As I was waiting in my living room for Michael, I looked over my phone, waiting for my friends to understand that I was taking a 'time-out by myself' this holiday and was spending it on my own. Jane wasn't pleased with it, Gordy, Lenore and Reina managed to create a group chat named after me to try to knock some sense in me and trying to convince me to spend it with them.
They said they'd be throwing a party for me, but that only made me angry.
I've been sensitive about it ever since Tyler mentioned that he would buy a house for me. I can manage on my own, you know? I know that Georgie was a great help to me, but I have my own savings and the marriage savings. Those were more than enough for me to live without working for a while – but I did have a stable job, you know? And I earn more than what I used to earn when working at Jackson Enterprises.
I sighed, ignoring Tyler's call for the fifth time. He was getting intense because he was worried for me. I had just sent them text saying that I was going down to Mexico for the holidays and they flipped out.
Well, I wasn't telling them that I was going to spend it with my boss. They'd murder me!
I don't care, though. Because I really found Michael to be reliable and good to me. He was a good friend. Even though my mind was yelling me that he wasn't just a friend to me. He was a bit more than that.
But I try to shake off those feelings, because, duh! He's my boss, he's only being nice to me because he almost ruined my life multiple times and he feels like he owes me!
The knocking at my door made me come back to reality. "Coming!", I shouted, taking my suitcase with me and opening the door. A tall man was looking down to me. "Oh—", I said, slightly disappointed because I thought it was Michael.
"I'm here to pick up a certain Ms. Louisa Ronan", he said, and his voice was even with his scary aura, but he didn't seem to be... mean. "My name is Bill Bray, Mr. Jackson's internal affairs manager and part-time slave, nice to meet you"
I chuckled at his choice of words. "Nice to meet you too, Mr. Bray... you might call me Louisa", I extended my hand to shake is.
"Likewise, Louisa, call me Bill", he smiled and then gestured to take my suitcase. "We'll pick up Mr. Jackson on our way", he told me, and I nodded and followed him like a little child before locking my door. "He's been reminding me to pick you up at least three times a day now", he said, and I had a feeling that they were close.
"He's a child when something's stuck on his mind", I reckoned and made him laugh.
"It seems that you know him well", he said, opening the door for me to enter.
Bill and I made small talk before arriving to Michael's house, that was just a bit far away from mine. I felt nostalgia at the sight of the house of my dreams. Once, I've dreamt this house being my own... mine and Georgie's. Now, it had an owner that I was getting to know better. Maybe one day I'll be able to get in and get some closure from my wild imagination – of what I wanted it to be.
"Hey!", Michael's cheery voice made me jump on my seat. He was looking at me through the window.
"Hi Michael", I greeted him, scooting over so he could seat next to me.
I was so deep in my thoughts I hadn't realized Bill had helped Michael getting his stuff into the car and then got into the car again.
"You ready to meet the Addams family?", Michael asked me with such humor that I wondered what had him in such good mood. I heard Bill laugh lowly.
"Don't be like that", I hit his arm playfully, he quickly rubbed his arm and I wondered if I hit him that hard. "You're weak"
"I'm not!", he said, showing me his arm. "Hit again, you'll feel my fit arm", he said shoving his bicep to me. I laughed, as he really shoved his arm in my face. "Hit me, hit me!"
"Are you some kind of masochist?", I asked him, hitting his arm slowly. He raised his brow at me.
"What if I am? Would you hit me harder?", he said, biting his lip.
"Michael!", I squealed and hit his arm for good, making him groan as if he liked being hit. "Bill, control your child!", I told the man as he laughed.
"That is out of my parental duties, Louisa", he told me as Michael rolled his eyes.
"You'll be spending four days with this child, out of office hours", Michael raised and lowered his brows multiple times at me, his face close to mine. I playfully pushed him away with the palm of my hand.
"Out of office hours Michael is wild", I told him as he then came forward again.
"Want to know how wild?", he mumbled, sexily, playing with me as he usually does lately. "Nobody ever leaves Palm Springs without getting wet", he said, and I quickly blushed as Bill started laughing out loud with Michael following suit, like a hyena.
"You're so—", he interrupted me as I squinted my eyes at him.
"I love super soakers, don't you?", he asked innocently though I caught the double sense in his words. Oh, so he was playing dirty now?
"Bill!", I whined as he raised his free hand, letting go of all responsibilities regarding Michael.
"Geez, Louie, I'm kidding", Michael said, wrapping his left arm around my neck. I cozily laid on his side, letting my head rest on his chest. "We're going to have a good time", he promised, and I nodded, smiling.
We arrived at a private neighborhood somewhere in Palm Springs, were high black gates opened after Bill announced himself over an intercom. I watched in delight how aesthetic the whole house was. I've only seen Dr. Oaks once, but I've never imagined he'd be this rich and still manage to be so humble.
