“I’m sorry, I can’t accept this,” Tiffany stood from the couch, dropped the box on the table that was in front of her and returned to her sit.
“W… Why?” Senator Han stuttered with a fallen countenance.
“I… I’m sorry,” Tiffany shook her head.
“Tiffany,” Marlie murmured and placed her hands on Tiffany’s.
“I’m not used to taking gifts like this. I…”
“It’s fine,” Senator Han sniffed, looked away hurriedly and covered his face with his palm.
Declan sighed as he watched, there was nothing he could say. He jerked as his phone rang and Aiden was the caller. He stood up and then excused himself.
“Hey, buddy,” Declan sighed.
“Shît, Declan, did Tiffany perhaps call you? I missed a few calls from her and her number is not going through now that I am returning it. I went to her place of work and I learnt that she was sacked, I hope she…”
“Can you just let me talk and listen?” Declan interrupted with a gritted teeth.
“I just hope she hasn’t hide herself somewhere…” He murmured.
“She’s here in our house,” Declan said.
“She… She is at your house?” He asked again to be sure.
“Yes, dad invited her over and she came. I think you should come here already, I don’t even know who to side between dad and Tiffany,” he sighed.
“Why? What’s wrong?” Aiden asked.
“Dad gave her a gift and she refused it, I bet he is so hurt right now,” he said as he heard the sound of Aiden’s bike started.
“I’m on my way, I’ll be there soon,” Aiden said, and ended the call.
Declan returned to his seat and felt very uncomfortable with the atmosphere in the room. Tiffany and their father wouldn’t stop stealing glances at each other, and both of them was picking on their nails nervously. What an habit they both had. Marlie only watched the two of them in silence.
“What’s this?” Declan asked in a whisper as he settled beside Marlie.
“I am not sure. I guess dad is embarrassed that she refused his gift, and Tiffany is feeling bad for not accepting it,” she shrugged her shoulder.
“Then she should accept it so that they would both stop feeling bad,” Declan frowned.
“I bet you don’t know what’s going on in her head. She’s probably scared that people would misunderstood that she only accepted dad because of his money,” Marlie answered, turned to look at Tiffany and then gasped slightly as her eyes locked with hers.
“That’s not true,” Tiffany mouthed, and shook her head.
“W… What?” Marlie stuttered.
There was no way Tiffany heard that.
“I heard what you just said. I heard it all,” Tiffany said.
“How…”
“You don’t know? I hear even the faintest whisper from afar,” she said and wore a short smile.
“Huh?”
“Nevermind,” she looked away and searched stylishly for her bag.
“What are you looking for?” Senator Han asked.
“My bag,” she answered.
“A… are you leaving already?”
“No, I was going to ask if I could charge my phone. I guess it’s probably dead now,” she answered, still looking around.
**
After a few minutes had passed, after they had found her bag and helped her plugged her phone which was already dead, they heard the bell rang and then knocks on the door.
“What is that?” Senator Han frowned.
There was no one who could get to the door without his approval, not to talk of someone banging on the door repeatedly.
“I’ll go get it,” Declan stood up and rushed towards the door.
“Don’t open it, I’ll call to know the situ…”
“It is someone I know,” Declan interrupted him and turned the knob of the door.
“Hey,” he grinned as the door opened but hissed as soon as the ungrateful jerk brushed past him.
“Anny?” Aiden called out as he strolled in.
“Aiden,” Tiffany stood from the couch and hurried towards him.
“I’ve been looking for you,” he exhaled and pulled her into a hug.
“You missed my calls,” she mumbled as she disengaged from the hug.
“I’m sorry. I dropped my phone inside and was outside with dad,” he answered.
“How do you know I was here?”
“Declan called me,” he answered and moved away from her.
“I’m sorry, dad. Good evening,” he greeted.
“Good evening. You visited Theodore today?”
“Yes, sir.”
“That’s nice. I was going to visit him too, I just haven’t find the appropriate time,” Senator Han said.
“He talked about you, I guess he misses you also,” Aiden smiled and the man nodded his head.
“What’s wrong, babe?” he whispered in her ear as he walked towards the single couch across him with Tiffany.
“Why do you ask? There’s nothing wrong,” she answered.
