Chapter 6

1112 Words
Anthony finally looked back at Lerisa and said, "I have to go home now, Lerisa. I hope you're truly feeling fine now." Anthony drank from the bottled water again, looking directly at Lerisa. She replied, "Yes, I'm fine. See you later this evening." Lerisa's pretty face turned sad again as she remembered that Anthony would definitely propose to Clara in the evening, since they had been dating for three years or more. Anthony noticed the change in Lerisa's mood, seeing her face turn red. He immediately asked, "What's wrong with you again?" Lerisa snapped out of her trance and replied, "Nothing, I'm fine." "Hmm, you keep lying to me that you're fine when you're not. Tell me the truth, Lerisa. What's bothering you? You can share whatever the problem is with me. You know I care about you, and I know you don't have any other friends aside from me," Anthony continued. "You don't have a boyfriend, or probably you do, but I don't know him yet, and I haven't met him. However, that's not why you should be looking sad," he advised. "I don't have any boyfriends," Lerisa admitted, and Anthony looked at her face again and asked, "Why? Why don't you have one? You're very beautiful, Lerisa, and I want the best man for you. How about my friend, Ben? He has been bothering me about you. Why not consider dating him?" "No. I'm not interested in Ben," Lerisa replied, quickly rejecting Ben. Anthony's eyes narrowed in suspicion, and he smiled and asked, "Then who are you interested in? I don't know anyone who's your boyfriend or love interest that could have made you look sad." Lerisa gazed up at Anthony's face. She met his blue eyes, and her lips parted to speak, but no words came out, as she couldn't tell him the truth: that she was in love with him. Lerisa gulped and stared down. Anthony sighed and told her, "It's okay, Lerisa, if you don't want to tell me about the guy that you like. But you should know that I care about you very much and see you as more than a friend." "I have to be on my way home now, as I already promised my mother that I would be home early for breakfast with her after my exercise. Otherwise, I could have joined you and your mom for breakfast here. How about your dad?" Anthony inquired. "He has gone out for a weekend meeting," Lerisa said. Anthony sighed and advised her, "Be good, okay. Take care of yourself." Lerisa escorted Anthony to the exit gate. She opened the gate for him and locked it from within after he left. Unbeknownst to her, her mother stood by the kitchen window, eavesdropping on their conversation. Lerisa wiped away her tears and turned to walk back into the house, not knowing that her mother was secretly rooting for her and Anthony to marry. Stepping into the living room, her mother immediately came out of the kitchen and asked, "What's going on between you and Anthony, Lerisa?" Mrs. Antonia was carrying a tray of fried eggs as she walked to the dining table and placed it there. Lerisa walked towards the dining room. She replied, "Nothing, Mom." Lerisa sat on a chair, her face still red, and she continued to remember the engagement ring she had seen with Anthony. "You keep saying 'nothing, Mom' when you look like a tomato. Didn't you look at yourself in the mirror, Lerisa?" Her mother asked. Lerisa sighed and replied, "I'm fine, Mom." "Okay, if you say so, but I hope you know that I like Anthony too, and I don't want you to chase him away with your red face," Mrs. Antonia teased, but Lerisa only shook her head as she picked up a piece of the fried eggs and ate it. "Tah! Go and wash your hands first, and let's have breakfast together since your dad isn't home yet. Have you selected the dress you'll wear to Anthony's birthday party this evening? Your father and I will also be attending, as you know I like Anthony very much, and I want him to marry you, but only when he's ready to settle down, at least to seal our family's bond with his family." "Mom, Anthony has a girlfriend, and you and Dad should stop thinking about me becoming Anthony's wife. Anthony will only remain my boss and family friend," Lerisa said, with a saddened face. She stood up and walked to the kitchen to wash her hands. "Hmm..." Mrs. Antonia frowned and went into the kitchen. She said, "Why would you say that, Lerisa? Anthony can't marry just any girl he's dating. His parents won't support him marrying anyone else except you. His dad and your father are best friends, and the same goes for his mother and me." "Hmm." Lerisa shook her head and finished washing her hands. She carried her teacup and said, "Mom, I'm hungry, and I still need to go shopping for a new dress to wear to Anthony's birthday party tonight." "Okay," Mrs. Antonia sighed and allowed Lerisa to pass. Lerisa walked out of the kitchen with her teacup and went to the dining table to have breakfast. Mrs. Antonia stepped out of the kitchen and joined her daughter, and they had breakfast together. Lerisa didn't want to tell her mother that she saw Anthony with an engagement ring. Anthony would propose to his girlfriend, maybe at the party, as he was preparing to settle down with another woman. Lerisa knew that her parents would be heartbroken when they witnessed Anthony proposing to Clara Harry in front of them. Lerisa sighed again and resumed eating her bread with the fried eggs, but her mother only stared at her in silence and continued eating her breakfast too. They drank and sipped from their teacups. **** After breakfast, Lerisa cleared her cup, with her mother's cup to the kitchen. She washed them, and went to her bedroom to freshen up, wanting to go shopping for a new gown to wear to Anthony's birthday party. Her phone rang, startling her, and she wondered who was calling. She didn't have many friends' numbers saved. Lerisa walked to her phone, picked it up, and saw it was an unknown caller. She answered and sat on her bed, then said, "Hello, who is this?" "Hi, Lerisa. How are you doing this morning?" She heard a deep voice ask. "I'm fine; who is this?" Lerisa questioned, but she immediately recognized Ben's voice. She frowned, wondering how he got her number. She asked him, "Ben, how did you get my mobile number?"
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