Above are the pictures of the outfits they are wearing for their date.
Hope you enjoy this chapter! And Happy newyear!
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(Amelia's Point of View)
I continued to stare at myself. The girl in front of the mirror wasn't me. No, the girl in front of me was perfect. The girl in front of me looked flawless. She looked... beautiful. Her hair was perfectly straight. The dress made her look amazing, not to mention the thigh high boots.
All her curves, that seemed to be perfect, were highlighted through the dress. No this can't be me.
It's surprising how different I look in such a casual outfit.
Looking at myself brings back all my insecurities. The insecurities that started my panic attacks 4 years ago. The insecurities that destroyed me.
My mom wasn't always quiet and distant. She used to actually talk to me. But that doesn't mean she used to say good things. My mom used to verbally harass me. She would tell me I was a mistake to this family, how I deserved no happiness. Grandpa and Mom were very close, until I came along. Grandpa started giving me more attention and he didn't like the way my mom treated me.
They both got distant because of me. After grandpa passed away, grandma was lost and mom was heartbroken and that night she hit me. She reminded me how worthless I was. She continued to hit me, not a lot, usually just a slap or something, until one night grandma caught her. I had started getting my panic attacks since the time my mom started to hit me and verbally harass me, my mom's words would ring in my head all the time which would lead to the attacks. Grandma was always there with me to help me and she kept me away from mom. After that mom never talked to me again and we tended to ignore each other. This happened for two years until finally the attacks stopped and I haven't had one since two years.
When the doctors told me my panic attacks might return I was shocked. I hated panic attacks, they made me feel weak and vulnerable.
"Hello?" Madison's voice says breaking me out of my worst memories. "Y-Yeah." I say as I look at her. "You seemed lost." She says with a worried look. "It was nothing, now where were we." I say as I look at myself in the mirror again. "Okay... I am going to let it go this time. Anyways you look amazing! Ethan won't be able to keep his hands to himself!" Madison squeals as she turns me around.
I blushed red at the thought. "Now put your phone, wallet and lipgloss, since I am sure Ethan won't let it last for long in your purse." She says. "How do you know?" I ask as I put in all the stuff.
"Oh have you seen him, whenever he kisses you your lipgloss vanishes. And he licks his lips as if tasting it. It's obvious he won't let it last any longer." She smirks. "Whatever. What time is it?" I ask.
She looks at her phone before looking at me. "It's 5:54." And just when she said that I heard Ethan yell, "Lia are you ready? It's time for us to leave."
"Yes, I am coming. Just give me a second!" I called back.
I straightened my bag strap and made my way downstairs.
The moment I stepped down, my eyes connected with Ethan's.
I look at what he is wearing and bite my lip. Damn he looks hot.
He is wearing a cream colour t-shirt with a collar, that is body fit and I could see his muscles bulging out. He was wearing bluish-greyish jeans and his shoes were the same colour of his shirt, only a bit lighter. On his hand was a wrist watch that was golden and matched his outfit.
(Ethan's Point of View)
She stands a few steps away from me, biting her lip and checking me out shamelessly, not that I can blame her. I am doing the exact same thing.
She looks... perfect. Her grey woolen dress hugged all of her perfect curves. Her boots make her look a few inches taller. Her hair is straight, unlike her usual wavy-ish hair. The nude lipgloss on her lips is simple but elegant, begging for me to kiss the living daylights out of her. Her eyeliner is highlighting her eyes, making her look bold and fierce.
My eyes roam all around her body, taking in how beautiful she looks.
There are no words to describe how good she looks.
She makes such a casual outfit seem so perfect and beautiful. Only Lia can do that.
Looking at her now, reminds me of the time I first saw her. No, it wasn't in the hallways a few months ago when I bumped into her, but it was when I was 11.
I had forgotten my pencil at home that day. During my first class, English, we were supposed to take notes, but since I didn't have a pencil, I couldn't do it. I looked around the entire classroom, hoping to gather the courage to ask someone for a pencil. You see when I was a kid I didn't have all the popularity or courage, I was a shy and nerdish kid. I felt someone tap my shoulder from behind me and I turned around, only to be met with the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. It was unique and different in colour. It was somewhat in between the shade of grey and blue.
"Hi." The girl whose name I didn't know said to me with a smile causing her dimple to show.
