as she has. If her mother could keep such information from her, what more could she have been hiding? Angel realized that she didn’t want to know.
Aunt Cathy looked at Angel and knew that Angel was lost in her head. She gently placed her hand on Angel’s shoulder to bring her back down to earth.
“I hope you plan not to do anything rash, dear,” said Aunt Cathy.
“I honestly don’t know what to do,” said Angel. She bit her lower lip, feeling hopeless. “I didn’t expect Mum to hide this from me.”
“I guess it was for your own good. She must have known that you wouldn’t want to meet your father anyway.”
“I guess so.” In the end, Angel shook her head. “But still. He’s been here the whole time. And he didn’t even bother to show up for her funeral. He probably knew about her demise, and when he met you, he pretended to have come by recently.”
“We can’t be too sure about that, dear.”
Angel sighed. “You’re probably right. Maybe we’re just assuming things that aren’t even true.”
“The only way we could know is if you get to talk to your father again.”
Angel threw Aunt Cathy an intense look that made Aunt Cathy regret what she had just said. But Angel’s gaze soon turned soft as she knew she had no right to get mad.
“So what are you going to do?” Aunt Cathy asked. “Would you want to ask him to clear your doubts?”
Angel didn’t know what to think. As much as she didn’t want to talk to her father, her curiosity was eating at her. She really wanted to know if her father had been visiting or had visited her mother once before she died. But a bigger part of her didn’t even want to see him ever again.
“I’ll have to think long and hard about this,” Angel replied. “Carly will have to know about this too.”
Aunt Cathy gave a nod of her head. “You’re right. You must not keep this from her. And whatever decision you will make, I’ll be here to support you.”
Angel smiled at Aunt Cathy, who smiled back at her and squeezed her shoulder to assure Angel of her word. This wasn’t going to be easy for Angel to do, and she didn’t know how Carly would take the news.
***
Carly hummed along happily to the song on the car radio. She chewed on her gum as she sat in the passenger seat. Leo sat in the driver’s seat. He couldn’t help but smile as Carly sang along to the song. Occasionally, he would glance at her, his smile growing ever wider. He would stare at her the whole day if he had to, but he had to keep his eyes on the road. The two of them had decided to spend the weekend together in upstate New York. They had to leave the place quite early before anyone would catch them and ask questions. They can think of a story later. Right now, they needed some alone time with each other, away from the bustling city and prying eyes.
They were heading to Saratoga Springs. A nice, quiet destination, especially for couples, to have some quiet time and talk. If they had had it their way, they would’ve stayed the whole weekend. But they didn’t want to draw suspicion from those back home since they already took a gamble of going out together.
They soon found themselves driving into the main town of Saratoga. The place was serene and peaceful with no skyscrapers and many moving cars and people around. Carly, who hadn’t been in Saratoga before, couldn’t help but comment on how exquisite the place looked. New York City was buzzing and busy. Saratoga was quieter, more charming, and more beautiful.
“This place is so beautiful,” said Carly as she looked out the window. “If I had it in me, I would actually move here.”
Leo chuckled. “Sorry to say this, Carly,” he said, “but you don’t look like the type who would leave the bustling noise of New York.”
Carly looked at Leo and rolled her eyes playfully. “You might be right,” she said. “But it doesn’t hurt to get out of there and go to a place with some peace and less drama. Besides, when we get married, don’t you think moving away from New York would be ideal?”
Leo didn’t expect Carly to talk about marriage so casually. He briefly looked at Carly, who had turned her head to continue looking outside the car at some of the small buildings they passed.
“When we get married?” Leo couldn’t help but ask, raising an eyebrow.
Carly turned to look at Leo. “Did I say something wrong?” she asked.
“Um, no,” he said, his eyes focused on the road. “It’s just that that statement caught me off guard. I know we’re dating and all, but don’t you think it’s a little soon to be talking about marriage?”
Carly laughed. “Come on, Leo. I was joking. Besides. It isn’t wrong to come up with such suggestions, right? Your family doesn’t even know about us, so it’s too soon for us to start talking about marriage. You can rest easy, Leo.”
