JUST FOR YOU

《6》Double Date.

We made our way out of the hostel complex with him leading the way. Then we arrived at a black Mercedes-Benz. I thought to myself; these Uber drivers keep upgrading their cars, but as we got closer, I noticed there was no one in the driver's seat.

Hmmm, strange. I noted. Maybe it was one of those self-driving cars.

Ha-ha. Very funny. Self-driving cars in what country?

He opened the front passenger's door for me and gestured for me to get in. I did, and he went to the driver's side and got in. "Meet Umar and Miriam." He looked towards the back seat.

Umar, and who??!! The shocked expression on my face couldn't be mistaken for anything else. I didn't even notice them when I entered, and they didn't say anything. Thank God, I didn't do anything embarrassing like fart or pick my nose. I turned to face them. "I am so sorry. I didn't notice you guys when I got in. Nice to meet you guys." I smiled at them.

That explained the voices I heard earlier.

Umar smiled warmly. "I'm Umar, and this is my girlfriend, Miriam." His northern accent was heavily laced in his voice.

"Hi." Miriam spoke quietly, as if she didn't approve of me.

I smiled back at them. "I'm Janette. You're very pretty, Miriam." I complimented her. She was actually very pretty, or maybe it was the makeup.

Her face lit up, and she smiled. "Thank you." She replied and pinched Umar's hand. Maybe he didn't compliment her when she got dressed.

"So, you are the Janette my friend couldn't stop talking about. He's totally in love. I get why he couldn't stop talking now; you are beautiful." Umar jested, and I blushed.

"Oh my, thank you so much." I replied shyly, looking at Vincent through the corner of my eyes.

"But seriously, he wouldn't stop..." Umar continued, but was interrupted by Vincent.

"Thank you, Umar. It's okay. I think she's heard enough." Vincent quipped, shutting him up immediately. He put the gear in drive and off we were out of the hostel complex and not long after, out the school's gate. Umar and Miriam were involved in their own worlds while I looked outside, taking in the beautiful scenery of the city, and Vincent focused on the road.

There were moments I caught him staring at me; I didn't mind, obviously. I loved that he had been talking about me and was intrigued by me. It made me like him more. Minutes later, we arrived at an eatery. I was glad it wasn't a long drive because my stomach was already beginning to embarrass me. We all ordered our food and started eating.

"Why don't we go to the beach and then see the movie later? What do you think, Janette?" Miriam asked, peering at me, as if she was expecting me to object.

"That sounds nice, but I'm not dressed to go to the beach." I answered quickly, hoping she would not press the matter anymore. I didn't want to go to the beach. I just wanted to see the movie and get back to the hostel before nightfall. Being outside for too long wasn't my forte.

"Vincent, wouldn't you love to go to the beach?" Miriam asked him, hoping to hear a more positive response from him. I sat where I was hoping I had telepathy so I could use it to tell Vincent to say no.

"I would absolutely love to. What about you, Umar?" Vincent agreed. I inwardly facepalmed myself. Seriously, couldn't Vincent disagree? I glared at him.

"Actually, Miriam and I planned it. So, I'm definitely down to go." Umar answered.

"And Janette, don't worry, we could stop by the mall and get a beach outfit. I don't have anything to wear either." Said Miriam.