The Story Of An Anonymous Girl ✔

Chapter 44

OLIVER

"You look beautiful, Mia." Luke says, and I realise that I have been staring at her and haven't said anything.

She scans me for less than ten seconds and moves back to Luke, saying, "Thank you, dad."

"Bring her home before ten, Oliver." Luke says commandingly.

I am about to become a stuttering mess, but Mia swoops in to save me and says, "Dad, both of us know that we have school tomorrow, and I'll be home by ten."

"Good." Luke says and kisses her forehead. All this while Theresa is staring at them. She looks like she is about to bawl her eyes out any moment now.

Mia notices it and questions, "Mom, why are you crying?"

"They are happy tears, Mia." Theresa says while caressing Mia's cheek with her long slender fingers. She doesn't say anything and hugs Theresa.

If Mia wouldn't have told me about Luke being her stepdad, I don't think I would have ever been able to guess it. Luke has blonde hair and is quite tall. Theresa has blue eyes and is at least a five-point five. Mia and Theresa's body shape is almost similar.

Once she pulls away from Theresa, she looks at Luke and me, she groans. She says, "Pops, not you too."

"What, my daughter's grown up, and I'm not allowed to cry happily for a bit?" Luke asks rhetorically, smiling.

She facepalms herself and says, "I am only seventeen, pops."

"Yeah, which means you'll be an adult next year, in January." Luke replies, and lips almost twitch up into a smirk.

"Anyways, bye." Mia says.

"Mia, aren't you taking your phone with you?" Luke asks.

"Oh, shoot, I left it on charge along with my clutch in my room. Oliver, please wait for a minute." She states.

I eventually speak, "No problem."

Mia tries to climb the stairs swiftly but almost crashes. She takes a slower approach this time and manages to get to her room.

Once she opens the room to her door, I notice that Theresa is no longer there, and Luke is sitting on the couch, deep in thought.

"What happened, Luke?"

He snaps his head towards me and says, "Nothing. Nothing, just thinking about stuff."

"What stuff?"

"How long it's been since I saw them for the first time."

"Theresa and Mia?"

"Yeah."

"When did you first see them?"

"When Mia was in Year 6. The sweetest little girl I had ever seen, who loved to cook and bake but wouldn't ever speak to me and always had a panic attack when anyone called her by her name."

"Do you know why she has them?"

"No."

"You know, she looks somewhat like you."

"I know, but she has all the characteristic traits of Theresa."

"I don't think so. Theresa is easy-going. You are the control freak, Luke." I say, earning myself a playful jab on the shoulder.

"Ow. You both love hitting me." I say, feigning hurt while rubbing my shoulder.

"Mia hit you?" Luke asks, baffled.