Chapter 53: Hidden Haven

Josh looked at the two and he felt an indescribable amount of jealousy in his heart.

The group left ignoring Josh who was standing there with his hand clenched in a tight fist.

Since they barely enjoyed the party, Xavier invited everyone to eat in a restaurant nearby but before that, they agreed to change their outfits into a more casual ones.

Since the party was held in the hotel and they were his guest, he booked rooms for them in advance just in case the party would be over so late and everyone would be drunk.

Zarah was with Hope while the twins had their separate rooms.

Well, he was not loaded, therefore he could only afford that much.

The girls didn't complain as they liked and appreciated the arrangement.

Cole and Xavier had their respective rooms while Rupert, Elliott, and Chris shared one room.

After getting changed, they decided to go out to have dinner.

Rupert had already made reservations for the group and so when they arrived, they were greeted by the manager and were escorted to a private room.

"Are you okay?" Zarah asked him while the rest were taking orders from the menu.

She thought it was pretty horrible for a child like him to witness such a gruesome scene.

She bet Xavier had not gotten over the trauma yet.

"You're here with me. Therefore, I'm fine." He simply said which also implied how important Zarah was to him.

"I hope so."

"How about you, Sir?" The waiter finally asked them.

"Let me have..."

After an hour of a sumptuous dinner, the group decided to hang out at a bar. As Zarah heard the suggestion, she looked at Xavier suspiciously.

"Don't worry. It's not the same place. To make you comfortable, make a suggestion, then I and the boys will follow." He reassured.

Olivia and Trixie had a better plan in mind. "There's a newly opened bar downtown. How about we go check it out?"

Zarah trusted her best friends and so she agreed. They got into the car and drove into this newly opened bar downtown.

Olivia and Trixie got out of the car first and they were surprised that a lot of patrons were lining up outside just to get in.

The bar's name was Hidden Haven.

Live bands were allowed to perform every night. Any genre of music was also played.

Artists and the audience could express their love for music.

It had a laid-back atmosphere that those bar enthusiasts who had gotten bored of the hype and crazy music at other bars wanted to check out since it had good reviews online.

It's newly opened, therefore many people got curious.

They offered good food and a variety of drinks too.

As soon as the bouncer guarding the entrance saw Olivia, he greeted her, "Good evening Miss Liv. Miss Trix."

The twins hummed in response and looked at the others behind them.

"They're with us," Olivia told him so they're allowed to enter without going behind the queue line.

The bouncer greeted them and one staff gave them a cute bracelet that had LED lights on it.

"Enjoy!" The bouncer told them and saw them entering the premises.

As they entered, they saw the stage and a live band was already performing. The people were jamming to the music and singing along with the band.

They found an empty table near the stage.

Instead of finding a table on the first floor, they climbed up to the second floor and found a comfortable lounge there.

There was also a bar there but no one was manning there.

"Miss Liv!" The manager who followed them up greeted Olivia.

"How's the operation tonight?"

"It is good just like the other nights," the manager reported.

"Okay. They are our friends. Please serve our specialty. As for the drinks, don't worry, I've got it covered," Olivia said as she walked behind the counter.

"What's going on? Why are the staff know you?" Zarah asked.

"Well, we own this place," Olivia admitted.

"Really?" Sarah exclaimed with a proud smile.

Olivia then grabbed an empty glass and started her thing skillfully which surprised the boys and Hope.

Zarah was not surprised as she knew Olivia liked making cocktails during high school even though they were not allowed to drink yet.

Her first customers were their servants at the Irving Residence.

As the food was served, Trixie helped her sister by giving everyone the drinks she made.

"This is her specialty. The Venom." Trixie explained and Zarah looked at her which she responded with a wink.

Everyone tried a sip and they said, "This is good."

"Thanks," Olivia said behind the bar and then added, "Though it's not that strong. I thought it was a good drink to start the night. I can make you guys something strong if you can hold your liquor well."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Olivia volunteered to be the designated driver should everyone get drunk.

She was sure that Zarah won't get drunk though as this woman had high alcohol tolerance. However, Zarah never drove anything four-wheeled before. So, she was out of the list.

Zarah took a sip again and looked at Olivia who was preparing another batch of drinks for everyone.

She put it in a dispenser so they could freely get one from the bar should they want to.

"I'm so proud of you, Liv. Trix."

"Thank you, Zaza."

"Thank you, Arah."

After she was done, Olivia joined them, too.

She then grabbed a drink and proposed a toast. "Cheers for an amazing night!"

"Cheers!"

After an hour of enjoying the privacy on the second floor, they decided to go down to immerse themselves in the crowd.

A rock band had started playing live in the background therefore everyone was hyped up.

There was an open space in the middle where everyone could dance and jump to the music.

Zarah and Xavier decided to stay behind.

They looked down and it was pretty crowded therefore they decided to stay.

"Don't do anything stupid, Xavier. This entire area has a CCTV." Olivia warned him and Zarah chuckled.

As the others got down, Zarah and Xavier felt a little awkward.

Xavier's hand started moving and tried to reach Zarah's hand.

As soon as he reached it, he waited if Zarah would avoid his touch but he was surprised that she didn't.

Zarah grabbed her half-empty glass and sipped on it while she felt Xavier's hand covering hers.

She could feel her heart pounding so hard against her chest.

'What's wrong with me?' She asked herself.

She accidentally looked at Xavier's eyes and she knew it was a bad idea as she thought he looked more handsome.

