⟪⟪Lovers Under Cover ⟫⟫

Chapter 2

After 8 long hours in school, finally the trio, Ashley, Jacob and Nancy were walking to Nancy's house to visit her brother, Mark.

Nancy rang the doorbell and waited. Seconds later a blonde middle-aged lady opened the door and Nancy hugged her. "Hello, Mrs. Chantlet! Nice to meet you." said the other two, in unison. "Same here, Come in, dears. Hun, take them up to your room."

When they all entered the Chantlet siblings' shared room, they saw Mark lying on bed, wrapped in his blankets.

Ashley stifled a laugh and Mark turned towards them. "What? I'm down with a fever and you found it funny?" "No," Ashley snorted, "You just look like a burrito." "Seriously, Ash?!" replied an unamused Mark. "No, she's right, you do look like one," his sister commented between laughs. Mark rolled his eyes at her sister. The girls left after a small talk; Jacob was about to leave too but was stopped.
"Hey Jacob!"
"Hi," Jacob replied shyly.
"C'mere"

Jacob silently padded across the room and sat by the sick boy's waist and looked down at his own lap. Mark played with the mop of his messy curls.

"Hey," Mark cooed, "Won't you tell me about school?"
"Yeah, sure," Jacob looked at Mark and smiled bashfully and shied away.

They talked about school. Jacob almost fell on Mark with laughter talking about his classmate Noah who outwitted the English Teacher or about the hilarious fail to Amanda's attempt to flirt with the P.E. coach. He missed the fond stare of the sick boy in front of him admiring his smiles and laughs.

When he had calmed down, he began carding his fingers slowly through Mark's feathery dirty blonde hair. "How are ya feelin'?"

"Better, now that I'm talking and laughing with... you."
"Can't wait to have you back at school."
"Do you really miss me? You are always with the chatterbox."
"But you're my friend too," Jacob's voice came out as more of a question and he looked down.
"Your friend, yes, anytime." Mark assured almost whispering with a smile and caressing Jacob's thighs. That's when they heard the girls' voices downstairs. "Chatterboxes are here," Mark chuckled.

The girls had just now returned after skateboarding round the neighbourhood. Soon the door to Mark's room flung open.
"Damn! You'll break the door, sissy."
"Don't you dare call me that."
"Okay the food is here. Let's dig in." Ashley interrupted the short 'brother-sister bickering' as Mrs Chantlet brought in toast and tea for them.

At the mention of food, Mark jumped upright on bed. "Woah, woah calm down. Are you really sick? Or you faked it to get more attention from my mother?"
"Our mother. Damn autocorrect. Plus, not enough sick to be uninterested in food." All the four burst out laughing.

Now finally Jacob and Ashley were walking back home after four hours of group study and dinner at Nancy's house.

"Are you excited for tomorrow?"
"Yeah! He's joining back."
"Why do you care so much?"
"Huh?" Jacob breathed out
"Why do you care so much about 'im?" Ashley's voice was barely above whisper
"I don't know. I enjoy company." his voice low as well
"You like 'im?" Ashley stopped and turned towards the boy.
"I don't know."
"Hmm." Ashley agreed with a sigh and softly muttered, "You've changed."
Jacob didn't say anything and mouthed a little bye, to which she responded with a goodnight.

They entered their own respective mansion after a soft hug.

Both got ready in their own respective bedrooms in their family mansion. Both were preoccupied in their brain with their own thoughts. Both lay alone on their bed staring at the ceiling, last in their own world of thoughts and emotions. No one had to know them. Those were their own secrets. No one would ever know them. They won't tell anybody.

Ashley and Jacob shared everything with each other— good or bad. But this was something they'd never share.

Slowly both drifted to sleep oblivious of others.

In Chantlet house, the siblings drifted into sleep lost in their own thoughts.

Themoon shone brightly over the sleeping neighbourhood.