There were two stealers on the apartment. One of them was going through Olivia's room and noticed some valuable objects that it's partner needed to see.
— "Dude, there is some good jewelry here." — the one in the room was saying while walking to the living room. — "Woah, what happened here? What did you do?" — same one asked trying not to freak out with the two unconscious ladies on the floor.
— "They weren't supposed to be here at this time, Eagle." — the first one replied.
— "Just put them in a corner and come on, Rhino." — the thief responding to the nickname Eagle commanded.
— "I will." — it's partner, Rhino, affirmed.
Both went to the room and found Olivia's jewelry. Their attention was called mostly by Tom's gifts, especially the necklaces and promise ring.
— "These girls don't even try to hide this stuff." — Eagle mentioned with joy.
— "Look at these shoes. We can get almost a thousand with just this pair." — Rhino pointed out taking Priyanka's shoes.
They checked almost everywhere and took a lot of things including their tablets and computers. Even took their cellphones and wallets. Eagle was a burglar, but never wanted to hurt anyone.
— "Are we gonna leave them there?" — it wondered.
— "Of course, since when do you care? Stop looking at them and let's go. Everyone is working so we probably won't get caught." — Rhino expressed moving quickly.
— "I'm sorry about this." — Eagle told the unconscious bodies of the girls and gave them their phones back. — "At least you can call a loved one." — it added before leaving.
An hour after the thieves left, Olivia and Priyanka were waking up again. Slowly and with effort, they opened their eyes.
— "Are you okay, Liv?" — Pri asked first trying to stand up.
— "Yeah, you?" — her friend did the same thing.
— "Yes... I thought this was a bad dream." — Priyanka complained devastated looking around.
— "First we get fired. Now, we got robbed. What's next? Will our boyfriends break up with us?" — Olivia almost yelled with anger and frustration.
A moment of silence was enough to hear some barks. They followed them to the bathroom revealing two corgis who got locked by the burglars. The owners petted them for a second making sure they were alright.
— "This is unbelievable. They took our laptops and tablets." — Pri noted. — "And our wallets!" — she added checking her little backpack.
Both quickly called the bank to freeze their cards before the robbers got them on bankrupt. Then they went to the room and Olivia screamed.
— "They took all my jewelry. They took the things Tommy gave me." — Liv commented with tears running down her cheeks.
— "And my shoes Nick gifted me!" — Priyanka followed the cried.
— "What are we gonna do now?" — Olivia wondered.
They tried to be strong, but looking around to the mess caused that both started crying. They hugged each other tightly for a minute and then wiped off their tears. The friends picked up their broken frames and stuff thrown around. Then sat down on the floor with their pets to think.
— "This is a disaster. Just when we got fired." — Priyanka said.
— "We should call someone." — Liv suggested.
— "Call who? Our parents will freak. Our boyfriends will want to run here and we know they can't. What should we do?" — Pri expressed.
— "I don't know, maybe Emma and Lindsey." — Olivia proposed.
— "Let's see if we can figure this out and then maybe we tell someone." — her friend answered.
— "Fine, let's do it your way. But I don't think it's right." — Liv mentioned and stood up.
Later that day, they called the police to inform about the robbery. The night was very long because neither could sleep. They kept having nightmares about the robbery, or a new one, or when they passed out and things like that.
On Thursday, they told Emma and Lindsey what happened. Both offered them to stay in their houses, but Priyanka and Olivia refused. They wanted to get back on their feet on their own.
During the week, they tried to talk to Madison and see how she was doing. But the siblings never answered their door.
(Sunday, July 6)
The girls were eating breakfast to have a productive day of doing nothing. Priyanka was going through her phone and found a very strange video on her gallery.
— "Hey, Liv, look at this." — she told her friend.
They got close and watched the video. It was from Madison in a black outfit. It looked like it was recorded in their bathroom. The young lady had guilt in her eyes.
— "I don't know where I will be when you see this, but I had to tell you. I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't want to, I promise. Well, at first I did. Everything was part of it. He was part of it. But then things changed; you all changed me. Sadly, it was too late for me. I'm sorry." — Madison started crying. — "Tell Harry that I'm sorry. It wasn't meant to be. But this is not me. My truest self was when I was around him. This is what my family turned me into. I wanted to thank him for giving me in a week the family I never had. Please tell him that I... I really liked him. I'm sorry to all of you. I'll live with the regret the rest of my life." — she finished off.
Olivia's and Priyanka's jaws dropped. They couldn't believe what they just saw.
— "Is this for real? Did you see that too?" — Liv questioned incredulous.
— "We were robbed by Madison and her brother." — Pri affirmed.
— "That explains why they never answered the door. They ran away." — Olivia shared.
— "I can't believe this." — her friend commented.
— "How did we not realize?" — Liv wondered.
Their thinking got interrupted by the ring bell and both jumped with a small scream. The two quickly checked their app and almost ran to the door after.
— "Surprise!" — their visitors exclaimed.
The girls didn't give them a second and jumped to hug them. They didn't want to let go, but did after like a minute.
— "We're so happy to see you." — Pri expressed.
— "Boyfriends to the rescue." — Tom joked.
— "Woah!" — both guys exclaimed looking around.
— "What are you guys doing here?" — Olivia asked happy, but confused.
— "Harrison told us what happened." — Nick answered.
— "And how did he know?" — both girls asked. "Emma!" — they responded to themselves.
— "I see you haven't slept well." — Tom mentioned.
— "Yeah, not at first. Now it's more or less. We just don't really feel safe anymore." — Olivia confessed.
— "You're now, love." — he said with a hug and a kiss on her forehead which made her smile.
The besties showed them what the thieves stole.
— "Don't worry about the gifts. We can replace them. We can replace everything." — Nick pointed out.
— "No!" — both girls shouted.
— "Thanks, babe. But we want to do this by ourselves." — Pri explained.
— "I thought you said you got fired." — Tom acknowledged.
— "Well yeah, but we have been looking and applying." — Olivia informed them.
— "Good luck with that!"— both guys exclaimed.
— "And did the police find who did this?" — Nick wondered and the girls looked at each other.
— "Not really, but we may know." — Liv made known.
— "Look at this." — Pri added and showed them the video.
Tom was shocked and Nick was confused.
— "Who was this again?" — he asked.
— "This was our new neighbor, Madison." — Priyanka commented.
— "And Harry was going out with her. He's gonna feel terrible when he finds out." — Tom said feeling bad for his brother.
— "But he deserves to know the truth." — Liv mentioned and Tom nodded.
— "He's gonna think it's his fault." — Pri assumed.