“Huh, are you going to hide it from me?”
“I guess Declan already ran his mouth to you,” she scoffed.
“Tell me,” Aiden settled on the couch and pulled her to sit on his thigh.
“Dad gave me a key to a house. He said he bought it for me, under my name as my birthday gift,” she sighed.
“Woah, that’s nice. Did you collect it?”
“I rejected it,” she nudged him.
“What?” He asked out loud unconsciously which made the others to look at him.
“What?” Tiffany frowned.
“Why did you reject it?” Aiden asked softly.
“How could I accept it? Don’t you think I’d feel burdened by it?” She hissed.
“How could you feel that way? I bet you have no idea how happy he was feeling what he thought of getting you that. Have you not accepted him?” Aiden snapped his brows together.
“What are you saying? You know that I have.” Tiffany frowned.
“But your actions proved otherwise. You might not know, but your dad is so sensitive. I am sure there are tons of questions running through his head and he is probably blaming himself all over again. You should…”
“Are you blaming me for that right now?” She frowned at him.
“Babe, that’s not…”
“Whatever,” Tiffany stood from his thigh and returned to her original position.
“Anny,” Aiden shook his head.
“What’s wrong?” Marlie leaned closer to Tiffany and asked.
“Nothing,” she looked away.
“Huh, guys, I need to get going. It’s getting late already,” Tiffany said after a few seconds of silence.
“Now?” Senator Han asked and glanced at his wrist watch.
“Yes. I can always come to visit again,” she answered and stood up.
“Okay, if that is what you want,” senator Han smiled and stood up.
“Marlie, my phone, please,” she said to Marlie who was also on her feet already.
“Are you okay?” Declan asked.
He was very sure the lady and Aiden had a fight already.
“Yes. I am fine,” she nodded her head with a short smile on her face.
“Will you go with your boyfriend or should I have my driver drop you at home?” Senator Han asked.
“It’s fine. I’ll follow Aiden,” she answered and watched the man nodded his head, picking on his nails nervously.
Why?
Does he really feel bad because she did not accept his gift?”
Tiffany swallowed deeply and walked slowly towards him.
“D… Dad,” she called slowly and bored her eyes into his.
“Yes, my daughter?” he smiled.
“My birthday present,” she stretched his hand forward.
“Huh?” he widened his eyes.
Which birthday present?
“Have you forgotten? You had a gift for me,” she forced a smile.
“Y… yes. I… I do,” he stammered.
“I want it… now,” she smiled.
“Really?” His face lit up and he hurriedly walked away from her, grab the box that was on the table and then returned to where he was standing.
“Here is it,” he placed it on her palm.
“I didn’t accept it earlier for some reasons best known to me and not because I have not accepted you or something. You should understand, that all my life, I work for things that I have. I have never received free gifts till I get to Western high school where I met My friend and Aiden… And then you. Don’t feel bad when I reject your gifts, a lot go through my mind also when you offer me something. Please…”
“I am sorry,” Senator Han nodded his head and pulled her into a hug.
“It’s fine. I am sorry too.”
“You should not be. I understand what you think also when I gave it to you. But don’t think that way. I’m doing all of these for you because I want to, because I feel happy doing it and not because I feel pressurized or something. Don’t let what others might think get to you, okay? You still have a very long way to go,” he said as he patted her back.
“Uhm,” she nodded her head and then disengaged from the hug.
“I look forward to seeing you again,” he smiled.
“Sure.”
**
She waved her hand for the last time at her family who had escorted them out as she got on the bike.
“Are you sure you don’t need a helmet?” Aiden asked again.
“I don’t,” she answered curtly.
“Okay.”
=
Aiden pulled the bike at the corridor that led to Tiffany’s house and waited for the lady to get down before he also alight from the bike.
While he was riding the bike towards his home, the lady had picked a fight with him saying that she was going home instead.
“Babe, hold on,” he got down hurriedly and rushed towards her.
“What is it?” She rolled her eyes.
“Why are you so mad at me?” He asked.
“Why am I mad at you? You made me feel like a bad person because I didn’t accept the gift he gave to me, and it worked. See, I have accepted it, I have!” She snapped.
