[General POV]
At Jay's house, the old man had prepared a candlelight dinner to celebrate his first date anniversary with his new, smoking hot wife who was wearing a low cut red dress that accentuated her figure, making every man drool in her presence.
"Really? We're staying at home for the anniversary?" Gloria smiled with her mouth, but her eyes showed disappointment as she was expecting something more from her husband. They had finished a nice dinner together, and now were celebrating with red wine.
Jay in a dashing black suit smiled and said, "Well…the surprise I have tonight is made especially for you…I don't want you to share the moment with anyone else."
"Ay Jay! What present?" Gloria's eyes lit up in excitement.
Jay took out a small white box with blue ribbon on it and placed it on the table before sliding it to Gloria. She snatched the box from his hand gleefully and savagely ripped the ribbon off before opening the box.
"A pair of diamond earrings! I LOVE IT JAY!" Gloria said before she stood up while simultaneously taking off her current earring to change it into the new ones.
"Wait! Slow down!" Jay grabbed Gloria's arm before she could run away with a soft smile on his face as she loved his first present.
"There's another?" Gloria asked with an excited tone.
"Yes. But the next one doesn't cost me money, but parts of my dignity." Jay joked. Gloria tilted her head slightly in confusion. Jay saw and sighed before he explained, "Well…I prepared a special song for us."
Her excitement was at the peak, and she said, "DID YOU MAKE THE SONG-"
"What- No! I asked…someone to do it."
"You asked Ed didn't you?" Gloria said, her excitement deflated quickly.
Jay's mouth became dry and he thought secretly to himself, 'I…didn't expect this.'
"Anyway. Shall we?" Jay asked while romantically grabbing Gloria's hand.
Gloria nodded, but she didn't seem that excited at the prospect of getting her own song. Many men had serenaded her with their own songs before, not to mention that this song didn't even come from Jay.
He leads her to the living room before hitting the play button to reveal the song. "This is just for you." He said in a low voice. Gloria didn't make fun of his effort and said, "Then. let me hear it."
He grabbed her by the waist, and they gently swayed together as they listened to the song's intro. The ukulele sound reverberated in the entire living room. Gloria widened her eyes as she heard the first line on the song, which was in Spanish.
♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪
"Amarte Como Te Amo— (Record scratch)"
"Huh?" Jay was confused by the song stopping suddenly. Then, he heard a dreaded sound coming from the audio.
"Viking is taking the lead in today's match-"
"OH HELL!" Jay cursed as he realized he had accidentally taped yesterday's football match over the song in the CD Edward gave him. He anxiously pressed all the buttons on the home entertainment speaker, but he accidentally pressed 'clean disk' on the option.
"Oh no!" Jay exclaimed with widened eyes and turned to a disappointed Gloria behind him.
"I'll…see if he's still up." Jay said quickly before taking out his phone.
…
[Edward POV]
Despite my reluctance, we didn't do anything inside the shower except take a bath together.
"It will be bad for us if Claire waited for a long time before I came out of the room.if by any chance we were caught, then we won't be able to explain ourselves." I said using my logical thinking, making my lower body part turned depressed.
"So…You're not against us doing things?" Haley asked slyly and with a cute quizzical head tilt.
I smiled and replied, "Nah."
"So. You're not dating then." She said clearly.
"Huh? Why would you think I'm dating?" I asked her.
"N-Nothing. I was just being dumb." She replied before turning off the shower.
[Haley's commentary]
"Okay. Good news. He's not dating. Bad news. How the hell should I tell Abby about the way I got the information?!"
[commentary ends]
"Claire. Are you still there?" I asked while holding the doorknob.
"Yes." Claire answered from outside the door.
"Why? Don't you think it's a bit weird…and predatory to stay outside a teenage boy's bathroom door?" I asked with a concerned voice, and was laughing with Haley inside the room as Claire couldn't answer the question.
I got out of the room slowly, and found Claire still waiting in the hallway despite her earlier embarrassment. She smiled begrudgingly and walked to the door, before Haley closed it from behind, making my towel get stuck at the door gap.
"I prepared some warm milk for you in the kitchen. Go change into your pajamas first." Claire ordered.
I nodded and pretended to walk casually. Claire saw that my towel was stuck at the door, and tried to stop me, "Wait. Ed-"
She was too late. The towel fell down from my waist. Claire turned back hurriedly to prevent herself from seeing it.
"OH MY GOD!" I exclaimed. "Sorry Claire. I'm so embarrassed!" I exclaimed in fake anxiousness as I opened the toilet door wide and signaled Haley to move out. She tiptoed quickly to get to her door, while I was still distracting Claire.
"Have you put on the towel yet?!" Claire asked anxiously with her back turned against me.
I looked at Haley who gave me an 'okay' gesture as she sneaked into her room and said, "I'm done."
