Spark Between Us

Spark Between Us [Spark Between Us]

Spark Between Us

by: Neilani Alejandrino (sweetdreamer33)

"My brother is off-limits." Julia strongly warned her.

Roxanne has to avoid any feelings to develop for her best friend's brother, Grayson King. But what
happens when she works closely with him? Will she give in to that spark between them and let it turn into
flames?

Tags: BFF, Billionaire sons, Arch-enemies, Jealousy, Romance, Humour, Love

MY WATTPAD COMPLETED STORIES

(All are STAND ALONE NOVELS)

(✓) Tick the ones you've read

Monteiro Series:

❤ MY POSSESSIVE BILLIONAIRE

❤ LUCAS' REVENGE

❤ CATCH ME

❤ CLASHING HEARTS

❤ FALLING FOR THE PLAYBOY'S GAME

Petrakis Series:

❤ EXCLUSIVELY MINE

❤ CATCH ME

❤ THE GIRL HE NEVER NOTICED

❤ THE BOY I ADMIRE FROM AFAR

❤ THE FALL OF A DRAMA QUEEN

❤ THE BOY SHE LOVES TO HATE

Russo Series:

❤ SWEET BASTARD

Latsis Series:

❤ TAMING THE BITCH

❤ TOUCHING THE FORBIDDEN

The Niarchos Series:

❤ THE SINS OF THE PAST

❤ CLASHING HEARTS
Short Stories:

❤ TRUE LOVE'S KISS

❤ RUNAWAY FIANCÉE

❤ THE ICE PRINCE OF THE DESERT

Let's connect:
Wattpad ➜ sweetdreamer33
Instagram ➜ sweetdreamer33_xoxo
Twitter ➜ sweetdreamer33_
Facebook Page ➜ Sweetdreamer33

1. Life Goes On [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 1

Roxanne's POV

This is so weird, everything is so quiet.

It's already 10am and I'm here outside our house, staring at the empty street. There are no vehicles and
people around the area. This place used to be so busy and noisy, and now, it suddenly became a ghost
town.

My heart beats faster, and sweat runs down my spine. I'm starting to worry about the bad things that could
happen in the near future. Not just here in America, but in the whole world.

The President announced a state of emergency last night due to Covid-19 virus. The virus spreads faster
in the country, especially in big cities. People started pointing fingers at each other, blaming, arguing,
contradicting and some didn't care at all.

The government is in a desperate race to stop the virus by putting the country under lockdown. Residents
in all states and cities are advised to stay at home. All are not allowed to go to work, go to school, or
anywhere. No one is permitted to leave the house, unless necessary.

It is very frustrating for everyone, and I really hope this will get over soon.

My best friend, Julia, and I just graduated college. She has a nursing degree while I have criminology.
Why criminology? Because I want to be an FBI agent.

We were very excited to find a proper job, until the pandemic happened. It makes us so broke. Yesterday,
we cancelled our gym memberships and used up our last starbuck free coupons.

"Roxanne!"

I turn to mom, Fran, who comes out of the house using the garage door. She's wearing an original Louis
Vuitton mask. Obviously, another discarded item from her celebrity employer.

"Hurry up. We need to leave before your grandma wakes up." She enters her car without looking at me.

We don't want to bring my granny Mary to the supermarket. It is not safe for her age to go out. She is 69
and has comorbidities - hypertensive and diabetes. She is more susceptible to getting the virus easily.

"Put on your mask." Mom says when I settled in her car, a 2008 black Honda Civic.

It used to be dad's car. He bought it a month before he died.

I sighed. The sudden image of dad caught in a fire made my chest feel so heavy. That's a terrible way to
die, to suffer slowly in burns, like being thrown in hell. He doesn't deserve such suffering, because he's a
very nice sweet man.

The incident happened ten years ago, when I was thirteen. I had a vivid memory of dad's
friend/co-firefighter, Elliot, telling us that dad was dead. It was my saddest moment, and mom's too. Her
anguish cry was too much to bear, I thought I would lose her too.

"Don't remove it until we arrive home." Mom interrupts my thoughts. She maneuvered the car to the road
then turned on the radio.

"Of course." I pull the blue surgical face mask from my mouth higher to cover my nose.

I'm thankful that my best friend, Julia King, gave me a box of face masks last night. She's a registered
nurse and I'm so proud of her for passing her NCLEX exam recently with less effort.

Though her profession is on demand right now that it's pandemic, she's not eager to work in the hospital.
She's scared of getting infected by the virus.

"I'm not ready, okay. I will when I get vaccinated." This is one of her alibis, and the other, "I realized that
being a nurse is not my calling. I want to work in a corporate world. There's more money in there."

I know this is going to happen. She was so undecided when she enrolled in nursing. Her reasons at that
time were to meet hot doctors and wear cute scrub uniforms everyday.

Julia is born smart, just like her siblings, Grayson and Brooke. It's in their genes.

But sometimes, she pretends to be a dumb bombshell. She thinks it's cool, because it attracts hot guys.
Yeah, the hot guys in college who have nothing else to do in life but bulk their body in the gym, inject
steroids, drink caffeine and date hot girls.

I'm not as smart as Julia, I'm just average in school. But when it comes to life experiences, I know a
whole lot from talking to older people, working different jobs, being alone and independent at an early
age.

We're somewhat opposites in looks and personality. She's blond, I'm a brunette. She's very girly and loves
pink colored clothing, with hearts and flowers, while I'm not very feminine. I prefer oversized clothes in
plain neutral colors.

"Did you bring the grocery list?" Mom asks, interrupting my thoughts again.

"Yeah, I got it." I check the paper at the side of my oversized sweater's pocket.

We're going to the supermarket to stock food and buy basic essentials that would last for months, because
we don't know when this pandemic ends.

___

The scenario at the supermarket looks like a zombie apocalypse is coming. The main entrance is crowded
with people. It takes longer to get inside because everyone needs to follow their strict protocol.
Temperature taking, hand disinfection and QR code scanning.

"Sorry ma'am, you can't enter without a face mask." The guard, whose body resembles 'The Hulk,' stops
the woman in front of us.

"That's why I'm here. I don't have a face mask at home, and I'm buying one now." The woman reasons out
with hostility in her voice. I recognize her, she's Shannon Ardolf, one of the socialites in the area, and
mother of Trevor.

"No face mask, no entry." The guard points his finger at the big sign in the front door. "I'm following the
management's order, ma'am."

I walk past her, and her eyes shift on me.

Mom and I managed to get inside the supermarket. There is no social distancing anymore as people rush
to fill their carts with groceries.

"This is insane. Aren't these people scared of getting the virus?" Mom looks shocked at the sight of
people bumping into each other.

"Exactly. It's good that we did not bring granny with us."

The supermarket is granny Mary's favorite place on earth. Everything here fascinates her. She's like a
child in a toy store. The free taste of cheese, biscuits, ham and ice cream is heaven to her.

"Go get some toilet rolls." Mom pushes the cart towards me, "I'll see you in the produce section."
"How many packs?"

"Get as many as you can."

The toiletries area is crowded with people. Two women are arguing over a pack of 36-tissue rolls.

"You have two packs! Be considerate to the other buyers!" A curvy woman points her forefinger to a tall
brunette woman that I recognized. It's Megan, Julia's mom. Very stunning at fifty. Her kids got their good
looks from her.

"There's no sign here that you can't get more than one. I saw the others got three!" Meg defends herself,
"For your information, I'm a very considerate person. I could have given you the other one if you asked
me nicely. But you stole it!"

"I did not!" The woman denies the allegation.

"You did! Everyone here saw you." Meg looks at the crowd, and they agree with her.

The woman is embarrassed as people stare at her accusingly, while Meg looks victorious for winning the
argument.

Everything is perfect for Meg, until someone arrives.

"Hey mom, you're having tantrums again?" A familiar voice said behind me, followed by a hard chuckle.

"Come on, Gray..." Meg's eyes roll, her shoulders slump. "Stop humiliating me in public."

It's Grayson, Julia's older brother. He enjoys teasing and annoying his mom. It's his weird way of
expressing his love and affection for her.

"Hey, Roxanne."

I turn to him, and instantly, his silvery gray eyes meet mine. He was wearing a black face mask that
matches his shirt. He looks devilishly handsome standing there with captivating smiling eyes.

"Hi, Gray. Nice to see you back in town."

"Yeah, it's been awhile. By the way, congrats. I heard you graduated criminology. Are you going to
pursue your dream of becoming an FBI agent?"

"I will, as soon as they're hiring. But it might take ages now that it's pandemic."

"That sucks." He shrugs his shoulders, then asks, "are you here to get some tissue rolls?"

"Yeah, but there's nothing left anymore."

"Let's see if I can find you one." He walks away and suddenly stops mid-way. He faces me again and
says, "You're looking great by the way."

"Thanks. You too."

He left and I felt my cheeks burning. He never complimented me before.

Undeniably, he looks so hot now. I'm sure every single woman inside this supermarket won't miss having
a second glance at his striking good looks - dark brown hair, very tall with a lean proportionate body.

He's wearing a short-sleeved black shirt that shows off his muscled arms and shoulders. Gone was the
lanky Grayson, bullied all throughout high school for being the skinniest guy. He could not even get into
sports for being so light and thin.

"You're right, there's nothing left on the shelves." He says when he comes back, standing so close to me. I
have to tilt my head up to look at his eyes. He's a six footer while I'm only 5'3".

I nod and touch my long black hair, putting a strand behind my ear. What the hell is wrong with me, why
I'm suddenly acting so conscious of my messy hair.

Meg came back pushing her cart with loads of groceries.

"You can have our other one." He turns to Meg, "Let's give the other toilet rolls to Roxanne. Her granny
Mary needs it more than us. She always has diarrhea."

Meg stares at him, about to protest. She heaves a sigh, then says. "Okay, fine. You can have this Rox."

"Sorry, Meg. I'll make it up to you." I apologize, while glancing at Gray, who transfers a pack of tissue
rolls in my cart.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." Meg says in her usual motherly tone, "Send my love to Mary."

"I will. Thanks, Meg." I give her a brief hug.

I like Meg, we get along so well. She's like my second mother. In fact, many people mistook us as mother
and daughter when we're together, because I'm like a younger version of her. In looks and personality. We
both have long black hair, large eyes, small nose and high cheekbones. We are also vocal with our
opinions, honest on everything, and can be loud and crazy sometimes.

"Hey, I should be the one to get a hug." Gray says and that makes me turn to him.

No problem. A brotherly hug never bothers me. But when I move closer, he steps back and raises his
hand.

"I'm only kidding, Rox."

There he goes again. That's what he's good at. Evading me.
 2. "I remember when we first met..." [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 2

Gray's POV

"Now you're back living in the basement." My best friend, Chance Park, says. He's eyeing the pile of dirty
boxes stored by mom in the basement for years. Mostly, old clothes, christmas decors, books, shoes and
other stuff.

"When things start to come easy, I'm going to find a big place to live, and put up a big studio and an
office."

That's my initial plan. A place where we can work full time together, in creating video contents, doing
editing works, selling merchandise and other stuff without distractions.

"You have a lot of cleaning to do here, dude." Riggs Ryan, my other best friend, swipes the dusty table
with his forefinger.

"We." I toss a box on the floor, making all the dust fly. "I asked you to come, so you can help me with the
cleaning."

"Seriously? I just had a bath." Chance complains, waving his arms to get rid of the flying dust. "I thought
we're going to start filming for your YouTube channel."

Chance and Riggs are both jobless in this pandemic. As my best friends, they volunteer to help me on my
YouTube channel, to make it big.

"Not today. I need to tidy this first. I don't want to sleep in the living room anymore, with Sakura lying on
my face."

Sakura is my sister, Brooke's cat. Just like her owner, Sakura has a bad temper and has her own world.

"She scratched my leg when I entered the house." Chance shows us the two thin lines of red marks on his
leg. "I thought she was being so sweet rubbing her body against my leg. What a traitor, she opened her
claws and suddenly attacked me."

"She thinks your leg is a scratching post." Riggs laughs aloud.

Chance and Riggs have been my best friends since middle school. We were classmates in a public school,
and after class, we saw each other in an arcade to play video games. That's how our friendship started.
They witnessed my struggles in school being a victim of bullying and helped me gain confidence. They
also defended me from the bullies.

Chance Park is half Asian, half American. He came from a religious family. He grew up decent,
well-mannered and a good Christian boy. He used to sing in church during Sundays, with his sweet
angelic voice. But what he really loves is singing pop songs and dancing to hiphop music.

We were inseparable after we graduated high school. We took the same degree, Computer Science during
university and graduated at the same time. Afterwards, we worked in the same advertising company in
New York, creating videos and making content for different clients.

Riggs is a civil engineer. He stayed in Maryland after university to help his dad's construction business.
Unfortunately, the pandemic affected their business, forcing them to shut down.

"I can't believe that after four years in New York, we're back here. It feels like we're newly graduates
again." Chance starts mopping the floor, getting rid of a hard stain.

"If not for the pandemic, you wouldn't be back here." Riggs says, pushing the boxes to the corner of the
room.

"It has nothing to do with the pandemic."

Riggs turned to me, his face apologetic. "Sorry dude for being insensitive. I totally forgot."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it."

Working in New York was more exciting when I met Sasha. We worked in a team and eventually, we
became lovers. We were together for a year until a promotion ruined our relationship. All of us thought
that I would get the promotion of being the head in the Marketing Department, until the fucking maniac
CEO announced Sasha.

Don't get me wrong. Being her boyfriend, I was ecstatic of her success. I did not give a damn on my
chance because I loved her. I even organized her celebration and filled her new office with flowers,
until.... I found out the truth.

She dated the CEO and spent the night with him, to favor her against me in the promotion. For heaven's
sake, the man is even married with five kids.

All my love and respect for her shattered into a million pieces. At once, I ended our relationship. After
three months, I could not bear working in the company that I lost respect for, so I resigned. Just in time,
Covid-19 virus cases surged in New York and the country is under lockdown.

Being a loyal friend, Chance also resigned and came back with me here in Maryland. He believes in me,
and offers his help in achieving my dream, to start off YouTube, then produce films/movies someday.

"I'll do the vacuum." Riggs volunteers, getting hold of the vacuum cleaner.

"Do you have some rags and cleaning spray?" Chance looks around the room.

"Yeah, they're in that paper bag. I bought them this morning."

"So, you went to the supermarket? Is it true that people are fighting for toilet rolls?" Riggs pushes the
vacuum cleaner under the bed.

"Yeah," my mouth twists in a humourless smile, "Mom got into an argument just for a pack of toilet rolls.
I was embarrassed, Roxanne was there and saw the incident."
"Don't be. She has done more embarrassing things than us." Riggs chuckles aloud.

"She was ballsy and tough as a kid. I'm sure she has changed now." Chance says in defense of Roxanne.

"Probably. But she looks really pretty now, with a super hot body. Right dude?" Riggs asks me.

Roxanne always has a million dollar face. A pair of expressive big brown eyes, thin pointed nose, plump
lips and pronounced cheekbones.

"I can't really tell. She was wearing a huge sweater."

"Too bad. I swear dude, that girl is a head turner. She's always at Pro-Gym, every morning." Riggs stops
the vacuum cleaner and sits on the floor. Aside from being so goofy, he's also a big talker. He can talk
about anything all day.

"That new gym in the corner?" Chance asks. "It's pandemic. Are they still open?"

"Yeah, but they're limiting the number of people inside. You want to check it out?"

"Sure. I need to build these muscles." Chance flexes his biceps. "Let's hit that gym tomorrow morning."

"Sure. They have a one day free trial. But we need to sign up for membership if we want to continue."

"No problem. We'll do the free trial and forget the membership." Chance chuckles wickedly. "I don't have
a job now man, I can't afford it."

The topic of Roxanne died easily. But still, she remains in my mind. She looked different when I saw her
this morning. It was like seeing her for the first time. She bloomed into a grown up woman.

I remember meeting Roxanne for the first time. She was 13, and I was 16. It happened ten years ago. It
was a cold snowy morning in the last week of November. I woke up late because I played video games till
two in the morning.

"Get up, Grayson. Hurry up!" Mom was upset to see me still in bed. "I can't drive you to school, the car
broke down again. You have to go with Julia in her new friend's car."

"Okay, I'll be ready in ten minutes."

"Make it two. Her friend has already arrived and is waiting outside. Her mom is driving, so don't
embarrass our family." Mom glared at me, a warning that if I'd mess up with her, I would not receive an
allowance for a week.

"Two minutes! That's just enough to pee, mom."

"Then don't pee!"

I did not take a bath, I just changed clothes and sprayed tons of cologne all over my body. Julia and
Brooke got so mad at me when I joined them at the breakfast table.

"What is that smell!" Brooke gagged and ran to the sink to throw up.

"What smell?" I asked innocently.

"Your cologne stinks!" Julia's eyes grew big with anger.

"Is that dad's old cologne?" Brooke asked.

"So?" I shrugged my shoulders, and settled at the six seater round dining table. The breakfast was
special, because it was Julia's 14th birthday. Pancakes with yoghurt and fruits, crispy bacon, fried eggs
and Krispy Kreme donuts, a favorite she recently developed.

"You scumbag, that's seven years ago when dad left us. You're not coming with us!" Julia shouted at me,
"and you're not eating any of my donuts either.

"Yes, I am." I gave her my nicest smile and made a big bite of her precious Krispy Kreme donut.

I met Roxanne for the first time when we got out of the house. She was holding a balloon and a banner,
written Happy 14th birthday my new bff, Julia. She stood frozen in our front yard, shivering and her lips
were colored purple. A big chunk of snow laid on top of her beanie. She was standing there for about
fifteen minutes waiting for Julia to come out.

It was a funny sight that I can't get over every time I see her. But one thing I learned about her, she's a
very loyal, loving and caring friend. The badass Roxanne in school? It's just a show.

___

The following morning, I was with Riggs and Chance in the gym. We worked out and filmed some videos
the whole morning.

"Hey dude, did Roxanne come here earlier?"

I heard Riggs ask the receptionist.

"You mean Roxanne Vergara? She cancelled her membership yesterday. She said she's not coming back
until she gets a new job. It really sucks losing a job during a pandemic."

The Cast [Spark Between Us]

Roxanne Vergara

- 23 years old

- 5'3" feet tall, medium build, black long hair

- loyal friend, loving and caring to people who matters to her, badass to her haters

- IQ level - average to below average, but street smart. Hates math and science, and terrible in spelling.

- She wears oversized sweaters or shirts daily, except when she's in the gym. Boys think that she's so hot
in her workout outfit.

- Criminology degree graduate. Her ambition is to be an FBI agent. But could not find a job in line with
her degree, because of the pandemic.

- She lives with her mom, Fran, and granny Mary. Her dad died when she was 13, due to a fire.

- Her best friend is Julia King (Grayson's younger sister).

- Last relationship was 2 years ago, with ex-boyfriend, Archer West (the mayor's son).

Grayson King

- 26 years old

- 6'2" feet tall, lean and athletic body, dark brown hair

- Nice guy, not judgemental, loves a good laugh, loving brother/friend

- IQ level - above average to superior. Business minded, hardworking, excellent financial literacy, and
resilient.

- Information Technology Engineering graduate. His goal is to produce blockbuster movies/films. He

starts achieving his dream by making video contents on YouTube and investing in stocks and
cryptocurrency.

- Last relationship, 4 months with ex-girlfriend, Sasha.

- He has two best friends, Chance and Riggs.

Archer West

- 25 years old
- Roxanne's ex boy-friend for one and a half years. They had a messy break up 2 years ago, and still
avoiding each other until at present.

- He's the mayor's son. Former basketball star and hottest guy in Everly high school.

- Has a girlfriend, Pipa Marquez, an Instagram influencer.

Julia King

- 23 years old, Roxanne's bestfriend / Grayson's sister

- 5'3" feet tall, blond hair

- faithful and caring friend, but sometimes jealous and possessive

- loves pink coloured clothing, with prints of hearts and flowers

- She's very smart like her brother Grayson. She's a registered nurse, but doesn't like to work in the
hospital during the pandemic.

Brooke King

- 21 years old, Julia and Grayson's sister

- 5'7" feet tall, slim and attractive like a model

- Too shy and very introverted. She doesn't have friends, and her favorite place in the world is her
bedroom.

- Her best friend is her black cat, Sakura. She has her own world like her cat.

- Her family thinks that she's a distracted child. But her 2 million Youtube subscribers think that she's the
most amazing girl in the world.

Megan 'Meg'
- 50 years old, divorced, and mother of Grayson, Julia and Brooke

- 5'7" feet tall, long black hair, hot mama.

- Profession: Hair stylist/make-up artist.

- Her goal in life is to stay young forever and not get married again. She had a bad experience with her
ex-husband and was done with it.

Chance Park

- 26 years old

- 6'3 ft tall, with brown bowl haircut

- half Asian-half American, Computer Science graduate.

- A very loyal friend to Grayson. He helps/supports Grayson in achieving his goal as a successful
film/movie producer. He believes that Grayson will be the next Elon Musk.

Riggs Ryan

- 27 years old

- 6 ft tall, a Civil Engineer.

- His family's construction business shutdown during the pandemic. Now that his two best friends are
back in Maryland, all he likes to do is hang out with them.

Jimmy and Tay

- 26 years old, Korean

- Tall, lean, handsome men who look like Kpop idols.

- Work in Steaming Hottie Coffee Shop.

Fran

- 52 years old, mother of Roxanne

- Widow

- Works as a personal assistant of celebrity singer, Clarissa Garcia

- A good friend of Clarissa's boyfriend, Mikael West (Archer's uncle).

Granny Mary

- 69 years old, Roxanne's demanding grandma

- The supermarket is her favorite place in the world.

- She's a great fan of Roxanne's ex, Archer West.

_______

I hope you enjoyed reading the 2 chapters. We haven't started the real story yet, we're still introducing the
characters, so you'll understand them better in the coming chapters. You will have a clear understanding
why they're acting and saying such things, why they're making crazy decisions and other stuff.

Enjoy reading, I love y'all!

xo,

Neilani

3. "Am I his ideal girl?" [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 3
Roxanne's POV

My phone rings, it's Julia calling.

"Hey, are you ready to work out?"

"Yeah, I just finished preparing my yoga mat and equipment."

"Cool. Let's start!" Julia exclaims.

We played the ab workout of Chloe Ting on YouTube together, while being in our own houses. We love
to exercise, not just to have a healthy body but also to have a healthy mind.

"You know, I miss the gym. It's such a bummer that we have to give it up."

"Yeah, I miss looking at the hot trainers." Julia giggles.

"It's very frustrating, just when I have a degree and am able to help mom, this pandemic happened. I
really wish we had our own house, because most of our money goes to rent."

"Don't worry, Rox. We'll find a way, we always do. We're the baddest bitches in Baltimore."

I used to work as a saleslady/cashier in a fashion store, a job that I had been doing since I started college,
but it closed down during the pandemic.

