***
“She said that? Are you sure you’re not mistaking me for someone else? I had a lot of models to apply makeup on last night, so I spent the whole night working. Dove wasn’t with me” Izzy said.
“Dove wasn’t with you? Then who did she eat dinner with?” Niko asked, getting angry.
It took some seconds before Izzy could finally understand what was going on.
Dove has never for once lied to Niko, and that’s why she couldn’t proofread what was going on.
“Who did she eat dinner with? Did she go on a date with another guy?” He asked.
“She was with…. Izzy!”
“Aren’t you Izzy? You just said you didn’t eat dinner with her”
“I am not the only one who bears Izzy, Niko” She said, avoiding his eyes.
“What are you trying to say?” He asked.
“Well, there’s a friend of ours, she bears Izzy as well”
“From what I can remember, you’re the only friend Dove has”
“I am her best friend, but not her only friend. Dove and I attended high school together, and there was a particular girl in school that bears the same name as me. She wasn’t in Washington for some years, she just got back and she treated Dove on a dinner”
Niko looked at her “Are you sure you’re saying the truth”
“Yes… I am”
“I will ask Dove myself” He paid for what he bought and left.
Izzy sighed in relief.
“Did he believe my lie? Since when did Dove start lying to Niko?”
Izzy brought out her phone from her bag and called Dove.
She picked up after so many rings.
“Hey Izzy, what’s up?”
“What have you done, Dove?” She asked in panic.
“What do you mean?”
“Why on earth will you lie to Niko that you had dinner with me last night?”
“You met up with Niko?” Dove asked.
“No I didn’t. I coincidentally met him at the boutique, and he thanked me for treating you out on a nice dinner”
“What did you say to him?” Dove asked, getting scared.
Knowing Niko turns into something else when is angry, makes her scared.
“It took me some seconds before I could figure out that you lied to him. I told him I wasn’t with you”
“Why did you do that Izzy?” Dove asked, biting her fingers, in fear.
“I am sorry, Dove. You have never lied to Niko before and since you used me to lie, you should have told me about it”
“It slipped off my mind. What am I going to do? I can’t face Niko’s wrath”
“Why did you even lie to him in the first place? Since when did you start telling lies to Niko?” Izzy asked.
“I dunno why I did that, Izzy. What should I do?”
“I lied to him that you have another friend named Izzy, and he told me he is going to ask you about it”
“Thanks for the heads up. I will call you back, and explain why I lied” Dove said, and ended the call.
“I hope she’ll be okay. I should have seen the handwriting on the wall when Niko talked about dinner! I’m so stupid!” Izzy said, hitting her head.
******
•DOVE’S HOUSE•
Dove keeps walking back and forth in the living room thinking about what to do.
The weather was cold, but she was sweating, because of panic.
Dora was already in school, and Jacob at the station as usual.
“What should I do?” She said, with her fingers in her mouth, thinking of a solution.
A knock came on the door, and Dove’s breath seized immediately.
She gulped down hard, before opening the door.
“Niko,” She said, trying to hide the fact that she was scared.
“Can we talk?”
Dove nodded.
Niko has a way of talking in a gentle voice before bringing out his anger.
Dove knows him so well, cuz they have been dating for three years.
“Where were you last night?”
Dove looked at him not knowing what to say.
“I asked a question Dove, and I deserve an answer”
Dove kept quiet, looking at him.
The silence made Niko angry, he grabbed her and pinned her to the wall, forcefully.
Dove winced in pain.
“Why are you hesitating to answer my question, Dove?! Are you cheating on me?, huh!!!!”
“No, I am not. You’re hurting me, Niko” She said in a crying voice.
Niko was holding her tightly.
“Who were you with?!!!”
“It was Izzy”
“Another Izzy?” He asked.
“Yes”
“Why didn’t you tell me about it?”
“Because I thought it wasn’t necessary” She sniffles.
Niko looked at her, and brought out his phone.
“Give me her number,” He said.
“Huh?”
“I am sure your ears are not clogged, right? Give me her number and let me confirm from her if she was with you. Where’s your phone?”
Dove kept quiet
“Where’s your phone?!!” He shouted and Dove flinched.
“It’s in… my room?” She stammered, fearfully.
“Go get it”
Dove took in her lips before going to her room, Niko followed her.
Dove opened her phone contacts and the only person that bears Izzy was the same Izzy Niko knows.
She doesn’t have friends.