God, that was the most beautiful smile I had ever seen.
"H-Hi." I sturred like an idiot.
'Get a grip Ethan!' I told myself.
"Here." She said as she handed me a purple colour pencil with something written on the side of it, I guess her name.
I looked at her with confusion.
"You needed a pencil right? So here." She said, the smile still present on her face.
"Oh, right. Thank you..." I trailed off awkwardly once I realised I didn't know her name.
"Amelia." She completed for me.
"Amelia." I nodded with a shy smile.
I put my hand forward and slowly took the pencil out of her hand, my fingers lightly brushing hers causing butterflies to erupt in my stomach.
I knew I had developed a crush on her, she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. I was 11 for crying out loud, you couldn't blame me!
That day after class when I was about to return her pencil I noticed she had already left.
I kept the pencil with me, hoping I would have the nerves to go up to her and give it to her back. But I was a nervous wreck, whenever I would gather up the courage to give her her pencil I would chicken out and walk back.
I started staring at her in classes we had together and hoped that I could just talk to her once without chickening out.
My crush got deeper and deeper day by day just by looking at her. But what hurt was that she didn't even know my name back then, and I didn't have the courage to talk to her.
Then time passed by, I got lost in my popularity and reputation, I lost track of her completely but whenever I would close my eyes her face would pop into my head, her eyes, her beautiful smile, that Goodman dimple. I knew I was a goner for her.
I tried looking for her but couldn't find her. I gave up after a few months of looking for her, I accepted the fact that maybe she moved away or something. I then became a player, trying to get the greyish-bluish eyed girl out of my head. I slept with girls hoping that Amelia would get out of my head. But she never did. Everyday I would hope that maybe I could see her again.
Just when I gave up hope and thought maybe my feelings for her were gone, I saw those eyes again when I was fighting with Lucas that day and my heart skipped a beat. I immediately chased after her, and bumped into her intentionally. She was so much more beautiful than she was at 11.
I pretended to not know her and my feelings started developing again, but this time stronger. She had changed over the years, she had become more intriguing, more bold and that attracted me more towards her.
I still have the purple pencil she gave me with her name on it. It's in one of my drawers in my closet. I kept it safe in case I ever see her again.
I don't think Lia remembers anything about this, but I remember every single thing as if the moment was just yesterday.
"You guys just gonna stare at each other or are you actually gonna talk?" Madison's voice breaks me out of my thoughts.
"Yeah." I say awkwardly as I rub the back of my neck awkwardly.
"You know what I am just gonna go. The tension in this room is eating me alive. Bye and hope you guys have fun!" Madison says as she waves at Amelia who waves back.
Once Madison leaves I walk closer to Amelia and wrap my arms around her waist. She puts her hands on my chest, one on my heart and the other on the other side.
I hope she can't feel how fast my heart is beating right now.
"You look beautiful." I say as I peck her on her forehead.
"Thank you, you look quite good yourself." She blushes.
I love it when she blushes, especially when I am the one who is the cause of it.
"Why thank you." I chuckle.
Before any of us could say anything the doorbell rang.
"Is that Andrew or Chase? I thought they left?" She questions.
I was thinking the same thing. "It's probably grandma and Adrian." I say as I walk to the door.
I open the door and find Adrian and grandma standing there. "Hey guys!" I say in an overly excited high pitched voice.
Let's just say that I am a bit too excited for this date.
"What's wrong with your voice?" Adrian asks with furrowed eyebrows as they walk in.
"Not-" My voice comes out high pitched again so I clear my throat. "Nothing." I say in my normal voice.
"Okay." My grandma says hesitantly.
"Well now that you guys are here Lia and I are leaving. Good night!" I say as I take Amelia's hand and pull her next to me.
"Okay well you two kids have fun. Don't be super late." Grandma smiles.
"Yep sure." I say as I walk out, closing the door behind me.
"What about your car keys?" Lia asks from besides me. "We are walking. It's not super far." I told her as I intertwined our hands. "Okay, this better not be far. I don't know how long I can walk in these heels before falling flat on my face." She mumbles the last part.
"Don't worry." I laugh as I walk down the street. "Okay now can you tell me where we are going?" She whines. "Nope." I chuckle.