Leo felt himself cool down a bit. The thought of Carly thinking about marriage was so sudden that he almost felt his heart stop beating at first. He started to wonder why she said that so suddenly. He glanced at her, and she was back to looking out the window. After his marriage with Kim ended, the thought of marriage hadn’t crossed his mind. Right now, he was simply enjoying his time with Carly and getting to know her. But he soon realized in the past two weeks that he barely knew Carly at all. He knew what she liked and disliked, but often times, he felt he didn’t know her intimately enough. Not in a sexual way, but her vulnerable side. They would share stories about themselves, even of when they were young. But Leo never got to know about Carly’s fears, her dreams, her insecurities and needs, among other things. Now that Leo had the time to think about it, he hadn’t been too open and honest about himself with her either. It seems we’ve a lot of work to do in this relationship, he thought.
All of a sudden, he thought of Angel. As much as the two of them have decided to set aside their differences, he felt like he had grown quite familiar with her. He remembered the scenarios when it was just the two of them and chat. Especially that time when she first talked to her about her father. In a way, he found it was much easier to have a sort of sincere conversation with her, though so far, it’s always been her showing off her vulnerability to him. That’s what he hoped for Carly to emulate. It was quite simple for Leo to know what Angel truly cared about with the few interactions they have had: Carly.
Leo soon found himself stopping by the traffic lights with no car in front of him. He might be aware of where he was, but his mind was elsewhere, thinking of Angel. He couldn’t understand why he thought of her. He’s supposed to be focused on Carly and the time they were to spend here together in Saratoga. But why did Angel suddenly flood his thoughts?
“Leo, the light is green,” said Carly, bringing him back from his thoughts.
“Oh, yeah,” said Leo as he stepped on the accelerator and the car took off. He was lucky Carly told him in time before the car behind him started to honk. He took his eyes off the traffic light for a second there.
“Your head seemed elsewhere for a second,” said Carly as she turned to look at him. “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing,” said Leo as he felt his cheeks heat up a little. He simply couldn’t tell Carly that he had been thinking about Angel. That would only make her suspicious, if not mad.
The two of them were to have a picnic at the Saratoga Congress Park. Before leaving New York City, they made sure to pack some food like sandwiches, fruits, water, and other small snacks. They even had the picnic basket and blanket. When they reached the park, they parked the car and entered inside.
Congress Park was a beautiful place, with its lush green lawns. They came across a historic wooden carousel. After a group of children had taken their turn riding it, Leo and Carly also took their turn. They had so much fun riding atop the ponies as they rode alongside each other.
After having fun on the carousel, they went on ahead exploring the park until they came across a lovely pond. They decided to set up their picnic blanket and, not too far from it, under a tree, enjoying the warm sun and the view of the open space of the park all around them.
While they sat and had their lunch, they talked. At times the two of them sat silent for a while, watching a group of ducks waddle through the waters of the pond. Two children, a boy and a girl, watched from a good distance at the ducks as they pointed at them with so much glee. Carly couldn’t help but smile as she watched the two children.
“I miss being a kid sometimes,” she said as she sat next to Leo, who was leaning on his elbows while lying on the blanket. “You don’t ever have to worry about the bigger picture.”
“Until you grow up, you mean,” said Leo as he looked up at Carly.
“Well, yeah. Being a grown-up is great, but at the same time, it comes with more challenges.”
“Are you just saying that because of school, or is there more?”
Carly looked down at Leo. “There’s always more to it.”
Leo now sits upright. “And what could that be?”
Carly wished she never said anything as she bit her lower lip and looked towards the lake. “Well, life gets challenging as we grow older,” she said. “I’ve got to make a lot of decisions as an adult. You know, no parent supervision now that I’m a grown woman. There are some decisions I admit I’m not proud of and that have hurt people, especially my sister.”
“Are you talking about the time you were working as a call girl?” Leo asked, raising an eyebrow.
Carly gave a nod of her head. “I’m afraid that part of me will, in one way or another, hurt us, Leo.”
Leo turned his body fully to look at Carly. “If I can guess right, you must be talking about revealing to everyone about our relationship.”