I don't have any savings either. I used my money in paying my college loan, in buying my groceries and
vitamins for granny, paying half of our house rent, paying electricity, internet and food. Too bad that
mom has to shoulder all expenses now.

After an hour, the workout video ended, along with our call. A new video recommendation suddenly pops
up coming from Grayson's YouTube channel. A video three days ago, entitled 'Get To Know Me Better.'

"This is interesting."

I sit on my bed then touch the Play arrow on my iPad.

I know he has a YouTube channel for several months already but is not active on it. He doesn't need to be
when he has a good paying job in New York.

I remove my wet workout clothes, taking my time as I listen to Gray, talking about himself.

"Hi. My name's Grayson. Or you can call me Gray. I'm 26 years old and I live here in a small house in
Maryland..."

I know the things he mentioned already, I got most of the information from Julia. His experience of being
so thin despite eating too much, the terrible bullying he had to bear in high school, how he met his two
best friends, Chance and Riggs and other things. He also talked about his sisters, Julia and Brooke, and
surprisingly, his parents' divorce.

I put on a loose sweater, then drink some water from the water bottle. My eyes are fixed at Grayson,
studying his profile as he speaks.

Suddenly, I remember something that makes me smile. I had a little crush on him, a tiny bit of a crush
that lasted only for 10 seconds.

It happened when I first laid eyes on him. It was Julia's 14th birthday, and I waited at their front yard with
a balloon and a banner, to surprise her. The door opened and I saw Gray. We held eyes and continued for
about 10 seconds.

That moment was magical. I felt like I was Bella Swan, staring at Edward Cullin piercing golden eyes.
Ray of sunlight hit him strongly, making his face glittered like diamonds.

Realization sinks in. I was hallucinating. My brain froze from waiting outside for too long in the snowy
weather making me see crazy things.

"Hi, Rox. Sorry for taking so long. Thank you for that banner, you're so sweet." Julia ran towards me,
giving me a hug.

"I'm... glad... you... like it." My teeth rattled from the cold.

"By the way, this is my sister Brooke, and my brother, Grayson."

"Hi. How are you? Are you okay?" Grayson took my hand and shook it firmly.

"Yeah... yeah." I nodded.

The smell of his cologne was so strong, it made me feel nauseated. The trip to school was horrible. I
gagged many times inside the car, holding myself not to vomit. What happened to mom was terrible. She
collapsed the moment she arrived home.

My crush on him immediately vanished, like a passing air. Not because of the awful-smelling cologne,
but he's Julia's brother. I did not entertain such feelings because I knew it would not lead to anything.

As I grew up, I have seen many friendships ruined because of a best friend hooking up with best friend's
brother. Things could be pretty awkward if a relationship wouldn't work.

Treating Gray like an older brother is more appropriate. I often go to their house to hang out with Julia,
and sometimes with him and their youngest sibling, Brooke. I became close with their mom too, who
treats me like her own daughter.

I continue watching Grayson's video as I make a cup of coffee in the kitchen.

"I received many dm's on Instagram asking if I'm single." Grayson's face turns red, then he chuckles.

"No you're not. You have Sasha. You're happy together..." I'm talking to him, like he's just in front of me.
I met Sasha once, when Gray brought her here in Baltimore, to meet his family. She's very nice. They
suited each other, like a match made in heaven. They are both smart, sophisticated and good-looking.

"I don't have a girlfriend. Not anymore." He says, as if replying to my chatter, then lets out a nasty
chuckle.

My mouth drops open.

"Seriously? You broke up with Sasha? What the hell happened?"

"I'm not seeing anyone right now, and I don't imagine myself dating in the next couple of months, since
it's pandemic, we're under lockdown.... I resigned from my job in New York, because I believe I can have
a better future if I work for myself. So I'm going to create more content for this channel and devote myself
to making you guys happy."

"You resigned? What the hell, Grayson. That's a high paying job." My eyebrows furrow, then I shrug my
shoulders, "well, you're a smart guy, I'm sure you'll succeed in anything."

So that's why he's making YouTube videos again, just like his sister, Brooke. Brooke is successful on it,
having millions of subscribers and earning good money. Pretty sure, they'll work together and make
themselves big.

I take a sip of my hot coffee and hear someone yell my name.

"Roxanne!"

I jerk up, spilling the coffee on my sweater. Oh fudge.

Granny Mary's loud voice always makes me jump. She's a bit deaf and refuses to admit it. She thinks
people can't hear her well, so she shouts.

"Hi, granny. How's your sleep?"

"What?" She asks, so I say it again, louder.

"Not so good." She answers, heaving a long sigh, "I'm tired of being trapped here inside the house. I want
to go out."

"I saw the news this morning. Senior citizens are not allowed in the supermarket anymore."

"Who says I want to go to the supermarket? I want to go to the park."

Yeah... yeah, and check out the men jogging. She loves watching hot men and is not ashamed to stare at
them.

"You can't go to the park either. We'll go there as soon as we get vaccinated."
"No way! I don't want to get a vaccine. I watched a video on Facebook last night that this virus is created
by world leaders, in a laboratory to get more money from people."

There she goes again, believing the fake news.

"That is not true granny. The virus started from Wuhan City in China, from bats or another closely-related
mammal. It's not a man-made thing."

"It is! The US, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and other countries, connived to create a vaccine for
this virus so they can inject chips on people and control them. We will all turn into zombies!"

"You're so cute, granny, believing all that nonsense." I laugh, but granny gets very upset and leaves me.

I finished watching Grayson's video and subscribed to his YouTube channel. It's amazing that his channel
has grown easily to a hundred thousand views.

Well, he's a good looking guy with a lean athletic body, so it's easier for him to get many subscribers on
YouTube.

I clicked his latest video, a Q&A from his subscribers. Many of them are thirsty comments. I roll my eyes
and about to stop watching, when he describes his ideal girl.

"I like tall girls," he shrugs his shoulders, "probably not less than 5' 6, because I'm tall, I'm a six footer.
Loud and annoying girls are a turn off. She has to be smart and independent. Of course, loyal and
honest."

He's just describing Sasha. If it's true that they already broke up, then it's pretty obvious that he's not over
her.

Later, I'm taking a bath when I remember Grayson's description of his ideal girl.

"So, he wants someone tall, not less than 5' 6. Well... I'm 5'3" so that's an X. I'm loud and annoying...
another X. I'm just average, I can't even spell some complicated words... sadly, another X. Independent,
working on it. Loyal and honest, that's a big CHECK!"

I'm laughing at myself, comparing myself to his ideal girl. What's gotten into me? He's Julia's brother.
There's no chance.

4. "Who are you? Zendaya?" [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 4

Julia's POV

I woke up at the sound of someone banging my bedroom door.

What the fuck! Why can't anyone just leave me alone?

"Jul, wake up!" Gray's loud voice echoes behind the door. "Open this door or I'll knock this down."

"What do you want!"

"Good, you're awake. I thought for a second that you're dead." My dumbass brother chuckles.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"It's ten o'clock and you're still sleeping."

"I always wake up at eleven, you dumbass. It's my normal." My throat gets parched from shouting.

"What are you, a vampire? Get your lazy ass downstairs and eat your breakfast. You're too skinny
already. We don't want anyone in our family to get sick, now that we're under lockdown."

He knows I spent my evenings watching the Vampire Diary Series. I'm in love with Damon Salvatore and
dream of being bitten by him. I would love him to suck all my blood... he can have me, all of me. Oh
shit... I'm getting horny thinking of him again.

"Hey, did you hear me?" Another shout from Gray.

I clench my teeth and toss the comforter out of me forcefully.

"Okay! Okay! I'll go down in a minute."

I hate it when Gray's acting like a father figure. Now that he's back in the house, he assumes his
responsibility of being an overprotective brother again.

He thinks that me and Brooke are imbeciles that don't know what to do with our lives. Well maybe
Brooke is, but not me. He keeps on reminding us to eat well, exercise daily and keep our minds healthy.

Gray assumes as the father figure when dad left us 17 years ago. He was 9, I was 6 and Brooke was 4.
Mom had to work in a beauty salon in order to provide our basic needs.

While mom was at work, Gray took care of me and Brooke. He prepared our food, helped us take a bath,
and made sure that we were safe. Oftentimes, we hid in the basement, so no one in the area would find
out that there were kids left at home.

We were so quiet playing at home because at an early age, we knew the consequences, and Grayson often
reminded us. The police would take mom away if someone would report that she left her kids at home.
We already lost dad, and we did not want to lose mom too.

"Dad left because I'm bad." Brooke always said when we were young.

Though she never mentions it again, I know that until now she thinks that she's the cause why dad and
mom broke up. So unfortunate, that she grew up witnessing our parents arguments and fights, that leaves
an emotional trauma to any kid.

"You're a good girl, Brooke. Remember that. It's not your fault, or any of us." Grayson comforted Brooke
by giving her a hug. He always gave her a hug, and I envied that growing up.

Why can't my brother ever comfort me? I lost my dad too. Is it because I'm tougher, don't ever cry and
often fight back? That doesn't mean that I don't need a hug either.

I just accept that he's not affectionate to me, and probably loves Brooke more, because she's the youngest.
She's also fragile, sensitive and close minded. She needs reassurance all the time to uplift her spirit.

"Dad is an idiot. We don't need him." I kept on saying to Brooke when we were young. But being close
minded, once she believes something, it's hard to change her mind again.

After I washed my face, I changed to my workout outfit. I'm going to do some workout at home with
Roxanne, using a share screen in messenger after brunch.

In the kitchen, Gray is behind the dining table, busy editing a video on his laptop. He's been doing that
since he arrived home.

"Gray, can you continue my allowance?" I ask, giving it a try.

"What? I don't even have a regular job anymore." He exhales heavily, "You're already a registered nurse.
Find a job to support yourself. Nurses are in demand right now."

"What the heck. I don't want to risk my life working in the hospital now that there's covid. Many of my
former classmates got infected."

"Sorry, I can't help you with that."

I realized I don't want to work as a nurse anymore. It's not my calling. Yeah, you're so right. I'm a selfish
bitch who loves myself more. I'm young and like to live my life to the fullest. I can earn money in other
ways, I don't know how right now, but I'll figure it out soon.

"You're taking this YouTube thing seriously, huh."

"I have to, I need to earn money. Besides, it's like doing the same thing. The only difference is, I'm doing
it for myself now."

My eyebrows raise, then turn to the cupboard and get a mug.

In my opinion, he shouldn't have resigned from his job. It was a good job in New York, with a high
salary. I would trade anything just to work in the big city. You know, wearing sexy black corporate
clothes, with matching high heels, and a Chanel bag. I can imagine myself looking so gorgeous while I
walk down the busy streets of New York.

Hmm... I hope that will happen.

If his reason is because he can't stand working with his ex-girlfriend, then that's not a smart move. I won't
give a damn if I were in his shoes.

"Have you seen my latest video?"

I scoff, "the one about your ideal girl?"

"Yeah. What do you think of it?"

I let out a short nasty laugh, "Only a loser makes that kind of video. You shouldn't have done that, you're
driving your subscribers away."

He stops working and focuses his attention on me.

"What do you mean?"

"Must be tall, smart, independent, loyal, honest, not loud or annoying... blah blah blah... and you said
smart twice. You're just telling everyone that you have a very high standard in women."

"That's the truth, that's what I really want in a girl. I can't lie to my audience."

I smirk, "Are you kidding me? I remember your crushes, Vanessa Hudgens, Ariana Grande, Megan Fox...
they're not 5'6" and over."

"Preferences change as you grow older. In women, wine and career. Look at you, you always wanted to
be a nurse when you were a kid, and now that you finished your degree, you don't wanna work."

I roll my eyes, and ignore him.

"You don't have any comeback there?" Gray raises his eyebrows, waiting for me to talk shit on him.

"Just leave me alone. If you don't want to give me an allowance, then fine. I'll work whenever I'm ready."

"Suit yourself. It's your life. But it sucks living without money." Gray clicks his tongue.

"Whatever. Where's Brooke?"

"In her room. She's upset over a comment in her latest video."

I heave a long sigh. "I told her not to read the comments, because there are plenty of miserable people in
the world now that it's pandemic. They want other people to be miserable too."

"She has two million subscribers, and yet, she's still affected by the rude comments."

"Yeah, two million is a whole lot. I'm envious of her. She's earning the most money in our family, and yet
not spending a penny. I wonder what she's up to."
"I have a feeling she's planning on moving out soon. She can't stand being with mom anymore, they clash
all the time lately." Gray rubs his face, he looks exhausted.

"Yeah, I thought of that too."

"Eat your breakfast, " he pushes the plate of bacon in front of me, "you're just drinking coffee."

"You're so impatient. Can't you just wait!"

He chuckles, then asks.

"By the way, I saw Roxanne at the supermarket the other day."

"Yeah, she told me you gave her a pack of toilet rolls. She's very thankful, they need it so badly for her
granny."

"I know." He clears his throat, then continues, "She looks different, I mean... grown up."

"Of course, you dumbass. We all grew up, we surpassed puberty."

"You never grew up, you're still 5 feet." He throws his head back and roars with laughter.

I give her a hostile glare. I hate that he always makes fun of my height. I'm the only short in the family.

"Excuse me, I'm 5'3 just like Roxanne. We may be short, but we're beautiful, open-minded and confident.
We're not insecure like..."

He ignores my rant, then suddenly asks.

"Is she seeing someone right now?"

That stops me. His question gives me a weird feeling.

I give him a suspicious look. "Why are you asking?"

"Don't give me that funny look. It's not what you think."

"Are you interested in her?"

"You know what, I just ask you a random question and you're ten steps ahead," he looks defensive all of a
sudden, "No. I'm not interested in her. Riggs mentioned that she's always at the new gym in the corner
working out."

"So it's Riggs who's interested in her."

"I never said that." he looks really annoyed at me, "Forget it. It's just a thoughtless question. I just want to
catch up on what's going on with the people in our neighborhood."

"Okay, fine! I'll answer your question. She has no boyfriend, and she's been single for two years already.
She's taking a break from dating either. She wants to concentrate on herself, discover new skills and find
a job. She really needs to earn money to help her family."

"I see." Gray nods, then continues working on his laptop.

___

My brother is a hard working man. I see him working until midnight, everynight. He also studies the
concepts of YouTube and reaches out to the YouTube community. He's very determined to succeed, and I
know that he's going to make it. Brooke also helps him get more subscribers and mentors him in creating
good content. She also appears in his videos.

When he invited me to appear on his channel, I never hesitated. I want to be part of his success too.

"Pay me ten dollars per hour."

"Who are you? Zendaya? My budget is only three dollars per hour." Gray complains.

"Okay, I accept seven."

"Last chance, four."

"Is this an auction or something?" Brooke comments, at the side. "Can I join? How about five?"

"Cool. It's decided. Five." Gray says firmly.

He offered me five dollar per day to appear in his videos. It's not much but I need money right now to
continue my membership in the gym, and I can pay my best friend's membership as well. Just as the
saying goes, 'Beggars can't be choosers."

5. A nude photo of her. [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 5

Gray's POV

"So, after one month, your subscribers increased by 25K. That's a huge accomplishment dude. You have
130,000 now." Riggs' eyes focus at the YouTube Creator website on my laptop.

"The views are also increasing." Chance raises his voice in surprise.

We're in the basement which is now my bedroom, slash office, slash studio room.
"Still a long way to go." I lay down on my bed, trying to relax. After editing too many videos, my back
started to hurt. "The viewers only watch the videos for barely two minutes. We need to increase the watch
time."

"How can we achieve that? You're very consistent. You publish three 15-minute videos per week."
Chance is sitting across from Riggs, cleaning the lens of my DSLR camera.

"I don't know. My head hurts from thinking of what video content to do next."

"Viewers are not buying the ASMR, makeovers, games and pranks anymore. They want new stuff. You
need to find a new niche, dude." Riggs suggests.

"I have an idea," Chance eyes lit up, "maybe you should concentrate on vlogging. Viewers are curious,
they want to see where you live, what your life is, and know the people you hang out with. Let's show
them the city of Baltimore."

"We can't do that right now, we're still under lockdown. Besides, Julia only goes to the gym at the corner,
and Brooke, she never goes out of the house. I can't make her."

Riggs let out a frustrated groan. "Why can't you just do it yourself, dude. You don't need to include your
sisters in your videos. You're wasting money on those two abusive brats."

Riggs being an only child can't relate to having siblings. Sometimes in my videos, I get a knock on the
head by Brooke, a pinch or a punch by Julia. It's a normal thing for us siblings. I annoy them all the time,
and their way of coming back at me is by getting physical.

"Five dollars per hour for each one of them. I think that's too much when they're not doing much in the
video." Chance shakes his head.

"Not for Brooke. She's not asking for anything in return. That's why I can't demand more of her time.
When she says she's tired, she has to go back to her room. I can't force her to stay."

"Julia is kinda expensive. She's acting like a famous Hollywood celebrity. Asking for Starbucks coffee,
Krispy Kreme donuts and Chipotle salad." Riggs chuckles nastily. "She even asks Chance to give her a
back massage. What the fuck is wrong with her? How can she get tired when she's always sitting in the
video."

"It's not a problem, bro." Chance assures Riggs.

It's not a problem for me either. Chance is a nice harmless guy. He gets along well with my sisters and I
can trust him 100% with them.

While Riggs often shows his dislike of Julia. I don't know why they just don't get along. They hate each
other's guts.

"Typical Julia. She enjoys giving us a hard time." I chuckle, looking at Riggs.

"She's sadistic, loud and noisy." Riggs murmurs. "She's influenced by Roxanne."
Roxanne.

The mere mention of her name makes my tired sleepy cells come alive.

"Right Gray?" Riggs turns to me.

"You're talking about the young Roxanne. I'm sure she mellows down now that she's older."

I agree that Roxanne has a big influence on Julia, when it comes to getting rid of the latter's inferiority
complex.

Me and my siblings used to be so timid, shy and had a very low self esteem. We all struggled getting
friends at school and we had a hard time communicating with others. The divorce of our parents played a
big factor in losing our confidence. We felt very unhappy, unwanted and abandoned.

But Julia changed when she met Roxanne. She became tougher, stronger and a fighter. She's not afraid of
facing people anymore. She talks and smiles a lot now.

"I have a suggestion. Let's follow your everyday routine." Chance interrupts my thoughts.

"No way. I'm a boring person. I do the same stuff everyday. Reading books, playing the guitar, editing
videos, and doing workout. My fifty things about me video only got ten thousand views. Have you read
the comments? They're only making fun of me."

Riggs laughs, "We should make you look interesting, dude."

"My head hurts thinking of how to market myself. Maybe do a near death challenge, spend night in the
cemetery alone, eat worms, or get bald. That video about my ideal girl was a wrong move. It drops my
analytics. I'm thinking of deleting it now."

"But your subscribers are growing." Riggs says, making me feel better.

"People subscribed to my channel because they want to see more of Brooke and Julia. Those two talk
nonsense that they don't need a script and viewers enjoy listening to them."

"If that's the case, then let's give what the viewers want. Let's do a vlog following Julia's daily routine."
Chance suggests, but Riggs disagrees.

"Why her? Soon, she will steal your channel, dude."

"Let's just give it a try, Riggs. If it won't work, then we'll find something else. I ran out of ideas this time,
my head hurts already."

"Then, let's do it!" Chance exclaims.

The following day, we filmed the video. We started at nine in the morning, by waking up Julia. She was
so mad at me for not giving her a warning. I made her breakfast, her favorite grilled cheese sandwich and
two fried eggs but it did not alter her mood. But when I reminded her of the money that she would be
getting, she became very cooperative.

Later, we went to the gym.

"Aren't you done? I thought you're going to take a few shots only. I'm so embarrassed already, people are
looking. They think I'm a celebrity." Julia complains while she continues lifting weights.

"You're feeling like a celebrity already. You're giving us a hard time." Riggs blurts at her.

"Shut up, Riggs. I'm not talking to you." Julia rolls her eyes.

"We still need more shots." Chance says, as he points the camera directly to her for close up.

"Not too close. The viewers can see my pores." She turns away, then waves at someone who just arrived."

It's Roxanne.

What the hell. My heart suddenly beats faster seeing her again. What is wrong with me? Did I drink too
much coffee this morning?

She looks so trim and neat in her black sports bra and leggings suit. She's also wearing a black face mask.
Riggs was right, she's smoking hot and gorgeous.

"There you are. What took you so long?" I hear Julia say behind me.

"I did an errand for granny. She was craving crab cakes and tacos." Roxanne greets us, "Hey guys. Still
busy filming, huh?"

"We're almost done, actually." I answer, trying to keep my eyes focused on her eyes.

"So, you renewed your membership." Riggs' question makes my eyes grow big. He shouldn't have asked.

"Yeah." Roxanne nods slowly, giving Riggs a suspicious look. "How did you know?"

"I... I..." He shrugs his shoulders and Julia butts in.

"See what the pandemic does to some people? They're so bored that they snoop at other people's lives."

"What the heck. Are you insinuating that I was stalking her?"

"I did not say that, you did." Julia's one eyebrow raises wickedly.

"Will you two stop? Why can't you get along for once?" Chance scolds them, then turns to Roxanne. "Hi
Rox. You look stunning."
"Thanks, Chance. I like your haircut, it suits you," Roxanne answers, and Chance touches his brown bowl
cut hairstyle awkwardly. Then she turns to me "I'll stay at the other side, so I won't disturb you guys."

Before I can answer, Julia says. "See you later, bestie."

Roxanne turns to go, but on impulse, I call her.

"Wait, Roxanne."

"Yes, Gray?"

I blanked out.

I clear my throat, and recover, "This video is all about Julia. I wonder if you like to say hi to the viewers.
I'm sure they're interested to know who her best friend is."

"Sure, no problem. Should I remove my mask?"

"It's really up to you. If you're comfortable."

"I'm comfortable." She removes her face mask and for the first time, I have a good look at her face again.

When was the last time we were standing so close, face to face like this. Seven years ago? We have
hardly seen each other since I graduated high school and went to university.

Who's fault is that? Obviously mine.

Those years, I avoided seeing her again in every possible way, and she damn made it so difficult for me.
Things became very awkward between us.

It started the night before I left for university. I was 19 and ready to explore the world.

I had mixed emotions. Excited and yet worried that I would be leaving my family. I'm the only guy in the
family and they relied on me for many things. I spent the whole afternoon comforting Brooke, because
she was crying. She said she would die without me in the house.

It was already midnight when I finished packing my things. I was getting ready to go to bed when I
received a Messenger notification.

"Who the heck is this, it's late."

I was surprised to receive a message from Roxanne. Except for asking about Julia's whereabouts,
Roxanne and I never exchanged messages.

I opened Messenger, and there I saw what she sent me.

A nude photo of her.

6. "Don't get involved with my brother." [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 6

Roxanne's POV

"Hey Roxanne, good to see you back here?" The gym owner, Eric, waves at me. He's in his early thirties,
single and a bodybuilding champion.

"Hi Eric. Yeah, I'm back."

"Did you find a job now?"

