"Are you excited?" Aron asks as he starts the car.
"Yeah, I am."
"Great! Let's have some dinner," Aron says before driving off. As we drive to the restaurant, I try to forget about Daniel. I have to forget about him for tonight, I can't think about Daniel during my date with Aron. I can't.
"Vi?" I hear Joelle call out as I start eating my breakfast.
"Kitchen," I reply and soon enough Joelle walks into the kitchen.
"How was your date last night?"
"It was a lot of fun!"
"Really?"
"Yeah, he took me to this nice restaurant. It wasn't too fancy, but the food was delicious!"
"Sounds nice!"
"Yeah, it was. After the restaurant, we went to the park and just walked around a bit. It was really nice to just talk for a bit and get to know each other better."
"Sounds like a good date."
"It was and he asked me out again as well."
"Oh, now I really want to meet him!"
"You will," I promise her as I continue eating my breakfast.
"I still kind of feel bad for Daniel though."
"Why?"
"I don't know, I just feel like he's not being honest or something. I mean, why would he react so weird when you told him about your date?"
"You've been thinking about this ever since I told you, haven't you?"
"Maybe?" Joelle says, but I know for sure that she has.
"Well, it's his own fault. He said what he said and there's nothing I can change about it."
"That's true. I just wish you'd hang out again."
"Well actually, he invited me over for dinner with his parents."
"Really?" Joelle asks surprised and I nod.
"Yeah, he invited me after I told him about my date."
"Oh, that's interesting."
"Joelle, don't get any ideas."
"I'm not, I promise!"
"Well, I'm going over there tonight and I'll see what happens."
"You better tell me all about it," Joelle says as I finish my breakfast and put my plate in the dishwasher.
"I will, don't worry. But first, I'm gonna get some work done," I say and Joelle nods before I make my way to my bedroom. Even though it's a Saturday, I still need to get some work done. Downside of working in the journalism industry I guess.
"I'm gonna get going!" I call out as I start making my way to the front door.
"Have fun!" Joelle replies as I grab my purse. I check to see if I have everything I need before stepping out the front door.
"Oh, by the way, I'm taking the car!" I call out and before Joelle can respond, I close the front door behind me. Even though Daniel lives fairly close, his parents don't and that's where Daniel said the dinner would be. I get in the car and drive over to Daniel's parents. I still know the route by heart, despite not going there for years. Once I reach their place, I park my car and get out. As I walk up to the front door, I start to feel nervous and I don't know why. I ring the doorbell and wait for someone to open.
"Violet!" Daniel's mom Grace exclaims after she opens the door, a huge smile on her face. I immediately feel at ease and smile back at her.
"Grace, it's so good to see you again!"
"It's been too long," Grace says as we exchange a hug.
"It really has been."
"Come on, Joe really wants to see you as well," Grace says as she closes the front door. I nod and follow her to the living room. Being her is like going back in time, I've spent a huge part of my childhood here and it's crazy to be back here and see almost nothing has changed.
"Violet!" Joe says once he sees me, smiling at me as I walk towards him.
"It's good to see you again Joe," I say as I hug him.
"It's good to see you as well Violet, it's been too long," Joe says as he hugs me back. I step back and look at Grace and Joe, who were basically my second parents when I grew up.
"I'm so happy to see you both again, I've missed you both," I say, smiling at the both of them.
"We've missed you too darling," Grace says as I hear footsteps coming down the stairs and shortly after, Daniel walks in.
"I already thought I heard something," he says with a smile on his face before quickly hugging me.
"Let's eat, shall we?" Grace suggests and all of us nod before following her to the dining table. I sit down next to Daniel as Joe sits down across from Daniel. Grace walks to the kitchen to get the food.
"Do you need some help?" I ask her as she comes back with the meat, but she shakes her head.
"No, you're a guest today. All you have to do is sit down, relax and enjoy the food."
"That won't be a problem," I say, knowing Grace amazing cooking skills.
"Mom went all out," Daniel tells me, making me smile. Grace's food is always delicious and I know tonight will be no exception. When all the food is on the table, Grace sits down next to Joe and smiles at me.