“Yes.” Carly now looked at Leo. “I know we haven’t been dating long, and I really want the world to know about us if in the future we’re to take our relationship to the next level. As much as this excites me, my past is still an issue. I tend to wonder if your family gets to know about us, how are we going to tell them about how we fell in love? Worse still, if the whole world knows, no doubt my past will sneak its way to the surface. And knowing your mother, she will not accept me when she finds out.”
“You quit all that, and it’s in the past. I know people’s opinions will weigh you down, but with me around, you don’t have to fear anything. I’ll be with you every step of the way. Besides, I won’t be the only one beside you. You will have Eric and your sister.”
Carly chuckled. “And to think my sister never even approved of this relationship in the first place.”
“Yeah, but she showed her support in the end, didn’t she? It clearly shows that you are the one who matters the most. She would do anything to keep you happy and safe. Even if it means accepting me when she clearly didn’t like me at first.”
Carly smiled. “It’s still funny how the two of you resolved your differences. The whole family at some point noticed that there was something off with the two of you.”
“Well, we have one common ground.” Leo playfully pinched Carly’s nose. “You. Your sister worries a lot about you. You do know that, right?”
“Yeah, I know. I bet she’s also worried about the decision we’re going to make if we’re to reveal our relationship to everyone we know. I won’t be the only one facing criticism, especially from your family.”
“Something tells me she already has her heart and mind prepared for it.” Leo watched the ducks as they played around in the water. “She’s a lot stronger than you think.”
Carly studied Leo a little and noticed the look in his eyes. She noticed how he spoke of Angel. It seems he truly had utter respect for her. There was something else too. It seems the two have grown quite close to each other, Carly thought. Then she realized that the look in his eyes was one she had seen before. Back when he and Angel danced together on his birthday. Carly gulped as a sudden thought came to mind. She quickly took hold of Leo’s hand, bringing him out of his thoughts as he turned to look at her.
“So, does this mean we’re going to go through with it?” Carly asked.
Leo looked at Carly for a moment, and the little sparkle in his eyes disappeared upon hearing Carly’s question. He knew he had to pick the right answer here, but he didn’t know which one. Accepting her request would be better. However, like Carly pointed out, there will be heavy criticism, and they have to plan their stories straight if they want people to believe them. Angel had thought of that too. It was going to be tedious for them both, but with enough time to prepare, they could easily pull it off. If he refuses, it means their relationship didn’t matter at all for the moment, making the delay go on even further. That would crush Carly, but at the same time, the delay could work to their advantage. That’s if they agree to keep their secret of their relationship hidden for a little while longer.
Leo took hold of Carly’s hands, brought them together, and kissed her fingers. He looked at her and said, “I agree,” he said. “We can’t keep this relationship hidden. The others are bound to find out in one way or another.”
Carly’s heart swelled, and she couldn’t help but blush at his gesture. A smile came across her face.
“You don’t know how happy that makes me,” said Carly. “We’re going to figure something out. I know we will.”
Carly threw her arms around Leo, and the two of them hugged. As Leo held Carly in his arms, he couldn’t help but feel his heart beat a little faster. He felt uncomfortable all of a sudden, which was odd on his part. He has never felt this way before whenever he hugged Carly. Why was he feeling like this now?
Soon enough, as though watching a scene in a movie where a plan had gone horribly wrong, he could hear the little voice in his head scream in despair.
***
Red Lion walked down the metal staircase to the ground floor below him of his warehouse. Three white trucks with company logos of a fish company stood in waiting. Hugo and Carlos were giving out their last-minute instructions to the drivers and their companions until Hugo released them. As they went to board the trucks, Hugo and Carlos turned to see Red Lion approach them.
“You’re not going to like the news Matilda has for us,” said Red Lion. “The DEA has just added us to their list of suspects.”
Carlos rolled his eyes. “This doesn’t sound good,” he said.
“Indeed, it doesn’t.”
“Does that mean we halt the operations?” Hugo asked, pointing his thumb to the vans behind him.
“Let it be the last shipment for the day,” said Red Lion, shaking his head. “Just make sure to have your people’s ears open if the vans are being tailed or anything.”
Hugo gave a nod of his head and quickly pulled out his phone to send a text message. As soon as he was done, Red Lion gestured with his head for Carlos and Hugo to follow him up to his office.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” said Hugo as he followed Red Lion up the metal stairs, “why did they think of putting us on their list?”
