Fear prevented Sophia from turning on her laptop after Simon warned her to shut it down. She wanted to ask Simon why he said that, but his line wasn't even connecting.
The situation she was in was causing her a lot of distress. Apart from not being able to use her laptop, for now, she could not continue with her research, and that bothered her a lot.
Maybe she made a mistake. Maybe she shouldn't have invited a hacker to help her. She felt stupid for even making such a decision. With a sigh, she walked downstairs to celebrate Christmas with her parents.
All this time she was cooped up in her room, she didn't realize that Christmas was approaching. It was when her mother gave her a pre-Christmas gift that night, she realized that it was December 24.
Now, today was Christmas day. This was usually one of her favourite days of the year. She used to go out with her parents, her mom specifically, she was given a lot of gifts, she ate a lot of cookies and ice cream, practically every of her childhood joys were fulfilled on that day.
Thinking about it, she was awed at how these days felt like distant memories. Even at the age of twelve, she felt like a middle-aged woman thinking back at her young days.
"There's our princess. Come on, walk slowly on the stairs, let me take a picture of you" Sophia's mom said with joy on her face as she held her iPhone in her hand.
When Sophia's mind arrived at the present, she realized that it was not only her and her mom in the sitting room. There were her parent's relatives and their friends. She could even see Jessica and Katie sitting on the big couch.
Sophia could not help but blush. She slowed her pace on the stairs and walked with her head bowed in shyness. "No, Sophia, don't be shy. Act like a princess walking to meet her prince charming, come on.... that's it, good."
Sophia gritted her teeth in silence. Mom, I'm gonna kill you after all of this, she winced inwardly.
After the awkward parade show was over, Sophia's heart was reeling in embarrassment. She felt like jumping inside a hole. She glared at her mother, who only laughed heartily.
Jessica and Katie approached Sophia and they both squealed happily. "Merry Christmas girl", said Jessica in glee. "Merry Christmas to both of you. This was a pleasant surprise, and I'm happy to see you" Sophia could not help but hug them. This was what she desperately needed, after all that happened.
"Everything okay?" Jessica seemed to notice Sophia's body language. Sophia shook her head and smiled wryly. "Mhmm. A lot has happened in just this week. Let's go to my room and talk about it". Jessica showed a face of pity as she held Sophia's palm.
"Even your palms seemed softer and cool. Something's wrong. Alright, let's go" Jessica replied. As they were about to climb upstairs, Katie stopped them. "Jess, you didn't tell her Daniel is here. How could you have forgotten?" Katie whispered. Sophia frowned and scanned the crowd in the living room, and there he was, sitting at an inconspicuous spot.
"What's he doing here?"
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
After checking the large mirror for the fifth time, Daniel closed his eyes and sighed inwardly. He knew he wasn't supposed to go to Sophia's house, but since her mom invited his mom, his mom requested him to accompany her.
Normally, Daniel was supposed to decline. He had already invited her to a party on Saturday, so it doesn't seem right to go see her two days prior. He didn't know what took over him when he immediately said yes.
He felt guilty for deciding to go to her home. How would she feel when she sees him in her own home? Even a steeled heart like him could not bear seeing her reaction the moment she set eyes on him.
But thinking of it from another angle, he had to go visit her. Even if he had invited her on a date on Saturday, he wasn't even sure if she would come. The only affirmative answer she gave him before driving away was that she would think about it.
That statement meant two things. She might come, or she might not come, and it bothers him. Up till now, he has no idea why Sophia suddenly became distant to him. It was not like he did anything that displeases her anyway.
When he saw her walking down the stairs slowly, his heart began to beat faster, and he felt a lot of butterflies in his stomach. This girl is very beautiful. Oh my god! She was like a priceless masterpiece, something that must be preserved and maintained.
The lighting in the sitting room made her already snow-white skin glow further, and her dressing flowed along the staircase, making it look like she was climbing down from heaven.
He could not remove his eyes from her glorious stroll on the stairs. At that moment, he felt like rushing over and kissing her passionately. But he knew better.
Even the shyness only added to her beauty. Why was this girl making him feel this way? By the time she finally left the stairs, his heart was beating so fast like he just finished a marathon race. He was sweating profusely.
Earlier, he had gathered the courage to go meet her, but now, all the courage had disappeared. He could not even stand up from his seat, not to talk of meeting her. He could only watch her from a distance.
Jessica and Katie came, he didn't even notice them at all. They met Sophia and they both squealed with glee. Normally, these actions irritate him, but seeing Sophia doing it with her friends, it sounded more like melodious music in his ears.
Was he in love?
While Daniel was enjoying the beautiful sight, Sophia suddenly turned around and their eyes met. This jolted Daniel's heart, as he became very uneasy. How did she know he was here? He had personally picked this spot so that it would be difficult for anyone to notice him.
Was it her friends that told her? Daniel had a feeling that it was her friends, or more specifically Katie that disclosed his location.
That b***h!