Chapter 14
“Glovia.” Aron whispered under his breath. His fingers went to his chest, fiddling with a tiger–shaped pendant–it should have had a counterpart, but…
He felt a pang of sorrow in his heart. He swore in his mind. I will definitely go back to Glovia, reclaim it with the Quinn family, and make them pay. While Aron was lost in dark thoughts, Julius said something that snapped him back to the here and now. Suddenly, it was like the storm clouds in his eyes just vanished.
“You good?” Julius, who’d been Aron’s bud for years, saw his friend gripping his chest with that tortured look and knew the dude was having a rough time.
The first thing Aron noticed when he peeled his eyes open was John chilling on a couch in the corner, while Julius was living up surrounded by giggling girls. One lady was even trying to get cozy with Aron Aron quickly shook off the chick in the way–too–skimpy dress and shot a glare at John
it
John flinched, feeling kinda accused. It wasn’t like he, just one of the guys, could stop all that.
The lady Aron shrugged off tried to get close again, purring, “Sweetie…” But Aron was already on his way out.
“Hey, it’s not like Aron’s got someone special at home. So why brush us off? John, did Aron ever have some fun or what? I do. the guy a solid, and what do I get? Ghosted. My luck, right?”
John glanced at Aron’s retreating figure and hurried to catch up, ignoring Julius‘ words. “Mr. Aron! Mr. Aron!” It took John a good sprint to finally catch up. Settling into the driver’s seat, he took a beat to catch his breath, then he looked at the man in the backseat and asked,” Mr. Aron, where to now? Your place or Chinowa Town?” He definitely remembered why the drama that was supposed to go down tomorrow got bumped up to today.
A twinkle of fun lit up Aron’s eyes, like he was picturing some red–hot scene in his head. He grinned and said, “Back to the hotel”
The next morning, Evelyn’s alarm was going off non–stop, Fully rested, she got herself together and headed downstairs, only to spot Aron chilling by the car. The morning sun drenched him in a warm light, and his easygoing smile kinda threw Evelyn off for a second.
It reminded her of the first time she saw Caleb–a perfect sunny day with him looking sharp in a black suit coming her way -a moment that convinced her it was all she needed in life. Evelyn shook her head to snap out of it and hit Aron with a beaming smile. “Morning, Aron.
Aron swung the passenger door open for her with a flash of his pearly whites. “You’re looking even more stunning than yesterday. Evelyn, you really are a knockout.
“Come on, Aron, cih it out. You know this place better than I do, so you’re my official tour guide for the day.
Once Evelyn buckled up, Aron, seated in the driver’s seat, checked his phone and softly said, “This area’s packed with cool spots. I’m gonna show you a good time today, no doubt.”
Navo Square, with its history dating back to the 17th century, was the first pit stop. It was no–cakewalk finding a parking space, but once they did, Evelyn looked out and saw the crowd–it was like a whole ocean of people. The square was lined with eateries and coffee shops, and sometimes some big–shot celebs just hung out, doing street shows.
“Mar, this place is like something out of a fairy tale.” Evelyn was totally digging the artsy feel of the square. At the heart of it, there were these two big round fountains. Folks were crowding around, snapping pictures.
Aron caught himself staring at Evelyn’s smile, and, for just a second, it was like something soft brushed against his feelings- a weird sensation that made him look away swiftly.
7
