'You Don't Even Have An Eye Shadow'

6:43P.M

"OK, that's it, let's go prepare for the main event." Mom wiped her sweaty forehead with a napkin and allowed it fall to the floor.

In celebration of our release, mom decided to throw a little party to honour it, she invited our neighbours, John and his wife Hannah who happened to be mom's closest friend, also Joshua and Chloe, the other neighbours apart from the latter that were kind to us. Philip was invited too, alongside Alice and Tanya. Michael wouldn't be coming as he hasn't returned from Paris yet, but we informed him anyways. He would have flown down, but Tamara insisted that he shouldn't sabotage the project he was working on.

They would celebrate later in private. Her words, not mine.

I scanned the living room which had been transformed to match a party setting. The dining table was fancifully decorated and several empty colourful plates were seated on it. Mom said she wanted the party to be a party and a dinner.

"We've done a great job girls." Mom praised and we high-fived ourselves.

Mom hurried upstairs, leaving and I and Tamara alone.

"I'm so happy!" Tamara gushed as she stared around the living room. I placed my hand on her shoulder and she regarded me through her long eye lashes.

"We'll do just fine, don't get your skirt in a bunch." I reassured her as I took notice of her excitement.

A mischievous grin played on her lips and I stepped away from her, not having the slight idea of what was up her sleeves.

"Speaking of skirts, tell me what's going on between you and Philip." She reached out to grip the side of my shirt so that I wouldn't escape.

"What makes you think I'll tell you that?" I teased. She narrowed her eyes and held my shirt more firmly.

"You aren't going anywhere if you don't tell me."

Tamara can be a pest sometimes, I mean, when she wants something, she'll do virtually anything to have it. That's one quality we share, determination.

"Fine... But let go of me first." I pleaded and she did as I wished.

"While you were away, lots of things happened, Peter cheated on me with Philip's girlfriend, Philip and I got a little closer but he never kissed me until that time at that wretched place." I narrated.

"Peter cheated on you?

I nodded sadly. Her countenance moved from happy to angry. She moved away from me and walked up to the kitchen door.

"And isn't he the same person that called you yesterday evening?"

"Tam, it's complicated. He came back apologizing for what he did, his apology was so genuine, I couldn't just reject it." I stared at my sister from the living room with eyes begging her to drop the subject. Her expression right now was anything but friendly, she appeared disappointed.

"You know what I think? Don't be offended, I'm just going to be honest with you." She walked in my direction and stood behind the sofa which was before me.

I signalled her to speak and she sighed before opening her lips.

"You're cheap."

My lips parted in utter shock. Tamara, seeing my countenance rushed towards me and held my arms tenderly.

"I don't mean it like that. This guy has caused you a lot of agony, I mean, seeing him with Philip's girlfriend, weren't you hurt?"

I looked down at my toes and wriggled them.

Honestly, she had no idea about how heart broken I was. At that time, I felt like I should just jump off the Golden Gate bridge or even better Eiffel Tower. It only took one person to rescue me from my devastation.

Philip.

The man who kissed me like there was no tomorrow. His kiss affected me just like alcohol, my skin warmed up merely thinking about his lips merging with mine.

"It's Philip right?"

I looked up at Tamara who had a smile on her lips. She glanced upwards at the wall clock.

"You're so whipped, dear sister." She stated. I frowned and moved away from her.

"We'll have this conversation after the party, okay?" She spoke. I nodded and stared at her peaceful face.

I really needed her advice because with the way my feelings were going, I could really go crazy. How could someone love a person and be madly in love with another?

Florence, you've lost it.

"Girls! Why are you still in slacks? go get ready!" Mom yelled from the stairway. She had a dark green robe hugging her body probably concealing the dress she wore underneath. Her dark hair was still suspended in the rollers she normally used to curl the strands.

I and Tamara hurried to our rooms to prepare for the event. Much to my dismay, Tamara decided to temporarily pitch her tent in my room.

She dumped her chosen gown on my bed and walked to the dresser where I was trying to fix my face while peering into the mirror.

My sister flung open a drawer and searched for something. Finding nothing that attracted her interest, she closed it in annoyance.

"You don't even have an eye shadow." She grumbled, fumbling with another drawer.

