CHAPTER 5

The car drive was silent, I watched Josiah shoot daggers at the driver the entire ride and each time, I gave a small smile, he was childish at times. I busied myself listening to music on my headphones and surprisingly, Josiah didn't bother me the entire ride. When he was not glaring at the driver, he kept texting on his phone, it sparked my curiosity but I pretended not to notice.

As I blasted music from my headphones, I observed the road. I could hear crickets in the green in the distance and I loved the warm yellow from the streetlights that permeated the early morning. I looked at the high-rise buildings and the smooth tar of the express road, and I observed the hustle and bustle of the pedestrians on the walkways. A lot of people were out this morning, but people were always out anyway.

About thirty minutes in, Josiah leaned in beside me and tapped my shoulders and I pulled down my headphones.

"Let me know when we're close to your place" he whispered.

"Why?" I whispered back.

"I don't want this creep to know your house" he whispered, his face squeezing to show me how cringe he found it.

"Don't worry, my house is a private estate" I told him "he'd never be able to come in. But if it would make you feel better, we'll stop at the entrance". He smiled wide at me and scooted back right before he resumed texting on his phone.

I was humming along to the lyrics of Billie Eilish's 'Everything I Wanted' just when the gates of my estate came into view. I pulled down my headphones and tapped Josiah softly on the shoulder, when he turned to me, I nudged my head at the gates and he nodded back.

"We're stopping here" he called aloud to the driver.

The driver did not show any sign of hearing us and just when Josiah reached out to tap him, he pulled over in front of the gates and parked his car. We got down and the driver opened the trunk of the car, then Josiah and I pulled out my wheeled bag- I was already holding my backpack. I gave the driver his payment in cash from my purse and started walking away when he called me back.

"Hey," he called and we both turned around "You didn't tip me".

I was reaching into my purse to get him some cash when Josiah held my arm, stopping me. "Don't give him anything" Josiah said.

"Why not?"

"Because tips are for people who did their jobs well," he said "and he didn't."

I zipped my purse and put it in my backpack "I am not tipping you" I said to the driver.

He hissed and entered his car, Josiah and I watched his car zoom off before we started walking into the estate. We walked a bit before I abruptly stopped and held Josiah's arm, stopping him as well.

"Now what?" I asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," I wet my lips and looked around before looking back at him. Where are you going to go?"

"I don't understand," he said. "I'm at your estate, aren't I?" He folded his arms.

"Yes," I said "but you can't stay"

"Why not?"

"I told you" I looked up at him, trying to explain "My uncle won't allow it, he might even be mad at me"

He placed his hands on my shoulders "Look Joan, I will explain everything to him okay, and like every other guardian, he'll understand" he said "Besides, I've already texted my friends to cover for me and my mum will have my stuff over by the evening. If you like, she could talk to your uncle too"

So that was what all the texting was about huh. He was ready to stay over.

"Josiah" I pleaded with him, but I could hear the resignation in my voice.

"It will be fine" He said and turned around to keep walking. I gazed at his back view, taking in his tall frame for a few seconds and then I quietly followed after him.

We walked along a cobble-stoned pathway and on either side, there were different flowers, I could see the purple hibiscuses and some of the flowers that had dropped to the grassy plain below where the plants were grown, the bright red hibiscus that glowed in the early morning light, the anthurium's pink heart-shaped petals, some yellow little flowers that resembled sunflowers although I was never sure what they were, the place was littered with flowers. I turned to look at Josiah and I couldn't help the feeling of pride when I saw that he was also observing the flowers around with an open-toothed smile, I turned away, feeling my stomach turn with something I could not fathom, and before I could let my mind wander over the feeling, Josiah nudged me.

"You are lucky" he smiled "you get to enjoy this view all the time"

I forced a smile back at him. Of course, he didn't know that ever since my parents death, I never stepped foot outside the estate whenever I was home. I never observed the flowers, the greenery, the buildings, my house... my living room. I was always locked in my quarters, my room and I only came out to the dining to eat. Uncle David was an absentee figure, he let me have my space, gave me a more than enough allowance and stayed completely out of my way. I found myself thinking back to another time... thinking of my parents, thinking of that afternoon when Uncle David told me that I wouldn't be seeing my parents anymore.

Replaying his voice in a loop.

Replaying that day in a loop.

Replaying time in a loop.

I didn't realized that I had zoned out until I felt a gentle nudge on my left shoulder.

"Joan" Josiah's baritone brought me back "are you alright"

"Y- yes" I mumbled "I'm fine" I kept walking and I avoided looking at him. He didn't say anything for a while and just when I thought that he was actually done talking, he called out from behind me.

"We still haven't sorted out yesterday, you know?" He said.

"Yesterday?" I feigned confusion, when in truth I knew what he meant. Our conversation when he brought up my parents.

"I know you remember," He said softly.

"I don't wanna talk about it," I said with a note of finality.

"Joan, I-" He was talking when I interrupted him.

"We're here," I said.

He looked up to see that we were in front of a massive building.