I put down the dumbbells, and remove my headphones. "Nope, still looking."

"If you want, you can work here part-time, while you're looking."

"Thanks. I'll think about it."

When I'm alone again, I continue my workout. I stay on the other side of the gym, as far as I can from
Julia and Grayson's crew. I have my headphones on, listening to loud music and focusing on my program.

Knowing that Grayson is here, I became very conscious. The fact that I haven't explained to him about
that nude photo I sent him, made things between us so awkward. I should have confronted him a long
time ago, and told him that it was an accident.

I wonder what he thinks of me. He's hard to read, one won't know what's going on inside his head. He
hides his emotions well, and often with a smile.

I turn to them, looking at their progress. Instead, I meet Gray's eyes. My instantly leaps, beating so fast.

Was he seriously staring at me?

A big sweat runs down my back. Now, he makes me nervous.

Later, I joined them for lunch in a Mexican restaurant. Of course at Gray's expense. We had Tacos with
beef steak and chorizo, green salad with avocado and refreshing drinks of fresh pineapple juice.

"This taco is so delicious." I whisper at Julia, who's sipping her pineapple juice. "Aren't they going to
eat?"

I look at Grayson and his crew, eating at another table.

"Your brother is pretty serious on YouTube."

"Yeah, he's passionate about anything that he does. I'm very confident that he'll make it big someday."

"Definitely. He's also very smart." I agree with her.

Julia takes a small bite of her taco, "and consistent. I believe in him, that's why I'm supporting him to
achieve his dreams."

"That's cool. You'll be successful too once he does."

"Yeah, that's what he said." She wipes the side of her mouth with a table napkin, "Eventually, I'll get
many sponsorships. I'll earn money by endorsing products on different social media platforms."

"Wow, that's what you really love to do for a living, right? Wearing makeup all the time, dressing up,
collecting clothes, and taking care of your body."

She nods, "yeah, and of course, the money. I'm tired of being poor. I want to eat in a fancy restaurant, stay
in a five star hotel, drink the finest champagne and ride a plane. Imagine, I'll be 24 soon and still haven't
ridden a plane."

"I haven't either. So that makes the two of us."

We both giggle, and sip our pineapple juice.

"If I make it big, you'll still be with me. I'll include you in this. We're sisters, right?"

"Yeah, we are. But please don't include me. It's not my thing. I don't like dressing up like a Barbie doll,
and I hate wearing a lot of makeup. I'm happy with my gym clothes, loose sweaters and rubber shoes."

"You have a beautiful body and you're hiding it with this old huge thing." She pulls the side of my
sweater, "It's good to dress up like a woman sometimes. People might get the wrong idea."

My eyebrows raise, "What do you mean?"

"That you're a tomboy."

"I am NOT!." My lips curve nastily, "I just like to wear comfortable clothes."

"Of course, you're a hundred percent woman. But some people assume because they know you want to be
an FBI agent. You're also athletic, you play soccer and volleyball in high school, instead of joining me in
the cheerleading squad."

"No one can make me wear that tiny pink skirt and hold pom poms. It's not my thing."

"I know. But it's good to be daring sometimes and shock people. Let's see how they will react if they see
you in miniskirt, high heels and total makeover." Julia chuckles.
"Just count me out." I say, and we both laugh aloud.

"I heard this crazy thing from my dumbass dad the other night. He drops Brooke's vlogging table. Do you
know what he said to Grayson? That we're dating."

"You're right, your dad is getting so weird."

"That's the effect of too much alcohol and cocaine at an early age."

"And Grayson buys that?"

"I don't think so." Julia shrugs her shoulders, "Dad also said, we don't have boyfriends because we're
lovers. He saw us kissing in the basement."

"Seriously? Your dad is good at making up stories."

"Exactly. He needs to be confined in the mental hospital soon."

We chuckle so loud that all the diners look at us.

We finished eating and Grayson came to our table. I was conscious of him sitting beside me.

"Are you done eating? We need to take a few shots of you talking."

"You mean, actual talking?" Julia asks, and Gray nods. "About what?"

"About your friendship. How you guys met and became friends."

"Is that necessary?" Julia complains, then looks at me.

"I'm sure the viewers are curious. Just a few details. You don't have to tell everything." Gray says.

Julia and I talked in front of the camera, reminiscing our friendship.

"Our friendship started when we were 13." Julia talks first, then she turns to me to continue.

"My dad just died at that time, and our family transferred to a smaller house near Julia's. I also transferred
to a new school in the area."

"We were classmates, then one day, our most hated teacher, which was our music teacher, assigned us to
sing in front of the classroom."

I chuckle as I continue the story, "Yeah, I can still picture his wicked face until now. That bastard made
us sing, my penalty for always being absent in the classes and Julia, for always being late. We picked the
song by Dionne Warwick, right?"

"That's What Friends Are For, that's the title of the song. We want to make it so good, we don't want to
be embarrassed. So we practiced everyday at Rox's house."

"That's how our friendship started. We opened up our stories... her sadness of having divorced parents,
and mine having lost my dad."

Grayson told us to stop, "that's enough for now. Let's save the others for future vlogs."

Grayson offered to pay for my appearance in his vlog, but I declined.

"No worries, the lunch was more than enough, it was so delicious." I assured him, then Julia and I left and
hung out in my house the rest of the afternoon.

We were in my room watching a Netflix series Sex/Life when Julia and I talked about boys.

"There are not many options during lockdown. It sucks that when I want to date, it has to be someone in
the area." Julia clicks her tongue.

"We know everyone here." I grab popcorn and eat.

"Exactly, and many of them are fucking idiots. We should not date this pandemic because men are just
bored. They won't take us seriously. They just want a good fuck then discard us right away."

"It's hard to find a good man nowadays. Many men nowadays just want to get ripped in the gym, drink
too much alcohol and fucked a hot chick."

"Just like my exes." Julia laughs, then rolls on my bed. "I'm glad my brother is not like them."

The mention of Grayson, makes my heart jump. What the heck is wrong with me? Why can't I forget the
way he looked at me earlier in the gym?

"Grayson is a very nice guy. Any girl would be lucky to have him as a boyfriend." I believe he really is.

"Absolutely. He's very polite, not judgemental, very caring, smart, resilient and family-oriented. It's
Sasha's loss that she let him go away." Her eyes grow big as she feeds me more details, "do you know that
they broke up for awhile already? It's been four months. Gray told Brooke, and she told me."

"You're saying that he's somewhat recovered now?"

"Most probably." She sighs, then looks at me. "The weird thing is... he asked about you."

I choke on my water, that I'm coughing. "What about?"

"He's curious if you have a boyfriend."

"Oh. What did you say?"

"The truth, that you've been single for two years and have taken some time off from dating. That's what
you want, right?"

"Of course. I have to prioritize myself and my family first."

"As I've said, men are bored by this pandemic. You're a beautiful woman, Rox, and I saw a lot of men
going crazy looking at you in the gym. I'm afraid my brother could be one of them."

"That will never happen. I'm not his type."

"How sure are you? With this pandemic, options are limited. I said this before and I'll say it again now.
Don't get involved with my brother. Getting into a relationship with him could ruin our friendship. Things
will be awkward once you break up with him."

"Don't worry, that's the last thing that I ever wanted to happen." We made a pinky promise. "Best friends
forever."

7. "I told you not to f*ck my best friend!" [Spark Between Us]

Gray's POV

"Oh God, I wanted to do this for so long." I'm in bed, making wild love with Roxanne. I groan aloud like
a wounded animal as I push myself inside her.

"Gray, please don't stop."

"Yes... oh yes." I'm dying for release. Sweat running down from my forehead and my neck, soaking the
bed sheets.

She runs her hands on my thighs urging me to go faster.

I grab a handful of her hair, and look at her closely. Is she real?

Suddenly, I hear a voice inside my head, like an echo.

Is this what you really wanted, Gray? Ever since you saw her in the gym working out, your brain has
messed up. You can't stop thinking of her. You think having sex with her is the solution? No way, man.
You're in deep trouble. You're in deep trouble... you're in deep trouble...

No, I won't listen to you. What I have with Roxanne right now, is so great. Get lost!

The door suddenly opens and Julia appears with a knife.

"You're a dumbass asshole! I told you not to fuck my best friend!" She's walking towards me, ready to
stab my chest.
NOOooo! Get away from me!

I shouted so loud. My voice echoed in the basement.

I hear the neighbor's dog barking, followed by footsteps outside my bedroom door.

"Grayson! Are you okay?" My mom shouts behind the door. "What's going on? Why are you shouting?"

I exhale heavily, feeling frustrated and yet relieved that I was only dreaming.

"I'm okay, mom. I just had a bad dream."

"Are you sure? Do you want some water?"

"Yes please, and a bottle of tequila."

"Nice try. Go back to sleep, son."

I chuckle as I hear her walk away.

I find it hard to sleep again, my thoughts keep on going back to Roxanne. I am surely attracted to her and
now my brain is in riot. I can't stop thinking of her and even in my dreams, she's invading them too.

I don't know if this attraction is a good thing or not. A motivation or a destruction.

Dammit. I just got out of a relationship, and getting involved into a new one is insane. I should stop
thinking of women and concentrate on my goals. I don't need any distraction right now.

___

The following day, Riggs arrived early in the morning.

"How's the YouTube analytics?" Riggs asks.

"That video of Julia's daily routine got 500,000 views overnight. Now, this Part-2 that I uploaded last
night never even reached 100K."

"It's because Roxanne is not in there. Your viewers got crazy when they saw her in that first video, they
can't stop talking about her."

"Yeah, I read them. So weird that they're shipping us."

"Maybe because you were standing so close to her, and you did this thing with your eyes..." he laughs,
making me wonder what I really did.
"What?"

"Your eye movements, dude. You were checking on her."

"I did not." I deny.

"You did. You can't deny it, the camera caught you. You want to see the video again? We can do it in
slow mode."

I wave my hand, dismissing the idea.

"The viewers are very observant, they won't miss a thing." Riggs continues and settles on a chair opposite
mine. He clears his throat then asks, "do you like her?"

"You mean Roxanne?"

"Of course. We're talking about her, right?"

"Are you kidding me? What kind of question is that?" My eyebrows frown, "She's like a younger sister
to me. We grew up together."

"I don't see any problem with that. You're both singles."

"Stop it Riggs. That sounds so weird."

It's better to keep quiet about my dreams of Roxanne. I don't want to tell my best friends things that can
complicate my friendship with her. Even the nude photo she sent me, I haven't told anyone until this day.

"You know Gray, you should give what your viewers want. They're asking for Roxanne, so you should
include her in your videos. I'm sure your channel will grow faster, dude."

"I can't afford another one on my payroll right now." I discourage the idea. "I can't give her a lower
amount than Julia, that would be unfair. I haven't even paid you and Chance for your services."

"Don't worry about us, dude. You can pay us when your channel grows so big."

"Thanks. I'm only earning a thousand dollars per month on YouTube, and most of it goes to Julia. I even
got some of the expenses from my little savings." I let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm thinking of withdrawing
some money from my investments."

I have the majority of my savings invested in the stock market, bitcoin and cryptocurrency. I wanted to
keep it there until they grow multiple times over the years.

"No, dude, just keep it there. Don't worry about money, I'll lend you some to pay Roxanne. I'm very
confident that it won't be long, you'll be earning big bucks on YouTube."
"Thanks, Riggs. I'm grateful for your help. But we can surely come up with other content that won't
include her."

"Why? It's your chance to grow the channel."

"She might feel like... I'm using her. I don't like that."

"You won't be using her, because she'll get paid. Just like your agreement with Julia. She mentioned that
she's jobless, and she's willing to take any job. She'll be happy to work with us, dude. Especially that
she'll be with her best friend."

"Well... you have a point there. I'll try to contact her later."

Riggs left and I'm alone again in my room. I press the app Facebook Messenger on my phone and look
for Roxanne's name.

I open our chat box and immediately, I see the unsent image. It was the nude photo she sent me years ago.

I have seen it multiple times, I even have a copy of it in my laptop filename:adobeprogram_file to make
sure no one would open it. It's always a secret and I have no intention to share it with anyone.

I heave a long sigh then decide to see Roxanne in person. I get my car key, and head outside.

8. Alone with Grayson. [Spark Between Us]

Hey dreamers!

Now I'm back. I really miss you guys, and I'm excited to continue this story.

I want to inform you all that I made many changes in the previous chapters. I edited the story to make it
better, and to make the characters more lovable.

Some of the changes are the following.

- Grayson's hair from ash blond to dark brown

- Chance Romano is now Chance Park, half Asian-half American

- Riggs Ryan is now single

- July is now Julia

- Roxanne's mom, Barbra, is now Fran, short of Francesca.

- Shannon Ardolf is not the wife of Grayson's father anymore, but a socialite in the neighborhood
- Grayson's relationship with Sasha lasted for a year only, instead of 4 years

- Roxanne's last relationship was two years ago

Rest assured that these changes I made are to make the story more beautiful and exciting.

Lovelots,

Neilani

Chapter 8

Roxanne's POV

"Why are you calling so early?" I look at the wall clock in the kitchen, it's still seven in the morning.
"You always wake up late."

"I can't wait to tell you this. I saw Pipa's Instagram story last night, she's dating Archer." Julia's voice is
so alive and alert. "See what I mean when I tell you that people have a lack of options in this pandemic,
they just pick anyone to date."

Pipa Marquez, the famous slutty bitch during high school.

"I don't give a damn about them dating, Jul, I'm not interested to know anything that involves Archer." I
stir my coffee, then take a small sip.

Archer West, my ex-boyfriend. We broke up two years ago, after our one and a half year relationship.
After him, I never dated anyone seriously.

He also happens to be the mayor's son. Love by Baltimore for being a former basketball star in Everly
high school and the hottest guy in school. Well, he's still hot right now, the way he flips his blond hair
makes girls go crazy.

"Come on, Rox. Baltimore is a small city, you're going to run into him again. You can't keep avoiding
him."

"I'm not avoiding him. I just hate the sight of him. He's a coward, a disappointment, and someone I regret
wasting my time with for one and a half years."

"Get over it and move on."

"Excuse me, Jul. I already moved on. He's irrelevant to me now." I slightly raise my voice.

"Chill, don't get mad, it's early in the morning. By the way, he's helping his dad run the city during this
pandemic."

"Good for him." I laugh sarcastically.

"I have a feeling that he's going to run as a mayor someday."

"If that happens, I'm going to leave Baltimore and settle somewhere else." I carry my mug of coffee, then
move to the living room.

"You still really hate him, huh?"

"Very much, so stop talking about him, it will just ruin my day."

I was 19 and he was 21, when we were so madly in love with each other. We were so happy together until
something bad happened that broke us up. I was devastated, because he never fought for our love.

And now, we never see eye to eye. He finished business school at University of Maryland, and is helping
his family manage their many businesses here in Baltimore.

"Sorry about that, Rox. I'm going to film for Grayson's video this afternoon. If you're not busy, you can
come."

"Not today. I'm going to do the laundry, then hunt for a job."

"How's your progress?"

"Not good. No one answered my application." I lean back in the armchair, crossing my legs, "It's so
frustrating, the options are limited. Many of the establishments are closed."

"Just take any kind of job, don't be so choosy."

"I swear, I'm not. I'll do any job, waitressing, janitorial, dishwashing, as long as there's good money."

"Right. Anyways, I watched that Korean Drama you told me about, Hometown Cha Cha Cha, I really
love it. Chief Hong is so cute! I wish there's someone here in Baltimore like him."

"Exactly. Did you search for the actor? His name is..."

After fifteen minutes of talking, we hang up. I finish my coffee and start checking the classified ads in the
morning paper.

"Hi, Rox."
It's mom, who came out from her room, yawning, wearing a pair of Chanel peach pajamas. It's another
hand me down from her boss, the celebrity singer, Clarissa Garcia.

"Hi mom. Did you pay the rent yesterday?"

"I did," she yawns again, "I don't have money left, so I borrowed money from Mikael. Clarissa did not
pay me because she did not have any gig last month."

"You owe Mikael too much money already. Everytime you're out of cash, you run to him."

Mikael West, millionaire, entrepreneur, and boyfriend of Clarissa Garcia. He happens to be the uncle of
my ex-boyfriend, Archer also.

"He offered to help. He's so rich, money is not an issue to him. Besides, he's really a nice guy."

"I agree, he's very nice compared to the other members of the West family."

"Clarissa is so lucky." Mom sighs.

"She's a very inconsiderate and selfish bitch. She should have given you your salary with or without gigs.
You should have demanded."

"It's useless to argue with her, she won't listen. Besides, I don't want to lose my job."

"You already lost it now that she's not paying you. You should start looking for a job too, mom."

"I don't know... I'm not so worried that Mikael is there to help. Clarissa also makes up by giving me
extra." She takes my mug of coffee and has a sip.

"Do whatever you want, but I think you're depending on them too much." I scan the classified ads,
encircling with a red marker the wanted jobs I want to apply for.

"By the way, I mentioned to Mikael that you're looking for a job. He told me last night that his new coffee
and pastry shop, Steaming Hottie, is hiring for an assistant manager. Call him right away if you're
interested."

"No way. I don't want to work in any of the West family establishments. I'm done with them." I fold my
arms together.

"You can't be choosy now that it's pandemic. We will starve if you let your pride overpower you. Put it to
the side and forget about the past. It really sucks, but that's life. You have to deal with it and move on."

"It's easy to say that, but it's hard to do. I hate Archer too much, and I don't want to bump into him.
Working in his uncle's shop only means that I can't avoid him anymore."

"Then stop avoiding him. Get used to the idea of facing Archer West. He should be the one avoiding you,
not the other way around. You have done nothing to him or to his family."
"I swear mom, Archer and I are doing the same thing."

"You broke up two years ago, right? Both of you need to move on." Mom pushes her hair out of her face,
then sighs.

"Archer? Is Archer here? Where is he?"

Both mom and I turned to granny Mary who came out of her room. Her eyes lit up and her smile was so
wide.

Poor granny. She really likes Archer and misses him. She was used to Archer bringing her gifts, like crab
cakes, homemade ham, sausages, and fruits like cherries, blueberries, and cranberries from their farm.

"He's not here, granny. We were just talking about him."

"What about him? Is he coming here? Are you getting back together?"

Oh my God. Now, I had to think of what to say to granny, to give her a good explanation.

"No. No... it's just that...um, I heard from Julia, that he's helping his father run the city now that it's
pandemic."

"Oh really? I'm so happy for him. He'll be a good mayor someday, just like his father." Granny keeps on
talking about Archer, how handsome and wonderful he is and how she misses the cranberries and so
much more. "When you see him, can you tell him to visit me?"

I feel a squeeze in my heart, then I nod. "Of course granny. I'll tell him."

Granny smiles brightly then gives me a paper.

"What is this?"

"My grocery list. I'm running out of vitamins, snacks, skin care and personal stuff. Can you buy those for
me?"

My shoulders sank, as well as my heart. There are too many in the list. But, how can I afford them now
that I don't have a job?

"Please, Roxy?"

Slowly, I nod. "Of course, granny. Anything for you."

____

At eight thirty, I went to the gym for my daily morning workout. Julia said she can't come, she has her
period. I wanted to talk to Eric also about the permanent job he offered.

But sadly, Eric got sick of Covid.

I got frustrated thinking where to find a job and earn money. But I decided not to be stressed about it and
remain calm. I temporarily forget my worries and concentrate on my workout.

"Hi Roxanne."

My body turns stiff at the sound of Grayson's voice. I turn around and see him.

"I went to see you at your house. Your mom said that you're here."

My mouth drops open, shocked at seeing him again. He looks strikingly handsome, despite half of his
face is covered with a face mask. His muscles ripples under his white shirt that quicken my pulse.

"Is Julia okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine. I'm here not because of her. I want to talk to you."

I'm too surprised to do more than nod. My heart hammers wildly, thinking of things that we might
discuss. My first thought is the nude photo I sent him a few years back.

He looks at the other people in the gym, then says, "Can we talk somewhere else? How about a drink after
your workout?"

"Sure. I'll be done in 15 minutes. Can you wait?"

"Of course. I'll wait for you in my car."

I'm so nervous to continue my workout. I go to the locker room and take my time changing my gym
clothes to my usual oversized sweater. I wonder what he's going to talk about, and I can't think of
anything other than that nude photo.

"That was fast." He says when I join him in his car, a black Mazda CX5, "buckle up."

My hands trembled being alone with him. My breathing becomes uneven, and it gets shorter every
minute.

After he parked his car, we went inside Starbuck.

"Order whatever you want, okay? My treat."

After we ordered our drinks, we settled at an empty table. I could not wait for him to start talking, the
anticipation was killing me.
"What are we going to talk about?"

"YouTube." He removes his face mask, making me gasp softly, as I appreciate his ruggedly handsome
face. The shadow of his beard gave him an even more manly look.

"What about it?"

"I want to hire you."

"Seriously?"

He nods and gives me a beautiful infectious smile.

I remove my face mask and return his smile. I notice his eyes roam on my face briefly, before he looks
down and sips his Iced Americano. A lock of straight brown hair fell casually on his forehead, covering
his left eye.

I sip my Iced Green Tea Latte, enjoying the cold refreshing liquid as I wait for him to continue.

"It's not a regular job, okay? I'll pay 5 dollars per hour, same with Julia. We don't have a fixed schedule,
but mostly, we shoot during the evenings and weekends."

"Cool, I'm in."

"Really?" He brushes his hair with his fingers, then leans his back against the wicker chair.

"Yeah. I need a job so badly, and your offer seems very convenient for me. I can still take a permanent
job during weekdays."

"That's right. There's no pressure working with me, I can adjust to your time."

"Thank you, Grayson. Your help means a lot to me."

"Don't worry, I'll give you more once our viewers pick up." He bends his head slightly forward, and I get
mesmerized staring at his silvery gray eyes.

Before I can reply, a teenage girl comes up in front of us.

"Hey, I know you, you're Grayson King, the YouTuber?" Her eyes fill with excitement, then shift at me,
"And you're Roxanne! I can't believe I see you here. Do you live in the area?"

I'm surprised that she knows me. How come when I just appeared once in Grayson's video?

He talks to the girl, and responds to some of her questions, then she asks for a selfie picture with us.

Later, we're in his car, driving me home when he asks,

"Are you aware that the viewers are shipping us?"

It takes me a while to answer him.

"Really? I don't know that."

"You should read the comments in that video you're in. They have our ship names already." He looked at
me briefly over his shoulder.

I became suspicious all of a sudden, and I'm not feeling good about it.

"Is that the reason why you hired me? Because viewers are shipping us, and that can get more views in
your videos?"

"Yes." He answers directly, "Is that alright with you?"

"I don't want to pretend and fool the viewers."

"You won't. You're just going to be yourself. If that bothers you..."

"No, I already gave you my word. I'm in."

------

I arrived home and opened YouTube. I read the comments and was surprised at the viewers' reactions.
They were really shipping us like we are going to end up together.

