{CHAPTER ELEVEN}

                                     ~~~~~~~~

"Oh my goodness! He actually asked me out! I can't wait to spill the beans to Lisa," I mused, my face lit up with pure joy and excitement.

I strutted down Lisa's street, bubbling with excitement at the realization that I'm now officially Jackson's girlfriend.

It all seemed surreal; butterflies threw a party in my belly, adding to the enchantment of the moment.

The street was serene, accompanied only by the melodious songs of birds, making me feel like Cinderella stumbling upon her Prince Charming.

In my daydream, I found myself waltzing and humming along with the birds' sweet melodies.

"So, this is love...mmmmm...mmmm...mmm..." I sang softly, my hands delicately perched on my heart, swaying to the melodious tunes of the birds.

The ambiance shifted as I neared Lisa's abode, the birds' melody gently waning, creating a space for my thoughts to enfold me.

As I pressed Lisa's doorbell, "Ding-dong!" echoed through the air, but all that replied was a deafening silence.

I pressed her doorbell again, but still no luck, I grumbled. "She never responds," letting myself into her house. Lisa and I had exchanged keys in the past, and though it was Lisa's idea to do so.

"Lisa! Lisa!" I hollered, as I wrestled with her stubborn door.

In that instant, as I struggled with the door, Lisa suddenly appeared, her hair tousled, her figure partially through the doorway, wearing a stunned expression, as if she had encountered a ghost.

With an unusual smile, she exclaimed, "Hanna! It's you!" Her breath slightly quickened as she skillfully smoothed down her hair.

"Yeah, it's me," I rolled my eyes in exasperation. "I've been ringing, but you didn't respond, so I decided to use your house key," I explained, a mix of worry and irritation in my voice.

"Dang! The house key, how did I miss that," she murmured, her face distorting, her words a mere breath that slipped past me.

Halfway closing the door, with her figure still lingering partially through the doorway, she awkwardly bit her lip. "Uhm, Hanna, I'm a bit tied up right now. Could you swing by another time?"

Lisa and I were keenly aware that, apart from graciously taking a day off to help find Phil, she had no other commitments. Hence, her claim for being occupied left me puzzled, knowing her usual routine.

"C'mon Lisa, we both know that's not true," I barged my way into her house.

"No! Hanna, just a moment!" Her voice trailed after me.

"Oh my word!" I gasped in sheer astonishment at the scene before me, swiftly veiling my eyes with hands, desperately trying to erase the image I had just witnessed.

"There's a naked man on your couch!" I yelled in disbelief.

In utter disbelief, I let out a gasp as Lisa frantically attempted to remove the half-dressed man from her couch. Frozen in place, I stood there, cautiously peering through my fingers that shielded my eyes from the startling scene.

"Oh my God, Lisa! You're also naked!" I exclaimed, properly veiling my eyes back in astonishment.

The scene was pure chaos. All I could make out were the thumping of their hearts, the squeaking of the couch, and their quiet murmurs as they scrambled to hide what was going on.

I couldn't help but burst into laughter and sneaked another look. Behold, the young man was hopping on one leg, the other leg in the air trying to wiggle into his trousers.

"Hanna! Don't you dare take a peek," Lisa scolded in a commanding tone, as she struggled to put on the dress lying on the couch.

"I didn't..." I chuckled, deftly concealing my gaze just right.

After a brief commotion, Lisa finally slipped into her dress. "You can open your eyes now," she said softly, delicately tucking away a stray strand of hair that had strayed into her mouth.

"Phew, finally," I sighed with relief, my words heavy with exhaustion as I flopped down on the couch.

"Wait, Lisa, spill the beans! What just happened?" I asked, trying to stifle my laughter with my hands as another giggle slipped out.

"Just a minor hiccup, nothing major," she replied nonchalantly.

"Wait, seriously? 'Minor hiccup'?" I was shocked at her response, surprised at how unbothered she seemed, especially since the scene I just witnessed felt like a big deal to me.

In a whirl of memories, I came to a sudden stop, snapping my fingers in a sudden recollection. "Mr. Henry? That's the Mr. Henry from your office!"