“I am waiting for her number, Dove”
“I’m looking for it” She said in a low voice, strolling down the contacts she has, and she saw Jovita’s number.
She doesn’t even know Jovita that much, cuz she forcefully gave Jovita her number, when she didn’t stop bugging her, but nevertheless, she took the risk and gave Niko, Jovita’s number.
Dove’s heart was beating rapidly in fear, as Niko called Jovita.
“Hello, is this Izzy?” He asked, putting the phone on loudspeaker, and Dove wished that the ground would open and swallow her.
“Who are you?” Jovita asked.
“I’m Dove’s boyfriend”
“Dove! You’re my friend’s boyfriend?” Jovita asked, they could hear the excitement in her voice.
“Yes, I am,” Niko replied, looking at Dove, who was trying to hide her nervousness.
“Why are you calling me? Is everything okay with Dove?”
“Yes. I want to confirm something from you”
“What could that be?” Jovita asked.
“Are you Izzy? She has a best friend name Izzy as well, and she told me your name is Izzy too, and you treated her for dinner”
Dove bites her lips wondering what Jovita was going to say.
“Don’t you trust your girlfriend?” Jovita asked.
“What?”
“If she says she was me then she was me! I missed Dove a lot and that is why I treated her to a nice meal. At first, she didn’t agree to it, but I forced her to eat dinner with me”
Dove sighed in relief.
“So your name is Izzy?” Niko asked.
“Yes. My name is also Izzy. Dove has two friend named Izzy. She is not cheating on you, have some trust” Jovita said.
“I trust my girlfriend,” Niko said, looking at Dove.
“Then why did you call me?”
“Have a nice day” He ended the call and wrapped his hands around Dove’s waist.
Dove didn’t refuse him, cuz she knows Jovita just covered for her.
“I am sorry. Did I hurt you?” He asked, checking her arms, and he saw his finger prints in her arms.
He held her forcefully earlier.
“Does it hurt?” He asked.
Dove shook her head.
“I am sorry, my love. I trust you too much, and it’s going to hurt me to the deepest if you break the trust I have for you”
“I am not doing anything wrong, Niko” Her eyes produce tears, and he wiped her tears.
“I’m sorry” He apologized and kissed her lips.
Dove kissed him back and later on they broke the hug.
“I got you some nice dresses, do you want to check them out?” Niko asked with a smile.
Dove nodded, but a part of her was feeling guilty for lying to Niko.
She owes Jovita, a big thank you, though.
******
•BLOW-BLOOMS AGENCY•
Izzy kept looking at her phone as she walked inside Blow-Blooms agency. She was back at Charon’s company, but she was so worried about Dove.
“Should I call her and ask if she was able to defend herself from Niko?” Izzy was about to call Dove, but she stopped halfway when she saw Piper and Charon.
She wasn’t hearing what they were saying, but she could see that they were arguing with each other.
“Maybe I should just leave”
Izzy was about to leave, when Piper gave Charon a resounding slap on the face.
Izzy gasped and quickly hid herself in a pillar.
She peeps at them, and she sees Piper leaving.
She hides back at the pillar so that Piper won’t see her.
After some seconds she came out from the pillar, and she bumped into Charon whose eyes were wet.
“Boss!”
Charon only looked at her.
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on…. What am I saying, I didn’t hear your conversation with your girlfriend, I only…”
“Do you want to have a drink with me?”
“Huh?” Izzy’s eyes widened.
******
Izzy keeps looking around the bar, with her hands crimping itself under the table.
“Are you scared?” He asked.
“Huh? No!” Izzy answered sharply.
“But you haven’t touch your drink”
“I don’t drink alcohol,” Izzy said.
“You must be a decent girl then, right?” Charon asked, pouring a bottle of vodka inside a glass cup.
Izzy said nothing.
“Then just watch me as I drink”
“Boss, are you okay?”
“Do I look like someone who is fine?”
Izzy looked at him and shook her head in slow mo.
“I love her so much. I keep having the thought of breaking up with her, but I can’t do it. Do you know Piper and I have been dating for eight years?”
“Eight years?”
“She agreed to date me when we were still in high school, and all these years I did everything I could to show her that I love her. I make sure she never lacks anything, and even with her nasty attitude, I kept loving her, but all she does is demand so much from me, and cause me pains. I even became a fool in my friends’ eyes”
Charon sniffles and Izzy got a text from Dove
•Where are you? Let’s meet up•
“Are you busy?” Charon asked.