“That’s not true, babe. I didn’t mean to make you feel this way,” he reached out for her hands.
“Oh, really?” Tiffany scoffed.
“I was just trying to let you know how he might be feeling at the moment and…”
“Did you care to think how I was feeling at that moment?! You probably don’t care. You didn’t care to know how I felt when he offered me such gift. Do you know how huge it is? Look…” She opened her bag and grabbed the box.
She opened the lid and removed the bunch of keys in it and showed it to him.
“I can only wonder how many rooms the house has. Do you not even care to think how burdened I might be feeling? He gave me a house! Not a necklace, or something like that. He gave me a house and you want me to jumb at it. I bet you think so low of me.”
“Babe, that’s not…” he started, and placed his hands on her shoulder.
“Don’t touch me! Just leave me alone. I don’t even want to talk to you!” She snapped and then turned to leave.
“Anny!” Aiden rushed after her.
“Babe…”
“I am sorry, okay?” He stopped beside her as she was unlocking her door.
“I don’t want to talk to you,” Tiffany said as the door opened.
“Talk to me, please. I am so…”
Tiffany entered and then shut the door at his face.
“Anny!” he banged on the door.
Fûck, this was their first fight and he hated it like hell.
==
Next morning.
Tiffany woke up with a very heavy heart. She felt so bad for what she did to Aiden the previous night, but there was no way she was going to Admit that to him.
She knew when he left for home.
The guy spent over an hour in front of her door and not to talk of the numerous text she woke up to from him.
She sighed as her phone vibrated and she reached out for it.
And the caller was Aiden.
She probably picked up the call hurriedly before it ended and placed it on her ear slowly.
“Hey, baby…” he drawled in a accent.
“Good morning,” Tiffany only said.
God knows that she’s feeling bad and missing him at the moment.
“Are you still mad at me?”
“Y… Yes.”
“Babe, come on…” Aiden sighed.
“What?”
“Are you going to school? Should I come and pick you?”
“No, I’ll manage on my own,” she answered.
“Baby.”
“We’ll see later, bye.”
==
Western high school, lunch break.
Aiden and Tiffany didn’t get to see eachother during in the morning, after the morning gathering and during lunch break as the lady didn’t even give him the face.
Zoey could only watch and sigh, this was the first time she was seeing Tiffany act the was she was acting.
It was obvious she was having a hard time because of the fight and the girl was not going to admit and kept giving both her and Aiden a hard time.
When it was lunch break and the lady wasn’t showing any sigh of standing from her sit.
She pulled her up forcefully, with the help of Declan, they both pushed her outside the classroom, and she bumped into Aiden who held her by her waist.
“Baby,” he pressed his lips together, looking at her from up close.
“Let go of me,” she frowned as she tried to pull away from the guy’s grasp.
“Come on, let’s end this fight. I’m not okay with it at all,” he wore a sad facial expression.
“You didn’t care to think about me,” Tiffany pouted with a furrowed brow.
“I am sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way, I am sorry,” he apologized.
“Why the fûck did I find you cute when I’m trying to stay mad at you,” she pouted, trying to maintain an angry face.
“Are you admitting now that I am so cute?” he chuckled.
“No, you’re so ugly,” she hissed.
“Babe, I am sorry, okay?” He apologized again.
“It’s fine,” she smiled.
“Seriously?” He raised a brow.
“Yes, it is fine,” she smiled, spread her arms wide and then wrapped it around his neck.
“I love you baby,” Aiden patted her back.
“I love you too,” she mumbled.
==
After they’ve all settled to eat their food, Aiden’s phone rang loudly and he frowned as stared at the unknown ID.
“Who’s that?” Tiffany asked as she stared at Aiden who only screened the call and picked up his spoon.
“I don’t know,” he shrugged his shoulder.
As he prepared to put a spoon of rice in his mouth, his phone rang again, he dropped the spoon and then picked up the call before it ends again.
“Aiden…” Came a feminine voice.
“Who are you?” He frowned.
“I see you didn’t change your phone number.”
“Who are you?” He asked again.
“It’s me… Vanessa.”
“Huh?” Aiden raised a brow.
“Vanessa, babe. Vanessa.”
TBC…