THE BOY NEXT DOOR✓ EPISODE 124✓

"Hi Dad." I reply cheerfully. Despite everything, I'm still happy to see him. It's been a while. "You look so beautiful." "Thank you. You look well too." "So you finally met Kane." He says proudly. I guess he really loves the boy. Kain stands up and shakes dad's hand firmly. Dad looks at him up and down and I'm very tempted to roll my eyes. "I'm Kain." He says confidently. "Are you dating my daughter?" Dad asks with narrowed eyes. "No." I reply immediately. I don't want to put Kain in a position to answer that. I don't want to see the expression on his face so I avoid looking at him. "Okay." Dad says curtly before pulling me away. We walk to the tent and sit down. Dad clears his throat uncertainly before turning to me. "I think Daniel loves your mother." I shrug. I'm not discussing that with him. "She wouldn't let me pay your tuition fee." He continues. "Daniel takes care of that. You don't have to worry, Dad." He shakes his head. "I want to do this for you. You are my daughter so that's my work." I lift an eyebrow all the way. "Oh really? Don't you think it's a bit too late for that? Where have you been all this while?" "I just got my breakthrough, Belle. I'm making a lot of money now so I can do this without breaking a sweat." My eyes move to his suit. That shit must be very expensive. "How do you make that kind of money?" He shrugs. "I landed myself a good job." "If you want to pay for whatever, you should talk to Mom. I don't have a say in this." "Bella, we're leaving." My Mom calls me and I hastily walk to them. They're going on honeymoon for a week. "You better be careful." Mom warns me as I hug her tightly. "Alicia will be keeping an eye on you. We will be back on Saturday for your birthday." "Okay Mom. Bye." I hug Daniel and he holds me at arms length to look at me. "Have fun." He says with a grin and Mom glowers at him. *** "We need to talk.'' Kain tells me once Mom and Daniel are on the road and most of the guests have left. "About?" I ask him with a gulp. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that he is here. "About anything and everything." He says casually, hooking his thumbs in his trouser pockets. "I'm sorry about last Sunday. I should have told you." I say in a near whisper and he steps close to me. "I don't want us to talk about that. It wasn't your fault. I told you I overreacted. I should be the one apologizing for hurting you." He takes my face between his hands, his thumb moving delicately over my jaw. "I'm sorry. I should have thought about you before deciding to leave." Tears burn in my eyes as I stare at the endless depths of his eyes. Without thinking, I fling myself into his arms and wrap my arms around his waist. The impact makes him step back but he quickly gains equilibrium and wraps a protective arm around me. "Don't cry." He whispers gently, his fingers threading into my hair as I hide my face in his chest. "It kills me to see you crying because of me. I'm sorry, okay?" I nod, my heart beating way too fast. He gently removes my hands from around his waist then takes my hand. He starts to lead me away from the reception and I catch Jay's eye. "Aren't you going to talk to the boys?" I ask Kain as we walk past the crowded driveway. "I will, but not right now. I'm not ready to face them yet. I need to be in right terms with you before I talk to them." I gasp when we come to a stop next to a flashy motorcycle parked off the driveway. It's still new and when I look up at Kain, he is gauging my expression with a smirk. "Is this yours?" I ask in shock. "It would appear so." He answers proudly. "Do you like it?" I don't think I like it. Don't get me wrong, it's all expensive looking and flashy but only one thing is on my mind right now. How the hell does Kain ride that thing with the kind of speed he uses? If he crashes with that...... "I think I do." I say my half truth and he grins while running his hand over the handlebars. Boys and their toys. "You should see the speed. It's insane." "Kain...." He frowns. "Come on, baby. The speed is not that bad. Relax." He takes the helmet and when he walks towards me, I take a step back. "You think I'm riding on that motorcycle?" I ask in disbelief. "What's wrong with it?" "Supposing we crash? We will die!" He shakes his head then leans on the bike. "Come here." He says quietly while opening his arms and I walk hesitantly to him. He holds me by the waist, his eyes searching mine for a moment. "Do you trust me?" "Yes." "Do you really think I would let anything happen to you?" "Kain.." "Just answer the question, Belle." "No." I reply with sigh. "Good." He puts the helmet over my head and adjusts it until I'm comfortable. He straddles the bike and when the ignition starts with a small roar, he turns to me. "Are you coming or not?" I take a deep breath before clambering behind him. "Move forward. Don't leave any space between us." He orders and I move impossibly close until my front is mashed against his back. "Now wrap your arms around me and hang in there. Don't you dare let go." He orders again and I don't hesitate doing that. Once my arms are wrapped securely around him and I'm resting the side of my face on his back, we start moving. Fast. It's thrilling. Wind is blowing on my face although Kain is protecting me partly from it. My hair is flowing over my shoulders and I'm having so much fun. "Are you still complaining?" Kain shouts over the roar of the engine and I burst out laughing. "Maybe, maybe not." "I'll take that as a no." He shouts back then accelerates. Maaaan. I could spend eternity doing this with him even though the speed is kind of scary. Somehow, I have begun to trust his crazy driving skills and I believe we won't crash or anything. He slows down when we get to the edge of a wooded area and I eye the trees speculatively. We better not be going in there. He pulls up at the beginning of the trail but I don't budge. My arms remain enclosed around him and I am somehow stupefied. I just don't want to move yet. "We're here." He tells me while titling his head slightly to look at me. Grudgingly, I start to remove my arms from around him but he captures them. What now? I'm hot enough as it is. "On what days did you miss school?" He asks quietly. "Monday." I reply after clearing my throat. "Why? Because of me?" "I wasn't feeling so well." "I'm