A Date I

"Beatrice… you like me, don't you?"

"That's not right, I don't like you, I love you".

"O-Oh, really? Have you heard one action expresses more than a thousand words?"

"Uhm, I have… why?"

"If you love me so much then help me do these annoying chores!"

Irritation, annoyance and overall distress were displayed in Andrew's aggrieved expression upon realising that a life filled with beauties left and right in the same crib wasn't as pleasing as he expected it to be.

Beatrice, Sophia and Maya… and yet there he stood, mopping the floor sadly with a lonely heart.

'I can't blame Sophia since she's a ghost- wait a minute of course I can blame her! She can touch things and eats food too'.

Nevertheless, looking left and right, the ghost was nowhere to be seen.

"I can't do it right now, Andrew… if we want to put Mariah between bars and protect the Mayers from any backlash… then we must create a convincing story".

Beatrice was sitting in front of the TV screen, but although a series was playing, she wasn't watching it. The girl was shameless enough to wear butt-length pink shorts and a blue shirt, the outline made it obvious that she didn't have a bra.

Beatrice was fumbling with her phone, sending messages and whatnot, her words sounded convincing to Andrew but even then he recalled that time she proposed him to clean his place, 'How come you're not doing it now?!'

"But-"

"We found a body, we have a story… but nothing that ties it to the Belles. If it goes like this, we won't win the trial against the Belles. Even if we can prove it wasn't suicide, if we can't prove it was tied to them then the Belles can sue the Mayers for fake legislation and then… then all that blame would be placed on you. I won't allow that to happen no matter what, I'll protect you".

"…"

Her determination placed on him a pressure that made him flinch and look at the bright sky past the massive windows of the penthouse.

'It was me that got us In this mess by involving myself… and yet she's doing the most… I don't even know how to help'.

Casting the mop aside, Andrew walked to the sofa and leaned down, taking Beatrice into a deep embrace from behind.

The beauty gasped slightly and lowered her phone, feeling the unexpected warmth.

"Beatrice… thank you".

She turned around and kissed his forehead.

"Have you heard?"

"Huh?" He wondered what she meant, confused.

"An action expresses more than a thousand words".

"…"

'She just used my-'

*WOOSH!*

With a swift movement Andrew was pulled roughly and yanked onto the sofa with Beatrice pinning above, her countenance so close Andrew could smell her minty toothpaste, her crimson lips in full bloom.

"If you're thankful, then don't go on that date with Clare Euston, don't go out with some other girl, Andrew".

"Beatrice… are you-"

"I'm not jealous!"

'I didn't even finish...' he sighed, convinced that the pout she was showing was one of those sinful feelings.

"Her testimony is important, isn't that what we want?" Andrew added; he intended for Clare to cooperate with the case, nothing else.

"But why a date? moreover, you have feelings for that girl, don't you? I have followed the two of you many times, you can't hide it from me" The bodyguard pressed on, placing Andrew between the wall and the sword.

"T-That… anyway Clare is quite obstinate… I'm just going to get her cooperation, nothing else". He didn't wish to lie and hence, Andrew evaded her scrutinising face.

'Can I really say with complete certainty that I have no feelings for Clare? We have gone in and out… she's my friend even if I sometimes hate her ways. But love? Is what I feel for Clare love? maybe I just like her?'

While thinking all of those confusing thoughts, Andrew caught a glimpse of Sophia. Flying out of the building, looking at them. Upon meeting his gaze, she levitated away suspiciously. Ever since the meeting with Leon Jones, Sophia had been acting strange, but Andrew thought it was just her being sad over her death after confronting her father.

...

"I see. Then it is just cooperation? then you wouldn't mind me stalking you on this date, right? I have to make sure you're protected now" The woman smiled and leaned back, coughing and giving him space.

'Don't use the word stalk so casually' His eyebrows twitched, at this stage, she didn't seem to care about admitting it.

"Beatrice".

"What is it? By the way, you can't decline. I'm definitely sta- tailing you during the date, that way I can protect not only you but also Clare. Now that we have reached this junction, we can't be sure the Belles won't do anything against you on her if anything... I'm sure they're more likely to make a move on Clare since her family, although wealthy, doesn't have that much influence. What do you think? this perfectly justifies me stalking you~" Beatrice leaned down with a pensive gaze. It was deep as if she had a eureka.

