32. Long gone

"Oh, Max!!!" Lois cried in her brother's arms. Gosh! She didn't know she had missed him that much. She used to visit him in the North city occasionally, and that was how she knew about Oliver.

But recently she had been swamped up with so much work that she hadn't had time to visit or call him.

Lois was a big time fashion designer now, and she had got an invitation abroad for some beauty pargent featuring some of her designs. She didn't like being in the limelight. And so many people didn't know her. But she liked it that way. She wasn't ready to handle the paparazzi everywhere and not get to go out freely. She wanted to live her life like the free bird that she was, and not like someone who would always be conscious of her dressing and surrounding or where to go and when. So even though she was the mastermind behind the highly branded collection of designer clothes, she usually dressed in her simplest yet classy collections. Only those who were well to do and had a high sense in fashion would know that the simple clothes she wore were high-branded.

"I missed you so much, Lois." Maxwell said and stroked her back. "Its okay, can you get down now? You're not a baby, you know..." Maxwell added in a teasing voice, but Lois shook her head that was buried deep in her brother's neck. Maxwell chuckled. Lois had clung unto him like a koala. Her legs were firmly around his waist and her arms around his neck, holding him a bit too tight. Left with no option, Maxwell made his way inside her apartment with her still in his arms.

"Okay, can you let go now? You're choking me, please." He said in a very calm tone, trying to placate her. This time, she nodded and slowly losened her grip around his neck and pulled herself back, looking at his face, without getting down.

"I missed you so much." She said as she kissed him on his cheeks and Maxwell chuckled. He could see it in her eyes. She had indeed missed him. Finally, she released her legs that were around his slender waist and got down.

Maxwell had grown taller than her. He looked like the oldest among the two. Although he resembled their mother, he took after their father's well built stature and grey eyes. Lois resembled their father, but had a petit stature, like their mother, and took her blue eyes as well.

"When did you come back? I thought you said you didn't want them to know you had already graduated?" Lois said as they got to her room. She took off the towel from her hair and reached for a blow dryer to dry her hair. Maxwell took it and stood behind her to help her dry it as she sat in front of her vanity mirror.

"I felt kind of bored. And I missed home, my friends and family. But mom and dad are not aware that I'm around."

Lois rolled her eyes inwardly. What was there to miss about that family? Tsk! She had never even dreamt of missing them. Her father was an exception, though. Her only issue with him was why he would look on as her mom mistreated her. She couldn't understand at all.

"What are you thinking?" Maxwell asked when he saw her face slightly scrunched up in a frown.

"Nothing much, I was just thinking of where we could go tonight."

"You still want to go out? Aren't you tired?"

"No!" She said almost immediately. "I miss hanging out with you! Let's go out for some fresh air. How about we go to the Karaoke bar?" Lois suggested, her eyes full of excitement.

"Ptts Hahahaha..." Maxwell burst out laughing. "And who would be singing? You?"

"What do you mean by that?" Lois asked with a mock glare. She knew she was a bad singer. Did he have to make it so obvious? "I won't be singing. You will."

"I'll pass, then." Maxwell said and switched off the hair dryer since her hair was dry now. He walked to the bed and plonked himself on it.

"Come on, Max. You can't do this now. Sigh. This world is so unfair." She said in a dejected tone.

"How so?"

"Those who do not have nice voices want to sing but can't be heard, and those who have nice voices won't sing." Lois said with a pout.

"You know i have stepped out of the music fraternity for some time now. Don't worry, I'll go with you. I'll just not sing."

"So I'll be singing?" She cringed at her own thought of singing.

"We'll figure that out once we get there."

"Okay. Let me quickly get something to wear." Lois said and rammed through her wardrobe and put on a simple forest green shorts and paired it with a white crop top and brown boots. She tied her hair into a high pony tail and grabbed a long brown coat and they both left the house.

....

At Pure Delight Restaurant...

Miriam's phone rang as she laid on the bed in her resting room. She had a cubicle to herself where she could relax while at work. She saw Janet calling and quickly picked up.

