"Where are you? We're waiting... It's fine, just be cautious and come over." Steve sighed and turned to face his friends, who were waiting for Monika. It was already 5:10 p.m., and she was running late, most likely due to work. "She promised to be here in 10 minutes." In a convincing tone, he said.
"Why didn't you go get her?" What kind of boyfriend are you?" Jackson scolded him and moved closer to Maya, her girlfriend. Maya and Jackson had been dating for two years and had been friends with all five of them for even longer.
"I asked her if I could come? She said she'll be fine." Steve defended himself.
"How did you ask her out? I mean how you guys met?" Maya jumped slightly from her seat in excitement and intertwined her finger with Jackson.
The boys exchanged nervous glances as they brainstormed ways to avoid the subject. Apart from the boys, no one knew about the bet, and they were well aware of Maya's sensitivity. Steve, in particular, was nervous because he was afraid that the truth, the truth between Monika and him that no one knew about, would not be revealed. Maya became aware of the tension in the room and turned her gaze to Jackson, who gave her a weak smile.
"We first met in a coffee shop." Steve finally broke the silence by telling her. "And I asked her out." He finished with a faint smile. Maya was about to say something when the door was knocked on, and everyone sighed in relief.
"I believe she's arrived." Steve jumped out of his seat and dashed towards the exit. He opened the door quickly and was relieved to see Monika with an apologetic smile. Steve, who was overwhelmed by the situation, drew her inside and hugged her. "Thank God, we were on the verge of being exposed." He leaned against her hair and whispered. Monika was startled by his sudden affection, but she quickly melted as she wrapped her arms around his torso.
"Are you two going to stand by the door all day?" Matt yelled from the living room as they entered. Breaking the little moment, they went inside, holding each other's hands just like a new couple.
"Guys, this is Monika. And Monika these are my friends." Steve introduced her to everyone. One by one they introduced themselves too. Steve was happy to see them getting along with Monika who was smiling fondly at everyone. Maya who was even more excited came beside her and engulfed her in a tight bear hug while giggling to herself.
"It's great to have another female in the group. They were starting to bore me. Now we can go shopping and do girly things." She continued to ramble on about random girly things, to which others simply chuckled and gave Monika a thumbs up sign.
"It's also a pleasure to meet you. I mean everyone." Monika turned to face Steve, who surprised her by kissing her cheeks. Monika was once again taken aback, but she kept her cool so as not to appear awkward. "I need to use the restroom….Could you show me?" She gave him a look, and he nodded, taking the sign. They excused themselves and proceeded to Steve's room upstairs. After getting away from the others, Monika crossed her arms and gave him a death glare. Steve closed the door shut behind him, sacred in puzzlement.
"What was that?" Steve just wiggled his shoulders. "Why would you kiss me?" She whispered in admonishing way.
"We're dating." When he said "dating," he used air quotes. "It's also normal between couples, we have to appear genuine." He cast a quick glance at her to see if she was upset.
"Yeah, but it's been only a week."
"I'm sorry I've never been into a relationship before." Steve retorted. Monika took a deep breath to calm herself down pacing back and forth thinking loudly.
"Never." She looked at him with a smirk on her face, causing Steve's cheeks to flush with embarrassment. "All right, but not without a warning." Steve's face softened with the last sentence. She sighed and sighed some more. "Let's get out of here before they notice anything, but I'll add more rules later." They descended to re-join the others after Steve sighed.
The evening went smoothly because Monika was charming and confident, which helped her quickly become friends with everyone. Her and Maya exchanged some girly gossip about random topics. And Monika told them about her job and her hobbies, just normal conversation. She even assisted Ethan in preparing dinner and setting the table.
"Dinner is ready." Ethan yelled as he placed the last dish on the table. Monika sat between Steve and San, across Jackson and Maya, with Ethan and Matt at the far end.
"I heard you beat Steve at basketball, Monika." Steve gave Jackson a death glare as he blurted out. Maya looked at both of them, surprised, and everyone laughed. Monika's confidence grew even stronger as she sat up straight and cleared her throat.
"He wanted me to be his cheerleader, but what's the fun in that?" She gave a smirk.
"Now I understand why he was dripping with sarcasm that day." Matt yelled, and everyone looked at him, their brows furrowed in confusion. "I mean, you had to have taught him well." He got up from his seat and emptied his dish into the sink. Steve simply rolled his eyes at the remark.