I have a bad feeling about it. What did I get myself into?

During the afternoon, I received a letter regarding my student loan. I am due to pay my remaining balance
again. I'm so bothered again. Where am I going to get the money?

I made a decision, and there's no turning back anymore.

I'm on my phone calling Mikael West.

"I need a job so badly. Is the assistant manager position still available?"

"You should have called earlier, the job is filled already. If you like, there's another position available."

"As long as it's a good and decent job, I'm in. I can't be choosy anymore."

"Okay, consider yourself hired. Be there at the shop tomorrow before it opens at seven."
"I will. Thank you so much, Mikael. I'm grateful."

"No worries, Roxanne."

**Please don't forget to Vote, Comment and Share to your Wattpad friends**

9. Meeting my ex, Archer West [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 9

Roxanne's POV

"Hi, I'm Zoe. I'm the new assistant manager." A blond girl greets me, as she follows the security guard
who opened the cafe door. She looks really friendly and young, probably she's my age.

"Hi, nice meeting you. I'm Roxanne." I greet her back, as I enter the cafe.

So, she got the job that should have been mine if I was not hesitant yesterday and called Mikael right
away.

"How long have you been working here?"

"Actually, it's also my first day."

"Oh, that makes the two of us."

"Hi girls!"

Someone calls our attention, and we both turn to the two handsome, tall and lean asian guys that resemble
a kpop idol.

"I'm Jimmy, I'm the barista, and this is Tay, he's in charge of the cakes and pastries."

"Hi!" Tay makes a casual bow, then settles behind one of the tables.

Zoe and I introduce ourselves to the guys, then we start talking about our jobs.

"One of you will be filling Shirley's job. She's confined in the hospital right now, she has covid." Tay's
eyes look sad, and I can feel his worries. This virus is taking the whole world by storm.

"So, who will take over Shirley's job as a waitress?" Jimmy asks.

"Me." I raise my hand, acknowledging the job. It's pretty obvious, since Zoe is the assistant manager.

"You do the usual stuff. Take orders, serve the food, get the bill, and clean the tables." Jimmy continues,
then turns to Zoe, "So, you're the new assistant manager."

"Yes, I am."

Jimmy goes to the counter and turns on the coffee machine. He is occupied in taking some containers and
cups out, and preparing his area.

I listen to Tay as he continues to orient Zoe.

"The manager is so busy nowadays, he can't take care of everything anymore. That's why he had to hire
an assistant."

"I'm sure he is."

Tay nods, "you'll be incharge of the money, purchasing of supplies, recording of all transactions, and
other stuff. You will find everything you need in the manager's table over there." He points to a room
behind the barista's counter.

The job seems to require a lot of Maths. I'm suddenly relieved. I'm not good at Maths, in fact it was my
hated subject in my entire school days. I can do simple plus and minus, but the multiplications and
divisions really drive me crazy. It gives me a headache just looking at the numbers.

Tay also briefs us on the shop's covid protocol. Wearing of face masks always, social distancing with
everyone, washing our hands regularly and spraying the tables with disinfectants after being occupied.

"If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask me, okay?" He says, then we all leave the table and
take our places as the customers start arriving.

The shop closes at four in the afternoon, so by three thirty, we start cleaning everything, in order to leave
at four sharp.

I'm mopping the floor when a couple enters the shop. I feel like I'm being splashed with a bucket of cold
water the moment I see them. It's my ex-boyfriend, Archer West, and clinging in his arm, is Pipa
Marquez.

I avoid any encounter with Archer. Our breakout was so messy, we argued so badly and we even cursed
each other. Seeing him again face to face recalls the things that happened that night.

For about five seconds, we just stare at each other. He is shocked as I am, his almond eyes turn so big and
his mouth drops open.

"Hi boss." Jimmy says behind me, "This is Roxanne, our new waitress. Roxanne, this is our manager,
Archer West."

Oh my God. Why didn't I bother to ask who our boss is? Why did I assume that it's Mikael?

"You're the new waitress?" Pipa comes forward and looks at me from head to toe. She laughs so loud,
then turns to Archer. "Poor Roxanne, so desperate for money. I thought you graduated with a criminology
degree? What happened girl?"
Nothing changes in Pipa, she's the same bitch in high school who looks down at other girls, and
humiliates them in public. She could not attack me before, and I won't let her think that she can easily talk
shit on me now.

"Sadly, not all people are born with a silver spoon." I say with a snap, "I have to work my ass to pay my
college loan."

"Why here? What are you planning, huh? You surely know that Archer is running the place."

"I did not know until this moment that this scumbag is the manager. If I had known, I wouldn't have
come."

"Hey, don't start it again, Roxanne." Archer finally finds the courage to speak.

"Now you know, so goodbye. Don't ever come back." She waves her hand at me.

I chuckle, and give them a nasty look, "Mikael hires me, so he's the only one who can fire me. I won't get
intimidated by both of you."

"Poor little thing. The badass queen in high school is now turning to Cinderella. Very interesting. I can't
wait to tell my followers on Instagram." She snaps a picture of me, and Archer butt in.

"Pipa, enough! Come on, let's go." He drags Pipa out of the shop without looking back at me.

I sigh heavily with relief when they're gone.

"That is like a Korean drama scene," Jimmy looks at me with a surprise expression. "You were so cool,
Rox, and she hates it."

"That girl deserves to be put down. Every time she comes here, she acts like she owns the place. She
ordered everything and did not pay a single thing." Tay complains, his voice rising in anger.

They are talking about their bad experiences with Pipa, when Zoe arrives carrying a bag of groceries.

Thank God, I did not get her job. I could not stand working closely with Archer, and have to spend more
time with him.

10. My first love, Archer West [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 10

Roxanne's POV

I already knew Archer way back then, as the most popular guy of Everly High School. The best
basketball player, the school president, the best debater, the prom king, and so much more.
He did notice me, many times, when he substituted Mr. Hamilton, to watch the delinquent students at the
detention room. I had many offenses - skipping classes to watch movies or go to the nearby beach,
cursing my teachers, chasing someone with a bat at the school hallway, fighting with the mean girls,
giving a boy a black eye, and other things.

"Stop winking at me, that won't work on me." Archer would snap at me in front of the others in the
detention room.

"Bullshit, I want to go home! Who gives you the right to keep us here, huh? We're off at three, and it's
four o'clock now."

"You have no right to complain either. You shouldn't have broken the girl's bathroom mirror if you want
to go home early."

"That was unintentional. I slipped and bumped at the mirror!"

"Stop lying."

"I'm not lying! Why would I ever lie?" My voice rose in an octave, as I started to reason out with him. "I.
DID. NOT. BREAK. THE. MIRROR. Did you hear me?"

"I'm not deaf. Someone saw you hit it with your fist."

"Ha! Who do you think I am, Captain Marvel?" I let out a sarcastic grin, "I don't understand why
everyone believed Pipa. She's making up stories just to spite me."

"For what?" His eyebrows rose inquiringly.

I shrugged my shoulders, and gave him a wicked look.

"She knows I'm fucking you."

Everyone in the detention room was shocked, and gave us a curious look.

"Hey! She's lying." Archer defended himself, and kept going for another five minutes, but failed to
convince everyone.

I was having a great time watching him so distressed, while the students ignored his explanation and
laughed at him.

He eyed me with monstrosity, and said. "Take back what you've said, Roxanne, or I'll extend your
detention time for another hour."

My victory was short lived and I responded to his expression with animosity.

"Okay fine! That's not true. He's not my type, ugh! I would rather fuck Chewbacca that this scumbag."
"That's it. Another one hour for you." He gave me a sarcastic smile, and a flying kiss.

I caught it and threw it back at his face.

"Fuck you, Archer West!"

Many girls had a crush on him. Almost everyone, including Julia. There was a phase in her high school
life that she could not stop talking about him.

Archer never appealed to me. I hated him when he kept an eye on me at the detention room. He followed
me, even when I went to the bathroom. Everytime we met in the hallway, he would give me a suspicious
look, as if I had planted a bomb inside the bathroom.

I had my own way to spite Archer. I would wink at him secretly or blow a kiss. He would respond by
giving me an angry look.

One evening, things got crazy when I received a chat from him on messenger. He already graduated
Senior High and was leaving for University.

Here's something to keep you thinking of me.

It was a half body nude picture of him.

To spite him, I sent him a nude photo of my full back. But something bad happened. I sent it to the wrong
person. To Grayson King.

I surpassed high school and went to university to study Criminology. I had a great time in college, I did
not have to deal with the bullies and mean girls in high school anymore.

I learned constitutional law, sociology, criminal law and theory, psychology, government, and juvenile
delinquency. I also grew up, and became a mature, disciplined, and law abiding citizen of the country.

I met Archer again when I was 19 and he was 21. It was summer school break. One morning, I was
jogging in the park when he came up beside me.

"Hello gorgeous."

"What do you want?" I did not bother to look, to know that it was Archer.

"A dinner date."

"Ha! You wish." I ignored him and continued running, increasing my speed until he was left behind.

The next morning, he was at it again. Asking me out.

"I'm serious, Roxanne. I want to take you out for a date."

I ignored him, and he continued talking. "I promise, it will be very special."

"Stop bothering me, Mr. West." I sped up and he was finding it hard to catch up with me.

The third morning, he was there waiting for me when I arrived at the park. He was desperate, cornering
me from running faster.

"Please, give me a chance."

"What is wrong with you? We hate each other."

He shook his head. "I don't. Well... maybe a little, because you didn't like me. I have this huge crush on
you, that won't go away everytime I see you."

That was a shocking revelation. Archer West has a huge crush on me?

"It's your ego that's talking. Because I was the only girl in high school that didn't have a crush on you."

"No, Rox. I'm not that kind of person who thinks so highly of myself."

He was right though. His parents taught him well to be humble, kind and caring.

"Let's give it a try. One dinner, that's all I ask. Then you can decide if you like me or not." He pressed his
lips together, "If you don't, then I won't bother you again. Promise."

I shrugged my shoulders, "Okay."

His eyes lit up happily, a wide grin planted on his face.

"BUT, I have a condition. You have to catch me first."

His expression transformed into a strong determined man who would do anything to get what he wanted.
Victory.

"Cool." He agreed. He let me go first and followed in ten seconds.

It took him five minutes to catch up with me. He admitted that he was not a runner, but he would do
anything just to have a date with me.

"I caught up. So, dinner on Saturday?" He asked, panting.

"Yes. One dinner. My place, seven sharp. Don't be late."

He arrived in the house, looking so devastatingly handsome, in white sweater and black trousers. He
brought a bouquet of red roses, crab cakes, a basket of berries, and a bottle of red wine.
I tricked him.

It was not a dinner date for the two of us, but I prepared a family dinner, with my mom and granny Mary.

"Archer is here because he wants to interview our family for his feasibility study about the
socio-economic conditions in our area. So, after dinner, he will ask you both some questions."

"Oh, really?" Granny smiled brightly at Archer. "Can I go first? It's been so long since I got interviewed.
You can ask me anything you want."

"Thank you, it's an honor to interview you, granny." Archer bowed slightly with a smile.

"Are you sure?" Mom was hesitant, "I thought this is a..." she looked at me, then at Archer.

"Mom!" I gave her a hard look, then turned to Archer, who planted a polite smile on his face.

"I'll be delighted to talk to you Mrs. Vergara, and get to know the family more."

It turned out, Archer was enjoying the company of mom and granny. It became a bad idea when they
became closer, and created a strong connection.

Granny invited him for lunch the following day, and he did not refuse. He kept on coming into our house,
bringing crab cakes, different kinds of fruits from their farm and wine from their vineyard.

One day, mom asked him to fix my shower.

"I'm sorry that mom suggested this. I could have called a plumber." I said to him, as I struggled to hold
the shower head above us while he tightened a screw.

"I'm happy you didn't. It's my pleasure to help."

"You've done too much for us. I don't have any money to pay you."

He chuckled throatily, "you don't need to pay me, Rox. I just need you to like me."

My stomach tightened.

Suddenly, I became so aware of him at the close proximity of the bathroom. I could feel the heat of his
body and smell his male scent. My hormones were getting wild with excitement of being near him.

Do I like him?

Absolutely. In fact, I'm falling so deeply for him. My feelings grew stronger everyday that it was
impossible to fight it anymore.
"It's done. You can put your hands down." He said, and I stepped back without realizing that my back
pushed the knob of the shower.

The water sprayed directly at him, soaking him all wet.

I laughed and giggled.

He chuckled and without warning, he pulled me towards him. I gasped when the cold water sprayed on
me.

"Oh no...no..." I protested, but the words I uttered died, as his mouth covered mine, kissing me hungrily
with intense passion.

11. Arch-enemies [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 11

Grayson's POV

"Five hundred fifty six thousand views overnight? That's cool!" Riggs exclaims, as he studies my latest
YouTube video on his phone. "See? It's proven that everytime Roxanne is in your video, the views
skyrocketed, and if she's not, it drops."

"That's right. She has to be in your video. The viewers want more of you and her together." Chance
glances at me, then his eyes are back on his phone, reading the comments of my latest video, "They're
suggesting a 24 hours couple challenge, chapstick, one day date, and other couple challenges."

"It's a family channel. If I'm going to do that, it will turn into a couple's channel, which we're not."

"Obviously you're not." Chance smirks, then his eyes glued to the comments again, "But there's someone
here that confirms that you and Roxanne are dating. She saw you both in Starbucks."

"That was the time when I talked her into joining us." I groan, "That comment must have come from the
teenage girl who asked for a picture of us."

"Most probably. Anyways, she assumes that you have something with Rox, but not telling everyone."
Riggs chuckles aloud.

"There's nothing to tell." I settle at the table, and clean the lenses of my DSLR camera.

"Yeah, but your fans are getting crazy, expecting that there's something more." Riggs continues.

"And that keeps the excitement going." Chance sits across from me, "They're wondering what the real
score is. If you're attracted to each other, if you're dating or in a secret relationship. They're following the
vlog, hoping for some progress."

"If only they knew the truth that we grew up together, like siblings."
"Viewers don't understand that. They love what they see in the video, and they enjoy shipping both of
you."

Riggs gives me a hard slap on my back, and I flinch.

"Can't blame them. You and Rox look good together. You're both attractive, conveying positive vibes,
youthful, happy... and with beautiful smiles. I agree with the viewers, you will make a handsome couple."

"That will never happen. I don't have time for any distractions right now, I'm focused on my career and in
making it big. I'm done with girls, dating and commitment. Been there, and I don't want to repeat it again
and be cheated. It's just a waste of time."

"You're developing a mistrust issue, dude." Riggs chuckles aloud.

"Do you think Roxanne is a cheater?" Chance asks Riggs, who is frowning at my response.

"I don't think so." Riggs shakes his head, "She may be a badass in high school but she never dated
anyone. I even thought she's a tomboy, but when she dated Archer West, that confirms that she likes
boys."

The mention of Archer West, my arch-enemy, makes my eyebrows snap together. He hates me as much
as I hate him. But my best friends don't know that. My connection with Archer is something that I conceal
to anyone.

"Of course! Who wouldn't turn into a real girl when dating Archer West. The most popular basketball
player of Everly and coming from the richest clan of Maryland. He also drives a Lamborghini." Chance
let out a sarcastic chuckle.

"Why did they break up?" I ask, suddenly curious to know about Roxanne and what she went through.

Riggs shrugs his shoulders. "It's still a mystery, dude. One day they were so much in love, and the next
day, they avoided each other. I heard it was a very bad break up."

"But Roxanne is working at Steaming Hottie Cafe. I heard from Julia that it's managed by Archer. So I
guess, they're getting friendly again."

I almost dropped my DSLR, surprised at what I heard. I did not know that she's working in a coffee shop
owned by the West family, and that Archer is her boss.

I continue listening to my best friends. It seems like Roxanne is their favorite topic this morning.

"No, dude." Riggs shakes his head vigorously, "Roxanne needs money to pay her college loan, she has no
choice but to get the job. I pity her for swallowing her pride, imagine working as a waitress in her ex
coffee shop."

That information makes me very upset. I don't like the idea that she has to bear working with the West,
especially with Archer everyday.
___

The following day, it's Saturday and Roxanne arrives in the house at seven in the morning. I open the
door, since I'm the only one who wakes up early in the house.

Seeing her pretty face, surely lit up my sleeping cells, making me wide awake. There's this aura in her
that vibrates positive energy within me, making me energize.

"I just drop by to return this." Roxanne says, as she gives me the plastic bag that has the clothes that she
borrowed from Julia during our shoot the other day. "They're clean, I already washed them."

"I'll give this to her later. She's still sleeping."

She nods, then steps back. "Thanks. I have to go now. I'll see you in the shoot this afternoon."

"Yeah, see you." I have to stop her. I can't just let her go now. Not yet. "Are you going to work?"

She turns back and faces me. "No, it's my day off."

"How about coffee?"

"Thanks. But I had my coffee already." She smiles, then about to go.

"Breakfast? Pancake with whipped Cream and strawberries. Just like the old days."

"Um..." Her nose wrinkles a little, and it seems like my offer was not attractive enough.

"I need to talk to you also. Consider this a business meeting." I say firmly, turning the tone of my voice,
into a boss.

"Okay fine. But I like my pancakes with bacon."

"Your wish is my command, princess."

Roxanne waits in the living room while I'm in the kitchen cooking bacon and pancakes. I also made her a
fresh orange juice.

I set the table nicely, putting a fresh red rose that I picked from mom's little garden in the center.

I used mom's expensive white china wares that are reserved for our special guests. I did the plating, using
my artistic skill in making her plate very pretty. Two pancakes with a beautiful swirl of whipped cream
and the prettiest strawberry on top. The avocado at the side was nicely and meticulously cut in uniform.
The bacon strips are arranged neatly in a silver plate with beautiful slices of tomatoes, carrots and
cucumber. A tall crystal glass of fresh orange juice that looks like the one served in a five star hotel, with
a slice of fresh orange at the golden rim of the glass.

For two minutes, I'm staring at the most beautiful breakfast that I have ever made in my entire life, with a
big smile plastered on my face, and a feeling of great satisfaction.

I'm ready to call her. I'm very excited as I walk towards the living room.

Suddenly I stop, something snaps in my brain. I go back to the kitchen and look at the dining table.

Realization sinks in.

"What the fuck am I doing?"

I throw the red rose and replace the chinaware plates with our usual daily old plates. The whipped cream
is a mess on top, and the strawberry falls at the side.

The once beautiful arrangement of avocado and bacon strips are now a mess too, and are transferred to
our overused discolored serving plates. I pour the orange juice into an ordinary glass and eat the slice of
orange.

"What the hell am I thinking? Why am I trying to impress her? She's Roxanne, my sister's best friend."

12. We Don't Talk Anymore [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 12

Roxanne's POV

The two weeks that I have been working at the cafe are very enjoyable. No boring moments with Jimmy
and Tay around, who makes the ambience lively with their bright and friendly personality.

ߎբ�We don't talk anymore... We don't talk anymore... We don't talk anymore, Like we used to do. We
don't love anymore. What was all of it for? Oh, we don't talk anymore. Like we used to do... ♪ߎ

Jimmy always serenades me with his angelic voice and Tay impresses me with his amazing kpop dance
moves. During lunch, they share their Korean food with me and Zoe.

"You should try this." Tay put a portion of orange colored rice on my plate.

"Hmm, this is delicious." I said when I had a mouthful. "What kind of rice is this?"

"Yeah, it's so good. It's called kimchi rice." Jimmy answered, then put a chunk of something covered with
orange sauce inside my mouth.

"Whoa! That was superhot," I grabbed a glass of water, to clean my burning tongue. "But I love it. Can I
have more?"

"Sure!" Tay laughed and put some on my plate. "Actually, this is my favorite Korean dish. It's called
Tteokbokki."
"My goodness, you guys would make me crave for these dishes." I laughed happily with them.

Our happy mood always ends whenever Archer arrives, together with his beloved girlfriend, Pipa. Archer
would walk past me, ignoring me to go directly to his office. He spends thirty minutes with Zoe, checking
the sales and reconciling the books of accounts.

We don't talk anymore. We stopped talking two years ago.

Pipa on the other hand, would sit at the best table of the cafe and order anything she fancies without
paying.

"I want a Dalgona Whipped Iced Coffee drink, and a chocolate cheesecake. Make it fast." Pipa ordered
without looking at me, her eyes fixed at her gel manicured nails, but when I left, her eyes followed me
around.

"I said, make it fast, right? You walk too slow... you serve too slow. It's like watching a dragging slow
motion movie."

"I have to be careful. You ignored the wet floor sign and chose this table."

"Ah... so you're saying that it's my fault. You can't just accept that you're lousy with your job. FYI. I'm a
customer, and customers are always right!" Pipa's face flushed with anger.

"Whatever, Pipa. I don't have time to argue with you. The other customers are waiting."

She always makes nasty comments. Aside from complaining that I'm too slow in serving the food, she
also complains that the table is not clean enough, the floor is sticky, I'm not giving her enough table
napkins, and many other things that involve me and my work.

I know what she was trying to do, to find fault in my job and test my patience by provoking me into
anger. But I learn to control myself, to be calm by just ignoring her and pretending not to hear anything.

Not succeeding with her plan, makes her very angry.

One day, she grabbed my hair, then threw the ice cold coffee at my face.

"You deserve that. You kept me waiting!" Pipa's face turned scarlet as she yelled at me.

Damn her. She was giving me a hard time, asking for a glass of water, a new fork, more table napkins, to
wipe the table again because it's sticky, to mop the floor because she spilled a little coffee and other
things. And she was very upset that I kept her waiting.

"I'm the only server here, I had to attend to the other customers." I wiped my soaked face with the back of
my arm, then massaged my aching scalp. I was controlling myself, holding my anger.

I looked at Jimmy and Tay, who were observing us. Ready to defend me when things get nasty. The other
customers were young high school girls, surely enjoying watching us, waiting for some action.
My eyes fixed on Pipa again. Another attack from her, and I'm going to put her down on the floor. I will
surely use the training I learned from school and teach this bitch a lesson.

"Excuses... excuses... too many excuses. I will tell Archer about this and make him fire you! You have a
very easy job and yet, you can't do it right. You don't know how to serve your customers better!" She
threatened.

"You're the only customer who complains. It's you who has a problem with me. You're so upset that I'm
working closely with Archer. You're afraid that he will ditch you and come back to me."

"You bitch!" She moved fast towards me, her hand reached to scratch my face with her very long
gel-manicured nails. But I got her first. I grabbed her neck, then pushed her hard on the floor.

She screamed, and I heard Archer shout behind me.

"Roxanne!"

Like a true prince charming, ready to rescue his princess, Archer was beside Pipa on the floor, then drew
her in his arms.

"What the hell is going on?" Archer snapped, his eyes questioning me.

"Believe me, I've done nothing wrong."

"Really Roxanne? I saw you grabbed her neck and pushed her." He looked at me accusingly.

Before I could defend myself further, Pipa butted in.

