***
It's about twelve hours. People are working on a shoot for the cover of a very famous magazine about fashion at a photo studio. They are running, hurrying, trying to do their best to have a good mood, and getting ready for the shooting. Someone is working on the lighting, and someone often moves a ventilator that should blow the hair of the model, who is going to shoot for the magazine. And someone is tuning on all the necessary apparatus and checking how they work not to let any embarrassments happen during the shooting. The famous model, Raquelle Cameron, is going to be on the cover of this magazine. She tries on a few sparkle dresses that have different colors, lengths, and types. The makeup is colorful and perfect. It emphasizes the beauty of her gray eyes much more: long eyelashes, black eyeliners, brown and golden eye shadows, and transparent lipstick. The girl’s long brown hair is slightly curled, and her fringe is brushed on one side. Brilliant earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and shoes with high heels… Everything looks so good with these dresses that Raquelle tries on with great pleasure. The girl’s very good friend, Steven Appleby, whom she has known for many years, is a photographer for today's photoshoot. Somehow this man helped Raquelle when he and the girl named Delancey Spellman, the girlfriend of the photographer, proved that Simon Ringer slandered the model and got her kind and honest name back. Raquelle will always be grateful to Steven for that. Because nobody knows what would have happened if he had not tried to do anything to prove her innocence. The shooting is quiet enough. No confusing situations happen. As always, Raquelle looks just irresistible, giving her everything for good pictures and trying to find perfect poses and angles to express her dignity and hide the weaknesses. Raquelle is successfully doing this because she knows how to make people admire her. “Nice!” Steven exclaims, pressing the shutter release button of the expensive camera. Steven says this phrase several times as he takes a picture of Raquelle, who sometimes changes her pose. “Yes, yes, that’s good,” Steven says kind of quietly. Steven continues to take photos of Raquelle from different angles, running from one side to another to catch a moment and take a perfect picture. But the photographer does not have a very good mood. He was doing his job with great pleasure before, but now he is just doing what he should do automatically. The face and the voice of Steven are quite dead. They do not show any emotions. He would definitely lock himself at home, in his room, turn off his phone, and refuse to talk to someone. Raquelle has already noticed Steven's strange behavior and is trying to understand what happened to him. When she was working with him, it was always a pleasure to be on the set because the photograph always had a good mood, often praised the girl and told her compliments, and even joked at times. Not but that Raquelle wants to hear a compliment… She just wants to support Steven and try to help him. But the girl does not know and cannot even assume what would help him. “Nice, last shoot,” Steven pronounces without emotions and presses the shutter release button on the camera the last time. “Alright, we are finished.” Steven puts the camera aside and sets his gaze on the computer, viewing the photos he got. And when the photographer says the shooting is completed, Raquelle comes to the box with little bottles of water placed on the table. She takes one bottle, opens it, and takes a few sips, getting rid of the thirst that she has been obsessed with for a long time. Meanwhile, people at the studio are still fuming on the set and doing some business. After closing the top of the bottle with a lid, from which she was just drinking, Raquelle glances at Steven, who looks gloomier than a cloud while viewing the photos on the computer. The girl does not think too long about whether she should bother him, and comes to the photographer confidently with the hope that she will help him with something. When he notices his friend coming to him, Steven turns his body on her. “Great job, Raquelle, you are amazing,” Steven says quietly without emotions. “Thanks, Steve,” Raquelle replies with a slight smile, still holding the bottle of water, and moves her eyes to the computer and starts viewing the photos. “You also did a great job. These photos are really wonderful.” “A fabulous model should have only perfect photos.” “I know… But you can get good photos only thanks to a wonderful photographer.” “Who does know from where you better be photographed,” Steven cracks a smile. “That’s right.” Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Raquelle bites her lip slightly. “But actually, I wouldn't like to talk to you about my modeling career,” Raquelle says confidently enough. “Really?” Steven wonders, raising his eyebrows, and crosses his arms over his chest. “So, what do you wanna talk about?” “I see you’ve been very sad and depressed at today's shooting,” Raquelle says very carefully. “Me?” “Do you have some problems, Steven? You were much more active and more positive, but now you kind of had all your energy sucked out of you.” “Oh, better don't ask me about it…” Steven runs his eyes over everything around himself and just waves a hand. “I still can't believe that happened in my life…” “If you want, you can tell me what makes you worried,” Raquelle says softly. “And I could try to find a way to support and help you.” “Nope, you can’t help me ‘cause it already happened.” “But what happened? Did you get into a bad story?” “No, no, not at all… Just…” Steven sighs heavily, lowering his hands. “It's because of my relationship with Delancey… It's really unpleasant to me, but…” “Can't you still reconcile?” Steven exhales sharply with closed eyes for a second before he says with sadness: “We broke up, Raquelle. It's been almost one month since our breakup, but I don't feel better.” “Did you break up?” Raquelle wonders, looking at Steven with sadness in her eyes. “But why? What happened? Did your relationship get so bad that you decided to break up?” “She is an initiator of that, not me,” Steven replies in a low voice. “I don't know what happened to her, but I didn't recognize her in the last few months. She turned from a shy and cute girl into an aggressive woman, who is always unpleased with something.” Steven relaxes his shoulders, runs his eyes over everything around him, and sighs heavily. “I don’t understand why she did it?” Steven wonders. “Why? I didn’t give her any reasons for that! I didn't cheat, I didn’t ignore her… I respected her, I loved her… But she did that to me…” “Oh, I'm so sorry, friend,” Raquelle pronounces softly, looking at Steven with pity in the eyes, puts her hand on his shoulder and caresses it. “I completely understand you feel hurt.” “Very hurt. I feel bad now because I got really attracted to that girl.” Steven starts fingering over nervously. “And she never loved me because she left me so easily and didn't think of me…” “No, don't say that, Steven!” Raquelle protests. “If she hadn't loved you, you would’ve never dated her and wouldn't have thought about that.” “Honestly, I don’t know why we actually thought we could be lovers. We were friends for ages, and then something made us say about having more tender feelings for each other.” “Well, you know, even the longest friendship can sometimes turn into something more.” “You know, Raquelle, I must confess that I liked Delancey when we were friends, but she didn't know it. I didn't want to tell her about that because I was afraid to ruin our friendship. When she accidentally told me she liked me, I felt very good… Delancey said she didn't joke, and I decided to tell her about my feelings. She accepted it very well, and we decided to try to date. Everything was okay for some time, but later everything began getting ruined like a card castle.” “I completely understand you. If I knew how to help you, I would do it with pleasure.” “I know, Raquelle… But as I’ve said, there is no point in doing it.” Steven thinks of something for two seconds and then waves his hand sharply. “Okay, don't think about it. I will overcome it. I dated a girl not for the first time… I’ll overcome it and keep living. And you should think about your relationship. You’re gonna get married to Terrence. So, better think of your wedding.” “I think of my wedding a lot,” Raquelle replies with a slight smile. “But I also never forget my friends and aim to help them in hard situations.” “I know you are a very kind girl and always help your friends,” Steven says amicably. “But please, don’t worry about me. I'll find the courage to brace the energy and keep living. A breakup is a very bad thing, but it’s not a great tragedy.” “It's not as easy as you think, Steve. I also thought I’d get rid of my feelings for Terrence. But I could do nothing with it, and couldn’t change what wasn’t under my control. I realized I loved that man and didn’t wanna lose him.” “You're at least lucky that your fiancé loves you and is ready for anything to make you happy. Whatever people say about Terrence, he’s a good guy.” “Believe me, you will also be a lucky man someday,” Raquelle replies with a slight smile. “Not Delancey, but someone else. You’ll find your love.” “Thank you so much, Raquelle,” Steven smiles slightly. “Thank you for always being by your friends’ side and helping them. I really appreciate my friendship with you and will never forget what you're doing to me.” Raquelle says nothing and smiles slightly. Two seconds later, she finds herself in Steven's amicable hug that he initiates first. The man feels a little better thanks to this hug, but he cannot forget the pain that he is feeling. And a little later, the girl steps back from him and smiles slightly. “If you wish to talk and share something important, I'm always ready to listen to you,” Raquelle says softly. “Yes, sure, thank you,” Steven replies with a false smile and thinks for two seconds, stroking his chin. “Sorry, I have to go. Business.” Steven goes somewhere quickly, leaving Raquelle alone while she is watching him with sadness in her eyes and thinking of something for a few seconds. But later she realizes she is going to have an interview for the magazine, for which she just shot. Despite the sad mood that Steven “infected” her with, Raquelle quickly braces herself and goes to the room where she was getting ready for the photoshoot, thinking of giving some orders to her assistant that accompanies her on all shootings and does everything she should do.***
