BAD BOY IN LOVE - CHAPTER 21&22
★★★second marriage proposal ★★★
” ‘Come inside,’ Harper said dramatically, leading the way into the seating room with Delilah and Lina following.
Delilah was sweating from head to toe, despite the AC being on. The urgent kiss she gave to Aaron seemed like she was possessed, because she never planned to kiss him. If she wanted to stop him from talking, she should’ve used her hand.
Harper sat down on the three-seating couch, while Lina sat beside her.
Delilah couldn’t find a seat for herself, as her mind was still stuck on the scene.
“Are you not going to sit down?”Harper shouted, snapping Delilah out of her deep thoughts. Delilah gently found a seat for herself.
Lina couldn’t help but admire Delilah’s house. She had seen beautiful houses in movies, but this was the first time she saw a house as beautiful in reality.”
Harper sat there, fully focused on Delilah, who returned her gaze. “You can’t just tell me there’s nothing between you and Aaron,” Harper exclaimed, causing Delilah to swallow nervously. Delilah’s voice stammered as she tried to explain, “The thing is… it’s not what you think.”
“What did you think I’m thinking? You even kissed him in front of us,” Harper said, expecting a juicy response from Lina. However, Lina could only smile awkwardly, unsure of what to say.
“Harper, can you please stop this conversation? I’m telling you the bitter truth. Everything that happened between me and Aaron was pure coincidence. I have no intimacy with Aaron. I’ve told you multiple times, why can’t you just believe me?” Delilah explained, maintaining eye contact with Harper. She just wished they could move past this matter.
Harper stared at Delilah, as if about to laugh, but then held herself back and sat properly on the couch. “If you can’t tell me that, at least tell me about the guy you went on a ride with,” Harper changed the topic, sensing it might be a tough one.
Delilah couldn’t bring herself to look at Harper. She could only stare at the floor, contemplating the elaborate lie to throw at Harper. It’s not that she couldn’t control Harper or try to stop her from asking too many questions, but she knew that Harper genuinely cared for her. Among their family, aside from her parents, Harper was the only one who still loved her genuinely, and she couldn’t risk ruining their relationship.
“I went on a ride with… um… with…” Delilah’s voice faltered as she tried to come up with something to say.
“Why can’t you just tell me? I won’t devour you,” Harper said, eager to know who gave Delilah a ride.
“It’s… it’s Axel who gave her a ride!” Lina blurted out, standing up from the couch. She had thought of a name to say, but she couldn’t believe she mentioned Axel.
“Axel?” Delilah exclaimed, glaring at Lina in surprise. Lina couldn’t meet her gaze because she knew she had just ruined everything. Harper would never believe that Axel gave Delilah a ride since Axel had a phobia of riding in cars for a long time, as the internet had proven.
“Axel? Do you mean Axel from J^A?” Harper asked, and Lina nodded repeatedly. “Hun, you don’t know how to lie. We all know Axel can’t handle long car rides, so why lie about that innocent boy?” Harper said, shifting her gaze to Delilah. “Just say you can’t tell me the truth. Why is she lying like that?” She pouted.
“Axel. Axel was the one who gave me the ride, really. We didn’t ride for too long; we just went to the beach to take a look at the sea,” Delilah lied, glancing at Lina. Both of them could only smile awkwardly, hoping Harper would believe them.
“Wow, really? I can’t believe Axel is so nice. I always preferred Asher over him, but now that I know, Axel is my second favorite celebrity!” Harper exclaimed happily.
“I thought Jennie from Blackpink was your second favorite?” Delilah asked nervously.
“Yeah, that’s a female. I’m talking about a male. Let me go download some of his pictures,” Harper said as she tapped on her phone.
Delilah and Lina couldn’t help but smile at each other.
“Speaking of it, you haven’t introduced her to me,” Harper said, pointing at Lina.
“Oh, you mean Lina?” Delilah asked, and Harper nodded. “She’s a new friend of mine,” Delilah said.
“Do you trust her? Hope she’s not like Raven,” Harper said, staring at Lina.
“No, she’s not. She’s close to Jace. They went to the same high school,” Delilah said, not realizing the significance of her statement.
“Really? She’s close to Jace?” Harper asked, and Delilah nervously nodded.
“Wow, can you be my friend too? I want to get close to Jace,” Harper said, pulling Lina closer.