Scolded by Lisa, I quickly quieted down. "Shh, you don't have to be so loud," she whispered, tapping on my leg.

"And yes, it's Henry, the one from my office," she beamed with a broad smile.

My eyes widened at Lisa's statement. "How did all of this happen without me knowing?" I was surprised because Lisa and I usually tell each other everything.

"It was wild, you know? I hopped out of the taxi we rode together—and there he was, just a stone's throw away, causally walking back from meeting a friend near my block. And you know how spontaneous I can be, so I invited him for a quick chat at my place, and then bam!" She theatrically extended her arms wide, almost startling. Then, with a sudden shift to a sweet, innocent smile, she added, "we hit it off from there."

Her tongue made its way to her upper lips as she twirled a lock of hair behind her ear, shyly whispering, "We did it."

"Lisa!" I yelled out.

"What?" She yelled back, throwing her hand up in a shrug.

I signaled her to pause with a puzzled expression. "You both did it here? Without your mom noticing?" I asked, the question hanging in the air rhetorically.

"Oh, mom? She and Dad jetted off on a little vacay; thankfully, he managed to snag some time off work to hang out with her," Lisa mentioned as she rose to pour herself a glass of red wine.

Nodding my head in agreement, I reflected on the thoughtful gesture of Lisa's father taking time off to be with his ailing wife, cherishing these beautiful moments with her, especially during her final days.

"I snapped out of my thoughts and joked, 'Okay, okay. Tell me if I'm off track, but you two only met recently. Don't you think things moved pretty fast?'" I quirked an eyebrow, intrigued.

Pouring me a glass of wine, she shot a look that indicated, 'Oh, here we go again with the good girl sermon talks.' She then responded, "He popped the question, I said yes, and then things clicked between us. What were you expecting? A lifetime before we made a move? C'mon, we're no babies here."

"Yeah, yeah. I didn't quite have high expectations from you, given his good looks and your weakness for good looking men like him," I remarked, taking a sip from my wine.

Lisa gave a slight smirk in response.

I shot her a quick glance and blurted, "But I'm still at a loss again." Lisa then let out a big, exhausting sigh that seemed to convey, 'Another question?'

I didn't pay her any mind; I just went ahead with my question. "Remember when you said your top goal was to encounter a wealthy man, even if he lacked charm?" I remarked, reaching for another refill of the red wine.

"Yeah, I did, but Hanna, can't you see, he's so good-looking, I couldn't resist," she exclaimed, hugging herself, her eyes gleaming as if she had just seen an adorable little baby.

"What am I going to do with you?" I chuckled, sharing a laugh at her playful antics. Our laughter filled the room, creating a delightful atmosphere.

"Oh no, I gotta pee real bad!" Lisa exclaimed, breaking in our laughter, clutching her underwear in a hurry, attempting to hold it in as she quickly made her way to the restroom.

In the midst of her urgency, I just couldn't contain my excitement. "Hey! Jackson asked me to be his girl!" I hollered to her as she hurried into the restroom.

"Huhhh!? What was that? Can't hear you!" Lisa hollered back, creaking the restroom door open as she stepped inside.

Opting not to partake in the discourse, as I comprehended that exchanging vociferations from the sitting room to the restroom would likely culminate in an escalation of raised voices. Instead, I gracefully reached for the remote adjacent to me, selected my preferred television program, and relished my wine in a serene state of indulgence.

Lisa sighed contentedly, "Mmm, that was so refreshing," as she shuffled her feet closer to the couch after finishing in the restroom.

In that split second, a deafening bang reverberated through the door, causing Lisa to freeze in her tracks, as I shot her a subtle look of unease. We were both left wide-eyed, utterly shocked by the unexpected knock on the door.

"Are you expecting anyone?" I asked, my voice tinged with a mix of fear and shock.

"BANG! BANG!!" Another series of resounding knocks resounded on the door, prompting me to spring from the couch. I swiftly moved to Lisa's side, enveloping her protectively as we approached the door with caution.

