Adam entered his father's apartment using his spare key after greeting some people in the small neighbourhood.

Reluctance clawed at his chest. He hadn't visited the man in weeks, and he wasn't sure he was going to like what he would see.

Soft jazz music filled the room as he stepped inside, and his chest inexorably clenched, until he looked towards the kitchen and saw his father busy stirring something on the counter.

Relief slammed through him, easing his anxiety as he made his way to the kitchen.

"Hey, old man." He greeted when he got to the doorway.

His father stopped shaking his body to the jazz song and looked at him. Joy lighted his eyes, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled broadly.

"My Son."

His father was still a good looking man despite having aged a few years than his actual age, courtesy of several years of drinking, self-loathing and despondency.

"Dad." Adam said, voice heavy as he walked into his father's arms, wrapping his arms around the older man.

His throat constricted. This was one of the few times he could look at his dad without thinking about the hate he felt for his mother.

Growing up, his father's alcoholism had kept on festering and festering. So had his constant neglect and occasional physical and emotional abuse.

Seeing his father sober and oozing happiness was a privilege, something he and his little brother had cherished beyond measure, and Adam had captured most of those moments in photographs.

"Someone looks happy today." Adam mused after they pulled out of the embrace, his father going back to stir the batter in a bowl.

"Your brother is coming here with his wife. First time I'm meeting her after their engagement and I'm preparing us dinner."

"Uh, you mean fiancé." Adam corrected, shaking his head as his father smiled teasingly.

"That's what your brother calls her. He just can't wait to get married. Ah, young love." He sighed nostalgically.

Knowing what the nostalgia could bring about, Adam quickly changed the subject. "So what are you preparing?"

"Some tasty, spicy enchilada. M-wah." He kissed his fingers, seemingly demonstrating how tasty it was going to be, making Adam chuckle. "By the way, you didn't tell me you were coming."

"I did, father. You must've forgotten."

Probably because you were busy burying your neck in booze.

"Can I help?" He offered.

"Sure!"

His father gave him a variety of vegetables to strip, slice and dice while he worked on the dough, mumbling to the jazz music playing.

Adam looked at him and snorted. "Dad, seriously? Who still listens to jazz nowadays?"

His father looked at him and grimaced playfully. "You people of today don't know what you're missing. If it were up to me, jazz would be the only music available in the world."

Adam widened his eyes in mock horror. "Ah. Thank God you don't get to decide that."

They both chuckled, and comfortable silence descended as Adam continued cutting the vegatbles and his father set aside the dough to put a saucepan on fire. The saucepan had a transparent lid that revealed four large chunks of beef with seasoning sprinkled on them. It didn't take long for a riveting aroma to fill the room.

"Your brother is four years younger than you and yet he's introduced about three girls to me, planning to marry this one." His father said out of the blue, stopping the rolling of the dough to flatten the tortillas. "When will I be meeting your fiancé?"

Adam stiffened, and it was all he could do to shrug nonchalantly. "Guess I just haven't found the one." He lied through his teeth. There was no way he was going to tell his father that he'd been busy shutting women out emotionally.

His father stayed silent for a while, only a light cough breaking the silence. Adam tried hard not to look at him, focusing on the vegetables. "Listen son, don't prevent yourself from loving because of what happened to me. Not every woman is like. . . like your mother, you know?"

"Hmm." Adam hummed noncomittaly, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

His father sighed, returning to flattening the slides of tortillas with the rolling pin. Adam decided to bring something up before the silence got any awkward.

"How has business been, dad?"

His father brightened up immediately. "So so good, dear son! Sales have been increasing so much. I'm working more nowadays and. . . quit drinking." The last part was muttered hesitantly, followed by a cough.

His father had been a carpenter all his life, and still loved what he did to the extent of refusing when he and Guile had asked him to stop working so they could take care of him completely. Guile had even offered to buy him a much nicer, spacious apartment, but he'd refused.

The man had always been about coziness and simplicity, the same thing that had cost him his wife 26 years ago.

"You'll be staying to have dinner with us, right?" His father asked.

"Definitely."

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

"Oh my God, I'm so so so sorry!" Victoria's shoes clicked noisly on the marble floor of the restaurant as she trotted towards Adam's table, earning glares of disapproval from the people around.

"Took you a while." He mused, taking in her heavily breathing figure.

She wore a white sleeveless crop top that showed her stomach on top of snug denim jeans. Plush in appearance with her exotic hairstyle and quite some makeup, it seemed both of Eva's friends were from rich families.

He'd been caught by surprise when she'd called about an hour ago to ask whether they could meet and talk, and he'd only come for the politeness of it. Definitely not because he wanted to know whether it had something to do with Eva.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." She breathed apologetically as Adam stood up to pull her chair for her, returning to his own seat after she'd sat down. "I needed to freshen up a bit after calling you. Hope I didn't keep you waiting for long?"

"No," He looked down at the golden watch on his wrist. "just for 12 minutes." He smiled to reassure her that everything was alright. "And that freshening up a bit definitely paid off. You're looking gorgeous."

"Oh stop," Shee waved him off playfully with her hand. "But thanks."

She set her small clutch which was scintillating from the numerous tiny pearls sprinkled orderly across it on the table. "Sure you must be wondering how I even got your number. Had to steal it from Eva's phone."

