Chapter 1
I was almost ready when my best friend banged the door of my room loudly. So loudly that one of my earrings which I was about to put on slipped from my fingers and went beneath my bed. I rolled my eyes and started searching for it under the bed when she banged the door again. Annoyed, I opened the door with the intention of giving her a piece of my mind. As soon as I opened the door, she barged in my room almost walking over me.
"Oh my god Sierra! You aren't ready yet?! Come on! Hurry up we're getting late!" She threw her hands in the air and said dramatically. I folded my hands and arched a brow at her. "We won't be late. The place where we're going is like 20 minutes away from here. And...I am ready." I said and rolled my eyes at her.
I put on my earring and got ready, stared satisfied at my reflection in the mirror. I was wearing a mahroon coloured knee-lengthed bodycon dress paired with a matching watch and bellies. I left my waist-lengthed hair open and turned to notice that Pearl was wearing a blue coloured jumpsuit paired with matching earrings and flats and I must say, she was looking beautiful. Pearl stands 5'3", is fair, slim, has shoulder-lengthed black hair, slightly round face, black eyes, and full lips. Whereas I stand 5'4", slim and fair as well, I have waist-lengthed black and brown hair, round but slim face, black eyes and shaped-lips.
"Okay, let's go!" I said and we walked out of my room, down the stairs. I met my mom who was in the kitchen preparing tea for herself. "Hey mom!" She turned around to look at me. "Hey sweetie! Oh my god you look gorgeous!" She complemented taking in my look. "Thank you Mom! Love you! We'll be back till 8."
"Okay sweetie. Love you too! Take care both of you!"
We said our goodbyes and headed towards the car. We hopped in and Pearl started the engine. "So.. tell me more about this guy." As soon as I spoke this, she blushed "well... he's a very sincere man... exactly how a 25 year old must be. Mature and sincere. We reached the place within 20 minutes and I stepped out of the car. I looked at the house in front of me which was pretty big than mine. Pearl locked the car and came to stand next to me. "Shall we?" She asked. "Yes" I responded. "And oh! Lemme tell you something - you're looking gorgeous!" "Aww thank you love!" I responded and she gave me a flying kiss in return.
We both turned towards the home and walked to the door. Pearl rang the doorbell and we waited for a couple of seconds. Moments later, the door opened and I felt my legs glued to the floor at the sight in front of me.
The man standing in front of me was one of the most handsome men I've come across in my life. He was wearing black trackpants and a white t-shirt. It was a very casual attire yet he was looking really attractive. His hair were disheveled and were slightly wet on his forehead which indicated he just came out of a shower.
"Hey!" Pearl greeted him noticeably lowering her voice than usual. "Hey!" He greeted her back in a friendly tone. Both of them gave each other a small hug.
I could feel someone tapping on my shoulder. After coming out of the trance, I realized Pearl was trying to make me come out of the trance I was in while staring at him. I felt a bit embarassed and lowered my head a bit but Hardin laughed it off and greeted me with a handshake and a small side hug.
He held the door open for us and we stepped in. Pearl was the first one to enter. As I passed through him, my hand slightly brushed his tee. The fragrance of his scent engulfed me as it felt so refreshing.
We stepped in and he closed the door behind us. "Hi girls! You both are welcome here." He smiled at us. I had to fight myself to not stare at him, while Pearl was continuously staring at him. I nudged on her elbow and she realised it. She blushed and lowered her head which was way too much flirting. For the third time in the same day, I rolled my eyes at the same person.
I noticed the interior of the living room as we stepped in. It was simple but elegant. The walls were painted cream. A brown coloured sofa set was placed along the wall with a similar coloured centre table which went with the walls really well. At one corner of the room was placed a large white-coloured vase which was huge and beautiful.