"Wait a minute, why do I have to be the one leading the way?" she burst out, shoving me aside.

"Hey, it's your place, so if anything goes down, you're the one who should face it first," I retorted with a sly grin, playing along with the banter.

"So you'd let your best friend go down just to save yourself?" Lisa crossed her arms, a smirk playing on her lips as she raised an eyebrow in response to my words. She couldn't help but smile at our playful banter.

"Well, should my destiny be predetermined, I want it documented that I battled for our existence," Lisa declared with a serious expression, gripping the wine glass on the table as a makeshift weapon.

The room was briefly filled with our laughter, momentarily easing the tension. Suddenly, another resounding  knock resonated from the door, prompting me to gently nudge her closer.

"Hanna, what are you doing?" Lisa shot me a questioning glance as I instinctively left her, whom I had used as a shield, before swiftly dodging behind the couch for better cover.

"Shh," I whispered, motioning for her to proceed ahead, fear creeping in.

"Henry!" That was the subsequent utterance that resonated from Lisa, her tone laced with relief upon realizing he was the individual behind the persistent door banging.

I swiftly emerged from my concealment, striding towards her, my hands pressed against my chest in reassurance that it was indeed him at the door.

"You came back!" she exclaimed with a welcoming smile. "Please, do come in," she uttered, shutting the door behind him as he entered.

"Is everything alright, Lisa?" Henry inquired, noticing her tight hold on the bottle of wine. "Why are you clutching onto the wine in such a manner?"

"Ohh, this?" Lisa lifted the wine slightly, peering at it. "We were simply enjoying a drink," she responded.

She shot me a quick glance, as we both chuckled softly, poking fun at ourselves for our initial startled demeanor.

"So what brings back here?" Lisa inquired once more.

"Oh, I left my phone here," Henry stated, deftly inspecting the couch for his phone. "Placing the bottle of wine back on the table," Lisa remarked, "it should be in my room."

Making their way back, I caught their subdued murmur and kissing in the corner.

"I love you, Henry," Lisa murmured—I observed his lack of reciprocal sentiment; instead, he commented, "I had a wonderful time today; I hope we can do this more frequently."

As they walked to the sitting room, Henry smoothly slipped his phone into his pocket. He then glided towards my direction, moving effortlessly in a manner that eluded Lisa's attention.

Leaning in close to me, he whispered into my ear, "You are truly stunning," before sauntering past, licking his lips in a somewhat distastefully playful manner.

"I'll call you babe," Lisa mumbled, closing the door behind him.

I was utterly astounded by his remarks. "What did he mean by that?" I pondered momentarily, only to ultimately dismiss it as a mere gesture of admiration. The subtle nuances in his words left me questioning his true intentions for Lisa

My attention swiftly pivoted, upon noticing Lisa settling on the couch, her cheeks adorned with a noticeable blush.

"Lisa, do you really love him?" I inquired, mustering a strained smile as I observed her blushing cheeks.

Her innocent nod spoke volumes, a delicate gesture as she lifted her glass of wine for a sip.

"Okay, that's all that truly counts," I sighed.

Watching her take a drink from her glass of wine, I finally chimed in with my tale, the essence I wished to share with her before everything unfolded.

"Jackson asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes," I shared with a smile.

"Excitement in her voice," she exclaimed, "Really? Oh my! Hanna, I knew it!" Her enthusiasm completely overshadowed mine.

I couldn't resist grinning at Lisa's genuine joy for me; she's a real friend without a doubt.

"Shall we raise our glasses?" Lisa's eyes sparkled with excitement. "To us, finding our dream men who genuinely value and adore us."

"Today marks the moment we were both asked out!" Our girlish squeals filled the air with excitement.

I smiled at Lisa's sentiments, yet Henry's words lingered in my head. I harbored a sense that his affection for Lisa lacked sincerity. However, Lisa's feelings for him were profound, and I couldn't bring myself to disrupt her joy. But, with Jackson's genuine care for me, I found solace. A triumph for one, indeed, is a triumph for all. I thought.

We both synchronized, our glasses clinking together in perfect harmony, "Cheers".