"MY BOSS, THE OWNER of this building." I shrug.

"So, where were you going with him?"

"Can we leave the curb now?... You can probe me on our way home."

He nods hesitantly.

I turn and walk towards the car, he runs past me to get the door and I thank him.

The ride home is quiet, Matt hasn't said a word to me and I don't want to say anything either, because that will give him the opportunity to question me and I don't want that. We aren't even dating, and he wants to know everything about me!

I scoff and look out of the window, as I watch the houses go by. I look up at the sky, the stars are shining ever so brightly and that makes me smile.

"What's that on your neck?" I hear Matt say and I'm brought out of my reverie.

"Sorry, did you say something?"

"I said, what's that on your neck?"

He looks really pissed.

"There's nothing on my neck." I run a hand on my neck, trying to find what he's talking about.

He scoffs,

"Why are we pulling over?" I shriek.

He doesn't answer me, he just concentrates on pulling over properly off the road.

He puts the gear on park and turns to me.

"What is that blotch on your neck? I know what it is, but I need you, to tell me what it is."

I flip the sun visor down and open the vanity mirror, then slightly tilt my head to the side, so I can see my neck - and indeed there's a red blotch on the side of my neck, a very visible one at that.

My eyes widen, because I recognize that mark. It's the same mark Crystal used to wear proudly as a badge to show her sexual exploits.

One time, she told me what they are called, and how you can get them, but I wasn't interested - look at me now, bearing one of my own and looking like a total whore in front of my childhood crush - fuck me!

"Uh, must be an allergy."

He chuckles,

"Humor me." he crosses his arms and raises a brow.

I roll my eyes.

"A new cleaning product was given to us and after using it to clean, I got an itch right on this spot. I guess I'm allergic to something in it. So, I won't sit here and watch you judge me so blatantly!"

His mouth opens and closes, he looks remorseful.

He's about to reach over and hold my hand, but I raise a hand to stop him.

I open the door, hop out of the truck, and begin to walk away.

"Ana! Wait! Please..."

I don't stop, I just keep walking.

I glance back, and I see him starting the car. I let out a breath of relief - how was I able to pull that off? I'm not a great liar, I've always been terrible at it, even daisy calls me out on my inability to tell a lie.

"Ana please stop... Get into the car, please."
He says as he follows me, while driving at a slow pace.

"On one condition..."

I watch him sigh, then he nods.

"Don't say another word, till I get home."

"Deal!"

I open the passenger door and get in.

We finally get to my driveway and I hurriedly get down and swing my backpack over my shoulder.

I HEAR THE DRIVER'S side door shut, and he walks over to me, towering over me and his chocolate brown eyes sparkle in the night light.

"I'm sorry about tonight..."

"Didn't I tell you not to say another word?" I smile.

He visibly relaxes,

"You said till you get home, and now you're home."

I roll my eyes, the smile still plastered on my face.

"I was just scared... You were hanging out with your boss who seems to be way older than you..."

"Drop it." I say sternly.

He raises both hands in defeat.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me, I didn't... Mean to pry."

I nod.

He turns and walks away, then drives off.

What have I done?!

Matthew is an amazing person, kind and extremely selfless... But, on the other hand, there's Thomas, who is mysterious, charming and really good-looking - plus that accent and how he pronounces my name - heh heh.

I feel this natural pull to Thomas. Maybe it's how mysterious he is or how alluring he is, I can't place a finger on it. But, Matthew is easy to read - predictable, and nothing compared to Thomas.

I let out a loud sigh and walk into the house.

My dad is on the dining, he seems to be doing some calculations or something, there are papers and a calculator, scattered on the table, and his glasses are resting on the tip of his nose.

He looks up,

"Ana! Welcome honey... How was work?" he asks with a tired smile on his lips.

"Thank dad... Work was okay... What are you doing?"

"Just some calculations - I got my check today, so I'm trying to split it into all the expenses and debts we have."

I glance through all the papers on the table,

"At least that is some good news."

"Yeah, we've almost completed our savings for the don... And it's all thanks to your help, thank you, Ana." he says sincerely.

"Thanks to you too, dad... you stepped up and took charge of our family, this place feels like home once again."

He smiles, a lone tear trails down his cheek.

I lean down and hug my father... I'm so proud of how far he has come, staying clean and working hard to take care of us.

"Have you had something to eat?"

"Don't worry yourself, I'm extremely tired, and I don't feel like eating anything."

"Okay... Do you know if Daisy had something to eat before going to bed?"

"Yeah, we ordered some pizza, I think there's some left over in the fridge."

"Okay dad... You can go to bed now, see you in the morning."

He nods and places a light peck on my cheek, before walking away.

When he gets to the foot of the stairs, he leans on the railing,

"Dad! What's wrong?" I run over to him.

He groans.

"It's nothing sweetie, I'm fine. Just a little headache." he breathes out.

"You don't look fine..."

He stands upright, with a small smile.

"See? I'm fine."

He walks up the stairs,

"I'll bring you an Advil, okay?" I call out.

"Goodnight Ana!" he waves, without turning back.

I shrug,

Turn and walk into the kitchen, then I find the leftover pizza and put it into the microwave.

While that is heating up, I settle on a couch in the living room.

My head is clouded with thoughts of Thomas - I think I like him.

Omg!

I can't believe I've been kissed twice, in less than one month, by two amazing guys.

Do I keep leading Matt on, or do I avoid Thomas?

How did I get myself into this dilemma? And how do I get myself out of it?

Guys do you know that underneath this chapter, there is a star button and, when you click it, it turns orange 😲? Cool right?, you should totally try the magic 😉! 😚😚😚