Winning Back Mr. Right

Chapter 1

•Airie's POV•

"Mom, I'm home." I ran some errands for her this afternoon in some local store after finishing my papers from school.

"In the kitchen, dear." She calls for me so I go straight to the kitchen upon hearing her voice.

"I wasn't sure whether to get the red or the yellow one so I took both." I tell her while flashing the two, large, mitten-shaped potholders.

"The yellow one is better." Mom reaches out her hand to get it from me. I just throw the red holder on the kitchen table.

I graduated from college last week but my mom is insisting I should not waste time hanging around doing unnecessary things (not that I keep doing such). She's just pressuring me to make a good life at a young age and I don't think that it's a bad idea at all.

"Cadie called a few minutes ago. She said something about a house party?" My mom informs me while giving me 'the look'.

"Is it Friday already?" I swear I completely forgot about it. "Oh, gosh! I lost track." I keep walking around the kitchen, placing the groceries into their designated cabinets as fast as I can while my mother is busy reading the local newspaper in the dining.

"Airie..." She calls my name without looking at me eye-to-eye.

"Yeah?" My eyebrows curve at her tone.

"Be careful. I don't want you doing anything stupid or reckless." I glance at her for a moment, this time meeting her eye-to-eye with my reassuring smile.

Then I go to smell her hair and kiss her forehead. "Nothing stupid or reckless, I promise!"

Mom used to be the bread winner of her family. Must be why she imposed a strict environment in our own home when I was growing up. I still live with her though. At the age of 22, with a business course on my resume, it is nuts for most single adults not to be emancipated at this time but it's hard for me to storm off when there is only just the two of us now. I know better than to leave her alone after everything she did and sacrificed for me.

She drives me to Gabby's like she said she would and we are seating quietly inside her car. Then suddenly, the perfectly silent night breaks to an extremely awkward question. "So this house party... I'm assuming you and Nate are using condom? I mean, don't get me wrong. I appreciate it that you did not get pregnant while in college."

"Mom!" I yell defensively.

"Just asking." She says with a rolling eyes and a shrug.

Anyway, Mr. Malcolm, the head security, welcomes me with his usual too-kind-of-a-smile. He opens up the automatic gate, salutes like a soldier and winks at me which signals that it's time to get in. "Bye, mom. Take care."

"Hey!" A pretty woman with brown locks like mine greets playfully behind me. That would be my best friend, Cadie. I give her the biggest hug I can manage.

"Hey girl, looking good." Ellie, another friend of mine approaches the scene.

"Girls, let's go out tonight!" It bothers me that the invite came from Gabby. She's the known risk taker in the group. I don't usually agree with her because she has caused the group more trouble than I can count in my hands but we like each other anyway that's why we are still good friends. "I saw a new club downtown. We have to try it out."

"We're not going to stay here?" That's the first stupid question of the night and it's from, who else? Me.

"You really want to sleep and share bed time stories, Airie?" Nessa, the closest one to Gabby, interrupts. Her eyes are so wide that I instantly felt embarrassed for giving out such bad vibe in the room. By the way, she's a friend of mine as well.

"This is exciting!" Ellie runs cheerfully to the bathroom to dress up. Gabby is one of my friends that I'm actually scared of. She's strong and fearless. She basically lives her life to the fullest. She's the kind of girl who enjoys speed and heights and all other things some people are afraid to try. She always says she doesn't want to miss anything in life. I wonder why that is.

"Don't give me that look, Meyn." Cadie is the only person who calls me that.

"What look?!" I try sounding innocent as I am in fact, giving her the help-me-out-here look.

"I have been working my brains off just to graduate with flying colors. I badly need a break." Cadie complains to me too. Mind you, my best friend graduated Cum Laude in our batch. I guess she deserves the break.

"Besides, you have a lot of time to sleep when you're dead." Nessa bitches at me and they all started laughing. I know I'm the boring one in the group. Guilty as hell.

"I don't want to ruin this night but..." Nessa is now giving me another sharp look.

"Then don't. We're leaving at midnight." Gabby obviously planned it all out.