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"This belongs to you, right?" He questioned, but the only thing that went on in her head since he dropped the necklace was her screaming. It was like she froze in time.

Suddenly, she shook her head. "No." She denied flat out and instantly turned her back to him. Gene felt surprised at how quick and easy it was for her to lie. She needed to get away from him.

"Really? I thought I saw it around your neck. Was I mistaken? I should ask your family."

What!?

Instantly, she turned and her next step was to hinder his further steps. "Wait." She ordered, her eyes pleading for him not to take another step.

He blankly stared down at her and watched as she spared a look back, a way to see if anyone was watching or heading their way.

Thankfully, there was none. She wasted not a second more and grabbed his arm, pulling him along with her towards the back of the house, away from prying eyes. Once she shut the door behind her for the sake of their privacy, her eyes were back on him. She spared him a glare and he could see the resentment in her eyes. Eventually, she lowered her eyes, letting go of his arm.

"You're her, right?" He was first to speak up, more excited about being right than about the situation.

"Listen." She started, not sure about what to say and how to say what needs to be said. She wasn't sure about her boldness. Would she be able to look him in the eyes without feeling embarrassed?

"Fine. The necklace is mine, but you understand that what... what happened was a mistake. It should... It should never have happened. I was in an awful place. I felt upset, frustrated, and had lost my sense of reasoning. You should know, I don't drink. I should have never let myself go so... you need to forget that night." She narrated and barely lifted her eyes to meet his, hopeful that he agrees with her.

He stared at her with an obvious expression. It was hard for her to fathom what might was going on in his head.

"Okay." He suddenly replied.

A frown appeared between her brows, but was quick to disappear. For some strange reason, she'd believed he would not let her off the hook so easily but he did and that made all she'd yapped seem crazy. A simple 'forget that night' would have sufficed.

"O-okay." She repeated, not sure about what she was doing and he gave a simple nod.

Huh. Would you look at that?

"Alright. I'm going back in." she confessed as she turned away, though doubt still plagued her mind. Yet, she was grateful that he'd accepted to leave the past in the past.

"Wait, I have a question." He interrupted unexpectedly. Gene drew to a halt on her steps and spared him a glance.

"Question?" She inquired, as she turned back to him.

"Yeah. I'm curious. Do you regret it because I was a stranger or because you realized I'm younger than you are?"

She stared at him. Yet, his face barely held any expression, just a straight face.

She lowered her eyes away from him. Her hands by her side quietly struggled with grasping onto her straight-cut skirt. She felt nervous and scared. She felt like she was slowly being backed up into a corner with no escape. Not now. She wasn't ready to face it all or expressively talk about the situation. She does indeed regret what happened between them more than anything.

His question was unexpected. Gene hadn't thought about a specific reason. In fact, she had tried so hard to forget it ever happened. Yes, him being her younger brother's best friend made the situation even more complicated.

Yet, Gene tried not to think about it while hating that night enough to shove it at the back of her mind. To her, everything was wrong. From the moment she'd woken by his side and right up to this conversation, nothing was right.

Gene gulped down hard as she gradually lifted her eyes to him. The situation made her tense and she didn't want to talk about this. She wasn't sure what to reply and more so blamed herself. Her desperation had gotten the best of her, and this was the result. Gene felt ashamed, yet she tried hard enough to not make it noticeable.

Elliot was good at reading expressions and the meaning behind the smallest human behaviour.

He'd noticed her hands by her side, trying to hold on, to even the smallest material of her skirt. Nervousness. Her constant inability to match his gaze. A little timid or, perhaps, embarrassed. She differed from the woman he'd met that night. Now, he was sure she'd been purely under the influence of alcohol.

"I changed my mind." He stated, and her eyes lifted to him. "I don't think I want to know your reply. You're right. We should move on." He added, and watched as she silently heaved a sigh of relief.

"Gene!" her mother called, and both turned their heads at once to the house, where the voice came from.

At once, they took the first step and hands stretched out to the door. The moment their fingers brushed, Gene was first and quick to withdraw. He took notice.

"Sorry." He apologised, and she nodded without meeting his eyes.

"After you." He told her as he took a step back, paving way for her to leave first. She thought little and simply accepted his gesture. She was in a hurry to leave.

"Thank you." She appreciated as she walked back into the house.

On purpose, Elliot stalled for a few more seconds. Gene was desperate to keep their past between them without her family ever finding out the truth. For a strange reason, he was ready to keep it that way... for her, for her happiness.

That night, Gene couldn't sleep. She turned on her bed many times. Finally, she laid on her back and stared at the ceiling, regardless of the darkness. The light was, as usual, cut and Gene was incapable of turning on a generator. She has one but seldom ever uses it. She wasn't the cooking type, so nothing's ever really in her fridge.

A loud sigh left her lips as she sat up.

"Does it make sense? Of all the people in Nigeria, why him?" She complained in irritation. She recalled how beaten she'd appeared when he got the truth out of her and Genevieve could only imagine how stupid and vulnerable her appearance might have seemed.

Suddenly, old memories crossed her mind. Then he was quite young, barely brushing shoulders with her. Now, her height barely surpasses his shoulders. He'd lived with his grandmother down the street and was in her parents' home every single day. Gene hadn't paid him much attention. University affairs kept her too busy to take more notice of him. One day, her mum informed her that the young boy had left for the U.S. with his mother. That was the end.

Gene slumped back on the bed and picked a pillow. She covered her face with it and screamed as much as she could. Eventually, she removed the pillow.

Gene concluded, what happened has happened. She needed to maintain the little dignity and respect she has left. She was going to try to avoid him as much as she could. Hopefully, no more surprises.