AS THE NIGHT TURNED darker as time passed by, the people at the party were having fun except for Christopher who’s being chased down by Hannah to dance with her. Nikki and Philippe however, are in the middle of the room dancing to the music and having fun, and laughing with each other’s words. William and his date are also dancing a few feet away from the other two.
“Oh, Christopher~” He hid behind a waiter as Hannah passed by before running off in the opposite direction, only to stumble upon his business partners. “Mr. Denver! A delight to see you,” an old man said and he smiled before looking around.
“Uh, yeah..” he mumbled before taking a deep breath.
“Good evening, are you enjoying the night?” Chris started a small conversation as he cautiously looked around and saw Hannah walking towards him. “The night has been-“ he cut the old man off by patting him on the shoulder and smiling.
“I’ll get back to you later, just need.. to uh- go. Right now. Bye,” he panicky bid his goodbye before going through the crowd of people and finding himself in the middle of the dance floor, next to Nikki and Philippe. He confusedly looked at the two before walking away again to hide from Hannah.
“Was that your brother?” Phil asked and looked behind him as he held Nikki in his arms and she laughed. “Focus on me, Philippe,” she said with a smirk on her face and he looked at her while her cheeks turned red, making her chuckle.
The music turned more upbeat as the guests had fun. “I didn’t know poor people also got invited,” a young boy said, who looks to be the same age as the two. They looked at the boy before Nikki held Phil’s cheek and turned his head towards her.
“Hey! I’m talking to you, Philippe!” The boy shouted in the middle of the music playing loudly and Phil frowned. He didn’t expect his classmates to be in this gathering as well.
Philippe looked down in embarrassment making Nikki frown but they continued dancing. “Aren’t you embarrassed? Dancing with someone like me,” Phil asked and she sighed before holding his face.
“Someone awesome like you? Why would I be embarrassed?” she asked with a smile and he laughed lightly. The boy was about to approach them when he suddenly tripped and fell to the ground. The pair looked down at the boy who’s in pain, and when Phil looked behind the boy, he saw William.
William winked at him before he continued dancing with his date. Philippe shook his head and laughed, knowing he was the one who tripped his classmate. Nikki looked at Philippe in amusement and happiness as they danced. “What the fuck!” The young boy asked as he looked around, making them laugh together with some of the guests dancing around them.
BACK AT GRIAN’S house, Fatima finished washing her body and face so she put on the clothes she packed and put on the necklace given by Grian again before leaving the room while drying her hair with the towel. She walked to the kitchen and heard very catchy music playing as Grian cooked their food. “Hey?” she said, suppressing her laugh as he danced towards her.
“Good evening, my beautiful lady,” he said before turning around and closing the stove before changing the music to something softer. He approached her again and offered his hand. “May I get your first dance tonight?” he asked and she chuckled.
“There’s no one else here, my second and third dance will be yours too,” she answered and he grinned and turned his head to the side in amusement.
“Perfect,” he said before she took his hand. He put his arm around her waist while their other handheld each other. Fatima wrapped her free hand around his neck as they danced to the music. They stayed silent as they danced while looking at each other in the eyes and their hearts pounding.
“The necklace looks beautiful on you,” he said with a smile as he looked at the necklace around her neck.
“Thanks, it’s been a while since I felt beautiful,” she said and smiled to herself.
“You’ve always been.” As they were dancing, she was getting hypnotized by his bright blue eyes staring down at her. He leaned down to kiss her and she closed her eyes but they felt a soft material hitting their legs. They turned to the left and saw Timothy staring at them. Fatima pushed Grian away, making him hit the counter. He held onto the counter because of the pain.
“Tim!” she said, startled by her younger brother suddenly appearing out of nowhere.
“I thought you were asleep, already?” Timothy shrugged and approached her and grabbed the pillow. “I got.. hungry,” he answered with a tired face and she looked at Grian.
Fatima placed Timothy on a chair while Grian prepared a bowl of food for him. “You okay?” Fatima asked Grian and he laughed. “My sides hurt, I didn’t know you were that strong,” he said before placing the food down on the table for Timothy and turning the music off. He smiled at her brother and Tim eyed him before eating.
“Does it taste good?” His sister asked and he nodded.
After he was done eating, Fatima brought him to the bedroom and waited till he fell asleep before going to the kitchen to get food for herself as well. Grian put the dishes in a tray before turning to Fatima. “Let’s go to the top,” he said and she hesitantly followed him. They went up two sets of stairs before they reached the rooftop. Fatima opened the door since he was carrying the food and she was stunned by the rooftop.
There were string lights, a wooden table and chairs, and plants. “I go here to relax,” he said and she raised her eyebrows while nodding, impressed. He put the food down on the table and Fatima sat down, still admiring the rooftop. Grian sat in front of her and smiled. “Like the place?” he asked and she nodded.
“Let’s eat first, then I’ll show you the view,” he proposed and she happily nodded as they started eating. The food he made tasted so good, she was even more impressed. Is there anything this man can’t do? He’s like the most ideal man to have.
“What’d your mother tell you?” he asked and she paused for a moment. She looked up to him, thinking if she should tell him or not. “She..” she stopped.
“Yes?” he asked, waiting for her to respond as he ate a spoonful of food.
“Threatened to take my siblings if I don’t comply with her requests,” she continued and his jaw clenched. He put down his spoon and looked at her. “What requests?”
“She didn’t tell me yet,” she murmured before she continued eating.
“Did she do that to you?” he asked and she curiously looked at him. She looked around herself, confused.
“The scars on your back,” he added and her mouth agape before nodding. He nodded as well and added more food to her plate and she smiled.
“At first there was only one scar because of the accident,” she started to open up to him and he stayed silent to listen. “After it healed though, my mother.. started punishing me,” she continued. She starts remembering moments with her mother. Both the good and the bad. The good was overtaken by her bad deeds though.
“It lasted for a long time because I didn’t want her to hurt Philippe. That’s why.. I got many scars, even on my stomach and legs..” she murmured as she ate slowly.
“She was always drunk.. and became ruthless, till we escaped..” she explained before clearing her throat. She looked at him for a brief moment before looking down on her food again.
He smiled and he reassured her. “You’re very strong, Fatima. I admire that about you.” After they were done eating, they went near the front of the rooftop but it’s protected by rails so accidents won’t happen. They enjoyed the cold breeze as they watched the city and cars passing by.
“My father used to abuse us as well,” he confessed and she looked at him with concern. He pulled up his sleeve to show a scar that looks like it’s from a knife. He pulled the sleeves back down after she saw it. He smiled before patting her in the back. “The scars stay but the wounds are healed,” he explained with a smile before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. She stared at him for a while before looking at the night sky and sighing.