บท 8: Chapter 7: In Love with that Guy

Davis sat anxiously in the white yacht cabin. Sitting was not enough so he stood up and began pacing around the cabin. He was worried about Michan because she sounded hurt and on the verge of crying if not already crying. Deep within him, he sensed that Ginn was the cause just as years back.

Davis had fallen for Michan since day one when she stepped into Kielen Campus Branch. There was no chance for him until Ginn broke her for Kristine's sake. He became close to her in attempt of healing the wound in her heart.

"I never knew that losing a best friend hurts more than losing a boyfriend." She had once told him.

He realized that her dress code changed drastically. She began dressing in black or grey clothes making her working uniform the only brightly coloured cloth as it was a neat jungle green long sleeved fitted A-line single button shirt suit with fauna print and a plain jungle green pencil skirt.

This never changed until date. Davis once bought her a red off shoulder dress that she loved the style but she complained of the colour being excessively bright. She took it not to hurt his feelings but she never wore it. That pushed Davis to purchase her a grey spaghetti strapless knee length dress while they were in USA. He was so much in love with Michan that he followed her to USA and there he was like a hero to her. Fighting against naughty men who wanted to rope her on one festive night earned great friendship for him from her. Gradually, she accepted him as her boyfriend up until now.

Even though she accepted him, he still felt her heart was so strangely for from him. At one point he thought she was in love with Ginn but Danielle made him shrug that thought away.

"Davis!" The voice he loved so much that always succeeded to make his heart jolt echoed at his name making him forget what he was doing on the laptop. He stood up in haste and held her surveying if she was okay. Her beautiful face was sad to his displeasure. He realized she had a different color of cloth with her which was neither black nor grey; it was a white jean jacket but he decided to shrug the curiosity to his back of the mind and focused on her.

"Did he do anything to you? I won't spare him."

"Wait! It's okay it does not matter. He is just a fool that history repeated again." Michan spat out trying to hide the pain in her heart.

"Do you regret helping him?"

"No, Davis." That statement hurt him a little. "I did not do it for him. I did it for Ginna and that's why I do not regret doing what I did that day." Davis felt bad for her selflessness.

"But do you know what Davis, it's okay. It's just history repeating. Always and forever, he will choose Kristine over me."

"What!" An exclamation from the laptop made them realize that a third party had heard their conversation. Before Michan had entered the cabin, Davis was trying to connect a video call with Danielle. "Tell me quick, what that fool has done this time. I am going to break his limbs that it will take him years to recover." Danielle spat out her threat.

Michan tried coming her down but to no avail. She wanted nothing to do with them any longer.

"Danielle just let it be. I do not want anything to do with them so just let them be."

"No! I am coming now. I will be back by tomorrow so ensure to pick me up at the airport. Okay?" Danielle turned and ignored Michan's pleas and requested someone to book for her an early flight. "Christoff, please book me a flight back home."

"Okaay honey. I will book for you."

"Will you come with me? Or"

Christoff pecked her on the lips and smiled at her. "Why not? I am coming with you."

"Christoff, are you letting her come to do some chaos?" Christoff chuckled slightly and back hugged Danielle. "Yes. She always does the right thing.

"Christoff!" Michan yelled but to her dismay, he just ended the call leaving her hanging.

Once the call was ended, Danielle turned to Christoff with puppy eyes. "Are you serious you won't refuse me to do so?"

"I won't and in fact I must help you so you won't be reckless. First, you must make a plan."

"I agree. What should I do first?"

"We must check where that girl was for the past six months and why she came back? Because, she must have left knowing she won't lose anything but if she is back then something must be wrong."

"Kristine is materialistic."

"Then it must be about money and fame."

Christoff and Danielle discussed for a long time and made a full proof plan to pay Kristine a visit.

....

Davis took Michan to have lunch as they discussed the tourism problem solution that he had called her for. After a while of discussion, the issue was solved and they diverted to themselves but all he could feel was her withdrawal from the issue. She seemed distant to him as the topic of love was rather uninteresting to her.

"Will you go back?"

"No, not today at least."

It was only on the topic of Ginn did she become a bit active. She hurt him without even knowing nor noticing. He tried extending the conversation but she stopped him.

"Babe, am really exhausted so I am going to rest."

"Where will you go? You can come to my house if you do not mind." He requested but his hope was shattered.

Her phone rang and she picked it up before responding to him. "Mom, I will be there tomorrow with Danielle. I have to pick her up from the airport tomorrow. So, we will meet you together."

"Davis, you should not worry. I will go to the farm house. But thanks anyway. Love you, bye." She pecked him on the cheek and drove away in her black jeep.

.....

"Danie!" Michan called out to the beauty in grey skirt suit with doodles on the hem. To some reason of friendship, Danielle also dressed in colors that her friend chose; black or grey. Behind her came the trio band of other black clad girls and beside her moved Christoff in his white Armani suit rolling the suitcase behind him.

Danielle faked annoyance and did not wave back nor instigate a hug. Michan walked to her and instead hugged the trio girls and side hugged Christoff. She made sure to exclude Danielle from the greetings she made.

"Is that the way to welcome a sister who you haven't seen for six months?" Danielle had departed on the day of the wedding and hadn't returned until now.

Michan smile knowingly; she had won against her cunning friend.