“According to Matilda,” said Red Lion, leading the way, “it’s nothing but a hunch.”
“I’m guessing it has to do with that agent,” said Carlos. “Angela.”
“According to Matilda, they suspect Andre and I were partners.” Red Lion opened the door at the top of the stairs and entered the hall. “And who is better to betray someone than those close to them? Right now, they will start to investigate all cartels that have done business with Andre. It seems right now, we’re on top of that list.”
“Well, that’s what we get for setting his house on fire,” said Hugo. “Shooting him in the head and burying him in the forest would’ve been more ideal.”
“You know bullets weren’t going to kill him that easily,” said Red Lion as he reached the door of his office. “Besides, before we could even ambush him, he would have smelled us from a mile away. Don’t forget the cartels that have tried that in the past and failed. An attack no one sees coming is apparently the best move you can pull off.”
Red Lion opened the door and walked in. Carlos and Hugo followed, with Hugo closing the door behind him.
“But this attack was supposed to have drawn away the DEA’s attention from us,” said Carlos as he walked over to the table where the glass and drinks were. He poured himself a glass of whiskey. “I swear, once I see that Angela, I’ll choke her to death.”
“Now is not the time to throw tantrums, Carlos,” said Red Lion as he sat behind his desk. “The DEA’s attention was bound to turn on us sooner rather than later. That’s why we need to start a rumor.”
Hugo sat down on one of the chairs, facing Red Lion. “Is that why Veronica and the others stayed in Mexico?”
“No. I actually never thought the DEA would suspect us so fast. They are just there for cleanup, and you know that. Already, with that boy, Juan, roaming the streets and picking up some new intel, we’re the least likely suspects. I feel he’ll be key to spreading the rumor. Once the DEA picks that up, it will be easy for Veronica and Archie to set up some clues so that someone else takes the blame.”
“You really have a plan B for everything, don’t you?” Carlos asked.
“No. I’m simply just improvising since Veronica and the others are still in Mexico. We just hope we can turn the tide in our favor.”
“And what about Carly?” Hugo asked. “They haven’t been able to identify her yet, have they?”
“No. They’re still struggling to identify her since you did a tremendous job of keeping her hidden and erasing her from any video cameras in the city. Leaving that partially hidden video feed of her face was a smart one, though. Keeps them from guessing who it could be.”
“And what of our next phase?” Carlos asked. “Carly has had a good grace period, hasn’t she? It’s time to get her out on the playing field.”
“You’re right, but I suggest that we be a little patient. It will happen soon enough. I just hope everything on your end is fine, Carlos. No screw-ups.”
“I have my men surveilling the network. If anything comes up, like a change in the system, they will let me know.”
“Good. I want things to be done swiftly and fast. With our little weapon we stole from Andre, it will be a piece of cake. All we need is for Carly to do her part.”
Carlos had a goofy smile on his face as he took a sip of his whiskey. Hugo gave a curt nod, agreeing with his boss. Red Lion could only smile. As he leaned back in his seat, he hoped everything would go according to plan.
***
Angel and Eric sat outside on the patio enjoying the cool night air. They had simply been talking about how their day went. Eric had to take Oliver to the dentist since he had been complaining about a toothache lately. They had scheduled an appointment for the weekend, but they had stayed at the dentist longer than expected. Angel also shared how her day went. She couldn’t help but mention what she had recently discovered about her father and the pearl necklace. It shocked Eric that his jaw dropped.
“What a twist,” he said. “I bet you didn’t expect to hear such, did you?”
“No, I really didn’t,” said Angel. “At the end of it all, I’m not sure if he sent it while he was here in New York or if he was elsewhere.”
“And knowing the answer to that determines everything, does it?”
Angel turned to look at Eric. “In a way, yes.” Angel closed her eyes in frustration. “Just the thought that he was here for so long and I didn’t know about it is eating me in a way that I can’t describe. Moreover, the fact that my mother knew feels like betrayal. If he knew about my mother’s funeral, why wait so long to reveal himself that he has been around?”