Claire breathed in relief and turned back again, but I had already walked away from the bathroom. "Also Claire. I had already cleaned it, so you don't actually have to wait until I'm done showering. You gave me a lot of anxiety by doing that." I said as I got to Luke's bedroom door.
Claire opened her mouth a few times, but no words could come out. She sighed and said, "Sorry. I was being difficult for you."
"It's okay Claire. I will fix the door knob tomorrow, okay?" I said with a smile before entering the room.
[Claire's commentary]
Standing outside of the bathroom door, Claire barged into the bathroom and scanned the entirety of it before finally sighing in relief.
" I don't know why…but I didn't think he was alone in there." Claire said her concern. Her motherly instinct kept screaming at her, telling her something was wrong with the whole situation– especially when Ed teased her to make her go away from there.
"I really thought he was hiding something, that maybe he had a girl in there. But, he didn't do anything wrong, and he even cleaned up the bathroom– I feel so guilty about suspecting him now."
She paused for a second before saying, "But still…I KNOW…something weird is going on…I just don't know what yet."
After a long silence, she confessed, "Also. I got a peek under there. But not clearly. That kid is going to make a lot of girls happy-"
[commentary ends]
"Huh. That's weird." I muttered as I saw a text from Jay after putting on some clothes. I called him without thinking much about it, and he picked up the call almost immediately.
"Hey Ed. What's the rate if I want to hire you to play for the evening?"
"This evening?" What happened?" I asked in confusion.
Jay explained a bit and said, "Look. Gloria is pissed. I'll pay you 5 thousand bucks if you get down here as quickly as you can."
"Sure. Lemme grab my instrument. But, you need to call Claire and talk to her about it. She's curfew-ing me, and won't let me stay up late like I'm a child."
"Hmm..I'll talk to her. Hurry up Ed." Jay said before he ended the call. I changed into some dress clothes and walked out of the room silently without waking up Luke or Manny.
"Where are you going young man?" Claire said sternly as me getting out was timed at the same exact moment she came out after inspecting the bathroom.
"Jay will call you and explain. Also, you need to drop me off over there." I replied casually before knocking on Haley's door. Claire looked at my brazen action in bewilderment, but then she heard her phone ringtone blaring from the master bedroom.
Haley opened the door while wearing only a robe, looked around carefully before whispering, "You wanna sleep on my bed?"
I rolled my eyes and said, "I got a gig. Wanna come? Is Alex still awake?"
"Nah. She is already asleep. Wait, let me change my clothes first." Haley replied with a huge grin hurriedly before closing the door right at my face.
"Is this payback from earlier?" I muttered to myself while having an amused smile.
[Haley POV]
"What was that?" Alex asked as I slammed the door.
I turned toward her and replied awkwardly, "Nothing. Just dad checking up on us." I shuddered in disgust as I realized I had basically called Ed 'Daddy', but I would not admit it to anyone ever.
"Wait. Ughh Damn. Why the hell did he- Did I wash my hair today?" I groaned as I picked up the hair dryer to style up my hair. Alex asked, "Are you going out?"
"Yeah." I replied casually.
She was bewildered and asked whisperingly, "Are you sneaking out to a party?"
"I don't know yet." I replied with a smile. 'This is him asking me out on a date right?' I blushed a little and was elated for him to finally take the initiative.
"The shower thing might have messed with his head…oh well. If looking at me naked changed his mind, then that means I'm just that hot." I muttered with a low voice as I dried my hair.
"What did you say?" Alex asked puzzledly as she couldn't hear anything.
"No-Nothing. You should sleep. BIGGG Day tomorrow." I replied as I turned to her before applying some makeup.
I left the room after 15 minutes, and was wearing a low cut top blouse and a miniskirt. But then I froze as I saw my mom standing in front of my bedroom door.
"Uh…Um…This is…" I stammered immediately.
"I'm just about to call you. Hurry up, Grandpa is waiting." Mom said casually and walked away.
"Wait. The gig is from GRANDPA?!" I shouted in bewilderment before I saw Ed laughing below the stairs. "YOU BASTARD!" I cursed at him.
"Do you want to come or not?" Ed asked teasingly.
"I….I'll be there in a few minutes." I said after thinking about it for a while.
"Great. Then you'll be the last one there." Alex suddenly appeared behind me and walked past me before descending the stairs first.
…
[Edward POV]
I took a deep breath to calm myself down as Claire drove us to Jay's house.
"Are you nervous Ed?" Claire asked as she saw I was doing the breathing exercise.
Before I could answer, Haley did it for me, "Yeah mom. It's been a while since he sang his own songs in front of other people."
I smiled while wondering how she knew me so well and said, "I'm not nervous. I'm just preparing my voice and my mindset."
Alex added, "Also. You need to get back directly after singing. No dillydallying. There's a competition tomorrow, and I need you to be in your best condition."
