Chapter 3. Not Intrested
Alongside her three companions, Eva savored her cookies and coffee in a cafe. Eva's father has insisted that she partake in a shopping expedition for herself, as she is preparing to embark on a six-month stay with the prestigious Smith family.
Eva was unwilling to go shopping because she did not share the same enthusiasm for clothes and jewelry as her friends. She doesn’t want to prove anything to anyone; she is very proud of her father’s money, which he earned with lots of hard work.
But at last, she had to give in to her father’s demands and buy some clothes. Her childhood friends Joey, Madison, and Sara were always ready to help.
As they were living in a small town, they didn’t have many options in hand, but they still bought the stuff from the local boutique stores. Eva was still very sensible while buying stuff for herself. She bought nothing over her budget, and they exhausted even her friends in persuading her.
After the so-called shopping spree, they enjoyed eating snacks. There are small cafes in that town, so they went to the famous one, holding shopping bags.
While sipping coffee, Joey asked Eva, “So where are you going to live?”
"A friend of my mother has settled in LA. I’m going to live with her family.’”
“We will miss you, Eva."
“I will miss you too, but it’s just a matter of six months, and we are going to keep in touch on the phone. I will call you all daily.
“Hmm. So what’s your aunt’s name?”
“Rose Smith; you know her family is very rich and famous.”
Madison, Joey and Sara halted enjoying the coffee and stared at Eva in astonishment
Eva was confused, looking at their actions
“Do you mean Smith—the Smith family of LA?"
“Maybe “
“What do you mean, maybe wait? " Sara opened her mobile and searched for the pictures that were published last night on the social sites. They were the party pictures; she clicked on one picture and showed it to Eva
“Is she your Rose Smith?"
“Hmm, yes, she is. I saw her five years ago when she visited us. I remember her as the one." Eva again continued to relish her coffee, but a loud squeal startled her as her friends were hugging each other. They started jumping up and down, and they were behaving insanely.
Even the customers sitting at other tables were gawking at them. Eva gave a sheepish smile to others and then held Madison
“Are you people mad? What are you doing?”
“Do you even know where you are going?”
“I believe; I just told you,
“Ooh my lucky Eva!, ooh my innocent baby.! You are going to live in the house of smiths, where... two Greek gods also live.”
“Oh my God, Eva, can I come with you? I just want to catch sight of him once, just once.
“Whom? Rose Smith?”
“No stupid… Stephen Smith and Steve Smith are the most handsome species of men. “
“Hmm, so?"
“So…. What do you mean by that? Aren’t you excited? Trust me Eva, if I had been in your place, then I must have died from excitement. ‘
Eva giggled at her comment. "Thank God that you are not the only one then."
They lost Sara in some other thoughts. She is the second sensible girl in this group, and of course, the first is Eva.
“Sara, why don’t you tell her?”
"Hmmm, Eva, they are right. The brothers are blessed with looks, personalities, and an abundance of money. I like them—I mean, like a celebrity crush—but there is one more aspect: “
“And what is that?’
“As far as I read, Steve Smith is an affable man, party person, always in news for dating different women celebrities like some model or some heiress of rich business houses.
.. and that Stephen Smith is a very strict man; you know, a news article also reported that he hates attending parties to such an extent that before entering the party he used to set a timer in his mobile. "
“What timer?”
“The time he is going to spend at the party. I mean the waste of time from his point of view. He is not involved in any romantic relationship, yet it is a little surprising.”
“Oh yes, I remember What is the name of your idol chef, Eva? “
“Richard Paul"
‘’ Yes, I think Stephen and Richard know each other. I have seen many pictures of them posing for several parties, and they were around each other.” Joey was eager to put her point of view
Eva’s eyes twinkled in hope, as maybe she could meet her inspiration—her idol. She has read every book he has published and used to watch him demonstrate his recipes.
“But how can they be friends? How can they be friends, considering that we know Stephen Smith for his cold behavior, while we all know Richard Paul as a sweet person? And look at the only similarity—they're both single.”
The clever minds that were united started churning as they listened to Madison, and soon they announced the new verdict.
“Are they gay? “the three asserted in unison.
Eva kept sipping her coffee.
The three again started talking about how much it hurts when a man like Stephen is gay
Eva was not interested in this foolish conversation. Joey, who was mourning over her recent heartbreak, stared at Eva, who was busy munching the chocolate cookies.
“What are you thinking? “
"These cookies are not perfect, you know. I think the cook missed something while making this.”
Listening to her comment, the three pairs of eyes were glaring at her in surprise
“Woah! Look at her here. We are discussing such an important topic, and she is busy judging the cookies. Don’t you feel disheartened by the possibility that Richard Paul is gay, and my Stephen too?
Eva had a smile on her face, and she answered confidently, "No, and why does it matter to me? Mr. Paul is my inspiration and idol. I have huge respect for him, as he is excellent at his work, but he is not my crush—not even that man. What was his name? Yes, Stephen."
.
"So you mean you are not even interested in them?"