— "Which is why you will send it to me and not him. I'll show it to him when I go back." — Tom told her and she agreed.
— "And don't worry, you two. Everything is gonna be alright." — Nick consoled them.
— "I do have a question. Why didn't you tell us about this?" — Tom wondered and both guys stared squinting while the girls tried to come up with an answer.
— "We didn't want to worry you." — Olivia started off.
— "You two are too busy and have enough problems on your own." — Priyanka continued.
— "We didn't want to bother you." — Liv finished.
— "Are you serious?" — both questioned kinda giggling.
— "You, girls, are our girlfriends. It's our job to worry about you. We always do." — Tom responded.
— "And you will never be a bother or a distraction. As long as you need us, we are here for you." — Nick reassured.
— "We apologize." — they said and hugged their boyfriends.
Minutes later, Lindsey and Emma appeared too. Tom and Nick left to bring some food. The four friends didn't waste a second to chat.
— "It's so great the guys came." — Lindsey stated.
— "Yeah, except we never told them what happened." — Liv admitted.
— "Wait, what?" — Emma asked nervous.
— "Yeah, it's funny that they found out through Harrison. Any ideas how he found out, Emms?" — Priyanka wondered.
— "I'm sorry. I thought they already knew. Plus, I didn't know they would talk about it. I forgot Harrison is like your brother." — she apologized ashamed and her friends laughed.
— "It's okay. It worked out for the better because now our boyfriends are here." — Olivia pointed out excited.
They continued talking and then ate when the guys arrived. Hours later, Emma and Lindsey left and the couples were having a little discussion.
— "Are you sure you don't want us to stay with you?" — Tom asked to be sure.
— "Yes, we're fine!"— Liv exclaimed.
— "But you said you didn't feel safe here." — Nick reminded.
— "Yeah, but it's okay. We'll get use to it." — Pri pointed out.
— "Fine, if you say so. But call us if you regret or need anything." — Tom told them and they agreed.
— "See you tomorrow. Don't forget to wake up on time." — Nick said and they laughed and nodded.
The couples said goodbye with hugs and kisses. The guys went back to their hotel and the girls tried to sleep.
(Next day)
As they promised, Olivia and Priyanka were ready on time and waiting in the lobby. The morning got even brighter when they stopped for breakfast at Starbucks. Then, they headed to a mysterious destination.
— "And where are we going?" — Olivia asked.
— "We want to show you something." — Tom responded.
— "The impatience and curiosity will kill me first." — Priyanka said kidding.
— "Same!" — her bestie exclaimed and their boyfriends laughed.
After around fifteen minutes, they arrived to a beautiful big white house.
— "Who did we come to visit?" — Pri wondered looking around.
— "This place is amazing." — Liv mentioned impressed.
Tom opened the door and they entered and got even more impressed with the huge space inside.
— "Guys, where are we?" — both asked intrigued.
— "Welcome to your new house!" — they yelled with their arms extended.
Both froze at first and their surprised reaction wasn't missing.
— "No way, guys!" — Olivia exclaimed not believing what she heard.
— "You have to be joking. This is insane!" — Priyanka reacted.
— "We figured you were gonna say that." — Nick commented.
— "So look at this as our house where you will be living in. Sounds good?" — Tom explained.
— "Wait, what are you saying?" — Liv questioned enthusiastically.
— "We bought this house for whenever we want to visit. But you will be the ones living here and taking care of it." — Nick specified.
— "You two are the best humans in the world!" — the girls yelled and hugged their boyfriends and Liv started tearing up a little.
— "So let's go and pack what's left of your things." — Tom proposed.
— "Let's do it!'" — both girls agreed joyfully.
They all went back to the apartment to help the girls pack what was left of their belongings.
— "I'm going to miss this place." — Olivia said as they started to pack.
— "Me too! We made many good memories here." — Prianka pointed out and sighed.
— "Oh! Remember that one time we made a live just to bake a cake?" — Liv mentioned.
— "Yes! Oh my, that was when people were starting to notice us." — Pri answered giggling.
— "What else?" — Olivia added looking around.
— "Remember the time we, or I should say you, almost got us in trouble with the manager?" — Pri wondered trying to hold in her laughter.
——— Flashback ———
— "Hey, look what I found!" — Olivia told Pri as she showed her their old tennis rackets from high school.
— "Woah, I haven't seen those in a while." — Priyanka added standing up.
— "I don't even know why we kept these. It's a good memory though." — Olivia commented and they laughed.
— "Definitely." — Pri agreed. — "I kind of miss P.E. and having those sports phases." — she confessed.
— "I don't!" — Oliva exclaimed. — "I only miss playing volleyball." — she added.
— "I think we know that." — Priyanka went on and they giggled.
After sharing good memories from high school, they went on with their day. Liv kept finding old stuff, so she started playing with them.
— "Netflix has brought nothing good recently! Jeez!" — Priyanka complained to herself as she scrolled through the app.
A few minutes later, she heard a loud noise and instantly got up the couch to check what that was.
— "Oops!" — Liv exclaimed.
— "What happened?" — Priyanka asked worried as she saw her best friend covering her mouth in shock with her eyes wide opened.
— "I didn't mean to! I was playing with my racket and... Well, the curtains were supposed to stop it." — Olivia told her as she stared at the broken window.
— "Liv, you have to be more careful! Seriously, who plays tennis inside the room?" — Priyanka acknowledged followed by a sigh.
— "Look, I'll pay for the repair, alright? Don't worry about it." — Liv expressed knowing Pri was mad.
— "Fine!" — she responded and left the room.
Liv cleaned everything up and went to the lobby to look for someone who could fix it.
——— End of flashback ———
— "You guys made it sound way more tragic." — Nick mentioned and the rest laughed.
— "Well, we were worried! Someone could've infiltrate." — Priyanka replied.
— "Like what? A pigeon maybe? You know Spies in Disguise is just a movie, right?" — Tom joked and she rolled her eyes laughing.
— "Anyway, I remember moving here for the first time. It was a couple months before we met Tom. How fast time goes." — Olivia commented feeling nostalgic.
Everyone got distracted with Pepper and Leia, who were jumping in and out of an empty box. They laughed and pet them a little before continuing their packaging. After around two hours, thanks to the eight hands, everything was ready.
— "Let's start getting this in the car while Liv deals with the contract." — Priyanka suggested.
— "Alright! Let's do that." — Olivia agreed.
The girls put the vests and laces on their dogs before leaving. Tom and Nick took some boxes and to start taking them downstairs. First, Priyanka made sure their pets were safe in the car they rented and then helped with the boxes. Ten minutes later, Olivia returned to help too. In around an hour, every box was on the truck. The besties were out of the apartment, looking at it.
