Chapter 3 They Had to Sneak Around
957 Words
The Joseph Villa sat halfway up a hill on the west side of the city.
I skipped the front entrance and went straight for the iron gate in the back, the one nobody knew about.
That was the secret passage Vincent used to sneak me out when we were kids. He always hid the key under a flower pot.
I pushed the gate open. The yard was quiet.
Vincent stood with his back to me, right in front of the rose bushes he took such good care of.
The setting sun stretched his shadow long behind him.
I held my breath and crept closer.
"Why can't we be together..." He was talking to himself while holding a rose. His voice sounded incredibly sad.
I could only catch a few words.
He said, "I've held back for way too long... Soon, I'll be able to..."
I reached out and tapped him on the shoulder on purpose, then teased him with a laugh. "What are you mumbling about?"
Vincent hadn't expected me to show up out of nowhere. He got a little flustered and gave me a stiff, unnatural smile.
"I'm, uh, just watering the flowers," he said, stammering.
Right then, something silver slipped out from his sleeve. It hit the ground with a soft clink.
It was a woman's bracelet. Flower patterns ran across it.
We both bent down to grab it at the same time.
The second my fingers touched it, I caught a whiff of some sweet, cloying perfume.
Vincent was quicker. He snatched the bracelet up and closed his fist tight around it.
He turned to face me. His face looked pale. "How much did you hear?"
I didn't answer. My eyes stayed on his clenched hand.
He followed my gaze. His fingers tightened for a second, then relaxed. He pretended everything was fine and held the bracelet out to me. "Perfect timing. I was going to give this to you tomorrow anyway."
"For me?" I said, taking it.
The bracelet was still warm from his palm. That sweet perfume smell only got stronger.
He said, "Yeah. I know you like cute little accessories, so I had this custom-made. The roses, too. I was going to cut a bunch and wrap them up for you..."
His story was flawless.
Then he reached out and carefully picked the closest red rose.
I watched his profile, and the memories came flooding back.
At age seven, a boy from the other class stole my butterfly hair clip. Vincent ran over and got into a fight with him. His face ended up all bruised and beaten.
At age ten, I fell off my bike and tumbled into a roadside ditch. He jumped in, pulled me out, and carried me all the way home on his back.
At age thirteen, Samuel and Myrna were fighting about divorce. I hid in the neighborhood playground and cried until midnight. Vincent found me, patted my back clumsily, and promised he'd always be there.
So when did things start to change?
He got more and more popular. More and more girls crowded around him.
And Phoebe and me? We went from being best sisters to bitter rivals.
We competed over grades, over talents, and finally, over who could win his heart.
The truth was, I never wanted much. I just hoped he and I could stay together for a long time.
I didn't want to end up like this. But the damage was done. There was no going back.
"Noelle?" Vincent's voice pulled me back to the present.
He held the rose out to me. Droplets of water still clung to the petals.
Then he took the bracelet from my hand and gently snapped it around my wrist.
The silver chain felt cold. The diamonds pressed into my skin with a little sting.
"The truth is, I've had a crush on you for a long time," he said, holding my hand and smiling with his eyes all lit up. "Ever since we were kids. I just overthought everything. I never had the guts to tell you."
He tucked a strand of wind-blown hair behind my ear. "We're grown up now, Noelle. Give me a chance. Let me take care of you forever. What do you say?"
I looked at his fake expression and felt nothing but disgust.
That innocent, harmless act of his? It had fooled me for way too long.
I gently pulled my hand back, touched the silver chain around my wrist, and nodded like I was thinking it over. "Okay."
Vincent's eyes lit up. He reached out to hug me.
I took a step back and held up my wrist, shaking it a little. "Thanks for the gift. I really like it. But I need to head home early tonight. My parents are waiting for dinner."
Vincent said, "Let me drive you..."
"Don't worry about it." I cut him off. "The driver's waiting for me down the hill."
As I turned to leave, I could feel how excited he was—barely holding it together.
I didn't relax until I was out of the villa area and sitting in our family car.
Vincent thought he had everything under control.
But he forgot one thing. I was seriously allergic to pollen. And I couldn't stand heavy perfumes like that.
But I did remember someone. She had the same mole by her eye.
She loved bright, flashy flowers. She wore sweet perfume every time she went out.
I already knew who Vincent's real dream girl was.
No wonder they had to sneak around.
Since they were so in love, I'd give them a chance to go public.
I just wondered if the two of them could handle this gift I would give them.
- Writer