Lunchtime is over. “Five Seconds Records” is one of the largest and most famous record studios in New York. Here, there are many people, who are going somewhere and doing something. The recording of the songs is taking place, some artists are singing away, but some people are working on writing songs, playing instruments for themselves, or trying to create new music for their songs. Terrence is now in the studio with Daniel Perkins, a tall man that is a little lower than him, with dark chocolate hair and piercing hazel eyes that have always driven girls crazy. He is a bass guitarist for the band “Against The System.” They would be happy to work on writing songs. But because their drummer, Peter Rose, has not come to the studio yet, the guys have nothing but to play some songs on guitars. Now they are performing a song from one of their favorite bands. Of course, this song cannot be played well on acoustic guitars because it sounds better when electric guitars and drums are used. But because the drummer is not here, they have only to sing songs while playing two acoustic guitars. And when they finish playing the song until the end, Terrence and Daniel decide to take a little break and put their guitars aside. “Amazing song!” Daniel exclaims cheerfully, installing himself comfortably on a little soft sofa placed in the studio. “It's one of my favorites. I can play and sing it forever.” “Agree!” Terrence agrees enthusiastically, sitting on a wrapping chair near the mixing desk. “But it sounds good when we perform it on electric guitars and drums. An acoustic version isn’t as cool as a rock one.” “You explain it to our drummer, who is hanging around somewhere,” Daniel throws gloomily, crossing his arms over his chest. “Yeah, that lad has lately visited clubs too often and behaved strangely,” Terrence frowns slightly. “I think it’s time to save him, otherwise, we'd have to look for a new drummer.” “Shit, finding a new one would be easier than getting something from this one! His irresponsibility is starting to irritate me!” “I wonder, why did he actually start to go to clubs so frequently and drink to the hell, so he moans from how bad he feels later? Suddenly!” “Who the fuck knows!” Daniel gives a hum of disapproval. “But I swear, if he goes to a club again, I will tie him to a chair as tightly as possible for him not to run away anywhere. We need to write and record songs, but that idiot hangs around somewhere and ruins our plans.” “Get cool, Dan, I’m begging you!” Terrence says quietly, slapping Daniel on the shoulder. “Just because Peter wrote more songs than you and me doesn't mean we're worse than he is. I must confess that we can also write very good songs.” “Yeah, but the problem is not only about it! That man does give a fuck about everything we do! He always finds excuses not to work and to go to a club and drink. I guess he also fucks some girls when being drunk.” “Don’t you think you treat him too cruelly? Maybe, we shouldn’t press on him so he realizes that’s all wrong?” “We shouldn't press?” Daniel wonders. “I am ready to kill him because he ruins all of our fucking plans!” “I don’t also like the fact that Peter has been doing it. But understand, we would get nothing by showing aggression. Be softer to him and stop pressing on him so hard.” “Hm, I’d rather hit him on the head with a stick as strongly as possible… Maybe, it would wash his brains, and he’d realize what a bastard he’s lately been.” “That’s wrong, Daniel. I know the situation is bad, and our plans are about to be ruined. But we should keep calm.” “At least Edward was helping us, but now it seems like the ground swallowed him up…” Daniel leans back in the sofa and runs his hand through his hair. “What happened to him?” “He said he had some important business,” Terrence shrugs. “Edward has become too busy lately and barely communicated with us.” “And how long ago did you talk to him?” “A long time ago. Since we were back from the tour with Liam, Zach, Brad and Nate, I haven’t talked to him yet. The last time, we did it some time before leaving.” “And does someone else speak to him? Raquelle? Your mother?” “Nope, they haven’t spoken to him, either. I somehow sent a couple of messages to Edward on his mobile phone, but he didn’t answer me.” “Interesting…” Daniel frowns slightly. “Where do you think he could disappear?” “Of course, I didn't ask where he always hurried and thought it was his business. But now I would like to find it out. Because it’s all so strange… Disappeared somewhere, says nothing to anyone…” “You better ask his girlfriend, Natalia. Maybe, she’d tell you something about our disappearance.” “I don’t think she knows something,” Terrence frowns slightly and runs his hand over his hair. “As far as I know, Natalia is in Mexico with her parents. Her grandmother is living there and has cancer. So, the Rochesters are taking care of her now. But Raquelle somehow said her family would be back in New York soon.” “She was supposed to text or call him somehow. SMS, Facebook. Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp… Many ways to contact!” “I guess she connected and talked with him somehow… She often sends messages to Raquelle on Facebook…” “Maybe, Natalia told her something? Talk to Raquelle and ask her if Rochester said something about your friend.” “Of course, I'll ask Raquelle about what's happening to Edward and Natalia.” Terrence laughs quietly. “Girls should definitely say something to each other, ‘cause they love talking about secrets.” “Undoubtedly.” Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Terrence presses some buttons on the mixing desk and moves sliders. “By the way, is everything fine between you and Raquelle?” Daniel asks. “It couldn’t be better,” Terrence replies confidently with a slight smile. “I think everything that happened between us united us much more. We got much closer, and we always support each other in everything. And after our holiday abroad, I made much more sure I didn’t wanna let her go. I can’t wait to make her my wife.” “I'm glad for you both. You're a fabulous couple. I must confess that you blossomed when you reconciled with Raquelle and lied under the sun with her for two weeks.” “I feel like I’m positively charged,” Terrence smiles widely, leaning back in the chair. “I should’ve gone somewhere to have a rest a long time ago, ‘cause I felt exhausted and emptied. And when I had a short vacation and forgot about all my problems, my life got much better.” “I know. That’s cool everything was over well. We’re gonna have fun at your wedding soon.” “I’m happy, too.” Terrence says nothing for two seconds, thinking about something and glancing at a drum set placed in the studio for a moment. “Hey, what about you and Anna?” Terrence asks. “I hope everything is okay with you, too.” “Yup, everything is perfect, as well,” Daniel replies with a wide smile. “Of course, we may have some arguments about banal things. But everything is okay, and we don't complain about anything.” “Your relationship was progressing so swiftly. You haven’t dated for six months yet, but you are living together. Aren't you afraid your feelings might fade away someday? Fade away like fire!” “Of course, I'm afraid of it. Even though we started to date after a few dates, I feel a strong love for Anna. I feel very good with her. She supports me in everything and takes care of me… That girl makes me enjoy every single day and reach for my wishes, no matter how hard it is.” “I understand you, buddy.” “You know, I’ve had many girlfriends. But none of them got me as attracted as Anna did. When I met her, I realized what emotions I needed to get attracted to the one I madly love.” “Raquelle also makes me feel alive… She has something that always supports my life… Some fire… She doesn’t let me feel bored and literally makes me conquer her every day.” Terrence glances aside with a slight smile. “I can't imagine what would've happened to me if Raquelle and I hadn't reconciled… If she hadn't said she didn’t wanna break up…” “If you and Raquelle hadn't made peace, we wouldn't have gotten everything we have now. Our band exists because of you and the talent that you were given by nature. I have never heard such strong and incredible voices as yours. Only one person out of the one hundred has a voice like this.” “I’m not the only one from the band to have a talent, dude. Peter and you are also irresistible and experienced in what you do.” “No, Terrence, Peter, and I are just decorations for the background. You are the face of the band! We are nobody!” “What?” Terrence wonders, rounding his eyes. “Don't even dare to say it! We’re all the same in the band, and we don’t have a leader, even if I am silently the one. I don’t think I am ‘cause we work in our band. Every one of us is good at something different. You play bass guitar wonderfully, and your voice is very good and fits mine so well. And I admire the way Peter plays drums… He always lays himself out when playing.” “I also love the way Peter plays drums. I won’t argue about his talents. But if I don't see him in the next five minutes, I'll go to his home and torture him for a long time.” “Yeah, he’s kinda too late… He was five or ten minutes later, but now he’s two hours