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Chapter 369: OS 06: A Crowd of Three (Cale, Luna & Jordan)

Mikael leaned on his dark blue Lamborghini Aventador S under fluffy clouds of the afternoon sky. Hands in his pockets, he stared disdainfully at the residential house up the hill. It has been nearly 15 minutes since he got here but, even now, he contemplated running away.

It was so obvious what Eve planned for this baby shower. From his little knowledge, he knew most showers only have womenso why was he invited?

Because Rose would also be attending. They hadn't talked in months and she seemed hellbent to seem unaffected by what happened. Well, two people could play that game.

The thought lasted a second before Mikael realized he was too tired to keep up appearances hence why he wanted to leave.

The only problem with that was no one would believe any excuse he'd come up with.

"Mikael?" 

'Speak of the devil' Mikael muttered in his head. He shifted his focus towards the opposite direction of the Hathaway Residence. 

Luna and Cale walked side by side, making their way up the hills. Vehicles were parked along the road. There wasn't any spot left near the house. 

"What are you doing there looking like a wild weed that popped out of the ground?" Luna continued to say. She carried a purple gift box in one hand while she and Cale linked arms.

Cale snorted. "He's being a coward, that's what. He knows he can't run away because we know his schedule. He has nothing to use so he could miss the baby shower."

Luna stuck out her bottom lip. "Oh, the poor baby."

Mikael made no move to hide how he felt about their teasing. To put the cherry on top, even Jordan was coming to join the festivities. 

Cale and Luna soon reached him. Both of them leaped in his direction, trapping him between them. They dragged him up the hill. Mikael made it difficult for them just for fun. Cale rang the doorbell when they reached the front door. He glared at Mikael who simply smiled and fluttered his blonde eyelashes.

"Coming" Rose opened the door and immediately made eye contact with Mikael. He still wore his mocking smile. 

Rose averted her gaze at once, paying attention to the gift box Luna brought. She beamed. "You're all so close. You even picked out a gift together."

"Oh, this is nothing, dear," Cale denied. He tugged Mikael into the house. "It's not like we have him wrapped around our finger for him to disappear right after a photoshoot and meet us in an opera house located in Paris."

Pressing her lips together, Rose took the gift box and placed it at the designated table. The furniture in the living room were pushed to the walls. The arrangement created a wide space in the middle.

Eve sat on a lone chair with a tall backrest covered in velvet cushion. Since she was 8 months pregnant, Andie and Rose forbid her from moving too much. The lights on her yellow chiffon dress made Eve even more radiant. 

She flickered her brown eyes to the entrance while in mid-conversation. 

Her smile made Mikael guilty for his attempt to run. 

It was really selfish of him. Today was about her and her baby girl. How could he skip such an occasion? His personal matters shouldn't get in the way of their friendship.

"Mikael! Cale! Luna! Thank you all for coming," Eve greeted them. 

Beside her, Avery stood up. "It was about time you got here. I'll go check on the food with Andie."

"Sorry, we're late," Luna perked up. She took the seat Avery previously occupied. "We picked up a stray on the way."

Rose snorted. "Was it taller than you?"

Mikael glared in her direction. She fluttered her eyes and smiled. He realized his mistake right away. His gaze flickered back to Eve. "Good to see you, Eve. You look great."

"That's understatement!" Cale objected beside him. "She's the most gorgeous pregnant woman I've ever seen! The magazines want to buy her pregnancy photos from the shoot."

"Isn't that for pure publicity?" Mikael raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, but she would still be gorgeous."

A knock came from the front door. Before Rose could open it, Jordan stepped in and waved at everyone. "Am I the last one?"

Eve shook her head. "Sadly, no. We're waiting for three more people."

Avery and Andie appeared from the kitchen. The former frowned after seeing the group. "You'd think people would be on time for these things."

"Now, now, Aunt Avery," Eve soothed her. "It can't be helped. It's a busy time at the company. 'Define Love' did better than Ambryan thought. The movie is also about to premiere. It's a crucial time for Eros."

"I know that." Avery huffed. She sat on the armrest beside Luna. "That's why I let Yan and Jackson miss the shower."

Luna turned towards her. "Ambryan's not coming?" 

