The Girl in a White Dress

Chappie 7

Tuesday, 4:45 pm...

Christian's POV

     She's lost in the song as she closed her eyes, belting out the lyrics of 'Love on the Brain'. Right there on the little stage of a retro-themed diner, she looked at home, and weirdly enough, watching her made feel at home too. What is this woman doing to me?

        I masked my emotions when I saw her coming towards me.

        "What are you doing here?" She asked, curiosity dripping from her voice.

        "A friend informed me that you're here. I know you don't drive, and since this is on my way home, I decided to just come pick you up. No point in paying for cab ride if we're both going home at the same time," I told Candice, not giving any hint of whatever she's making me feel.

        "Yeah that makes sense. I'll just go get my things," She said with a small smile playing on her lips.

Dinner...

        "Do you sing there everyday?" I started the conversation for the first time.

        Surprise flashed in Candice's eyes for a moment. "No. Only Tuesdays and Fridays. The owner knew me since I was little, and he insisted that I sing for the patrons...bring a little life into the old diner," she smiled.

        I nodded and left the conversation at that.

Wednesday, 9:30 am...

        I just got a call from Dad. They said that they'll be staying at our house for today and tomorrow because there's a convention here. Our house is closer to the convention so it's more convenient to  stay at our place. 

        That's quite a problem because they think Candice and I sleep in the same room. I guess it's time for a room mate. 

        I tried to contact Candice, but she wasn't answering her phone. Seriously, I think her phone is useless. Well, it's okay. I don't mind visiting her studio anyway.

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        I went straight to the room where I first saw Candice play the piano, but she wasn't there. Instead of asking the girl at the front desk where Candice is, I just tried to look for her on my own. That way, I can also explore her studio.

        Minutes later, I found her standing in front of a group of people, mostly children. She looked like she was giving a welcoming address. 

Ring...ring...ring

        "Christian, we'll be arriving by dinner time. Please make sure that our rooms are ready by then," my dad said rather quickly. "Sorry for the lack of greeting; I'm kind of in a hurry. That'd be all, goodbye."

        I guess someone's in a rush. That phone call reminded me of why I'm here. I scanned the room, but she's not there anymore.

        After a minute of searching, I saw her sitting at a bench just outside her studio. She's staring at the bouquet of flowers in her hands. Red rotten roses to be exact.

        "Hey," she looked at me and gave me a small smile. "What are those?" I asked while sitting next to her.

        "Oh, these are nothing. They're just trash. What brings you here?" she asked.

        "Mom and Dad called. They'll be staying at our house, so that means all your things should be in my room by then because they think that we share a room."

     Her eyes grew big, and said, "Um is that really necessary? I mean they don't have to know that we sleep separately. It's not like they're gonna check up on us, right?"

     She's right, but I'd rather have her move into my room just to be sure. Excuses. You just want her to be closer. Ignoring, the truth behind that thought, I insisted that she just move in.    

     She sighed and said, "Okay...I'll just go home early to fix everything up," She got up and tossed the roses into the nearby trash bin.