late…” “If you haven’t forgotten, that blond little rat should’ve come at ten o’clock. But now it’s more than two hours o’clock! The lunch is already over, but he is not here yet!” “Okay, I’ll try to talk to him and wash his brains. Or our band will be broken up because of his irresponsibility.” “The band is doomed to a fucking breakup!” Daniel throws crossly. “Because of that scumbag, we can’t go further than a couple of shitty lines that don’t fit one another at all.” “Okay, okay, Perkins, calm down, don’t get excited! Don’t dare to attack him when he comes here. You’ve lately not been able to be in the same territory without saying a word.” “Because that idiot does irritate me! He does because we are all suffering! If it keeps happening, the studio will cancel the contract with us, and our success will become a thing of the past.” “I promise I will talk to him when we’re alone,” Terrence glances at the door, which makes a quiet sound. “And yeah, he’s already come.” The door opens quietly, and a tall, slim man with wheat-blond hair, who has circles under his dead amber eyes due to a lack of sleep, slowly comes into the studio. This is Peter Rose, the drummer of the band “Against The System.” He actually had a physically developed body, but now the man is skinny, and the biceps on his arms look smaller. Daniel instantly glances at the blond, who looks, saying softly, not very well. Like a broken, tired, and exhausting man… “Finally!” Daniel says loudly, rolling his eyes, and sharply gets up from the sofa. “The price of blue blood has been pleased to bring his ass here! Where the hell have you been? You should have been here since the morning! But you come here after lunchtime and pretend that nothing bad happened!” “Listen, dude, don't scream, please!” Peter says, groaning quietly, closes the door, and tiredly comes to the sofa, running his eyes on everything around him. “Don’t do…” Peter falls on the sofa, where Daniel was sitting, like a stone, and starts rubbing his temples energetically. “I feel too bad… And because of your wild shouts, my head and my eardrums are about to be torn apart.” “Hm, why are you feeling pain?” Terrence frowns slightly. “Because, Terrence, someone should hang around clubs and drink much less!” Daniel throws with evil in the eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “If I hung out in clubs every single day and drank a few glasses of whiskey, I would always feel sick and have to creep on a wall and moan from how bad I feel.” “Oh, close your mouth, idiot…” Peter mumbles tiredly but coldly and leans back in the sofa with his closed eyes. “Don't teach me what to do and where to go…” “You must be the fuck taught!” Daniel throws loudly. “Do you actually know we need to record the album? But the recording of it is getting ruined because of you!” “Don’t give orders! You weren’t chosen as a leader.” “Do not make me irritated, Rose! You have sucked enough energy out of me and made me hate you to death.” “Don’t talk to me then! What’s your problem? Anyway, you can get out of here and bark like a fucking dog somewhere at a different place.” “Listen, you, bastard…” Daniel wants to run to Peter sharply, but Terrence punches him aside, saying: “Daniel, stop it now!” “Maybe, you get out, pathetic ugly?” Daniel asks loudly. “And it is actually time for you to get out of the band and keep drinking and fucking some whores at clubs.” “You cannot care who I fuck and drink with!” Peter throws much louder. “You know, what will I say? Terrence and I would feel much better if you really got out of the band. And if Edward helped us. With his help, it would be much easier for us to get material for the album. But since he disappeared somewhere, we have to think up something by ourselves.” “Sit down and think up then, but I’m going to do nothing,” Peter says, grabbing his head with a quiet moan and doubling over. “My head is about to tear apart, and my body hurts so much… Fuck, what did I the fuck come here? I should’ve stayed home and pissed everything off.” “Damn, Peter, how can you say it?” Terrence gets horrified. “We count on you, but you’re framing us! Why can’t you brace yourself and start to work well again?” “Sorry, Terrence, but I can’t really work. I’ve got no wish to do all of that.” “What?” Daniel gets wild, clenching his hands into fists. “Are you kidding us? You began to hang around clubs and also dodge your responsibility! Didn’t you go insane, respectful? I think it’s out of the limit!” “Stop screaming like crazy…” Peter moans quietly, closing his face with his hands. “You did annoy me… Being with you in the same room makes me sick!” “You know, you also annoyed me enough! What the fuck happened to you? Why is our band about to be disbanded because of you? Did you feel a taste of fame and begin to think you are cool? No, blond, you must work very much to reach that!” “Oh, close your mouth… I think you did put on a crown and got really arrogant when you got that fucking contract with the studio.” “Hey, come here, crazy little rat!” Terrence, understanding that something bad may happen, does everything to round off rough corners and defuse great tension. He instantly runs to Daniel, sharply pulls him down, and claps him on the shoulder to make him calm down. “Daniel, calm down now,” Terrence says quietly. “I did ask you not to attack him!” One second later, Terrence glances at Peter but does not step away from Daniel. “Indeed, Peter, what's happening to you?” Terrence asks quietly. “Why have you been so irresponsible? I would understand if you visited clubs on days when we had free time and could have a rest. But now we should work on the album. We have the contract, which obligates us to do what it says. We have certain dates. Our time is not unlimited, get it.” “I don't refuse my responsibility,” Peter replies without emotions. “I just ask to hold writing songs over tomorrow because I feel awful now.” “And how many times have I heard it?” Daniel asks crossly and loudly. “How much? A week? Two? Maybe, one month? And refusing to work on songs is a part of the trouble! Now you also refuse to make any public appearances. Because of you, Terrence has to lie to everyone that we have some important reasons why we have to decline invitations to some appearances, at which we should be all together, but only MacClife eventually comes.” “For example, in the case of yesterday’s premiere of the movie…” Terrence says quietly. “The reporters asked why you two weren't there, but not only should have Raquelle and I been there, but also Daniel and Anna and you.” “Now you can see it! Terrence is the most responsible of us. Because he has to be answerable to us three. And you, Peter, you're the most irresponsible one. Because you ruin all our plans at the last moment.” “Nobody made you stay home!” Peter throws rudely. “You could choose clothes and go to show off in front of cameras with a peacock tail and a big crown on your head.” “You do have a peacock tail if you think everybody owes you. Just because you went on one tour as an opening act doesn’t mean you can pretend to be a celebrity.” “Sorry, Daniel, but you're starting to irritate me by acting like a hysterical girl,” Peter says crossly, sharply stands up from the sofa, and runs up to Daniel, looking at him contemptuously. “You were always an unbearable pain in my ass, but now you changed for the worse. And even your beloved Anna couldn’t impact you somehow.” “Don't need to drag my girlfriend into this, you, pathetic creature!” Daniel hisses. “And remember, if you say at least one bad word about her, I swear I will skin you over.” “Daniel, stop it now!” Terrence demands loudly. “Peter, don’t get excited, too!” “Come on, try!” Peter exclaims. “Come on, skin me over, defender!” “You're just envying because I’m happy with Anna, and you don’t have a girlfriend,” Daniel says rudely. “But you forgot you were guilty of that because you were pretending that you didn’t need girls. You probably became a crazy psycho because of envy. You actually want my relationship to be ruined. But don’t dream about it, Rose, it will not happen! Anna and I love each other and are very happy together.” “I do give a fuck about what kind of relationships you’ve had, and how many girls you had had before you met your girlfriend.” “And how many gals have you fucked when being drunk to the fuck? Or are your abilities in sex very bad? Huh? Can’t you just get a girl excited? I’m silent about making her satisfied!” “Shut the fuck up, asshole, otherwise I will hit you!” Peter shouts irritably. “Now I’m starting to understand why you haven’t met a girl and can’t get her into your bed. Even prostitutes from a nightclub wouldn’t agree to spend a night with the idiot. Who either hasn’t said goodbye to his virginity or has such terrible abilities in sex that the entire city learned about it, and everyone kept themselves far from you.” “Daniel, watch your mouth!” Terrence demands severely. “You are crossing all the lines!” “If you say one more word, I swear, bastard, you will be dead!” Peter hisses furiously, clenching his hands into fists so strongly that his knuckles get white. “I SWEAR, hysterical motherfucker! You will not leave this place safe and sound!” “You know I am right, but you do not want to confess you are a loser,” Daniel smirks evilly. “From the beginning, I did not doubt the problem of your failures was about it. You cannot seduce a girl and give her amazing sex that she will never forget. And now I’m absolutely sure you ran into that somehow and are now afraid to confess you are the real impotent!” Peter breathing heavily from anger and tension loses his patience and loses control of himself. He runs to Daniel as fast as lightning and hits him in the yawl with a fist as strongly as possible. That’s why the brunet cannot stand because of the slippery parquet and falls on the floor with a strong pain after the hit and the taste of blood