JUST BEST FRIENDS

CHAPTER 34: RECONCILIATION.

Each time she kissed Tayo, she felt renewed, refreshed, energized. So did he. Every kiss was bliss, every touch, every intimacy between them was like a trip to paradise, which they always found so hard to control, to come back from.

But given the situation today, time was of the essence, therefore Tayo cancelled the kiss quite shortly.

“Babe, that's enough.” He giggled, pulling back. “You know we can do this all day long, right?”

“Right.” Idara elbowed him, smiling. “I have to go now. Goodbye.”

“Te echaré de menos.”

Idara patted Tayo's shoulder and exited his car after professing, “Te extrañaré también. Te amo. Adiós.”

She kept glancing back over and over again whilst walking to her home, until she got to her doorstep. It was at that spot that she blew Tayo a kiss and watched him reciprocate it before driving off.

Sighing heavily, Idara knocked on the door, her heart pulsating. She'd never felt this way whenever she visited her father before, and that was understandable, because he was always alone without unexpected visitors in the house.

Harbouring scattered thoughts, she just hoped that this anxiety wouldn't be the death of her, eventually. She was restless, very, very restless, and she was about to say a quick prayer when the door opened, revealing a gloomy man behind it.

“Dad.” Idara embraced him immediately, her eyes closed.

“My angel.” His tired arms were the first things Idara felt around her, before feeling the intensity of his heartbeat, which made her pull back almost immediately. “What's wrong?”

“I should be asking you that instead, dad.” Idara's face and voice showed both concern and fear. “Your heartbeat is a little too fast. What happened?”

Mr. Thompson held his chest, sighing. “It's a long story, dear, but come inside, you'll understand better that way.”

Bracing herself for the worst with a deep breath, Idara nodded subtly and followed her father into the house without further questioning.

In the living room, she came face-to-face with the woman she despised the most, and a good-looking man dressed in a navy blue suit, plus a chubby lad who was an authentic replica of her—facially.

“Isabelle!” Janet rose up at once, delighted. “Welcome home!”

Idara stood still in shock, hoping she hadn't made a big mistake by coming here today. A lot of thoughts swarmed her mind, like who was the light-skinned man sitting alone on the couch? How come there was so much resemblance between she and the teenager staring back at her right now? And, most importantly, how did her mother find her home?

Idara would've dwelled more on those thoughts if Janet hadn't interrupted with, “Hey, Matthew, this is your elder sister whom I've been telling you about. Why don't you go say hello to her?”

Idara made a brief eye contact with Janet and her father, before setting her eyes on the boy who was approaching her with a big smile on his face. It was as if he'd been waiting for this moment all his life.

“Hi. I am Matthew.” Matthew stretched a hand of friendship towards Idara with great admiration for her.

“Um, hello, Matthew.” Idara clipped his hand, beaming a smile to him. “I am Idara. It's nice to finally meet you.”

“Same here. I've heard a lot about you, sis.” Matthew grinned, winking at Idara. “We look just like twins.”

Idara snorted, amused by his boldness. “Yeah, I can see that.”