'Dada, Mama!'

"This place is amazing!" Mom gushed as she looked around my
newly purchased house in awe. Tamara stood behind us also captured by the beauty of the house.

I had bought the house a few weeks ago after Tommy had taken me on a tour around it. It was a simple duplex overlooking a fairly large garden. Behind it were a few trees which I planned replacing with new ones because of how large they were. I hate large trees because they could harbor snakes and besides, they were scary. They looked exactly like the ones found in horror movies where a mysterious force would emerge from to grab the person standing there. Thinking about that was enough to freak me out but I maintained my composure.

We entered through the main door, a plain glass door which I also vowed to replace because it made the house susceptible to burglars. The ground floor contained a large space I planned on filling with some flowers to make it more welcoming. And then there were a few doors, one led to an empty room which looked sufficient to hold a laundry and the other, well, I planned on leaving it empty till I discovered what I could use it for.

In the middle of the doors on my right was a staircase with silver rails that formed a beautiful spiral to the first floor which was actually the last.

Tamara and I followed the steps up while mom remained below looking through the rooms.

"I really envy you." Tamara spoke abruptly.

"I know you do." I looked through a door I opened.

"Get over yourself."

We entered the master bedroom. There were two large windows, the first one overlooked the garden while the other one faced the creepy trees.

"Why do I find myself hating these trees?" Tamara asked while eying the plants suspiciously.

"I plan on taking them down, very very soon." I gave one final glare at the trees before moving to the walk-in closet at the left corner of the room.

"So, tell me your plans." I called out to Tamara.

"What plans?" Tamara asked in a disinterested voice.

I touched the bare wall of the closet and concluded that it needed major painting.

"The wedding plans."

"Oh, that? Sorry I didn't tell you, Mike and I restarted plans for the event a few days back."

I frowned. Why didn't she tell me?

"That's great news." I replied, not knowing what else to say.

"I made an appointment with my hairdresser yesterday. So, I can say everything's going smoothly." Tamara's voice sounded close to me. When I looked back, I found her standing at the entrance of the closet, watching me coolly.

"When is the wedding scheduled for?"

"25th of next month."

I moved away from the wall and turned to face my sister with a smile. She smiled back although she wasn't sure of why I was smiling.

Have you ever had a nostalgic feeling? That feeling that makes you wish things were how they were a few years back. Well, that's the same feeling that descended on me.

"Hey Sis."

I looked up at my sister who was dressed in a simple black baggy shorts and a grey T-shirt that had the number ' 5 ' inscribed on it. She sat beside me on the grass and took my palm in hers.

"Why are you seated here?" She demanded.

"I just needed some moment's peace."

"Do you mind me seating here?"

"I don't." I replied and turned to glimpse at her face which was facing the direction of a huge tree. I looked intently to catch what she was staring at and found the object of her attention to be a squirrel running up the bark of the tree.

"Sometimes, do you just wonder what life is about?" I asked. She shifted her eyes to me and blinked twice.

"Is that what you were thinking about?"

I nodded.

"Sometimes if we try to understand life, we only get confused. Life is more than it seems, it's a huge circle."

I fixed my gaze on the soil beneath me as I tried to assimilate what she just said. When I felt her hand on my shoulder, I looked up.

"I'll always be here for you, I'll always be your sister. We'll go through life together."

She shifted closer and swept me in an embrace.

"I love you Tam."

"I love you too, baby sister."

I groaned and freed myself from her arms.

"Stop calling me that, will you?

"No, why should I? It suits you."

"Please stop calling me that." I pleaded and she nodded in agreement with a wide grin on her face.

"Really?" I asked in pure joy, happy that she finally decided to drop the silly name she always calls me.

"No." She pushed herself off the grass and sauntered in the direction of our neighbors house.

The memories faded gradually and I returned to the present.

"Are you going to tell me what you were thinking about?" Tamara asked, making way for me to leave the closet.

"I was just having a little throwback at our teenage lives, thinking about you getting married just triggered it." I replied, fixing myself at the spot close to the main bedroom door.

"I often think about those moments too, I remember when you asked me about life..."

I grinned widely.

"That was exactly what I was thinking about!" I squealed and embraced her, catching her completely unawares.