"She's a lunatic! I don't understand why she always starts picking a fight." As expected, she played the
victim. The best actress ever. She cried and blamed me for everything. "She's so jealous of me. She can't
accept that we're together now."

As if I care! I don't give a damn if they get married and have a dozen kids. I'm over him, a long time ago.

The situation was so awkward. Cringy. People were looking at us, and all I wanted at that moment was to
dissolve and turn into water.

I wanted to explain, but I know that any explanation would not justify my action. Archer would believe
what he saw, even though it was only the last part.

Two years ago, we had a big fight when we broke up. It ended with him thinking the worst of me. Any
explanation now would not make any difference. He would still believe what he chose to believe about
me.

"I don't tolerate this kind of attitude from my employee! Pull your act together or I'm going to fire you!"
Archer threatened me.

My pride was hurt as I stared at the man whom I loved so dearly before. He was looking at me like I was
a piece of shit now.

I wanted to quit. I wanted to tell him to go to hell, because he's a fucking asshole. I hated him before for
not believing me, and I hated him more now for the same reason. But I need the job. I have no choice but
to stay.

Jimmy explained the situation to Archer, defending me. But Archer ignored his explanation and
continued to comfort Pipa.

"You should bring me to the ER. I think I broke a rib." Pipa cried, and Archer looked so worried and
carried her out of the shop.

Good riddance.

13. "You were flirting with her!" [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 13

Grayson's POV

"Sorry for the short notice. Julia can't make it, she's feeling feverish." I said to Roxanne, who came inside
the gym wearing her usual gray overused and oversized sweater, which I know belonged to her dead dad.
I'm sure it's the same with the old Nike gym bag she's holding. Either she can't let go of the memories of
her dad, or she's too tight on money that she can't afford to buy her stuff.

"Yeah, she called me. I hope it's not Covid."

"She doesn't have a sore throat, colds or cough. But I'll have her swabbed test tomorrow to make sure."

"She's scared of the swab test, but she has to do it for everyone's safety." She turns, leaving me outside of
the changing room.

When she comes out, her sweater is gone. She takes my breath away, seeing her in her gym outfit. She
has this beautiful flawless skin and perfect body that she hides under those sweaters.

She's naturally beautiful and so simple. It's like, what you see is what you get.

She always dresses up like a boy, not even a trace of makeup on her face. She's not aiming for any guy's
compliments, and yet, she got all the attention of the men, especially in the gym. She's the type of girl
who seems not aware of her beauty, or she knows, but doesn't give much thought about it.

I have known Roxanne for too long, she's like a younger sister to me. I know that she would grow up a
raving beauty, and break plenty of men's hearts. But she seems to be going in the opposite direction. From
what I know, she doesn't date much, so I assumed she's a tomboy. But she's absolutely not, because she
had a boyfriend, that lucky dumbass scumbag, Archer West.

She really intrigues me. I want to know more about her. I want to know what's going on inside her pretty
head. What she's thinking, what's her plan or her goals in life, what she likes and dislikes, what she did
during her past time aside from hanging out with my sister, what makes her tick, what makes her laugh or
cry, and so much more.
Yeah, I have known her, almost half of my life, but she's still very mysterious to me. I know she has some
weights on her shoulder, and I want to lift them off and carry them myself.

"Should we start?" She asks as we headed to the crew, who already set up the camera and lights at the
corner of the gym. My sister Brooke is lying on the bench, pretending to be sleeping.

"Yeah... yeah. So, the two of us will be Brooke's personal trainer. We all know that she hates doing
physical activities, especially exercising and going to the gym."

She chuckles, "She just wants to stay in her bedroom all day. It's her favorite place in the world."

"Exactly. We will force her to exercise and lift weights."

"Do you think that's possible? She won't listen to us."

"We'll just try." I assure her.

"Okay... but we have to take it easy. She's kinda sensitive, and gets mad easily."

"Don't worry, I'll handle her."

"That's better. I'll just stay at the side. I don't want her to get mad at me. The last time was very scary. She
threw a book on my face."

"Yeah, I remember that. You ate her Oreo cookie."

"Correction. Accidentally." She answers and we both laugh together.

Shooting with Brooke was tough at the beginning, she was very uncooperative. She contradicted
everything that I said. She did not follow the exercises that I taught her, even the very simple ones.

"Ouch." I groan aloud when Brooke slaps my arm again. It's getting so red from the tons of slaps I got
from her. "You're so abusive."

"That's what you get for forcing me into this. You know I hate to exercise!" Brooke screams at me.

"Don't worry, I'll delete that." Chance butts in.

"We have too much to delete in this video. I wonder if we have anything left anymore." Riggs let out a
frustrated sigh."

I turned to Brooke again, encouraging her, "You need to exercise, not just for your body but also for your
mental health."

"I don't give a damn, Gray."

"Come on, Brooke. Just give it a try."

"I don't want to. My bones ache and my muscles hurt. My head is starting to hurt too."

"No pain, no glory."

"Pain! My ass. I hate being in pain. You know I have very low tolerance for it. I'm going to kill you if
tomorrow I won't be able to get up. I'm done, I don't want to do this anymore."

"Oh God, you're having tantrums again. Now I realized, this is a bad idea."

"I told you." Brooke pouts, hugging her arms together, sulking like a kid. "You'll just waste your time on
me."

"It's never a waste of time being with you. You know I love you, and I want the best for you." I tap her
head, "At least, we have our bonding. Come one, you can rest now. I won't force you into it anymore."

I turn to Chance and Riggs, "Pack up guys," then to Roxanne, who just continues to observe us. "Sorry for
the inconvenience. I should have followed my intuition. I know this is going to happen."

She smiles, and nods. "It's nothing, anything for the video."

"Thanks. I'll just go down and get us all a drink."

I bought energy drinks downstairs. It took me more than five minutes to come back, because I waited for
the cashier, an old man, to finish arranging his counter.

When I came back, Brooke was following Roxanne, lifting weights. She was laughing and seemed to be
enjoying herself. While Riggs and Chance were shooting the video.

I smile watching them. I appreciate Roxanne for taking over and getting Brooke's trust. I walk towards
them and continue observing them.

"Roxanne is a sweetheart, she never forces me." Brooke glares at me, then suddenly bursts into laughter.
"She's helping me get a bigger ass, like hers."

"Here's another one." Roxanne shows another exercise and Brooke follows her. "Continue doing this as
long as you can, until you feel the pain, then you know it's working."

"Seriously? Then I won't stop doing this." Brooke says, feeling motivated.

Roxanne stops exercising and takes the drink I offered her.

"Thank you, you're doing very well."

"She just needs a little motivation." She smiles and takes a gulp of the energy drink. A Gatorade blue.

"I hope you like the flavor I got you."

She looks at the drink, then shrugs a little. "Yeah, this is my favorite."

Yes! I said to myself.

She turns to Brooke, about to go, but I don't want her to leave yet. I like to continue talking to her.

"How's granny Mary?"

Her attention is on me again. I know that talking about her granny is one of her favorites.

"Giving me a hard time. She's asking about things she saw on the internet, like herbal supplements,
sleeping candies, stress reliever sprays, healing candles and so much more. The problem is, all can be
ordered from Asia. It will take too long to receive them now that it's pandemic."

I could not help laughing. Everything she said was funny, and really fascinates me. She kept on talking
about granny Mary and I was enjoying every minute of it. We talked about random things, like college,
people we met, professors, food we love to eat, restaurants we tried and so much more.

So crazy, I was so engrossed with her that I forgot we were in the gym, and my crew were waiting for
us.

"What's going on?" Brooke says, her eyes glaring at me and Roxanne. "I did all the exercises and you
weren't even looking at me. I'm done here, I want to go home!"

"Okay, okay. Let's pack up." I instruct, and that stops my conversation with Roxanne.

Later in the car, Brooke won't stop rattling about what she saw.

"I swear, Gray. You were flirting with her!"

"I did not. So stop talking about it."

"I'm not dumb. You like her and you're afraid to admit it." Brooke looks at me suspiciously. "I think you
always like her, I caught you many times staring at her."

"That's not true. You love fairy tales, and you always imagine that someday, me and Roxanne will end up
together and live happily ever after. You think that life is full of fairy tales. Well, sad to say sis, it's not."

"Let's see." Brooke giggles, "I think she likes you too. Do you even wonder why she doesn't have a
boyfriend? She's waiting for you."

"Definitely not true," I chuckle, "She had a boyfriend before."

"Oh yeah, I forgot. There was Archer." Brooke takes a pause, then says, "It sucks right. Why of all guys,
it has to be your half brother."

14. Started Talking [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 14

Roxanne's POV

"Granny, I'm home." I yell when I get inside the house, so granny Mary can hear me. Her hearing seems
to be getting worse these past few days.

"Did you get me the hemorrhoid pads?"

"Yeah, I did. I also got you some skin care and collagen facial masks." I open my bag, and take the things
that I bought for her at Walmart.

"Thank you, dear." Granny looks really happy, as she studies the facial masks closely, "how's your
workout?"

"Doing good. Actually I did a video shoot for Grayson's channel."

"What about?" Granny started watching Grayson's channel because of me, and now, she's enjoying the
videos too much.

"Working out with Brooke."Ղ

"Oh, that little blond girl."

"She's not little anymore, Granny. She's taller than me." I chuckle, then I tell her about the concept of the
video. I stop talking when she's not paying attention anymore. Her attention span in listening only lasts
for two minutes. "I'll see you later. I'm going to take a shower."

"I'll go back to my room and try these products." She answers, and leave ahead of me.

I had a quick shower then changed to my favorite sweater. I called my cousin, Kiera and we talked for
almost thirty minutes about anything. She's a relative from my mother's side,_ we're the same age. She
lives in Pennsylvania and works as an assistant chef in a hotel.

I told her about the video shoot I did earlier, then we started talking about Grayson.

"He said I have very pretty eyes. That's just so weird, because he never complimented me before. Ever."

"Hmm..._ he's flirting with you."

"Of course not. He was just being friendly."

"I think he likes you, girl," she teases me, " a guy never compliments a girl's eyes if he's just being
friendly. Oh my, Grayson took too long to realize that he likes you."_

"You have a weird mind."

She roars in laughter,_ then says, "I remember, when you first met him, you couldn't stop talking about
him."

"That's bullshit, Keira. That never happened."

"Come on, Rox. You had a crush on him, but you just don't want to admit it."

"Well, a tiny bit, that's it."

"Are you sure, just a tiny bit?"

"Okay. I find him attractive... because he actually is. Even you, you said you find him attractive, right?
But that's it. I never imagined myself in a relationship with him."

"Because of Julia. You're afraid of her finding out your feelings."

"What is wrong with you? I don't have any feelings for Grayson. And about Julia, yes, our friendship is
very important to me. I don't want to ruin it by hooking up with her brother."

"Point taken. But what about the viewers? They're shipping you and him. Have you read the comments?
They want you to date."

"I know. It's kinda weird, but I have to get used to it. There's nothing really going on, we're just all friends
in his team. I enjoy hanging out with them, and doing videos."

"If you say so." She says, doubting my words. "But you really look good together in the videos. I don't
blame the viewers for shipping you guys. I'm even a fan of Rox-son." She giggles aloud, "if you guys end
up together, you'll be a power couple."

"Stop it, Kiera. You're a million steps ahead. You know that's not possible. You're one of the people who
knows us better, so stop expecting more like the viewers."

"Okay... okay. I give up. So tell me what's the next video?"

"Ugh! It's a secret. Just wait on Wednesday night, okay?" I say, then shift to another topic. "How's the
new chef that you've been eyeing on. Any progress?"

__

The following day was Sunday. I started my day early by going to the gym. I took a long shower when I
arrived home and had my breakfast.
At ten, I was in the laundry room, sitting on top of the washing machine waiting for our clothes to get
done. I heard a commotion outside and I knew someone arrived.

I was watching a Netflix action movie when someone knocked at the door, then opened it.

I was caught off guard the moment I saw who it was.

"Hey Roxanne." Grayson greets me, making my heart flutters so fast.

I suddenly became conscious of my appearance. I did not comb my hair well after I took a shower, and
there was a huge stain in front of my shirt._

"Hi, what are you doing here?" I get down from the washing machine and face him.

"My phone is dead, so I decided to come here right away." He enters the room, looking so gorgeous as
always. His hair is still wet from the shower and he smells freshly clean, of soap and aftershave.

"What about?"

He leans his hip against the table across me, and one hand under his pants pocket. He looks so good in his
white shirt, with the sleeves rolled above his elbows, and worn out denim pants.

"I need a girl's opinion in picking up costumes for our next video._ I can't drag Julia out, she's_ still sick,
her cough is getting worse."

"Yeah, it's really bad. She told me this morning."

"At least it's not Covid."_

I nod, then ask, "what kind of costume we'll be getting?"

"I don't know yet, I can't think of a theme. It's just for a game." He shrugs his shoulders, then smiles
again.

I wish he stops giving me that kind of smile, I'm melting already.

"I'll just go and get change. Can you watch the laundry and tell mom when it's done?" I say, trying my
best to sound natural.

"Of course."_

I don't want to look like I'm trying to get his attention or anything, I change to an old sweater. I tied my
hair in a ponytail and put some lip balm on my lips.

We went to the only costume store that's open during the pandemic._
"What do you want? There are so many to choose from. Halloween costumes, Disney princesses, witches
and vampires, Santa and elves, Anime characters, Pirates..." My eyes looking at selections of costumes
hanging in a rack._

"I can't think of any right. Just try on some costumes, let's see what will suit you well. Anyway, you and
Julia will be the main attraction. We guys can adjust, we're not picky."

"I see. How about a pumpkin?"

He chuckles, "I'm sure Julia won't like that. Pick another."

"Okay, I'll try this one," I pick the witch outfit with a wig and a broom.

"It's not for halloween. Choose something attractive that you and Julia would love to wear." He starts
choosing costumes in the rack, then grabs a cowgirl outfit. "Try this."

"I saw its matching cowboy outfit. Do you like to try it on?"

"Sure."

We ended up trying the matching cowboy and cowgirl outfit together. We stared ourselves in front of the
mirror as we did a lot of poses then laughed aloud.

He looked so devastatingly handsome. I was perspiring just looking at him._

"I wanted to be a cowboy when I was a kid. I imagined_ myself riding a horse, and catching a deer using
a rope. But I stopped dreaming about it when I watched James Bond. I thought James Bond was cooler."

"There's a James Bond outfit, would you like to try it?"

"Only if you try on a Bond girl."

I laughed, "Okay let's do it."

We changed, then went out of our respective changing rooms and faced the mirror._

"You look so damn hot." His eyes sweep from the slit of the black long dress, that shows my left thigh, to
my face. He intentionally skips my neckline that shows too much of my cleavage.

"You look so dashing." I smile at him, and he smiles back, acknowledging my complement._ We make
many poses, imitating the iconic James Bond pose. His fake gun is pointing at the mirror, while I'm
behind him.

We had so much fun trying too many costumes. We talked about a lot of things too - things that we never
discussed ever before. He asked about my dad, if I missed him and how I handle things whenever I'm sad.
He told me about his job in New York, that he never regretted resigning.
We decided to get cowboy/cowgirl outfits. Same costume for the rest of the gang. We were laughing,_
talking about some funny stuff, when I walked in front of a post and almost hit my face._ Grayson was
quick to grab my arm and pulled me against his chest._

For about ten seconds, he held me in his arms. I was shocked at first, but the feeling was replaced with
awareness of him. The feel of his body against mine, his heat that vibrated inside me, and his manly scent.
that stirred all my senses._

"Thank you."

His eyes roamed on my face, then said, "You're very beautiful"

Oh God. I was blushing, my face felt so hot. Before I could reply, a shadow came in front of us.

I turned around and shocked to see Archer.

15. Love of my life [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 15

Archer's POV

Fuck!

I was driving my Lamborghini so fast, not caring where I was going, until I noticed I reached the
countryside.

These past weeks have not been easy. It started seeing Roxanne again. The feelings of anger, frustration
and regret are back, and it keeps on building up until it suffocates me.

I hate this feeling of being restless and dysfunctional. It affected my well-being, I can't think straight
anymore.

And now, seeing her with Grayson made me explode. Dammit! Of all men that she could hook up with,
why does it have to be him?

My phone rings again. I look at it, it's Pipa, calling me for the thirty third time. Her text messages are
endless. She's asking where I am, being sweet and kind at first, then cursing me to the core for being so
cold to her lately, until she mentions Roxanne.

I shake my head, so fed up with her drama. I saw her confrontation with Roxanne in the CCTV footage
this morning, and my suspicion was right. She started it. I'm so disappointed in Pipa, she has never
changed. Still the same selfish narrow minded girl in high school.

I was looking for Roxanne, I wanted to apologize to her. I went to their house and found granny Mary.

"Archer? Is that really you?" Granny Mary greeted me warmly the moment she opened the door. her arms
extended for a hug.
I hugged her with one arm, and gave her a basket full of her favorites.

"Hi Gran, I brought you some crab cakes and berries from the farm. Hope you'll like them."

"What?"

Oh no. I noticed that her hearing is getting bad. I said it again, louder. Then she smiled and answered.

"Of course! That's so sweet of you, you remembered my favorites. I'm glad you came and visited us. I've
missed you."

Suddenly, I felt home. I missed her too.

I still have two grandmas. The one from my mother's side, Nana Gloria, is too aristocratic and cold. Her
only concern is money and her luxury bags collection. My dad's mother, gram Rita, is sweet, but she
plays favoritisms. Obviously I'm not her favorite. She thinks I'm too spoiled.

I have all the money in the world, my dad is a billionaire. But I lack love.

"So what brings you here?" Granny Mary asked, when I entered their house.

"Is Roxanne home?"

"Oh dear... Roxanne is not here. She went out looking for costumes," her eyes were teasing, then she asks
curiously, "are you two back together?"

I suddenly felt awkward, "No, I just want to talk to her."

She looked dismayed, but smiled a little, "I'm still hoping that you two will get back together."

I smiled and held her hand, "I don't know for now granny, but who knows, only the future will tell. I have
to go now and look for her."

"Try the costume shops nearby. I heard that it's open."

"Thanks granny."

"Do visit me again, okay?"

"Sure! I'll bring you more berries." I gave her a wink then I left.

I went to the only costume shop and there I found her clasped in the arms of my most hated person in the
world, my half brother, from my dad.
I turned, pretended that seeing them together did not affect me. I went back in my car and drove as fast as
I could.

Who she's hooking up with is none of my business. But for heaven's sake, not Grayson.

After reaching the countryside, I turned the car and headed home. I found my mom in the living room
having tea with Nana Gloria.

"You missed lunch," my mom, Margaret West, scolds me right away, "it's Sunday, we're supposed to
have lunch together."

"I was busy."

"Doing what?" she hissed, then continued in a very commanding voice, "Pipa called too many times,
asking where you were. She said she texted and called you, but you did not answer. Where the hell have
you been?"

"In the countryside. Getting some fresh air."

"Next time, answer her calls. You made her worry too much. What will her parents say? Her mother will
tell our socialite friends that I raised an ill-mannered and irresponsible son! You embarrassed us,
especially your father."

As if dad cares. He was so obsessed with getting rich before, and now, with politics, he wouldn't notice if
I'm not at home for a week. I only joined him in his campaigns, because they were the only times that I
could bond with him.

"Stop treating me like a child, mother! I'm a grown up man, for heaven's sake."

"You don't talk to your mother like that, Archer!" Nana Gloria butted in, eyeing me like a total stranger.
"You're also getting disrespectful. What is wrong with you?"

"I know what's wrong," mom glares at me angrily, "Pipa told me that Roxanne is working as a waitress at
Steamy Hottie Cafe. You also told her not to tell me about it."

I let out a frustrated groan, "because I know you're going to make me fire her. She needs a job. It's
pandemic."

"I don't care! Fire that bitch. I don't want her near you, Archer. I know she wants you back, and she
already succeeded by messing up your brain."

"Roxanne doesn't give a damn about me. She's done with me!" I let out a sarcastic chuckle, "and you're
right. You raised an ill-mannered and irresponsible son. Any decent man would not hurt the love of his
life, the way I did to her."

"She's not the love of your life. It's Pipa." Mom bursts out, "Don't start this nonsense again, Archer. We're
done with it. Either you get rid of that girl or I will."

I look straight in her eyes, angrily, "do that mother, and you will not see me again. Leave Roxanne alone.
You got what you wanted two years ago, I broke up with her."

I stormed out of the living room and I heard her yell.

"It better stay that way!"

16. Is it too late to say sorry? [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 16

Roxanne's POV

I just got home after being with Grayson, and went to the kitchen to drink water. A basket of cranberries,
cherries, blueberries and strawberries are lying on the kitchen table.

Oh no. I open the fridge and there I see crab cakes.

Anger overwhelms me as I confirmed that Archer was here and bringing the same stuff that he did before.
What the hell does he want?

"There you are. Have you seen Archer?" Granny's loud voice made me jump.

I turn and see her smiling face. "Yeah, but we never had the chance to talk. Did he say what he wanted?"

"No. Only that he needs to talk to you."

I got a glass of water, then drank it.

"Are you two going back together?" She asks, her eyes gleaming.

My goodness. This is what I'm afraid of, giving granny false hopes.

"No, granny, that's not possible. Archer has a girlfriend and they're madly in love. Even though he's my
boss now, we're not even talking. We still hate each other."

Her lips twisted, "I don't think he hates you now. He brought these berries, and some crab cakes."

"I don't know what he's up to." I heaved a sigh, " I'm sorry gran, I know you're a big fan of his, but I don't
like him coming here in the house, and bringing gifts. It's the same tactic he used to win me over,
remember?"

"Well... you're right. But he's really a nice guy, and very handsome too. I still wish that you will have a
heart to forgive him. Everyone deserves a second chance, my dear. Besides, he never cheated on you, and
he never lied. He was just too scared to defy his own mother."

"He's a coward and judgemental. He had no balls to defend me. Like his mother, he accused me of
something that I did not do. He always does that, believing others first, before getting the truth. He did it
again lately, accusing me of something that I did not do."

"Oh my... maybe that's the reason he came."

Granny was right. That evening, Archer arrived and brought a blueberry cheesecake, too tempting for
anyone to resist. We just had dinner, and granny and mom were too excited to eat the dessert.

Oh God, those two are traitors. They know I hate the guy, but they're easily bribed with food.

"What do you want?" I say to him, the moment we were alone in the back balcony, sitting side by side on
the wooden white bench.

I can smell his cologne, still the same old cologne that I used to love before, and now... I hate it.

I wait for him to speak, my eyes fix at the apple tree in front of the balcony. It looks healthy but it never
grows fruit. Something must be wrong with it.

Archer clears his throat, I can feel his nervousness. His hands clasp together, between his slightly parted
legs.

"I... I want to apologize," he pauses, "I saw the CCTV footage, and saw everything. I'm so sorry, Rox, I
shouldn't have defended Pipa and accused you of starting the fight. I-I was not being fair. I'm so sorry...
for being such a crass idiot. I should have dug the bottom first, and I shouldn't have accused you."