"Heavens no. If he was here, he wouldn't stop nagging. Eve needs a breather from that mother hen."

"Then, who are we waiting for?"

"Hello, hello!" Madison greeted, not bothering to knock. Riffle and Hannah stood behind him. They kept a social distance between them and stared straight aheadcontrary to the wide grin Madison wore.

Avery threw a pillow at him. "About time, old man."

"Avery, that's rude." Madison tossed the pillow at a nearby couch. "We're the same age. If you call me old then what are you?"

"The Fountain of Youth."

Eve made eye contact with Hannah and Riffle. "Welcome, guys. Come in. Games are about to start."

"What's the prize?" Jordan inquired, squinting his dark chocolate eyes. "I want to know how competitive I have to be."

"Buffet tickets," Andie answered. She reached for a wicker basket behind Eve. "Free food is always the best motivator. Now, the game is a scavenger hunt. Players will form teams of 2 and whoever finds the most hidden baby items wins."

She angled the opening of the basket in Eve's direction. "May we please have the star of the show have the honor of picking the teams?"

Eve, Avery and Andie were exempted from the game. They collectively agreed to leave this to the guests who have no children of their own. As parents, they had the advantage of knowledge for baby items. It wouldn't be a fair game.

The teams were as follows:

Mikael & Cale,

Jordan & Rose,

Luna & Madison, and

Hannah & Riffle.

[A/N: We totally didn't see that last one coming.]

"There's about 20 or more baby items hidden in this house, except for the master bedroom. Some items have more than one piece. The game is to gather as many as you can in 30 minutes," Andie explained. "Once you find one, you give it to Eve so little Chloe can use it in the future. It doesn't count unless you gave it to Eve before the game ends. Are we all clear on that?"

Andie flashed them a smile and didn't wait for their response. "Good because your time starts now."

Luna pulled Madison down the nearest hallway. Seeing this, Cale also dragged Mikael up the stairs. Jordan led Rose to the other side of the house while Hannah and Riffle tried to figure out where they should head to first. The living room cleared out in a matter of one minute.

Eve took a deep breath, alerting Andie and Avery. 

"Is something wrong? Are you feeling anything?" Avery questioned her at once.

Eve waved her hand to brush off their worried thoughts. "I'm fine. I'm more worried about Rose and Mikael. It would have been nice if I managed to pick up their names for the team."

"Oh, please." Andie snorted. "They would only pretend to play if you did. It won't help solve their issues."

"You're right" Eve trailed off. She was grateful that they both showed up for today, even if Mikael almost didn't make it. It's been months. How long would they keep this up?

Was there no chance at being just friends at all?

"Of course, I'm right. Which is why I texted Jordan and Cale to do something else."

Jordan found a guest room on the first floor. He wasn't sure where they were since the house had multiple hallways. The place seemed untouched so it was a good spot to find a baby item before the others did. 

"Hey, Rose," he whispered, pointing to the closet. "Check in there. Maybe it's in a corner inside or something."

Rose nodded and gave it no second thought. Between him and her, she'd fit better inside to search the tricky spots. It had tolietry and bedding supplies on the top shelvesplus a few cleaning equipment for the main body. She hopped inside and used her phone flashlight to see better.

The sound of a door shutting caught her attention.

"Jordan?" She exclaimed, exiting the closet.

A pair of wide radiant blue eyes stared back at her.

"No," Rose gasped. She dashed for the door and tried the knob. "Damn it. They locked us inside JORDAN! CALE! THIS IS NOT FUNNY. OPEN THIS DOOR!"

She pressed her ear against the door to hear Cale's muffled voice. "Mikael, you better find that baby item before Rose! I won't forgive you if you don't!"

"We don't even know if there is one in here!" Mikael shouted back. Rose flinched beside him. Suddenly, his warmth coated her back. Did he also pressed his ear on the door like she did?

"I'm counting on you, Rose! I need that buffet."

She merely rolled her eyes and left to check the closet again. If both Cale and Jordan were playing that card, they would only be free if they had the baby item. If she couldn't find it then, she'd bang on the door until it broke.

Unlike her, Mikael stayed in his spot. He focused on his breathing and calmed his temper. Cale had found a narrow staircase while they were on the second floor. They hadn't searched any room yet before Cale climbed down. 

