"Confidence breeds beauty which is in everything but not everyone can see it."
Josiah rolled the bowling ball down the smooth polished wood emanating a soft sound before it crashed into the pins and took all ten out.
Derek let out a click of his tongue as the board displayed all our rounds were up. "Where'd you learn to bowl like that? Do they have bowling alleys in the city?"
Josiah chuckled at his brother's question and flicked a piece of hair from his eyes with a smirk. "Nah, I'm just a professional at everything I do."
I rolled my eyes and Derek did the same as we headed out for the arcade to go and head down to the new restaurant I'd wanted to try. The night was cool and the sky was lit with the faint grey light of the moon as it dimly blazed like pinpricks of sodden embers.
"So is Alyssa coming?" Derek asked me as we walked down the road.
I shrugged and looked at my phone searching for any new notifications from her but there were none at all. I shook my head and tried not to feel anxious.
She was acting strange. When I told her Derek's last name she went all silent and then hung up. I didn't know what to think. She told me she'd think about coming and text me later but I hadn't received a reply yet.
I really did want her to come, it had been so long seeing her face. The restaurant was pretty busy this week and it had taken all the staff, including myself to keep up.
I had even sent Alyssa the address of the place we were heading to-incase she changed her mind last minute-but it was still unread. I tried not to think about what she was doing or if she was in trouble.
Toby was behind the bars as of now and my friend had made sure to give Toby a very long time to think and reflect on his ignoble actions. He wouldn't be getting out of that island prison anytime soon.
"Who's Alyssa?" Josiah asked with a raised eyebrow. "Your girlfriend?"
I wish.
Derek laughed at my face and I shook my head even though my brain and heart jumped at the sound of that. Alyssa, my girlfriend.
Gosh, that sounded so good to me but sadly, that wasn't the case. I knew she liked me to some extent but I didn't know if she liked me-liked me.
The kind of like that gave you butterflies and sent your heart racing. It sent your thoughts scattering except for the ones where you noticed everything about the other person. For me it did. But for her I had no idea.
"No. She's just a friend. We invited her to come but I'm not sure she will."
"Why?"
I shrugged, "She has a kid so it's hard for her to make time. She's been wanting to meet Derek but there's been a lot on her plate."
Josiah hummed and kept quiet even though there was a stiffness in his posture that wasn't there before. I looked at him before shaking my head reminding myself this was Josiah the most unpredictable and spontaneous person on Earth.
He hadn't changed much. He still traveled around the world and still had the infuriating smirk and acted like a pretentious pigeon strutting around.
But at least he was mature enough to hide it, at times. He seemed more decent and composed and I thanked God for letting miracles happen.
"How's Casington? Is it really filled with skyscrapers? I heard theres nothing but skyscrapers there. How would you rate it's poshnesso a scale from 1 to 10?" Derek asked Josiah who nodded.
Josiah was currently living in one of the busiest and most extravagant cities that Derek had always wanted to visit. "Definitely a 10! When you come over we have to take a tour of the city."
Derek and Josiah chatted all the way to the restaurant and I added a few comments whenever it was needed. It had been a long time spending time with both the Roberts and while I didn't like Josiah very much, he wasn't the most awful company either.
It almost felt like highschool where we'd go and explore different places, laugh and joke around.
We reached our destination within ten minutes and entered. The front of the. restaurant was bright and had a bar where people perched on bar stools. A disco ball was showcased above the bar, creating the imagery of a club. Josiah eyed it appreciatively as we moved past it, into the restaurant area. We sat down, ordered and waited.
I looked at the menu and smiled at the unique blend of dishes that my own restaurant had. The dining area had an airy and fresh feel to it and I reveled in the ambience of the calming atmosphere.
As I observed the surroundings and studied the interior, I didn't notice the woman clad in a blue off shoulder dress that was making her way to us. Even if I had, I certainly wouldn't have been able to recognize her.
It was only when she approached our table did I look up, a soft gasp escaping my throat. It was Alyssa! She came!
My eyes traveled down and my mind registered how elegant she looked. She looked so stunning that I was starstruck at the sheer beauty of her, my mind rendered speechless for a few seconds.
She was clad in a dark blue dress embedded with little sequins of silver that set off her skin tone. Her beautiful lush hair was combed into soft waves that tumbled in curls to her abdomen. Her eyes were lined with eyeliner and diamonds hung from her ears like tears of the ocean.
"Alyssa?" I got up, fumbling for words as she smiled, her lips stained with red. I had never seen Alyssa like this. She fidgeted under my gaze, her eyes wearily looking around until they met mine and calmed down.
I thought of how she came alone, despite what had happened to her and took her hand, a silent reassurance that I was here and that no would harm her. She sent me a small frail smile.
I thought she was beautiful by looking at her in day-to-day outfits but when she made an effort, she looked like an angel and her confidence was like a punch to my stomach that left me drenched at how winsome and attractive she really was.
My beautiful woman.
"Surprise," She smirked lightly and I beamed at her so wide I could have cleaved the Earth alone with the intensity. Alyssa had come a long way and I was so proud of her for embracing herself because she was an amazing woman who deserved so much more.