— "It seems like yesterday that I move in with you." — Pri broke the silence.
— "Yeah, right before our trip to Cleveland." — Liv added remembering.
— "It's time to take new steps." — Priyanka shared.
— "Yes indeed." — Olivia stated.
Both went down and met up with the guys, who were waiting outside the car.
— "Ready for this?" — Nick asked and the girls sighed looking at each other.
— "Yes, we are." — both declared.
— "I'm glad you guys are here for this." — Liv admitted.
— "We're glad too." — Tom said.
Both couples hugged and then all together before getting into the car. The truck already had the direction, so it went ahead while they stopped at a dog care facility to make the moving easier without their pets.
The house wasn't very far from their friends or college, gratefully. They were very excited for their new chapter. The new place was pretty big and tall, especially compared to their apartment. It had a path for the car in tiles. Their breath was taken away by the white house with four long columns on the entrance.
Before taking their boxes out of the truck, the girls walked inside again, still amazed, followed by the guys.
— "Should we call dibs in the bigger rooms?" — Liv asked to her friend, but the guys interrupted.
— "First we will bring all the boxes inside. Then we talk about that." — Tom explained and they agreed.
The four of them moved the boxes with their clothing, decorations and some simple things that weren't stolen inside.
— "I'm so glad the thieves weren't Star Wars fans and didn't know how much these lightsabers cost." — Priyanka mentioned out of the blue.
— "I agree." — her bestie said.
After all the boxes were in, the truck left and they stood their in the entrance.
— "So now we choose the rooms?" — Pri asked.
— "Aren't you hungry? Because I am. Let's go and grab some food first." — Nick proposed.
— "Sounds like a great idea. Let's go!" — Tom agreed.
— "And where will we eat?" — Olivia wondered while they walked outside.
— "How does Chick-fil-A sounds?" — he asked knowing the answer.
— "Sounds perfect!" — Liv shouted by accident. — "Sorry!" — she added and they laughed.
The group ordered through drive in at Chick-fil-A and went to the Piedmont Park to enjoy some fresh air and eat their lunch. It wasn't very crowded, but there were some people here and there.
After evidencing the moment photographically and finishing their meal, they stayed there in silence enjoying their company for a while.
— "Well, time to go and unpack." — Priyanka told them standing up.
— "Wait, it's still early. Let's do something fun." — Nick suggested.
— "Yeah, let's go to the movie theater. It's been a long time since I've been in one." — Tom commented.
— "Sounds good to me. Let's see what movies are there now." — Olivia shared while checking her phone on their way to the car.
After some thought, they chose to watch Creep: a movie about a family that got stuck in their house after a tsunami trying to survive; but later realized they weren't alone and the flood was the least of their problems having sharks swimming around.
The girls convinced the guys of paying the tickets by saying they would get recognized if the cashier told them to take the caps and glasses off. Then they went in and sat in the upper rows around the middle.
— "I'm gonna buy chocolate. Does anyone wants anything else?" — Priyanka announced.
— "I'll go with you to buy popcorn." — Olivia decided.
The guys stayed there while the girls bought their food. Lucky for them, the line wasn't very long. They skipped like half the commercials, but arrived for the next half. Suddenly there was a commercial that got the girls very excited, but the guys didn't want to look.
— "Chaos Walking is coming soon!"— both besties exclaimed excited.
— "We already told you that." — Nick pointed out.
— "And you already saw the trailer like a thousand times." — Tom added laughing.
— "We know, but it's so exciting." — Liv defended herself and her friend.
— "Plus, you look better on the big screen." — Pri mentioned.
— "Can't argue with that." — both guys confessed.
— "We look so young there." — Nick noted.
— "And I look so weak." — Tom detailed pouting.
— "That's true!" — Priyanka exclaimed and he looked at her. — "I meant the young part." — she clarified as he stared squinting, but then both laughed.
— "You look hot either way, Tommy." — Olivia mentioned.
— "Thanks, love." — he responded.
— "You noticed she just confirmed you look weak, right?" — Nick asked teasing him, but they all took it as a joke.
Fifteen minutes later, the movie started. It was very thrilling and suspensive. It provoked many screams around in different scenes and a lot of tension. After an hour and fifty minutes, the movie was over and the four of them left with the big crowd. On the way to the car, they talked about the movie.
— "I'm so glad I don't live near the ocean." — Priyanka affirmed.
— "That movie was scary, but pretty awesome. And scary..." — Olivia commented.
— "Yeah, it was very good." — Tom agreed.
— "Remember that scene when the shark-" — Nick was telling, but got interrupted.
— "Okay, there's no need to bring that up now." — Pri mentioned disgusted and they laughed.
— "Should we go to our house now? That sounds so weird and good." — Liv said.
— "Yeah, but I'm hungry. Let's go eat something." — Tom recommended.
— "Well, that's because you didn't eat a whole bag of popcorn yourself." — Olivia pointed out.
— "Good point. Nick, ideas?" — Tom asked.
— "We could go to the mall." — Nick replied and the girls smiled.
— "Alright then!" — the girls agreed happily.
— "Nice, mate!" — Tom whispered to Nick and they fist bumped.
Even if shopping wasn't their favorite thing to do, they had a great time together. But the girls were noticing some suspicious behavior.
— "Why have you been looking at your phones so much?" — Priyanka wondered.
— "What are you talking about?" — they tried to pretend.
— "What's going on, guys?" — Liv continued the interrogation.
— "Why do you think something is going on?" — Nick asked and both girls looked at them raising an eyebrow.
— "Okay, fine! The truth is that we have a surprise for you and we want to make sure is ready." — Tom made known.
— "Oh... Now I feel bad for asking." — Priyanka confessed.
— "Me too... Sorry, you two." — Liv apologized.
— "It's okay. It wouldn't be you if you didn't ask." — Nick joked.
— "That's true." — the girls agreed.
After a while, they finished and were finally hungry.
— "What if we order some Uber Eats and have dinner in our new house?" — Tom proposed.
— "That sounds perfect!" — they exclaimed.
The group drove back to their new house. When they entered, the boxes were gone.
— "Did we get robbed again?" — Priyanka freaked out.
— "This can't be happening." — Olivia complained frustrated.
— "No, we didn't get robbed. You two are a little paranoid." — Nick said.
— "This is the surprise we told you about." — Tom clarified.
— "Awww, you guys! You didn't have to." — Priyanka told them.
— "But we wanted to. Now close your eyes and we'll guide you to your rooms." — Nick explained.
The girls got frightened, but accepted. The guys tried to guide them up through the white stairs. They almost fell many times and slipped as much, but then finally made it to the top.
