When I woke up next morning, my whole body felt like it was run over by a truck. I looked around and found myself sleeping against the closet door in a very uncomfortable position.

Last night, when Evan walked out of the room, I couldn't help but burst into tears. I didn't want anyone to see me cry so I locked myself inside the closet. Everything came running to me and I sobbed hard. Somewhere between the crying, I fell into the comforting embrace of sleep.

My whole body ached as I stood up and dragged myself to the mirror. My hair was a mess and my cheeks were stained with tears. My bloodshot eyes were enough proof that I spent the night crying. Not wanting anyone to see me like that, I hopped into the shower. The warm water washed away the aftereffects of last night and when I came out fully dressed, I felt better.

Slipping into sandals, I made my way to the dining room where everybody was already sitting. I walked behind Cara and leaned down to kiss her cheeks. "Good morning everyone," I said and then sat down, ignoring Evan's hard gaze on me.

"I'm done," Cara said.

"Cara, finish your egg." I said, pointing towards her plate.

"But it is yucky," she said, contorting her nose over the runny yolk.

"Cara, don't you want to grow up fast?" I asked and she nodded. "Then finish it." Nodding, she ate the rest of her egg and I poured some oatmeal for me. For a brief moment, my eyes darted to Evan and I found him staring at me.

"Scarlet, I was planning on going out with some old friends." Nate said to me.

"Oh, good luck." I smiled.

He chuckled before adding, "I was actually asking would you like to join me?"

"No, she won't." Evan answered for me and I cast an annoyed glance towards him. "We are going on a dinner date tonight." My eyebrows furrowed at this because last I knew, I was free tonight.

"Okay. We will hang out some other time." Nate said and I passed him a brief smile, suppressing the anger swirling inside me.

After Evan's breakfast ended, he stood up to leave. "Come on, I'll drop you to the bakery." he said to me.

"No thanks, I will manage with Liam." I replied in a low voice.

"Scarlet, I am going to that area to meet someone. I'll drop you. Let's go." he said and I found Nate observing us with interest. If I refused, he would figure out that something was wrong between us.

"Okay," I said and walked past him to the room to take my handbag and mobile. When I returned, he was already waiting for me in the hallway.

"Are you angry with me?" he asked when we were away from the dining room and nobody could hear us.

"No," I said dryly without looking at him.

"Are you sure?" he asked while walking beside me.

"Yes." I said.

We reached the car and he opened the door for me. Once I slipped inside, he followed me and his sharp scent dominated the inside of the car.

"So about tonight. Are we really going on dinner or are you planning to abandon me once we are out of Nate's sight?" I said and although I didn't want to, my tone sounded harsh.

"So you are angry." he whispered under his breath and I rolled my eyes. "Yes, it's a dinner."

"Great." I gritted sourly, still looking out through the window glass.

The rest of the ride went silently. Once the driver stopped the car in front of Biscotti, I stepped out of the car and walked into the bakery. Liam was already there, dealing with one of our regular customers.

"Thank you for coming, Mrs. Gérard," I greeted the customer on her way out. I shifted my eyes to Liam who looked particularly happy today. "What's up with you?" I asked.

"Nothing." he tried to hide the blush on his cheeks.

"Wait, you were with Helena last night. Weren't you?" I remembered him telling me that she had invited him for movies to her house.

"Yes," he said and his blush deepened.

I assessed his face with calculative eyes and finally reached the conclusion. "Did you sleep with her?" I shouted in surprise.

"Ssshhhh," he said, putting her hand on my mouth. "Yes, but don't shout at least."

"Aww. My friend isn't a virgin anymore." I cooed him and he glowered at me.

"I wasn't a virgin. Remember my girlfriend in cooking school?" he reminded me and I nodded, remembering that redhead he dated in college.

"Still, it's a shock." I said. Helena and Liam were too different from each other. She looked like she was straight out of a fashion magazine and Liam, although extremely cute was ordinary like me. That's why we were best friends; we belonged to same background, we looked alike and we both had same kind of insecurities.

"What should I do now? Should I call her?" he asked.

"Yes..." I said. "No.... Wait. I wish I knew the protocol of calling someone after sleeping with them." I sighed.

"You should wait at least two days before calling her... Or him. Whatever you are into." It was someone else who said. I averted my eyes to the entrance where Nate was standing, with Cara beside him. "She wanted me to drop her to your bakery. Geena gave me the address." he told me.

"Oh," I said and smiled at Cara who came rushing towards me. I picked her up and sat her down on the counter in front of me.

"Wow, this bakery smells like paradise." he said, walking towards the counter.

I chuckled at this. "Nate, meet Liam. My best friend." I introduced him.

They both shook each other's hands. "Man, once again. Don't call a girl before forty-eight hours. You will sound desperate." he advised him.

"Um... Okay." Liam said awkwardly, clearly not wanting to discuss his romantic relationship with Nate.

I interfered and changed the course of the conversation. "So would you like to eat anything? We have everything, from Brownies to cupcakes to biscuits to sandwiches to pastries." I told him, showing him the list of our items.

"Just when I thought you couldn't get sweeter," he winked at me and I blushed deeper. "But later sweetheart. I have some work to attend."

After he left, my eyes remained fixated on the door until Liam pulled me out of my thoughts with a cough. He raised his eyebrows suggestively and I punched him on his arm so he could shut up.

..........

It was 6 in the evening. Evan had texted me to be ready by this time but he was nowhere to be seen. At first, I was not panicked by this dinner or date or whatever it was, but then I realised that knowing Evan's wealth, he would choose a fancy place for dinner and all I had were sweatshirts, blouses and jeans. Liam proved to be helpful when he offered to take me to the mall and help me choose an outfit.

Now, I was dressed in a plum colored chiffon dress. The bodice hugged my chest and waist, while the bottom part flowed down my hips loosely. I had curled the ends of my hair to make up for the simplicity of the dress. For footwear, Geena had given me her heels because they exactly matched my dress and because she sounded more excited for this dinner than me.

I was about to call Evan when he entered through the door. "I'll change in a second." he said and that's when his eyes found me. He stared at me from head to toe, his gaze lingering at few particular places.

"Wow. You look amazing," he said and my cheeks warmed up.

"Thanks." I smiled and then remembered how he had acted yesterday. The real smile evaporated and only fake pleasantries left behind.

"Um..." he paused, giving me another head-to-toe glance. "I... Um... I should go change then."

I nodded and tucked my hair behind my ears, feeling flustered under his scrutiny.

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