A Stranger To Him

Fifty-six, Yelling reveals dangerous secrets

"Thanks again for the paintings, Caine. You really didn't need to buy them as a Christmas present for me, you know. I love them, but they're way too expensive, and you know how I think about expensive gifts." I say, recognizing the street when Caine turns left. We're close to Cameron and Jacksons' house. We're hanging out there tonight because their parents are gone for a business deal. Their parents are away a lot, which is why we usually hang out at their place.

We have the whole place for ourselves, and even if their parents are home, we can still be loud without them hearing because their house is so big. 

"Stop saying you didn't deserve it and take the fucking gift, Mia. I'm dead serious when I tell you to don't worry about it. Let me spoil you for once." Caine says, sighing deeply before parking the car in the driveway. I smile softly as I gather my belongings, and get out of the car. I'm wearing a pair of black leggings and a dark blue oversized sweater to keep me warm and comfortable. 

Before we drove here, we stopped at Caine's house to change clothes and drop off the paintings. Caine said he would bring the paintings to my house tomorrow along with the other stuff I left at his place, which is mostly clothes. I always leave some clothes at his house for when I have an unplanned sleepover there

"This gift was also kind of a reminder to get you to paint again," Caine says, smiling softly as his hand searches for mine and grabs it. He intertwines our fingers and slides a dangling lock of my hair behind my ear. 

"I haven't painted in a long time, that's true. Every time I want to draw or paint something I never know what to paint or draw, and my creativeness is kind of lost right now. Besides, I also don't have a lot of time due to school and you." I explain, shrugging my shoulder.

"What do you mean "due to you". It's not like I take all of your time away." Caine says, frowning his eyebrows confusedly. 

"You need and ask for a lot of attention, which I don't mind giving at all." I joke, a playful smile tucking the corner of my lips. Caine sighs deeply and rolls his eyes before saying "that's not true." in a hushed tone. 

"Are you going to keep standing there forever or are you coming in? The cake is almost ready, but I need Mia's help with the frosting. I'm going to need to steal her from you for a while." Emily says, opening the front door all of the sudden. I shoot her a confused face before entering the big mansion. 

"I saw your car in the driveway, and I assumed you might want to be let in," Emily says when she notices my confused look. I nod in agreement and take off my jacket. The smell of a freshly baked cake reaches my nose, making me hum in satisfaction before walking to the kitchen. 

I frown when I notice the muffled yelling from upstairs, making me turn around to shoot Emily a questioning look. The yelling sounds pretty angry and there seem to be more people yelling at the same time. It's like there's a fight going on upstairs. 

Caine shoots a confused look at the staircase before taking off his jacket and running upstairs. I raise my eyebrows and continue my way to the kitchen, wondering where all the yelling comes from. 

"Yeah, I know. I got here half an hour ago because I wanted to make the cake before the movie and all the presents. The boys were already here, except for Caine of course. I was using the kitchen when someone knocked on the door. I wanted to open the door, but Ryan told me to stay in the kitchen before he rushed off to open the door." She explains, checking the oven to see if the cake is going well. 

"I heard some unfamiliar voices in the hall before all the boys disappeared upstairs. The yelling started around fifteen minutes ago, and it hasn't stopped ever since. I stayed in the kitchen for the rest of the time, but I wonder if I shouldn't go upstairs to help stop the fight." She continues, taking the cake out of the oven when the timer goes off.