"I hate surprises." She mumbles. "Figured." I say with a cheeky smile.
Amelia wraps her free arm around my upper arm and leans her head on my shoulder for better support.
"Remember the time Adrian asked me out?" Amelia says as we take a turn. "How could I forget?" I chuckle. "His proposal was so romantic!" She excalmis.
Wait, what? Okay, maybe it was, the kid was wearing a tux...
"Yeah I guess. But so was mine" I point out. "Ethan you asked me out on a date in the bathroom while brushing your teeth!" She says as she looks up at me. "Yeah so?" I shrug.
"You know I am really considering Adrian's offer right now." She says. "What why?!" I say as I stop walking, making Amelia bump into my chest.
"Well he promised me gummies and movies, plus his proposal was adorable. While you are making me walk late in the evening in heels, and I am kinda suspicious that you are gonna take me into an isolated corner and kill me, plus your proposal was in a bathroom!" She says crossing her arms.
Okay maybe she has a point there...
"Fine then go to him!" I huff annoyed as jealousy takes over my tone.
Wait, am I really getting jealous of my 7 year old brother?!
Lia bursts out laughing. And clutches her stomach as tears appear on the corner of her eyes.
I look at her with confusion written all over my face. "Oh...My...God... You should have seen your face!" She says in between laughs.
"Shut up." I mumble embarrassedly, as I take her hand again and start walking, dragging her behind me. "Aw, is my Eethie jealous of a 7 year old?" She says in a baby voice.
"I thought I made it clear not to call me that." I grumble as I take another turn.
I hear her giggle from behind me and a smile takes over my face from the sound of her giggling.
It's the most pure and melodic sound I have ever heard, I don't think I will ever get tired of listening to it.
We stop in front of the park that is a few minutes away from our house.
I stop walking and take the tickets out of my pocket, before taking Lia's hand in mine again.
"Ethan I don't like this." She mumbles as we walk into the park, which is super dark.
"Just trust me hmm?" I say as I take her hand and pull her a bit further.
I stop once we reach our destination. I look at Lia to see her reaction, her mouth is agape and is shocked to see what is in front of her.
I had gotten Lia to one of those outdoor theatre places. I knew she always wanted to go to one, she had told me a few weeks ago. It was just my luck that one was happening at the park right next to our house.
There was a projector that was projecting the movie on the big white sheet in front of it. Carpetes and chairs were scattered all around, with a few couples cuddled on a few carpets. There was a small table behind, with drinks and popcorn. It was dark here and the only light coming was from the projector.
"So how do you like it?" I ask. "Oh my god! I love it! I always wanted to come to one of these!" She exclaimed but not too loudly. "I know." I grin.
I pull her inside further until we reach an empty carpet to sit on. "This is really nice. Thank you for bringing me here." She says once we are lying down, her head on my chest.
"No problem." I say as I wrap my arms around her and pull her closer to me.
~~~
The movie was coming to an end. I didn't even spend my time watching it, most of the time I would just stare at Amelia admiring how beautiful she looked.
It was not until I felt her move and looked up at me that I saw the movie was over and the credits were rolling.
I take my phone out of my pocket and check the time. 8:45
Perfect.
"I am hungry." She mumbles
"Me too. I have a place in mind to take you to." I smile as I get up.
"Okay let's go." She says as she gets up.
She stands up and straightens her dress a bit. From the back of her I see a few guys staring at her ass. One of them lets out a low dog whistle while the others just smirk.
Amelia being Amelia doesn't hear or notice anything.
I clench my jaw as I try to control the need to punch those fuckers in their face.
How dare they do that?!
I look at Amelia who is looking at me with confusion written all over her face. "What's wrong?" She asks. "Nothing." I say as I pull her closer to me.
I look down at her neck, hoping to see her hickeys only to find her turtleneck covering it. "Why did you cover your neck?" I groan. "Because..." She trailed off.
"You look too good for your own good." I sigh. "Is that supposed to be an insult or a compliment?" She asks with a raised eyebrow as she wraps her arms around my neck.
"I don't think you noticed but a few guys were staring at your ass." I say through gritted teeth.
"God, your possessive side comes out so easily." Lia groans as she puts her head on my shoulder.
I look behind to see the same guys still looking at her.
Dude, don't they get the fact that she is taken!?