"I thought you did not want to talk to me so I did as you wanted." Michan teased back. Danielle turned away and walked to the black jeep. "Let's go. Mom is waiting for us, right?"

They all chuckled to her actions and followed her out of the airport.

"I do not know what she wants to talk to me about. She only said she needs to talk to me about something." They went about talking about different things as they drove to the province in which Pranella was. On reaching, the glorious colours of pink-orange glows were hoisted up in the sky as the day was bidding farewell to the sun.

Michan ran out of the car and fell in her mother's embrace, she felt broken and her mother seemed to be the mender. Christoff parked the car well and followed all the ladies who were now in Pranella's embrace. They all loved her because she was more of a mother to all of them.

"Are you serious Mom?" Michan asked with a glint of happiness in her eyes. She nodded yes and earned a hug from Michan. Pranella had decided to get married to John Snyder. He has always loved her but she always sent him away.

A lot had happened in the previous months that connected the two and now they decided to get married. Michan had always prayed that her mother finds joy as well and now it had come true. Or maybe it was coming true.

John entered and earned a hug as well. "Thank you, Pap." She whispered to him and he embraced her tight. He whispered back. "No, my Princess. Thank you for taking care of her while I was not here."

That night Michan and John chatted about the childhood years until midnight forcing Pranella to send them to sleep by force. They begged her for one more hour but she did not but an ear until they were in bed.

"You have a lot to do tomorrow so you must sleep." John looked at her as she gave him a lecture and just stopped her with a sweet kiss. He pulled her made her sleep in his muscular chest. John was well built and structured that even a teenager would fall head over heels in love with him.

"Tomorrow we are jogging together, right?" he queried and she nodded then let herself to drift into slumber. "I love you." She spoke in a whisper enough for him to hear before she completely fell caged in sleep. He smiled satisfied and also followed suit to sleep.

Preparations went on for days and Michan returned to Kielen to work. As she stepped into her office, her eyes met with a familiar body shape. 'What is she doing here?' she thought to herself and walked in to behind her desk, settling in the black office chair.

"Christoff, have you found anything?" Danielle was turning impatient by every passing day. She wanted to destroy whatever plot Kristine had created.

"Honey, look, I found something but I do not know if it is helpful or essential for what we need." Danielle looked at the screen of the laptop and smiled satisfied making Christoff understand that what he found was very much essential.

"Let's meet up with future daddy to find out." Danielle had nicknamed John as 'future daddy' which he had no problem with.

"Danielle, I have something I need you to help me with. Let's meet up I need to make a decision and it's quite hard. If you support me, I will do it but if you don't, I swear I won't do it." Michan called Danielle and they met up in the barn at the farm house. It was one of their favourite spots to hung out. They always dressed in cowboy outfits just as now and were feeding the horses.

"Do you remember when we first bought these horses? They were so defiant and unruly; so hostile to say." Michan began. "But we got along gradually and understood that it was the fault of the previous owners and we shared our love with these horses and it turned out that they were the type we wanted."

Danielle stared at Michan as she spoke and realized it was leading to Ginn in some way. She sighed and fed the black stallion while caressing its mane with love.

"Say what you want to ask me. I know it's about Ginn so just fire away I see what my answer will be." Michan smiled sheepishly and walked to Danielle's side. Her smile faded and a sad face quickly took game. "I also don't want to go back but what Loisa said took me to be subject to my conscience."

"What are you trying to say? You want to go back, no. You won't."

"Danie look. Loisa said that Kristine came back for other selfish reason and will end up hurting Ginn. She told me that I should not leave Ginn with Kristine. She is going to use him and then destroy their family."

That caught Danielle off guard and turned to face Michan with a frown.

"Okay, you should go back but how will you stop her from doing what she wants when they do not even believe you."

"That's when you will help me. I will stall some time for you to expose her." Danielle thought for long and got an idea.

She kept thinking as she returned to Pranella's place. It was night already and she found everyone asleep apart from of course the motherly woman, Pranella. Pranella welcomed her and served her food then sent her to sleep.

In her bedroom, she sat on the bed after freshening up and slipping into her silk night gown. Staring at Christoff she smiled to herself and inwardly praised herself for finding a gem like him. He was so understanding, correcting and supportive. She loved him more than she thought she would.

"When are you going to stop looking at this hunk and sleep next to me? I already missed you enough." She smacked him playfully for teasing her as he caught her red-handed drooling over him. She puled her to himself and made her head rest on his broad chest.

"So, what was it about?" he queried calmly as she continued snuggling into him.

"She wants to go back. She also knows that Kristine has ulterior motives and it might hurt Ginn."

"Sometimes, I think your friend is in love with that guy. The Ginn guy!" Christoff pointed out earning a thoughtful look from Danielle. 'Can it be true?' she also wondered in her mind.

"Anyway, we have a new lead. Loisa, a friend to Kristine is the one who told Michan and requested her to stay by Ginn's side. We will communicate with her and see what we can get." They both agreed on it and slept.

'''''''

"Hmm. Mom what are you cooking that smells this good?" Ginn asked in ecstasy as he headed for the kitchen to begin his day with teasing his mother. The sight of whoever was in the kitchen caught him rooted to the ground. A smile crept onto his lips.