LAST CHAPTER

A year passed by,

It was Aylin's birthday party and a small function was held to celebrate the day. Atlas, Elaine, Leo, Mike, Kate, Amelia, Leila, Zach, Jackson, Taylor, and Claire were there. Everyone had left their children with their parents. Along with them, there was Ellen, Lexie, Sam, Eric, and, Axel's childhood friend Felix.

Everyone was having fun, chatting, and laughing. It was an outdoor garden party.
Ellen who had made twin braids wore a sky-blue frock and garden sandals. She had gotten dressed up extra because her crush, Jackson, was also there.

Leila and Kate stood beside her on either side, whispering as the three continue to eye Jackson who was talking to Axel, Aylin, Elaine, and Atlas.

"Are you ready?"

Ellen nodded.

"Remember what we told you?"

"Count to three and just do it."

Ellen replied, tightening her fist.

"Huh?"

"Who told you that?"

"Claire did."

"Oh forget Claire, she has been out of the game for so long, what would she know?"

Kate rolled her eyes. Claire who was passing by heard this remark. She stopped and raise her brow,

"What about me?"

"She said you are out of the game."

Ellen replied honestly.

"Huh! What game?"

Leila retorted, shrugging,

"The love game. It's been ages since you last confessed to a guy. Ours was more recent."

Claire scoffed at her remark,

"Excuse me, I have always been in the game. And it's thanks to me being a master that I am still in it."

Leila narrows her gaze,

"Master? What makes you a master?"

"Umm let me think, I have been in this game way longer than you two."

"Being longer just makes you a boomer. Not a master."

"I am not a boomer. I am still young. Just yesterday a girl younger than me thought I was younger than her."

"So what? A lot of people have eyesight issues. No harm in that. She's human. Mistakes can be made."

"Both of you stop it. We are here to support Ellen. You can decide later who is a master by playing rock-paper-scissors. For now, Ellen..."

Kate turned to Ellen,

"You know what to do, right? Just ask him out. Don't be nervous."

"First you might want to shoo away those four that are stuck like glue to Jackson."

Leila commented to which Claire motioned Aylin who coincidentally looked over there to move away. Aylin didn't understand her hand motion so she started copying her motion. Everyone noticed and asked her what was wrong. To which she replied,

"I'm not sure....Claire was motioning here but now they are all looking away...."

Jackson, Axel, Atlas, Elaine, and her turned to look at Claire, Leila, Ellen, and Kate who in return, turned away their faces and pretended to talk as if they weren't looking here in the first place.

That's when it suddenly flashes in Elaine's mind. She then grabs Aylin and pushes Axel and Atlas,

"Let's go take a photo!"

"Huh?"

"So suddenly?"

"What about me?"

Jackson asked pointing at himself. Elaine grinned in response saying,

"This is going to be a couple of group photos. Find yourself a girl and then you can take a photo with us."

She then took the three away with her.
Jackson was left all alone. That's when Ellen approached him who was being pushed by Kate and Leila.

From afar, near the bar, Amelia and Felix stood next to each other.

"They're making it so obvious."

Felix muttered in a low voice. Still, Amelia was able to overhear it so she asked,

"Who?"

"Those guys. Jackson would be stupid enough not to realize what's going on."

"You'll be surprised to find out how stupid he is."

Meanwhile, Ellen approached Jackson,

"Hi."

"Hi!"

He smiled back.

"....nice weather out here, right?"

Ellen nervously chuckled. Everyone else was watching those two without those two being aware of it and upon Ellen's comment, everyone mentally slapped themselves.

"Ah...yes."

"Are you having fun?"

She asked clutching her fist and biting her lips due to nervousness.

"Yes, I am. What about you?"

He smiled back politely.

Ellen nodded instead of responding. She then inquired,

"Ummm what are you doing after this party?"

She asked, her voice then becoming lower as she mumbled,

"If it's not too much trouble then....."

Then in an even lower voice, she whispered,
"1....2...."

But before she could get to 3, Jackson answered her question,

"I have somewhere important to go to."