We entered and crossed the hall and turned to right which led to stairs. He guided us upstairs and stopped at a door which was probably his bedroom. He opened the gate for us and we entered the room. It was one of the most beautiful bedrooms I'd ever seen . It had a colour combination of black and grey. His bed and the backwall was grey coloured. His bed was quite big and looked cozy. On the right side of the bed at some distance were placed two sofas and between them was a small glass table. Beneath the table was a beautiful black and grey mat. Behind the table was a balcony whose gates were covered with black coloured curtains. It was the kind of room I would want for myself. It was really my kinda room. It gave me cozy and serene vibes.
Lost in the beauty of the room, I got startled when Hardin spoke "You guys make yourself comfortable. I'll just be back in a few." He gave us a small smile and left. As soon as he left, Pearl laid down on his bed and exclaimed in a loud voice than usual "the home is really beautiful, isn't it Sierra?" I quickly hushed her as I glanced behind me to check if Hardin heard it. I glared at her for a second. "Can't you lower your voice anytime?!" "So what? Nothing will happen even if he hears me... He knows I like him and he probably likes me back too." She winked saying this and made herself comfortable on the bed. I shook my head at her.
After a while, the door knob turned and Pearl quickly stood up and adjusted her clothes. I rolled my eyes at her. The door opened and Hardin entered. Smiling he said, "Sorry to keep you guys waiting." "Oh no no Hardin, it's absolutely fine." She flashed a charming smile at him at which I internally rolled my eyes. Hardin had a tray full of snacks and soft drinks in his hands. I walked towards him and took the tray from him. "Here, give it to me." He gave me a small smile and said "Thank you Sierra." I smiled back at him and walked towards the table to place it. "Hey.. we won't be able to sit comfortably on the sofa. We can place it on the bed. It's okay." A moment after he said that I responded nodding my head "Okay".
I placed the tray on the bed and everyone got seated. Pearl was the first person to climb the bed as she sat on one corner of the bed. As Hardin saw me standing, he said "Sierra, please be seated." "Yeah.. sure.." I responded with a small smile and sat on the edge of the bed. Hardin sat on the edge of the bed just in front of me and the tray was placed in the centre of the bed.
After everyone was comfortable and started having drinks, Hardin asked to noone in particular. "So.. since when do you guys know each other?"
"Well we were in fifth standard when we met each other for the first time. And since then, we've been best friends." I responded to him smiling.
"Wow! That's awesome. That's a pretty long time." "I know right.." I responded and smiled softly.
We chatted a little bit more about nothing in particular and soon it was 7:45 and also the time for us to leave. Silence prevailed in the room for some moments before I spoke up. "Well.. I think we should leave now. We have to reach home by 8." I spoke to both of them. As soon as Pearl realised it was time to leave, she turned quite unhappy. Reluctantly, she climbed down the bed after she saw me on my feet. Adjusting my dress I looked at Hardin and gave him a small smile. "It was a pleasure meeting you Hardin." "Pleasure's all mine Sierra." He responded smiling. "I wish we meet again soon." Pearl spoke up. She was standing behind me. "Oh sure we will." He responded chuckling and all of us went downstairs. As Hardin opened the main door for us, Pearl was the first one to step out and she turned around and hugged him "Bye!" She smiled at him and he smiled back. "Bye." After her, I stepped out and turned around. "Thank you for having us Hardin. It was a really nice time spent. And now within a few days, you will have to visit my home." He smiled at this. "Sure Sierra. Soon!" Saying this, he hugged me.
As he hugged me, I felt his hands putting pressure on my lower back as if he's pulling me into him. It felt weird and uncomfortable. He hugged me longer than he hugged Pearl. Soon, his grip softened and we parted. I slowly looked up at him slightly narrowing my eyes in confusion. His face held a small smirk and a glint of something weird. I felt uncomfortable under his gaze and quickly turned around and walked towards the car. On the way home, I kept thinking about the sudden change in his actions at the last moment but brushed it off when I reached home. I wished Pearl a good night and a safe ride and went inside my home.
