Forbidden Love of the Ballet Dancer and the Hockey Player

Chapter 3

Bae and Chalbi are training in karate. He notices she seems distant and isn't following through with her punches and kicks. Bae notices this started a couple of months after Gareth left. He punches her, and Charlbi falls on her butt to the ground.

He stands over his daughter and points to a chair on the patio. "I don't need you here if your mind isn't here. When practicing and using martial arts to defend yourself, you must remain focused. That is, unless you want to die. If you don't want to train, go inside the house. Do not waste my time.” Bae closes his eyes. "My daughter, you love that young man. Do you not?”

She looked across the yard. "Yes, Father, I love him. As much as I try not to, I can't help it. I know it's wrong. Please forgive me." Tears are running down her cheeks.

"There's no need to apologize for loving someone. Nor is it anything for me to forgive you for." He looks at her and sits back in the chair. "We can't help who we love. Gareth and your path are heading in different directions. Charlbi, your mother, and I are still waiting for you to tell us your plans after graduation. I'm pretty sure Gareth wasn't part of your plan. My dear, don't let anyone interfere with your plan, not even your mother and me. Gareth has always wanted to be a hockey player and own a company. So far, he's doing one out of two. In other words, he's living his dream. Make sure you live yours."

“I promise no one will come between my dreams.” Charlbi looks at her sister and her friends, walking into the house with bags from the mall. She doesn’t know why Nuala insists on hanging around those stuck-up jerks.

Bae looks at Nuala, concerned. “It's hard to believe how different you two are. Your sister scares your mother and me. She doesn't know what it’s like to be without money or to have real friends. Nuala spends all her allowances as soon as I give them to her, whereas you save yours. Those young ladies aren’t her friends. What would she do if something happened to me?" He looks at Charlbi. "Make me a promise to always look after my lost child and your mother.”

"Oh, Father, that is like asking me to quit dancing regarding Nuala. Something so hard to do. But I promise you I'll take care of them." Charlbi hugs her father. "Promise me you won't leave us anytime soon."

He hugs her." I will do my best to keep that promise, my daughter."

*****

Upstairs in Nuala's bedroom, she and her friends plan to sneak out of the house to go to a concert next Saturday that her parents have already forbidden her to attend.

Her friend Francesca tells Nuala that her cousin Basilio wants to meet her. He saw her at the mall a few weeks ago and inquired about her.

Nuala covers her mouth with a pillow and screams, then tells Francesa to arrange it.

Chelsea and Eleven are looking at each other, shaking their heads. They know that could mean trouble, and Mr. and Mrs. Phan aren't going to be happy about it or allow Nuala to associate with a man like that. Nuala is already in trouble because she lied about who Francesca is.

Francesca walks over to the window to see if Charlbi is still outside with her father. When she doesn't see her, she looks down the hall and walks over to close the door. A hand stops her from closing it. Francesa jumps, looking at Charlbi.

Charlbi looks her up and down. "Why are you so nervous? Do you have something to hide?"

Francesca repeatedly shakes her head. "No."

Charlbi stares at her for a few minutes, then glances at her sister. "Father said it's time for your so-called friends to leave. In other words, they don't have to go home but have to leave now. She looks back at Francesa and points at her. "It's something about you that rubs me the wrong way." Charlbi walks down the hall.

"Kung Fu girl scared the s**t out of me. She appeared out of nowhere. That's creepy." Francesca pats her chest, looking at Charlbi walking downstairs.

"Well then, don't get on her wrong side. I have warned you not to call my sister that," Nuala throws a pillow and hits Francesa in the face.

"That's what all the kids at school call her. Especially the guys she has turned down." Chelsea picks up her purse.

"True, but only when they're not calling her a stuck-up b***h," Eleven thinks.

Nuala is walking out the door. "If I'm not mistaken, they call your brother an ugly wonk. Do you hear me calling him that? Don't say anything about my Charlbi if you can't call her by her name. Besides, the guys at school are boys. My sister has her sights set on a rich, handsome man. I said a man, not a boy."

The three girls are looking at Nuala, shocked. They never thought Charlbi was interested in anything besides ballet and karate.

*****

The following day, Gareth woke up but didn't open his eyes when he felt two hands lying on each side of his chest. He's cussing to himself when he realizes what occurred last night between him, Elke, and Leni. He never meant for any of this to happen.

He slides their hands off him. Both women wake up looking at him, smiling. Gareth gets out of bed without saying a word.

Lena asks when they can see him again. He said, "Never," and walked out of the hotel room.

"That's what you think. " Elke looks at the door.

Gareth walks out of the hotel, gets in a taxi, and calls Andrea. Andrea laughs when he answers the phone and asks if he enjoyed himself. Gareth cusses him out and tells him to bring his damn car to his place.

The taxi driver looks at him through the rearview mirror. "Our friends can sometimes be our downfall."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Gareth looks out the window and remembers someone was taking pictures of them as they were leaving the club.

"f**k” he mumbles, thinking he must get his hands on those pictures before they get out. Then his mind went to Charlbi. He knows she keeps every magazine and newspaper article mentioning him because she told him she would a week before he left Montecito.

Gareth calls Rolf, his agent, telling him about last night. He doesn't care how much it costs to stop those pictures from leaking. He hangs up and mumbles, “My beautiful, sweet, innocent Charlbi. I hope you never find out about last night. It would kill me to hurt you.”

Andrea is standing beside the car in front of Gareth's condo. "Don't say you didn't have a good time. You can thank me later." He looked at Gareth, paying the driver.

The man looked at Gareth. "Remember my words, young man. I'm a lot older and wiser than you."

"Yes, sir, I will." Gareth looks at Andrea. "That was some foul-ass s**t you pulled last night as for thanking you. I should knock your damn head off. Give me my damn keys. I can't believe this s**t" He snatches the keys.

"Man, you need to get over that damn high school kid. Last night you were with grown-ass gorgeous women that fulfilled your damn needs. What can that young ass girl do for you?" Andrea walks to the opposite side of the car, ensuring something is between him and Gareth.

Gareth hit the hood of the car. "Love. Do you not realize there's more to life than s*x and drinking? Get the hell away from me. Why am I trying to explain this to you? I forgot who I was talking to. You sleep with a different woman every night. Andrea, I strongly suggest you keep your distance from me for a while."

Andrea looks at an angry man walking away and cussing. “Damn, try to do something nice for a person, and look at the gratitude I got.”

Gareth walks into the condo and throws his keys across the room. "f**k. Never again will I drink that damn much."

Rolf storms through the door without knocking or ringing the doorbell. "I had to pay the club owner a thousand damn dollars to pull the footage from last night. He said the photographer comes there regularly, but doesn't know his name. I'll go there tonight looking for him. I warned your ass about these damn clubs and gold diggers. The owner said the four women you and Andrea were with are also regulars, and he's pretty sure the five of them know each other. My friend, I believe you have been set up. I'm praying that you and that wild man wore condoms."

Gareth lowers his head, trying to recollect all the details from last night. He doesn't remember using condoms or seeing any evidence of any in the room.

"I'm screwed." Gareth lays his head back on the sofa and closes his eyes, thinking, "What might the press say about me? What if one of those women is pregnant or trying to blackmail me? Most importantly, what will Charlbi think of me? Damn it."

He takes his phone out of his pocket and texts someone. A few seconds later, his phone beeps, and he smiles while reading the text.

"I can't wait to see you too, kido. More than you know. I miss your beautiful smile." Gareth places his phone on the coffee table. "Rolf, I don't care how much I have to pay to get my hands on those damn pictures and negatives. Just get them." He hit the table with his fist.