in his mouth. But when the furious Perkins gets up, he instantly gives Rose a very strong slap in the face. A couple of mutual slaps before they attack each other with fists, giving painful hits in all areas and painfully pulling out the hair. Being obsessed with anger, they fall on a table placed at the studio during the fight and break it into thousands of pieces. Later, they break the guitar placed on the sofa when Rose falls over it and breaks it with his weight because he has to protect himself from Perkins and give him painful hits with anger in his eyes. Seeing his friends starting a furious fight, Terrence rushes to them immediately and tries to break up Daniel and Peter, who could easily beat each other until blood and bruises if nobody stopped them. “Hey, hey, stop it right now!” Terrence demands loudly, trying to take Daniel being much more furious away from Peter looking no less evil. “Stop! Stop, I said!” Later, Terrence barely pulls the furious Daniel away from Peter, whom he does not let slap the hazel-eyed man in the face. “Peter, calm down now!” Terrence exclaims loudly and severely. “Don’t touch me, Terrence!” Peter shouts loudly. “Let me beat this scumbag very well! I SWEAR HE WILL BE DEAD!” “Try, weak girl!” Daniel throws rudely, trying to get out of Terrence’s strong grip. “Try to touch me again, bastard! I swear, everyone in this studio will know you are absolutely hopeless in bed! And you will be an object of mockery for everyone! The impotent that can’t seduce a girl and a man!” “Don’t dare to say anything, asshole! Or you will regret being born. I will tell everyone such terrible things that everyone you know will turn their backs on you. And I will not even feel ashamed of slandering such a nasty bastard like you.” Using the fact that Terrence gets his grip weaker, Daniel gets out of it sharply and runs to Peter. He smashes his fist against his face, painfully grabs him by the hair, and strikes him down, so the blond feels pain in his elbows that he hits strongly. Perkins gives Rose a few painful hits with his fists before Terrence takes him aside. While the blond gets up sharply and tries to answer the attack. But he does not manage to do it because MacClife stands between the furious men, so anything bad does not happen. “Calm down, Daniel, CALM DOWN!” Terrence shouts. Seeing Daniel resisting too hard, Terrence has to hold his friend much tighter not to let a bloody fight between the ex-best friends happen. “Get off, Terrence, I've been dreaming of kicking this fucking badass, who deserves it,” Daniel hisses, trying to get out of Terrence's grip. “Let him go, Terrence, let him try to kick me right now,” Peter shouts, gesticulating very actively and behaving quite aggressively. “I'll kick him back so strongly that he'll regret being born in this world.” “We'll see it, bastard! Pathetic ugly, who shows off nobody the hell knows why! You better close your mouth and sit aside quietly!” “Close your mouth, dog! And don’t choke with saliva!” Daniel unsuccessfully tries to get out of Terrence's strong grip to kick Peter and beat him strongly. Seeing the guys being literally ready to kill each other for the reason he does not know, Terrence also goes out of himself. He feels like he is between the devil and the blue sea, not knowing how to reconcile those, who called themselves best friends. “Hey, calm down, you two!” Terrence shouts loudly. “PSYCHO!” Daniel screams at the top of his lungs. “Go to a doctor! Get some therapy!” Two seconds later, Daniel barely gets out of Terrence’s grip, runs to Peter and smashes his hit against his yawl, and then gives a few painful hits in his stomach and pine. However, the blond does not leave it unnoticed and, getting over the strong pain, answers him back. They grab each other by the hair, strike down and beat each other with their legs and hands for some time before MacClife tries to break them up and take Rose far from Perkins lying on the floor. “Stop, Rose!” Terrence demands loudly. “ROSE! Stop it now!” “Asshole!” Peter says with evil in his eyes. “Curse you, bastard! For everything that you have done to me! I hate you! HATE!” “Don’t choke with evil, loser!” Daniel throws rudely. “I wish you died! I wish Anna left you to the fuck! AND NEVER CAME BACK!” Daniel gets up sharply and wants to attack Peter with fists but just grabs him by the hair before Terrence, who loses patience, starts screaming: “I SAID, SHUT UP NOW! CALM THE FUCK DOWN!” Terrence's loud shout makes Daniel and Peter stop, stand like statuettes and keep literally killing each other with their evil, sizzling looks as they are breathing heavily. “What did the fuck you do here?” Terrence asks loudly. “Do you understand what you’re doing? Been fighting for nobody knows how long for the reason I don’t know! Peter is not the only one to be guilty of the band’s breakup. You are guilty, too, Daniel! You cross all the lines! And you will have to pay for the broken table and guitar if the owner of the studio knows it.” Peter and Daniel say nothing and are just breathing heavily and either rolling their eyes or throwing a gloomy look aside. “Don't you understand that our band is about to be disbanded if we don't brace ourselves?” Terrence wonders. “What about the promise we gave each other? We promised we'd overcome anything, despite any difficulties that would be waiting for us. We were noticed and got the offer to sign a contract for recording our debut album. Should we give up when we’ve passed half the way? Why did you get wild and fight to the fuck right now?” “Sorry, Terrence, but I can't stay with this psycho bastard in the same room anymore,” Daniel says quietly, exhaling slowly with his closed eyes and running his hands over his hair. “If I stay here longer, he will surely be dead. But I have no wish to get my hands covered with his blood and end up in prison. You can work together if you want, but I'm not gonna be a part of this bullshit. I give a fuck about you, about the band, and about everything about it. I GIVE A FUCK!” Daniel sharply gives a start, rushes to the exit, leaves, and slams the door strongly. Terrence watches him with sadness in his eyes, feeling like he has been between two lamps for a long time. “What's happening to you, guys?” Terrence wonders, looking at Peter, whose eyes are full of anger and set on the door that Daniel closed. “You two got off the chain after the tour was completed! Even though you were good friends! What happened to your friendship?” “You better ask Mr. Perkins about it,” Peter replies gloomily, crossing his arms over his chest and rolling his eyes up. “But I can say that I’m really regretting getting in touch with this bastard, who pretends to be nobody knows what.” “I agree that he really crossed the line in some cases. But damn, you almost killed each other! You were friends! Think about it!” “No, Terrence! If you weren’t here, I would beat that sick bastard. He got arrogant after the tour and after meeting a girlfriend.” “Listen, Peter, I'm not gonna judge you. But you've really, lately been irresponsible. I can’t disagree with Daniel about it. Sorry, but he is right when being mad and blaming you for the band’s problems.” “I wish this band never existed!” Peter exclaims loudly. “I don’t know what I was thinking of when I agreed with that fucking idea!” “My gosh, Peter, what’s happening to you?” Terrence gets horrified. “Can you explain the reason why you’re acting like this? If you want, Perkins will not know it, and I will not say a word. Just call me the reason why you two turned into some buffaloes, and you became irresponsible. You and I would solve your problem and do our best to make the band business better.” Peter lowers his arms down and relaxes his shoulders, exhaling sharply with his closed eyes. “Sorry, Terrence, but I don't want to talk about it,” Peter says quietly. “Please, don't be mad at me, but I don't want to talk about what's happening to this fucker, our band, and me. Sorry. I have at least one opinion that is the same as Perkins’ one. I give a fuck about the band and everything that has to do with it.” Peter sharply gives a start, leaves the room where he is being, slamming the door, and goes nobody knows where. So, Terrence stays alone in this studio. Alone. The process of writing songs has been canceled for the hundredth time because of Peter and Daniel’s constant fights, the reason for which is unclear to him. Maybe, they were just playing a joke on each other and having fun, but now they really confront each other. Their fights were verbal, but now it almost turned into a bloody fight that MacClife did not let happen. “If it keeps happening, our band will be disbanded,” Terrence says quietly, signing quietly and running his hands over his face. “And I will not make my dream to become a musician come true because of these two idiots, who went out of their minds!” Terrence sits on the sofa tiredly. “I never thought these two would start a fight ‘cause they were hand in glove…” Terrence thinks. “What happened between them and made them literally beat each other’s face ‘till blood? Did Peter get sick of Daniel laughing at his failures in relationships, assuming he was gay, and calling him impotent? In this case, I can understand his aggression… I wouldn’t take that insult, either…” Terrence leans back in the sofa and sighs heavily, raising his head to the ceiling. “I guess I’ve gotta write all these songs by myself, as these two can't make peace and start working.” Terrence grabs his head and doubles over, trying to decide what to do. “However, we'd hardly need these songs if these two don't establish their relationship in the near time.” To distract himself from bad thoughts, Terrence takes the guitar that he was playing along with Daniel some time ago and starts slowly plucking strings and striking random chords, playing the melody that is playing in his mind. It’s quite slow and a little