"I'm always at my best. Anyway, Don't worry about the competition. As long as I'm there, we will win, no matter what the others throw at us."
Alex snorted and said, "You sure brag a lot for someone who has never been in this type of competition before."
"Yeah. The kids in this area have to thank my parents for that one. They waited so long to let me join in to give a chance to the other kids."
Haley laughed and said, "You're so cocky."
"You mean unfounded confidence." Alex said while rolling her eyes.
"We're here!" Claire said and stopped the car abruptly. All three of us let out a small shout before getting out of the car. Haley and Alex helped me with bringing the instrument inside the house while I brought the heavy speaker.
Jay opened the door and greeted me outside the house before I could get in.
"Finally!" Jay said with a smile and a flushed red face. "I had to keep Gloria interested by opening the second bottle of wine, so I don't know how much of the song she's going to hear, but do your best."
"Okay. The cash?" I asked.
"Here." Jay slid the envelope full of cash into my hand. Claire narrowed her eyes as she walked toward us and asked," Are you guys dealing drugs? Why are you being so shady? And Dad, when did you even ask Ed to make a song for you in the first place?"
Drunk, Jay forgot that he promised to keep the deal a secret and said, "Well. At the party before. We made a deal. If he did this, then I couldn't poach you to my company for a period of 4 years- Oh wait." Jay turned to look at me in realization of what he had done.
I opened my mouth a few times, but was too embarrassed and I walked into the house without minding Claire wanting to halt me.
Inside the room, Gloria was already playing with her phone while waiting for the song.
"I wonder if this might be unnecessary." I muttered. Gloria turned towards me and said, "He took too long. The mood is already gone. But still put in some effort, so I don't want to disappoint him."
I nodded and said, "That's why you're called the best wife."
"What? Ed you sweet talker." Gloria laughed dismissively as she felt embarrassed to be called that. I set up the impromptu stage with the synthesizer at my feet and ukulele in my hand.
Haley helped adjust the microphone stand height to match my sitting on a chair position and kissed my cheeks lightly for good luck before going to watch it beside her mother.
"Jay. Although you ruined my CD, I will still try hard to make this night a special night for the both of you. Gloria, will you take Jay's hand and move right to the center of the living room. Definitely don't mind the others, and just pretend there were only the 2 of you here."
Gloria laughed a bit while Claire rolled her eyes and said, "I can't watch this. I'm staying outside." Even though she tried to keep an open mind, it was hard for her to see her dad becoming intimate with another woman.
I smiled wryly as I saw Claire leave and said to Alex, "This song might not be good for underage girls-"
"Shut up and play already." Alex said in annoyance, and definitely wouldn't go away from there.
I nodded and started to play a soft melody using the ukulele.
♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪
Jay looked into Gloria's eyes and said, "Sorry I ruined our night."
"It's okay. There's still hope for you." Gloria replied before putting her head on Jay's chest as they swayed to the music. Haley groaned in disgust as she saw her grandpa being all lovey dovey and turned her face to focus on me instead.
"♫♪Amarte como te amo es complicado♫♪" (T/L: To love you like I love you is complicated)
"Wait. This is Spanish?" Haley's eyes shook as Spanish was her weak subject. She turned to Alex, who sighed and said, "Okay. I will translate. But later."
"♫♪Pensar como te pienso es un pecado♫♪ (To think about you like I do is a Sin)
Gloria raised one of her eyebrows and looked at Jay who claimed he 'gave' the lyric to Ed.
"♫♪Mirar como te miro está prohibido♫♪"(To look at you like I do is forbidden)
She hit Jay's chest hard and said, "You asked a 14 year old to sing like this?"
I laughed from the stage and continued professionally, " ♫♪Tocarte como quiero es un delito, oh♫♪" (To touch you like I want is a crime)
"JAY!" Gloria widened her eyes in horror. Alex looked smittenly at me, while Haley was trying hard to understand the song. Then, Haley decided to forget about the translation and enjoyed the song instead.
♫♪Ya no sé qué hacer para que estés bien (I don't know what to do to make you be ok)
Si apagar el sol para encender tu amanecer (If I should turn off the sun to turn on your sunrise)
Falar em português, aprender a hablar francés (Speak in Portuguese, learn to speak French)
O bajar la luna hasta tus pies♫♪ (Or bring the down the moon to your feet)
The change in tempo made Gloria excited, and her dance with Jay became much more energetic.
♫♪Yo solo quiero darte un beso (I only want to give you a kiss)
Y regalarte mis mañanas (and gift you my mornings)
Cantar para calmar tus miedos (sing to calm your fears)
Quiero que no te falte nada ♫♪(I don't want you to lack anything)
"AYY JAY!" Gloria exclaimed lovingly and placed her head on Jay's chest again.