I squeezed her hand, my eyes wrinkling with happiness as I whispered in a tone only she could hear, "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Thanks for coming."
She looked at me with a soft look and smiled bashfully, her cheeks turning pink. It was only when Derek cleared his throat that we turned towards the people we had forgotten.
"Guys, this is Alyssa. Alyssa, this is Derek." Derek got up and Alyssa smiled at him as they shook hands. "It's finally good to meet you Alyssa. Elijah talks so much about you."
Alyssa laughed softly before raising an eyebrow at me, "All good things I hope?"
"Oh he's been singing your praises since he met ya." Derek grinned as I groaned. He sat down and smirked at me giving me a look that said, I finally understand why you're so smitten with her.
"And this is Josiah. Josiah, this is Alyssa." Alyssa smiled brightly but I couldn't help notice a cynical twist to her lips as she waited for Josiah to stand up.
Josiah, however, seemed like he had seen a ghost. His eyes were wide and his face was running a little ashen. Was he sick?
"Pleasure to see you Mr. Roberts." Alyssa greeted him but with something cold that made me turn to her in surprise. She spared me a cursory glance and went back to looking at Josiah with a satirical smile, one I hadn't known she was capable of.
What was up with her? Was it something to do with why she had cut the call earlier?
"Please sit. We all ordered, you're the only one you needs to order." Derek broke the awkward silence and Alyssa nodded and slipped into the seat next to mine.
A few minutes later, the table was laden with food but the atmosphere was thick with tension. Which tension and why, I had no idea but I could feel it and so could Derek, because we exchanged uneasy glances.
Josiah had become quiet and Alyssa was smiling and admiring the restaurant as though there wasn't a single thing to be bothered about.
I did see her dart her eyes frantically when some men passed by her and I kept a firm hold on her hand, reminding her I was here. So she gradually became normal and relaxed.
That was weird because Alyssa wasn't the type to just relax like that and I knew something was up. She was always thinking, her legs bouncing and her eyes far away. But today she seemrd alert.
I tapped her hand and she turned to me, her eyes overly bright and her smile stretched too wide to be real. "Who are you fooling? What's wrong?"
Alyssa managed to look impressed and annoyed at the same time. She leaned in towards me and I fell into a trance like I usually did when she was near me.
Her eyes were lit with sparks of mischief and excitement, something I had never seen in her face before. For some reason, it made me feel excited for something I didn't know was gonna happen.
"If I didn't like you so much and you knew me so well, I'd have killed you already. Stop reading me so precisely."
I couldn't stop my smile even if I wanted to. She smiled back even though she tried to maintain that serious expression. And then everything melted away until it was just the both of us staring at the other with shining eyes.
I didn't even care that there were two other people with us or that this seemed far more intimate than just staring but something about the soft look in Alyssa's eyes blazed an inferno in my chest.
Who was this enchantress and what had she done to my body, mind and soul?
Derek coughed and we both jolted at the exact time. I sent a disgruntled look at Derek and Alyssa looked away, a slight sheen of pink on her cheeks.
Gosh, she looked so ethereal.
"Alyssa, I feel like I've seen you before." Derek mumbled as his face twisted into that thinking face that he usually got when he was trying to remember where he had seen someone before.
Alyssa blinked at him and subconsciously touched her glasses, "Maybe you've seen me around? On the streets?"
"No, I feel like I've seen you from before. Like when we were younger." Alyssa's face became blank and I let out a strained laugh. "Derek has a good memory for faces but sometimes he's wrong."
I shot him a look that yelled, cut it out and he looked at me with a scowl on his face like a child denied candy.
Josiah just looked at Derek with a very disturbing face. What was up with him?
The waiter arrived with Alyssa's order and I was thankful for the distraction from making conversation, when there was clearly an elephant in the room. I had a feeling that something was going to happen and my skin itched to know what it was.
I had just taken three bites of my cheesy lasagna crepes when Derk snapped his fingers. "From high school! We went to school together. You were the most popular girl at school!"
Silence. Dead quiet silence descended so heavily on our table as Derek's smile faded and he looked puzzled, "Am I right?"
I wanted him to stop because he was wrong but then I looked at Alyssa who had gone very very still.
Her eyes were focused downwards and her lips were twitching to the side. Derek and I went to the same high school but there was no one like Alyssa there.
Or did I just not remember? I racked my brain for anything about this demure, shy girl but I couldn't get anything. "You were the leader of the student council right?" Derek added.
I looked at my food with a frown thinking hard, just as a memory came through.
A girl walking up to me, her face full of cheerfulness and a matching smile to go with it. She pushed her glasses up and smiled brightly. "Welcome to RHS. I'm Alyssa Caldemon, the president of the student council. I heard you're new so I wanted you to know who to look for if you have a problem or issue. Which is me. Have a great day and make some friends for God's sake. You won't get any looking like a grump."
Alyssa was my schoolmate? And she never told me?
I turned to Alyssa with wide eyes but she was already staring at me, her expression pinched with worry and regret. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed before she nodded but didn't look away from my eyes, "Yes, you're right. I'm Alyssa from high school."