*Chloe Armel*

I reach home at around 7 pm because of tuitions. Actually this is the reason that I say to my parents but after school I go to a tuition which is only till 5 pm and the rest 2 hours I come to this riverside area to view the sunset.

I have never been good at descriptions, but still, there is a long river which is covered with tress on one side. On the opposite bank is a large area filled with different varieties of flowers. There are roses of varying kind and daffodils. There are also other species of flowers but I don't know them as I have never been to the other side.

We can also have a beautiful view of the setting sun in the evening which I love to see. In fact it is the best part of this place. After about 8 pm the sky gets filled with stars and the beautiful moon shining above makes the river look extremely captivating and eye catching. It looks like the moon is dancing in the midst of the river.

A cool breeze generally blows here and no sound can be heard here, except the sound of some night insects and birds.

The atmosphere is even better after nine, but I am unable to come here all the time at around nine, especially when my parents are home.

It is only when my parents are not home and I do not have much assignments to do that I come after nine. During other situations I prefer the evening view and the sunset.

I might not be able to describe the scene but to be true no words can actually describe the beauty of this place. I was first brought to this place by Emma, my Best Friend since kindergarten school. 

Since then I had started to come to this place to get rid of the loneliness that I felt after God took away my only friend away from me.... I think it was then that I first found my Faith in God shaking.

This place has a lot of memories. And unfortunately enough it is also the place where everything else that ever happened to me, my dark past started.

Only a few people know about this place and those who do rarely come as it is far away from the main town, and therefore maximum times I find myself all alone here. This place is also not easily approachable as it is hidden behind a dense forest, which you can cross only if you know the exact path, in other situations a person might even get lost in the density of the forest.

I visit this place frequently as it has been there to soothe me in my most difficult predicaments. This place makes me feel closer to nature and God, irrespective of whatever it holds for me. So whenever I feel my faith in God dwindling I make sure to visit this place to restore it, by remembering how it was only God who was there with me in most difficult situations, in my ups and downs, how he never left me.

Though, irrespective of all my faith keeps decreasing each time he fails to answer my call....

I don't know why but the tiny fragmented pieces of my heart believe that one day I will regain all my faith, my dignity and my self-respect in the same place where I lost them all. It believes that PAST REPEATS ITSELF, and this time when it will repeat itself it will either destroy me completely or reawaken everything that is DEAD within me...

Not every day do I come here but still most of the time when I am free I do come. There is also a small boat which takes us to the other side of the river, but unfortunately I have never been to the other side because of the lack of a person who could row a boat. I have brought some of my favorite people to this spot but none knew how to row a boat, and none stayed for long enough to help me fulfill my wish.

>>||<<

I was lost in my own little world when suddenly I realized that I have not yet completed my notes and my deadline is tomorrow. I hurry towards where my car is parked and sitting in the driver seat, drive to my house.

As soon as I reach home I park the car in front of my house and run towards Valentino's house which is just opposite to that of mine. I ring the doorbell and wait for almost a minute. I lack patience—seriously who can wait?? 

Don't know about others but I seriously can't!! I was about to ring the bell once again or else turn and walk back to my house when all of a sudden the door opened.

"Hey!! Valen......" I thought that it would be Valentino here or one of his family members but unfortunately it was Cole. It took time for me to actually settle the fact that Cole was here in Valentino's house but before I realized I asked him, "What are you doing here??"

Not that I had any problem by him being here because lately he had not been much of a problem. But his curt reply was enough to prove me wrong in a second.

"That's none of your business" he says "what are YOU doing here?"

"That's none of your business TOO." I say emphasizing on my 'too'. I try to move past him when suddenly he wraps his hand around my wrist and pulls me so that I collide with his hard muscular chest. Initially I'm shocked, but when I realize what he did I give him my best possible death glares and stare at my wrist which is in his firm grip, silently asking him to leave my hand before I do something that both of us will regret.

Releasing me from his grip he says, "That's not the way you talk Chloe." Maybe he was slightly annoyed but more than that I could feel his amusement. At this I almost yell at him, "So the one who does not know how to be a gentleman himself is trying to teach me how to be a lady that too to a jerk head like YOU?"

