Days passed and my relationship with Harry had been growing. I was uncomfortable for few days when everyone started gossiping about Harry and I. After few days, I stopped caring about them. Harry and I became close and I like him but his actions always make me irritated. We always fought. To be precise, we were like… friendly enemies. Whatever! The competition was in just few days and even my exams were so near. We became busy with all those things.
I was in my room drawing Anna’s and mine picture after closing my book which I was previously reading for my upcoming exams. I had been concentrating on Anna’s and mine picture for many days still I couldn’t draw perfectly. I was not used to draw faces so it was not going great. I folded the drawing sheet after getting tired of concentrating on it for more than an hour. I stretched my arms and relaxed my muscles.
I heard my cell phone ringing, I leaned to a side to take my cell phone. I noticed Harry’s name popped on my screen.
“Hello!” I answered.
“Stella!” I heard a girl shouting from other side so loudly that made me shut my ear with my palm as a reflex.
Who is she? Is she Harry’s ex? Or some random girl who went to enjoy with Harry? Stupid thoughts!
I took a minute to process everything that’s been revolving in my head and spoke “Who?”
“Come on Stella! Forgot me already? It’s me Jessie.”
As soon as I heard her, I narrowed my eyebrows. Jessie? Who? I thought for a moment and it flashed my head. Jessie! Harry’s friend who dragged me along with her to Harry’s room when we first met.
“Jessie? Um… Hey! Hi! How are you?” I asked while stammering a bit.
“I’m good. You know what… I’m here. In your town.”
“Oh okay. Cool.” I replied.
“And you know! It’s my birthday today.” She shouted.
“Oh! Happy birthday, Jessie.” I wished.
“We are going out to night. You should come with your handsome boyfriend.” She laughed.
I was not in the mood to go out with her. I had no great relationship so how could I accept her invitation?
Before I spoke anything, I heard Harry’s voice. “Stella! I’m coming there.” With that he cut the call.
I let out a sigh hearing him. I called him but he didn’t lift my call. I decided to not go and if he asks me again I would definitely say no. I strolled to the living room and saw my dad kissing my mom’s cheek. I smiled looking at them and said “Having fun, huh?”
They both smiled looking at me and I noticed my mom’s cheek was flushed.
“Oh old couple! You shouldn’t forget that you have a daughter who has the age of going for a date with her boyfriend.” I laughed.
My dad turned back looking at something. His actions were like searching for someone.
“Dad! What are you doing?” I asked confused.
“You addressed someone old couple. I thought they were behind us. Old couple! Where are you?” my dad laughed.
“Huh? You are the old couple.” I raised my eyebrow.
“Not us.” My dad raised his eyebrow.
We three laughed while talking and cracking jokes. When I was talking to them, Harry and Jessie entered in.
As soon as my mom saw Harry, she stood from her couch and welcomed him smiling. My dad too smiled looking at him.
“Stella!” Jessie ran towards me shouting. She didn’t care about my parents. She was not even a little bit nervous though she was in front of strangers. She hugged me smiling.
My dad and mom looked at us confused. I introduced her to them and she kept talking nonsense with them. We all sat on couches, kept talking.
“As today is my birthday, I want to take Stella out with me today night. I’ll drop her safely tomorrow.” Jessie said while sipping her juice.
“Tonight?” my dad made not so accepting face.
“Harry too will be there. Jennie; my sister will be there too. A lot of people would be around. Trust us.” She said.
When I was about to tell that I didn’t want to go, I heard Harry saying “I’ll be with her, uncle. Moreover, Stella is a good friend of Jessie. She too wants to go out with Jess.”
I huffed listening to him and I noticed him giving me a look, challenging me to speak against his words. I didn’t dare to talk anything in front of my parents. I chose to talk to him separately.
They convinced my dad for many minutes and he finally said “It’s her wish.”
Saying that my dad smiled looking at Harry. Harry smiled back. It seemed my dad trusts and loves Harry a lot. But little did he know is Harry is not a good guy like my dad’s friend; Harry’s dad.
My dad then strolled to his room talking to someone on his cell phone. Being a talkative girl, Jennie kept talking a lot to my mom though my mom kept busy herself in kitchen.
Harry and I strolled to balcony and I was giving him angry looks.
“What?” he shouted.
“I’m not interesting in going out with you.”
“Stella! I told my friends that you are my girlfriend. I also told them that you would come with me and I don’t want to stand as a fool in front of them. You have to come with us and… be a good girlfriend of mine.” His tone was so serious.
“What? You think I would do whatever you say?” I questioned raising my eyebrow.
He let out a sigh hearing me and stepped towards me, crowding. “If I wanted I would have done anything that pleased me to you yet I didn’t because I respect you. I like you. I didn’t do anything or didn’t ask for anything except to be a good girlfriend. You did a mistake once and I tolerated it. If you repeat the same, that too in front of my friends, I wouldn’t.” He gritted his teeth.
I gulped hearing him and frozen looking at him. He was always funny, do crazy things but whenever he is serious, it means no one should cross him or his words.
I made up my mind and decided to go. Jessie too wanted me to come to her party, Harry was so serious about his decision so I decided.
After few minutes, they left the house. I called Anna and told everything.
She replied “Come on Stella! You can’t always stay in your house doing the college works. You should spend time with people too. You said that Jessie invited you. She would get hurt if you won’t show any interest. What’s the big deal? Go and spend a night with them.”
She is right. What’s the big deal? Just go there, spend my time with stupid talks.
“Fine. I wonder Roman too will come there.” I teased her.
“No. Roman went to city along with his parents. He is on a trip. He won’t be attending classes for few days.”
“Oh My God! Now I got it how much close you became to him.”
I heard her giggling. We then talked for few minutes then I cut the call. I thought to spend the weekend night with new movies but Harry turned my plans upside down. I have to go to the party tonight.
At evening, I went for my casual walk with Anna. Then reached my home. It’s six and at eight, Harry would pick me up to the party. I took a shower and kept looking for a dress to wear. I took out a maroon knee length decent dress and wore it. I applied little makeup along with matching earrings and wore my high heels.
I strolled to the living room and waited for Harry. My mom was preparing dinner for her and my dad as I was going out. My dad went out few hours back and didn’t arrive home yet.
Harry entered in the house and he looked damn sexy in his black leather jacket and jeans. He smirked while looking at me and I shifted my gaze.
“You look beautiful.” He smiled looking at me. I didn’t reply anything to him. He then asked “Shall we?”
I nodded my head and shouted “Mom! I’m going out.”
She came out from kitchen and smiled looking at Harry. She nodded her head in acceptance. Harry and I drove off from the house.
I noticed we were going in a different route. We were not going to any hotel, restaurant, party place or even his house. He told my parents that we would be going to a party place but it was wrong. I felt a bit scared and my palms became wet.
“Harry?” I called his name.
He hummed as a response to my word.
“It’s not the route. We are heading to outskirts.” I said.
“I know.” He replied.
“W-where are we going?” I asked fear clearly evident in my words.
“To the woods.”
“W-woods? Not a restaurant? I thought everyone would gather there and…”
“No one would arrive there. It’s just my friends, you and me. We, six members.”
Hearing him all the words stuck in my throat and I gulped. I didn’t expect this. I thought something else but I was wrong. My gut was telling something is not right. With my tensed face, I kept looking at him not even blinking. This is going to be a hell of a night.