Secret Rendezvous

AGREEMENT

[Stormes' POV]

TWO WEEKS AGO . . .

“Son, you need to come home,” My father’s voice sounded weary, different from his normal authoritative voice.

“Come home? You’re kidding, right? After you threw me out like I was not your son, you will tell me to come home? No, Dad! I’m fine here . . . alone. Besides, it would be awkward seeing you every day. I lived for nine years on my own . . . away from you,” I exclaimed.

“Please, come home. Your grandfather is sick, and the hotel is on the verge of bankruptcy,” my father pleaded.

“Bankruptcy? How did that happen?” I asked.

“I screwed up, okay? Big time! I invested an enormous amount of money into this stock, but it turned out that it’s a pyramid scam!” my father explained.

“You lost millions, didn’t you?” he asked.

“Yes, I lost everything! You’re my last card to pick us up from the swamps. If not, we are losing the hotel, the penthouse, and the restaurant. Everything Devin We will lose everything.”

“So, Dad, you mean? Y-you need me after all?”

“Don’t be sarcastic, Devin Storme. It’s for your own good why you’re there.”

“For my good or the Almeda’s paid or bribe you to send me away. Am I right, Dad?” I questioned my father accusatively.

“What about a sports car and your own penthouse unit? Your own place in the hotel? I can give you the suite. I’ll give you everything you want as soon as we get this investment.”

“Huh! So, y-you badly need me? Is it time for the w-wedding?” I grunted irritably.

“Son, please! Stop your sarcasm.” I heard mom on the line.

“Fine! You have it all planned out. Use grandpas’ health condition to make me come home and leave me without a choice. So, what would you like me to do, Dad?”

“Y-you n-need to be c-close to h-her,” my father stuttered.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! No way, Dad!” He scowled at his father defiantly.

“We don’t have a choice, Devin. You are to marry her.”

“I don’t have a choice to marry the woman I like because you already have it all figured out.”

“Son, you only need to marry her. The wedding will not be here, it will be in Las Vegas. A year from now.”

“In Las Vegas, a year from now? I can’t believe Mom . . . Dad . . .Y-y-you have it all planned out?” I stuttered in anger.

Great, just great! I don’t get to choose where I want my wedding to be. I want to marry my Princess in the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, not in Las Vegas, where everything is about gambling. I wanted our wedding to be solemn. I’ll only marry once and I would like it to be memorable, but it seems to be not happening.

“The wedding would seal the deal. Divorce her after. If Almeda gains the other five percent remaining stocks, we will lose our company. Summer has thirty percent stocks. Marrying her secures your position in the company. She will leave for Barcelona after college. Son, she has no interest in her parents’ wealth and that will be your advantage. Summer’s parents will entrust you with her properties. Are you listening to me, Devin?”

I wanted to hang up the phone. I can longer bear to hear what mom is telling me. Everything is all about money. I hated Summer, but I can’t bear to fool her. I loved her once before. When I saw her with Red, I knew I was still in love with Sunshine.

“Enough mom, I get it. I have one condition. You are not to meddle with my engagement. Allow me to do it on my own.”

“Okay, but if things go wrong, we can’t do anything about it. I am booking your flight. You need to be home before school starts.”

I don’t have a choice now but to go home and wait until she turns eighteen, and we get married. I oppose the idea, but this is the only way to save my family business from going downhill. I know how powerful the Sy and the Almeda’s are. Fidel Almeda is one of the ruthless tycoons. He takes what he likes, and he gets what he wants. No wonder Summer followed in his footsteps. She’s still young, but she’s already showing aristocracy.

“Mom, what will happen if I back out of the agreement?”

“You can’t back out. The agreement is legal and your father already signed. Do you want him to end up in jail, Devin?”

I hated Dad for exiling me to California, but I can’t bear to see him suffering behind bars.

“What about my studies, Mom? I only have a semester left before graduating.”

“Your Aunt Carey helped us. All you have to do is hop on the plane. You are taking Hotel and Restaurant Management at Elizabeth Almeda University where she’s studying college. Do your best to win her over. Devin, listen to me! Be close to her and get married before she leaves the country. Do you understand?” my mom replied.

“What do you mean she’s leaving, mom?” he asked.

“Your Aunt Carey told me. She’s going to be an exchange student in New York,” his mom stated.

“Exchange student in New York? Isn’t she going to Barcelona? I come home and she leaves?”

“Yes, Barcelona, but that's after college. She’s flying to New York sometime this year. She’s also in a band and I heard dating the guy Jared. Carey sees them together on the campus all the time. You better snatch her back son if not, we will lose everything.”

“Oh, for heaven sakes! Mom, why do you gossip about her life?” he asked.

“Of course, why not? I need to know the whereabouts and everything that concerns my future daughter-in-law.”

“Just a heads up mother, don’t expect me to be nice to her.”

“You don’t have a choice, son. You need to be nice to her.”

“When do I leave?”

“Your flight is tomorrow,” my father replied.

“Dad! That's ain't happening. I have to bid farewell to my friends. I’m on a road trip right now. How am I supposed to say goodbye to them? They are my family. I can’t leave just like that.”

“Okay, you decide when to fly in. I will cancel the reservation but make sure you will be here by the end of May. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Dad.”

I have to leave Zedrick in New Mexico and catch a flight back to San Francisco. I booked a flight back to Masbate the day after. I could bid farewell to my friends. I almost did not make it because of the delayed flight to Narita airport. Luckily, I made it at the knick of time. It was the last day of college enrollment. Mother told me everything crisp. But she didn’t tell me, I have to stand in line to complete my registration.

