•<Suprise>•

Little do you know
All my mistakes are slowly drownin' me
Little do you know
I'm tryin' to make it better piece by piece.
•
Alex & Sierra

•<>•

'It's important to stay within the lines,' Keyara reminded me as her gentle hand continued to guide mine.

She had only been teaching me to draw for a few weeks, but even though I wasn't very good, I could still manage to sketch something sane on paper.

As the days leading up to my friend's birthday drew near, anxiety set in and the pressure mounted. Sensing my nervousness and stress, Key gently took hold of my hands, offering reassurance that I was better than I thought I was, that everything would be okay, and that was enough to get me back on my feet.

The much-anticipated day had finally arrived, and the house party was bustling with excitement. Keyara stood out with her long, dark dreadlocks cascading down her back, clad in dark ripped jeans and a black leather jacket that exuded a cool vibe amidst a sea of girls adorned in rainbows. We strolled together, scanning the vibrant scene, until we found a spot to unwind.

The music blared, pink lighting bathed the room, and the atmosphere was filled with joyous energy. As hours passed, the excitement lingered, and as the moment for presents approached, nervous anticipation began to creep over me.

With Key by my side, she offered a reassuring smile, letting me know that everything would be alright. Together, we watched others presenting lavish gifts to Liv, each one eliciting a radiant glow on her face.

When my turn arrived, I took a deep breath, exchanged one more glance with Keyara, and began to unwrap the gift.

Her eyes shone with excitement as she opened the first gift, her lips stretching further to reveal her white pearls. When it came time for the second gift, a hush fell over the room, numerous pairs of eyes fixed on me, and attentive ears perked up — waiting for what I was about to say as I presented the gift to her.

Upon unveiling the small canvas bearing the inscription '𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫' beneath a painting depicting two girls on a park bench—their hands joined and raised in a gesture symbolizing a love sign, the delight in her eyes faded immediately and was replaced by bewilderment.

'This is...' She paused, fixing her gaze on the canvas. 'I don't know what to say, Mal, but this is... E-it's,' she hesitated, 'It's hideous. How did you come up with this?'

The moment those words escaped her lips, my heart shattered into a million pieces, and the hope and excitement within me dissipated.

In the midst of feeling hurt and disappointed, I remained frozen, absorbing her disparaging words. Tears welled up in my eyes, and despite the overwhelming desire to escape the harsh reality and retreat from the world, I found myself immobilized, unable to move no matter how strenuously I tried.

Even with the noise becoming so faint, I could still make out some disparaging remarks about my artwork, like how much of a fool I was to think the gift was acceptable and ideal for her, and how one of the girls even compared my drawing to that of a two-year-old, claiming even a toddler could have done a better job.

'Enough!' Key's voice thundered beside me. 'Y'all are so quick to judge, and yet none of you is perfect. She dared to do something that none of y'all could have done, and that speaks volumes. You're so blinded by wealth that everything is about money to you. So what if her drawing isn't perfect? At least she put her heart into it, unlike you – that's if you even have one.'

A collective gasp filled the room when she uttered that final remark, yet it failed to silence her. 'Y'all are so fake. Oh, you think I don't know about how you constantly talk badly about each other behind your backs, exchanging fake smiles and pretending to be besties.'

Overwhelmed, I couldn't bear it any longer, and as I rushed out of the room, tears streamed down my cheeks. Moments later, Key caught up with me, offering a comforting embrace.

It was hard to get over what happened, but I was able to move on without Liv and her entourage, even though there was always an awkwardness between us every time we ran into each other. Fortunately, Key stood steadfast by my side, providing the comfort and illumination I needed during that dark hour.

As time passed, our friendship flourished. We spent countless moments together, deepening our connection, sharing laughter, embracing our silliness, and feeling entirely liberated in each other's company. With her, I found the freedom to be myself, revealing a side I had hesitated to show out of fear of judgment or ridicule.

Although she didn't entirely open up to me, I caught glimpses into her life—the person she was and the side I never expected to witness; the joyful, carefree, and goofy aspect that always drew me in.

                                •<>•
Brushing my hair behind my ear, I focus on the TV screen, but my mind drifts away, a habit it seems to have developed since I sat down to watch a movie with the girls.

Yesterday, Ethan reached out to me, expressing the need to meet. Despite my initial reluctance, I mustered the strength to see him, even though I carried the weight of hurt and disappointment from our last interaction.

Our brief encounter at a coffee shop went exactly as I had expected, with him expressing regret and still not being forthcoming enough to give me the whole truth, leaving me to wonder what exactly he is unable to tell me.

While I wouldn't claim to be entirely over what he did to me, hearing about his trip to Belgium for a work meeting softened my heart a bit. I couldn't resist letting him hug me goodbye.

In his embrace, all the emotions I tried to suppress resurfaced, reigniting the feelings I still held for him. Despite my attempts to remain grounded and not be solely guided by love, being in his arms stirred up everything once again.

Looking into his eyes, being near him, and having his arms wrapped around me, my heart melted into a love puddle even though my mind was clouded with lots of questions I needed answers to even though I knew I wasn't going to get them.

What we have isn't perfect; I don't expect it to be perfect, and even though I have so many thoughts swirling in my mind, I have to be patient with him and walk with him at his pace. Right? It's the right thing to do.

Although I'm not pleased with his actions, considering the length of time I've known him, I should be more understanding. I should accept the fact that he is not the kind of person who easily opens up to others.

