Howard Mansion.
At 06.35 PM, the atmosphere inside the mansion was warm. Seated in the middle of the hall, Grace was holding her phone with both hands because it was big when unfolded, and you could see her from time to time clicking on the contacts and finding 'Chris <3' but her hands would stop as soon as she wanted to call.
Faith walked in the hall with a mug full of coffee and a droopy look; she was also holding her iPhone 16 Pro, a rather small device compared to Grace, and you could see she was actually texting someone named 'Veronica.'
"You're so hopeless."
Faith shook her head, then placed the mug she was holding in the nearby wall, which was in the middle of two columns, then wiped her wet hand on her hoodie and dialed 'Free Food'.
Chris, who was parking his car beside a Rolls Royce, suddenly heard his phone buzzing. After perfectly parking his car, he pulled out his phone, and seeing 'Glutton' on his phone, he looked a bit confused.
"Hello?"
"Where are you?"
"I am just outside your house. Are you attending the party? I thought we both ignored this shit."
"Well, it's not a "fake" party as she usually throws on our birthday. She informed Dad, and it turned formal as usual, so if my clock is right, you're quite late for a dinner. If I were you, I would have run inside."
Faith chuckled and ended the call. Her face had a huge grin on it. Grace was looking at her with her mouth agape; she was horrified and lost for words.
"Thank me later; he's in the parking lot. I will go and wear a dress. Don't call Dad until I come down."
Faith smiled and poured her coffee in the basin and ran upstairs. She looked happy, and as she was about to disappear upstairs, she stopped for a second and looked at Grace, and seeing how miserable she looked, a small laugh escaped her mouth as she vanished.
Grace gritted her teeth in anger, but she soon came back to reality and jumped from the couch and went to check the mirror for the final time. She was wearing 5-inch heels, with her hair done in a high bun, and in a deep green strapless long dress, she looked perfect.
She touched her pink hair slightly even though it looked perfect, then smiled at the mirror several times; her shoulder looked milky and smooth. As she practiced, in a matter of minutes her nervousness was gone, replaced by the Grace that every student dreaded.
"Oh my God, I am so nervous."
*Ding-Dong*
As the bell rang, Grace quivered a bit; her serious face broke into a smile for a final time, and then she regained her composure once again. Then, with a proud look, she walked to the door and turned the knob gently, like the lady she was, with a stoic face.
The door slowly opened. Chris stood there with wide, curious eyes; he was wearing a long ivory faux fur coat, and the black turtleneck looked so perfect on him. He was holding two shopping bags and a small food container.
Grace's practiced stoic face broke a little as Chris could see a small smile in the corner of her mouth; as her eyes landed on Chris, she couldn't hold it in, as he was looking very handsome. She took a step towards him and opened her arms.
"Birthday Hug"
"Eh? Alright."
Chris, who was a bit surprised that there was no loud music, felt today was an odd day. Without loud music and Grace's birthday, the day can't be any odder.
Chris wanted to lightly hug her, but she almost crushed the bags in his hand as they were in her way. Chris can smell a very beautiful scent from her, and he somehow knows it is her shampoo. She doesn't use deodorant because she simply lacks the gene that causes body odor.
"You smell like cheese and hoe."
Grace commented as her nose was deep. In his chest, Chris was also hugging her back, and hearing her voice, his mouth formed a smile.
"Just like that, yep, perfect."
Faith, wearing the same dress as Grace but deep blue in color, came down; seeing her sister wrapping her hands around Chris, she smiled and took out her phone and captured some pictures before acting loud on purpose.
Grace, hearing Faith's voice, took a step back; her cheeks were flushed, and she looked red, with her pink hair highlighting her glow. She stared daggers at her sister, who was pretending to be a cameraman.
"This is mac and cheese, from Marsha to Faith."
Chris showed the box to Faith with a smile on his face. Faith, seeing the box, stopped her antics and came forward with all seriousness. She took the box instantly and opened it, taking a whiff, and she smiled.
"She still cooks the best mac and cheese ever; give these to me as well. Let me see what you got us."
Faith placed the container on Grace's hand, then took the shopping bags from his hand, and while doing so, she pulled him in and closed the door behind.
"Wow, black and white fur coats, nice. This will help me a lot in college classes. I want to take both of them, but I can't. Alright, the black one is mine."
Faith instantly unpacked the coats, and she could clearly see the white one was selected with more Grace in mind, as it has glitter, and the black one was simple, just what she likes. Then she wore it over her dress and ran to the mirror. Unlike Grace, she was not wearing heels at all; it's just that her father would come downstairs for dinner, otherwise she wouldn't have changed what she was wearing at all.
"Nice, It fits me perfectly; I guess being the same size as you has its perks, Grace."
Faith twirled and said, her meaning was clear: Chris touches Grace, so he knows her size, which benefited her now.
"W… What are you saying? Idiot."
Grace stomped her foot in anger; her red face became even redder. It looked like she would bleed from her face as long as someone poked her.
"Hehe, I am just kidding. So Chris, birthday hug?"
After looking at herself in the mirror, Faith was satisfied and came back running with her arms open.
"Of course."
Chris this time was more proactive in hugging her. Faith just calmed the whole room down with her vibrant energy; she's usually not the engaging type, but when she does have fun, she is no less chaotic than her sister.