Chelsea's POV

"This is okay right?" I ask through the phone that's positioned on top of the vanity table as I model for Uche.

"I don't even know why you are asking me that." She scoffs, grimacing at my dress code of black sweatpants and an Off white blouse that halts just above my belly button. "I thought you called me to help you dress."

"Yes, of course, I did," I retort.

"Then why are you not listening to me?" She interrogates and I stop what I'm doing to gawk at her. "You are going to Terry's house of all places, you should dress hot!"

"Is this not hot enough?" I implore in confusion, eying my reflection in the mirror behind my phone.

"Girl, you come off as someone who slept in sweatpants, woke up and realized there's no food so she pulled on the first available blouse, grabbed her car keys, and rushed to the grocery store," she explains and I groan.

"I thought you said people in your country wear this to hang out," I recall, tilting my head to the side, my right hand on hip.

"Yes they do, the same way people here in your country do," she clarifies.

"So what's the problem?" I quiz, rubbing my nose.

"The problem is, you are going to Terry's house, heck I don't even think that palace should be called a house," she murmurs. "I hope you get what I'm trying to say?"

"Yes, I am going to Terry's house, but I'm not going for a gala or a ball or any fancy occasion, not even a high school party so I think I appear okay," I argue.

"You think?" She interrogates, "see, you aren't even sure, plus you don't go to the home of the school's bad boy and town's sportstar appearing just okay."

I shake my head in exasperation as she squeezes her face. "Uche, I'm going to tutor him, we are going to have a study session, so I don't need to look like a supermodel while doing that."

"Uche?" I call in a query as she suddenly grows silent, her jaw in between her thumb and index finger. "What are you thinking about?"

"You know, now you mentioned it, you look just right," she asserts as if coming to a realization and I squint my eyes to show her I'm not following hence she was simply a minute ago against my attire.

"What are you getting at?" I query.

"You are the epitome of a nerd and how you appear now depicts that," she says, breaking out in a grin.

"I know what you are implying, so don't you dare say it," I move my head left and right as the grin spreads across her lips such that I can now see her pearly whites.

"You know how the nerds appear in porn right?" She ignores my pleas and asks. "All you need to do is to pack your hair in a high ponytail and put on a pair of black-rimmed glasses, add that to a touch of red lipstick and you'll be just fine."

"Uche, I don't wear glasses, secondly I'm not going to seduce him," I grunt, facepalming at her mentality.

"Girl, we are young, we all want some action from time to time, so there's no better target than Terry, you and I both know we've heard stories of his expertise," she wiggles her brows. "Tell me, when was the last time you got it down there?"

"Two months ago," I grumble. "And don't ask, it was a random dude."

"Wow!" She exclaims, "you need to stop keeping information like that from me."

"You know me, I like my life private," I defend, going to pick up the device. "Also, I'm not changing, I'm not putting my hair in a ponytail either, and for the record, I don't own a pair of glasses."

"You can always borrow-" I cut her off by ending the call.

"Sometimes I wonder how we became friends," I mumble to no one in particular and snatch my blue Nike Air Max and sit on the bed. Bending, I put my foot into each one and lace them up.

I stand afterward, drag the blue black Teflar bag containing the Biology textbook I'm going to start with Terry today, and exit my room. I cover the small distance to the stairs and descend, catching sight of Adie in a red sundress on the floor in the living room, Dad in a white vest and khakis beside her as they build a house with bricks.

"How was school today dear?" Dad inquires as I reach him and offer him a kiss.

"It was fine," I smile and go to Adie whom I bump her shoulder lightly with my knee. "Hello, big girl."

Her response is a giggle and I walk past them straight for the door and call "Mom! I'm leaving."

Arriving at the door, I hear Dad ask Mom "Where?" and she responds with a "Terry's" from the kitchen as I tug the door open. I'm about to walk through it when I heed Dad scream a "What?!"

Adie laughs and I take this as an opportunity to escape before he calls me back. Crossing the space in the compound to the gate, I hear his voice rumble, fuelling my movements to speed up as I nod at the gateman and meet up with the Uber driver who has been waiting for me for the past few minutes.