Heaven knows I'm dying to know everything about him, but I have to be patient. After all, it's not the first instance where someone close to me isn't entirely open. Keyara exhibits that behavior at times. Notably, when I shared with her the news about her brother's persistent but unsuccessful attempts to contact her, she displayed neither surprise nor concern regarding the urgency of his message. Upon pressing her for more information and questioning her reaction, she promptly shut down the conversation, and we haven't spoken about it since.

Do I pry too much on people?

At times, I question whether my persistent curiosity, and the desire to know everything, causes people to become more guarded. After all, just because someone is close to me doesn't mean I have to know everything about their life, right?

Yet, I find myself concerned each time someone close decides to keep me in the dark about what's happening in their life.

As Key's voice recedes into the recesses of my thoughts, I quickly shift my gaze toward her, only to meet a perplexed expression.

"Are you okay? You seem to be lost in thoughts," her face is a mix of inquisitiveness and concern.

"Yeah, Mal, what's wrong?" Autumn adds. "You've been looking forward to watching this movie, and now that it's playing, you're not even watching it."

Taking a deep breath, I reassure them that I'm okay, concluding my sentence with a smile. Surprisingly, they seem convinced.

I'm fine. Everything is alright. Or is it?

Minutes pass, and thoughts of him continue to swirl in my mind. Unable to contain it any longer, I summon the strength to confide in the girls, hoping to make sense of it all.

Is this even supposed to be a secret?

"If you," I pause, running my hand over the back of my neck, "If you had billions of dollars, would you tell your partner about it?"

The girls give me an odd look; this question seems to come out of nowhere, and honestly, I don't blame them for regarding me as if I'm a bit lost. Shortly afterward, Autumn responds with a resounding yes, going on to elaborate on her profound love for Brandon, a sentiment that I'm pretty sure the entire world is well aware of by now.

"It depends," Key responds. "It depends on how invested I am with the person. If I'm very connected to them and I trust them to the core, why not?"

Nodding, I respond with a 'good to know' and redirect my attention to the screen.

"What is this about?" Key probes. I can feel her lingering gaze, and I can't help but dislike that she does this whenever she senses that something's amiss.

"Nothing," I reply without making eye contact, awkwardly stroking the back of my neck. I bet I'm looking more suspicious now.

"Mal," she presses, and the tone in her voice reveals how serious she is.

"Okay, fine, I'll tell you," I give in after enduring minutes of intense persistence. "I came across a pile of newspapers the last time I was at Ethan's place."

"And?" Autumn presses.

Their eyes widen as they lean forward, hands resting on their knees, anticipating a big revelation that I'm unsure how they'll react to.

"I found out that Ethan is a billionaire, and he never mentioned it to me until I questioned him about it."

Watching their faces morph into jaw-dropping expressions, they remain silent, and I assume they're still processing the bombshell I just dropped on them.

"You're telling us that Ethan, your Ethan, is a billionaire?" Autumn exclaims, her astonishment going beyond mere surprise.

"And he didn't mention it to you?" Key adds, her face reflecting complete perplexity.

"He's not a billionaire; his father is, according to what he told me," I quickly correct Autumn. "And it was only after I questioned him that he admitted it."

"And that's supposed to make you feel better? That he told you only after you asked him about it?" Key's golden brown eyes pierce into mine, questioning me with a tone that already indicates judgment toward Ethan.

"I don't know," I reply defensively, "But at least he gave me a reason as to why he did what he did."

With her arms crossed over her chest, she gives me the 'girl, what are you doing?' look.

"Yeah, I'd be pissed and suspicious if Brandon did that to me," Autumn remarks, folding her arms over her chest and shaking her head.

After reiterating everything he told me to clear up the misjudgment they've started throwing at him, they seem to grasp his reasoning—somewhat.

"Wait," Autumn says as if she's just had a realization, "Ethan's last name is Myers, right?"

"Yes?" I reply, looking at her with confusion.

"And his father owns a successful business?" she asks and specifies exactly what he does.

Taken aback by her thorough understanding of the business, I sit up straight in my seat, gazing at her with inquisitive eyes.

I never specified what his father does, so how did she know about it?

Just as I'm about to question her she proceeds to speak after seconds of running her fingers all over her phone, as if searching for something.

"I knew it!" she exclaims, leaping out of her seat with excitement. "I had a feeling that I'd heard about that company name. Mal," she says, turning to me with wild eyes, but the excitement in them starts to dissipate, causing me to worry.

"Mr. Albert Myers is one of the newest billionaires and one of the most well-known businessmen in the United Kingdom, if not the whole of Europe," she pauses, as if connecting dots.

I know that, but thanks for the info anyway.

"He has two children,"

That I didn't know.

"A 30-year-old daughter and a 26-year-old son who seemingly remains out of the public eye compared to his sister; you might not even be aware of his existence unless you delve deep into the internet."

Did you get all that info on Google?

"And that son is Ethan Myers,"

Surprise... (dramatically does jazz hands, imaginatively)

"Who happens to be married."

What?

Looking at her, I witness the color drain from her face as she slumps in her seat and gazes at me with pity in her eyes. "Mal, Ethan Myers is a married man," she says.

Her voice fades, and everything else around me dissolves into darkness. A ringing noise echoes endlessly in my ears, and I can barely feel my heart beating. I don't even know if I'm breathing.

Did I hear her right? Is he? He can't -- this can't be true.

He's married? Ethan Myers is a married man?!

                                 AN

Ethan Myers is a married man?! Did you see that coming?!
***

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