'You had to ruin it, don't you?!' He cursed inwardly, what initially appeared to be an absolutely rational concern, ended up being just that, a justification for a personally ulterior motive.

She just wants to stalk them... regardless of the excuse.

"I thought you said you like me like your brother?" Andrew pierced her with his gaze. Although he didn't know what he felt for Sophia and Clare, he was clear about what he felt for Beatrice. She ended up being that long lost 'brother' of his and also his bodyguard of sorts.

'Although she lied, she has been protecting me all this time… how could I not like her?'.

But in his mind, there was a barrier that didn't exist for the two younger girls, age.

"I love you like my brother… *cough* until you grow older".

Beatrice declared and went back into her phone before Andrew decided to check up on Maya, the 'other' one.

**

**

He knocked on the door, but nobody answered.

"I'm coming in, Maya..."

Andrew already knew what to expect, the way they had found Maya the day prior wasn't a sight he was used to. He could have never thought that the person he considered as the most gorgeous and refined lady in this building, had such a side of hers unexpectedly.

Once he entered Andrew caught a glimpse of what resembled a mummy... covered in bedsheets until nothing was visible.

He gulped and walked inside the room, this was the biggest room downstairs, technically speaking the apartment beneath the penthouse still belonged to her so she didn't move in completely, she merely took with her some of her most important belongings like pyjamas, underwear, her computers and so on, installing herself in her new 'bedroom'.

For anything else other than 'taking care' of Andrew, she'd return to her appartment.

That said, the part of 'taking care' seemed to have inverted now. Maya had arrived from a party last night and she had a huge hangover.

"Andrew..." Her eyes fluttered open, she extended her hand towards the boy she considered her saviour, 'usually when this happens, I'm on my own...'

"I am here... you have to be careful next time, really... would you like some coffee? I heard it is good for these situations".

"Kiss me..." She pulled his cheeks apart and smiled. Alas, Andrew wasn't smiling.

!!!

"No, moreover... is this a symptom of a hangover?!" He quickly took her hands away from his blushing face, settling them down. Maya rubbed her head a bit a covered herself back up with her quilt, all she was wearing was a very light gown.

"I don't know... my head hurts so much, maybe if you kiss me, I'll feel better?".

'That's not how it works, it will never work!' He sighed and caressed her hair, he respected her quite a bit but the concierge had already told him stories about her being carried by her friends, totally wasted... it didn't happen often but it happened.

"If you don't like feeling like this, why do you drink when you go to those parties?"

"I-If all my friends can drink but I can't... it is embarrassing! surely you can understand me, right?"

"I am a minor, I don't drink, therefore... I don't! Come on, lay down... I'll make you a latte".

"Uhm! Not so loud, please".

"S-Sorry" Andrew refrained from increasing his tone but Maya had some other plans.

"Come".

!!!

She pulled him onto the bed, on top of her body and swiftly covered the two of them with the quilt. Andrew couldn't see anything beneath, but he could feel a thin layer of cloth. The one that changed Maya was Beatrice so he didn't know what she was wearing, until now.

"Now you can talk to me without yelling... I can hear you better, Andrew".

"W-Wait... this is too close" Before he could continue, a pair of warm arms embraced him like he was a pillow, literally.

"See? I can definitely hear you better... did you finish your online classes?" Maya closed her eyes and started caressing Andrew's hair, pulling him in close to the point he didn't even know what to do, for a second she almost resembled his mother.

"Yes".

"That's nice, anything good happened?"

"N-Not really... Maya, I-"

"Do you have a shift in McRonards tonight?"

"No..."

"Then come and sleep with me".

"Wait!"

"I'm quite scared you know? I think this house is haunted... l-lately I have been feeling my breasts get fondled".

'Sophia, you pervert!' Andrew blushed immensely, unable to understand what Sophia's deal was and why she always looked so irritated with everyone that had big boobs when she herself wasn't that far off.

"Initially I thought it was the ghost of some green perverted old man in this penthouse and I was quite scared. But now... I believe that ghost is jealous of my big boobs!" For some reason, Maya's expression looked even more terrified now.

"Eh?"

"You may think that I'm still drunk but... I could swear that ghosts wrote 'titty monster' the other day on the shower screen, do you think I should call a preacher to exorcise this house?".

"Actually, we should get rid of that wickedly perverted spirit once and for all".

'You dare, Andrew!'.