MR. LIKE OR MR. LOVE?[Completed]

Chapter 1 - A proposal

 The sun was rising as the rays penetrated into the windows and into heavy eyelids of the sleeping people in London.

“Good morning!” was what a girl of ten years exclaimed as she sat up from her bed. After fixing her bed, she faced the mirror and laughed at her disheveled hair, “A silly look just in the morning!” She rushed to the bathroom to take a bath.

After fixing herself, she ran downstairs in a flowing dress with a broad smile. “Good morning, Mommy! Daddy!”

Two middle-aged people were sitting on the table in the dining room; the man reading a newspaper and the lady sipping coffee.

“Good morning, Zoe. Would you care to join us for breakfast? Your Mom prepared pancakes and fresh blueberries for you,” her father said.

She nodded and sat at the table, helping herself to the delicious breakfast. Her favorite.

“Are you done with your homework, dear?” her father asked.

The little girl munched on her pancake, “Yetch! (Yes!)”

Her mother laughed at this and passed a glass of milk to Zoe, “Don’t talk when you’re eating, hun. Finish that first.”

Both elders received a beaming smile from the little girl and they couldn’t help but smile back.

Timothy Hale turned to his wife, “Surely, she’s done. That’s what Brian taught her, after all.”

Lia Hale nodded, “Oh, yes. He’s so sweet to our little angel.”

Lia gave a teasing look at Zoe, and the little girl just replied her Mom with wide-eyed innocence. Timothy sighed at his wife. Zoe is just ten years old, and of course, she’d be surprised if she’s teased with Brian. Zoe treats the boy as her brother. And it seems the boy treats her as his loving sister.

“Of course, honey,” Timothy replied to Lia, “Brian is a brother that Zoe never had.”

Zoe raised a thumbs-up at Timothy as Lia sighed, glaring at her husband. She knows her husband has been stopping her from teasing their daughter. Well, Zoe is ten. But informing her this early is better! She has always loved Brian and Zoe’s chemistry. Instead of siblings, Lia sees a romantic aura when the two are together. And Lia's as joyous as ever since Brian’s parents also think that the two kids would make a lovely couple. But no matter how much they tease them, Brian just laughs at them and Zoe shows innocence.

The little girl stood up, “Mommy, Daddy, I wanna see Brian!”

Lia raised a brow at her husband, amused and feeling victorious. Timothy was the one to reply, “Sure, dear. Go ahead.”

_ ~ _

"Auntie! Good morning!”

The fair woman glanced at the young girl, “Oh, Zoe! Good morning. What brings you here today?”

The gal got in the porch and kissed Rose Gunther’s cheek, “I’m looking for Brian.”

“He left early to go to school, sweety.”

“School?” Zoe had a questioning look, tilting her head slightly to the side, “But it’s Saturday.”

“It is. He said that their quarterly exam is fast approaching, so he and his classmates have a group study for the weekends,” Rose smiled.

Zoe smiled back, thinking, ‘Bry is very studious. As expected!’

Brian is the top student of his class for years, and Zoe believes he doesn’t plan to let go of that position. He has big dreams, and she perfectly understands that he’s doing his best. Even when he’s just eleven.