"You know what let's get out of here." I say as I drag Lia behind me.
We made our way outside the park and I intertwined our hands. "So are you gonna tell me where we are going?" She asks. "Nope. But it's gonna be a 15 minute walk." I say as I look down at her.
She groans and puts her head on my shoulder in annoyance. "You know I can give you a piggyback ride if your legs hurt that bad." I say, now feeling a bit guilty I didn't get my car.
"Nope I am all good." She smiles.
A grin makes a way on my face as I see her smile. "Now please please tell me where we are going for dinner?" She whines.
"That's for me to see and you to know." I smirk using her own words. "I hate you." She mumbles. "Whatever floats your boat." I say smugly.
She slaps my arm playfully before the both of us walk together in comfortable silence.
As we are walking it starts to get more cold and in no time it starts to snow. I wasn't really surprised it started to snow. I mean it was two and a half weeks into November now. Snow was expected. I look at Amelia and see that she has a smile on her face as she puts her head up looking at the snow that drizzles on her face making her look more like an angel.
"You like the snow?" I ask her after a few minutes of staring at her. "Love it. It makes me happy. It somehow calms me down. When grandpa passed away somehow the snow used to make me feel like he was here with me. Grandpa loved snow, so whenever it would snow we both would go out and run around playing. Then when he passed away this felt like the only thing that would make me feel close to him." She says with a look of sadness in her voice.
By the looks of it, it seemed like she was just as close to her grandpa the way I was to mine. He was practically my second dad.
"Come here." I say as I pull her towards me.
I knew how it felt like to lose your loved ones. And Amelia had lost 2 people who she loved dearly, who were like her parently figueres, I can't even imagine how hard it would be for her.
I put my chin on top of her head as she clutches me tight. "You know my grandpa used to call me 'Lia'?" She asks with a chuckle. My eyes widened at that.
That's why she didn't like it when I called her that!
Before I could say sorry or anything she started talking again. "When you called me 'Lia' for the first time, I am gonna admit it reminded me of him and bought back all those memories. But then it felt nice, it felt nice to have someone call me 'Lia'. It kinda gave me the feeling I was loved" She says with a smile.
I give out a sigh of relief before pecking her lips. "Of course you're loved. I mean who can not love you? You are just too lovable." I say with a grin.
Her face becomes red and before she could say anything her stomach grumbles. "Someone's hungry. Let's go, we gotta arrive there before it's late." I chuckle.
She blushes even more and I can't help but peck her red cheeks, before taking her hand and walking all the way to the little restaurant I had in mind.
I stop in front of the small diner in front of us.
This was the diner my dad used to bring my mum to on all their dates. It was kinda like their spot. Dad told me about it when I was 14, he got me here to tell me how special this place was to him. He told me one day I would find the women of my dreams and be so in love with her that she would have me wrapped around her finger.
Of course I found all of that bullshit at first. But my dad just patted my shoulder and said, "Just wait and watch, one day when you find that woman, bring her here. This spot is very close to me and your mom and I would love it if you and whoever that girl is gonna make some memories here too." I liked the place a lot the first time he brought me here, so I started coming here very often, alone of course.
But here I am today, with Amelia.
"This place is so nice and cozy!" She squeals.
"I know. My dad used to bring my mom here." I smile as I take her hand and go inside.
The moment we step in, I feel the same homely smell of the place creep up my nose. This place was kinda like my second home, that's how many times I had been here.
I look to the right corner, where there is Maria, the manager of the diner. I give her a small smile before walking up to her.
She smiles back at me but then she notices Amelia beside me and her eyes widen as she looks between the two of us.
Let's just say she knows about what my dad told me.
"Maria." I smile and hug her.
Maria was a kind old lady in her mid 50's, she and I were close and whenever I was having a hard time, I would come here and she would listen to whatever the hell I was saying.
"Oh my god. Who might this beauty be?" She gasps as she pulls away from the hug and looks at Lia.
"Lia, this Maria, the manager of this diner and a really good friend of mine. Maria, this is my girlfriend Amelia." I say as I look at Amelia with a proud smile on my face while introducing her.
"It's so nice to meet you!" Maria smiles as she gives Amelia a brief hug which she returns.
"It's nice to meet you too!" She smiles as they pull away.
