"You're amazing," he said, kissing my brow.
"You're so tempting", I nip at his lower lip.
"Not again, we'll be late for Emma's birthday," he warned.
I sighed, "Fine. I've no idea what to dress. Should I go casual?"
"Have you forgotten about your surprise?" He reached for the gift box. I opened the lid and spotted a lovely red dress within. I hauled it out. "Seductive"
He folded me from behind, "I love it when you are less covered. I can slink in your body through this bare spot", he whispered.
"I'm trying to hold myself back here, you better take grip of yourself", I pushed him away.
I wore a deep V-neck short red dress. I put on some makeup, then my heels.
We locked the door and left the cabin.
It's been a week since our talk and the phony birthday party. Jack forwarded me the paperwork that Isabella needs to sign.
"Isabella, come here", I said.
"Yep. Need something?", she stood at the door.
"I need your signature for your passport", I handed her the printed papers and a pen.
"When will it be done?" she said as she handed back the papers bearing her signature.
"Soon", I rested her head against my chest.
"We'll live peacefully" she said
"I can hardly wait until that moment" I said.
A few more days passed. I received a message from Jack via the app.
"The passport is ready, I'll come over", he said.
"Finally! Have you booked the place yet?", I asked.
"We will book it in your place", he said.
"I'm waiting", I said.
Jack showed up at my house late in the evening. He took out his passport from his pants pocket.
"Thank goodness this thing is pocket-sized, otherwise your family will sniff out the strange bag", he said.
"They'd never thought of our plan", I said.
"What if?", he asked.
"You can handle it, you're plausible, dude", I said.
He sighed, "I'm not in the mood to face your family, especially your dad, Silas Abrams", he said.
"Don't you want to do that for me, your best friend, Jack", I said.
"This is what life is like to have a best friend," he explained.
I cracked a smile.
"Where's Isabel?", he asked.
"In her house," I fiddled with my laptop, opening a ticket-buying website.
"Is this the place?" I asked, pointing to the image.
"Exactly. Wait, I've one more thing", he took a debit card from his wallet.
"Who owns this?" I asked.
"My mother", he said.
"Are you daft? There's no way I'm using your mom's debit card!", I said.
"Why not? They won't suspect anything", he said.
"I'm not using it, Jack", I said.
"We have no other options, Luke," he said.
"Come on, nothing will happen, trust me", he said.
"Fine, I'll do it," I said as I entered the card number into the transaction section.
"Done", I said
"When are you leaving?", he asked.
"In three days," I said.
"I'll be staying up late from this point on," he declared.
"Chill buddy, you think way too much," I said.
"We never know what the future holds for us, good or bad, and I won't sleep in peace until you leave and arrive safely," he remarked.
"You're right, don't let those thoughts overpower you," I said, patting his shoulder.
"I want to cry, you won't be here anymore, you're the only brother I have," he added.
"You make it seem like I'm going to leave this earth forever," I said.
As we chatted, the ring of my phone caught our attention.
"Who calls you?", he asked.
"I don't know", I said. I entered my study and grabbed my phone off the desk to see my dad's name appear.
"It's my dad, he never phones at night. Should I take it?" I sunk into the couch next to Jack.
"Take it. Let's see what he has in store for us," he remarked.
I turned on a speaker. "What's the matter, dad?"
"Urgent! You must leave tomorrow, our new project is on hold owing to contract concerns," Silas explained.
"Why don't you go!", I said.
"Son, I have an important meeting. I need you to address the concerns there," he explained.
"I can't entrust others, you're an expert at it", he said.
I looked at Jack in annoyance.
"Please come by tomorrow morning, the files are with me," he added.
I slammed my phone on the couch. "I'M GONNA LEAVE IN 3 DAYS, JACK! WHY SHOULD THERE BE A STUMBLING BLOCK?!", I stood up, shouldering my hips.
"DOES OUR PROJECT HAVE A CONTRACT PROBLEM?!?"
Jack stood up, "No. The contract is cleared"
"3 more days, Jack! Did they do it on purpose?", my voice weakened.
"I don't know, Luke," said Jack.
"What should I do now?" I begged in despair.
"Your father's decision is everything, he takes no for an answer", he said.
"I hate to say it, but you have to go," he said.
"Are you serious?!" I said.
"If you insist on not going, I want our plan to remain a secret, and I want you both to be together," he stated.
"I'll take care of everything from here. Our only goal is to execute this plan," he stated.
"It's getting late, go home", I said.
"Luke" he said
"Don't make Emma wait much longer," I advised.
"Fine, if you want me to go. Don't do anything stupid", he said.
Jack left my place.
I sat weakly on the sofa with lost hope. Why is my life so hard?! All I want is to be with Isabella. Free us from these barriers, let us live in bliss! I've lost all of my strength. I've never felt so helpless in my life.
I lay on my bed with ominous thoughts swirling through my head.
Love makes you weak and powerless, and it fills your life with difficulties. But love gives you the strength to face it all, defend it, and live it.
I'm ready to face that F****** barrier! I bravely entered my car. I fired up the engine and rode toward the demons in my life.
"Isabella, I'll be out of town for a few days," I told her.