Monika gave Steve an amused glare, and he gave her a weak, slightly embarrassed smile. "You're a basketball player. That's fantastic, Monika." Maya exclaimed excitedly, scrunching her nose and making a cute face. Everyone got up from their seats after a while of talking about their lives and hobbies, as they had finished eating. Monika offered to assist Steve with dishes because it was a rule that Ethan cooks' food and one of them must do the dishes. San and Matt sat in front of the controller, taking turns playing with Jackson, Ethan, and Maya.
"Thank you for coming. I mean, we've only been pretending to date for a week. So, again, thank you." He said softly, not looking at her, his attention focused on the dishes.
"It's okay, they're nice, and I seriously had a lot of fun." She responded with a genuine grin. They finished the last set of dishes and proceeded to the living room.
"That's not right. You put me in advanced mode on purpose to make me lose." Maya whimpered as she tossed the controller over Matt's lap.
"Get used to hearing these noises." Steve whispered into her ear.
"Hey, it's not my fault that girls aren't able to play." He caressed the controller as if it were a baby.
"You did not say that." Monika's arms were crossed. "Take your words back, or I'll beat your score." She took the controller and sat on the floor beside Matt. When Monika confidently volunteered to play, Steve knew his friend needed luck, so he simply whispered a good luck to his friend and sat on the couch behind Monika.
All eyes were fixed on the TV screen; all of the boys except Steve sat by Matt's side, while Steve and Maya sat by Monika's. "Ready?" said Ethan as he took the remote. He inquired before pressing the start button, and both of them responded with a nod.
The first round of NFS began, and everyone began to cheer for them. Monika chose the Aston Martin DB11 2017 Sportscar over Matt, who chose the Jaguar F-Type R Coupe 2017.
3….2….1…and go.
Matt was ahead of Monika on the first lap, so he smirked and lifted his head to look proud. "One should never put on airs and graces," as the saying goes. But Matt was just Matt; he underestimated Monika and became distracted, allowing the girl to increase her speed and overtake him. She kept a safe distance between the two vehicles. Matt, who was terrified by the situation, began whining, which made everyone laugh. Steve and Maya, on the other hand, were ecstatic.
"When driving, keep your eyes open." Monika teased him before entering the final lap. Matt increased his speed in an attempt to overtake, but it was too late. Monika squealed with delight as she reached the finish line. She threw the controller on the couch and jumped right over Steve. Good for her, Steve reacted quickly and caught her before she hit the table's edge, spinning her around a few times and saying, "My girl is the best."
"I'd like a rematch, I got distracted " Matt grumbled and punched the plushie. Everyone laughed when Ethan took the plushie to save it from being beaten to pulp.
"You are something, girl." Maya embraced her tightly. "So, Matt, what were you saying?" She made fun of him before bursting out laughing.
And so, the night came to an end. Jackson and Maya were the first to leave, bidding their farewells, and Steve escorted Monika out the door as it was getting late.
"Should I drop you?" Steve offered her, but she declined because she was driving here and said she'd be fine. "Where are you parked?" He inquired once more. She began to cross the street while pointing to the Mercedes-Benz S-class.
"You have a Mercedes!" Surprisingly, he exclaimed. Monika simply chuckled and said, 'Good night, dumdum.' "Good night." He waved her off with wide eyes and went back inside, murmuring, 'she is really something.' "Wait a second. "Did she just call?" When he turned around, he noticed her waving through the window.
"How did he get away?" Jake Norman erupted in a fit of rage and threw his phone across the room. Silent sobs could be heard from one corner as the room fell silent. The governess, who had been assigned to keep an eye on Damien the night he ran away, sobbed in the corner. "I'm going to need my lawyer." His manager immediately contacted one of the lawyers on his list as soon as the words left his mouth.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't know how." I went to the kitchen, and when I returned, he had vanished." The governess sobbed and knelt on her knees; her face hidden behind her palm. Norman raised his two fingers in a 'get lost' gesture, and his men quickly picked up the sign and dragged the governess out of the room.
"I've scheduled a meeting with Mr. Colt, he'll be here the next day." The manager informed him. "Besides, we did some research and discovered she lives away from her family and works in The Enter10, which is owned by a guy named Louis German." When Norman heard the name, his eyes widened.
"Good." He rose from his seat and leaned against the window to light a cigarette. 'We'll meet soon, old friend.' He smirked and mumbled.