sad. Causes some not very good memories that make him have depressive thoughts. For example, the memory of the things that happened to him and Raquelle a few months ago. Of course, they agreed not to think about it, but the memories of those terrible days are too horrible to erase from memory so easily. There is one song that makes Terrence associate it with those memories that happened to him and Raquelle, and he starts playing it a few seconds later after thinking about it. When he strikes the first chords, the man comes back to those hellish days when he had to suffer like never ever. The lyrics of the song describe the emotions that the two had to survive. Even if it's just the memories, they make the heart bleed. Make the soul tear apart into one million pieces. Anyway, Terrence is madly happy those days have become a thing of the past. Of course, he would be happy to forget those memories that make his soul rankle. But the man understands it's impossible. Besides, if that had not happened, Raquelle and Terrence would not have realized the mistakes they made some time ago not to make them again and to make their relationship stronger. When Terrence finishes singing the song, he decides to try to write at least a few words for a new song for fun. He starts striking some chords and singing something under his breath again. And later, he comes up with some lines that fit a slow and quiet melody spreading throughout the whole room. Believing it’s a good idea for a new song, Terrence quickly finds a notebook and a pen and starts writing something, noticing some chords and writing words that just came into his head. He could not think up lyrics so quickly, but now something clicks inside him, and he is ready to write while ideas come into his mind. Even if these words are not always connected.***
The time is close to the evening, but it’s not dark outside. A guy with thick brown hair, brown eyes, and little pale skin, who is wearing black jeans, a leather jacket, a black t-shirt, and black snickers, is walking in a deserted place. His hair is strongly disheveled, because of the strong wind, and he looks a little gloomy and thoughtful. Edward. Edward Lockhart. The young guy, who came into the life of Terrence MacClife like a hurricane, but who managed to become a good friend of him. The guy, who managed to get the heart of Natalia, with whom he befriended after their first accident meeting at the café. And when they ecided to tell each other about their sympathy, they decided to try to date. Now Edward is slowly walking in a deserted place where there are many elevations and cliffs and nobody around. Along with this, the man thinks of what’s happening in his life. It seems like he has almost everything he needs to be happy. But the man looks very sad anyway. Not like the one to be really happy… “I have everything I wanted to get, but something is missed anyway,” Edward thinks with sadness in his eyes, slowly walking in unknown places, looking around, and sometimes moving hair off his face that bothers him because the wind strongly blows it up. “I need something to be absolutely happy… I mean, I know what, but it will never happen…” After looking around the whole place, Edward sighs very quietly. “And I must confess that I’m missing Natalia, after all…” Edward thinks with sadness in his eyes. “It would be great to see her at least with one eye… I could even say nothing… Just to see… I feel kind of sad without that girl…” Some time later, Edward comes to an abyss and looks down from this one while standing on the edge. And then, continuing to walk this empty street, he starts to sing a song that describes what he is feeling at the moment. It should be noted that Edward sings as perfectly as his friend, Terrence, does. They kind of have the same skill. The voice of this guy is so wonderful and touching that it’s possible to feel goosebumps on the back. It literally charms and makes anyone forget everything in the world. After finishing singing a snippet of the song, Edward sighs heavily and comes to another abyss. He sits on the edge, letting his legs down, and starts to look into the distance with his sad eyes and think of what's going to happen to his life. “I think it’s time to let Terrence and Raquelle know that I’m back,” Edward decides. “I’ll try to find a reason that would sound quite true to explain my long disappearance. And then I’ll suggest they meet me somewhere and talk. I do really miss those people, who I haven’t met for such a long time…” After sitting on the edge of the abyss for some time, Edward thinks it's time to come back home. And finally let his close people know that he is back in the city and would have the pleasure of meeting one of them. The man sighs heavily, quickly gets up on his feet, and slowly leaves this empty place where he is at the moment with quite a discreet walk.***
It's the evening time. Raquelle and Terrence have already come back home, and now they are ready to spend this evening together. They can forget about the problems they have to run into only at these moments. The girl and the man learned a lesson very well, and they try not to forget about each other and to spend any free minute together. They no longer ignore each other, blaming their tiredness for it. Now they listen to each other with pleasure and try to support their second half, at least with a good word. At the moment, the exhausted lovers are in their room, lying on the bed together and talking about what happened to them today. “Today was much worse than any other day,” Terrence says with sadness in his eyes. “Daniel and Peter had a dust-up again and couldn’t work together. They were confronting verbally, but today they literally had a serious fight. I mean, they attacked each other and would’ve killed each other if I hadn’t broken them up.” “Oh my gosh…” Raquelle pronounces with pity in her eyes, lying on the bed next to Terrence, embracing her fiancé and pressing close to him as her head rests on the man’s shoulder, and her hand is on his chest. “You said they were best friends, who never fought. Something serious happened?” “I don't know. I’ve stopped recognizing them since the tour was finished,” Terrence sets his gaze into the distance with a quiet sigh. “You know, how disgusting I felt when I had to stand between them not to let them beat each other’s faces until blood. Of course, I prevented something terrible, but nothing changed. I can’t get them reconciled.” “But what’s gonna happen if Daniel and Peter don't establish their relationship?” Raquelle asks with anxiety. “Would the band break up? Would your dreams about the big stage be ruined?” “I'm afraid everything will be so because I don't see any ways to fix it,” Terrence inclines his head and sighs heavily. “I feel like I'm between two fires… All my dreams are getting ruined…” “Yeah, but everything started so well…” Raquelle sighs heavily and looks around the room with sad eyes. “And we have to lie to everyone that these two have some business, because of which they aren’t able to visit appearances.” “You’re right, that’s not the first time I had to lie. And because of Peter's mindlessness, we can't start working on the album. I mean, writing songs. Having to have four or five songs isn’t enough to release the full album. Maybe, only an EP…” “Maybe, he is too worried ‘cause he doesn’t have a girlfriend? Daniel and you always brag that you're lucky, but he may feel offense and acts like this.” “Yeah, but I try not to start this talk. Daniel does always talk about it and even mocks him ‘cause he’s single. He loves teasing Peter because of that. And he even thinks the blond could be gay. It makes the blond irritated. So… I can’t exclude that Pete got sick of it. Besides, Perkins crossed the line and called Rose impotent. That’s why they fought at the studio… And broke a couple of things…” “My gosh…” Raquelle gets horrified. “Would real friends do that? How could Daniel openly mock Peter because of his failures in relationships? And call him an impotent…” “I dunno… I thought it was just a joke, but now it’s clear that Daniel is really mocking Peter.” “I think it's the reason for the trouble. Haven't you tried to talk to every one of them and try to understand the reasons for this behavior? Daniel couldn’t change so suddenly and get the hatred for Peter, who was his friend for ages!” “I somehow tried to talk to Daniel, but it gave me nothing,” Terrence sighs. “And today I tried to ask Peter about it, but he refused to speak. They blame each other for everything.” “My gosh, what happened to them and made them literally enemies? You must find it out and do your best to save the band!” “Yeah, but what can I do if these two stubborn people can't come to an understanding? They can't stay quietly in the room for more than one minute. And then one of them always starts to provoke another.” “I don't even know what to say…” Raquelle moves her eyes from the ceiling to the door that leads to the dressing room. “I’m very sorry it happened… But I can barely help you in this situation… I mean, I can’t do…” Terrence silently glances at Raquelle, caresses her shoulder and head tenderly, and kisses cutely the top of her head. “It’s okay, sweetie, don't think about it,” Terrence says softly. “I'll solve the problem with these two and try to save the band. Early or late, one of them would confess what happened to them. And if Daniel’s wish to laugh at Peter because of failures in relationships is the reason for that.” “I’d like to believe he isn’t such a heartless man and wouldn’t be mocking Anna so cruelly,” Raquelle expresses hope. “Daniel has always been good for her…” “I hope so…” Terrence says nothing for two seconds and swallows up nervously as he runs his fingers through Raquelle’s hair. “Oh, okay, let’s not talk about me anymore,” Terrence says thoughtfully. “You better tell me, what happened on today's shoot? Was the day much