I heave a long sigh, then say coldly, "are you done? You can go now, if you are."

"I-" I can feel his eyes staring at me, "no. No, I'm not done. I... I'm going to break up with Pipa."

I turn to him angrily, and snap, "why are you telling me this? It's none of my business. I don't give a damn
about you, Archer. What you do with your life, I don't care! Just leave me alone. I don't like you coming
here, bringing food and getting too friendly with my family."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry about everything... my behaviour in the past, and now, for upsetting you. I'm a total
mess, Roxanne," his voice trembles, in a sinking tone, "since we broke up, I stopped living."

"If you're here to talk about the past, then you can go now. You shouldn't be here in the first place. People
will talk."

He pauses, and takes a minute before he starts talking again, "I shouldn't have listened to mom, and asked
for your explanation. You were my girlfriend, but I did not defend you. Instead, I judged you right away."

I hiss, then fold my arms together, "If you're asking for my explanation, then you're two years late. I won't
tell you the truth, it doesn't matter anymore. Believe what you want to believe, I don't care! The damage
has been done, and I won't make any effort to make myself clean. My conscience is clean, I can sleep well
every night, and I've done nothing wrong to anyone."

"I'm not asking for your explanation. I... " he says, obviously trying to choose the right words to say, "I
just want to let you know that I believe you."
"You believe me now?" I let out a sarcastic chuckle, "without knowing the whole truth?"

"I don't care about the truth, Roxanne. I don't care about what people say, and I don't give a damn about
anything anymore. My life is so fucked up. I shouldn't have broken up with you"

"Stop messing with my life, Archer. You had no balls to defend me from your family. You judged me like
I'm a total stranger, and discarded me easily like an old toy. You broke not just my heart, but also my
pride." I stand up, then walk to the door.

"Roxanne..." he stands up too and stops me.

"You must leave. I have work tomorrow. My boss is very strict when it comes to time. He doesn't tolerate
tardiness."

17. Strange feeling [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 17

Grayson's POV

"One million subscribers in just four months of consistent uploads. Damn... that's a big accomplishment
dude." Riggs says when we were alone in the basement.

We just finished our celebration, for the whole crew. We had a blast, waiting for the subscribers to grow
until it reached a million.

"Yeah. I still can't believe that we reached this far." I lay down on my bed, suddenly felt the exhaustion of
the many hours working late at night making videos. "Sponsorships keep on coming, from different
brands of clothes, shoes, personal and health products, and many more. I can't handle talking to these
people by myself anymore, I need to hire staff."

"We're growing, and money is coming in," his smile widens, "by the way, thanks for the cash, dude.
You've given me too much."

"That's nothing. You helped me a lot, my friend," I tap his shoulder, "I wouldn't make it alone. I owe this
success to you, to Chance, and to the rest of the crew."

"We believe in you, dude. You're hardworking, passionate and dedicated to your goal. We know you're
going to be a very successful and important person someday."

I chuckle, tapping his shoulder again, "thanks bro."

"So, does this mean that I'll be receiving a monthly salary now?"

"Of course. And a big bonus." I assure him.

"Oh yeah!"
That night, I was having a hard time sleeping. The euphoric feeling of accomplishment was there, but
what really bothered me, was what happened earlier during the celebration.

When the channel reached one million subs, we all cheered and hugged everyone. It was Roxanne's hug
that caught me off guard. I don't know if anyone noticed, but for some reason, we hugged too long.

It just felt so right, having her in my arms. I wanted for that moment to stop, that we would just continue
hugging each other.

Strange, but every time I see Roxanne, she makes me feel so alive.

__

The following week, I hired two staff. PJ, my manager, who will take care of sponsorships, endorsements,
paperworks, finances, taxes and so on. He will also talk to people on my behalf and organize events,
invitations, meetups, collaboration with other YouTubers, and so on. I also hired an editor, Grace Lee,
who will do the video editing, so I can focus on myself.

I also transferred to a new apartment, just two blocks away from our house. It is big, with three rooms.
One I use for my bedroom, the second as an office, and the third as a studio, where we will be shooting
more videos.

"Have you seen this comment?" PJ asks me after our meeting, while looking at his laptop, "it's hilarious.
This girl, Marites201 says, 'Gray has feelings for Roxanne, but is holding it back because of Julia.
Imagine how awkward it will be if he dates his sister's best friend, and later on, breaks up."

"Let me see..." Grace checks the comment, "hmm... and this comment alone has three hundred twenty two
replies. They're arguing about it already."

"Yeah, I read too much of it," I shrug my shoulders, "I'm getting used to it."

"This one is funnier," Grace laughs, "Chismixox says, 'Look at 9:43 in the video guys, Grayson is
checking Roxanne.'"

I look heavenward, shaking my head.

"Let's check," PJ gets excited, then chuckles, "yes, you did!"

"Nope. I was looking at someone behind her." I say after he shows me the video.

God knows how I tried to avoid Roxanne, especially being alone with her. I always put a distance
between us, at least two meters away if possible. I could feel this spark between us, and it keeps
intensifying every time we see each other.

"If you say so..." PJ is not convinced, "Roxanne is a very attractive woman. I'm just saying that, it's
normal for any guy to appreciate her beauty."

"Of course. She's very attractive, no doubt about that. But I'm not entertaining the idea of us together... I
mean, in a relationship."

"You mean you're ignoring your attraction to her," Grace interrupts, her eyes looking curious.

"Come on, we're good friends," I click my tongue, "stop shipping us too."

"So you're not affected by all this shipping from your audience, is that it?" PJ questions.

"No," I say firmly.

"Well, Roxanne says the same. She stops reading the comments also because of this shipping." Grace
twists her lips.

"Your audience wants the two of you to be together." PJ says, then closes his laptop. "They want it soooo
bad. That's the reason why the subscribers and views are increasing, to be honest."

"Roxanne is aware about that," I point out, "and she's been supportive all along. We don't have to pretend
that we have something going behind the camera. What the viewers see, is what they get."

"But that's not what many YouTubers are doing," PJ stands up, crossing his arms together as he expresses
his opinion, "they give what the viewers wanna see. It's like creating a story and acting on it. YouTube is
business, and we're here for the business side. Be honest, Gray, you're on this platform because you want
to be successful and earn a lot of money."

"Yeah... but..."

"Just go with the flow," he suggests, "don't hold back, just do it to make your YouTube channel very
successful."

I frown, not liking the idea, "are you suggesting that I'll fake a relationship with Roxanne?"

PJ raises his eyebrows, "Who said about faking it? Why not go into a relationship with her? It will grow
your channel so big. You'll be so huge Gray, you'll earn millions of money every month."

"Seriously?" I chuckle, shaking my head, "I don't give a damn, I won't fool my viewers."

"You won't. You'll be giving them what they want. It will make them so happy," PJ insists, and talk about
using strategies to get more sponsorships, endorsements, brand deals and contracts. "Who knows? Having
your own reality TV could be possible. So..."

"That's the worst suggestion that I've ever heard, PJ. So stop it."

___

"Where's Roxanne?" I ask Julia, when it's already a quarter past ten. Roxanne is always on time, it's the
first time that she's late in our video shoot.
"I don't know. I talked to her this morning, and she said she's coming."

"Will you call her?"

Another fifteen minutes passed and Roxanne still hadn't arrived. I notice that I'm the only one who is
worried. Julia, who is her best friend, is talking to Grace and PJ, and drinking beer.

I call Roxanne, but her phone is dead. I text her but no response. I immediately became worried sick.

"Do you have her mom's number?" I ask Julia, and she just gives me a confused expression.

"What?"

"Roxanne's mom. Do you have her number?" I asked her again.

"Um... yeah. But you can't call her, she's in California. She doesn't want to be disturbed when she's at
work. Her celebrity employer gets pissed easily."

"Okay fine," I raise my hand, giving up, "I'll go find Roxanne," I turn to Riggs, "you can start filming
Julia now before she gets drunk."

I grab my car key and run outside. Just in time, I see Roxanne, about a hundred feet away, half running
towards me. She smiles when she sees me.

"Sorry. Mom's car broke down, so I had to push it back to the house," she's panting and breathing hard.

"You should have called. I could have helped you."

She laughs, between panting, "It's no biggie, I don't bother anyone with things I can handle myself."

I know she's far from being a 'damsel in distress', but it would have been great if I could have helped her.

She reaches me and we walk together towards the house. Subconsciously, I put my arm around her
shoulders and drew her close to me. It's like an instinct._

Friends do this all the time, right? It's pretty normal._

I feel her resistance for a minute, then immediately relax. When I pull her closer. She responds by putting
an arm around my waist. That makes me happy. Really happy.

It's a natural thing to do, I told myself, for two people who are good friends. Who grew up like... no, not
siblings. I never saw her as a younger sister, ever. But my sister's friend... a younger friend.

"Is everyone now in the house?"

"Yeah. We were just waiting for you so we can start." I rub her arm briefly, giving her an assurance that
her being late is acceptable.

"I could not call or text anyone, my phone is dead. Something's wrong with the battery, it keeps on
turning off."

"So that explains why I could not reach you. Don't worry, I'll get you a new one tomorrow."

"Wow. Thanks boss!" She gives me a salute, then laughs happily.

"You made me worry."

"Really? Why?"

I shrug my shoulders, "I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Because I'm your precious asset right now? You're worried what will happen to the many brand deals we
have?"

"Exactly," I chuckle, "let's put it this way. I don't want a tiny scratch on your billion dollar face, or any
parts of your body. It will ruin the business."

"You're so bad, Gray." She pushes me, but I draw her back into my arms, hugging her this time.

"I was just kidding."

"Of course," she leans on me, as we continue to stare at each other's eyes._

Again, it feels like a natural thing to do. It feels right... really right. Warm feeling of joy overwhelms me,
like Christmas. Holding her, breathing the same air with her... makes me feel so alive.

That moment, everything was great, until the main door of my apartment opened.

A young woman sees us, her mouth drops wide open.

Guilt immediately creeps in. Like two opposite poles of magnets, Roxanne and I pulled apart.

18. Guilty [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 18

Roxanne's POV

What's wrong with him?

Gone was the sweet Grayson who greeted earlier. Since his video editor, Grace Lee, saw us outside the
house, he has been avoiding me like I'm infected with the virus. The 'at least two meter distance' is back.
Whenever I go near him, he moves away faster than 'The Flash.'

It frustrates me. He's like a light switch that turns on and off.

The video shoot is done after three hours, and everyone gathers inside the studio room to watch the rough
video edits of Grace.

"I'll prepare the food. I know you guys are starving already," I say to the crew.

"I'm craving for fries. Can you load some in the air fryer," Julia asks, making a puppy eyes, "and don't
forget our favorite dip."

"Yeah... yeah. Catsup, mayo and mustard." I stand up to go to the kitchen.

"Thanks Rox, you're the sweetest ever." Julia says, then turns her attention back to the video.

In the kitchen, I make Julia's request, making some fries, then heat the leftover slices of pizza in the oven.
There are packed foods that PJ ordered earlier, placed in the kitchen counter - Korean Fried Chicken,
Burger King burgers and carbonara.

"Need help?"

My heart skips a beat when I hear Grayson's voice behind me. Okay, here we go again, the thump thump
in my heart. I take a deep breath then turn to him, trying to put a neutral expression on my face.

"Sure. Can you set the table?"

Instead of doing what I said, he comes closer and watches me transfer the Korean Fried Chicken on a
platter. Oh no. I'm afraid he can hear the pounding of my heart. It's so loud, it's deafening my ears.

My hands tremble, a big chunk of chicken escapes and lands on the kitchen counter.

"Oops! My luck," he chuckles and takes the chicken.

I smile and watch him take a bite.

"This is really good. Not so sweet, a bit sour and so tasty. Here, have a bite."

Without warning, he pulled me closer to him, and put a steady hand on my shoulder.

"No, I don't want it." I say, pushing him away.

"Come on, Rox. Just a little bite."

"It already dropped on the table. It's not clean."

"I clean this everyday, it's as clean as my face." He laughs, teasing me, making all my insides swirl.

"Not your face, but your feet." I laugh aloud, putting a distance between us.

He put the chicken down, licking his fingers briefly.

"You're so bad," he says, and I'm caught off guard when he pulls me in his arms in a back hug and tickles
my sides.

"Oh no... stop it," I laugh, as I try to wiggle away from him, but he's so strong, "And your mouth, they're
so fucking filthy as your feet now."

"Fucking filthy, huh?"

Before I know what's going to happen, he grabs my jaw and turns it towards him. My eyes grow big as
his mouth covers mine. An open kiss, so hot and earth moving. His lips feel strong and sure, just like him.
I close my eyes as his hand transfers to my neck.

Oh God, is this really happening?

His tongue explores the inside of my mouth, thrusting, tasting, eating me. Yeah, I can taste the chicken,
he's right, not too sweet, a bit sour and so tasty.

"Now, your mouth is filthy," he laughs and lets me go instantly, back to two meters away.

I stared at him, so dazed at what happened. It just occurs to me that he heard someone is coming. The
stomping of feet is loud, walking towards the kitchen.

"Did you make my fries?" Julia asks, looking at me.

Guilt overwhelms me as I stare back at Julia. "Yeah, yeah..." I check the air fryer, "It's almost done."

Grayson is setting the table, his back is turned towards us. I don't know what he's thinking at that moment,
I wish I could read his mind. Is he as affected as I am? What is he playing at? Kissing me, then keeping a
distance between us.

And Julia. I should keep in mind my promise to her. Her brother is off limits. She will hate me once she
finds out about the kiss.

Oh my God. That kiss should never happen again. I should make a stop before this spark between me and
Grayson turns to flame.

19. Boy with Luv [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 19
Grayson's POV

The crew left in my house except for PJ, Julia and Chance. We are discussing our future contents and PJ
gives his suggestions.

"24-Hour Couple Challenge? A Date with my Sister's BFF? Chapsticks Challenge... What the hell?"
Julia's eyebrows snap together as she reads PJ's list of contents that we would be making in the coming
days. "You can't let Rox and Grayson do these things."

"Why not? Everybody's requesting it. We have to give what the viewers want." PJ, my manager,
contradicts Julia. "We're here for the money, dear. Getting Rox and Gray together will bring millions of
views."

"You're encouraging the viewers. This shipping should stop because there's nothing in it. They both grew
up like siblings. Basically, Rox is like a sister to us." Julia argues, then her attention focuses on me, "you
can't allow this Gray, it's like fooling the viewers. Rox finds this shipping so awkward already, and these
challenges... It's just so weird. We can create so much content, not just these."

"I'm the manager here," PJ interrupts, "I know what works and what's not. I've been in this business for
five years, girl. So don't tell me what to do. Your brother hires me, and I'm here to help him out and make
a big name of himself."

"Yeah, he hires you, so you do what he says!" Julia shouts, her expression turns to scalding fury.

"Right, what he says, NOT what you say!" PJ's hands are on his waist, glaring at Julia. "You're so
possessive, you think you own your best friend. Let Rox decide for her own, she doesn't need you
mingling her business."

"You have no right to talk to me like this. You asshole, you're fired!"

"You can't fire me, you're not my boss!" PJ shouts at her.

"Enough, you two. You're both giving me a headache," I almost shouted at them, I turned to PJ, "let's put
aside your suggestions at the moment and focus on group challenges like 'Can't Say No Challenge, or Last
One To Leave the Pool Wins."

"Okay, if you say so." PJ looks really disappointed, the tone of his voice shrinking, "I thought we're doing
this for the money."

"We are, but I don't want any conflict. We're all a team so we should compromise with each other." I say
to him, then continue, "let's call this a night. We're all tired."

"Yeah. It's hard to think straight when we're exhausted." Chance butt in.

"You two should talk and make up before this night is over," my eyes shift from Julia to PJ, "is that
clear?"

"Yes, boss," PJ glances at Julia, and Julia does the same to him, but only shrugs her shoulders.
PJ was right when he said that Julia is possessive of Roxanne. Not only that, she's also very protective of
her. I understand that she loves Rox more than anyone in this world, and that made things difficult for me
to get into Roxanne.

Julia will be so freaking mad once she knows about that kiss. My God, what the hell is wrong with me, I
can't seem to stop thinking of Roxanne. Every morning, I wake up so early, excited to work. I love
working on the contents, feeling so motivated because I see her pretty face as I edit the videos.

When everyone was gone, I decided to see Roxanne. I drive to their house, but feeling disappointed when
I see a red Lamborghini parked outside.

What the hell is Archer doing at Roxanne's house? Is he pursuing her again?

Dammit. I suddenly got jealous and angry. I remember, I heard Julia talking to Brooke that Archer broke
up with his girlfriend. Is that because he wants to get back to Roxanne?

Fucking shit. I turn the car around and headed back home.

The following day, an unexpected visitor came to my house.

"What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you." My father, the City Mayor, Oliver West, is standing at my doorstep.

"Aren't you afraid that people might see you? That won't be good for your image."

"I don't give a damn anymore on what people think." He says as he let himself in. He settled on the couch
without my invitation. "I shouldn't have kept you a secret."

"Ha! Too long for you to realize, huh?" I let out a sarcastic laugh. He's my father, but I hate him for being
so damn vain and insensitive.

I settled in the padded chair across from him. Waiting for him to talk and get done with his business.

"Your mom and I decided that it was for your own good. The paparazzi would be all around you if they
found out that you're my son. You won't live a normal life."

I did not live a normal life. I got bullied and degraded. Much worse, it was done by his other son.

"I'm sure there are paparazzis who follow you. They will wonder why you're here."

He waves his hand, "I told you I don't care anymore. Let them find out the truth. I was wrong to keep you
a secret and I want to rectify that mistake."

"If this is all about your political campaign, then I'm out. I'm happy being out of your shadow."

"You really think the worst of me."

I chuckle, "I'm not proud of you. The fact that you did not acknowledge me, lowered my self-esteem
growing up. Damn, I remember that day, still so vivid in my mind. The rain was pouring so hard, and I
was there outside your massive gates, waiting for you to come out. But your guards just sent me away.
But now, I'm okay. I realized that I don't need you at all. You've never been a father to me. You're a total
stranger."

He sighs, and suddenly looks tired and older, "I can't blame you for hating me. I'm a terrible father. I
deprived you of your rights as my son. I was blinded with greed and my political ambition. I realized that
now. And that's why I'm here, to ask for your forgiveness. I want to make up to you, Grayson. Please give
me a chance to prove to you that I regretted what I did."

"Wow. I can't believe that the great Oliver West comes here, begging for forgiveness. Do you know how
many times I envisioned this to happen when I was a kid? Too damn much," I chuckle nastily, "What
made you change your mind? I wonder... are you dying?"

"I hope you don't wish for that, but I'm not dying. I just want to correct my past mistakes. I'm not getting
younger anymore, and all the years of this fame and fortune, did not really make me happy." The tone of
his voice shrinking as he continues, "I shouldn't have left your mom when she was pregnant with you.
Instead, I married Margaret. Just like me, Margaret loved power, fame and fortune. But we were never
happy. Everything is a show. When I realized my mistake, it was too late. She blackmails me to ruin you
and your mother if I divorce her."

"You don't have to tell me, it's none of my business."

"It is your business, because you're my son. You're my heir."

"No thanks. I don't need your money. I survived when I was a kid, much more now that I'm older."

"Of course you can. You're just like me, hardworking and perseveres. You won't stop until you achieve
your goal. I've been monitoring your progress, and I can say you're doing good on YouTube now. I'm sure
you'll make a lot of money from it someday."

"You don't have to flatter me. I don't need your compliments."

"I understand. I'm the last person you want to hear complimenting you. But I want you to know that I'm
so proud of you. You grow up to be a better person."

"What is all this nonsense about? I'm sure you're very busy running the whole city, you don't have time
for this drama. What do you want?"

"I'm... I'm seeing your mother."

20. I Need U Girl [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 20

Roxanne's POV

"What do you want?" I ask Archer, the moment I open our front door.
"I need to talk to you."

"If this is about my job, we can talk tomorrow at work. If it's personal, nah.. we don't have anything to say
to each other."

He looks at me with miserable eyes, his voice breaks when he says, "Please, give me ten minutes. I
promise, I won't take much of your time."

I eye him suspiciously, but he assures me that what he's going to say is very important.

I opened the door wider and let him in. We went to the back balcony, and sat side by side on the wooden
bench.

"I had a talk with Mrs. Ardolf this afternoon."

"So?" I put my arms together, feeling bored already. Mrs. Shannon Ardolf is a well known socialite in
Baltimore.

"She told me the truth about Trevor."

My heart jumps at the mention of Trevor. Shannon Ardolf's son.

It had been two and a half years since Trevor died. He took his own life because of extreme sadness. He
stated in his letter that he was heartbroken, because the love of his life could not love him back, and is in
love with another man.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Ardolf assumed that it was me that Trevor fell in love with, because we hung out
often before he died. The truth, we were just good friends. Our friendship started when we became
partners in our social studies assignment. The assignment encouraged openness with each other. Trevor
opened up to me his dilemma of being gay, the man he's so obsessed with, and his fear of not being
accepted by his parents.

I stay silent, waiting for Archer to tell me what he discovered.

"He's gay," he continues, "Mrs. Ardolf found pictures of naked men in his closet's secret compartment."

Finally, the truth was revealed, and did not come from my mouth.

"Dammit Roxanne, aren't you going to say anything?"

I let out a long sigh, "what's the use, the damage has been done."

"You should have told me the truth?"

"Would you believe me if I did? You judged me right away without even listening to my explanation.
You chose to believe your mom and Mrs. Ardolf... and thought the worst of me. I was expecting you to
defend me, because I thought you knew me better, but you accused me of leading Trevor on."

"I'm so sorry, I was blinded with jealousy. I said things I did not mean to say."

"You called me many names that I could not take. Fucking bitch, flirt, and a cheater. That really hurt,
coming from the man I loved."

"Oh God, I'm so sorry Roxanne..." he walks towards me, then kneels on the floor in front of me. His
hands clasp mine, as he begs for forgiveness, "please forgive me Rox, I did not know, I thought you
betrayed me. I was such an idiot for not trusting you."

I stand up, leaving him kneeling on the floor. I walk to the door, opening it for him to leave.

"Please go now. There's no use talking about it anymore, it just opens up wounds. It's hard to forgive you
now, maybe in the future when all of us are healed."

"I hope it won't take long," he stands up and moves closer to me, "I still love you, Roxanne. I never
stopped loving you, even for a second. I'll be honest with you, I want you back and I'll do anything to
make up for you."

"Stop this nonsense, Archer. We can never go back to where we were before. My love for you is shattered
into a million pieces."

"Then I will pick each broken piece and place it back together," he says with certainty, then leaves.

That night, I found it hard to sleep. There are too many things in my brain. Flashes in the past about
Trevor, Mrs. Ardolf, yelling at me, degrading words from Archer's mother, and Archer himself, calling
me a fucking bitch. I drink a glass of milk, I count sheep, I watch shark documentaries, but it doesn't
work.