— "Next time, let's tell them to close their eyes after they are up here." — Tom told Nick, who agreed.
Tom led Olivia to the one on the left; and Nick led Priyanka to the one on the right.
— "Open your eyes." — both guys said.
When the girls did, they were amazed and surprised. Liv's room was a light pearl white with crystal windows covered by tied up beige curtains and the floor was wooden tiles of the same color as the curtains. In the center of the room was a queen bed, which had two white pillows, two light blue pillows and a yellow comforter. On the right side of the bed were the windows and a chair, followed by a thin and tall mirror with golden curve edges. On the wall shared by the outside of the room were eight small drawers with a lamp and other stuff. There was also a frame with a drawing of the two couples that Priyanka gifted Olivia some time ago as if they were characters from a story called 'You Changed My Life'. On the left side of the bed, there was a night table with some flowers and perfumes. Looking from the entrance, there was a desk with drawers on the west side of the room.
Next to it were two white doors. One led to the walking closet, which was already organized with drawers and boards for the shoes. The other one was for the bathroom. It was beautiful. It had white drawers and sink with a mirror above. Ahead was the bathtub and the shower with a crystal door. The bathtub's wall was covered in tiles of different tones of brown, while the shower was made in beige tiles. And then was the toilet and trashcan. Tom waited patiently at the door with a smile seeing the joy in Olivia's face looking at her new room. She came out of the bathroom, ran to him and embraced him tightly.
— "This is better than I could ever imagine. You're the best boyfriend in the universe." — Liv noted.
— "Seeing you this happy makes every cent worth it." — Tom expressed with his hands on her cheeks.
Olivia smiled brightly. Then they kissed.
— "I love you." — she affirmed.
— "I love you more." — Tom responded.
He kissed her forehead and they hugged while looking at the room.
Meanwhile, Priyanka was as amazed as her friend with her new room. The walls were of a pastel mint color and the floor was wooden tiles of different brown tones. It also had crystal windows with opened white curtains decorated by the black outline of diamonds. On each side of the bed were three drawers and a lamp. The bed had a white base, white sheets and comforter with mint pillows and a mint decorative sheet. There was also a white furry rug from the drawers on the right side of the bed to the opposite edge of the bed. Looking from the door, on the right side were two small white sofas with a mint pillow each divided by a small table with a lamp and a short plant. In the wall between the windows was a big frame.
Then was a door leading to the very organized walking closet. Meanwhile, in the other side was a desk and the door to the bathroom. When she entered, there were some dark brown drawers with a pearl white top and sink. It was followed by the crystal shower and the bathtub on the left with a silver tile wall. Then it was the toilet and trashcan.
— "This room is insane. I love it so much. Thank you, Nick." — Priyanka said giving him a hug after she came out of the bathroom. She kept her arms around his neck and he had his hands on her waist.
— "I'm glad you liked it. You deserve it." — Nick commented.
— "You two do way too much for us." — she mentioned.
— "This is nothing compare to how happy you make us." — he expressed.
— "Awww, I love you so much." — Pri admitted.
— "I know. I love you so much too." — Nick added making her smile before kissing her.
Both couples came out almost at the same time and the girls didn't waste a second before giving each other tours of their rooms. Then the guys gave them the tour of the whole house. The kitchen was so spacious and elegant. All the drawers and shelves were white with silver and white tops. It had an island with gray drawers and soft tall chairs of the same color. And the fridge was enormous. To the right was a dinning table and a crystal door that led to the outside. Continuing to the right was a huge living room with two small gray sofas, a dark wooden table in the middle and a beige couch. On the wall were some white shelves and a chimney. Behind the living room were two sets of crystal door leading to the indoor terrace. It was surrounded by crystal windows, even on the roof. It had a white couch with a gray ottoman over a gray soft rug. On the right were two gray chairs separated by a small dark wooden table. To its right was another crystal door leading outside. Also, besides the entrance was another dinning room with a crystal table, gray chairs and art on the walls. After the kitchen, there was an hall with: a half bathroom for other guests, the storage for food and another one for whatever they wanted to put in there. And there also was the door leading to the basement. After the hall, two guest rooms and their own bathrooms were found.
The basement was like another house. It had two bedrooms, a shared bathroom, a kitchen and a huge space. That was the guys' "house". They turned the free space into a small gym and added a soft brown couch and a huge TV.
— "I can't believe I have a gym in my house." — Priyanka said excited.
— "Yay, what I always wanted." — Liv joked with sarcasm.
The group walked around the basement and then went back to the main floor.
— "So what do you think of our house?" — Tom asked.
— "No words... We're so grateful, guys." — Olivia started.
— "Definitely! You didn't have to do any of this. We will never be able to repay you." — Priyanka finished.
— "Repay us? We don't want you to repay us. You've been through a lot. You got robbed, you couldn't sleep, you found out it was someone sorta close. This is our way to help you feel better. You will never have to repay us." — Nick explained.
— "Thank you again, guys." — both girls said and they group hugged.
Then someone was ringing on the gate and it was the Uber Eats driver.
— "Finally! Our food is here." — Priyanka announced excited.
The four sat around together to eat and have a great time.
— "And for how long will you stay here?" — Olivia wondered.
— "We leave on Wednesday." — Tom responded.
— "But we already hired a chauffeur, just call him when you need him. And a lady will come every Saturday to clean because we know it's a big house for you to clean." — Nick acknowledged.
— "You know us well." — Pri told him.
— "Sounds like you've got everything covered as always." — Olivia added.
At night, they watched TV together in the corner living room. Around 2am, they all went to their bedrooms to sleep.
(Next day)
The girls woke up and noticed they finally slept deeply since the robbery. After refreshing in the bathroom, they met in the island of the kitchen.
— "I can't believe this is our kitchen." — Priyanka pointed out looking around.
— "Me neither..." — Olivia agreed.
— "I wish our parents could see it. I wish we could see them." — Pri commented a little down.
— "Same! It sucks we couldn't go for Father's Day." — Liv mentioned.
Minutes later, the guys came upstairs to the main kitchen and greeted their girlfriends with a kiss on the cheek and "good mornings".
— "Why are you so down?" — Nick asked.
— "We were talking about how much we miss our parents. We haven't seen them since the accident, which wasn't our best moment. Plus we haven't celebrated anything with them because we spent the holidays with you." — Priyanka explained.
— "And we couldn't afford on going for Father's Day to surprise them like we wanted to." — Olivia included.
Tom and Nick looked at each other and it was like if they could read each other's minds.
— "Well, we were invited to a party in Los Angeles and we wanted to take you. What if we take you to see your parents afterwards?" — Tom suggested.
