Somebody Else (Christian Romance)

FOURTEEN

The drive to Charles and Williams' house took about five minutes, but it felt like the longest drive ever. Stephanie sat alone in the back seat yet it felt like the doors were closing in on her. Why did she feel this way? What sort of feeling was this? Fear? Jealousy? Anxiety? Hurt? Anger? She couldn't say what she felt, but whatever it was, she hated the feeling.

Her heart raced as the driver turned into the driveway leading to her destination. What if she got in there and saw Charles with another girl? Since Charles' angry burst at her two days ago, he hadn't called her. She'd tried to endure it yesterday, but when evening came, she couldn't stop herself from texting him. And just as she had feared, He didn't text back. The first thing she did after waking up this morning was to check her messaging app to see if he had replied, but he hadn't. After much waiting for a reply that wasn't forthcoming, she took the bold step and dialed his number? But he didn't answer her the five times she'd called. Now all Stephanie could think of was what would happen if Charles broke up with her. She didn't want to imagine what would become of her life after then. She had to admit, love wasn't the reason she cared. It was her insecurities. She didn't love Charles. She wouldn't be heartbroken if Charles broke up with her. All she cared about right now was her social status. Being in the same clique with Charles, Williams, and Chinasa brought her some sort of rep that she wasn't ready to lose.

"We are here." The driver said, drawing her attention to the familiar tall, green gate in front of them.

Stephanie gulped as she got down from the car. She could see her hands shaking as she paid the taxi driver. She rubbed her hands together and knocked. The guard opened the gate slightly.

"Madam," He smiled when he saw her. He opened the gate wider, making room for her to pass. "Welcome."

"Thank you," Stephanie smiled at him as she walked in, but her mind was far away from him. All she could think about was how Charles would react. Would he yell at her again? Would he forgive her? Would he ask her for sex again? If he did, she'd give it to him if he had protection. The closer she got to the building, the more uneasy she felt. By the time she was on the front porch, her palms were sweaty.

Heart pounding, she rang the doorbell with shaky hands. She took a deep breath as she waited for Charles to open up. After a few minutes, it seemed he wasn't forthcoming. She rang again. What if Charles wasn't home? Why hadn't she thought about it before? She'd turned to go to the side of the house to check Charles' window when she held the sound of a bunch of keys.

Thank goodness. She sighed as she walked to the door. The door opened to reveal a red-eyed Williams. Stephanie gasped. She didn't need anyone to tell her she'd just woken him up. She couldn't have felt more horrible.

"Stephanie!" He squinted.

Wide-eyed, Stephanie stared at him agape. This had to be a dream. Williams just spoke to her. This was the first time he was speaking to her since they met.

"Hi" Stephanie looked away immediately. At this point, she couldn't help but be grateful that her skin wasn't so light, otherwise, she'd have been red. Williams was standing shirtless in front of her and she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. "Is... Is Charles home?"

Williams' slight frown didn't go unnoticed by her. This wasn't an angry frown, it looked like he was surprised, or he was trying to understand something, or... Stephanie couldn't tell. Of course, he was Mr. indecipherable?

"Come in," He opened the door wide. Why didn't he answer her question?

"Thank you," Every step Stephanie took was a difficult one because Williams' gaze was fixed on her. Chinasa had been right when she said that a shirtless guy had some sort of effect on girls. Williams made her feel so uptight. But why had she never felt this way around Charles who was shirtless most of the time?