[Jay's commentary]
"I don't even know why she's mad or why she was so touched. Edward will get mad at me when I say this, but I also lost the paper with the lyrics and translation he gave me before."
[Commentary ends]
"♫♪Yo solo quiero darte un beso (I only want to give you a kiss)
Llenarte con mi amor el alma (Fill your soul with my love)
Llevarte a conocer el cielo (take you to explore the sky)
Quiero que no te falte nada ♫♪" (I don't want you to lack anything)
I turned to the girls and winked at them, making them blush. Haley decided to record the show as she needed to find out the translation later, and I had no problem with her action.
"♫♪Si el mundo fuera mío, te lo daría (If I owned the world I would give it to you)
Hasta mi religión la cambiaría (I would even change my religion)
Por ti hay tantas cosas que yo haría (There are so many things I would do for you)
Pero tú no me das ni las noticias, uh ♫♪(But you don't even give me the news (E/N: This is more a Spanish phrase to say that she doesn't even acknowledges him) )
[Gloria's commentary]
"Now. the mood is returning…" Gloria said with a smile. "Also, I think, Manny can learn from Ed how to serenade a girl in Spanish. We are so passionate, so smooth. He lost interest in learning recently, and I really think that realizing this will help him."
[Manny's commentary]
"I was kinda jealous that I couldn't go there and listen to the song on my own last night. But seeing Haley's video, I had a decision to make. With Ed teaching me how to get girls, and singing a Spanish song like he does, I think I can make Jenna fall in love with me. And yes, Ed's friend, Jenna Mckenzie. Ed said she's still single."
[commentary ends]
♫♪Y ya no sé qué hacer para que estés bien ( And I don't know what to do to make sure you are ok)
Si apagar el sol para encender tu amanecer (If I turn off the sun to Turn on your sunrise)
Falar em português, aprender a hablar francés (Speak Portuguese or learn to speak French)
O bajar la luna hasta tus pies ♫♪(Or bring the moon down to your feet)
My voice made the girls melt, and Gloria swoon. Of course, Jay received a lot of her affection for arranging this. He smiled as he knew the mood was back on.
♫♪Yo solo quiero darte un beso (I only want to give you a kiss)
Y regalarte mis mañanas (and gift you my mornings )
Cantar para calmar tus miedos (sing to ease your fears)
Quiero que no te falte nada♫♪ (I don't want you to lack anything)
The melodies of ukulele music reverberated in the entire house. My finger moved skillfully on the strings, capturing Alex's admiration. "His fingers…are so nice." She blurted out unconsciously with a dazed face.
♫♪Yo solo quiero darte un beso (I only want to give you one kiss)
Llenarte con mi amor el alma (el alma) (Fill your soul with my love)
Solo quiero darte un beso (I only want to give you one kiss)
Quiero que no te falte nada ♫♪(oh, no) (I don't want you to lack anything )
Jay and Gloria danced, and he twirled her underneath his arm before pulling her back into his embrace.
♫♪Yo solo quiero darte un beso (darte un beso) (I only want to give you one kiss)
Llevarte a conocer el cielo♫♪ (take you to explore the sky)
"Ayy Jay. The lyrics are so romantic." Gloria muttered.
"They are? I mean. Of course they are. It's written for you after all." Jay said, claming the credit.
♫♪Solo quiero darte un beso (I only want to give you one kiss)
Quiero que no te falte nada♫♪ (I don't want you to lack anything)
I slowed down the melody at the end and looked at the atmosphere in satisfaction.
♫♪Tu-ru, solo quiero ♫♪(I only want)
♫♪Tu-ru, eh-eh-ey♫♪
♫♪Yo solo quiero darte - (tu-ru) (I only want to give you)
Quiero que no te falte nada♫♪ (I don't want you to lack anything)
I didn't end the song abruptly, but played the ukulele for a while as I let the music fade slowly away. Alex and Haley clapped their hands as I finished singing, but Jay walked briskly toward us in a hurry.
"GO. Go home. NOW!" Jay said as he chased us away.
"What? Why Gran-" Before Haley could ask, and Alex could find out, I grabbed both of their wrists and pulled them away. I said to Jay, "Remember to return my stuff to my house tomorrow."
"I will. GO NOW!" Jay said and chased us out again. I laughed and pulled both puzzled girls to the front door before disappearing from the house, and entered Claire's minivan hurriedly.
"Drive Claire. Drive."
"On it!" Claire knew what was happening and pressed the pedal in a hurry as we ran away from there.
[General POV]
After chasing the kids away, Jay turned back, only to find Gloria was gone from the living room.
"Gloria?" He shouted to find out where she was.
"I'm in the bedroom. I'm starting with, or without you. So hurry up!" Gloria said suggestively. Jay pumped his fist in excitement before running up the stairs to join her in 'celebrating' their night together.