Purify Me

23

EPISODE 23.

Diana and Sia walked through the empty hallway, discussing their concerns. "Wow, that was shocking... I'm sure my br—" Sia stopped, clearing her throat and mumbling. "I mean, Michael won't agree, will he?". Diana sighed, staring away.

"Michael and I just began our relationship, and Mom already demands to meet him." Sia chuckled, noticing the worry in her tone.

"I'm sure things will go well. Just don't stress out. These are one of the challenges people face in relationships," Sia said. Diana nodded, and they both began walking in silence.

A male stood before them with a sly smile.

"Long time no see," he said. They glanced at him with a frown.

"What are you doing here, Dave?" Sia asked.

Dave chuckled, his gaze fixed on Diana, who was not pleased to see him. "I'm here to see my new friend," he replied, his gaze still fixed on her. Sia scoffed.

"Diana has nothing to do with you," Sia aggressively replied.

"Well, that's before, but now she's my best friend's girlfriend, which means she's related to me, right?" he asked.

Diana stared away, her gaze settling on Sia. "Why are you here?" Diana asked. Dave looked sideways before replying.

"As I said before, I'm here to see you."

"What exactly? To lay another accusation?" Diana asked in annoyance, glaring at the male.

Dave heaved a sigh of frustration, stepping closer to her. Diana shifted back, not allowing his breath to touch her face. Dave observed her reaction, smirking.

"Are you afraid of me?" he asked. Diana chuckled.

"Why should I be?" "Your reaction says so," Dave replied.

"By the way, I mean no harm," he said, raising his hand in surrender and stepping back from her. "So, why are you here?"

"Just to say sorry for what transpired between us. I know things didn't start well between us, so with a sincere apology, I'm saying sorry," Dave said. Diana waved a hand dismissively.

"Give me one reason to believe you're indeed sorry for what you did," Diana pressed. Dave's jaw clenched, as if sustaining a sudden anger, but he dismissed his temper with a smile.

"Because you're one of us now, and if I continue to hate you, Michael won't be pleased by it," he mumbled. Diana and Sia scoffed. "Can't we just put our differences aside and focus on the present?" There was silence, with only one person's breath audible, sighing in disbelief.

"Okay... but no backstabbing," Diana replied, shocking Sia, whose mouth was left agape by her sudden agreement.

What the hell is wrong with her? Sia thought.

"I'll try not to," Dave said, stretching his hand to her.

"Friends?"

"Sure," Diana replied, accepting the handshake

.

This left Sia dumbfounded and struck, but remembering the type of person Diana is, she shrugged it off with a groan.

"Seriously, Diana... this guy humiliated you in front of everyone, called your mom a w***e, and now you're making friends with him?" Sia snarled angrily.

Diana smiled at her, murmuring a yes. Dave smirked, watching Sia's reaction. "Okay then... see you around," he said. Diana nodded, watching him walk away.

Sia hit her head angrily, while Diana winced at the painful hits, facing her friend glaring at her. "Are you seriously trusting that guy?" Sia asked. She narrowed her eyes at Dave's disappearing features.

"Not really. I just agreed to his fake approach so that he'll leave us alone," she replied. Her phone began to ring, and she searched her bag for it. On finding it, the caller was displayed as.

"Boyfriend."

Sia giggled, staring at her phone. "Love in the air." Diana chuckled, picking up the call.

*********

"Why are we here?" Diana asked, glancing around the restaurant, which was filled with youngsters.

The restaurant was known as Blue Moon. When Michael called, and informed her about hanging out, she was stiff, wondering when they planned that. However she has plans to use the opportunity to tell him about her mom seeing him.

"We're here for our first date. What do you think about this place?" Michael replied.

Diana paused, hearing the word "date."

"Our date, like a date?" she asked, gaining a confirming nod from him.

"So, do you like it?" he asked again.

Diana nodded, staring around and observing.

"It's beautiful," she replied.

"I'm glad you like it. This restaurant is known by its name, Blue Moon."

" Ever since I was a kid, my parents, my twin, we always came here to have family time together," Michael said. Diana's attention was drawn to him, noticing some insecurities that lingered in his tone.

"So... Do you guys still come here?" Michael murmured a no, adjusting his seat. "Not anymore.A lot has changed, and it's been a while since I stepped in here. I was thinking about how I should make today special for us, so this place came to mind," he replied.

"It must be really special for you and your family," Diana mumbled. Silence settled, and Michael's gaze became fixed on her. Diana noticed his intense gaze on her skin and wondered why he always looked at her that way. She felt a flutter in her chest as their eyes met, and she couldn't help but think about the connection they shared. The silence between them was palpable, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was as if they were both savoring the moment, enjoying each other's presence.

Michael's eyes seemed to hold a deep affection for her, and Diana couldn't help but feel drawn to him. She smiled softly, feeling a sense of happiness wash over her. In that moment, she knew that she was exactly where she wanted to be – with Michael.

"Dave apologized, didn't he?" It was a sudden question she never expected. But how did he know? His friend came to apologize.

"How..." she stammered.

"How did I know? I have my ways. It's my father's school, so I know what goes around.

"You know what goes around in the school?" she asked, her voice laced with skepticism, ensuring she had heard correctly.

Michael nodded, a quick smile flashing across his face.

"Does that mean you also knew about Zoya releasing the video? You knew before it happened, you had an idea of it... and you still allowed her to post it, not stopping her," Diana's voice rose, her anger simmering just below the surface.

"Do you really hate me that much back then?" she asked, her fists clenched tightly on the table, her knuckles white with tension.