Mr. President: You Are The Daddy Of My Triplets - Chapter 327

Chapter 327: 327- Cunning Grin

Rafael looked at the young couple hugging each other just a few moments back and was now standing there with guilt-stricken faces.

Rafael knew the boy. He was the same one who accompanied her to the bookstore.

“Excuse me,” Marissa stepped back and then left the kitchen in a hurry. The boy seemed stuck in the awkward situation. But then maybe he didn’t want to stay back and decided to follow Valerie’s younger sister.

Rafael cleared his throat and looked around the small living room. He didn’t want to give the impression that he was here for the other girl. The poor guy didn’t know that he had been an open book to Valerie who knew what he wanted all along.

“Can we sit somewhere?” he suggested, and Valerie’s face palmed with an embarrassed chuckle.

“Look at me! I’m such a crappy host. Please take a seat,” When he sat down, she moved closer to sit beside him.

“The love birds of our town!” she remarked casually, and Rafael thought he heard her wrong.

“Hmm? Who?”

“My sister and Finn. They are childhood sweethearts,” she said and held his hand in a casual way, “Everyone in the neighborhood knows about their love story. My parents can already imagine them building their lives together, having kids, supporting each other, deeply… madly in love…”

Rafael didn’t know what Valerie was talking about.

The girl was already involved in that guy?

“I …” he swiped his tongue over his lips, “I thought th-they were just friends.”

“Oh, initially they were clueless. But then something happened, and they grew closer. We had a neighbor who fell for Marissa…”

Marissa? What a beautiful name!

“The moment we came to know what’s happening, we had to report it to the police.”

This time Rafael knitted his brows, “Police? Why?”

“Marissa was underage. She still is. Imagine an eighteen-year-old boy luring a fifteen-year-old girl. People less than eighteen are nothing but kids. They are suitable for their age fellows only. I don’t know what kind of creeps get attracted to kids. Such creeps should be hanged till death.”

Rafael felt like someone had poured iced water over his head.

Yes, he was twenty. And the girl, he fell for, was sixteen. Almost a child. Valerie was right.

That was creepy.

“Hey!” he got up when a middle-aged couple came inside holding grocery bags and halted in the doorway when they saw Rafael.

“Mom. Father. Rafael!” Valerie introduced them and her mom gave her a secret killing look. They were expecting the guest at eight. It wasn’t even seven.

Her mother was sure that Valerie lied to them.

“Rafael. Please get comfortable. I’ll bring you something to drink,” she offered.

Rafael got up in a haste. He wasn’t ready for it.

He wasn’t ready for any of it. He had decided to come here after ditching his friend’s party invitation. And now he was regretting it.

“I think I should leave,” his announcement startled all of them.

“Why?” Valerie’s father gave him a confused look, “Weren’t you supposed to have dinner with us?”

Valerie was looking at him with those doe-like big blue eyes. But Rafael had just realized he liked black eyes more.

That certain pair of black eyes…

“Fine!” he sat back with a forced smile.

Having dinner in a middle-class household wasn’t that bad. But watching your favorite girl being more comfortable with another guy was kind of torturing.

It was too awkward for him. And he sensed that for some reason it was equally awkward for Marissa.

Valerie and her mom were the only ones who kept chattering during dinner.

He prayed to God silently to run the clock faster so that he could get out of there. Marissa’s boyfriend kept telling him proudly that she was the one who prepared dinner. And maybe Val didn’t like it.

Rafael liked the food. He loved the chicken Fajita.

That night when he left the house, he turned to the girl who was younger than him and much innocent according to his age and ruffled her hair with a friendly smile.

“I liked the food tonight. You are one hell of a cook,” Marissa accepted his praise gracefully however the constipated look on Valerie was uncalled for.

That night in his bedroom, he kept fighting himself. The girl was just sixteen and he was an adult. He couldn’t have such crazy thoughts for a child, and it was best to stay away from Valerie as well.

His mom had been after him to have a girlfriend at least. She wanted to have a Sinclair heir as soon as possible.