“Maybe it’s because he knew you weren’t going to want to see him. Maybe after a few months of sitting and thinking about it, he finally thought it was time to make an appearance.”
Angel scoffed as she opened her eyes. “Well, he hasn’t made such an appealing appearance, now, has he?”
Eric shook his head. “So, what are you going to do? Knowing you, you wouldn’t want to meet him.”
“No. And I plan to keep it that way.” Angel folded her arms.
“But at the same time, all this is eating you up inside. The only way you’re going to make that go away is if you ask him.”
Angel sighed. “I can live with it. I’ll try to shove it down if I have to.”
Eric raised an eyebrow at her. “You’re scaring me, Angel,” he said. “No matter what you do, this isn’t going to go away that easily. You’re going to hate me for saying this, but you’re going to have to talk to the man.”
Angel looked dumbfounded by the suggestion. “What? You want me to talk to that man after what he did? No way.”
“Fine, Angel. He isn’t the best of fathers, I get it. I also never knew my father growing up, but that was a long time ago, and he died anyway. But you need closure. You need to know whether, while your mother was still alive, he was around or not. If he was or wasn’t, it won’t hide the fact that he’s the most crappy father on earth.”
Angel’s demeanor changed, and she couldn’t help but laugh a little. Eric knew what he said was serious, but it made him smile that Angel was able to laugh through it all.
“I get your point, Eric,” said Angel as soon as she stopped laughing. “If I do this, if I see him, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“Hey.” Eric took hold of Angel’s hand on her lap. “If you decide to do so, let me know. I want to be there when you face him.”
Angel smiled. “Thanks. I’ll have to think about it, though. You’re right. The only way I’m going to settle down is with closure.” Angel turned to look off in the distance. “I just wish my mother had trusted me enough to tell me about his whereabouts. And that necklace.”
“The way I see it, she was just trying to protect you. Are you going to tell Carly?” Eric couldn’t help but gently stroke Angel’s hand with his thumb as he held it.
Angel turned to look at Eric. “Well, I have to,” she said. “She deserves to know as much.”
“Those two have been away for almost the whole day,” said Eric as he looked up at the dark evening sky. “Do they really need that much time alone?”
Angel scoffed. “Well, they do. I’m guessing they also have that other issue to work on.”
Angel and Eric shared a look, knowing what she meant. They had to be careful not to voice it out in fear that anyone might be listening.
“Do you think they will do it?” Eric asked.
Angel shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. I just hope that if they do decide to take the risk, then it will have to happen sooner rather than later. And they would need a good backstory. Trust me, the original is already as messed up as it sounds.”
Eric chuckled. “Tell me about it. Truth be told, this wasn’t going to be kept a secret forever. In one way or another, it was going to reveal itself. Maybe not in a good way. But right now—if they do take the chance—they have a good chance to alter the story as they see fit.”
“Yeah, but it’s going to be tricky. And it might come with complications.”
“We better be on the lookout then, because Aunt Bertha will not be happy.”
“Definitely.”
The two of them couldn’t help but laugh. Eric slowly stopped laughing as he looked at Angel, who continued to laugh. There was no denying that her laughter made him smile even more. He looked down at his hand that still held Angel’s on her lap. I wonder if she could feel how much I care about her, he thought to himself.
“Eric?”
Eric quickly looked up at Angel, who was looking at him. He suddenly blushed at the way she looked at him curiously. He started to wish he hadn’t zoned off just now.
“Hey, are you okay?” Angel asked.
“Um…, yeah. I just got distracted,” he said.
“With what?”
“You’re going to laugh if I tell you.” Eric cast his eyes downward.
Angel raised an eyebrow as a smile played across her face. “The longer you don’t tell me, the more I’ll think it’s something funny. So spill it.”
Eric looked at Angel and braced himself for what he was about to say. This felt like the hardest thing he had to do.
“I was thinking about how happy you make me feel when I’m around you,” he said. “And I only hope you feel the same way too, because I really like you, Angel.”
Angel’s heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks slowly started to heat up upon hearing those words. It was then that she could feel how Eric gently held her hand. At first, she thought that he only did that to comfort her. Now, he realized that it was more than that. He cared about her more than an ordinary friend would. The thought of it made Angel’s heart beat even quicker. She didn’t know what to say next as she felt tongue-tied.