"Get off me." She teased but made no move to push me away, instead she squeezed me tighter.

"What's taking you girls so long up there?" Mom yelled from downstairs.

I laughed heartily as Tamara freed herself and marched towards the door.

"We're coming ma!" She yelled after opening the door. When she got no response, she shut it again.

"I can imagine myself picking up tiny versions of Tamara and Michael." I teased as her gaze landed on me.

Her cheeks reddened and she looked away.

"Stop saying that." She protested weakly.

"Dada, Mama!" I imitated a child's voice and burst into laughter when I saw the look on her face.

"Florence." She warned.

"Fine." I surrendered.

"Let's go downstairs." Tamara stared down at her wrist watch like she was expecting someone. "I have a pleasant surprise for you."

She walked towards the door and opened it.

"You'll be pleased, I assure you. If you aren't, take away my pizza for two full weeks."

I smiled and started moving towards the door. She held it open for me to walk through.

There was one thing I was sure of Tamara never joked with her pizza so seeing her betting on it meant she was really serious.

I guess I had to find out what her surprise is.

"Philip! What a wonderful surprise!" I heard mom yelling.

My feet stopped moving and my breathing slowed down in response.

Why was he here?

And then another mind freezer came at me.

"Go right up, she's there." I should have known Tamara could be up to no good at times.

Great! Now I have to face the man who was confidently coming up the steps.

I'm tempted to hide in one of my rooms but my feet stayed rooted to the spot till handsome was standing before me and staring at me with such intensity that made me feel like I was an ice cream melting under his scorching gaze.

"Why are you here? I told you to stay away from me."

What I was feeling was way different from what I said. I actually regretted telling him off at the beach last week. After that day, he stopped sending me texts and he stopped trying to call me. I was worried that he became tired of me and moved on. But I guess he hasn't.

"Isn't it obvious? I can't stay away from you, Florence."

My heart thumped harder against my chest as I saw desire filling his eyes.

"Why can't you stay away from me?" I asked, pretending I wasn't pleased to hear him say those words.

"I love you."

What?

My brain started making random calculations instead of stopping its operations as I expected it to.

The last time Philip said he loved me was back when he rescued me and Tam from the kidnappers. I didn't attach any meaning to his words because I felt he just said them to make me happy. But now, with the way his eyes moved all over me, I was reassured of one thing.

He loves me.

Philip loves me.

"You love me?" I asked, ignoring my shaky voice.

He nodded and moved closer to me, predator-like.

"Can I kiss you?" He demanded, wrapping his right hand around my waist.

When did he ever need to be permitted to kiss me?

"Hell yeah."

He blinked for a while as he realized I just swore for the first time.

"What you staring at? Go ahead and kiss me.* I demanded impatiently.

A smile appeared on his lips and after a couple of seconds it slowly faded away as our eyes remained glued together.

Then slowly, Philip tilted his head towards me. He wasn't looking into my eyes anymore, instead his eyes stared at my lips in pure longing.

When our lips connected, my legs became wobbly so I had to grip his shirt to regain my balance.

He kissed me tenderly, exploring every inch of my lips with his lips and his tongue. He did a perfect job of making me high as he continued playing with my lips.

When his lips left mine, without wasting time, they touched my neck lightly and I craned my neck backwards as I threw my hands around his neck.

His lips touched my neck like a feather, I hardly felt them there but at the same time, the sensation they created was enough to make me jump off a skyscraper.

"Philip." I whispered and drove my fingers through his hair when I couldn't bear the intense buildup of my hormones.

He groaned and lifted me so I could wrap my legs around his body.

He continued placing numerous kisses all over my neck as he walked towards the wall till I was wedged between him and the wall.

"I'm never leaving you, ever."
.

Who hoo!

And now, that marks a new beginning for Philip and Florence!

Rejoice, ye fans of Philence!

Thank you for reading this chapter!

By the way, I'm apologizing for the late update. I'm also delighted by the numerous people that added my books to their libraries, I can't thank you enough.

Until next week.

Tris.

P.S. If you're not pleased with the pace at which the book is going, feel free to add the complete book here @ Tris_Pryer to your library.

Random Question: If you were to go anywhere in the world, where would you go?