It took a while for Zaria to process the words before she looked at her friend seriously. "Do you actually like him?"

Ximena bit her bottom lip as she made a small braid at the side of Zaria's hair. "I know it sounds crazy but I do feel something for him. Like is a strong word." But still the only word that could explain what she was feeling. She said to herself and wanted to give herself a piece of her mind.

"He is not the right guy for me, I know." She chuckled, making Zaria frown.

"Why do you say that? I was about to say that he isn't a bad person. He is a great guy, actually."

Ximena shrugged and laughed at herself. "He really is great. In the few days we met each other frequently, I found out that he takes business pretty seriously. He values friendship and learns from his mistakes as soon as life smacks him in the face, and he is always willing to make up for them."

"Whoa, you really have the hots for him." It was no longer funny. Ximena rarely said anything good about a man. The fact that she was rating Liam so highly could mean that she already liked him too much to back out.

It was not concerning for her to like Liam. The only concern was her tone. She looked like she was certain it was impossible between them even without needing to try anything.

Ximena grabbed a hair curling wand. "He is going through that dangerous phase of heartbreak that should make everyone run for the hills. He is looking for a rebound even though he doesn't know it himself. If he were to have any interest in me, it would be merely that."

"How about you take it slow?" Zaria stated the obvious, which Ximena had not thought about because she was muddled.

"Let's talk about pace when he stops avoiding me." She laughed dryly.

"He will not dare to mess with you, trust me." Zaria looked certain. Although Ximena knew that her friend was not as violent as she was, she knew that Zaria would kick Liam's ass if he were to mess with her.

The thought of violence reminded her and she groaned. "Who would want a woman like me?" She had never thought of her actions before. She hated that Liam was making her pay more thought to her personality than she should.

Zaria whipped her head around. "Do you mean a beautiful woman with a smart brain, who is not a damsel in distress and can take care of herself, and is also good in bed? There are probably hundreds of men trying to get you but know that they don't deserve you."

Ximena burst into laughter. "Forget the damsel in distress part. What makes you assume that I'm good in bed?"

"You are not shy." Zaria said, as if it had a direct relation to one's performance in bed. Well, maybe it did. But it all depended on the man. That was not the point.

"Men want to be the source of their women's security. To protect them like fragile flowers and all that." She countered, which made Zaria glower at her through the mirror. She chuckled. "Okay, okay. That depends on a man's tastes."

Zaria, who was about to dump on her a list of power couples, eyed her like she was crazy. "How about this, when I come back, we can have a sleepover and talk about men all night."

"I think I need that." Ximena smiled. She also needed a man. Whatever she was feeling for Liam might be a sign of sex depravation. Perhaps she would no longer think about him once she had that settled.

Zaria's phone vibrated with an incoming text message which made her frown slightly. "Desmond will not pick me up. He let my mother come over instead."

Ximena was on the verge of gasping at her words. She had learnt that Lucy was Zaria's mother but the information had not ceased to shock her. She nodded when it sunk in. "I will be done soon."

…..

Unbeknownst to them, Lucy had already arrived and was downstairs, making small talk with Theodore.

He should have told Zaria that Lucy was here after learning that she was here to pick her up but instead, he made her wait. He brought her a glass of water, knowing that she would not want to take a soft drink before a banquet. It was a small habit of hers and he was shocked that he still remembered it.

"Thank you. Is Zaria almost done?" She asked.

He sat across from her and looked bummed. "Are you in a hurry? I was starting to think that it was time for those embarrassing and cute childhood pictures of Zaria to come to use."

"You have pictures of Zaria?" She asked in excitement.

"I kept records of her entire childhood." He looked at her meaningfully. "Well, since she was seven, at least. A certain someone stole all her pictures from when she was born to when she was six."

She chuckled slightly. "I still have them." She was looking forward to seeing the pictures although she had secretly kept a watch on Zaria. Usually, she would only get verbal information and it didn't include pictures.

Theodore brought an album and started opening it with Lucy.

"She was so adorable!" Lucy was on the verge of kissing the first picture she saw. Zaria was wearing her school uniform and was holding a cone of ice cream. She had pink smudges on her cheeks but still managed to look cute.

"She was the prettiest girl in her class." He looked proud. "I would make her a snack box every morning but she would rarely have the chance to eat a thing from them. The boys in her class would fight for a chance to share their snacks with her."

Lucy burst into laughter. She then flipped to another picture. This time, Zaria was wearing a pink princess dress and had a tiara, and she was holding hands with a boy a head taller than her, who was wearing a tuxedo. They looked like they had just come from a wedding.

"Is this her boyfriend?" She joked.

Theodore cracked up. "That's Ryan. They have been friends for ages."

She chuckled. Of course she knew Ryan. He was handsome even as a little boy.

Theodore glanced at the picture fondly. "That was the wedding of one of our neighbors' sons. My princess had a mega crush on the groom."

Lucy threw her head back laughing.

"She always wanted to play with him but of course, he was interested in women in their early twenties and wanted nothing to do with a little girl." He told the tale that Zaria was most embarrassed of. "She cried when he announced his wedding day and said that she wanted to be the one wearing a wedding gown and looking like a princess. So he made her a flower girl and had a gown and tiara specially made for her."

"That's so cute." Lucy looked at the picture on her lap and joked, "He is so kind. He even found her a little groom of her own."

"Actually, that was the day her friendship with Ryan started. After that, he would bring her a slice of cake every day." Theodore stated, and they burst into another round of laughter at Zaria's 'love life'.