Ex-lovers

The other four look at them, flabbergasted. Both Liam and Mikayla noticed them, and it made Mikayla feel nervous, but also butterflies in her stomach after hearing someone call her by that name.

"I.. Hold on." She reaches to get the salt container. He gives him a kiss on her head after she gives him the salt, which left Mika frozen in... She doesn't even know what she was feeling. There wasn't a word for the way her body felt. All she knows is that she is feeling something funny in her stomach, and that she can't think properly with it.

She soon goes back to eating, but she's not over trying to process what Liam did. For someone without experience like her, this is all too much! She knows she walked into this set of lies herself, but did Liam really have to call her that? In Mika's mind, there's no reason for him to do anything like that, unless...

Liam continues eating like nothing happened. Meanwhile, Mika's family was too shook, they kept staring at the two and couldn't get back to their meals.

"Oh, right." Arthur breaks into the short yet awkward silence. Everyone focuses on him. "Liam. May I ask, when and how did you two meet?"

Liam looks at Mika. Now, even Liam isn't sure of what to say. They actually met in a fashion show they had in high school, and they were in opposite teams as they were from different schools. They both illustrated the designs for the dresses that their groupmates would wear for the competition. Mikayla's team won, and Liam acknowledged that—he even talked to her and managed to make her feel comfortable around him after some time. They became the best of friends since then.

"That fashion show in high school, Papa." Mika noticed that Liam was having trouble thinking of what to say. Actually, he's afraid that if he says something about a fashion show, things might go wrong as Mika's family might think that he's gay.

Surprised, he looks at Mika. Is she going to tell the truth? Is she actually going to tell her parents?

"We both designed the clothing." She adds.

"Ah, that contest!" Theresa joins in remembering what Mika is talking about, since she watched the models wear the dresses that day. Actually, Mikayla's whole family was there.

Meanwhile, Liam is stunned. She actually told the truth! Well, it was nothing too wrong for her to do, but Liam was thinking that they should've said something a bit more romantic. Overall, he's thankful that she saved him from thinking any further.

"Oh, so you draw?" Melody asks Liam in surprise.

"Yeah." He replies, before he learns to adjust and says: "Actually, our favorite thing together is to draw."

That's actually true. In university, they like to just doodle together when they're bored in class.

"That's great. It's a fun and beautiful way to bond with each other and keep the relationship strong." Arthur nods his head in approval as he takes a bite out of his steak. Everyone smiled.

Suddenly, they notice that Michael is somewhat squinting into the distance, looking curious. He is overly focused into finding out whatever he wants to find out that he forgot about his food. "Michael. What are you staring at?"

Michael snaps out of his own little world and looks at his father as he heard his voice. "Nothing, Papa."

He turns to look at Liam while he cautiously looks back at where he was staring just a second ago while he starts asking, "Say, Liam. Why is that waitress staring at you?".

They all notice the person Michael talks about. He adds, "I think she's been focused on you since you entered. Have you noticed?"

Liam looks at the lady wearing a staff uniform standing by the entrance; He starts to look a bit confused and curious, just like the rest of Mika's family.

"Liam, who is she?", Mikayla asks. She doesn't know why she did that, though. She knows she isn't the most curious person in her family at the moment. But somehow, she felt the need to ask.

"I.. I think she's an old friend, maybe..? I'm not sure, I don't recognize her." Liam answers, now going back to his food knowing that he has covered at least half of the confusion.

Mika kept cautious of the lady, for a reason even she couldn't understand. She kept looking at her everytime she eats her food off her utensils. Her family noticed this, and they became amused as they all thought Mika was just being jealous.

When they all finished eating, it was still a bit of a while before the restaurant closed.. The group decided to head back home, and that Liam will be staying with the family for the night once again. They agreed to split up into two cars, going back to Theresa and Arthur's place the way they left.