I see Maria give me a look that says 'You have to tell me NOW'. I give her a small sigh and nod before looking back at Lia.
"Go sit somewhere, I will join you in a minute." I tell her. "Okay." She says and I give her a small peck on her lips before she goes to find a seat for us.
"Oh my god! You finally bring a girl here! Does David know about this?! My Ethan is finally grown up and in love!" She squeals once Amelia is away from us.
"Dad doesn't know that I got Amelia here. But he does know I love her." I tell her. "Oh wow! When did you tell him?" She asks, oddly interested in the conversation. "I didn't have to. Amelia lives with us, dad and mom were kinda the ones who helped me ask her to be my girlfriend. Plus mom has already planned our wedding." I chuckle.
"Typical Jullie. She was afraid she might not get grandchildren until she turns 90. Plus with your player facade she was scared you won't find anyone." She chuckles.
"I know. I will see you later hmm? Lia is waiting for me." I tell her as I give her a small hug before making my way to Lia who was sitting at a table, waiting for me.
"You and Maria seem close?" She asks with a smile. "We are. I used to come here all the time and talk about shit, she was always there to listen to me. We have been close ever since. Even mom is close to her." I say as I look at her.
"Hmm." She hums. "So you ready to order?" I ask as I pick up the menu that was on the side of the table. "I don't know. You tell me, what is the best thing to eat here?" She asks me.
"I love the barbeque hamburger, with fries on the side. That's what I usually get." I shrug as I look at her. "Okay I will get that too." She says as she looks at me.
"Ok guess we are ready to order." I say as I motion one of the waiters to come and take our orders.
A guy who seems a few years older to us comes to our table. His eyes land on Amelia and I see him lick his lips. Bastard.
I clear my throat trying to get his attention. He looks at me for a second before looking back at Lia. "How may I help you today, beautiful?" He asks her.
Dude, I am right here!
"We would like two barbeque hamburgers with fries on the side." I say with a stern voice. The guy doesn't seem to hear me as he stares at Amelia making her uncomfortable and fidget in her seat.
"I said we would like two barbeque hamburgers with fries on the side!" I say louder this time. But he still continues to stare at my girlfriend.
I grit my teeth and try to calm myself. "Maria! We need a new waiter here!" I yell, causing a few people to look in our direction, but I couldn't care less.
I see Maria walking towards us. "I am sorry did he do something?" She asks me, looking between me and Amelia.
"I said my order two times to him, but he is too busy ogling my girlfriend." I say in a cold tone, as I glare at the guy, who now has his eyes wide with a look of fear on his face.
"Oh god, forgive Maxwell. I will get you a new waiter in just a moment." She says as she drags 'Maxwell' by the ear.
The name Maxwell clicked in my head. Maxwell was Maria's nephew. Maria told me quite a lot about him. From what she told me, Maxwell was quite a player just like I used to be. She said he was in senior 19 in senior year of highschool, in Whiteriver community high (A/N: I made up the name I don't know if its a real school).
He was saving up for college hence working here. He was good looking gotta give him that. He was also italian like Maria.
A few minutes later a lady in her early 30's came to take our order.
"How may I help you today?" She smiles.
"Hi. We would like two barbeque hamburgers with fries on the side." I tell her. She gives me a nod before writing it down her notepad and walking away.
"So... Why were you so mad at Maxwell?" Lia asks me.
I turn towards her and look at her with disbelief. Is she really asking me that?
"Do you know that he was staring at you as if you were a piece of meat or something? Plus the guy is a player." I scoff.
"And how would you know that?" She asks with a raised eyebrow.
"He is Maria's nephew. She has told me a lot about him." I shrug.
"He was kinda cute though." She says and bites her lips to hold back a smile.
I knew she was just saying that to annoy me and it was working.
And god her biting her lip made me want to bite it myself.
"You have a horrible taste in men." I scoff.
"Oh really now? So me dating you is a horrible taste in men?" She asks with a raised eyebrow.
Well that backfired...
"What no! In fact I am sure it was the best decision of your life." I say with a smug grin.
"Yeah yeah." She says as she looks away from me, but smiles nevertheless.
Just then the same lady came back to our tables with our food.
"Here is your order." She smiles as she places our food in front of us before walking away.