Bummer! Perfect timing I met the girl that I needed to please according to my parents. I need to be nice to her. She looks so innocent, not so attractive, but has an angelic face. Imagined Sunshine to fair skin, but she’s tawny than I expected. Then, suddenly, she cuts in line. I got so annoyed that I wanted to strangle her.

But it seems she’s popular in the university. Sunshine made me a laughingstock on the campus in seconds. When I saw her, I got excited. But she did not recognize me. I chased after her until I agreed to her silly demands. I hated her. She hated me too. Our feelings are mutual. How will I be able to be close to her like how my parents wanted me to be?

I can’t stand her attitude. Whenever I say a word, she rants back ten thousand times.

But when I saw her with Red the way they held hands, I felt pain. I should be the man beside her. I should be the one holding her hands. I know it won’t be easy, but I need to sacrifice for my family. My freedom is at stake. Even worse. He needs to force himself to like her.

“I have to marry someone I hated the most to save our business.”

#

AT DHRIMS' MUSIC STUDIO . . .

I lost my deep thinking of Sunshine when Dhrim beat me with a drumstick.

“Hey! Why do you hit me?” I turned around to find out it wasn’t Dhrim, but Summer.

“You are sitting on my stool. Get out of the way!” Summer yelled at referring to her black rounded leather chair by the drum sets.

“As far as I know, this is not your house. This is Dhrim’s house, so you can’t boss me around,” I explained.

“Oh, as far as I know, I own this music room because my father is renting out this studio for me,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“What? Why don’t you have your own music room in your house?” I asked.

“Why are you asking too many questions again?”

“Snow doesn’t like Summer bringing her friends over to their house,” Dhrim stated.

“Dhrim, how many times will I have to tell you? We can’t talk about Snow here.”

“What’s wrong with talking about Snow here?”

“No one on the campus knows we are twins or relatives except Dhrim.”

“Why Dhrim knows about Snow and not your friends?”

“Because he is Snow’s boyfriend.”

“Oh, can you be my girlfriend?” I asked.

“Over my dead body, Devin Storme! Never!”

“Beshie, I can hear you screaming from the outside of this room. What is wrong with you?”

“Because . . . because . . . never mind. Dhrim let’s practice!” she said changing the topic.

“What song should we play?” Dhrim asked.

“214 by Rivermaya,” said Bren, who is already strumming his electric guitar.

“Sounds good to me!”

“Beb, why don’t we try something jazz.”

“Like what?” I asked while pushing Storme out of the stool.

“Lady Antebellum?” Bren answered.

“You are moving your ass out of my stool or you will go home bruised into pieces!”

“Why are you so mean to me? What did I do to you, Summer?” he asked me irritatingly.

“You did so much to me, I can’t bear to see your face. You’re disgusting! I hate seeing you around Storme. Get out of here! Go home! You don’t belong in our circle.”

“Skye, relax. Stop your sassiness, will you?”

“Whatever, Dhrim! You let him out of here or I’m leaving.”

“Skye, I said stop! You can’t make him leave because he’s part of our band. He will be our new keyboardist.”

“What do you mean, the new keyboardist? Why can’t you play the keyboard?”

“Because from now on I will only be on vocals.”

“Wow! Wow, just wow Dhrim! You decide for The Halo without consulting us?”

“The boys agreed, so I didn’t see a problem,” he went to the keyboard and grabbed the microphone.

“What about me? Am I not part of this band? What about my opinion?”

“Skye, we already know you dislike Storme. Even if we ask your opinion or hear out your concern. You will still disagree with the idea,” Dhrim explained, turning on the mic.

“Beb, why don’t we give Storme a chance. We can make him play, and if it passes your standards, then he’s officially in. What you think?” asked Red, putting his arms around Summer’s shoulder.

I am not liking what I am seeing but I have to show her I am not affected even though it’s killing me. I know Summer is toying with me with my feelings for her. I never wanted to feel this way. I never expected to fall for her over again. It’s only been days and I shouldn’t be feeling this way, but why do I feel this excruciating pain inside me.

I started playing Need You Now by Lady Antebellum. I steal a glance at her. I can see from the corner of my eyes that she is in awe. I wanted to sing the song, but I decided not to. I recalled the purpose of brainwashing Dhrim to make me part of the Halo band. I need a reason to be always around her. Like what mom said, I need to be close to her. I can’t make her fall for me if I will be distant from her.

It seems things are going as planned. First, I need to get rid of Red before it’s too late.

“Okay! You’re in,” after saying those words. She grabbed her backpack and left the room.

“Where are you going, Skye? We did not play around yet?”

“Let’s end this session today. I need to go to my sanctuary. See you guys tomorrow!”

I was expecting she would call her driver, but she hopped in on a red Ducati SuperSports S motorbike. In a millisecond she was wearing her helmet, turned the engine into an uproar, and left. She’s gone like a thunderbolt. I guess I have to do research about her, as my mother said.

“Hey, guys! Do you know where the sanctuary that Summer was talking about?”

“Almeda rooftop, but you can’t go there. Skylene Summer is the only one who has access to the rooftop. It’s her private place. Please, stay away from her for now, Storme. We don’t want our friend to be missing in action again,” Nadine explained.

“The—the motorbike? Was it a Ducati SuperSports S?”

“Yeah! Skye is the only one who owns one in our province. That’s her baby, so don’t dare touch it! And Storme, dude, only Red can drive that bike other than her and no else.”

“Red, are you sure you and Summer? You know?”

“Storme, don’t worry! You’re free to court Summer. I am a brother zone to her. I don’t stand a chance.”