But Rafael didn’t want a baby-making machine for himself. He wanted a companion with whom he could have a meaningful conversation. With whom he could share his life with.

This was the first heartbreak of his life, and he wanted to take his time to recover.

He needed to stay away from Marissa Aaron for his sanity. And that meant staying away from Valerie Aaron too.

***

He was having a drink in the bar when someone sat on the barstool beside him and asked the bartender to fix her a drink.

Rafael tilted his head to look at the face of the woman whose voice was too familiar.

“Valerie?” he called her name with a smirk, “Hello there.”

Valerie slowly turned her head and frowned. But then all the lines dissolved into a big grin.

“Hey! Rafael! What’s up!”

She held her drink from the bartender and took a sip, “Good to see you. Hope everything is good in your life.”

Rafael wasn’t expecting this. He had thought that whenever they would meet, she would complain that he never tried to contact her.

He also reminded himself that Valerie never tried to call him back nor she texted him about a job.

Rafael finished his drink in a chug and looked over his shoulder where Joseph and Jason were already busy talking to a bunch of girls.

“I’m sorry about… your job. I’ll see what I can…” She raised her finger to cut him and shook her head.

“Don’t worry about that, chief. I found a typing job that gives me enough time to learn acting.”

Rafael frowned with a smile, “Acting?”

“Yeah!” she laughed at his surprised face, “That’s my passion. No office work would have given me enough time to focus on that. Now I’m good. So, no hard feelings,” she leaned in and placed a hand on his thigh.

Rafael was pleasantly surprised. Initially, he was looking for ways to keep her off his back.

But thankfully she was a sensible woman and didn’t come after him. Rafael realized that she might not be as bad as he had thought.

In the bar, Valerie didn’t let him feel odd or guilty. She enjoyed her drinks with him and that night they talked a lot.

That night he felt tipsy and later he needed Jason and Joseph for help but then Valerie came to the rescue.

The help came with all the added baggage, and he was a fool to realize it later.

Much later.

Because next morning when he woke up, he found himself in an unknown place lying naked under the quilt.

He felt strange when he couldn’t move due to some mysterious weight on his body.

However, he was horrified when found a blonde head on his naked chest.

“Shit! What did I do!”

Valerie who was sleeping over him stirred a little and he had to push her to the bed, to get up. His clothes were lying around on the floor.

He put them on with supersonic speed and thought to get out of there. It was still dark when he opened the door and was taken aback when realized that it wasn’t a hotel but Valerie’s house.

“What the hell was I even thinking?”

With a speeding heartbeat, he got down the stairs and was looking around in confusion when a figure emerged and opened the living room door for him.

“Marissa?” he whispered.

“It’s ok,” she mumbled, “Go out before my parents wake up.”

There was a small smile on her face. He ran his fingers through his already disheveled hair.

How come he ended up here?

Basic decency was to take the girl to a hotel room at least. Who brings the girl to her parents’ house for a bang bang?

“I’m sorry,” he breathed, “I don’t know how I…” he started pressing his temples.

Marissa felt sorry for him. She knew Valerie but Rafael needed to know more about her before they got into a serious relationship.

“It’s OK. I wish I knew how to drive, I could have dropped you home. But…” she trailed off when saw him shaking his head.

“N-No…” he looked at her and squeezed his eyes, “Can you call an Uber?”

Marissa nodded and went inside to bring her phone. The Uber came fast maybe because it was a weekend night.

“Thank you, Marissa,” he said and ruffled her hair again like last time with a fond smile, “For saving my ass!”

Marissa chuckled and waved at him. When he left, she had gone back to her serious mode.

It pained her heart to see him having a relationship with her sister. But then she didn’t want to be a nosy or jealous sister.

One night of intense crying had helped her get over her innocent love. Thanks to Finn for being supportive as always.

In her heart, she had accepted him as her brother-in-law.

With a long sigh, she smiled to herself and looked up only to realize that Val was standing, holding the banister. She was looking at Marissa with that same cunning grin as if she had conquered a kingdom.

Marissa felt weird. If Val was awake why she didn’t accompany Rafael? Why didn’t she come down?