"Why? Are you leaving me?", she sobs
"I won't leave you, Isabella, you're the love of my life", I said.
"My dad phoned me last night, I need to work out some problems with our new project," I explained.
"Why didn't he send his other members?", she said.
"Only your man can fix it", I said.
"I haven't hugged and kissed you," she said.
"Baby, you can do whatever you want once I get back", I said.
I'm sorry, I won't let you see me in this condition.
"I'll call you as soon as I get there", I said.
"Bye, take care", she said.
"Bye", I said
(Luke POV)
Arriving at Emma's house, we strolled arm in arm.
"Hi!", Emma welcomed us, she put her arm around Isabella.
"Happy birthday Emma!", she handed her the present.
Jack and I shared a look.
"Thank you!", said Emma.
"Come on, let's get inside," said Jack.
"Where are we going to talk?" I wondered.
"Upstairs on the balcony, after Emma cut the cake," Jack explained.
"Never in my life have I ever imagined attending a fake birthday party", I said.
"Even Emma. I'm glad she was convinced", said Jack.
"I feel bad lying to Isabel", I said.
"It's for the best," he explained.
"I know. Are they Emma's friends?", I asked.
"Her neighbors", said Jack.
"What are you doing there? Stand by me", Emma said.
We took Emma's side and performed the birthday song. Emma made her wishes and sliced the cake. We alternated feeding Emma little slices of cake.
"Isabella, could you please get me some water?" Emma said.
"Sure!" Isabella said as she exited the living room.
"I'll never forget this phony birthday party! I can't believe I have my birthday twice a year," Emma whispered while smiling at the guests.
"Baby, be grateful, you got loads of gifts," Jack said.
"That's a reward for my effort, yet you haven't given me one," Emma remarked.
Luke chuckled. "Time to find a new boyfriend."
"I've got that on my mind. Let me know if you have a single friend" said Emma.
"Stay in touch with me, I'll keep you posted", I said.
Jack gave me and Emma a sidelong glance.
"Really? Emma, I'm the best boyfriend any woman could wish for," Jack explained.
She rolled her eyes.
Jack turned to me, "Dude, you should support your best friend instead of splitting us apart!"
"Baby, your fancy gifts are on the way, she'll be here before you know it," he circled Emma's waist.
"Whatever you say, Jack", said Emma.
"Hush! She is coming", I said.
"Thank you, Isabella," she accepted the glass.
"Let's gather in, we'll have dinner", said Emma.
"Serve them first, us later", said Jack.
"Can I join you guys? I mean later", said Isabella.
"Of course, Isabella, feel free to join us", said Jack.
"Second double date. I'm in!", said Emma.
"I'll be on the balcony with Jack," I told Isabel.
"Okay, I'm here with Emma", said Isabella.
I went up with Jack. The night air swept over us as he unlocked the door.
"Emma has got such a nice house, look at the night view!", I clutched the bar.
"Marvelous!", I gazed at the buildings that lit up the night.
"We love making out in here", he said.
"Don't tell me you...", I said.
"We are enticed by the seduction of the night air, and we get more intimate here," he explained.
"What about you? You both look tired?", he smirked.
"We're just... having a good time," I explained.
"I can feel the heat in your good time", he said.
"Don't even go there, that's my personal space," I said.
"Personal space? Since when? I'll never forget our s** party", he said.
"That's not the topic here," I said.
"It was a wild memory, the happiest moment of our single lives," he reflected.
"I couldn't believe I did that. We were such jerks," I said.
"Best experience we've ever had," he stated.
"And our girlfriend came into our lives and changed us for the better," he continued.
"Yeah, we're a man now", I said.
"Anyway, who lives here with Emma?" I inquired.
"Me. We invested our money in building this house. We're living together now", he rubbed the back of his hair, flashing his teeth.
"It's a huge step, bro! How does it feel?" I asked.
"Wonderful, I got a woman who faithfully waited for me, accompanied me, and loved me", he said.
"I want to propose to her," he blushed.
"That's fantastic!" I said as I hugged him.
"Tell me what I need to do," I asked.
"Relax, after you two load up to that secure area, I'll propose to Emma," he added.
"You don't have to wait for us, just do it", I said.
"If all the problems are sorted out, I'll do it with a serene heart," he said.
"All right, you're not going to hear me either," I said.
"Enough of that, something happened in the office today!" he exclaimed.
"Your dad shouted from his workroom, he startled all the employees", he said.
"It was my first time hearing your father, who is known for his calmness scream like that!" he remarked.
I grinned.
"You know something?" he asked.
"They recently paid a visit to Isabella's parents. They offered them an extravagant gift. In exchange, they must help my parents separate us", I said.
"My in-laws told me everything this morning," I said,
"I bet Silas got a call from my father-in-law and was turned down," I speculated.
"I'm speechless! So he was pissed because of that?", he said.
I nod.
"Did Isabella know?", he asked.
"She knew nothing. We agreed not to divulge this matter. I didn't want to snatch her happiness", I said.
"It's wrong. Yet you did the right thing by minimizing the problem", he said.
"Luke, I didn't mean to offend you, why do rich families never like poor people?", he said.
"Because they're rich. They build themselves to be at the top, to join the above, not to befriend those at the bottom", I said.