While Marvel was still at the pool, his phone vibrated. It was Uncle Mike. He answered immediately.
"Where are you, son?" Uncle Mike's voice was tense.
"I'm at the poolside," Marvel replied, frowning at the urgency in his tone.
"Someone is at the house looking for you. She said she won't leave until she sees you. I'm guessing you know who I'm talking about," Uncle Mike said.
Marvel ended the call without another word and broke into a run.
"Why am I running to her? I thought I was over her. She hurt me deeply. Why am I running to her again?" The questions pounded in his head as his feet hit the pavement.
He hailed a taxi and reached the house within minutes.
"There he is," Tansy said, pointing toward him. Everyone was gathered outside, waiting.
"What took you so long?" Gigi demanded, stepping forward with anger flashing in her eyes.
Marvel's jaw tightened. "What is wrong with you, Gigi? What do you want from me?" he asked. "I don't want you around me. I despise you," he added coldly.
"I already apologized to you," Gigi replied, her voice wavering. "You even blocked me on all your social media accounts."
"Because I couldn't stand seeing you with that boy," Marvel shot back. "You post him every day. You never did the same for me," he said, his voice laced with bitterness.
"I don't want to argue with you, Marvel. You were extremely toxic, and I had to let you go," Gigi said, her voice steady.
"Enough with your nonsense, Gigi!" Kwame yelled, stepping forward angrily. "You broke my brother's heart, shattered his world, and yet you weren't satisfied. You've come here to insult him too?"
Gigi's eyes flicked to Kwame. "There goes the good brother. If I had to choose between you two, I'd choose you without a second thought," she responded coolly.
Aunt Kathy folded her arms. "I've been quiet for a long time, I'm still trying to understand why you're here. What do you want, Gigi?"
Gigi lifted her chin. "Your son told everyone at school about our breakup, making me the villain in his story. I just came to let him know he's to blame for our breakup!"
Uncle Mike's expression hardened. "Young lady, you've overstayed your welcome. Get out of my property," he instructed firmly.
Gigi hesitated, rooted in place, until Tansy grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the group.
"I don't believe what you said," Tansy pressed as they moved. "What's the real reason you came here?"
Gigi shook Tansy's hand off. "I owe you no explanation. My work here is done." With that, she turned and left.
After dinner that night, the entire house fell silent. For some reason, no one mentioned Gigi.
The quiet felt heavy, oppressive. Alchemy, unsettled by the silence, decided to talk to Marvel about it. But when she reached his room, to her surprise, he wasn't there.
"Where could he have gone?", she wondered.
On her way back to her room, she ran into Kwame. His brow was furrowed with worry.
"Have you seen Marvel?" he asked, his voice tight with concern.
"No. I just checked his room. He isn't there," Alchemy answered.
Kwame exhaled and pulled her into a brief hug. "Okay. I'm going to take a nap. When you see Marvel, tell him I want to see him," he said.
"Okay," Alchemy replied, and continued to her room.
When she opened the door, she froze. Marvel was sitting on the edge of her bed, silent tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Marvel," Alchemy called softly.
He looked up, his eyes red-rimmed. "I need answers, Alchemy. Am I toxic? Is that why you chose Kwame over me?" he asked, wiping his tears with the back of his hand.
"Of course not!" Alchemy said quickly. "Don't listen to Gigi. Everything she said was a lie."
Marvel's voice broke as he sobbed. "Then tell me, Alchemy… why did you choose him? I'm having sleepless nights. I can't breathe, Alchemy."
Alchemy took his hands in hers. "You're perfect in your own way, Marvel. If I could have chosen for myself, I would have chosen you," she said gently.
Marvel's face twisted with pain. "You don't understand, Alchemy. I feel like I'm dying knowing you chose Kwame over me, it's like you hate me," he replied, his voice raw.
Alchemy pulled him into a tight hug. "I don't hate you, Marvel. I just don't love you the way I love your brother. I see you as a friend," she explained softly.
Marvel pulled away from the hug, urgency in his eyes. "And this is because I'm toxic, right?" he asked.
"I said don't listen to her!" Alchemy said, her voice rising with frustration.
"Then why? Why did you choose him?" Marvel asked.
He gently took Alchemy's hand and placed it over his heart. "Can you feel it? My heart beats for you, Alchemy," he whispered.
Alchemy turned away, but Marvel reached out and gently drew her back toward him.
Their eyes locked, and for a moment it felt like they were looking into each other's souls.
Marvel leaned in, his breath warm against her skin, and before she could speak, he kissed her.
He started to pull away, but Alchemy caught him, holding him closer as she kissed him back.
They fell onto the bed together, the kiss deepening into something passionate.
Meanwhile, Kwame stood in Marvel's room. He tried calling his brother, but the phone rang unanswered on the desk. Frowning, he decided to go look for him.
On his way out, Kwame decided to call Alchemy. Finding Marvel would be easier with two people searching.
But when he reached Alchemy's door, he froze. Muffled laughter and the soft sound of kissing drifted through the wood.
His hand curled into a fist. He didn't knock. He pushed the door open.
Alchemy and Marvel jerked apart on the bed, eyes wide when they saw him standing there.