I avoided thinking of Grayson and our kiss, but decided to give in. The giddy feeling is back making my
stomach swirl and my head spin. I imagined myself making love with Grayson, kissing him... touching
him.. hugging him... until finally, I fell into deep sleep.

21. Save Me [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 21
Archer's POV
I arrive home and join my mom for dinner. The table is beautifully set as always, with the dishes properly
cooked and presented like the ones in a five star hotel. Of course, we have one of the best chef in the
world, an Italian guy, Gustavo.

It is always me and my mom having dinner, sometimes with Nana Gloria, mom's mother. Our family
looks perfect in the public, but in the privacy of our home, dad is always absent. I'm used to it. But at
least, he's always present in my birthdays, because mom makes sure to make it a big event in Baltimore,
invites all politician, socialites, businessmen, and dad's constituents, so dad won't have s choice but to
attend.

"What are those big boxes outside?" I ask mom, who is very silent that evening. She usually talks a lot
during dinner, telling me about her day with her friends, latest gossips and rumors, celebrities she hangs
out with, shopping, new trend in clothes and bags, and other things that I find very shallow. She is just
like Pipa.
"I bought the whole items in Dior, main street."

That took me by surprise. That must cost a fortune. "Why?"

She takes a small sip of her wine, then says, "I'm so upset with Oliver. It's the only thing that can relieved
my anxiety."

"What the hell mom, just because you're upset with dad? You shopped for revenge? My God! You've
been spending too much money lately shopping on luxurious items. You won't even use them, you just
display them in your wardrobe for your friends to see when they visit. And this, buying a whole store is
going beyond our normal limit."

She shrugs his shoulders, "it will hurt your dad's bank account not mine," she wipes the side of her lips
gently, with finesse.

"Aren't you concern at all that you're rubbing him of his money? He's your husband, a family to us."

"In name only," She laughs, a sarcastic one, "don't talk about him like he's perfect, he is not! That asshole
spends more time in the streets than with his family. He would rather die for his country in patriotism
than spending time with us."

"That's what he is. Helping people makes him happy, and I learn to accept him for what he is. That's his
advocation in life, serving the masses and making sure that the city is in peace and order. And you
benefited a lot being the wife of a mayor."

"Yeah... yeah. Attending socialite parties, hanging out with rich and famous people, traveling to other
states, being on TV and in the papers... and living like a celebrity." She put down the flute glass, "but now
that I'm older, I'm tried of all that, Archer. I need a husband. A real husband who will be with me always,
to love and take care for me. He can't be like that to me, because he can't love me back."

Sadly, it was true. It sucks knowing that.

"He still loves her. All this time, it's always been her," mom added.

Now, we were back into the same topic again. The one I dreaded most. Dad's love story with Megan
King.

My anger escalates immediately. I feel sorry for mom. I hate Megan King and his son, Grayson. These
two are the main reason why we can't have a perfect happy_ and loving family. Dad is hang up with them.

I hate Grayson the most. I grew up hearing dad talking about him all the time. He's so proud of him and
his accomplishments. He thinks the world of him and sometimes, he subconsciously call me Grayson.

"He filed a divorce again." Mom's eyes well will tears.

"Dammit!" I groan in frustration. My chest grow tight, hearing the news. This is the second time, from
what I know.
She takes a big gulp of her wine, then says, "Don't worry. I'm tired of competing with her, so I'm letting
him go."

"Don't sign it mom," I said firmly.

"I already did. I should have done it a long time ago. I told myself that I'm punishing him for depriving
him of his freedom, but the truth is, I suffer too. I spent half of my lifetime being with a man who can't
fulfill me as a woman. I feel worthless, unloved and unwanted. I should not focus on himself, but learn to
love myself first."

"You can't do that. What about our family? What about me?"

"You're twenty five, Archer, you're not a kid anymore. You can even start your own family." She heaves
a sigh, toying with her fork, "I want to be happy too. At least, when I reach sixty, I can say that I lived a
fulfilled life."

"So you think having a divorce is a solution? You both need couple counseling, to settle your marriage
issues."

"We did it many times, but doesn't work. We clash all the time. It's the reason we have separate bedrooms
because we can't stand being in the same room for ten minutes."

"I won't allow it. You're letting Megan and Grayson win. I'll be the laughing stock of my friends."

"What are you really scared of, Archer. That they will find out the truth?"

The truth. The whole damn truth. I hate Grayson too much, I wanted him to die. Not just because of my
father's affection, but way beyond that.

He's the real biological son of Oliver West, while I'm the chauffeur's son.

22. Spring Day [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 22

Grayson's POV

"The man dumped you when you were pregnant, and now you accept him with open arms?"

I bursted at mom, the moment she opened the door of our house.

"How did you know?"

"He came to see me in my apartment," I look at her with disappointment, my eyes are glaring, "have you
got no pride at all?"

I walk to the kitchen to get a glass of water, and she follows.

"I know you'll get mad, I'm expecting this. But I love him so much. I want to be with him, until we grow
old."

"Seriously, mom!" I slam the glass on the kitchen counter.

"No matter how hurtful he did by leaving us before, I forgive him. He's a changed man now, and his
intention for me... for our family, is genuine."

"My ass. I will never accept him as my father."

"Don't put all the blame on him. I was wrong too, Grayson. I deprived him of you. Everything that he sent
for you, I returned to him, especially the financial support. I cut him out of our lives. Too many times he
begged to spend time with you, but I denied him. It was my decision to hide your relationship to him from
the public. I don't want to drag your name in any political issues and make our lives complicated."

"How can you do this mom? You hated him before, and now you're defending him, explaining his
wrongdoings."

"I'm just telling the truth. I was young when I was pregnant with you. Your grandpa was so upset, he
drove Oliver away by using threats and blackmail. You know your Grandpa, he hated the West, because
of a long time family conflict. So, Oliver was forbidden to visit or contact me. When you were born, Dad
didn't want Oliver to have a role in your life."

"If you're trying to convince me that he's a good man, sorry, my opinion of him will never change."

"Well, then I can't force you. I'm not asking for your permission either. Oliver already filed a divorce, and
we're planning to get married when everything is settled. I'm not getting younger, I deserve to be happy.
For many years, I've been taking care of the three of you. It's time that someone should take care of me."

"What the hell mom, if that's your concern, then don't worry. The three of us will take care of you. We'll
take turns in changing your diapers when you're old, and get you a hi tech wheelchair."

"Stop making a joke. That is not funny. All I want is for you to understand me and my needs."

"Do Julia and Brooke know about this?"

"Yeah." She nods, looking guilty.

"Dammit. I'm the last person to know again," I exhale heavily, "If you marry him, make sure you won't
make the same mistake when you wed Jax."

Jax. Julia and Brooke's father. A lazy irresponsible husband and father, who often stayed on the couch
drinking beer while watching football.

"Just trust me, Gray. Jax is a certified asshole, I knew it from the start but refused to acknowledge the
truth. This time, I know what I'm doing. If ever I make a mistake again, so be it. At least, I can say that I
tried. I won't live a day full of regrets."
I nod and open my arms to hug her. We hug each other briefly.

"I love you mom, and I only want the best for you. If he can make you happy, then there's nothing I can
do about it. I can't stop you, you're a hard-headed mom, you'll do whatever you want."

"Exactly," mom's lips widen in a happy smile.

"That man will regret it if he makes you cry, I'll make sure of that."

"You're really scary when you're angry." She pokes my chest, "and that man is your father. You must
learn to accept him, because soon, we'll be a family."

Roxanne's POV

There he goes again, keeping at least two meters away from me. I can't understand him, he's acting like
that kiss never happened. It has been a week since we kissed and it still keeps me awake at nights. That
kiss is something. Hot, sweet and addictive. It's not just an ordinary kiss that I can forget easily. I can feel
his passion, his need, like a thirst needed to be quenched.

Now, we're on the beach, shooting a video. The whole crew was vaccinated with Covid, so we're
confident to go outside.

Grayson is talking to a sexy big ass waitress, probably flirting with her. If he's trying to make me jealous,
then he succeeded. Hmm... I should ignore him, and bear in mind that he's off-limits. This thick head of
mine often forgets my promise to Julia.

"Come on, let's join them." I said to Julia, pointing a finger at the two gorgeous men playing volleyball.

"Sure! Let's get rid of our clothes and flaunt our gym body."

"Of course," I laugh, and together we take off our clothes, leaving our bikinis on. Mine is a skimpy black
bikini, while Julia is a hot pink.

Julia approaches the guys first, "Hi, we're so bored. Can we join your game?"

"I know you, you're Julia," the curly red haired guy smiles, then he turns to me, "and you're Roxanne. I
watch you both on YouTube."

The other guy extends his hand to me for a handshake, "I'm Shane, and this is Andy. Come on, join us."

We just start playing volleyball when Grayson interrupts us.

"Come on girls, that's enough. We're here to shoot a video." His smile doesn't reach his eyes, and I know
that he's pretty annoyed.
"You're a spoilsport. Just give us ten minutes. Do your thing, set the camera up." Julia says then ignores
him.

But I can feel his eyes bore mine. He's jealous of the guy playing with me. Who wouldn't? He's really
cute and gorgeous, a look-alike of Tom Holland.

Later, we shoot the video, and Grayson is so grumpy. He complains about everything, and I believe he
punishes me and Julia, by making us run on the beach.

"It's for the video. We're doing something like a Baywatch intro." He reasons out.

"What a scumbag. Why does it have to be me and Roxanne only? What about Riggs and Chance? They're
just drinking Pina Coladas."

"You complain too much," PJ butts in, "you and Roxanne are the main stars in this content. Besides, you
both are getting the endorsements."

"Shut up, PJ. I'm not talking to you." Julia glares at PJ.

"I'm tired, I think I'm going to pass out from the heat. Can I go to the villa?" I ask Grayson, and he allows
me to leave.

"I'll go and hang out with Andy," Julia smiles flirtatiously.

The villa that Grayson rented for the crew has four bedrooms. We will be staying overnight. It's his treat
for us, for all the hard work we did for his channel.

I arrive in the villa, and immediately have a long shower. I take my time, singing my favorite BTS song,
Spring Day, in the shower and trying the free scented bath products. I'm glad my headache is gone. It
must be from the heat of the sun.

After I'm done, I go to a room where we put all our bags. The bedrooms are not assigned yet, so we put
all our belongings in the master's bedroom.

I remove my robe, I'm completely naked, when suddenly the bedroom door opens. I stand frozen as the
man standing in front of me looks as shocked as I am.

It takes me about five seconds before I realize what is happening.

"What the hell! Why didn't you knock?" I yell at him, as I grab my robe and cover myself.

"Why didn't you lock the door?" His smile is wicked, and teasing.

"Are you laughing at me?" My face burns with embarrassment as I look at him with anger. "I hate you."

"For seeing you naked?" He chuckles, "don't worry, I've seen it before. You sent me a nude photo of you,
remember."

That stops me. Oh my God... now he's talking about it.

"For your information, that was a mistake. I accidentally sent it to you."

His eyebrows raise, then he smirks, "Come on, I know you always have a huge crush on me. You sent it
to me intentionally."

My eyes grew big instantly, ""Excuse me? I never had a crush on you!"

"Don't deny it," he laughs aloud, "I caught you staring at me, too many times."

"Seriously? You caught me, huh? Whoa man, what a super ego you have in there."

"Just admit it, Rox. You always imagine us getting together. You fantasize of us getting married, and live
happily ever after. So, you sent that picture before I left university to remind me that you're the hottest
chick in Baltimore."

"Wow! What an imagination. Fuck you, Grayson. You're the one who has a great crush on me. You think
I did not notice you checking on me?"

"Checking on you? I never check on you."

"I have proof. In the videos. You always check on me. Even the viewers noticed that."

"I was looking at someone behind you. It's my job to check on everything."

"Damn you, and what about that kiss? Why did you kiss me, like... like... you wanted me so badly. Like
you've been dying to kiss me. Don't tell me that was nothing."

"That was nothing."

I stand in front of him, and glare at him. "Nothing?"

"Absolutely NOTHING."

I heave a sigh, then says, "Okay, so we established already that there's nothing between us. Forget about
that photo I sent you, I swear, it was not meant for you. And forget that you saw me naked today. Erase
that in your mind, and let's not talk about it."

"Okay. That's great," he eyes me with an amused expression.

"Cool," I reply, then turn my back against him. "Can I have my privacy now? I need to change."

"I'm not leaving."

I face him again, one of my eyebrows raise questioningly.

"You're mad at me," he says.

"I'm not. Can you leave now? You're so annoying."

He chuckles, then comes near me, "see? You're mad."

"Why should I get mad? Stop playing mind games with me Grayson, that's not cute at all."

He pulls me towards him, his hands holding my elbows. "I was teasing you."

"That was not funny at all. You accused me of having a crush on you, and fantasizing about you..."

He laughs aloud, "not even a little?"

I shake my head.

"Now, I'm hurt," he touches his heart like he's in pain. "You're right, I always have a crush on you. It
probably started the first time I saw you."

Everything inside me tingles. My stomach swirls and my mind spins.

"And that kiss is nothing?"

He shakes his head slowly, "nope. That was everything."

Author's Note:

Hey guys,

I want to let you know that this story will end very soon, and a new Billionaire story coming up, same
vibe with The Girl He Never Noticed.

Another thing, this is very important. If you want to read Touching The Forbidden again, do it now. If
you haven't read it yet, then do it now. The chapters are already edited, so you can't find any loopholes or
many errors anymore. Tell your friends about it, I'm sure they'll thank you later.
So, that's it for now. Thank you for reading my stories, I hope you enjoy them. Please leave your
comments, I enjoy reading them so much.

I love you all, take care everyone.

Lovelots,

Neilani

23. Dynamite [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 23

Roxanne's POV

"Hey, what are you two doing here? The fun is just starting."

I jump when I hear Julia's voice. She appears without Grayson and I notice her presence.

"I'm taking my bag to the smallest room. I need to change, in PRIVATE." I say, emphasizing the last
word.

Grayson smirks, glancing at me.

"I thought this is our room," Julia frowns, then turns to her brother, hands on her hips, "Come on, Gray,
we need this master's bedroom. We bought too many bags for the photo shoot. My five luggages won't fit
in the other rooms."

Julia and I are inseparable, Grayson knows that.

"Okay, you two can have this," he answers without an argument, "but make sure you won't break a thing."
He takes his bag and camera then leaves the room without glancing at me.

When he leaves, Julia can't stop talking about the two guys we met earlier.

"Andy is mine," she says, claiming the guy shamelessly, "have you seen his arms? My goodness, so
gorgeous! He has the most kissable lips ever, I can't wait to bite it!" She laughs so hard that it echoes in
the room.

"You can have him and the other one. I'm not in for a competition. It's still pandemic, we have to stay in
our bubble."

"That's fine, we're fully vaccinated."

"But we still have to be careful."

"Ok, ok MOM," she says, mocking me. "Anyways, I find it weird seeing you and Grayson alone in the
room. The way he's looking at you, I don't like it. Is there something going on that I don't know?"

I scoff, frowning at her, "you have a weird imagination."

"I'm just saying, because people are shipping you together. I hate that PJ is encouraging the viewers."

"You always hate PJ's guts. Don't mind him, he's just doing his job."

My phone rings, it's Archer.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" Julia asks after the third ring.

"It's Archer. He's been calling me since this morning, wanting to see me. I told him I'm out of town. He
wants to know where I am."

"Still not giving up on you, huh?"

"I already said no, but he won't take it. He said, ''he'll wait forever." I heaved a long sigh, "I just don't like
that he often comes to our house even if I'm not home, giving a basket of fruits, crab cakes and anything
to Granny. He's making her believe that we're getting back together."

"That dumbass scumbag," her lips twist angrily,"that's a trap. Soon, you won't have a choice but go back
to him."

"That will never happen," I say with conviction.

"I really hope so. I hate that guy. He discarded you like a rotten peach, and now he's begging on his
knees, offering you the world. And that ex-girlfriend of his, is so annoying. If I see her, I'm going to pull
her hair and throw her to the mud. What she did to you is unforgivable."

Pipa spread rumors about me on social media that I stole her boyfriend. She did a live video on her
Instagram, defaming me. She was vicious, wicked, and cursed me to the core. Too bad for her, her
followers unfollowed her. She showed her true color, and people did not like it.

The other day, she went to the coffee shop and attacked me. I was caught off guard. I was cleaning a table
when suddenly she pulled my hair from behind. It was so painful, I felt like my hair would be pulled out
from its roots. Thanks to Jimmy and Tay, who rescued me. The guard called a Police Officer and took her
away. A restraining order was issued to her, keeping her away from me at ten foot pole.

The phone stops, then rings again.

"If you won't answer that, I will," Julia warns me. "I'm going to put him in his place, tell him that he's a
piece of shit. He should suck his own dick and leave you alone. I don't give a damn that he's the mayor's
son."

Before Julia gets my phone, I answer it.

"What do you want?"

"Thanks God," Archer groans, "I need to talk to you."

"I told you I'm out of town. Can we just talk on Monday at work?"

"It's not about work... It's personal. I'll go crazy if I won't see you now."

"Archer please. Can you just stop, and leave me alone. You can't bring back the past anymore. I don't feel
the same way. I already moved on, you should too."

"Just give it a chance, we can still make it work."

"I don't love you anymore. Why is it hard for you to accept that."

"Why? Do you have someone else now? Is it Grayson? Are you falling for him?" He snarls, "That
bastard! He's a thorn in my life. It's always him. From my dad's affection, and now yours?!"

"Leave Grayson alone," I corrected him, "he's nothing to do with my decision."

"Are you sure? From the way I see it, he's into you. I heard about that shipping from your fans. He
wouldn't have allowed it if he didn't have any intention on you."

"Stop it, Archer. It's none of you business."

"Whatever that concerns you, is my business."

"You're pathetic! You're scaring me now. That possessiveness of yours is not necessary. There's nothing
between us. So stop before I'll report you."

I hung up the phone and glared at Julia.

"What?" She asks.

"I shouldn't have answered that. It messes up the situation more."

"I'm sorry, Rox."

"It's okay." I exhale heavily, "I'll just get dressed so we can join the gang."

Grayson's POV

What the hell did I do? I just admitted that I have had a crush on her ever since we met. And her
reaction... BLANK. NOTHING.

Shit! What is wrong with me?

During dinner, Roxanne is very quiet. While Julia is so loud, and so drunk. She talks nonsense and picks a
fight with PJ. These two won't ever get along.

At midnight, I carry Julia to bed, while Roxanne tags along, carrying Julia's slippers and phone.

"That vodka knocks her out." She says, before I leave the room.

"It sure did."

"I warned her to eat first. I kept telling her, but she didn't touch much of her food." She tries to explain, in
a very concerned voice.

"Of course you did, I heard you. You're always a good friend to her, Rox." I put a hand on her shoulder,
patting it lightly, like an old pal.

"Thanks, Gray. The place is awesome, and the gang are crazy. I had a blast." She leans her back against
the door jam, then give me an enticing smile.

I transfer my hand above her head. My eyes are holding hers. I don't know who started it first, our faces
getting closer, until we kissed._ The spark between us became an explosive fireworks.

24. Still With You [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 24

Roxannes's POV

"Hey, are you two kissing?"

I jump hearing Julia's drunk voice.

I instantly push Grayson away, and he leans against the door jam staring at me with dazed eyes.

That was an explosive kiss, like a dynamite explosion. So addictive that made me lose my mind.

I look at Julia who sat up and stares at us.

"We... we..." I'm lost for words, trying to come up what to say. But Julia lays down on bed again, turns on
her side and went back to sleep.

My attention shifts back to Grayson who stands frozen in front of me.

"Why did you kiss me? For heaven's sake Gray, and in front of her." I hiss at him, in a whisper.
He frowns staring at me with disbelief.

"What? It was you who started it."

"What do you mean I started it? Are you for real? You kissed me first."

"Because you lean forward, asking to be kissed."

"I was not asking for a kiss! There's this damn nail here poking on my head. So I lean forward." I pointed
at the nail in the doorjam, and that made him laugh.

"Come on, let's continue our argument outside. How about a stroll in the beach?"

"Okay fine, i'll just get my shawl."

Later, we stroll at the beach. We start talking about Julia and her overwhelming possessiveness.

"She doesn't want us to be... you know, being... more than friends." I try to explain to him, that won't
sound very awkward.

"Did she warn you about it?"

"Several times. That I should not hook up with you, because you're off limits."

"That little minx." He groans angrily.

"She made me promise, and... and I dont want to break that. Our friendship means a lot to me."

"You already did. We kissed twice."

"I did not, because you started it all."

"I admit the first one, but tonight, it was you who instigated it." He says, his eyes are teasing.

"I told you, there was a nail."

"You could have move your head at the side, but you lean so close to my face. I'm a gentleman, I don't
want to embarass you..."

"That's so bullshit!" I slap his arm and he flinches in pain.

"You're abusive!" He pulls me in his arms and carries me to the water, threatening to dump me.

"You're overreacting! That doesn't hurt at all!" My arms are around his shoulders, his face buried against
my neck. "Don't you dare, Gray. I easily get colds."

His laughter is gone, his breathing becomes ragged as his lips press on my neck.

"What's with you and Archer? Are you with him?"

I can feel the jealousy in him, his arms that grip my spine and thighs tightened.

"Nope."

He suddenly relaxes and walks toward a lounger, laying me down on it.

He lay down beside me, as he continues to talk.

"That night we first kissed, I went to your house when everyone's gone. I saw Archer's car at your
frontyard. I assumed that you were still together."

"Is that the reason why you became very cold and distant to me again?"

"Am I that obvious?"

"Very. You're too transparent if you're upset with someone. Do I upset you often Gray?"

He chuckle "not with you, but to myself. I can't stop myself from liking you."

His eyes gleam as he stares at me lovingly.

"Seriously? You really like me?"

"Isn't it obvious? That night, I went to your house to tell you about how I feel. But when I saw Archer's
car, I shut off."

I told him the reason why Archer was there, that he just found out about Trev. The reason for out breakup
and his determination to bring me back.

"Do you still love him?"

I shook my head.

"That night when we broke up, I lost all my love, trust and respect for him. I could never be with someone
who won't value me as a person. He never defended me, and chose to believe the lies thrown to me by his
mother and Mrs. Aldorf. He did not even listen to my explanations and immediately assumed the worst of
me. He called me a bitch, a fucking liar, cheater... and more names that I could not take. I'm glad that it
happened though, it showed his true color."

"He deceives people with his charm and print ad smile. He has more skeletons in his closet. He paid all
the bullies in high school to torture me and make my life miserable."
"That fucking asshole idiot! He's a monster! Oh Gray, I don't know that he was the one responsible to
that. You did not deserve any of it. But why did he target you?"

He told me about his real father, the mayor. Archer's hate for him for being the real son.

"So, he's your half brother?"

"Nope. I learn from mom that his real father is not the mayor."