Eric smiled as he noticed the sudden look on Angel’s face. His hand around hers gently squeezed. “You’ve no idea how much I’ve always wanted you to know that,” he said.
“Eric…, I…” Angel didn’t know what to say next. Her heart beat even quicker. When Eric drew himself closer, she couldn’t breathe as her face heated up even more.
“You don’t have to say anything, Angel,” Eric whispered as he came even closer. “You need time to process this. I don’t blame you. I just wanted you to know that I truly have feelings for you.”
Angel’s face was now a furnace, and she simply couldn’t move at all as Eric quickly planted a kiss on her cheek. Angel could feel the spot where Eric planted his kiss heat up ten times more than her whole face. She felt her mind wander around for a moment as she didn’t know what to make out of anything. Right now, it was just her and Eric. Eric drew away from her a bit as he smiled at her.
Feeling like she needed to catch a breath, Angel quickly looked the other way, her face still feeling red-hot, and the spot where Eric’s lip touched her cheek had suddenly felt like a sizzling sting, but the good kind. She now started to wonder how she felt, but right now, her mind couldn’t make out anything. Is it that all this time she has had feelings for Eric and she never knew it?
“I hope I haven’t offended you in any way,” said Eric as he watched Angel, her face still facing the other way.
“No, no, you haven’t,” said Angel as she quickly turned to face him. “It’s just that you really caught me off guard.”
“I know. But I don’t regret telling you this. I’m not ashamed to admit how I feel.”
Angel wished she could tell Eric that she had known all this time about his feelings, but she couldn’t. His kiss was something she didn’t expect, and now she started to wonder if she truly had the same feelings for him.
“Eric, I—”
Before Angel could say anything, Mandy appeared on the patio announcing that supper was ready. She quickly went inside, spoiling the whole moment. Angel really wanted to tell Eric how she felt, but it seems Mandy’s interruption came at the nick of time. She soon realized she didn’t know what she was going to say.
Eric stood up from his seat. “We can talk about this later,” he said. He held out his hand to Angel. “Let’s go.”
Angel took hold of his hand and stood up from her seat. The two of them shared a look. Angel felt shy as she looked downward. Eric stood aside for her to walk by him first, which she did. She entered the house with Eric following behind her.
Just as the two of them entered the kitchen and into the hall, they saw Mandy in the foyer heading for the door. At that moment, Diana and Mrs. McDonell were coming down the stairs, stuck in a juicy conversation. Amanda appeared down the other end of the hall with Mr. McDonell pushing her wheelchair. Immediately Mandy opened the door, and Carly and Leo stepped in, carrying with them paper bags with what looked to be groceries. They were also engaged in conversation as they entered the foyer, laughing. Everyone else paused, looking at the two of them.
“Leo, Carly,” said Mrs. McDonell as she reached the bottom of the stairs before Diana. “You two were out the whole day. Where have you been?”
“Hi, Mum,” said Leo as Mandy took the grocery bags from him and Carly. “We had actually gone to watch a Broadway show. Carly wanted to go with a friend, but she couldn’t make it. So, she invited me instead. Then we went to watch a baseball game. It was all fun and games after that.”
“Oh, you guys looked like you had fun.” Mrs. McDonell at least put up a smile.
“Yeah, we did,” said Carly as she smiled with a sheepish grin.
As Mandy bypassed Angel and Eric to head to the kitchen, Angel couldn’t help but study Carly and Leo. The two of them stood close together as they smiled. All the emotions running through her from Eric’s kiss dissipated like a hot iron that had just been submerged in icy cold water.
Amanda cleared her throat loudly. “Well, you two came just in time,” she said. “It’s time for supper.”
“Great,” said Leo. “Let’s go eat.”
Mrs. McDonell and Diana lead the way first into the living room. Just as Leo and Carly were also making their way, a sudden realization dawned on Angel as she watched them. She also started to make her way into the living room, but her eyes never left her sister or Leo. The way they continued to laugh and talk about their day and the way they walked side by side made everything seem so obvious to Angel.
They are going to go through with it after all, she concluded.
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