"She still has my number?" He quirked his brow in surprise. Since she'd been so intent on moving on, he'd assumed she would've even deleted his number by now.

Victoria paused, giving him a confused look. "Yes, of course. Why, you deleted hers?"

"No, but never mind." He reclined in the metal chair, the edge digging into his back. "Would you like me to get you anything here?"

"Oh, I knew you were such a gentleman." Her face took on a pouty look that nearly made Adam roll his eyes. "Yes, I would like that if you don't mind."

Adam beckoned the waiteress who'd earlier asked him if he wanted to order, and she dutifully sauntered over to their table.

"Good evening, madam." She beamed a smile at Victoria that felt more genuine than other waiters and waitresses gave, then turned to Adam. "Beautiful date, Sir. What would you like to order?"

Adam met Victoria's gaze and they both rolled their eyes, as if silently agreeing that there was no need to clarify to the waitress that they weren't on a date. Victoria took one of the menu's on the table, her eyes scanning through them delligently. She looked up at Adam then. "I can order anything I want right?"

"Of course." He assured her and looked noncommittally through his own menu.

Victoria placed her orders after about a minute and the young woman noted them on her notepad.

"And what are you ordering, Sir?"

"I'll have what the lady is having, thank you." Adam answered, receiving a private smile before the waitress turned to leave.

He looked back at Victoria to find her looking at him raised eyebrows. "Isn't that supposed to be romantic and for couples on a real date; the 'I'll have whatever the lady has' thingy."

Adam shrugged, curious about what she truly wanted. Was she trying to pave the way for a sexual relationship? Wasn't she supposed to be Eva's friend? Women and betrayal.

Then again, he couldn't be sure just how much Eva had told her friends about them.

"I checked out some of your works and watched some of your videos and damn was I wowed." Victoria revealed, admiration dancing in her eyes. "What inspires you?"

For some minutes, Victoria asked him a series of questions ranging from why he did extreme sports to whether he didn't fear for his life, and Adam answered every one of her questions.

Finally when he couldn't contain his frustration anymore, he leaned his elbow on the table, biting his lips. "Why did you really call, Victoria?"

The waitress chose that exact moment to arrive with their order and left after they each had a plate on their cover.

"Let's eat first, shall we. I'm starving." Victoria said, picking her cutleries immediately. Even though Adam knew she was only stalling the conversation, he decided to entertain her.

"Oh my God, this tastes good." She suddenly exclaimed, chewing on a piece of meat. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised as to why you come here to eat. You have great taste after all."

Adam didn't think he'd ever met a woman who talked as much as this one did. Halfway through their meal, a sigh made him look up to find her gaze trained on him.

"Before, anything else, I want you to know that you're totally hot and I would totally do you if you and Eva weren't something."

"Eva and I are not a thing." He retorted, schooling his face to an impassive mask so that he didn't grimace. He'd once thought that Eva had felt something for him, until he'd realized that it had all been a mirage.

"Okay, what I mean to say is that, she's fallen head over heals for you."

"Really?" He chuckled derisively at the pronouncement, but his heart rate increased. "I'm sure she has. That's obviously why she would get married to another guy."

"Look here," she tucked her hair behind her ear. "Eva is totally gonna kill me when she finds out about this but then. . . she feels obliged to get married."

"What do you mean?" It was all he could to swallow the lump that suddenly lodged in his throat.

"She's getting married because her mother wants her to. Because that'll help solve some problems her mother is facing. She told me herself that she doesn't love Brandon, and she has strong feelings for you."

"Did she now?" He asked cynically, trying not to act on the hope that suddenly burned inside him.

"Yes. You're also crazy about her, right?" Her gaze searched his enquiringly. "I mean she told me about what happened at her engagement. You know, the washroom stuff."

Her eyes glimmered dreamily. "I wish a guy wanted me that much."

"What are you driving at?" He was striving so hard to seem unaffected, but his heart was racing.

If what she was saying was true, then it meant Eva hadn't just used him to get over a heartbreak. That she really did have feelings for him.

"Isn't it obvious?" Victoria looked at him with a really look. "I don't want my best friend to get into a marriage because she feels obliged to. That's why I want you to stop her. The two of you are into each other after all."

"And if she's still adamant on fulfilling this obligation?"

"Simple, you just keep on trying." She shrugged like it was no big deal as she cut another piece of meat and chewed. "Like I told you, Eva's just confused. She doesn't want to marry Brandon and yet she wants to fulfil her wish to her mum. She just needs a little convincing, and then she's all yours."

"You think I'll go through all that trouble for a woman who doesn't even know what she wants?" Appetite lost, he stood up and beckoned the waiteress over. "I'm sorry, that's the last thing I want to do."

"What?" She stared up at him in shock, watching him with widened eyes as he paid the waitress the meal price and her tip. "Weren't you supposed to be crazy about her? "

That was exactly what was upsetting him; the fact that it was so damn obvious that he was.

After the waitress had left, he looked at Victoria apologetically, knowing he'd probably tarnished the image she had of him.

"Listen, Eva doesn't know what she wants, and at this point of my life, the last thing I need is instability. Goodbye, Victoria."

Her mouth dropped open before Adam turned and left the restaurant.