“No” Izzy answered, and replied Dove, saying she can’t meet up with her.
“Am I annoying? Cuz she always says that to me”
“No you’re not, boss. You’re the kindest man I have seen. She is just too blind to see that, and doesn’t appreciate your love for her” Izzy said.
Charon smiled.
“Aren’t you saying this because I am your boss, and you don’t want to get fired?”
“I am being sincere, if I was in Piper’s shoes, I’d have thanked the universe a million times, for giving me a man like you” Izzy said looking at him with emotional eyes, but she looked away when Charon looked at her.
“You’re a nice person too, Izzy”
Izzy watched him as he drank, and she wished he could reciprocate her feelings.
••••••
“I’m not cheating on my boyfriend, Jovita!” Dove said.
She met up with Jovita to thank her for what she did.
“Then why did you lie? It’s a good thing I caught up quickly, else you’d have been in trouble”
“I didn’t want Niko to have the wrong idea of me having dinner with Vinny”
“Who is Vinny?” Jovita asked.
“He owns the company I work for. You’d think he is a jerk, but he is not” Dove smiled remembering Vincent.
“Why does it seem like you’re interested in this, Vinny?”
“I am not Jovita! I love Niko!”
“Fine” Jovita chuckled.
“Thanks for covering up for me, Jovita”
“If you are thankful, let’s have a sleepover at my house, tomorrow”
Sleepover?” Dove asked.
“Yes. Just you, me and Izzy. We can get to know each other better. This is my first time having friends, and I want to keep you both forever”
“What about your parents?”
“You have nothing to worry about, Dove. My mom is a carefree woman….” Jovita gasped.
“What’s wrong?”
“My cousin will be spending the night at my our house tomorrow, cuz my mom has been bugging him to come, but don’t worry, Vincent is also a carefree person too”
“Vincent?”
“Yes. Do you know him?”
“He’s probably not the person I know,” Dove answered.
“So is it a yes?”
“You helped me Jovita, I can’t turn you down. I will talk to Izzy”
“Super exciting!” Jovita exclaimed, Dove smiled.
******
•SAME NIGHT•
Niko was about to leave the house to meet up with his friends for their robbery, tonight, when he got a call from an unknown number.
He looked at the number for a while before answering.
“Hello, who is this?”
“It’s Candy, I am Vincent’s secretary.
“From Mint-More?” He asked.
“Yes”
“Why are you calling me? I don’t think we have any business together”
“Sure we do”
“How?”
“Did your girlfriend tell you that Vincent is interested in her?” Candy asked.
“Elaborate,” Niko said.
“Vincent is heads over heels for Dove, and do you want to know the real story?”
“Let the cat out of the bag and stop playing games with me”
“Did she tell you that Vincent kissed her?”
“Vincent did what…….?”
*******
•CHARON’S MANSION, SAME NIGHT•
Izzy keeps grunting as she helps Charon to his room, upstairs.
He was wasted in alcohol and right now he can’t even stand properly.
Izzy was the one who drove him home cuz she knows how to drive.
She let out a sigh, after she was able to drop him on the bed.
“My back hurts” She muffled, stretching her body.
She took off his shoes.
Izzy sat beside him, and a smile crept out of her face, as she watched the sleeping Charon.
He looks like a sleeping beauty, with his calm face, occupying the room.
Izzy’s hand went to his hair, and she caressed it.
“I wish you could stop getting hurt all because of Piper. I also wish you could open your eyes and see that I love you, Charon”
Izzy smiled again and her eyes met with his plump pinkish lips.
She gulped down hard as she looked at his wet lips.
Izzy leaned forward to kiss him, but she stopped halfway and slapped herself.
“This isn’t right, Izzy. He has a girlfriend. The best thing is to go home” She stood up and turned to leave, but Charon held her back.
She turned to see him awake.
“Boss”
Charon pulled her hand and she fell on the bed with him.
Both stared at each other’s eyes.
“I want to go home” She tried standing up again, but he held on, and without wasting time, he crushed his lips on hers.
Entrapped by her feelings for him, Izzy began to kiss him back, giving him more entrance into her lips.
Both began kissing each other hungrily, with their hands on each other’s hair.
Charon tossed her over the bed, and without breaking the kiss, he began taking off her clothes in a rush.
Izzy didn’t stop him, instead of stopping him, she began unhooking the belt of his trousers.
……
TBC