I look Amelia as her eyes light up at the sight of food. God, I swear it's every man's dream to have their women look at them the way she looks at food.
The way her eyes light up, joy takes over her facial, she forgets everything around her enjoying her food. Andrew says when she looks at me her eyes light up and a smile takes over her face, I know it does, but when she has her food it's just something else, and god you'd be damned if she looked at you like that.
I stare at her in admiration as she takes a bite of her burger and closes her eyes in pleasure.
Looking at her now makes me feel so lucky that I get to love her, and even more lucky that she loves me back. I know I don't deserve her, but I can't let her go. She understands me like no other. We both have gone through the pain of losing someone we love that left us broken from the inside, we were able to fix each other and make each other feel complete.
I was scared of falling in love. I had seen how people broke due to love. Broke in a way no one could fix them. They were broken by the people they loved.
Amelia once told me how she was scared of falling out of love. She told me how people could love each other for 15 years, but then wake up one morning and just fall out of it. She was scared that she would wake up one morning only to figure out the one she loved doesn't love her anymore or that she doesn't love them anymore. Even though she doesn't say it I know she is scared she might never be enough, but little does she know she is more than enough. And whoever gets to be her life-long partner, her soul mate is lucky.
We both feared two different things. Me falling in love while her falling out of it and that's what made us stronger.
She believed love was about taking risks. You risk falling in love with the wrong person to find the right person. She said she would fall in love a million times and get her heartbroken as many times it would take to find the right person, cause she knew the right person would be worth it. She knew they would fix whatever heartbreaks she might have gone through. She was brave enough to do that, while I was weak, I didn't want to be vulnerable or exposed but she changed that.
It's surprising how I fell in love with her so quickly. It was literally like a truck crashed me. I didn't even realise when like changed into love. Hell I don't even know when I started liking her. It all just happened and we both were there to catch each other.
She made me ready for the risk and helped me overcome my fear.
"You gonna eat or just stare at me?" Lia asks with a raised eyebrow breaking me out of my thoughts.
"I think I would prefer the term admire." I say with a smirk.
She huffed her cheeks out to cover her blush but failed. I smiled at her sweetly before taking a bite out of my burger.
God the food here was amazing.
Me and Amelia talked about a few random things while eating.
After eating I checked the time. 9:56.
"It's getting late, we should go home." I say as I look at her. "Yeah. I am tired and my feet are killing me." She sighs as she gets up only to wobble back and lose balance. She puts her hand on the side of the wall next to us and breaths out a sigh of relief.
"Let's go." She says as she takes my hand and intertwines our fingers before waving to Maria with a smile and opening the door.
I look back and wave to Maria before walking out.
We start to make our way in the snow, Amleia snuggling into me from the side, her one hand wrapped around my arm while the other holding my hand.
I see her yawn from besides me and I know she is tired.
"You want me to carry you?" I ask in a soft voice. "Don't be silly. Just walk." She giggles. "No like I actually mean it. Your tired and your legs are killing you. Let me carry you." I say as I stop walking.
"Can we just walk?" She whines as a yawn takes over her features. "Baby you're tired." I say as I put one of my hands under her thigh and the other behind her back for support. In a swift move I picked her up in bridal style.
She squeals and immediately puts her arms around my neck. "Ethan put me down!" She says as she kicks her legs trying to get me to put her down.
"Nope." I laugh as I continue walking. "Ethan your back is going to hurt!" She yells as she uses one of her hands to smack my chest playfully.
"Oh shut up. You're so light. How much do you weigh? 95 pounds?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.
"No I weigh 105 pounds!" She argues. "Yeah, like that is a lot, I almost weigh twice as much as you." I scoff.
"Yeah Yeah.. Fatass." She mumbles the last part. "Hey! You love my ass." I say as we continue to walk in the snow. "Did I ever say that?" She asks with a raised eyebrow.
God, she was getting confident.
"We all know you love it though." I smirk.
"Whatever." She grumbles as she snuggles closer into my chest and yaws before her eyelids get heavy and close.
Before you know it, she is fast asleep, her chest was rising up and down with every breath she took. She looked so peaceful while sleeping in my arms. Snow was lightly brushing through her hair and face, but being the heavy sleeper she is she didn't realise.
She looked like an angel. My Angel.
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Hope you liked this chapter, took me sometime to write.
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