— "After all of this? Are you crazy?" — Priyanka replied.
— "Come on. That way I can finally meet them." — Nick told her.
— "Oh, that's right. Nick has to meet your parents, Pri." — Liv said.
— "Alright, guess we're in." — she answered.
After a couple minutes, nobody moved to do anything.
— "Are we waiting for breakfast to appear out of nowhere?" — Olivia joked and they all realized.
— "Right! Let's show these guys how breakfast is done." — Priyanka expressed while helping Liv to make pancakes.
They cooked pancakes filled with nutella for everyone.
— "Are these safe to eat?" — Tom asked.
— "After you try them, you won't want any other pancakes." — Olivia declared.
The guys tasted their first bite while the girls stared. And they really liked it.
— "I guess you do can make pancakes." — Nick admitted.
— "We told ya!" — the girls exclaimed.
When they finished breakfast, they got ready to buy extra dog beds to put around the house and then picked up Leia and Pepper. The corgis felt so free running inside the big house. And also looked very funny climbing the stairs. The backyard was very extended so they had a lot of space to run.
Their last day together, they spent it walking around the city. At night, they watched a movie until they were falling asleep and decided to turn it off. Leia and Pepper followed the girls to their rooms, while the guys went to theirs.
(Wednesday 9)
Nick's and Tom's flights were in the morning, so they left early to say goodbye. The guys told them there were some last surprises waiting in their rooms. When the girls came back and checked, each had a new iPad and laptop. They quickly texted the guys even if they wouldn't see it.
— "What should we do now?" — Liv asked her friend.
— "I have the perfect idea." — she replied.
Priyanka invited Lindsey and Emma to a slumber party. But they called their chauffeur to pick their friends up and surprised them.
— "They bought you a house?" — both of their friends were shocked when they told them the news in the car.
— "Yes! And you will love it!" — they said.
When Emma and Lindsey saw the amazing white house through the window, their jaws dropped. The besties gave them the tour and they couldn't get their heads around it.
— "This place is incredible! I love it!" — Lindsey was shouting.
— "Thanks!" — they answered.
They used the master room, which was a guest room, for all of them to stay together. They didn't waste a minute to start making memories in the new house.
(Wednesday 23)
These weeks, Olivia and Priyanka had been sending and giving resumes, but still no luck. At least there were less bills to worry about. After an evening of zero luck, they were on FaceTime with their boyfriends.
— "Are you ready for tomorrow?" — Tom asked.
— "Yes, luggage ready and tickets ready." — Olivia answered.
— "Pepper and Leia are at the dog care already. And we're very excited to see you in Los Angeles." — Priyanka expressed.
— "That's great! Can't wait for you all to arrive." — Nick shared.
— "I'm on my way to the airport right now." — Tom specified.
After a little while of chatting, the guys had to hang up and the girls stayed talking about their excitement and expectations.
(Next day: Flight to LA)
Olivia and Priyanka arrived to the iconic LAX around 4pm.
— "Yes! Yes! Yes! Back to LA!" — Priyanka screamed while walking out to wait for their ride.
— "Feels good to be back. This city holds some special memories." — Olivia expressed giving her bestie the look.
— "Indeed it does." — she responded putting and arm around her friend's shoulder to take a selfie.
Not so long after, their Uber arrived to take them to the hotel Tom was staying at. They checked in and got into the elevator to go to the tenth floor where their rooms were located. First, the girls left their luggage on the room and then went to Tom's room where their boyfriends were hanging out. They greeted each other full of joy.
— "The four of us back here feels amazing." — Nick commented.
— "Yes! I wish we could recreate those vacations." — Tom said.
— "And to think that was almost a whole year ago." — Liv acknowledged.
— "Crazy! Can we get nostalgic on our way to buy food?" — Pri mentioned.
— "Alright! Let's go and get some food." — Nick responded.
The couples spent the rest of the night walking around the close area and trying many treats.
(Next day: Party day)
The girls were very tired for the flight and walking so they overslept. But the guys didn't mind; they just wanted them to feel better and recharged.
Around midday, they went to iHop for breakfast because the hotel's restaurant had closed the breakfast menu already. When they were done, the group went to visit Joe and Sophie at the house they bought recently. The party was at 7pm, so Tom returned to the hotel with the girls and Nick went to his house.
— "I'm so nervous. I know last time we made good impressions, but still." — Olivia commented while looking for her outfit in the closet.
— "I know. I'm nervous too. But I think if we relax, it would go better." — Priyanka advised and her friend nodded. — "I'm gonna shower first." — she then added taking her clothes.
— "Alright!" — Liv exclaimed.
Priyanka was wearing a long sleeve black sweater with a white, brown skirt and over-the-knee black boots.
Then Olivia got ready with a long one-shoulder sleeve black shirt, long fancy white pants with a white belt and golden heels.
Like they had time, the friends sat on the couch in the small living room to check their social media. Both saw something that shocked them.
— "Woah, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" — Priyanka wondered.
— "I can't believe this. Tom is getting the role of Nathan Drake for Uncharted and I'm finding out through the media instead of my boyfriend." — Olivia complained.
— "When did he audition for this?" — Pri asked trying to figure it out.
— "I don't know. Probably months ago and he didn't mention it. That dude is in trouble. I hate secrets. You know I hate secrets." — Liv stated annoyed and mad. — "I'm gonna finish getting ready and I'll kill him later." — she added before going back to the room to put a little makeup on.
Someone knocked on the door, so Priyanka went to open it and let the guys in.
— "Woah, I didn't know you wanted to make all the guys there jealous. You look amazing." — Nick told his girlfriend.
— "Aren't you the sweetest? Thanks, babe. You look great too." — she observed.
— "Where's Liv?" — Tom asked after greeting Priyanka.
— "Finishing getting ready in the room." — she answered.
Tom went there while the other couple sat on the couch.
— "What did you want to tell me yesterday and earlier today?" — Nick wondered.
— "Oh, it was nothing." — Pri told him.
— "Come on, baby. Talk to me. You can tell me anything." — he stated, so she took a deep breath.
— "I'm dropping out of college." — she confessed and his eyes opened wide.
— "What? Are you crazy? Why?" — Nick was trying to understand.
— "Because I don't love what I'm studying. I thought I did and it runs in my family, but I don't." — Priyanka explained.
— "And dropping out is your answer? You're on your last year. Can't you wait a little longer?" — he questioned.
— "I thought you were supposed to support me." — she pointed out a little bit angry.
— "I'm sorry, but this is just crazy." — Nick mentioned.
