Attached Strings √

Chapter 22

He laughed.

He doubled over and rolled on the floor with laughter. For a moment, I thought my eyes were deceiving me but then I realised that he was really laughing at this. Was this funny?

"Y-your face," he said inbetween laughs, "you should've seen your face." When his laughter had died down, he got up from the floor and sighed. "Relax, princess. I was just pulling your leg. I didn't add those laxatives," I glared at him, "I'm serious." His face twitched and I could tell that he was trying his utmost best not to laugh. His best was not enough though.

"You will pay for this," I hissed, giving him a dirty look.

I didn't speak to the jerk again and I didn't even finish eating his stupid pancakes. We stayed that way - me not speaking to him and the idiot laughing every time he caught sight of me.

And then his parents called.

"... you're here? Already? You took the plane?" Paul enquired, "...of course I want to see you guys but I thought you'd want me to fetch you at the airport or something." He listened and then, "Yes, she's right here with me, mom." No doubt his mother was asking about me, "...alright, see you in a bit," and he dropped the call.

"And?" I knew I wasn't supposed to be speaking to him but I was curious. Sue me.

"They're about to land. They want us to wait for them at the airport. It's only ten minutes away from here, let's go."

"We'll get there before them, right?" I was nervous.

"Yeah, come on," and off we went. True to Paul's words, we got there before the plane landed. While waiting, I asked Paul the one question I had been afraid to ask, "What are your parents like?" I was still not sure whether I wanted to know what his parents were like but I had to ask.

"Speaking, are we?" He teased.

"You know what; never mind." Did he have to annoy me all the time? Why couldn't he just answer a simple question?

"Chill, they'll love you." I didn't believe a single word he said. "And remember, sweetheart," he added "you're my girlfriend and I'm your boyfriend, okay," I nodded.

A moment passed and, "There they are," he told me, pointing to a couple which was surrounded by bodyguards. I knew his parents were rich but I did think that hiring bodyguards was just overdoing it.

His mother was beautiful. She looked so stylish in a white jumpsuit and hat. It was easy to see that the woman was rich and knew a thing or two about fashion. His father was not ugly either. Apart from the signs of ageing, he looked a lot more like Paul - they had similarly styled hair. From the smart grey suit, the polished shoes and straight to the way he walked and talked, Mr. Jameson (definitely not Paul) oozed power and authority. He seemed like the type of man who always got his way. Mrs. Jameson, on the other hand, had a genuine smile that spread across her face and it made her even more beautiful. She seemed like a really kind woman.

The guards were clearing the way and Paul's father was busy talking about something or more like shouting.

Was he angry?

"Hey, sweetie." Paul's mother gushed as she pinched Paul's cheeks before pulling him into a loving embrace. Paul turned crimson. "Look at how much you've grown," she stated.

"Honey, leave the kid alone," his father interrupted, "you're embarrassing him in front of his girlfriend." Realisation dawned on Mrs. Jameson's face and she quickly apologised to her son. Paul mouthed a 'thank you' to his father.

"Ah! Finally, the girl who made my son change his ways." She was approaching me with a bright smile on her face and before I knew it, my head lay on a lady's chest. The hug was comforting and I hadn't realised how much I'd needed a mother's hug until that moment. When I felt my eyes beginning to water, luckily, she pulled away.

"How's my potential daughter in-law doing?" My face turned scarlet. Paul's mother just called me her potential daughter in-law! As much as I was excited about all that, I remembered that I was just acting and all that was fake. I stole a glance at Paul and found him chatting away with his father.

"I'm doing good and how are you, ma'am?"

"Gosh," she placed a hand on her chest, "please, call me Karen."

I had assumed that she already knew my name so I didn't introduce myself to her. Paul's dad turned his attention to me and said, "Chloe, right?"

"Yes, sir. Chloe Jones, sir." I clarified.

"Oh, nice to meet you, Chloe."

"Likewise, sir."

"Nonsense! Don't call him that," Karen spoke, "his name is Daniel but we call him Dan and since you're part of the family, you'll also call him Dan." I looked at Mr. Jameson, waiting for him to protest but he didn't.

Well, Dan it is then.

We left the airport. We all rid in Paul's car. Paul was driving and his parents were seated on the backseat. The bodyguards followed closely behind us on their own vehicle.

A couple of minutes later, we were entering the apartment. "Wow, it's clear that a decent female now lives in this place," Dan muttered.

"How so?" Paul asked him.

"It's cleaner."

"Well, it is thanks to my beautiful girlfriend over here." He planted a soft kiss on my forehead. I jumped a little and Paul took hold of my hand and the gesture was quite soothing, I must say.

"Aw," Karen gushed, "you just look so good together." I turned to look at Dan and he, too, looked happy to see that his son had really changed.

About an hour or two later, Paul was done with cooking dinner and I was helping to set the table. His parents were seated in the living room.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Paul asked me.

"Can't a girl just be happy nowadays?"

Paul eyed me suspiciously. Indeed I was in a good mood because I had a feeling that dinner was about to get eventful.

Paul and I still had a score to settle.

A/N: Hey there, long time no see, hey. But that is all about to change because now I have more than enough time on my hands and you know what that means. But, as you know, your votes and comments motivate me so, keep at it & you shall be rewarded.

-Nikita