"C'mon Lou, I want you to meet my Mama before my sisters make their apparition", he hurried me, taking my hand and pulling me out of the car, where Bill was instructing some people to take my and Michael's stuff to our rooms.
"Easy there!", I told Michael, but he didn't listen to me. At all.
"Mama Imani!", he said, entering the kitchen where I saw the most beautiful woman I've seen in my entire life. She was a slim and tall woman, wearing a beautiful white dress that made me think that she was a model. She reminded me of Naomi Campbell. Her beautiful smile widened at the sight of Michael, that pulled me beside him.
"Hi sweetie, I see you and your guest have arrived safely", she said and kissed Michael's temple with affection.
"Yes Mama, this is my friend, Louisa Ronan...", he said, introducing us. I extended a hand to salute her, but she quickly wrapped her arms around me.
"It is my pleasure to meet you, Louisa... is it okay if I call you that?", she asked me nicely and I nodded, in awe, because she was seriously so beautiful. "My name is Imani Oaks; you might call me the same way Michael does... I've got no prejudice when it comes to my son's friends and I feel like showing affection towards the people that take care of him is more than necessary as a token of gratitude"
My God, even the way she spoke was so fancy and neat... I think I got lost in so much affection and politeness that I went mute. "T-thank you Mrs. Imani, f-for receiving m-me at your home", I said, a bit nervous despite her showing me that she had accepted me into her home.
"As I said before, any friend of my son is also part of my family, please feel comfortable during your stay", she said and patted my head. I felt so full in affection as I looked at Michael, to find him looking at me with a huge smile.
"I'll show her where she'll be staying, Mama... where are the fleas?", he said, looking around. I saw his mother looking at him with a glare.
"I'll let them whip your ass if you keep bothering them", she said and I laughed at the change of air in her, I could tell she was a great mother.
"Yeah, yeah... I don't want then scaring Louisa, that's all", he said, waving her off as Imani smiled and shook her head. Michael took me by the shoulders, guiding me to the staircase.
"We'll be back, Mrs. Imani!", I told her as she nodded at us, then going back to focusing in what she was doing before. "Woah Mike, your mom's so cool... I think I want to be adopted, too"
Michael laughed at me. "She's my Mama, we're five already, there's no more space for one more", he said, finally letting my shoulders go as we walked upstairs.
"Was she a model in her youth? She's seriously so pretty... and her skin! I'd do anything to have a skin like hers...", I kept blabbering, making him chuckle.
"You're as pretty as she is, and you don't even notice", he told me, finally stopping in a hallway. This place was huge.
"Pfft, stop bullshitting me, we both know that isn't true", I said with crossed arms as I heard his boots' heavy sound whenever he took a step. I looked at his back and bit my lip, he was so attractive...
He suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking back at me as I almost crashed in his chest, looking up at him, surprised.
"Blind... that's what you are", he said in a low tone, making me blush. "We're here", he said, opening a black immaculate door and showing me where I'd be staying.
This whole room was thrice bigger that my own house. I blinked repeatedly, looking back at Michael that went into the room, being sure that everything was in its place; flicking the bathroom's lights on and off, watching over the A/C heating the room properly and the amount of towels in the cabinets. Pleased with himself, he came back to me at the door.
"My room is across yours", he said, pointed at the black door in front of mine. "If you have nightmares, I'm just a few knocks away", he said, nudging me and smiling.
"Thank you, Michael", I said, entering the room and looking around, warily. I found my suitcase perfectly placed in front of the closet. "We should go downstairs; I haven't seen Dr. Oaks or your sisters yet"
"True, let's go", he motioned me to follow him, and I did, he closed the door behind me. "I warn you, though... my sisters can be... scary"
I rolled my eyes. "If I went through your worst stage, I don't think anything could surprise me"
"Lumita Lucilyn!", I heard Imani's stern voice scolding someone. "You too, Abena Naomi... yes, Taylor Jameela, I'm talking to you too! We have guests, can't you stop fighting for five minutes?!", she said with gritted teeth.
When we reached the living room, I saw the three girls looking down at their feet. One of them was really tall, even taller than her mother. She was in the middle of two girls, that I assumed were younger and glaring to each other. The girl that seemed to be the youngest, had some pink dyed locks and was dressed fashionably. The other, was in an adidas tracksuit, looking back at the youngest with a glare.
"Those are Abena...", Michael pointed out to the one in the tracksuit. "Taylor...", he said and signaled the one in the middle, the one that seemed to be in trouble because she was trying to make peace between her sisters, so she was calm. "And that's Lulu", he said, pointing at the girl with the few pink locks.
"And I'm Ashe, the best sibling in this house", a woman said behind us, and I looked back to see a woman smiling at us. "It's nice to finally meet you, Louisa Ronan".
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A/N: Send help, I can't stop writing!!111!!!1!!!