"....oh....then.....tomorrow morning?"

Jackson laughed in return,

"I am so lazy that I consider my noon as my morning."

"......Tomorrow lunchtime?"

"I don't eat lunch. Like I just said, I wake up late so I eat breakfast quite late."

"Then coffee?"

"I don't drink coffee. Which may seem weird seeing how everyone lives on coffee these days."

This went on for a while, as everyone else was like (-_-) while feeling frustrated.

"Is Jackson deliberately trying to say no to her?"

"If he is then he should have already."

"Why treat that poor girl this way?"

Whereas Amelia said to Felix,

"See, I told you he was dumb. Don't misunderstand though. He isn't trying to hurt her. He genuinely thinks that she is just asking him about what he is doing. He hasn't realized that she is asking him out."

"I thought he always flirted with girls."

Felix replied to which Amelia chuckled,

"There's a difference between him flirting and others flirting back. No girl has ever asked him out. It is always him asking others out. So it will take some time before he realizes this."

"Either he will realize it or else others will make him. Kate and Lyra look pretty pissed."

"They are like that. Anyhow, I wanted to ask you something."

"Me?"

Felix finally turned towards her as she did the same. He turns his head slightly and adds,

"I don't think we have ever talked before for you to ask me something. Oh! Do you need an autograph?"

Felix was a pretty famous actor, known for his handsomeness, good manners, kindness, and of course diverse acting.

"No. I want to know why you rejected the script for the 'Mismatched Puzzle'."

Amelia was a scriptwriter and an author. It was her script. After years of working hard, her writing had finally come into the mainstream. However, the person they were planning to cast as a male lead rejected the offer after reading the script.

"Hmmm....where did you hear that from?"

"Does it matter? I just need to know."

"Why?"

Felix replied with a playful smile.

"If you aren't going to tell me, then it's fine. It was just a simple question."

"Are you the one who wrote it?"

At his sharp question, Amelia averted her gaze. He quickly realized that he was right.

"Well....no offense but it was too good."

"Huh? If it was too good then why reject it?"

"It's because it was too good that I had to reject it. You see, the script was too realistic. But it just didn't have the feel to it. There was this spark missing. The female lead is stuck in the past. And that's how it ends. It was a pretty good script, and writing-wise but do you know what the one main thing about movies is?"

"They tell untold stories that make people relate to them?"

"They do that too but even in that, they show a paradise that is just an illusion. They show fantasy. Things that people wished they had in real life. Whether it is a small materialistic thing to having a group of friends or even a single friend or it even could be being appreciated. It is through movies that people get to live their dreams. Those dreams are their hidden desires and fantasies. Your script was too realistic. If it's realistic to such an extent, it tends to become boring. Because people are facing the same issues in real life and they don't need to see the same things in the cinema as well after paying so much for the ticket. Our job is that through movies, we can touch people's hearts, give them hope, and show them light in this dark world."

Clap. Clap. Clap.

"Amazing....you should do a TED talk."

Amelia remarked, clapping. At which Felix burst into laughter,

"Stop joking."

"No for real. I am serious. I sincerely appreciate your comments and don't worry, one day I'll write a script that will touch your heart and you will accept it. I am motivated now!"

Amelia pumped her fist, to which Felix responded,

"Why me? You can cast someone else too and you will have a great movie."

"I want someone with your mindset to portray the character in my story. I don't want some half-assed people. So, I have decided."

Amelia smiled brightly. Seeing her smile, made Felix smile as well,

"Okay then, I'll be waiting for that day."

Whereas Lexi who had gone to the washroom inside was going back to the garden through the outside hallway when she saw Sam smoking. She reflexively smacked his head. Sam frowned and turned to look at her.

"Ah sorry. My brother smokes so whenever I see him smoke, I tend to hit him."

"Well, I'm not your brother, am I?"

"But you are smoking. Don't you know smoking is bad for your health?"

"I know. So what?"

"Seriously? Well, smoke all you want but don't smoke when everyone is gathered here. It's not good."

"Why are you always nagging me?"