— "Says the guy who didn't go to high school and a lot less college to follow his dreams. Why can't I do the same?" — Priyanka asked raising her tone.
— "That's different. We had management and a plan." — he made known and she rolled her eyes.
— "Just forget it." — she said.
— "But listen-" — Nick started, but got interrupted by another fight approaching them.
— "I don't understand why you are so mad." — Tom commented.
— "Of course you don't. Typical men..." — Liv noted.
— "Tell me about it." — Pri mumbled and Nick looked at her.
— "Then talk to me." — Tom responded.
— "Because this type of things I'm supposed to find them out by you and celebrate the news. But instead you kept it from me and I find out through the media." — Olivia explained.
— "I just wanted to surprise you, Liv." — he excused himself.
— "You just don't get it, Tom. I don't want you to surprise me. I want you to trust me and talk to me. I want you to keep me updated with your plans. I don't want to find out through Instagram!" — she admitted raising her voice a little.
Tom was speechless and looked at his friends who were being weird.
— "What's wrong with you two?" — he asked.
— "You can guess." — Priyanka answered serious and he was curious and surprised.
— "Can we go now?" — Olivia wondered.
— "Alright! Let's all put on fake smiles and pretend everything is good." — Nick mentioned and they left.
The ride in the small limo was silent and tense. Minutes later, they arrived at an unbelievably beautiful mansion.
— "Who's house is this?" — Priyanka asked.
— "Honestly, we don't know." — Tom replied.
The couples held hands just for the looks and the shots of the paparazzis at the entrance.
— "You, girls, go and have fun while we go say hello to some friends." — Nick told them and they separated.
The girls walked around until they found an empty corner.
— "Look at us out of our comfort zone." — Priyanka said sarcastically and Olivia giggled a little.
— "This night hasn't been near what I expected." — she confessed.
— "You and me both, sister!" — Pri added.
They walked around looking for the bathroom and the blessing of finding a known face. Sadly they found neither of them, but they did hear there was a dessert table near the pool. On the way, Liv lost a little balance on her heels and accidentally knocked down the drink of a lady passing by.
— "I'm so sorry." — she quickly turned to apologize.
— "If you don't know how to walk with heels, just don't wear them. Who are you trying to fool?" — the disrespectful woman reacted.
— "Excuse me?" — the friends questioned incredulous.
— "Have you seen Priyanka?" — Nick asked Tom inside.
— "Yeah, she's with Liv there making a new friend." — he answered pointing at them from afar.
— "I don't think so. That's Fiona Davis. She's a rising singer, but she thinks she owns the business because of a few broken records. Not the nicest person honestly..." — Nick informed him.
— "Then I don't know what's going on there." — Tom said.
— "Who are you? Some wannabe? Those outfits are so last year." — Fiona tried to trash talk.
— "Who do you think you are to talk to us like that?" — Priyanka responded.
— "I'm Fiona. Oh wait, I know you. You are the gold diggers everyone talks about." — she shared.
— "Wait, what? Gold diggers?" — Olivia was confused.
— "Yeah! Your boyfriends are hotties though. They could literally get anyone. I wonder what they saw in you." — Fiona acknowledged tilting her head to the right and squinting.
— "Alright, say that again." — Priyanka demanded getting closer to her.
— "Oh, I will. What you gonna do about it, wannabe?" — Fiona questioned.
— "Let's go, Pri. Let's not give her what she wants." — Olivia advised her friend, who separated a little.
— "Yeah, run away like those hotties will run from you. And who knows? Maybe they make a stop at Fiona station." — she mentioned laughing to make them mad.
The besties froze and before realizing, Priyanka and Fiona were pushing each other. Olivia tried to separate them and they all fell in the pool. Some people recorded every second of it, others were just staring and laughing. Tom and Nick ran outside to help them, but were definitely not happy.
Minutes later, the girls had towels around them trying to dry up. Tom guided Olivia to a bathroom so she could clean her makeup. Nick went to talk with Tom for a second while Priyanka stood embarrassed on a corner.
— "Well, that was a good fight." — a guy with an attractive accent commented and Pri lifted her head.
— "Niall? I didn't know you were here. Tell me you just got here." — she almost begged.
— "Nope! And not that I think violence is answer, but I'm glad someone finally stood up to Fiona." — Niall admitted.
— "Thanks, I guess." — Pri responded.
— "And how have you been?" — he asked.
They continued talking and Nick saw them from afar.
— "Great, now he is here talking to her." — he complained.
— "What's the matter, Nick? Niall is a cool guy and Priyanka won't cheat on you." — Tom expressed.
— "I know. We had this fight before coming. She thinks I don't support her." — Nick told him.
— "Listen, we had a rough night. But she knows you're always there for her. Just give her some time. And show her you do support her." — Tom advised him and he nodded.
— "I'm done." — Olivia said after getting out of the bathroom.
— "Alright, now let's get out of here." — Tom suggested.
— "Priyanka, we're leaving." — Nick informed her while Tom and Olivia walked outside.
— "Guess I see you another time, Niall." — she commented standing up.
— "Sure! And don't be a ghost, you know." — he mentioned.
— "Alright, then!" — Priyanka exclaimed with a smile that he returned before leaving with her friends.
That ride back to the hotel was even more uncomfortable. Half way there, the girls couldn't handle it anymore.
— "The silent treatment, really guys? Come on!" — Olivia said concerned.
— "We already apologized." — Priyanka continued.
Tom was just looking through the window and Nick was using his phone. Their girlfriends were frustrated with the situation.
— "Guys, please. Let's talk." — Liv was almost begging.
— "Hey, jerks! We're talking to you." — Pri shouted.
— "Pri, calm down. We want them to forgive us, not to get angrier." — her bestie whispered.
Both Nick and Tom finally looked at them.
— "What?" — they responded dourly.
— "We're sorry." — Olivia apologized again.
— "What else do you want us to say?" — Priyanka questioned.
— "We told you many times we needed you to behave. We told you!" — Nick began.
— "Sorry if we're mad, but you embarrassed us there. Fighting? How old are you? 12?" — Tom proceeded.
— "When we started dating we told you it wasn't just dates and handling the press. These events matter too. What you do affects us." — Nick affirmed.
— "We're very disappointed in you. But for what it's worth, we do forgive you. Just please, we need you to be your mature selves on those parties if we ever get invited into another one." — Tom finished.
— "It won't happen again. We're really sorry." — Olivia confirmed.
— "And if you forgave us, why do I still feel some tension?" — Priyanka wondered.
— "Maybe you still haven't forgiven us." — Nick answered.
The minutes left on the ride were as awkward as the others. They arrived at the hotel and Tom, Olivia and Priyanka went to their rooms.