I raise my eyebrows at him daring him to speak a word further. I feel his eyes darken at what I just said and he steps closer to me. I feel an unknown feeling grip me all of a sudden.

Looks like I was quite lucky today as when he was about to say something or rather DO something Valentino comes from nowhere and taps my shoulder gently. I quickly turn towards him ignoring Cole completely, as if he never existed.

"Hey!"

"Hi"

"Wha cha doin' here" he says mumbling a few letters here and there.

"I came her to take your notes. I have got a deadline here to submit all my work tomorrow and majority of my work is not yet complete. So can I?" I ask him smiling with a glimmer of hope. Valentino was about to say something when Cole cuts him off and speaks, "Nah, he can't give. I am using his notes now."

"Why do you need his notes?"

"Because I didn't complete them."

"Weren't you present last week?"

"I was. But just didn't feel like to complete them before."

"So why do you feel the need to complete them now, can't you wait for one more day?"

"Don't forget that we are in the same class and if you have a deadline that means so do I"

"That means you have not even started off with the work by now and you have a deadline and you need the notes to copy. So.....wait!! That means you didn't even know we have a deadline before I told you. Ugh...... Why the heck did I even have to mention it?"

LIFE IS FREAKING IRRITATING!!!!!!

"No problem, Princess. Now since you're not getting the notes anymore, I think you should better leave."

PRINCESS?? Why the heck would he even call me that?? No one ever calls me that except....whatever.

"No, I am taking the notes. I don't care about you. And don't call me that. "

"Why not?" He asks ignoring what I said earlier.

"Because I don't like it, and no one calls me that and I don't want you to either."

"Then certainly I will call you that" he states being the jerk that he is, and smirking. And I swear I never felt a greater urge to wipe off somebody else's smirk than NOW.

"Ugh....." remembering that I didn't have time to argue with a jerk like him I say, "I don't have time to argue with a donkey faced JERK. I am taking the notes with me that's it, and I am not asking for your permission I am TELLING YOU, and the notes are not even yours in the first place to decide who uses them."

"What did you just say??" he says glaring at me, and this time I could see no hint of amusement in his eyes which as much as scared me also gave me the satisfaction of being able to possess the power to screw this person right in front of me.

"Whatever you just freaking heard!!" I retreat back, smirking at him. It feels like as if we are having an un-declared competition as to who is going to get hold of the notes, when suddenly he says, "I am taking the notes," and rushes inside maybe to get the books but before he could Valentino stops him and says, "Both of you can use my notes."

"But I can't stay here and copy the notes. My parents will be back anytime now and I have to return back." I lie trying to argue, though I have a gut feeling that this isn't going to land me anywhere good.

"So... Cole can accompany you to your house and copy the notes along with you, if you don't have a problem with that."

"But..," I was cut off by Cole who says with a mischievous glint on his stupid face, "Why would Princess not want to do that. We can copy the notes together. Can't we Princess?"

"I already told you not to call me that," I say, but he just smiles or rather amuses himself at my condition without saying anything. I could have argued a bit more on the notes matter but one look at my watch told me enough that I didn't have time anymore.

And I could also make out that if I didn't agree I would not be able to get the notes at all. So I, finally, showing my reluctance as vividly as possible, agree to the idea of taking Cole with me, to which Cole's smirk or smile, whatever it is I have no time to figure out, widens so much that I have to put in all the strength that I ever possessed to hold back myself from wiping that amused expression off his face once again.

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Hey friends! Hope you all are fine. Please take care of yourselves and your family. Soon we will be able to conquer this pandemic disease and get back to our lives exactly in the same way as it was before. Have faith in God and move ahead.

Here again, during this period of lock down, goes my next chapter. It is pretty long in fact a lot long than usual and also a compensation for the earlier chapters which were less, only by a hundred or two words than my normal word count. 

I hope you all will enjoy reading. Please do comment and Vote if you like. Share your views also I would love to hear it and yeah do take care of yourselves.                                              -Surls