When Love Returns | 2 ✔

Chapter 5

I realized who the rest of the people were. They were George, Charles, Valerie and Samantha. They looked better than I expected. Valerie and Samantha both had brown hair, the only difference was Valerie's was wavy and Samantha's was straight and looked less glowing. It looked like the kind of hair that had suffered being blown so much by the wind. She tucked it behind her ears repeatedly but it always found a way to cover parts of her face.

However, Samantha had a great skin. It was really smooth and graceful. Her red jumpsuit accentuated her evenly darkened skin and I realised it was what we referred to as a ‘tan’. She had green eyes. I knew that because they were sort of the exact same colour of the lettuce in my salad I ate during dinner. She also had full lips which were covered in red lipstick.

But she wasn't her usual bubbly self. From all of our previous times spent together, I perceived Samantha as an extrovert. However, she didn't talk much today but laughed a lot instead. Being a person with keen insights on moods, I knew she wasn't too happy.

Turning towards Valerie, I realized she had a very pale skin, it was just so white, I could see the veins outlined from afar off. She also had freckles on her shoulders which were visible above the off-shoulder gown she wore. I guessed it was nude coloured dress as it evoked her bare flesh in a decent way. It also rhymed with her lipstick and makeup. I found myself staring at her face many times, mesmerized by her subtle lipstick which contradicted her smoky eye makeup. Her eyes were so grey, they reminded me of stories of cats and how bold and scary their eyes were. In spite of that, I was in awe of her makeup.

I had to learn how to make up soon. That way, my mind could let go of the pain for sometime and focus on something. I mentally advised myself.

Nonetheless, both girls looked impeccable and I had a hard time comparing their beauties. They were both beautiful in different ways.

George and Charles on the other hand, were muscular but not too much. When I thought about Charles and his overly cheery attitude, I expected him to be gangly and ungraceful. I was shocked to realize the guy everyone seemed to tap on the head in between sentences for acting quite immature, was this well-built man. And to top it off, he was handsome in a typical highschool bad boy way. Except in this case, he looked older than the high school teen fiction books I read. But in his black jacket, skinny jeans and a V-neck shirt underneath and black boots, he was suave. He had the typical messy dark hair and brown eyes. I found it hysterical why someone as good-looking as this would freely let people smack him anyhow—I was no exception as I had hit him countless times when he made silly comments—Perhaps it was just the way he was. He never seriously complained though, so I guess a part of him enjoyed it.

Moreover, George had the same physique but slightly broader. His wrists down to his shoulders were hirsute. His eyes were also brown but a little bit brighter than Charles'. His voice still had that gruffiness that made him seem standoffish. His slightly golden hair was cut so low, I doubted he could hold a handful. He pulled off the long sleeved stripes dress shirt, rolled to his elbows, a pair of blue jeans and what I observed as a brown belt and matching boots.

If these were the kind of men in England, then I bet all the women over there were in it to lose their minds. They looked really good!

I had a great time conversing with them. Topics spilled on the table much to mum's vexation—they had no idea about mum's strict table manners—which were invincible tonight as she smiled a little and chatted amicably with them.

When it was time for them to leave, I became sad, dreading the upsurge of feelings. Being with them made me forget I was supposed to be unhappy. I had to hang out with them more if I wanted to be sane.

"Thank you so much for coming. I'm just so glad you all came." I expressed my gratitude as I saw them off to the door. My family, as well as Tess, Dan and Phillip, were busy arranging the table and cleaning the dishes.

"We're glad we that you're happy." said Samantha with a painful smile.

"Yeah! I know how it feels to lose a friend. You must be really sad. I know Jason will be missed." Chipped in Charles who was immediately elbowed by his girlfriend. He seemed to remember what he said and gritted his teeth. The others looked at him like he had said the worst thing ever. I wondered why. Looking back, I realized no one mentioned Jason nor talked about him the whole time.

"Why are you glaring at him like he said the worst thing ever?" Immediately, they switched their attention back to me while I waited for someone willing to speak. George sighed and broke the silence.

"We're sorry if what he said made you upset but your parents ordered us not to speak about Jason."

What the...? Why would my parents say that? Did the thought of Jason bring a sort of shame to them? No wonder I sensed traces of uneasiness, especially from Samantha.

What gave my parents the right to order them around like slaves to their wills?

"I... Well, we actually believed it was a terrific idea. We wanted you to be happy, if not for anything, for your sight. Bringing Jason up would be a sensitive topic which could have ruined your mood. Your parents wanted you to be happy even for those few hours. Please don't be mad at them." Valerie added when she sensed my features were changing to a raging blast mood.

"They love you. We all love you and want what's best for you. Please don't get this the wrong way. Your happiness is what we all thought of." Said Samantha. I only scoffed, gave them individual hugs of goodbye and shut the door behind them although I knew they wanted to apologize and understand my present emotion.

I wanted to scream. Who gave them all the right to dictate my feelings? I was not a freaking China doll that would shatter. They had to realize I was a woman capable of making my own decisions and mistakes. Jason would forever be a part of me and making me forget about him, most importantly, now when he just passed away was beyond dictatorial.

They needed to hear from me and I was more than willing to give them what they deserved.