better than my day?” “Not better,” Raquelle sighs quietly, slowly sits up, and sets her gaze on her hands folded in front of her. “The shooting was bearable because Steven had a bad mood because of problems with Delancey. And the person, who interviewed me, asked me questions that I didn't want to answer. I can say today was not the best day of my life…” “Yeah, but I thought everything got finally better,” Terrence also slowly sits up and moves his eyes somewhere aside. “It seems like we’re gonna overcome something like this soon.” “Why do you think so?” Raquelle moves closer to Terrence and puts an arm around his neck, putting her chin on his shoulder. “I don't know,” Terrence replies gloomily. “Not many things have lately made me happy. And these two idiots that constantly fight make me much sadder.” “Me too, but I’m glad ‘cause I’ve got the people that would always help me.” Terrence cuddles Raquelle with a slight smile and presses her to himself, feeling relief every time she pressses herself to his chest and gives him her nice warmth. “I think it's the only thing that makes me happy,” Terrence replies thoughtfully. Silence settles in the air for three or four seconds, during which Raquelle presses herself to Terrence, who holds her tightly with his arms and leaves short kisses on some parts of her face, making her smile shyly. “By the way, I see Ben has lately been at our home very often,” Raquelle notices. “Of course, I understand you're the best friends, but I didn’t think you’d meet so frequently. Did you miss each other so much after your fight and reconciliation that you can’t live without regular meetings?” “Ah, Raquelle, haven't you still understood that Ben has a crush on our servant?” Terrence smiles slightly. “Parker does give a damn about me, but Blair really got him charmed.” “Blair? Benjamin likes her?” Raquelle thinks for two seconds. “Erm… Yes, she said something about him… Christiana said a delivery guy brought flowers here yesterday. And they were for Blair from Benjamin.” “I know, she told me that…” Terrence puts his hand softly on Raquelle’s cheek and caresses it tenderly. “You know, although I’ve never had anything against Ben, and I don't, he shouldn't try to make that girl fall in love with him.” “Are you hinting at his amorousness?” “Exactly!” Terrence nods confidently. “Honestly, I'm not happy about it, too,” Raquelle says thoughtfully. “That girl overcomes too much, but if she falls in love with that man, it won’t make her feel easier.” “I completely agree with you. I don't think it will bring her happiness. I still remember how frequently he was flirting with some girls. He even got several hits on the head from men, who dated girls, who succumbed to the charms of your dear friend.” “Yeah,” Raquelle laughs quietly. “But later, he got brains and began to walk around Natalia, who was single at that moment.” “This morning, Violetta told me Blair is not going to fall in love with Ben, despite accepting his attention and some little surprises from him.” “Yeah, she told me the same.” “Ah, that girl doesn't understand she can't choose whom to love…” Terrence sighs quietly with sadness in his eyes. “Sorry… Very sorry…” “It seems like the servants told her the same, but she thinks she would be able to control her feelings.” “Haven't you tried to talk to her about it?” “Not yet, but I am thinking about it,” Raquelle shrugs. “Honestly, I would also like to talk to her. Of course, it wouldn’t give excellent results, but I’d at least warn her that she shouldn't get in touch with Parker if she doesn’t wanna suffer…” “Something tells me she wouldn’t pay attention to our words,” Raquelle assumes, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “But we need to try.” “Are you following the principle 'lose nothing for asking?'” Raquelle chuckles kindly. “I’d say so,” Terrence replies with a smile. “Aw, honey…” Raquelle kisses Terrence’s cheek cutely and rubs the tip of her nose against it, making him smile shyly and kiss her on the forehead tenderly. “By the way, do you know when Natalia is gonna be back from Mexico?” Terrence asks thoughtfully, fixing Raquelle’s hair slightly. “You talked with her on Facebook…” “Actually, she was supposed to be back today. But I haven't gotten a call from her.” “I can’t wait for her to come back… I wanna find out something…” “Find out? What?” “Don't you think the fact that Edward has lately become too busy is strange? I wonder where he disappears and hasn’t still replied to my messages and answered my calls.” “Yeah, this business is so serious that he doesn't have time to talk to Natalia.” “Do you wanna say Edward isn’t interested in how Natalia is doing while she is in Mexico?” “At least, Natalia says nothing about it,” Raquelle shrugs. “It’s strange… She could be talking about him with you and Anna for hours… Didn’t she text you anything about how she missed him?” “Nope, she didn’t…” “You know, I’ve been thinking of inviting these guys to our home or somewhere else. We haven’t come together for a long time. I miss those times…” “Honestly, me too,” Raquelle cracks a smile. “And I think it would be great to watch their behavior and carefully find out why Natalia stopped talking about Edward, and where my friend disappeared. Who wanted to meet me so badly.” “Do you suspect something?” “I won’t deny – yes. I don’t like it all… I have a bad presentiment…” “I agree with you… Edward’s disappearance, Natalia’s silence… There’s a reason…” “I mean the same. So, we need to reflect on my suggestion about dinner. Natalia, as you said, is supposed to be back. And when Edward shows up, we will invite them here.” “Alright, Mr. MacClife, I will think about your suggestion,” Raquelle promises with a smile. Terrence smiles silently for two seconds and then looks at Raquelle with sadness in his eyes. “You know, Raquelle, when Peter and Daniel fought, they left the studio, and I stayed alone…” Terrence tenderly caresses Raquelle’s cheek, looking into her eyes. “And at some moment, I thought about what would’ve happened if we hadn't reconciled… If we’d broken up… I know we agreed not to think about that, but still…” “I also thought about it two days ago,” Raquelle confesses, looking down. “And actually, our business has lately been kinda bad.” “Not only that. I’ve lately wanted to piss everything off, go nowhere, and talk to nobody. I barely hold down not to give up.” “Do you wanna make a statement about finishing your singer and acting career? Would you give up and stop fighting for your dream?” “Never! Even if these two lads leave the band, I will be doing my best to start a singing career as a solo artist. No matter how hard it is, I will get what I want.” “I like your fighting spirit, Terrence MacClife,” Raquelle encourages proudly with a wide smile. “Keep doing the same. You shouldn’t give up and let your wish be just a dream.” “You know that your support motivates me not to stop,” Terrence replies with a smile and touches Raquelle’s cheek, which he starts caressing with a shy smile. “Thanks to you, I do know I don’t want to give up. I wanna become a musician. Just like I’ve wanted since childhood.” “And you know that I'll always be with you, despite nothing.” Raquelle runs her hand through Terrence’s hair, playing with it somehow and looking into his eyes as her close is very close to his face. “And I won’t let you give up on your dream because of two people, who suddenly started to have a quarrel.” “Of course, I’d be sad if my effort wasn’t worth it. But I’m glad I’ve got the experience. I was on big stages for the first time and performed as a musician, and a crowd accepted me and my band very warmly. That was an unbelievable experience that I will never forget.” “I’m sure it’s not the last time you perform in public,” Raquelle grabs Terrence’s face tenderly and kisses him cutely the tip of his nose. “Someday you will have a few shows per day.” “I hope it will happen, my sunshine,” Terrence says with his head proudly raised, tenderly caressing Raquelle’s head. “I mean, I’m sure about it.” “I believe in you, sweetie…” Raquelle smiles shyly. Terrence says nothing and just gives a tender smile to Raquelle. While the girl tries to guess the thoughts of the man, who looks into her eyes for some time, he shortens the distance between him and her quite confidently and gives a sudden kiss to his fiancée two seconds later. She shakes slightly but answers it with pleasure, quickly putting her arms around Terrence's neck and running her fingers through his hair. The man hugs her around the shoulders and presses the girl closely to himself as his free hand caresses her face, but later slides down to a curve of her neck and open collarbones that get some caress. Some time later, Raquelle being a little heated breaks the kiss and looks at Terrence slyly. Then she lies down, pulling the man after her, who raises himself above the girl. And now the girl gets the man involved into a more passionate kiss as her hands confidently slide over the brunet’s back up and down and slightly scratch it. Terrence’s hands are grabbing Raquelle’s face, stroking her hair, holding her by the waist, and sliding tenderly over her belly, which gets quite tense from the excitement that is getting stronger. A little later, Terrence leaves the prints of his lips on all the parts of Raquelle’s neck. It makes her feel a nice shake, quietly moan from pleasure, and feel how frequently her heart is beating with a heavy breath. As long as it’s happening, the man gets looser and expands the zone of caresses, confidently sliding down and giving a caress to the girl’s thighs and knees. He also leaves kisses on her collarbones and belly when he slightly raises her plaid shirt. When barely running the tip of his nose or his mouth over open parts of the skin, Terrence feels the smell of her skin. It clouds his mind, makes him breathe unevenly, and makes him feel how fast his heart is beating. Getting