"Am I drunk?" She mumbled to herself but she had mumbled it out loud and Xavier heard her.

"Are you? Then, shall we go now?" He asked and Zarah's heart skipped a beat because of the way his voice sounded.

"Let's wait a little more time. We can't just leave them." She said.

After an hour of jamming with the rock band, the others returned upstairs.

"Hey! Love birds!" Rupert who could feel the alcohol kicking into his system became braver to tease his boss after seeing them holding each other's hands.

Zarah's ears turned red after she heard Rupert's tease.

The lights were dim and so they missed it other than Xavier who wore a smirk on his lips.

"Oh my gosh! Are you both finally together?" Hope asked them excitedly.

Zarah's eyes widened and immediately dismissed the misunderstanding.

"No!" She could feel Xavier squeezing her hand and so she added, "Not yet."

"Not yet, but soon. Right, Zarah?" Xavier said to tease her and she looked at him in disbelief.

She got up and excused herself to the bathroom.

Olivia excused her, too. So did Hope and Trixie leaving the boys alone.

Zarah entered the lady's restroom and looked for an empty cubicle.

Olivia, Trixie, and Hope entered the restroom, too. They waited for the other women to finish their thing so they could lock it and have privacy.

As soon as the last woman exited the restroom, Olivia grabbed a signboard hanging behind the door which said, "Out of Order" and placed it outside the door.

"Zaza, you may come out now. Let's talk."

Zarah on the other hand wanted to avoid this kind of talk with Olivia.

Olivia had been vocal about disliking Xavier and Zarah dating. However, she kept it subtle these days after a few interactions with Xavier.

That was what Zarah's plan was in the first place.

She wanted the prejudice that Olivia had against Xavier to disappear.

Why?

Because she could tell deep within herself that she liked Xavier and there was a high chance that she might date him soon.

And so, she wanted all of her friends to support her. She didn't want to earn a boyfriend and lost her best friend in the process.

Zarah opened the cubicle and she immediately looked at Olivia.

"I'm sorry, Liv." Zarah immediately told her and the latter could tell what she meant by this apology.

"There's nothing I can do if you already made up your mind."

"It's not like that Liv. I liked Xavier and I wanted to give him a chance but I don't want to lose you over this." She tried to explain.

"Oh my gosh! You're making me look like the bad guy, here. Who said you'll lose me should you decide to date him?" Olivia chuckled.

"I won't?" Zarah asked her.

"You won't. All I'm trying to do is to remind you. To think it over and over again. My brother whom I know for many years betrayed you and my trust in him. Therefore it's not easy for me to trust anyone who would want to date you all of a sudden." Olivia started explaining.

"I have to admit, he makes you happy. If not for him, I don't think you would be here with us today. You're probably still mourning inside your room. And I'm giving him that credit."

Olivia was not an unreasonable person. She knew how to see through things.

"That's right. My sister and I are thankful to him. If you're worried that we will be disappointed about this, then, don't be. All we cared about is your safety and above all your happiness. If he can make you happy, then we will support you." Trixie said in support of her sister.

"You girls." Zarah suddenly became emotional and asked for a hug and the three girls hugged her.

She was happy. Yes, she was.

"Now. Let's talk about your feelings for him. Are you going to make him wait?" Trixie asked after the hug.

"I like him, yes. However, I don't think it's enough to date him."

"Silly," Olivia said while poking her best friend's forehead.

"What are you talking about? What's the difference between dating him now versus dating him later?"

"That's right. Xavier's a fine and very hot man. A lot of women would surely want to have a piece of him." Hope chimed in.

"Well, it's not my fault if he'd failed the test of temptation," Zarah answered her.

"That's not the point here. I know Xavier's loyalty will always be on you since he decided to pursue you. However, can you afford to see him around women? They would want to be in your position."

"Then, isn't it troublesome to date a man like that? If he is sincere, he would avoid such scenarios." Olivia and Trixie agreed with Zarah.

Therefore, Hope thought that she should take some action so Zarah would realize her point.

After using the restroom, they went back and saw the second floor empty.

They looked around and suddenly saw them on stage.

"What's going on?"

"Ah! It's an open stage. Anyone could come to the stage to play." Olivia explained.

"Oh?"

"Yes."

As the ladies inside the bar saw the handsome Xavier standing on stage with a microphone in his hand, they screamed to cheer him on.

"See? This is what I'm talking about." Hope mumbled.

Xavier saw that Zarah was looking at him from the second floor and he made a wink and everyone erupted in frenzy.

"Who is he?!"

"Is he a model?"

"Is he a celebrity?"

"Is he single?"

"Can I be your girlfriend?!" The last woman asked loudly and Xavier chuckled.

Zarah could finally understand what Hope meant.

Olivia and Trixie looked at their best friend and they only shook their heads.

"Let's go," Olivia said and dragged Zarah to the first floor.

Xavier's gaze followed Zarah's movement.

"This song is for the beautiful woman out there," Xavier said and everyone erupted in cheers.

The girls thought that he was talking about them.

"I love you, Mr. Handsome!"

Zarah on the other hand clenched her fist. She looked at the woman who screamed just now and she could not explain the feeling she felt.

"Calm down. Why don't we watch his performance first before you go and claim your man?" Trixie teased her best friend.

They made their way to the front and that's when they started playing.

Cole was on the piano while Rupert and Chris were on the guitar and drums.

As soon as the music started, everyone cheered.

Xavier sang The Man Who Can't Be Moved, by the Script.

Everyone jammed to the song.

***