“Oh, we’re not that close,” Lina said nervously.
“At least you’re close. Shall we go to my room, or will you sleep with Delilah?” Harper asked.
Lina stared at Delilah for a minute before nodding. For some reason, she just wanted to get close to Delilah. “Yes, I wish to sleep with Delilah in the same bed,” Lina said, and Harper exclaimed.
“In the same bed? Are you a lesbian?” Harper asked, and Lina quickly shook her head in denial.
“I’m tired,” Delilah said and stood up, heading to her room. Lina quickly stood up and followed behind, leaving only Harper.
Harper stared at them as if she felt betrayed but quickly shook it off. “Let’s go download Axel’s picture,” she murmured.
★★★★★★★★
Aaron opened the shower, letting the water wash over his flawless body. His hair was drooping in front, making it hard to see properly.
He couldn’t believe why Delilah would kiss him, just to stop him from mentioning Jace’s name. She should’ve covered him up with her palm or something else.
Ever since they shared that intense kiss, his body couldn’t calm down. His heart kept racing, and his whole body reacted differently whenever he thought about that moment.
He let out a worried breath and turned off the shower, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his body. He took a look at himself in the wall mirror before leaving the bathroom and heading straight to his room.
In getting there, he took his phone and was surprised to see dozens of missed calls on his phone, all from his dad and stepmother.
He let out another frustrated breath before dropping the phone. But as he turned to leave, another call came in, this time from his father.
He picked up the call slowly, putting the phone on his left side.
“Come home now if you still love your brother,” his stepmother’s voice echoed through the speaker. If only he knew his stepmother would be the one to talk, he wouldn’t have picked up the call. But since she mentioned his brother, it’s still okay.
He quickly went to his wardrobe, looking for clothes to wear.
★★★★★★★★
Inside the big drawing room, there was a trio of people chowing down on their dinner. Aaron, his stepmom Elon, and his dad Mason.
Aaron’s face looked all puzzled, like he was lost in thought. He scooped up a spoonful of food and let out a sigh. Mason, who had been watching him, asked with a mouthful of food, “What’s with that expression?”
“Dad, seriously, I’m not into this whole marriage thing. Harper’s family already rejected the proposal, so why bring it up again?” Aaron said.
Elon gently placed her spoon down and turned her attention to Aaron. She replied, “And who says your opinion matters? You’re getting married, and nothing can change that. Just because Harper’s family said no doesn’t mean I won’t arrange your wedding, okay?”
“Please, hold on, old hag. I didn’t invite you to this conversation,” Aaron said, his expression blank.
“What? Old hag!” Elon exclaimed, looking at Mason, expecting him to intervene.
Mason cleared his throat and faced Aron, saying, “Aaron, you can’t speak to your stepmom like that. Remember, she still has responsibilities towards you.”
“And who says she have the right to summon me? I do what I want, not what she want. If you have a problem with that, feel free to argue with your ancestors,” Aaron said, his gaze sharp as a blade, piercing into Elon’s body.
“She’s your mother”Mason said angrily
“I don’t f-__-king care about that, Dad. And you’re the one who allowed her to intrude on my life. Dad, let me be clear: I am not interested in any marriage. You gerrit?” Aaron stated firmly. He made his point and stood up, glaring at Elon one more time before storming off to his brother’s room.
Mason and Elon watched him leave, their eyes following his path until he was out of sight.
Aaron opened the door to his brother’s room and walked towards the bed. His eyes were fixed on the small, innocent baby boy, who looked around 10 years old. The boy was lying down, a drip of water passing through his left hand, and his face appeared pale.
Aaron approached the bed and knelt beside it, gently caressing the boy’s head. This made the boy open his eyes.
“Bro…th.er,” the boy called, tears streaming down his face.
Tears welled up in Aaron’s eyes as well, but he tried to wipe them away discreetly, not wanting the boy to see. Unfortunately, his attempt failed, as the boy had already noticed.
“Kayden,” Aaron called, his voice choked with tears.
“Bro… you don’t have to get married because of me. You should marry the person you love. If our stepmom and dad stop treating me because you refuse to get married, then leave them. I won’t resent you for that. And if, heaven forbid, something happens to me, I will forgive you. You don’t have to worry about me. If I pass away, I’ll be able to see mom. I’ll tell her about your well-being, how dad made life difficult for us, how dad married her secretary, and how he stopped treating me because you refused to get married. I’ll… tell… mom…” Kayden’s words trailed off as tears overwhelmed him.
