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Chapter Thirty · Two

~Same Day~

Eliza

"I really can't believe your parents would do that to you." Becca said in disbelief while casually sitting with her legs crossed on the middle cushion of the sofa and taking a sip of her drink, pink moscato. I sighed. "Me either. It's like they would rather want me to do what makes them look good rather than what makes me happy. I just don't know what to do anymore." I say, sitting on the end of my sofa, my legs straight out and feet touching the floor. I took a hand and pushed back the wavy strands of my hair out of my face. "Oh honey," Becca says, setting down her drink onto the floor, next to her feet, then consoled me by caressing my knee gently with her hand while the other pulled back a piece of her long, straight hair behind her ear before she continued. "I think you should agree to disagree with them. If they can't accept your decision and you clearly can't convince them, then you tell them what they want to hear and do things your way. It's not like they live here." She shrugged. "True, I could do that, but I don't want to lie to them anymore, you know?" Becca nods while I brought my glass to my lips and sipped some wine from it.

I withdrew the cup from lips and let it rest in my hand. I heavily sighed. "I'm just tired of pretending to be what they expect because the truth will just come out like the whole college thing did, but they're also paying for the house we're sitting in right now, so I'm beat until I can actually manage my own responsibilities and not need their support enough to care about what they think." I told her. Becca hummed, and I eyeballed her, suspiciously, curious to what she was up to. I just knew she had to be up to something whenever she'd get that glint in those icy blue eyes of hers. A smile then appeared on her face. "What?" I questioned, but she didn't respond right away, only her smile grew wider. "Becca, what? Will you just tell me already?" I asked, growing impatient. "Okay, okay. I have an idea to propose." She tells me, and I nod slowly. "Okay... so, what is it?" I ask. "What if... I help?" Becca raised a brow suggestively. I frowned. "What do you mean? Help, like how?"

"Okay, well, you're trying to figure your life out and your parents are being overbearing that they won't give you that chance, but you're like the little sister I never knew I needed. Why don't you come live with me for a while or better yet, I can pay for your housing and whatever else you need until you're on your feet again." I bit down on my bottom lip, giving what she said some thought, and when I did, I parted my lips open, but before I could get a word out edge-wise, she held a finger up in the air. "Wait! Before you answer, you could... help me start my graphic design business. That way, I can make you a co-owner. It would get your parents at least off your back." I smiled at her offer. She really is one of a kind. "You're too sweet to me, but I can't. You've done so much for me already that I can't repay. It's my mess. I'll work it out with my parents. Trust me, they wouldn't get off my back anyway, unless I was running my own business or... if I was fulfilling one of their high expectations of me." I demurred. "Got it, I understand," she expressed with a head nod. "But if you ever change your mind, the opportunity is still there, okay?"

"Okay," I assented. "Thank you."  "Anytime. Now, I'm going to go to the bathroom. This moscato has literally run right through me." She giggled, and I chuckled at her silliness. She got up and pulled down her black floral rosette and white-printed pencil skirt that went along with the plain peplum, onyx top and suede, ankle-high heels she was wearing. After she left, I got up from my seat and collected our wine glasses, bringing them to the kitchen. I stood at the sink and poured out the little wine that was left in the cups before setting them in the sink. I turned away and was just about to leave out of the kitchen when I felt my phone vibrate in my front jean's pocket. I managed to pull my phone out and I couldn't help but grin big as soon as I saw who it was calling. Wasting no time, I answered and held the phone to my ear.

"I was beginning to get the feeling you weren't going to call." I said, being the first to speak. Julian chuckled. "Of course I was. I got a little tied up earlier, but I am a man of my word." I let out a hum. "I like the sound of that and... tied up with what... exactly?" I asked him out of curiosity. "Well, you should, but it's nothing you need to worry about." He dismissed. "Anyway, tell me, what are you doing right now?" He questioned. "Um, okay then, uh... well, right now I'm standing in my kitchen." I replied. "Hm... standing in your kitchen... How about I come join you?" He asked me and I chortled. "You want to come stand with me in the kitchen?" I relayed back to him. "Yeah, I mean, why not? You're there, so it's got everything I need." He says and almost immediately, I can feel myself blush. "You're too sweet. I wish you could come stand with me in my kitchen, but... I have a friend over right now, so that wouldn't exactly work." I told him. Suddenly, he went silent. I pulled the phone away from my ear and checked to see if the call was still ongoing and it was. The call duration time had already counted two minutes, forty seconds since we'd been chatting, and still counting.