the reason, am I not?" He asks, his fingers moving slowly over my knuckles. "Yes." I breath. He stills for a long moment. "I'm sorry, Belle. I didn't know this whole thing was going to affect you that much. I was selfish with my decision. I should have thought about you too." I rest my face on his back and close my eyes. "I told you Kain, I deserved it. I should have told you." "How did you find out?" "That day; at my mom's engagement party. I saw your Dad and George's Mom at the store. I didn't know who she was then but later that night when they showed up at the party...." He freezes. I feel his back muscles tense against me and I quickly lift my head from his back. He releases my hands and I sit still, unsure of what he plans on doing next. "They are still together?" The question is so quietly asked I barely grasp it. "Yes." "Can life get any better right now?" He snorts sarcastically. "Get down now." Oops. I climb down, holding onto him to avoid falling on my face. He gets down after me then removes his coat, slinging it carelessly over his shoulder. "How will you walk in those?" He asks while eyeing my high heels. I hadn't thought about that. They are ridiculously high and I honestly don't think I'll be able to walk for long in them. "Are we walking for long?" I ask and he shakes his head. "Eight minutes tops. I don't want you breaking your back though." "I think I'll manage." He shrugs. "Okay." Then he laughs. "This looks so weird, walking into the woods wearing clothing meant for a wedding." "You sort of kidnapped me so I didn't get time to change." "The last time I checked, you were willing to be kidnapped. But I'm not complaining, Belle. You look totally amazing in that dress." "Why, thank you. You dishing compliments? That's a new one." He rolls his eyes. "Can we start moving? You already look tired in those shoes." He starts walking towards the trail and I follow him. The trees are quite spaced and there's very little undergrowth. It's mostly quiet, save for a few chirruping birds. I hold my dress up as I make short but sure steps. "So where did you go?" I ask when the silence becomes too loud. "Away." "Really now?" He stops then turns to look at me. "I went to my place." "You have a place?" I ask in confusion. "I didn't, until Tuesday. I rented an apartment." "Oh? But why?" He sighs. "Because I didn't want to sleep in a hotel room again. Plus, it's about time I moved from my dad's house. I can't stand him anymore." "Kain, your Mom needs you." He shakes his head. "Not anymore. She has drugs and therapy sessions four times a week. She has someone to talk to now and the therapist told me she is doing great. Plus, the more she stays with Gianna, the more she's going to get used to her presence." "So you are moving out for good?" I ask with a sinking feeling. I won't be seeing him at the window anymore? "More or less. I'll be checking on Mom often but I'm moving most of my stuff tomorrow." I keep staring at him with a bleak expression and finally, he catches on. "You can visit anytime of course." I chuckle nervously. "Why didn't you come to school?" "Because I didn't want to. I wanted to calm down first before talking to all of you. I tend to make some very bad decisions when I'm angry." "What did you do on those days?" I ask casually. I just don't want him to stop talking. I haven't heard that voice for way too long. He turns to continue walking and I follow him. "I visited my grandma, looked for an apartment, bought my motorcycle..." "You visited your Grandma?" I ask in disbelief. Maybe I really don't know him. When we first met, I imagined him to be a coldblooded asshole. The more I get to know about him now, the more I realize that he actually has a heart. "Yes. Now drop it." He replies sourly. We walk in silence for another minute or two before we get to his destination. I am curious as we walk into the clearing then I gasp at the sight. The clearing is a few square feet, barely able to accommodate more than six people. The grass here is green and the trees in sight are very sparse. What really takes my breath away is the sunset. Between the tall trees, the sun is a deep orange ball in the horizon. It's just starting to sink and the fiery rays makes the scattered billowy clouds look a bright red. Stray rays spear through the trees and generally, I feel like I am in another world. I turn to Kain and he is watching me silently. "You brought me here to watch the sunset." I state in a near whisper, barely believing it. I freaking love sunsets. "Yes. To talk too, you know? But basically, to watch the sun setting." His eyes move to the sinking fiery ball and the light is reflected on his face. He looks handsome as ever standing there and I feel a sense of pride inside me. He did this for me. It's little but it means much more to me than anyone could ever imagine. "Thank you." I whisper before reaching for his hand, clutching it in mine. He intertwines our fingers and smiles down at me. "It's nothing." He wraps an arm around my waist then pulls me to him. "You wanna sit down?" "My dress will be ruined." I say while glancing at the undergrowth. He releases me long enough to spread his coat on the grass. I look at him, mouth agape. "What." "You're ruining that coat." He shrugs nonchalantly. "So what. It's just a piece of clothing. Sit down." I sit and he lowers himself beside me. Wrapping an arm around me, he pulls me close to him and I rest my head on his shoulder. We sit in companionable silence for a long moment, our eyes fixed on the setting sun. "I hope Ethan behaved while I was away?" He asks casually. That reminds me... "Jade and Ethan are siblings. Different moms. We found out yesterday." "She told me while you were talking to your Dad. Good thing they won't be fighting anymore." "You don't even sound surprised." He turns to look at me. "After everything that happened last Sunday, I believe anything is possible. People are becoming siblings out of nowhere." I take a deep breath and say nothing to that. I can tell that he is not ready to talk about it yet. "What are you doing tomorrow evening?" He asks after another comfortable bout of silence. "Nothing much." I reply, almost too eagerly. "I'll pick you at six." "Where are we going?" "I'm taking you on a date." I swallow dryly. "We are not dating yet." He chuckles. "Keep lying to yourself."