***Twenty Three: Misha***

The evening is a blast. Her friends and I are going about like old companions. Appreciating my second beer I take a swirl of the golden liquid. My plans with Genevieve for tonight are still standing. After this bonding interval I'm taking her back towards the hotel so that she and I can celebrate her graduation is privacy. She had always been submissive when my dominate streak takes over, but I have something else on my agenda for tonight. This evening I'm going to make love to her like never before, none of that rough cavemen shit. I want her to remember this nightfall because the question that I want to ask his this evening will change our lives forever. I've never been as sure about anything as I am with her.

I grew quickly accustomed to Alex's 'no filter' behaviour. How Ryan could go along with it so casually is beyond my understanding? It's hard to believe that somebody like Alex is buddies with my princess. Thinking about her, I noticed that her chatterbox had died down a few moments before. I turn my attention towards her sitting form; she's clearly watching something on her phone. "What are you watching princess?" I asked her as I try to get a glimpse of her screen but she pulled it away from me. Giovanni seems to notice her troubled form as well. "Vivi what are you watching over there?" He asked anxiously. I move closer to lay a hand upon her shoulder but she shied away from my touch like a vampire hiding from the sun. "DON'T-"she screeched. What had she just watched? Why is she acting this way? I try again to reach out and touch her yet this time around she jolted upright and exclaimed: "DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH ME!" I've never seen her, this angry before, usually she's level minded. This behaviour that she's showing off is quite frankly scaring me. The anger raw anger that's spitting within her eyes made me question myself for the millionth time: What did she watch? Willow took the phone from her trembling hands, looked down at the content and said in little more then a whisper: "Oh shit!" Her reaction made Rowan join her in an instant. He looks down at the screen from over her shoulder. "No shit… shit… shit… shit!!! Who the fuck sent you this!?" Rowan exclaimed in a questioning manner. They both looked down at the receiver; I can see how rage flashed within the man's gaze as he looked up from the device. "Fuck man! Liam, why would you sent her this?" The one with whom I had yet to converse, shrugged his shoulders before saying that she had a right to know what person she's fucking screwing. Slowly realization struck me like a concrete wall. Oh God please no, don't tell me that he had recorded the argument at Shaun's reception? I asked myself mentally while dragging my fingers through my hair in agitation. She swiped the phone away from Willows panicky hands.

Genevieve turns her attention back towards me, the shimmering gloss within her eyes threading to escape. "What am I to you just another fuck buddy?" Her response caught everybody off guard. "Please princess…" I started but she cut me off. "The name's Genevieve Roberts!" She hissed like a poisonous snake. My heart sunk into the soles of my feet. "Genevieve please, hear me out? It happened before I got to know what an amazing women you've became," I swallowed heavily before concluding. "It happened before your father made amends for his actions." She shook her head in disbelief. "I don't want to hear your bullshit. All of you knew yet only Liam is man enough to face me," she bellowed as she looked at all of us in turn. "Prin- Genevieve, please?" I pleated. "Please believe me when I say that I feel absolutely horrible about what happened that day." I try again to inch closer but to no avail. She threw a bottle of beer at me. The fragile material splintered into pieces at my feet while the remaining liquor spiraled upwards, staining my pants. I gave a step backwards as she glared at me. "Vivi please, don't do this? Just hear him out," Giovanni tries to reason with her but it falls upon deaf ears. "Don't you Vivi me, you've known about this all along but chose not to tell me," she spat furiously. "How the fuck was I to know that you and Misha would hook up during your delayed stay? Everybody saw the argument that day, so why are you taking your shit out on me?" She gave him a hurting expression but pointed out that nothing more needs to be said as she turned around and left us all behind.

I'm standing here speechless and paralyzed. This is not at all what I've had planned for later this evening. "Why the fuck would you sent her that?" Ella screeched as she rammed her fists into her partner's chest, clearly despicable. "Seriously, I'm doing you all a favor and this is how you repay me!" He spat annoyingly. "You and I, Liam O'Connor, are done. We're so done!" He threw his hands irritably up in the air. "Fine! I've been getting tired of this relationship anyways," he expectorate in reply which only turned into a nasty dispute. My attention is pulled away from their quarrel as a hand remorsefully gripped my shoulder. "Let go get her, I have an idea where she might have run off too," Giovanni stated as he pulled me along out of the house. How could the day start out on such a wonderful note just to end like this? As we rode up and down the streets of Stellenbosch, the anxiety is chewing its way through my heart. I really don't want to think about the worst case scenario but even as Giovanni is trying to reassure me that all would be fine; I can't seem to fathom. While his lips may be sprouting words of encouragement his face is filled with concern. I knew it, after that incident, I knew that it would come around and bite me on the butt; I just hoped that it wouldn't.