"Oh gosh, I thought I already know all the secrets of the West Family. Julia is a winner, she keeps this
secret from me."

"She is. But I really thought you already knew. She has a loud mouth, "he chuckles, "It had been a family
secret, but right now, it's out open. My mom is back with with the mayor, and now that his divorce is
final, they're getting married soon."

The information really surprised me. No wonder Meg is blooming nowadays.

"I'm happy for Meg. But, are you happy that your parents are together again?"

He shrugs his shoulders, "I don't know, I have mixed feelings about it. I haven't forgiven him totally yet."

"Ahh.. I know you Gray. You"ll learn to forgive him once you see your mom happy and smiling all the
time. As the saying goes, Time will heal all wounds."

"Spell WOUNDS."

"Seriously? We just had a serious conversation and you want to mock my spelling abilities?"

He laughs aloud, then says, "Okay, spell SERIOUSLY. That's easier."

"I hate you Gray, you know I suck in spelling! Stop mocking me."

"I just want to make you laugh. How about MISSISSIPPI?"

"Stop it or I'll walk out."

I stand up but he stops me, pulling me back beside him.

Lying side by side, facing each other, our conversation shifts about us.

"That nude photo you sent me, was that intended for Archer."

I nod, and his expression turns to disappointment.

"But I didn't send it to him. I realized that I shouldn't have done that. It's not appropriate."

His laughter echoes the night, "so you realized. Damn. That was crazy, you shouldn't send photos to
anyone. That's not normal."

"I was not normal before. I was pretty delinquent!" I laugh so hard.

"But you're different now."

"I learned from my mistakes. Losing my father was tough. I was miserable, depressed and furious. I
rebelled. But that was in the past."

I'm so proud of you Rox. You're a champion."

"But not in spelling." I giggle, and we both laugh so hard.

"I admitted my feelings for you. Do you even like me Roxanne?"

His question caught me off guard. Should I tell him the truth? What about my promise to Julia?

25. Promise [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 25

Grayson's POV

Roxanne turn away, lying on his back. Her hands clasp together on her stomach.

She looks like a midnight goddess, with her silky black hair spread on the lounger, and her fair skin
luminates under the moonlight.

Her beautiful face turns to me, her eyes reflects her sorrow.

"Does it matter what I feel for you? You'll just end up being hurt."

"Then hurt me if you must, I don't care if it would kill me now. I'm dying to know if you think of me as
often as I do, or even close. Do I have a spot in your heart?"

"If I do, I can't be with you, Gray. It's like choosing between you and Julia. I don't want to lose her, our
friendship is very important to me. I'll honor my promise to her."

"That's not fair. I don't even call that genuine friendship. Friends don't deprive of each other's happiness.
It should be supportive, loyal, kind, caring and loving. Julia is being selfish and possessive of you."

"She's not depriving me of any man, only with you. I understand her point though, she doesn't want our
friendship to get ruin. Let's say you become my boyfriend, and then we broke up. That could affect our
friendship, and my relationship with you and your family."

"You two are thinking ten steps ahead. That's being negative." My lips twist in disagreement.

"No, we're just being realistic. Pretty sure, things would be awkward for everyone. I don't want that to
happen, because I'm so close to your family. Megan is like a second mother to me. Aside from Julia,
Brooke is like my little sister. And you..."

"Don't say it. It would kill me now if you say you think of me as your older brother."

"I thought you think of me as your younger sister."

"Never. I always think of you as my sister's bestfriend. You're like a sun, you brighten the house when
you're around. The atmosphere becomes lively, and everyone's laughing."

"So, I'm like a clown," she laughs.

I shrug my shoulders, "a very beautiful captivating clown. I know you'll be a knockout when you grow
up. I keep my heart guarded from you all the time, especially when I came back during lockdown."

"Stop kidding me Gray, you came home heartbroken. You can't possibly have a change of heart that
easily. You've been so in love with Sasha, you were planning to marry her."

I told her what really happened. Sasha's infidelity, her way of getting the promotion to advance her career.

"Like what you felt for Archer, my love, trust and respect for her are totally destroyed. I easily moved on,
and forgot about her. It's not worth it, to sulk, cry and be miserable. I regret the wasted time, but that's
life. You learn from the experience and become a better person."

"I don't understand why people cheat. Why can't they just be honest and loyal to their partners? I would
never do that. I believe in karma."

"That makes the two of us. So if we're in a relationship, we'll never break up because we won't cheat."

"That's not the only big factor that couple breaks up. There are trust issues, incompatibilities, lack of
communication, neglect, abuse, infertility.."

"I'm sure we can sort them out easily. I know you so well, Rox, and I know we're compatible in many
aspects. We could be so good for each other."

She sat down, hugging her knees. Her uncertainty is very evident on her face.
"Hey..." I sat down, then pulled her back against my chest. Being close to her, feeling the heat of her body
against mine is like in heaven. "If Julia worries you, then we'll talk to her. She may freak out in the
beginning, but eventually she will learn to accept it."

She elbows my tummy, making me flinch a little.

"Now, whose thinking ten steps ahead. I haven't told you that I like you, and you're already making a
plan."

"I'm a positive thinker, and not a quitter. I'm going to woo you until you'll like me."

She smiles, holding my eyes. "How will you woo me?"

"I'll start by giving you a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts everyday."

"Nah, too sweet. I will have diabetes."

"How about sushi? You love sushi."

"Yeah, I love that," her eyes twinkles like little stars.

"So you won't say you like me now, huh?" I groan.

"Are you complaining already?"

"Of course not. It's just that I've been dying to kiss you again."

She looks shy, then looks away. "It's getting too late. We have an early shoot tomorrow for the outro,
right?"

"Right. Come on." I take her hand and she doesn't flinch away.

She may never admit her feelings for me, but the spark between is so real.

26. Fight For Love [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 26

Grayson's POV

The following morning, the crew had brunch at 10am, then finished shooting at 12 noon at the beach. We
were packing the video equipments when Archer arrived.

He went directly to Roxanne and grabbed her wrist, then dragged her away from the group.

"Ouch, Archer, stop!" Roxanne almost shouts at him.

"You asshole. Leave her alone!" Julia screams walking behind them.

I put down my camera and go to them.

Julia throws a handful of sand at Archer's face and that made him let go of Roxanne. But he attacks Julia
by pushing her to the ground.

I'm about to step in but

Roxanne grabs Archer's neck, choking him with her arm. She handles him with her strength pretty well
using self defence she obviously learned from her training in criminology.

Wow. That was quick. Archer is on the ground, his face buried in the sand as her foot pins his head.

"Don't you ever EVER hurt my best friend or anyone of my friends here. You're nothing but a
manipulative asshole. I was blind not to see it before. Stay out of my life, or I'm going to take legal
actions on you."

"I've done nothing wrong but love you!"

Archer struggles and manages to put Roxanne down. He pins her wrists on the sand, and that's when I
step in.

"Keep your hands off my girl!" I shout at Archer, and his attention instantly shifts on me.

He releases Roxanne, standing up and moving towards me, ready to attack.

"Your girl?" His montrous eyes glaring at me, "so, I'm right. You two are hooking up. You bastard!
You're a fucking thorn in my life. I'm going to kill you!"

He aims a punch on my face but I'm quick to evade. Another on my stomach but I block it with my arms.
His third punch lands on my jaw, and that triggers me to defend myself.

I give him a hard blow straight on his face and that's enough to make him stop.

"Fuck! You broke my nose! You're gonna pay for this, you bastard!"

Archer panicked when he saw that his nose is bleeding.

"Just try. We have everything in footage." Julia smirks, facing Archer squarely. "You'll get cancelled
once everyone sees it."

"Fuck you all! This is not the end. I'm gonna come back and hunt each one of you."

"Count me in!" PJ shouts, "my bed is waiting for you. I can't wait to have a taste of Archer West."

Everyone laughs and Archer walks out angrily.

"You're gay?" Julia looks shocked, staring at PJ.

"Of course! Since birth. I'm a girl inside. I also love hotdogs."
Roxanne laughs and Julia's attention shifts on her.

"What the hell is that about you and Grayson hooking up?"

Roxanne froze, staring at her. So I butt in, and explains to her.

"I made it up, Jule. Don't take it seriously."

She puts her hands on her waist, looking up at me with her killer eyes.

"It was not a dream last night, right? You two were making out!"

"Oh..oh.." It was Grace Lee saying at the background. "Hey guys, people are looking at us. Can we all
settle this inside?"

"Jule, come on. I'll explain it to you. There's no need to freak out."

Roxanne coaxes her to go inside the villa, but Julia slaps her hand and points a finger at her face.

"You broke your promise! I thought our friendship matters to you. I'm so disappointed in you! I can never
trust you again!"

"Stop it Jule! You're being so childish. Roxanne is not your doll that you can keep to yourself. That's so
selfish of you. She has a life and deserves to be happy. I admit I like her a lot... in fact, I'm already falling
in love with her. There's nothing that I want in my life right now, but to be with her."

"This is what I'm afraid of, and it's happening all over again. Why everything is all about you, Grayson?
Brooke thinks the world of you, and mom worships you. Now, you're taking my best friend too?" Tears
fall on her face, as she continues, "I hate you for not caring too much about me. I try to be a good sister to
you, but all you can see is Brooke. She's all you care about. I was sad and miserable too when dad left us,
but you never ever comforted me."

I'm surprise at her confession, it caught me off guard. Her vulnerability is so new to me.

"I'm so sorry Jules. I thought you don't need comforting because you're the toughest of us all. I comfort
Brooke because she's so weak, insecure and with so many hang ups in life. You did not give indication
that you need comforting. I'm so sorry... either way, it's my fault, I should have been more sensitive to
your needs and feelings. Please believe me, that my love for you, Mom and Brooke are equal."

She wipes her tears, then lifts her chin up.

"Whatever!" She flips her hair, and points her finger to me and Roxanne, "you two have a lot of making
up to do, you can start by packing up my luggages," she says and walks out.

I sigh with relief. I look at Roxanne, and I can see_the worries gone on her face.

27. Papa Hero [Spark Between Us]

 Chapter 27

Roxanne's POV

We have been invited by Maryland Fire Brigade Division to commemorate the death of firemen who did
their heroic job.

"We're so proud of your dad, Roxanne. He was a very good and kindhearted man. He is our hero and
forever will be." Mr. Elliot Dork shakes my hand, as I take the heroic award plaque for Dad on stage.

"Thank you, Mr. Dork." I'm not ecstatic looking at the plaque. The mystery of dad's death has not been
resolved yet. No one knows who he rescued. I want to know the whole story and they can't give me that
until now. For heaven's sake, it has been ten years already.

I give the award to mom who is drinking champagne with her new husband, Mikael West.

Yeah, Mikael broke up with the famous celebrity singer, Clarissa Garcia and married mom in Las Vegas.
Mom and Mikael are so much in love, they're inseparable.

"Aren't you going to eat? Their carbonara is really good." Mom says, after she put the plaque in her new
Hermes Birkin bag.

"I agree, the noodles are not saggy, and the cream... my goodness... it's orgasmic." Megan King giggles.
She's sitting between Mom and her boyfriend, Mayor Oliver King.

"Shhh... I told you to talk naughty inside the bedroom only, honey," the mayor says to Meg.

"What do you like for a drink, Roxanne? I'll get you one." Mikael asks, but I shake my head.

"Thanks for the offer, I'll get it myself."

I walk to the bar and surprise to see Jimmy Park.

"Hey Jim!"

"Rox!" He hugs me instantly. He looks really happy to see me, as always. His chinky eyes are gone, it
happens every time he smiles and he can't see.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm with Tay and our friends," he points his tiny forefinger at the group of six beautiful Korean men
standing near the door. I wave at them, and they wave back. "We're going to perform later."

"Oh really! You and Tay are good singers and dancers. I can't wait to watch you guys later."

"Thanks. I'm very nervous, my hands are shaking already," he laughs covering his mouth with his hand, a
habit, "actually, we're doing this for our hero."
"Wow! Who's your hero?" I glance at the huge poster on stage of firemen photos paid tribute to.
"We really don't know. He rescued the seven of us. We can't see his face very clearly, the classroom was
covered with smoke. That happened ten years ago, we were so young."

My heart throbs when he mentioned ten years ago.

"What's the name of the building?"

"The Oasis Residences. Do you know the place?"

"Of course! That's where my dad died. It also happened ten years ago."

"Really? Maybe he was the one who rescued us."

"Maybe. But we can't be sure of that. I know, that one of the units of the building was an English-Korean
learning class for kids. According to the report, there were seven boy's included in the rescue."

"Yeah, we were those boys."

"Oh Jimmy, I'm so glad a brave soul saved you and your friends from the fire. You and Tay are my angels
at work, you protect me from Pipa, you give me food and always brighten my day. I won't survive at
work without you guys."

"We love you, Rox. You're our big American sister." He laughs throwing his head, another of his habit.

I hug him briefly, then say, "tell me if you and your friends remember anything about your rescuer, okay?
Any single detail. I'm still hoping that he was my dad. I have to go now, see you later."

"Oh wait, Rox," he opens his backpack, and the numerous zippers inside one by one, looking for
something. "Remember, I told you I was asthamatic?"

"Yeah. You have to take swimming lessons."

"Exactly. During the rescue, I had an asthma attack. My rescuer gave me this to cover my nose and
mouth." He finally found what he was looking for, and give it to me.

Tears immediately fall down my cheeks when I hold the_ hankerchief that belongs to my dad. It was his
favorite hanky. I gave it to him the Christmas before he died. A sushi patterned hanky in white, red and
black.

"Oh. Is that from your dad?"

I nod, and hot tears flooded on my cheeks. Jimmy hugs me and also crying.

"We owe him our lives, Rox. We would have been dead if he did not rescue us. He's our hero. He
sacrificed his life for us, by holding that heavy beam in order for us to get out of the room," he cries
harder, "I'm so sorry, Rox. You lost your dad because of us."

"Shhh... don't blame yourself and the guys. Dad would do the same to anyone, because he's an angel, just
like you. You deserve to live too, and Tay and your friends. I don't have any hard feelings, you know I
love you and Tay, you're like my younger brothers. And I believed, that dad planned for us to meet."

"Right. Our Papa Hero." He smiles again, looking relieved and happy.

His gang join us and he explains to them. I hug them one by one, and they thank me with tears in their
eyes.

"Finally, mystery solved! We've been looking for his family for so long, to thank personally." Tay says,
after giving me a hug.

"We even showed the hanky to Mr. Elliot but he ignored it, saying it probably from one of our
classmates." Cookie, one of the cutest, with many piercings on his ears says.

One guy talks to me in Korean, doesn't care if I understand him or not. He looks cold and unbothered.

"Sugar said, thank you so much, he owes his life to your dad, and he wants to go home now," Joon says
and everyone laughs.

The most cheerful says, "thank you so much, you're my hope. I'm hope."

"And I'm the most handsome among them all," Jin butts in.

"Okay, I agree on that, Jin. Would you like to meet my mom?"

"Yes, yes. We love to meet Mama Hero." Jimmy says and the gang agrees happily.

28. More Berries [Spark Between Us]

Chapter 28

Grayson's POV

Julia comes to my apartment to help me choose an outfit for my first date with Roxanne. Roxanne and I
are going to a five star hotel owned by my father, Oliver West. He and mom, organized our date.

Yeah, I started talking to him and accepting him as my father. I don't want to dwell in the past, driven
with hate and negativity. I would rather focus on the good things in life and look forward to successful
future.

"You look like a waiter!" Julia rolls her eyes, after she sees me in black formal pants, and white long
sleeves.

"We're going to a five star hotel restaurant. I need to look my best."

"Dah! Who are you trying to impress? The restaurant manager or Roxanne?"

"Of course, Roxanne."

"Then do what I say. Change that damn outfit now."

"Ok fine!"

I come back wearing a matching gray coat and tie. It would be more appropriate for the formal dinner
setting.

"That is so eww! Are you trying to intimidate Roxanne? You look like you're running for congress!" She
groans then went to my wardrobe, rummages my clothes,"

"Careful, don't mess the arrangement,"

"Whatever," she shouts, then gives me black denim pants and black long sleeve shirt.

"I would look like I'm going to a funeral."

"Nope, but a hot vampire."

"No way. You can't make me. It's not halloween we're going Jule, it's our first date."

"Of course! That's why you need to look smokin' hot.

Roxanne loves vampire stories and she confessed to me last night that she imagined you as Edward
Cullen when you first met. You'll make her so giddy and droll at you when she sees you in this outfit."

"Are you sure?"

"A-ha. I know my best friend by heart." She pushes the clothes in my arms, "so get ready now or you'll be
late. Just roll the sleeves above your elbows. Show off your arms. Us girls find it hot in men."

Fifteen minutes later, I'm standing infront of Roxanne's house, feeling so nervous. It's Granny Mary who
opens the door.

"Grayson!"

"Hi Gran, good evening."

"Come in." She says, assessing my outfit from head to foot, then asks, "who died?"

A fat sweat runs down my back. Damm Julia, for making me wear this all black outfit. I'm so
embarrassed
"Oh, no one," I chuckle, talking louder so she could hear me, "I just feel like wearing all black tonight."

She smiles back, then her eyes teasing, "I like it though, you look really handsome. I'm sure our little
princess will be so smitten."

I feel relieved, then settle comfortably in the couch.

"You know what, when you and Roxanne were teenagers, I was shipping both of you."

"Really Gran?"

"Yeah. I'm your first shipper. The first time I saw both of you together... I think that was Julia's dinner
party? I already felt the chemistry between you two. You were seated next to each other, and you both
looked so cute. I was observing you. You offered her pizza, she shook her head. Then you offered her
soda, she just smiled at you then said no. When I asked her later that night about it, she said, Julia's
watching. I believe she likes you even before, but don't want to mess up with her bestfriend."

I chuckle, "Yeah, I remember that incident."

I was a bit hurt that she rejected my offers. I was trying to be nice to her, to take care of her. Probably, to
make her like me.

Gran smiles back, and I continue, "Julia is very understanding. She supports us now. In fact... she helped
me choose this outfit,"

"Oh that's why," she laughs, "I like you better for Roxanne. But I won't deny I miss Archer's berries."

"I'm afraid he won't be giving you berries anymore, granny."

"Is that so? Why?"

"Because..." I chuckle shyly, embarrass for telling her the truth, "I already inherited the West's farm."

"Ohhhh, I see," she gives me a wink then says, "I'll go get Roxanne now. Thank you for the berries in
advance."

Epilogue [Spark Between Us]

Epilogue

Roxanne's POV

My first date with Grayson turned out really well. It was one of our best nights together. His dad and
mom went overboard in setting up the venue. The grand ballroom hotel turned into a romantic setting,
with fresh flowers everywhere.

Grayson looked so hot, wearing all black. I admit, I have a thing for Vampire hotties, like Damon
Salvatore, Edward Cullen, etc... and Grayson exactly looked like them. I could not help but giggle all
throughout dinner, imagining myself as Elena Gilbert or Bella Swan.

Don't hate me, it's only a fantasy. Right now, I'm into Vampires. Next month, I could be into Kpop
groups. I would imagine Grayson as one of the BTS members. There's always a phase that we girls deal
with, our weird fantasies, in our own magical world.

Right now, Grayson and I are on our 10th date. We're doing it in his apartment, in front of the camera,
with all the crew around. We want to make our fans happy also, especially the shippers. We will show
them the real score between us.

"I thought this is a reenacment of our first date? Why are we having too much food?" I look at the pizza,
carbonara, sushi, fries and burgers on the table.

"Of course! It's for everyone later." PJ says, then takes a handful of fries. "We have to do this fast, I'm
starving."

Grayson and I sit behind the romantic table set up by the crew. A vase of red roses and candles at the
center. The food are scattered around.

"Okay here's the first question from the viewers," PJ says, "who made the first move?"

"She did," Grayson chuckles.

"I did not! You kissed me first."

"You did. The photo, right?"

"That's not fair. That's unintentional!"

"Okay, stop fighting," PJ says, "forget that question, let's move on. Who said I love you first."

"I did during our third date." Grayson answers, "and she said I love you during our 7th."

"It's my lucky number!"

"Did you guys sleep together?" PJ asks.

"We're not answering that, that's too much information." Graysons snaps.

Julia shouts, "They're doing it all the time."

"And they're so loud!" Riggs says and everyone laughs.

"What the hell guys!"

---
Five years later

Grayson continued with his YouTube channel. He got more subscribers, more views and more
endorsements for us all. He also has his own production company. He's producing films for Netflix. His
first project was a big hit, the biggest earner in the history of Netflix.

About me, I gave up my dream of being an FBI agent. instead, I started my own Crime Investigation
company. It has been my passion to investigate, solve crime cases and mysteries.

Grayson and I are already married. Our simple wedding by the garden happened two years ago. Right
now, I just gave birth to our baby girl, Ainsley. She's so adorable and looks like Grayson.

We just transferred to our new house. An eight bedroom house with a huge lawn and playground.

Granny Mary lives with us. For everyone's convenience, we hired a male caregiver, Ricardo, to be her
companion, as well as to take care of her needs. They get along very well, and I can see granny's effort to
stay young ang active to keep up with him.

Archer is in California. He's reunited with his real father, and they're running an automobile rental
business. He found his true love there. He got married to a beauty queen, Dianne. I love her, she's so nice
and pretty. She's currently pregnant, and expecting their baby boy pretty soon.

Grayson and Archer are now good friends. They patched up their conflict and just laughed off their
stupidity and arrogance in the past.

Their dad, Oliver West, gave up politics and living with Megan in different countries every year. Last
year in Indonesia, and right now in India. Same with my mom and her husband, Mikael West
The four of them are always together, jumping from one country to another.

Julia and Riggs got together. We did not know that they have been hooking up for years. Last month, they
got engaged and are planning their wedding in two months time.

Brooke is less grumpy, now that she's dating Chance. They have their own couple channel on YouTube
and growing so fast.

Pipa is still an influencer on Instagram. Still single and dating different men. She had various plastic
surgeries in her face and body trying to look perfect in front of the camera. I can see that she's happy,
doing what she loves to do.

Jimmy and Tay are back in Korea and become popular worldwide Kpop idols, together with their friends.
We always hang out everytime they come here in the US for a concert.

Everyone found happiness. In life, love, and career. It may not be perfect, but what matter's most is the
happiness and fulfillment that we feel in our hearts.

--- The End ---

Hey dreamers!
I hope you enjoyed the story. It's a short story, something I fancied writing during the pandemic, while
busy editing other manuscripts for paid and publications.

Thank you so much for reading it, I know it is rushed, but I have to start a new story already, my usual
genre,_ a romcom billionaire story, I'm very excited to write. If you love The Girl He Never Noticed, then
it's the one for you.

I'll be posting the book cover and synopsis soon here on Wattpad. Follow me on Instagram:
sweetdreamer33_xoxo for updates.

Touching The Forbidden is going to be on paid very soon. Of course, you know that already.

See you in the next story. Love you all! You're all the best readers ever!

Lovelots,
Neilani