— "Don't forget we have to be at the airport at 5pm tomorrow." — Tom reminded them before saying their goodbyes and going their separate ways.
The night sucked, but the following day was gonna take them to the next steps.
(Next day: Flight to Salt Lake City, Utah)
The couples had a rough night, so they were giving each other space. They went together to visit Joe and Sophie again, but this time the sisters went to shop and talk, while the brothers went to a golf course. It helped them release some tension and anger. When they met up again, the four of them were more relaxed and comfortable around each other. But they all knew there were some conversations left to finish.
Their wait on the gate was typical: chatting, playing some games on their devices and cards. Also taking some pictures with fans that recognized them. Gladly, the flight lasted just one hour and fifty minutes. Each couple sat together on rows of two. Once they boarded, it was just about who brought it up first.
In the case of Tomivia, it didn't took long before Tom said the first thing.
— "I'm sorry for not telling you, Olivia." — he confessed.
— "What?" — she asked looking at him.
— "I'm sorry for not telling you about the roles I auditioned for. I don't want you to think I don't trust you. I just know how much you love surprises. Plus, I wanted to tell you once it was official. But now I realized that, when it's about my job, you just want me to talk to you and let you know. I'm sorry for not noticing sooner." — Tom expressed from his heart.
— "Thanks, Tommy. It means a lot." — Liv responded with a smile and kissed him on the cheek before continuing watching the movie.
In the other hand, the other two were more stubborn. They tried to dodge the subject until they realized it was just making things worse.
— "Are we gonna talk about the elephant in the room?" — Nick questioned.
— "Fine! Listen, I already thought this through. I don't wanna waste money and another year studying something I don't enjoy." — Priyanka explained once again.
— "You worked so hard for this. You have just one year left. Are you going to throw it all away?" — he said.
— "If I wanted to listen to that, I would've told my parents." — she mentioned.
— "Oh, so you aren't telling them? That will go well." — Nick commented with sarcasm.
— "I know it's a risky choice, but sometimes those are the right ones." — Priyanka justified.
— "Okay, then... If this is what you really wanna do, I support you." — he told her.
— "Wait, really?" — she wondered not believing it.
— "Yes! I want you to follow your dreams and do what makes you happy. Even if at first it sounds like a crazy idea, I am with you." — Nick admitted.
— "Thank you, Nick. I really appreciate that you will do this with me." — Priyanka made known.
After both couples found their peace again, the flight went by quickly. Around 10pm, the plane landed in Salt Lake City and almost an hour later, the group arrived to the hotel. They went to sleep because the day ahead was gonna be special.
(Next day: First time meeting the Chopras)
Everyone woke up early to be ready to leave at 9:30am. After their breakfast at the hotel's buffet, the girls walked towards the elevator.
— "Where are you going?" — Nick asked.
— "To bring our luggage..." — Olivia answered obvious.
— "What do you mean?" — Tom questioned confused.
— "We told you that we were all staying at our parents' houses." — Priyanka reminded them.
The guys looked at each other with worry and returned for their bags. They did the check out and head to the girls' old houses.
— "Were you literally neighbors?" — Tom asked on the way.
— "Yes!" — both exclaimed.
— "My parents and I moved to my aunt's house after she got transferred when we were gonna start freshman year of high school." — Priyanka narrated.
— "We were so excited to be neighbors. Those were some amazing years." — Olivia shared.
When they arrived, the girls' noticed their parents' cars so they knew they were home.
— "First, Tom goes with Olivia to her house and Nick comes with me to mine. Then later we meet up outside again. Got it?" — Priyanka explained.
— "Got it!" — they exclaimed.
— "I'm so nervous, dude." — Nick admitted to Tom.
— "You'll be fine, mate. I was nervous the first time too. But Liv's parents loved me. I'm sure Priyanka's parents will love you too." — he tried to make him feel better.
— "Well, love is an overstatement, babe. But you will be fine, Nick." — Liv clarified and they laughed.
— "Thanks, I guess. See you later!" — Nick replied when they went their separate ways.
— "Good luck to both." — Olivia told Nick and Priyanka before going to her house.
Both couples stood in their houses' porches. The moms opened the doors and almost cried of the excitement of seeing their daughters there by surprise. And with a special guest... Olivia's mom was the first one to answer the door.
— "Wow, Liv. I wasn't expecting to see you. Come here!" — Johanna said while pulling Olivia into a hug. — "What a lovely surprise. I missed you so much." — she added and started crying a bit.
— "Don't cry! I missed you too, mom." — Olivia smiled.
— "Hi, Tom." — Johanna greeted gently and pulled him into a hug too.
— "Hello, Mrs. Bolton." — Tom replied laughing nervously as he hugged her back.
A few minutes later, Bruce came to see what was going on and he was very surprised.
— "Hi dad!" — Olivia said as she walked up to him.
— "Hey! I was not expecting this. I really missed you." — Bruce commented and hugged her, trying his best to hold back the tears.
Tom was about to panic, but kept smiling and trying to keep it cool. Besides, it wasn't his first impression anyway.
— "Oh, hello there. Tom, right?" — Bruce queried messing with him.
— "Yes, sir. I know we've met before, but it wasn't on the best circumstances." — Tom answered with a tiny smile.
— "Ah, yes. But it's nice to see you again. We can get to know you better now." — Bruce continued and grinned.
Tom gulped and there was an awkward silence for a few seconds.
— "Well, what are we waiting for? Come inside, you two!" — Johanna told Liv and Tom and they did.
— "This house is delightful." — Tom mentioned as he observed.
— "Thank you, dear. Also, you guys can put your luggage upstairs." — Johanna replied and the couple nodded.
Olivia offered to give Tom a quick tour around the house. He left his luggage at the guest room and they went to Liv's room for a moment. Olivia sat down in her bed and looked at Tom.
— "You seem tense. Are you still nervous?" — she wondered.
— "A bit, yeah..." — Tom confessed, not making eye contact.
— "Come here." — Liv offered, tapping the space to her side and Tom sat there. — "There's nothing you should worry about. My mom loves you and it looks like my dad accepts you. He just won't admit it." — she pointed out and giggled.
— "Good point. That's a relief." — Tom mentioned.
— "Jeez, I missed this room." — Liv commented and laid back.
— "I can imagine. It's always good to be back home." — Tom added and Olivia agreed.
— "Well, we can get comfortable all we want later. Let's go downstairs; I bet my parents wanna ask many questions to us both." — Liv presumed.
She took Tom's hand and led him downstairs.
— "Are you guys hungry? I haven't cooked anything yet, so I can order pizza if you guys want." — Johanna asked.
