Chapter Ten

After taking care of his coat, she had led him further into the house when her mother called from her room.

"Sapphie, who was it?!"

"Oh, just Kylian Ma!"

"Kylian," her mother emerged from her room then, already prepared to go out, "Merry Christmas. It's good to see you again."

Surprise didn't register on his face but Sapphie didn't miss the way he paused for a split second when he took in her mother's outfit. Sapphie had to bit her lip. She knew her mother's dress was amazing. Who wouldn't pause at seeing such a chic, off-shoulder Mrs Claus mermaid dress? But the thing she loved most right now; was how it didn't give away the little surprise she had in store for Kylian.

"Mrs Maida. You look so amazing you're making me feel under dressed."

"Oh stop, just take one look at Sapphie and you'll feel better about yourself."

Sapphie's mouth fell wide open and her eyes grew into saucers as her brows scrunched together. Kylian didn't even try to hold his laughter in.

"Ma!" She gasped, but the two continued on as if she weren't even there.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Mrs Maida. How is everyone?" He took off his gloves to shake her hand but she pulled him into a hug instead.

"Everyone is doing very well, thank you for asking. So, are you guys being ready to go?" she cast a questioning glance at the sweats she was wearing.

"No, I just need to do one more thing before we leave. You'll most likely leave before us."

Her mother gave a look before she said, "Well okay. Kylian, it's always a pleasure. We'll see you at the party." She said before disappearing into her room again. Presumably to finish up and get the boys.

"Come on, I've got to show you something." Sapphie beckoned, leading him further into the house. They took a left turn into the passage and then the door to the right into her bedroom.

"When you said you had something to show me, I had no idea It would be your layer."

His footsteps became silent the moment the floor transitioned from the hardwood floor to the plush rug that took up most of the floor space in the room.

"You make it sound like I'm some kind of mysterious superhero." She left him by her dresser, went into one corner of the room to pull open the wardrobe there.

"You just might be, according to Mike and Cale." He said.

Kylian turned about where he stood, curiously inspecting the room. It was almost hard to believe that he was standing in Sapphie's room.

Such a private space to be. He wondered if he should feel honoured that she was comfortable enough to share it with him.

The first thing he noticed, other than the brightness aided by the natural light coming through her window, her messy dresser was a huge contrast to her well-made bed. Beside the wardrobe was a study desk where a computer sat in front of a purple and black gamers chair. Kylian lifted his brows, smiling at that. She had the latest PlayStation console, Nintendo and whatever else he could see stacked beneath her desk.

Although her bedspread was plain, a colourful mountain of pillows and a pink fleece sheet adorned it. Kylian walked to the window where there was a small reading nook and an inbuilt book case he wouldn't have seen unless he'd walked up to it.

That's when he also discovered the small pictures taped on the window frame. Curious, he peered down at them to get a closer look. The pictures were of Sapphie in various stages of her life, some were taken with her family and some she was alone. All seemed to have been taken somewhere...in Africa, maybe? Beautiful was the only word he could think of to describe all of them.

"Thanks, it's not much but I love it in here."

That's when he realised, he'd spoken out loud. Sapphie was deep in her wardrobe that she hadn't realised he meant her when he'd spoken.

He only cleared his throat and pointed at the small book case beside him, "Is it safe to...?"

She peeked her head out of the wardrobe to see, "Oh sure. Go ahead!"

"I didn't know you were a reader?" he said while scanning through the case.

She snorted, "Why? Cause I play video games?"

She seemed to like a lot of science fiction and a bit of classics. But of all the titles, one book in particular captured his attention. A considerably thick, red novel sized book. 'My Unknown Story', was the title on its spine.

Kylian pulled it out and flipped it open to the middle. The sketches inside again drew his attention. They reminded him of 'Je m'apelle Kylian', a graphic novel he released a few years back. He smiled. The sketch showed a swooning group of girls—probably high schoolers if the uniform was anything to go by. It wasn't until he read some of the speech balloons and flipped to the next page that he realised one of the girls was in actual fact, Sapphie!

"Oh my gosh!" He heard her gasp.

Then suddenly, the book disappeared from his hands faster than he could blink.

***

There we go.

She stood on her tip toes to reach the top most shelf. Carefully, she pulled the box out so the things she'd stacked on top wouldn't topple over onto her head. Once she had her ox in hand and closed the cardboard doors, she noticed Kylian still by her bookcase. She was about to make a joke about him being secretly a sci-fi nerd when she noticed the colour of the open book in his hands.