so busy with caressing and kissing the feminine body, Terrence does not realize that Raquelle quickly lies him down on his back. She sits on him, and shuts him up by kissing him passionately on the lips with a heavy breath, first caressing his face and hair but later sliding down to his tough masculine chest, which she starts tenderly rubbing. And while he, tenderly running his hands over her arms and curves on her waist and caressing her thighs and buttocks, feels how a nice warmth is spreading all over the body, and forgets about his problems, she caresses his earlobes with her lips and leaves a few kisses and slight pinches on his neck. That’s what drives him crazier and makes him breathe harder. At some moment, Raquelle and Terrence sit up, not breaking a kiss on the lips, not stopping holding each other strongly, and not stopping caressing each other’s hair and face. And after a few tender kisses on the feminine neck, the man tenderly looks into the girl’s eyes with a wide smile and moves a few strands of hair off her face. After that, they embrace each other strongly but very tenderly, pressing as close to each other as possible. Raquelle shyly strokes Terrence’s soft, silky hair, cutely rubs her cheek against his cheek, and puts her head on his shoulder. And he breathes in her smell with a wide smile that kind of calms him down and relaxes him, but also makes him feel a sexual attraction and a wish to own her. But a little later, the lovers step away and move their eyes to each other’s faces that they want to see every single day. Terrence looks at Raquelle with admiration, not being able to hide his tender smile and letting his fingers through her soft, dark hair. A little later, the man thinks it’s a good time to relax and forget about all his problems. He wants to encourage the girl to do this, not doubting his success. But despite the wish to do everything sharply, the man acts very tenderly, leaving a few short kisses on her lips, cheekbones, nose, and chin and later sliding to her neck, which gets his attention. She enjoys it with a slight smile and half-closed eyes for some time, but later she decides to tease him a little and not to let him go too far. So, Raquelle softly grabs Terrence’s face and does all the same with a bigger love, but adds some fuel to the fire, getting her hands underneath his shirt and caressing tenderly the naked masculine torso. It drives him crazy and makes him feel like every single muscle in his body gets a nice cramp as his heart misses a beat. Some time later, Raquelle caresses Terrence’s earlobe with her lips, barely touches the area behind it with them, going to whisper something in a low, quiet, and very soft voice: “I would like to listen to you play guitar and sing.” “Right now?” Terrence asks in a little hoarse voice, running his fingers through Raquelle's hair. “Yes, please,” Raquelle steps back from Terrence a little and looks into his eyes. “Although you rarely play for me, I always listen to you with a sinking heart.” “Maybe, I play for you later, but now would we play a little?” Terrence takes and looks at a gold pendant in the form of a little heart on Raquelle’s neck, which he tenderly caresses, and moves a hand on her collarbones, making her feel the nice warmth it’s spreading. “I do see you want me… You always want such an irresistible man like me.” “Really want…” Raquelle smiles slyly, slightly biting her lip and looking into Terrence’s eyes, and slightly grabs him by the collar of his shirt. “Dying from how much I want… But better play and sing.” With these words, Raquelle tenderly runs her hands over Terrence’s body, keeping her sly look into his eyes. In order to tease him much more, she unbuttons a button on her plaid shirt and shows him her attractive red bra that raises her breasts. They are actually not very big, but they seem to be big thanks to a push-up. The man’s widely open eyes automatically slide down, and he swallows up nervously, feeling nice cramps in his abdomen, and his breath gets much heavier. “Play for me a little and show me everything you can,” Raquelle adds in a lower voice, softly caressing Terrence’s knees, and leaves a couple of kisses on his lips and neck. “I’ve always known you’re a sly bitch,” Terrence pronounces in a little hoarse voice, staring at Raquelle’s breasts like he's hypnotized and breathing too heavily. “What kind of concert can you talk about when such an attractive beauty that I want to cover with kisses is sitting next to me…” When Terrence is sharply going to get closer to Raquelle’s breasts, cover them with exciting kisses, and squeeze them tenderly, the girl prevents it, putting her hand on his lips and softly pushing him off herself with a quiet clatter. “No, no, no…” Raquelle smiles slyly. “When you play, you’ll be able to kiss and caress me as much as you want. My whole body will belong to you.” “So, okay,” Terrence pronounces with a sly smile and his head proudly raised. “I will play… But you will not get off me and hide your beauty from me.” “We will see it, baby…” Raquelle says thoughtfully, slightly biting the pendant in the form of a heart that is hanging on her neck and striking a sexy pose. “And what do you wanna hear, irresistible beauty named Raquelle Cameron?” “Everything your soul wants, Mr. MacClife. Any song performed by you would be such a nice thing to me.” “Alright, as you wish, Ms. Cameron.” Terrence kisses Raquelle on the cheek and neck two times, gets up from the bed, and opens his mouth widely when the girl slaps him on his buttocks to tease him much more. The man clatters quietly, shaking his finger, then comes to the window where his acoustic guitar is placed, takes the instrument, sits on the bed, and starts to tune on his guitar. He needs just a little time to do this. But when it's tuned well and sounds good, Terrence starts playing the first chords of the melody that starts slowly, barely being able to control himself because Raquelle provokes him with the gaze, actions, and poses she is sitting in. After playing a few first chords and turning himself to perform the song, the man starts singing quietly along with the melody, the sounds of which are spreading in the whole room and probably in the entire house. Although this song is a little sad but very beautiful, Raquelle listens to it with pleasure and cannot stop smiling widely. She thinks Terrence MacClife was born to sing because nobody else has such a strong voice. When it's time to listen to the chorus, Raquelle also starts singing along with the man, but does it a little hesitantly first. The imitable, clear, and piercing vocal of Terrence perfectly fits the quiet, thin and beautiful voice of the girl. Although she has never learned to sing, she loves to do it at times, but does not always like to show her vocals to her friends and family. Terrence gets a little surprised when Raquelle starts singing along with him. But the man does not stop and continues to sing. And later, he starts listening to the girl’s wonderful signing, not what he is playing and singing. Her voice is so entrancing and calming that he literally forgets everything. Nevertheless, the man gets to strike the right chords and not to sing out of tune, even if he distracts. Three or four minutes later, Terrence finishes playing the last chords and then smiles slightly when looking at Raquelle, who laughs shyly at some moment. “Wow, Raquelle, I didn't know that you could sing so great!” Terrence exclaims admirably, still pressing the guitar to himself. “Really?” Raquelle asks amazingly, shyly looking down and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Well, I don't think so…” “No, I swear, you have an amazing voice! Why did you never tell me you could sing so well?” “Actually, I sing something when I have to be alone. Of course, it doesn't always happen. I do it when I have a mood for singing.” “Trust me, you sign just wonderfully. I say it not because I madly love you. I say it because it's the truth that must not be hidden.” “Thanks, of course, but your talent is as unreachable as the moon,” Raquelle replies shyly. “No, it’s not true, beauty. Undoubtedly – my talent must not be put in doubt, but I really like your singing. If I taught you a vocal a little, it could lead to excellent results.” “I ain’t gonna be a singer. Working as a model is enough for me. So, there’s no point in teaching me to sing. I want only one singer to be in our future family. Only you.” Raquelle tenderly runs the back of her hand over Terrence’s cheek. “But if you change your mind, I will be happy to have you as my student and give you all my knowledge,” Terrence purrs with a slight smile, slightly slapping Raquelle on the nose. “Okay, sweetie, I’ll remember,” Raquelle replies shyly. Terrence smiles shyly first, and then his smile gets much slier, and he puts his guitar aside. Later, the man, looking into Raquelle’s eyes, caresses her face tenderly and gives her a continuous kiss on the lips while softly holding her by the chin. A little later, after making the kiss deeper and caressing her mouth with his tongue tenderly but confidently, he slides to her neck, a curve of which he covers with tender kisses. While the dark-haired beauty does not stop making the man’s ears pleased with her quiet, sensual moans and closes or rolls her eyes from pleasure. “So, I played for you – now be pleased to keep your promise, my sweetie,” Terrence smiles slyly, looking into Raquelle’s eyes and running his finger over her lips. “Erm, I’m getting my words back!” Raquelle says confidently, stepping back from Terrence and looking at him with her head proudly raised, and shows her bra with a sly smile on her face again. “Yes, you will not get your piece of love!” “No, baby, since you promised and teased me enough, be pleased to keep your word,” Terrence covers another curve of Raquelle’s neck with kisses while she starts shaking slightly and cannot