Liam, being Mikayla's boyfriend, insisted on driving her car, which was allowed by Mikayla. While the other four entered Arthur's car, Liam opened the car door to the passenger seat for Mikayla. Afterwards, he quickly went inside the driver seat and started their way back to the house.

As they are driving through the streets of the city, Mikayla speaks up. "Liam?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you... for today. I really appreciate it."

"No problem, Mika."

"But, um.. You didn't really have to do the 'Honey' bit, I think." She looks down. She's not disappointed, but rather shy. Especially after her face started to redden just thinking about what happened in the restaurant.

"Oh- I know, haha. It's what I call my boyfriend, so I kind of got used to it." He giggles.

Hearing this, Mika snaps out of her thoughts and quickly turns at Liam in surprise. "You have a boyfriend..?"

"Hm..?"

"You said you call your boyfriend 'honey'."

"Oh- No, no. I meant that it.. Okay look."

"I was, er... reading this website earlier today, about what else to do to convince people you're in a relationship.. And they said to call each other cute nicknames in front of other people, so I just tried it—Pretty convincing, wasn't it?" He explains further.

Mika agrees and looks back on the road. The two drive for a couple more minutes. Soon, they all arrive at the house.

After the goodnights and the I-love-yous, they all go to their rooms. Michael lent Liam clothes again.

While Liam changes in Mikayla's bathroom, she changes on her bed. Suddenly, she feels a constant vibration on the bed, which led to her finding and noticing Liam's phone lying flat on the other side of the bed, which is where the vibration is coming from.

She flips the phone to see what's making the vibration in Liam's phone, and there she sees an ongoing phone call request from... 'My Baby'.

Mika quickly puts the phone back to where and how it was, making sure Liam won't notice a thing. She finishes changing, and Liam comes out of the bathroom... not wearing a shirt.

'Where is his shirt? W-why is he...' Mika did not even have time to think about the phone call. She just stood there confused, but lost in looking at Liam's toned and muscular upper body. She sees his chest hair that continues to the deep narrow line separating his six-pack abs in half. His abs look rock-hard, and they look deeply-cut that you can clearly see the gap in between them.

These thoughts linger in her mind, forgetting about anything else. She's never seen abs like Liam's before. Truth be told, his abs are what you would mostly read in romantic novels—his are just perfect.

"Done staring?"

She snaps out of it and makes eye contact with Liam and sees him looking amused.

"Why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

"I don't know—Michael didn't give me a shirt, and my shirt got wet when I dropped it into the bathtub accidentally."

He walks towards her, but pauses when he saw his phone. He picks it up and says, "Did anyone call?"

"No, I don't think so. I've been changing here." She replies.

He takes and opens his phone to find that someone had been, indeed, calling him for more than 10 times. Looking shook as he stares at his phone, he decides to leave the room. "I'll go get some fresh air, I'll be back in 10 minutes."

Right now, Mika does not know which one to think about: the caller, or Liam's abs. She is so confused of the caller's name and is curious of who it is, but she can't seem to get those abdominals out of her head. She decides to read a book while she lies down and rests in the sheets, and this seemed to make things worse.

The next day at breakfast, the family's fun was cut off when the doorbell rang from the living room. Their maids were too busy to answer, so Mikayla volunteered to do so.

She goes to turn the doorknob and open the door, and someone familiar shows up before her eyes—the waitress from the restaurant.

Surprised and confused, Mikayla asks: "Who is it?"

"Eunice Young." The visitor greets her with a grin.

Everyone, except Liam, transitions from eating their food to observing the visitor. The whole family share the same expression: surprised.

"Anything you need here?"

"I would like to talk with your boyfriend."

Hearing this, Liam turns to look at who Mikayla is talking to, and notices Eunice.

"Eunice?" He gets up from his seat to take a good look at the visitor.

"Long time no see." She responds.

Mika looks at the two as Liam walks towards them. "What do you have to share with my boyfriend?"

"Eh, just things ex-lovers would.", she answers as she tilts her head with a grin, making deep eye contact with Mika.