QUESTIONS

      Ethan asked Faith on another date in the evening of that day when they returned from the doctor's office. Faith had made him lunch and he had asked her to go on a dinner date with him and she had agreed. That evening, Ethan took her to a very expensive restaurant. 

      Faith looked around, wondering where Ethan had gotten the money from.  When Ethan opened the door and held it for her to come out? She held his hand. 

      "Why did you bring me to this place?" 

       "You don't like it?" 

        "I do, but this place is very expensive." 

      Ethan snorted.  "I am not complaining." 

       "I am. You can save up money to start up something. You don't need to impress me, you know. I'm already impressed."

        Ethan snorted out another laugh.  "Listen, I have saved up this money. I said to myself that I will bring you here with it. Don't worry about me, I have other savings." 

       Faith shrugged.  "If you say so." 

    Ethan grabbed her hand.  "I said so, Miss Faith Prescott." 

       Faith smiled and they went inside. Noah watched them from his car. His knuckles tighten on the steering of his car. Anger swelled in his chest.  How was he going to get Faith back? He couldn't believe that Faith was going out with the broke guy. What was it about him that Faith loved so much? 

      He is hunky quite alright, but Faith was not going to eat sexiness. She was too smart for that.  He thought of what to do. He was going to play the apology card again, he would ask Faith to forgive him and then he would eliminate this bastard.  He sat in his car and waited a little. 

      Ethan held out a seat for Faith and she sat down, he went over to the opposite seat and sat. Ethan had already booked the table, so the waiter brought their champagne. 

        "Nora seems so happy these days, maybe it's because of her upcoming wedding," Faith remarked as she looked at the pictures Nora sent her of her and Danny at a beach earlier that day. 

        "Seems their honeymoon started before their wedding," Ethan said and poured drinks into the wine glasses. 

       Faith chuckled.  "You are so crazy." 

   Ethan smirked and handed her a glass.   "Let's make a toast to happiness." Ethan raised his glass. 

       "Happiness and life," Faith added. 

       "Happiness and life," Ethan repeated and they clinked their glasses. 

      The waiter arrived with their order a few minutes later and they dived into their food. They ate in silence for a while. Ethan's phone buzzed and he checked it and saw that it was Tyler's message. He excused himself to go to the bathroom.  Faith's phone beeped too and she looked at it, it was an unknown number. 

      The message read:  'It's me, Nora, my phone is low I had to text you with another phone. Come downstairs, I need your help'

      Faith looked out of the window, but she couldn't see anyone. She didn't see anyone that looked like Nora. She decided to call Nora's phone, but it was switched off. She stood up and texted Ethan. 

       "I am downstairs, something came up, Nora is here." 

     She covered the food and went towards the stairs She tried calling the number but the person didn't answer. She became scared. What was Nora doing here? Why was she not answering? Something was amiss. She stepped out of the restaurant into the compound and looked around. 

      A few people were moving around. Some were leaving the restaurant, others were coming in. Her phone beeped again, it was the same number that sent her another message. 

        'I am at the parking lot, my dress is kind of ripped so I can't leave my car.' 

       She glanced towards the parking lot, people were going there. She texted Ethan. 

      "If you wait too long, come to the parking lot." 

 She headed towards the parking lot, searching for Nora's blue convertible with her eyes, but she couldn't find it, she looked around and 

texted the number. 

         'Where are you? I am at the parking lot.'

         "I'm right here behind you," a deep male voice said and startled her. 

          She turned immediately to see Noah standing behind her. For some reason, she got scared, but she composed herself. 

       "It was you. I should have known. What do you want?" 

       "Faith, I'm sorry, but this was the only way I could think of seeing you. You won't answer my calls and you won't come down if you knew I was the one." 

        "You do realize that I am...wait! Are you stalking me?" 

       "No, no, no. I was here when you two walked in. Faith I'm sorry." He took a few steps toward her. 

       "Don't come any closer," she said. 

       "Why? Are you scared that you would fall for me again?" 

      Ethan saw the message she sent even before he called Tyler. When Tyler was done reporting to him, he went back to the table and Faith was still not there. He sat down for a while and took out his phone again and looked at it. The last message didn't sit right with him. Why would she ask him to come to look for her if he waited up too long if she was going to meet Nora? Something was not right. 

     He didn't need to wait for long before he goes to her. He bolted from his seat and went toward the stairs, taking them two at a time. 

       Noah moved closer and Faith took a few steps back. Noah stopped and smirked at her.   "You don't want my scent to cloud your senses? You don't want to melt into my arms." 

       Faith scoffed.   "I don't know who you think you are but those charms of yours won't work on me anymore." 

       "Liar! Faith, you are good at lying to yourself."

        "You don't know me so don't say things like you do." 

       "Faith, I know you enough to know that you are trying so hard to love that guy. You told me once that you won't have anything to do with someone who doesn't have potential. That guy is just wasting and how does he even get money to take you to this kind of restaurant? What if he is a thief? A swindler? A fraud? Have you thought of those?"

      He was making sense but Faith was confused and she didn't want to give him the credit. He continued. 

      "What if he is just here to loot your money and leave. Those guys always claim Mr Romantic and would go the extra mile to make you trust them. Before you know what is going on, you have fallen head over heels in love with them and the next thing they would abscond with your money. I thought you were smarter than this? You and I know you don't deserve that... "

       "Enough!" Faith yelled.  "Enough."  He made sense. He was damn right, but Faith had seen the sincerity in Ethan's eyes. 

      There was no way he was that kind of person, but as she thought about it, the possibility of it being true outweighed her trust in him.  Why did he leave San Francisco? Where does he get money to leave on? Surely, his mother won't be able to keep up with his upkeep. Was that woman really his mother? 

      Questions upon questions ran in her head, but she was not going to let Noah win. She had to say something to defend Ethan, something, anything, but her tongue just stuck to the roof of her mouth and she didn't say anything. Noah came closer to her and stroked her hair away from her face. 

       "Think about it, baby and see that it is true. I only mean well for you and I have realized what I have now that I seem to have a rival. I know I messed up, but we are fated to be together." 

       Faith didn't know when he brought his lips to hers and kissed her. 

      Ethan watched them from a corner, he was dumbfounded and his hands clenched into fists, his chest rose up and down with anger.  He heard everything he said to her, trying to brainwash her just to be with her. But he can't do anything if Faith believes him and decides to give him another chance. The girl has not even agreed to date him yet. 

        Faith was surprised, then shocked, then angry. She shoved him away.   "How dare you?!" 

      Noah grabbed her.  "You want me. I know you want me, you do." He tried to kiss her but she dodged her face and tried to wriggle out of his grip, but his hold was firm on her. 

       "Let go of me!" 

      "The lady said you should let go of her!" Ethan barked and charged at Noah. 

        Before Faith could tell what was going on, he was on the ground with Noah. He punched Noah twice in the face, but Noah was strong too. He pushed Ethan away and was on top of him. He hit Ethan too. They rolled on the ground. Faith didn't know what to do, she screamed, but they were ready to kill themselves. A few people were coming there to find out what was happening. 

       As Noah raised a hand to hit Ethan, Faith rushed and held his hand. 

      "Stop it both of you!" she screamed and dragged Noah up. 

       Ethan stood up a nd wiped the blood from his nose. He looked at Faith's hand holding Noah.  Maybe he just fought a lost battle right now.