"I made your favorite," she tells me, making me gasp.
"You didn't."
"Of course I did, it's a special occasion."
"Thank you Grace, really."
"It's nothing Violet, you know how much I love having you around," Grace says, making me remember all the time I've spend in this house. Grace always said that I was like the daughter she never had and I truly feel that way. Being here again, after all those years, makes me feel like a kid again.
"Let's eat before things get too emotional in here," Joe jokes as he starts cutting the meat so he can divide it among us.
"Good idea," I chuckle before looking over to Daniel. He's been pretty quiet the entire time, which is unusual for him. When I look at him, he smiles at me. I smile back, still a bit confused by his unusual quietness. Is something wrong? Was Joelle right and is there something he isn't telling me?
"Daniel! How can you not recognize her!" Grace says surprised after I tell her about my interview with Daniel in Abu Dhabi.
"She has changed a lot and I didn't exactly expect her to be there," Daniel says as he holds his hands up in defense, making me chuckle as I take another sip of my wine. My 3rd glass I might add.
"Exactly! She looks beautiful so you should've recognized her!"
"I'm never gonna win this, am I?" Daniel asks and both Joe and I shake our heads as we laugh.
"It's okay, it worked out in the end," I say and Daniel nods in agreement, though he doesn't look completely convinced.
"Will you be coming to the Australian Grand Prix Violet?" Joe asks and I look at Daniel, who shrugs.
"I haven't really thought about it, to be honest," I reply.
"You should come, you could sit with us during the race!" Grace says enthusiastically.
"Where will you be sitting?"
"In the garage."
"Is that allowed? If I sit there I mean," I ask as I look at Daniel, who nods.
"If I invite you, you can sit there," he says.
"Well, invite her then!" Grace says, making me chuckle.
"Violet, would you like to sit in the garage during the Australian Grand Prix?" Daniel asks, putting on a posh voice, making me laugh.
"I would love to," I reply, putting on a voice as well.
"Great, it'll be fun," Grace says and I nod in agreement as I check the time.
"Oh my gosh, I should get going! It's almost midnight!" I exclaim, not realizing it was that late already. Catching up with Joe, Grace and Daniel has been a lot of fun and as they say, time passes fast when you're having fun.
"You can't go home like this, you can't drive. You've had at least 3 glasses of wine," Grace points out and I know she's right. There's no way I'm getting behind the wheel now.
"I'll call a taxi then," I say, already getting out my phone.
"Nonsense, you can just sleep here."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course! Daniel is staying over as well, so it won't be a problem."
"I don't want to be a bother."
"You'll never be a bother darling. Besides, you've stayed over plenty of times before, it'll be like old times," Grace says and I think back to my previous sleepovers. Back then, Daniel and I always slept in his bed together as it was a double bed and we didn't care. I look up at Daniel, but he's no help in this situation. And I know I can't deny Grace's offer.
"Alright, thank you Grace."
"Don't even worry about it."
"I'm gonna head to bed then," I say as I get up.
"Yeah, me too," Daniel says, getting up as well.
"Goodnight both of you," Grace says and Joe wishes us a goodnight as well. We thank them and wish them the same thing before heading upstairs. When we reach Daniel's bedroom door, I stop walking.
"What are we gonna do?" I ask, feeling awkward. How did I end up in this situation again?
"What do you mean?"
"Well, where am I gonna sleep?"
"Oh, right," Daniel says. Guess that thought didn't cross his mind yet.
"Yeah, exactly. Because if we do it like old times, as your mom suggested, I'm sleeping your bed and I don't know if that's a good idea."
"Why not? Nothing changed, right? We're still friends and why can't friends sleep in the same bed?" Daniel says and I have to admit, when he puts it like that, he is right.
"If you're sure you don't mind."
"I'm sure."
"Alright, let's go to bed."
Okay, what do you think? What will happen? Will sleeping in a bed together have effects on Daniel's and Violet's relationship? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and don't forget to vote for this chapter! I'm actually pretty happy with this one as I wasn't feeling really inspired. So I'm really happy with how this one turned out and I hope you'll like it as well :)
Love you all
Evy
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