hold down her sensual moans even if she wants to do it. “You know me, I will get it because I’m used to getting what I want.” “Don’t wear a crown for a long time, pretty boy,” Raquelle steps back from Terrence again and runs his hand over his tough torso. “Don’t tease me and wake up an animal inside me, girl. If you keep pretending to be hard to get, you will not get off me so easily, for beautiful eyes.” “What you’re talking about!” Raquelle slowly gets up from the bed and proudly goes two steps back from it. “You will have to try to get what you want.” When Raquelle turns on the door, Terrence gets up from the bed sharply, runs to the girl, and presses her to himself by the waist. “You will regret getting in touch with me,” Terrence says confidently in a low voice. “Yeah, how will I do?” Raquelle smiles slyly. “I can still find the will to resist your strong charm.” “Well, as I can see, you can. But you have much less strength than me.” Terrence grabs Raquelle by the throat strongly but tenderly and sharply gives her such an exciting kiss on the lips that her heart stops for a moment, and her legs get weak. Under this pleasure, the girl stops resisting two seconds later and answers this kiss. Not for a long time. Making sure he does not doubt his victory and relaxes, she sharply steps back and goes aside, keeping a look into his eyes. “Are you sure about it?” Raquelle chuckles, proudly walking in front of Terrence. “Don’t rush to make conclusions.” “I’m giving you the last chance to give up on your wish,” Terrence says confidently, keeping Raquelle under his view and not letting her stand behind him. “I don’t want to take extreme measures to obey one little bitch that always wants to get out of my hands.” “Never!” Raquelle shows Terrence her breasts in a bra with a quiet laugh and bites her lip slightly. “You will not get this beauty… No, no… You will not…” Raquelle turns on the exit with a sly smile and is going to leave with a slow, beautiful walk, shaking her thighs slightly. But now Terrence, not going to let her go so easily, sharply grabs the girl’s hands, and pushes her onto the bed while she gives a quiet, playful squeak. He raises himself above her and kisses her on the lips, despite her attempts to say something and give him slight hits. She stops moaning a few seconds later, her body relaxes sharply, and her hands are raised up above her head and tightly pressed to the bed by the man. After making sure she does not think of resisting, Terrence lets Raquelle’s hands go and goes further, kissing her on the neck, ears, and an area behind them. He squeezes her breasts tenderly and caresses them with his lips and caresses her belly, which he opens slightly and does not leave without kisses. He gets a greater pride because he managed to “tame” this girl and made her breathe heavily, moan sensually and bend backward like a cat. While his hands and lips skillfully caress this body, which drives him crazy, as if he is seeing it for the first time. But they do not manage to continue their business because someone suddenly knocks at the door quietly some time later. Terrence being not very happy gets off Raquelle quickly, and they try to put themselves in order with a heavy breath, pulling clothes down, stroking down the hair, and buttoning up their shirts. Then the lovers pronounce at the same time: “Come in!” The door closes quietly, and Blair shows up standing on the doorstep, being a little scared, too shy, and afraid that she bothered Terrence and Raquelle and might get them mad at her. “Erm, please, excuse me for bothering you, Mr. MacClife, Ms. Cameron,” Blair says quietly. “But you’re asked to answer the call.” “The call?” Raquelle frowns slightly. “From whom?” “Natalia Rochester.” Raquelle and Terrence look at each other and smile slightly. “Did she really come back?” Terrence asks. “I will talk to her,” Raquelle says quietly. “Try to hint at the dinner.” “Okay.” Raquelle gets up from the bed quickly and leaves the room slowly. While Blair is still standing on the doorstep, looking a little discreet. But two moments later, the young servant starts speaking, bending her arms at the elbows: “Excuse me, Mr. MacClife, may I ask you a question?” “Yes, of course,” Terrence nods, gets up from the bed, and quietly comes to Blair. “And yeah, that’s good you came… I would like to talk to you. Can you sit on the bed?” Blair slowly comes to the bed and sits on the edge of it. “Mr. MacClife, I would like…” Blair says hesitantly while Terrence sits down next to her. “Listen, Blair…” Terrence says softly. “You have worked at my house since I moved in here. And I really appreciate your decency and conscientious work. I don't have any claims for you, and I treat you very well. That’s why I want to warn you about something, so you don't feel bad later.” “Do you mean your friend, don’t you?” “Actually, yes,” Terrence replies a little hesitantly and cleans his throat quickly. “I would like to talk to you about him.” “I’m listening.” “Blair, because Benjamin is my good childhood friend, I can’t say any bad things about him. But I would like to tell you something. Please, don't fall in love with that man. I think you’ve heard that the guy could charm any girl and then leave her. I’m saying it because I don't want you to suffer from your feelings that he may play with. You're living a hard enough life, but if you fall in love with that man, nothing good will happen.” “Do not worry, Mr. MacClife, I will not fall in love with that man or anyone else. I have other things on my mind. I must take care of my mother and my younger brother, at least until he is able to find a job and help us.” “You know, Blair, the case is that we can’t choose who to love. We suddenly get this feeling. You may not even understand that you fell in love at once.” Terrence falls into silence for a second. “I'm not going to ban Benjamin from visiting my home. But you wouldn’t better be with him at the same place. And accept his gifts.” “Do you want to say, you ban me from coming to him?” Blair wonders. “No, I can't band you from that. I just want to warn you and save you from the pain that man can give you.” “Thank you so much for caring about me, Mr. MacClife. But you can be sure that I don't think he may be my boyfriend. And as I’ve said, I'm not interested in everything about love. I think about other things.” “I will believe you, but remember what I just told you,” Terrence says with a slight smile. “Alright, I will not forget,” Blair replies shyly. “Okay, I will not bother you anymore. You can go to your room if you don't have anything to do.” “Thanks.” Blair quickly gets up from the bed and rushes to leave the room to do her business. After watching the young girl, Terrence thinks of something for some time, comes to the window, and starts watching what’s happening behind his home. And some time later, his phone makes a sound that lets him know that someone sent him a message. The man reluctantly takes his phone from the bedside table and sees that he has a new message… From Edward, who he was thinking about with the thought that he was missing him so much. “Hey, Terrence! How are ya doing there? I’m sorry about disappearing for such a long time and not answering your calls. I had some very important business. But I read a bunch of messages that you sent me. Did ya miss me so much that you sent me messages literally every single day? But don’t worry, buddy, I didn’t forget ya and also missed you while you were hanging out with the lads.” This message calms Terrence down a little and makes him smile slightly. He quickly types a reply that he sends with a quiet chuckle. “Oh, look who showed up! My disappeared bro thought of me and sent a message! You can’t believe it, but yes, I really missed you. You can think I have nobody to kick the ass, and you’re the perfect one for that. Kicking my friends’ asses isn’t as funny as kicking my friend’s one.” Some time later, Terrence gets a new message from Edward that contains many funny smiles. “I was waiting for this message from ya. But okay, I’m back and ready to remind you not to be too arrogant, bring you back from heaven to earth. And make you remember you aren’t God. Okay, I will kick your ass later when we meet… Natalia texted me two minutes ago. She said you and Raquelle wanted to invite us to your home. You were waiting for my return… So, I’m back and able to have dinner with you.” Reading the message, Terrence silently calms himself down and doubts if he really has a reason to suspect something bad. “What if my suspicions about Natalia and Edward's relationship having some problems are groundless?” Terrence thinks, frowning slightly and putting his phone to his mouth. “He agreed to come to the dinner… So, if Natalia agrees, too, there will hardly be a reason to worry about them… I need to tell Raquelle my bro texted me… But now I’ll send a reply to him.” After thinking a little, Terrence types and sends a message to Edward quickly. “Perfect! What about meeting tomorrow? We will be waiting for you somewhere at five or seven o’clock in the evening. We can’t wait to see you because we haven’t spent time together for a long time. You disappeared somewhere, and Natalia spent a whole month in Mexico…” Edward sends a message very quickly, literally one or two minutes later. “We also miss you very much and would like to spend time all together. I will surely tell Natalia we’re invited to your home tomorrow. I’m sure we’re gonna have a wonderful time! Wait, Terrence, I’ll kick your ass tomorrow. And strike your crown off your head… And put it on for a while.” After reading the message that contains funny smiles, Terrence smiles slightly, sends some ones back, and puts his phone aside. Then he starts thinking of something, being happy he has his close people that are one of the reasons why he wants to live and reach something and forget about his problems at least for a while.