“Nope, I am going to LA for that course, and it’s just dad’s wish that I should stay with Smith’s family, so I am just following his wish , and above all, this love, crush, and heartbreak are just a waste of time for me.”
"So, dear girls, sorry to say but I am not ready to invest myself emotionally in something silly like these. " Eva made her point very clear to her friends
The three friends kept gawking at her with their mouths hung open, whereas Eva again got busy with her snack, or better say, judging the snacks. The three friends just shrugged their shoulders and started enjoying the snacks.
The same Eva felt some wetness on her foot. It was more like someone was touching her foot with a tongue. She looked down and the scene in front made her scream in fear. Her body started trembling in anxiety.
The other three also looked at the tiny creature. It was a lovely puppy. Puppy for Eva’s friend, but for her, it was something else... Eva is suffering from Cynophobia, which is an extreme fear of dogs.
Without wasting time, Eva started running here and there.
The puppy thought Eva wanted to play, so the little creature started following her, barking in between the runs.
Eva looked around and found the puppy running behind her so she quickly exited the cafe and started running on the road to save her life from the puppy, as she was sure that the puppy was going to kill her
Joey, Madison and Sara were used to see her behaving like this and panicked when they saw her running on the road too carelessly so they also started running behind her holding shopping bags, which Eva left behind, calling her name to stop
The only waiter in the small cafe spotted the girls fleeing without paying the bill. He also started chasing them.
The little puppy was enjoying this game, which kept Eva colliding with everything that was coming between her paths.
The waiter got a hold of Sara. She paid the bill instantly and again began running behind her friends. Eva was worn out from running so much, but to her misery, whenever she looked around, she found the tiny creature behind her.
Suddenly she bumped into someone, and when she saw the face of the person, a smile spread on her lips. She hugged him tightly, as if it were her dad.
“Dad, please save me from this...'
Michael looked behind her and found the puppy. Joey, who was following her, took hold of the puppy, whereas Madison and Sara were also standing beside her, trying to catch their breath.
“Eva, it’s ok, dear; see, I am here with you. You are going to be fine, “he started saying sweet things to her, and soon Eva regained her normal breathing.
Eva’s friends were witnessing the bond and affection between the father and daughter. They know how much Eva loves her father; they still couldn’t believe that Eva was going to stay away from her dad for six months.
When Eva was five years old, street dogs attacked her.
People who were present in the park saved Eva.
That time she got injured badly; however, her wounds healed with time, but it had a tremendous impact on Eva’s mind.
From that day onward, Eva developed cynophobia and felt scared at the sight of dogs too.
Michael tried to help her, but she couldn’t control her anxiety whenever she found dogs near her.
Michael reached home with a tired Eva by his side, as so much running made her exhausted. After dinner, they started with their packing, and while Eva was packing her bag, a loud voice startled her. It was her friends who were standing with more bags in their hands.
“What are you doing here, and what are these?
“They are some of our designer dresses. You are going to live with Smiths; if they take you to attend a party or an event, then these dresses will...“
"Wait, I think you all are really obsessed with this Smith family. Why the hell will I attend their business parties or events? Listen, I am just going to stay in their house... That’s all ok.
Joey and Madison just shrugged their shoulders at this statement by their stupid friend. They both looked at Sara for help and she took the charge
“Fine, you will go nowhere, we know, but for our friendship's sake, please keep these dresses. “
"Okay, “Eva got along with them unwillingly
Joey asked Eva a little hesitantly, “Eva, I need a favor from you. I mean, whenever you meet my love, Stephen, can you please touch his biceps and tell me if it’s real or not?”
Eva raised an eyebrow at her and then giggled at her thought; the other two also joined them. ‘
Eva hugged Joey. “I miss you all so much. “
All of them shared a group hug, and their friends left for their own homes, not before helping her pack.
The next morning, Eva started her journey with her father. They were going to the New York airport, and from there they will part ways. Eva will start for LA, and Michael will start for the site location.
On reaching the New York airport, Eva kept herself close to her dad. It was very hard for her to leave his dad, and Michael was going through the same emotions.
“Don’t be sad, dear; six months will pass before you even know, and I trust Rose with you, and you will enjoy being in their house. Rose will take excellent care of you.
But if you have any problem adjusting there, call me. I will try to make some other arrangements. Oh, I forgot to tell you that there is a network unavailable at that place, so maybe you cannot connect to the call. “
“Then what will we do, dad? I want to talk to you daily.”
Michael smiled at her. " I want that; don’t worry, I will call you whenever I come to a nearby town.“
“Okay “
The flight announcement for New York was soon heard by them. Eva couldn’t control more, and she hugged her dad, sobbing badly. Michael was in tears too, but he had to keep himself strong for his daughter.
"I will miss you, dad.”
“I will miss you too; don’t worry, I will come soon to pick you up. Okay, now no more crying
“You have the contact number of Rose and the address too. I know she will wait for you at the airport, but if you can't find her there, then call her okay. “
“Dad, take care of yourself and don’t overexert yourself."
“I will now go.“
Eva hugged her dad once more, and soon she entered the fight.
Little did she know she was going to meet someone who would get so smitten with her he will not let her go anywhere