********

The driver parks in front of the gold-rimmed gate, yep you heard right, pure gold. I pay the brunette-haired man his fee and alight from the vehicle to gape at the imposing metal.

Truly the distance from my house to his wasn't that much, rather I didn't have the energy to trek the few kilometers after standing for hours in the lab conducting chemistry practicals.

I knock at the gate and a voice from the speaker above it which I did not see orders me to say my name into the intercom.

"Chelsea Diana Blake," I voice, and a second later the gate automatically opens, consenting me to walk into the vast compound. It is authentic what they say, Terry's house is a fucking palace.

I stride slowly as if the well-designed German flooring will scatter under my feet and circle the impressive water fountain that sits in the middle of the space. I try not to look too much at the lines of expensive cars that sit in the garage and raise my head to peer at the gigantic white and gold painted building.

Beautiful flowers line its feet, floor-to-ceiling glass windows on each side of the white walls, huge gold-painted pillars making the top and downstairs veranda. A beautifully carved mahogany door creating an entrance.

Before I even have the luxury to knock, the door is jerked open from the inside, and a man who comes off as the butler materializes in the doorway and offers me a bow "Master Terry awaits you."

I bestow him a skeptical look and stride onwards. If I thought the outside was impressive, the inside is freaking elegant on another level. The floors are tiled with marble, the white walls free of any stain as if it is being washed every day, the big chandelier casting a beautiful glow in the large downstairs living room.

The black leather cushions and other pieces of furniture are gold-rimmed which doesn't surprise me and the flat-screen TV takes almost the size of one wall. Not to talk of the staircase that starts from the first floor and spaces out on the right and left side of the room, its rails in the same gold carving, and steps tiled with marble.

I hear footsteps just in time as Terry climbs down the stairs in multicolored shorts that give off a sexy view of his legs and a plain black T-shirt.

"Oh God," I grunt as my throat goes dry the instant he stands in front of me.

"I thought you won't come," he asserts in a hoarse voice, his hair wet like he just had a shower. "You look good by the way."

"Um, thanks," I force out, staring at my feet and using my hair to shield my blushing face from his view.

"Let's go to my room." He gestures, and I give him a tight smile following him up when he pauses and calls. "Rose!"

"Rose?" I ask and he smirks as I hear shuffling coming from one of the numerous doors that fill the walls with a familiar voice.

"Yep," he says and a familiar figure appears to my right, an apron strapped to her waist and a smile.

"Rose?" I repeat in shock and she chuckles, dressed in a sleeveless red blouse and jean shorts. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here," she shrugs and I whirl to Terry with an inquisitive glance to prevent the wheels in my brain from turning in a bad way.

"She's my cousin who moved here two weeks ago," he explains and I'm amazed at this new information. "We'll be in my room."

"Don't get the sheets dirty!" She shouts as we ascend the steps and I raise my middle finger without looking back, provoking a laugh from her.

Terry and I get to the first floor and take to our right, he stops at the second door and I'm awed at how elegantly the house is built. I can vividly imagine Terry's parents addressing their guests from the top balcony, their trophy handsome son in between them as they host a gala.

He enters and I follow suit, a gasp escaping my lips at the beautiful room. The floor-to-ceiling glass windows I saw from outside take up the left wall facing his king-sized bed, bringing enough natural light to illuminate the room.

The white bedspread and red duvet are placed neatly on the mattress with no wrinkle in sight. Their colors blend with the baby blue painted wall, the white ceiling, and the brown walk-in closet.

"You can drop your bag here." He directs me to the red couch by the window and I adhere to his words, doing simply that.

I unzip the bag and retrieve the hefty book from its confinement, gawking for a second at the 64inch LG Tv pinned to the wall opposite his bed. A PlayStation with all manner of guy games sitting below it.

I sight a reading table at the right side of the room, a silver MacBook atop it with a black foldable chair close to it. A small library takes the left corner of the room aside from a floor-length mirror and a door leading to the bathroom.

"Let's get to reading," I clear my throat and cross the distance on the thick black carpet to the bed, where he sits, gaping at me with an unreadable expression. Folding my legs beneath me, I revel in the softness of the mattress for a minute and flip the book open.

Freshy❤️