After Sam had started hanging out with them, Lexi had always been nagging him, nitpicking at his every bad habit.

"Sam don't sit like this. Sam, behave yourself. Sam, don't talk like that. What are you? My mom?"

"I just care about you so what's wrong with that?"

Lexi shrugged. At her comment, the cigarette slipped from Sam's hand. Lexi then added,

"Just like how I care about Eric, Axel, Aylin, and the rest. You're part of us now so get used to my nagging. Also, go and rinse your mouth and stop smoking and hang out with others. Okay?"

She said and then left, leaving behind a confused Sam.

Meanwhile back where Jackson and Ellen were talking, they were still going on like that,

"...do you like watching movies?"

"Not really. I used to once upon a time but now I always tend to fall asleep regardless of the genre which is why I feel like it's a waste to go to the cinema."

"...is that so...."

Ellen was feeling mentally drained out. Nervousness and fear of being rejected were out of the question. She hadn't even managed to ask him out and he was rejecting everything.

'Wait....is this his way of politely rejecting me? Of course, it is. Jackson is so kind that he would feel troubled if I confessed and he had to reject me. What am I doing? I and Aylin finally managed to make a group of friends, I shouldn't be ruining this.'

"By the way, why are you taking my interview? Any more questions?"

Jackson laughed jokingly to which Ellen solemnly muttered,

"....no......Aylin's calling me....I have to go......"

Noticing her expression, Jackson became confused, he wanted to ask if everything's alright but then he said,

"Okay? Nice talking to you then...."

Ellen then went to find Aylin, but Axel told her she had gone inside to get her phone. So she went inside after her.

Meanwhile, everyone cornered Jackson.

"You idiot."

"If you were planning on rejecting her, you should have outright said it to her."

"Stop beating around the bush."

Jackson puzzled inquired,

"Rejecting her? What are you guys talking about?"

Kate smacked his arm and hissed,

"She was asking you out, stupid!"

"Asking me out? But she doesn't even like me."

Leila smacked his other arm and added,

"It was because she likes you that she was asking you out."

"And now she thinks you rejected her. You flirt with so many girls, how could you not notice her asking you out?"

Elaine smacked his head.

"Ow ow ow......stop...I don't know....no one has ever asked me out before like this!"

Kate and Leila smack him one more time to which Jackson added,

"Why are you guys hitting me?"

"Because you are a fool!"

Inside, Elaine who had gone to grab her phone sees the photo of her and her mom which she had framed on the wall. She smiled, after peeking out the window and seeing the whole group crowding Jackson, laughing and smacking him.

'Mom, even though life was full of lies and secrets. But even so, it is also full of love. I have found friends I deeply cherish and a husband whom I love, so I'm really happy. I hope you're happy too.'

"Aylin!"

Ellen's voice calls her out at which she smiles at her mother's face and then leaves.

THE END

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO STUCK IN THIS JOURNEY AND READ THE BOOK TILL THE END! I REALLY HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING AND FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, I THANK YOU 🙏🏻

NOW AS FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS, SADLY, THIS BOOK HAS COME TO AN END BUT *ALMOST*
AFTER THE LAST CHAPTER, I WILL BE POSTING EXTRA CHAPTERS REGARDING JACKSON'S STORY and AMELIA'S STORY. SINCE MOST PEOPLE HAVE ONLY READ "AFTER THE LIE" OR THEY HAVE ONLY READ THIS BOOK, I WILL BE POSTING THESE ADDITIONAL CHAPTERS OVER THERE AS WELL AS I WILL BE POSTING THE EXTRA CHAPTERS FROM OVER THERE TO HERE SO THAT IT WILL GIVE YOU GUYS AN IDEA ABOUT THE SIDE CHARACTERS STORIES. THESE STORIES ARE JUST SO ADORABLE AND FUN TO READ SO I CANT WAIT 🤩

Till now, thank you for reading! I hope you give lots of support to both the book of these series (After The Lie and this one) by voting, supporting and commenting! I will be back soon with better stories and of course the short side chapters 🙏🏻♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️