“Are you alright, Braelyn?” This sudden question from my mother caused the overflowing thoughts that are running inside my head. From staring absentmindedly at my plate and just playing with my food, I raised my head to look at my mother, who was staring back at me with a frown on her face. And my father was doing the same thing. The reactions on their faces are mixed with confusion and worry. “I am fine,” I dryly answered my mother. It was my father’s turn to ask. “Are you sure you’re fine?” I stared back at my food. “Hmm...” was my only answer in a small voice. My parents, who seemed to understand that I do not want them to pry anymore, stopped asking after that and continued to eat, though I can feel them glance at me from time to time, which made me sigh. Then I finally decided to just stop eating since I don’t have an appetite anyway. “You’re done eating?” My father asked when I stood while holding my plate. “Hmm,” I answered with a nod before proceeding to put my plate int

“Hey, cousin.” It was Tyler who first responded while I just stared at the two blankly. I centered my gaze on Tyler’s cousin, namely Mara. It seems that being good-looking runs in their blood because she’s definitely beautiful; I won’t deny that. She’s got such a sexy and alluring figure that any guy who sees her would probably give her a second look. If I'm going to base it on looks, she would really be the perfect match for Caesar. But looks aren’t the only thing that’s important, right? The personality, attitude, and behaviors are way more important in creating a relationship, and I would stand by my opinion that her personality and Caesar’s personality do not really click, at least for me. “Won’t you even introduce me to this beautiful friend of yours?” Mara asked Tyler, a smile plastered on her face as she glanced at me, then back to Tyler. “Oh, of course. Mara, this is Braelyn, Raine's cousin and Caesar's best friend,” Tyler said, turning to me. “Brae, this is Mara. My cousin

Caesar looked quite surprised at the answer I had given him. "You thought I wanted to end our friendship?" he asked after a few moments. His voice was filled with disbelief."Well, you were avoiding me, so I thought..."Caesar turned speechless for a moment as he stared at me, who was staring back at him."Well, honestly, part of the reason why I avoided you was because I was still in pain after being coldly rejected by you. But the main reason is because I thought you didn't want to see me anymore," Caesar said in a calm manner after a couple of minutes.As soon as I heard the first line he uttered, my heart tightened with guilt, but I ignored it to keep things from getting awkward and answered his second statement instead. "And I thought the same thing. I thought it was you who didn't want to be near me, and that is why you were avoiding me.""I was avoiding you because I thought you hated me.""Hate you? No. I don't hate you!" I quickly answered, surprising Caesar and making him go

"What are you doing here? I thought you planned to stay at home all day?" Caesar asked me, surprised but smiling. I gave Caesar a forced smile. I was suddenly confused and nervous, and my brain also seemed to go blank, which is why I couldn’t immediately come up with something to answer him. I remember telling him yesterday, after he dropped me off, that I had no intentions to leave and would simply stay at home. I also told him that Raine and I had no plans to go out, but now he saw me in the same mall as he and Mara, who were out on a date. I was still trying to construct a lie when Raine came to my rescue. "Ahm, hi, Caesar? I'm here if you haven't noticed." Caesar was surprised again, and it wasn't until then that he looked at Raine. He appeared to have just noticed Raine was with me. "Oh, Raine!" He exclaimed, startled. "I didn't recognize you." Raine lifted an eyebrow. "You noticed Brae even though we were both wrapped up, but you failed to recognize me? It's not very obvio

Caesar’s POV After the work-related call ended, I quickly went back to our table. My feet have been itching to get back to the three girls I was with. I was worried that the moment I left, they'd start fighting violently. I definitely doubt Brae would stoop that low, but I'm not sure about Raine, especially Mara, whom I've only recently met and am unfamiliar with her attitude. But one thing is certain about Mara: she is not the sweet and kind girl she tried to portray. The way she stared and the words she told Brae from the very first time they were introduced, I could already tell that she's trying to be someone she is not. So I can't really blame Brae for showing the same behavior to Mara. She was just letting her have a dose of her own medicine. As to why I was putting up with her, letting her get close to me as much as she could, and even accompanying her, it’s simply because I don’t want to be rude to her and also because I have a hidden agenda. This might sound cliche and som