He should have known it led to anything but good.

His eyes scanned the room, landing on the bed. Mikael dropped onto his knees and checked under it. It was mostly empty except for a box that was directly below the headboard. He pushed himself further inside and stretched his arm. 

The low frame was suffocating.

His hand touched the box after his bottom also slid under the bed. He gripped it tight and used his free hand to push the floor, intending to back out the way he came in.

Except, it didn't go as planned.

"Mikael?"

"Don't laugh," he warned Rose. His cheeks flamed from embarrassment. "Can you lift up the bed?"

"Oh, sure. Just let me get my extra arms packed with muscle."

"This is serious!"

"I know it is!" Rose yelled back. It was hard not to when he was being rude. He was the one who needed help, couldn't he be a little nice? She put her hands on her hips and looked around.

"You know what" she said after a pause. "I can use it as an excuse for Jordan and Cale to unlock the door. Stay right there."

"You just always find a way to turn something to your advantage, huh?" The words flew out of Mikael's mouth before he could process them.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Rose marched right over and kicked his foot. He wanted this. He definitely wanted her mad. Well, she wasn't going to hold back then.

"Nothing!" Mikael groaned. He hit her back based on the direction of her kick. "Just go get them!'

"Maybe I don't want to anymore!" The mattress above his back suddenly dipped low. He hissed from the impact. Rose bounced on the bed for good measure. "Stay stuck there so you can listen to what I have to say!"

"Spare your breath!" Mikael gritted his teeth and pushed himself up. 

Rose yelped, losing her balance. She steadied herself and blew on her bangs. "You're right, okay?! That's what you wanted to hear, isn't it?! You were right! I knew it was you I was texting and pretended like I didn't know you when we met face to face! I teased you and provoked you because I knew I had our text messages to fall back into!" 

She paused, heaving for breaths. Nothing moved from under bedneither was there any noise. She repositioned herself on the bed and softened her tone.

"Look, I'm not here to make amends. I know once you make up your mind, you'll most likely stick to it." Rose bit on her inner lip, trying to arrange her thoughts. "But if you think I kissed you on New Year's just for laughs then, you are seriously mistaken!"

"I used teasing you as an excuse but that was only because, as selfish as it sounds, I really wanted to! And I knew you'd be furious once you found out about this. That's why I took the risk while I could still get away with it."

Her chest squeezed just from remembering it. It was a gamble. It was already too late for him not to feel betrayed and so she created a memory she'd like to treasure for a long timeone that would always make her smile. The regrets would never go away. 

At least, now she can say she tried her best.

Rose exhaled sharply and took out her phone. "I'll go call them. You can't stay under there forever."

Mikael remained silent. Rose got off the bed and called Cale, explaining what happened. The door burst open and she slipped out before Jordan could go inside. Cale caught her wrist but she shook it off.

Jordan immediately freed Mikael. The latter had crawled out with dishevelled hair and wrinkled clothes. He shoved the box at Jordan's stomach, "Here. I'm quitting the game. The two of you can team up. "

Mikael had a quick debate in his head. He could stay and ruin the mood or he could leave and ruin the mood. Neither one was better than the other. But one of them had worse consequences and so he chose to leave. 

His feet thudded on the stairs. The sound of unfamiliar voices made him halt in his steps and take his time to compose himself.

"Ow!"

"Hannah?" Riffle sprinted for the bathroom door. His arms spread out and his hands gripped the frame. "What are you doing under the sink?" 

Hannah rubbed the back of her head. She had slipped while checking behind the toilet. It wasn't the most sanitary place to hide a baby item but that was precisely why she thought it was a good place to hide. The fall wasn't bad but she hit the sink on her way up.

"I'm fine, Riffle," she assured him, finally back on her feet. She smoothed out her clothes.

Riffle shook his head and sighed. The corner of his lip was curled up. "What am I going to do with you?"

Hannah's ears burned. She brushed her hair to hide them and stared at the wall to her left. "Nothing. I'm a strong independent woman."

He chuckled and leaned on the door frame. His arms crossed over his chest. "Then, what am I going to do without you?"