"Ask mom for hers." I replied, turning my face to get a closer view of the region close to my ear.

Slightly annoyed by my indifference, Tamara walked out of my room and returned a few minutes later with an eye-shadow.

Then we fought over who to use the mirror first.

💭💭💭

Just as we got to the last step on the stairway, there was a knock on the door. I gave Tamara a look and she  flashed me one of her annoying smiles. I scoffed and hurried to the door.

Opening it just a little bit, I glanced at John and Hannah's smiling faces. I smiled back at them and flung the door wide open.

I took in their outfits with great admiration. John was wearing an expensive suit brand and a bright red tie to complement his. His shoes were also agreeable. Hannah whose arm was linked with her husband's had her hair put up in a messy bun, and I noticed the coral hair accessories scattered all over her black hair. Her dress was simply amazing, a red gown which accentuated her curves modestly and fell graciously to her feet.

"It's good to see you, John and you too, Hannah." I planted kisses on their cheeks and led them to the living room where Tamara had already fitted her frame into a sofa. When she saw us, she rose and rushed to hug Hannah.

"Good evening Hannah, good evening John." She spoke over Hannah's shoulder. John nodded and turned to me.

"How are you doing, Florence?"

I met his dark irises with mine and noticed how beautiful they were.

"I'm doing well John, how are Valerie and Vincent?" I enquired and stole a quick glance at Tamara and Hannah who were conversing excitedly.

"They're troublesome as normal kids should be." He confessed with a smile.

I snickered and felt my hair with a finger to ensure all of the hair pins I used on it were still in place. Tamara had helped me with my look tonight, the white flowing gown that made me look like a Greek goddess was chosen by her and I appreciated her effort in making me pretty.

"I'd love to visit them sometime."

With my statement, I realized that since they moved into our neighborhood which was two years ago, I had never visited them and that was quite a shame. I needed to visit people more often.

After I had convinced John to sit in the sofa next to his wife who was still in a happy discussion with Tamara, I moved outside the house to get a dose of fresh air.

Barely two minutes after I had sat in a rocking chair, a limousine pulled up in front of the well kept grasses adorning our house.

Philip who hasn't seen me stepped out with Alice and Tanya who giggled at something he said. He signalled Aiden to drive away and he did. He probably didn't want to draw in the attention of the entire neighbourhood.

My breathing momentarily stopped when he covered the little distance that separated us. His eyes darkened as they roamed over my body appreciatively. He looked at me like he was minutes away from devouring me.

He was looking extra handsome in his millions of dollars costing tuxedo and matching shoes. I felt like taking his tempting lips in mine, but knowing he was off limits for now, I kept my horny self in check.

"Could you guys not undress each other till after the party?" Alice demanded impatiently. My cheeks heated up as I looked away from Philip who equally has the same reaction.

"We'll be inside, let's go, Alice." Tanya pulled Alice away but not without giving me the ' we'll-talk-later ' glare.

I heard excited squeals from inside the house but my attention shifted to Philip who had taken a few steps toward me.

"You look so beautiful tonight, Jewel." He raised the back of my hand to his lips and placed a kiss on it.

My eyebrows raised slightly at the name he used on me.

"Jewel?" I asked, retrieving my hand from his grasp.

"Yes Florence, you are a jewel, my jewel." He responded in his deep, sexy voice that made me feel like dropping at his feet.

I took a trip into his eyes and was amazed at what I saw there, happiness, peace, adoration, tenderness and most of all, love.

Our eyes broke away when the front door was opened.

"The party's about to start." Hannah spoke and went back in.

"We have a lot to talk about, let's go in." Philip extended his arm and I linked mine in.

"Yeah, we sure do." I gave him one last glance before moving inside the house with him.

.............................................................

I like the way things are going between Philip and Florence, but there's still Peter.

I have tons of surprises for you in the next chapter, you better watch out for them.

By the way, I really appreciate the way you've all supported me by voting and commenting. I'm really happy!

This chapter's dedicated to

Ann0xo TahiyaBae BritIsh5 Freya_Tuazon NobleIgbokwe KaydinMicheleHarrill Soso-Adel and Sarah_Adel2.

Gracias.