"Hey, girlfriend. Are we still on? It's about 30 minutes to 9. I just want to make sure our plan still holds." Janet called Miriam to be sure she was still willing to go out. Miriam had finished her work earlier than usual, since work was less stressfull today. She had nothing doing when it was about 45 minutes to closing hours. But she had completely forgotten their outing plan.

"Oh, shoot! I almost forgot about it! I'm sorry dear."

"Are you kidding me?!" Janet exclaimed.

"Sorry." Came Miriam's soft reply.

"Sigh. So I guess I can start from home now?"

"Right away. I'm free now. I'll be waiting for you."

"Right. I'll be on way now." Janet said and hanged up.

In about 20 minutes time, Janet got to Pure Delight, and Miriam was already waiting for her at the entrance. Janet frowned at what Miriam was wearing. When she got into the car she asked an obvious question.

"What are you wearing?"

"What do you mean by what am I wearing? What's wrong with it?" Miriam shot back and looked down at herself. She had worn a floral flared peach dress which reached her knees and her hair was packed into a bun with her a blue sling bag and blue stilettos. She thought she was looking good so what's with that question from Janet?

"It doesn't suit the occasion." Janet said and started the car.

"And what occasion is there? Aren't we just going to Karaoke bar?"

"Yeah. I just need you to spice it up a little bit. Look sexy, you know..."

"And by sexy, you mean..."

"You'll see." Janet said with a sly grin and drove off. Soon they got to a boutique and Miriam glared at Janet.

"What are you doing?"

"Come on, let's get you changed into something better." Miriam was about to refute but Janet stopped her with a raised finger. "Just listen to me, for once, please."

Miriam stared at her for some time before releasing a heavy sigh. She undid her seat belt and got down together with Janet and they entered.

She chose a grey jeans and cream coloured perplum top with off shoulders and some black boots for Miriam. Janet was wearing black ripped jeans and wine coloured tank top with wine boots and black long coat. She also chose a black coat for Miriam.

Miriam looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. The attire had accentuated her curvy nature and she felt different. Janet nodded at her handiwork with a smile too.

"I look...kind of..." Miriam trailed off.

"Different?" Janet filled in, and Miriam nodded. "That's the fun of it. You look different in the cutest way, trust me."

Janet walked up to her and rounded her and stood behind her. Without warning, she undid Miriam's bun, letting her hair lose and fall in its wavy nature down her back.

"That's better. Gosh! You look so beautiful even without makeup." Janet chirped and Miriam smiled. She took her favourite pink lip gloss and applied it on her already pink and pillowy lips. Janet had applied a little makeup and some red lipstick-she loved red lipstick. After the transformation, they left the boutique around few minutes past 9pm.

Soon, they got to the Karaoke bar and went in line to get a ticket for a booth. Soon enough, another car packed by and Maxwell and Lois also got down.

Maxwell waited outside while Lois went in to buy tickets for them while he was attending to an important matter on phone. While he was waiting, he caught sight of someone familiar.

"Wait, is that not the lady at the restaurant?" He mumbled to himself as be kept his eyes on the dainty figure. This one looked different that at some point he thought his mind was playing tricks on him. He found himself walking towards her. It seemed she came with a friend. She looked so radiant and so hot that he couldn't resist approaching her.

After some few steps...

"Max, we can go in now." Lois said and stopped Maxwell on his tracks. "And I think it's this way in. Why are you looking that way?" She added when Maxwell was absentmindedly looking at one direction.

"Its nothing. Never mind." Maxwell said with his eyes still fixed towards the same direction.

"Um...I heard some high school kids are hosting a karaoke night at the first floor. If you don't mind, let's just go there and enjoy with them. It's open to the public so that won't be a problem. I have no plans of singing anyway." Lois continued but Maxwell was a bit spaced out. "Max!?" Lois tapped him lightly on his shoulder and Maxwell snapped out of his daze and turned to look at her.

"Yeah, um, what were you saying?"

"I was saying we should join the high school kids for their karaoke night event."

"Yeah sure. Whatever you want." He said and smiled.

"Okaaayyy..." Lois drawled her reply and looked at Maxwell weirdly. She led the way and Maxwell followed silently. Before they entered, he turned to have one last glance and the lady, but she was long gone.