— "I'm not, for now." — Olivia answered.
— "I'm not either. But thank you, Mrs. Bolton." — Tom replied.
— "Oh please, call me Johanna!" — she requested and Tom nodded.
Liv and Tom sat in the living room, on the couch opposite to where Bruce was. After a while, Johanna joined too.
— "So, Liv... How has everything been?" — Bruce asked.
— "It has been good! College has been hard as always, but I've been trying my best. And now Summer is to prepare for next year, I guess." — she explained.
— "That's great! I can't wait for you to finally graduate." — Johanna commented.
— "Couldn't agree more. My baby isn't a baby anymore." — Bruce mentioned wiping away fake tears and Tom giggled.
— "Dad!" — Olivia shouted.
— "And how have you been doing with the acting, Tom?" — Johanna asked.
— "It's been amazing, honestly. Not so long ago, I finished one of my hardest projects. Stepping out of my comfort zone with that role was a challenge, but I'm very proud of the result." — Tom shared and the rest smiled.
— "As you should! I'm very proud of you." — Olivia said and Tom looked at her with shiny eyes and a huge smile.
Olivia's parents just observed them and realized that Tom was the one for her. They saw in him what they didn't see in Jason.
——— Flashback to September from two years ago ———
Olivia was spending a weekend with her parents and Jason visited her. For the past few days, Liv had been having a strange and not good feeling about him, but she didn't want to get much into it. They were both on their phones in the living room since they had nothing else to do.
— "I'm bored. Let's watch a movie or something." — Olivia suggested.
— "Uh, sure!" — Jason quickly locked his phone when Liv looked at it for a second. — "What do you wanna watch, babe?" — he asked.
— "No, no, forget the movie. What were you doing?" — Olivia was confused.
— "Nothing..." — he replied serious.
— "Then if you weren't doing anything, why do you have to lock your phone so quickly?" — she wondered.
— "I can't believe we're having this conversation for real." — he began as Olivia raised an eyebrow, waiting for a response. — "I did it because I'm always trying to pay attention to you, since almost nobody else really does." — the words came out of his mouth like if it was nothing and he grinned.
— "Jason, that's not funny." — Olivia's whole face expressions changed.
— "I mean, it's kinda true." — he added.
— "You always do this! We can never have a good moment without you having to insult me. You're supposed to help me, not make me feel worse!" — Olivia started to raise her voice.
— "What do you mean I always do this? So am I a bad boyfriend, then?" — Jason raised his voice as well.
— "I never said that." — Olivia acknowledged.
— "I never said that!" — Jason mocked her. — "All I'm saying is the truth. Maybe you should stay away from those people if they straight up ignore you." — he suggested.
— "I'm not even talking about that anymore! Do you actually pay attention to me?" — Olivia's eyes were starting to water.
— "And what are you crying about now? Don't even try to tell me I'm wrong. You started this stupid argument for no reason!" — he finished, raising his voice towards his last sentence.
— "Sorry I care about this relationship." — Olivia mentioned.
— "Jeez, what does that even mean? And why do you apologize for everything like that? Just chill." — Jason told her.
— "That was the last straw. Get out!" — Olivia was getting more mad.
— "What? Why?" — Jason questioned frowning.
— "You know why. Now get out, please." — she demanded and Jason scoffed.
— "Fine! Text me when you're over it." — he said and left after taking his things.
Olivia threw the door and just stood there, hurt. After a few seconds, she instantly called Pri to tell her everything.
——— End of flashback ———
— "Tom, one last question and we'll stop bothering you. But we need to make sure. What do you see in Liv? What makes her different?" — Johanna squinted.
— "Mom! Why do you ask that?" — Liv whispered receiving a look telling her to shut up.
— "Where do I even start? She is literally what I needed. I couldn't be more grateful for such a perfect girlfriend." — Tom started and Liv was already blushing. — "She's smart, gentle, beautiful inside and out, has the most contagious laughter and so many more things. I could keep going all day. She's something else." — he declared before putting his arm around her shoulders.
— "Tom, that was so sweet." — Olivia responded with teary eyes and kissed his cheek while her parents smiled.
— "Thank you, Tom. That was really kind of you." — Bruce said and Tom smiled.
— "Boyfriend of the year!" — Johanna joked and the rest laughed.
In the other hand, Nick and Priyanka's experience was a little different. They were at the doorstep waiting for someone to open the door.
— "Are you okay?" — Priyanka asked Nick, who seemed a little nervous.
— "Yeah, of course! Why?" — he answered quickly.
— "Just asking... I mean, I'm gonna introduce you to my parents. This is a new step, a bigger one." — she expressed.
— "Okay, I get it. I know it's a new step, but I'm ready." — Nick confessed getting closer to her and putting his hands on her waist before she put her hands on his shoulders. — "I'm ready to keep taking new steps with you." — he added and she smiled.
They started to lean in when someone opened the door and gasped. Nick and Priyanka quickly separated.
— "Priyanka, is that you?" — Emily questioned surprised and incredulous, but mostly excited.
— "Hey, mom! Surprise!" — she exclaimed and hugged her mom, who was at the edge of tears.
— "I'm so happy to see you! Come in, please." — Emily told them opening the door and giving them the space to enter. — "And who is this handsome man?" — she then asked making them chuckle.
— "Mom, this is my boyfriend, Nick. And Nick, this is my mom, Emily." — Priyanka introduced them.
— "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Chopra." — he respectfully greeted stretching his arm.
— "Oh, come here. And call me Emily." — she responded giving him a hug.
— "Where's dad?" — Priyanka wondered.
— "He must be upstairs. Michael! Come down, now!" — Emily shouted.
Priyanka walked to the stairs and when he was about to come down, he saw her.
— "Oh my! My little girl is home." — he said.
— "Hey, dad!" — she exclaimed and met him in the middle of the stairs for a hug.
— "I'm so happy to see you." — Michael admitted.
— "I'm so happy to see you too. And I want you to meet somebody special." — Priyanka mentioned walking downstairs to the living room with him.
Michael smiled until he saw the famous actor and singer.
— "Nice to meet you, sir." — Nick started off and approached to stretch his arm.
— "Why is he here?" — Michael asked looking at Priyanka with all the happiness gone.
Nick felt very awkward and even more nervous.
— "Dad, I brought him so you could meet him." — Priyanka explained trying to fix the situation.
— "Well, I don't like him and I don't like this." — Michael commented and walked away.
— "Michael, wait!" — Emily tried to stop him. — "I'm sorry about that." — she apologized and followed her husband.
— "That could've gone better. So much for the new step..." — Nick noted and Priyanka gave him a death gaze.