Aaron, also drenched in tears, gently leaned closer and pulled Kayden into a tight hug. “Kayden,” Aron called, his voice filled with emotion.
★★★★★★★★
Raven blew out a puff of smoke from her hand as she gazed at the sky through the window. Thoughts of her past flooded her mind, and she longed to go back to those times.
Harley emerged from her room in her nightgown and walked up behind Raven, glaring at her. “Raven,” Harley called out, grabbing her attention.Raven turned around and smiled gently at Harley. “Why are you standing here alone? Do you have something on your mind?” Harley asked with a worried tone.
“Not really, just trying to clear my head,” Raven replied, facing back towards the window.
“Ever since your clash with Delilah, you’ve been acting strange,” Harley said.
“Strange?” Raven pondered, facing Harley. “I don’t think I am. I’m just being myself,” Raven said, walking over to the couch while Harley followed.
“But Raven, can I ask you a question?” Harley said, and Raven nodded.
“I mean, how did you find out so much about Delilah? You two have only been friends for a week, and yet you seem to know so much about her. It’s kind of mysterious,” Harley asked, sitting beside Raven.
Raven’s gaze drifted off into space, as if fixated on something, but she quickly snapped back to reality with an awkward smile. “I’m not mysterious. I just happen to know things about Delilah because we’re friends,” Raven explained, her eyes filled with affection as she looked at Harley’s open lap. “You’re looking segzy tonight,” she added, lightly touching Harley’s leg before getting up and heading to her room.
Harley could only stare at her, wondering why Raven was acting so strangely towards her.
★★★★★★★★
“When are you gonna let go of this you seven years crush on Lina?” Jace asked, his eyes fixed on his phone.
“It’s not seven years, it’s six years and five months,” Axel replied, also glancing at his phone screen.
Jace looked up, puzzled. “Six years and seven months? Can you explain the difference?” he inquired.
“The difference is, well… I’m gonna keep liking her forever,” Axel confessed.
Jace couldn’t help but sit up straight on the bed, giving Axel his full attention. “But you know Asher likes her, and she likes Asher. Why can’t you move on?” Jace suggested.
“I’ve tried to move on, but it’s just so darn difficult. I wish I could,” Axel admitted, trying to conceal his sadness behind a smile.
“Quit smiling, I know you’re hurting deep down. You know Asher can’t find out about your feelings for Lina. It’ll shatter his heart,” Jace expressed.
“If it shatters his heart, then so be it. I’ve been the one getting my heart broken for the past five years, so what’s the harm if his heart breaks too, even for just two months?” Axel responded, finally letting his pent-up emotions seep into his voice.
Jace let out a sigh, gazing at Axel. It was true, he desperately wanted to move on, which is why he had given his heart to several girls, but they all ended up breaking it.
“Who’s this d@mn girl spamming my pictures?” Axel exclaimed, checking the number of likes the girl had given to his picture on his Instagram. It was more than 50 pictures she had liked within a minute.
“Who’s that?” Jace asked, trying to catch a glimpse of Axel’s phone, but Axel quickly shifted it away.
“You don’t need to know,” Axel muttered, thinking the girl had stopped liking his pictures, only to be interrupted by more notifications beeping.
“Man, she’s so stubborn! Why can’t she just stop with this annoying behavior? I can’t stand it when someone spams my pictures,” Axel complained.
“You should slide into her DMs and tell her to knock it off,” Jace suggested, his tone laced with mockery.
“Nah, man, That means I gave her a chance,” Axel dismissed. But it seemed like he didn’t have any other option but to message the girl directly.
“it looks like I’ll have to message her directly now. These notifications keep popping up on my screen,” Axel said, feeling frustrated by the constant interruptions.
“Hey, have you seen the trending news?” Asher asked, entering the room and handing his phone to Axel.
Axel took the phone and stared at the screen, his gaze shifting towards Jace as if he had discovered something about him.
“What is it?” Jace asked, snatching the phone from Axel and looking at the screen.
He, too, was surprised as he stared at the screen for a while.
“What the heck is this?” Axel exclaimed.
“I’m sure your dad will summon you home right away,” Asher replied, hinting at a serious situation.
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TBC✍️✍️✍️