Oh no.

Her toes grew cold.

Only one book on that shelf had that colour, and she'd completely forgotten she still kept it there. Her high school diary from when she was about fifteen.

Instead of writing about her days, she'd found it better to sketch little snippets of it. Just like in comic book.

"What the—?" he blinked at her when she snatched the diary from his hands and clutched it to her chest.

"You can read any book except that one."

She saw him take in the panicked look on her face and it seemed to be enough to spur him on. God how was it possible that Kylian had opened her diary? A book filled with stories about her childish stories...especially stories about boys!

Again, she thanked God for melanin.

At least it wasn't your current sketchbook, she thought.

Sapphie promptly turned around and shoved the diary beneath her mattress—just to give her hands something to do. Plus, she couldn't look him in the eye either.

"Then why was it there?"

"I forgot it was there," she said, "don't you know you're not supposed to read people's diaries?"

"In my defence, it was out in the open," he shrugged, "plus it's not like it details the guy you're crushing on now."

No, that was safely locked away in her desk drawer.

That thought had her blushing again. If he'd seen that one instead, she was sure she'd have died.

She scratched her nape and cleared her throat.

"So, are you going to tell me what you saw?"

"Well, that depends." He smirked as he rolled on the balls of his feet with his hands crossed behind his back.

"On what?"

"On whether or not you're going to tell me what eventually happened with dreamy Brandon with the 'sparkling deep blue eyes' was?"

"You're such a jerk." Although she died a little inside, Sapphie couldn't help but roll her eyes and laugh at his tricks.

"I'm waiting."

"I'm not going to tell you." She shook her head.

"You will if you want me to go to tonight's party," he checked his watch, "the time is ticking."

For a little while she looked at him, imagining all the ways she would get him back for this.

"Fine," she threw her hands up, "He was two years ahead of me and practically didn't know I existed. When he found out through one of my friends that I liked him, he came up to talk to me for the first time, told me he was sure I was sweet girl but he wasn't interested."

"Then he told me he actually liked one of my friends—and eventually got her pregnant."

There was a pregnant pause.

Kylian blinked, "Well...dang."

Sapphie had to bit her lip to keep from laughing. The look on his face was priceless.

"Yeah, I didn't see it coming either." She said, then patted then box beside her.

"But you're okay now though, right?"

"Totally," she waved it off and swallowed the lump in her throat. It wasn't that she still thought about what happened then. But it would really suck if history repeated itself. Sapphie looked away.

Would she move on from him if he said those things to her? She asked herself.

After all, it was fun and games in high school, but she wasn't in high school anymore. This was getting real. She didn't like Kylian because his parents had money, or because he had great hair and 'sparkling eyes'.

He was a real person, not a fantasy or high hopes. His heart was big and his personality was great...

Would he be interested in someone like her? Sapphie shook her head and smiled at him.

"If it makes you feel any better, when I looked him up a couple of years back, it turned out that since high school, he's had kids with three other women. His wife was also filing for divorce."

Kylian whistled.

"Woah. On the bright side it looks like you dodged a bullet."

"Tell me about it," she moved the box to her dresser and beckoned him over.

"What's in it?" he asked.

"Your costume!" She beamed.

Kylian cocked his head to the side, "Come again?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you we always dress up for the party? Oops." She fluttered her lashes, feigning innocence.

"You set me up, didn't you? This is a prank, right?"

"If it's a costume party how come you're not wearing a costume? Your mom wasn't either."

"That's because I haven't changed yet. And yes, that was her costume, she just knows how to slay...sometimes." Sapphie laughed at her joke then bumped Kylian with her shoulder

"Don't look so betrayed," she said, "if anything this will help you have a better time."

"How so?"

"Well, I remember this one interview you did. You talked about how you just can't take a stroll in the street or go buy ice cream because of, well, your face..."

"... and you came up with an idea for a disguise."

"Well technically I didn't come up with the idea, after all it is a costume party. But your costume sir is not just any disguise. It's probably the best Santa costume you've ever worn. Trust me, I even have the proof right here."

She opened the box and gestured for him to take a look.

"Go on, open it." She urged.

Kylian peered inside, and gaped.

"Are you sure this is a Santa Claus suit?"

"With a modern twist."

"Sapphie this is the coolest thing I've ever seen!" Like a kid on Christmas morning, he quickly lifted the garment out to get a better look.