"That's easy," Hannah responded without hesitation. She smiled and squeezed herself into the narrow space he left on the doorway. "You're a strong independent woman too."

Riffle used this chance and trapped her with a one-arm hug around her shoulders. Her back was pressed against his chest. "Not so fast. You gave me a panic attack just now."

"What?? You look pretty calm to me."

"What you see on the outside isn't always what's on the inside."

Hannah sighed and craned her neck, looking up at him. "You'll never stop teasing me, will you? Here I thought you were a nice guy."

Riffle pecked her temple. "Well, that's because I actually have a childish personality and like you so much that bullying you is me expressing my affection."

Mikael raised his eyes to the ceiling. The universe wasn't giving him a sign. Nope. It wasn't. There was no such thing. This was all in his head. He snuck back up the stairs, careful not to disturb the two. 

The hallway was now empty. He reached the other side and rounded the corneronly to find Luna blocking his path. He jumped in surprise.

"I know what Rose did is never okay. Some things are like that. People we know and love will make these mistakes. They will also make bad decisions," she started to say, closing the gap between them. "And it will affect us sometimes. We can also do the same thing with them. So how do couples last for a lifetime?"

Luna's eyes drooped at the corners. "I know that's hard to imagine given what you witnessed while growing up but the right answer is always figuring out what's most important to you."

"So" she tapped her fist lightly on his chest. "I wish you'd make the choice you won't ever regret."

With one last smile, Luna left Mikael to think by himself. What was important to him? He didn't know. How could he know? How did anyone know? They all made this sound easy but it was difficult for him. They expected him to have the right answerthe correct choice.

But what if he didn't?

What if he couldn't figure it out and regret it when it was too late? His heart raced inside his chest. Why was he feeling this way?

"Oh, dear. I blame myself," Cale told Jordan. They were hiding in another hallway. "Rose is moving away and I just wanted to give her one last chance"

'Moving? To where?' Mikael's back jerked upright. Before he knew it, he ran down the stairs and beelined for the nearest exit.

"Mikael?" Eve called out, rising to her feet. 

Jordan passed her by and gently pushed her down. "I'll go get him. Stay here."

Cale gulped as he reached the last step. He saw Rose exit the washroom beside the stairs. "Hey, Rose. I think Mikael is looking for you."

She raised an eyebrow. "Didn't he leave?"

"He might or might not have heard that you're flying off the country?"

Jordan came back, holding Mikael by the collar. Mikael stopped struggling once he realized Rose hadn't left. She glared at Cale before taking a deep breath and filling the holes.

"Forget what you heard from these meddling kids. I'm not leaving until the end of the week. It's also not permanent. The cast is just having a tour so we'll be gone for a few months."

"I'm not going to run away just because we're in a fight." She huffed. Hand on her left hip, she leaned to the right. "If you think I'm that type of person, I'm seriously offended."

Mikael had his mouth open. His legs moved on their own, walking in her direction. Step by step, the distance between them lessened. 

Rose had her guard up. This silent Mikael was scarier than an angry one.

"You're saying you won't run away from a fight? No matter how ugly things can get?" Mikael asked. He stopped right in front of her and looked straight into her eyes. "No matter how miserable it can be? And how you could have a better life somewhere else?"

The entire room was silent. Cale hunched and escaped for the couch with the rest. At this point, Hannah and Riffle came with a handful of baby items. They stopped at the end of the hallway, wondering what was going on.

"You know" Rose cleared her throat. This tension wasn't good for her health. She had to break it somehow. "You really should be careful how you say things. People might misunderstand that this is your weird way of proposing."

Andie snorted for her benefit.

"Well, what if I am?" Mikael challenged.

Any humor left in Rose's face vanished. "You're joking."

"I'm serious."

"Marriage isn't easy, Mikael."

"That's something we can agree on."

Mikael stalked forward. Rose instinctively stepped back like a prey being hunted. Mikael smirked at the sight. "I thought you're not the type to run away?"

"You know what they say you never really know the answer until someone gets down on their knee and asks you."

"If you put it that way"

"Don't you dare, Mikael Davis!" Rose protested, pointing a finger at him. 

Mikael grabbed the same hand with both of his own. His grin was ear to ear wide. "A little too late for that, don't you think?"

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