CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX, PARTY TIME

"Oh God, please keep quiet," Vida yelled at him and he stopped.

Mylar watched Camilo through the side of her eyes as they drove back home. His words kept echoing in her ears.

"Why would he say that before everyone?" She asked herself.

"Why do you keep looking at me?" Camilo asked her after a while of noticing her stare.

Huh! Mylar gasped. Camilo repeated his question.

"Why do you keep looking at me?"

"Why would I look at you?" Mylar asked with a shrug of her shoulder.

Camilo said to her.

"Stop using another question to answer my question."

"You are not that handsome you know," Mylar said quietly and Camilo stared at her, his face hardened.

They didn't speak to each other throughout the entire ride home.

"Will you please stop sulking already?" Mylar asked after he drove into his parking space. Camilo turned towards her and replied.

"I am not sulking."

"What are you doing then?" Mylar yelled at him.

Camilo was shocked by the way she yelled and the next thought that came into his mind was.

"The baby might fall if she yells this much again."

"I am sorry." He apologized.

She was rather surprised that Camilo apologized and so she forgave him.

Elio and Vida arrived at the Mansion later in the evening. They had to stop by a store to get Vida some sanitary pads which was embarrassing for her.

"You don't need to come in with me." Vida insisted when Elio offered to go into the store with her.

"Going in with you is no stress for me." Elio insisted and followed her inside.

Vida went to the lady at the counter and whispered to her that she needed a pack of sanitary pads but the lady was rather stupid, she kept asking Vida again and again if she was sure that what she wanted was just a pack of sanitary pads and not just a piece.

"She has been repeating the same thing to you or are you that dumb?" Elio yelled at the lady.

Vida did not even realize that Elio heard everything she was saying.

"She asked you for a pack of sanitary pads," Elio yelled at the lady who began fidgeting through the shelves after Elio's first terrifying yell.

Hearing what he said made Vida feel embarrassed, she bowed her head in shame and bit her lips.

"What a clumsy lady," Elio said to himself. He then noticed the way Vida acted and realized his mistake.

"Gosh, I shouldn't have said that now I made her embarrassed," Elio whispered to himself sadly.

The lady finally found the pads after several minutes of looking for them. She passed the store shopping bag to Vida who reluctantly collected it and turned around to leave.

"Miss, you haven't paid me yet." The lady shouted and Vida stopped walking, she grabbed her clothes tightly and bit her lips even more.

"Go and wait in the car, I will pay for it," Elio said to Vida, she nodded and ran out of the store.

"What's wrong with her? I didn't take that long to find it." The lady grumbled in an impolite manner.

"You have no right to say that when you render such poor services and when you are stupid," Elio said to the lady a bit upset.

He placed the money on the counter, and without collecting his change, he made his way to the door.

"Your change." She called at him but he ignored her and left anyway.

Vida!!! Elio called quietly after entering the car. Vida looked up at him and quickly bent her head again, she wasn't comfortable looking at him now.

He saw this and said to her.

"You shouldn't be ashamed of buying pads before a man."

Vida quickly objected.

"I wasn't ashamed."

Elio smiled and said to her.

"Then why are you still looking down instead of looking at me? Women shouldn't be ashamed of that, rather we men should be intrigued by how strong you guys are to be able to handle such pains."

Elio placed his hand gently on her hands which laid feebly on her lap, she was startled by his touch but still felt a longing and deep desire run through her because of that same touch.

"Don't ever feel ashamed of anything before me."

Vida was silent and he asked more calmly.

"Do you understand what I said?"

Vida nodded sharply and smiled at him.

"Good." He said, he took his hand off with a smile as he stepped on the accelerator and they drove out onto the highway.

When they arrived, they hurriedly went in as they were almost late for dinner. Mylar, Camilo, and Mr Julian were at the table waiting for them, this was no longer a surprise to Elio since the day Mylar became a part of their family but this was strange to Vida.

"When did they become this close? Camilo, Mr. Julian waiting for Elio?" Vida thought to herself.

"You guys were waiting for me? Why?" Elio asked after Mr Julian told him so.

"Yes, son. I wanted us to eat as a family like we've been doing recently, it has been fun dining with everyone together and this is also what your mom requested of me even though she won't be able to join us."

He pulled a chair out for Vida like a gentleman would and sat down on one himself after she settled. Vida greeted Mr Julian with a lovely smile.

"Seems like the both of you are close?" Mr Julian asked looking at Vida and Elio. Vida smiled strangely, this question made her nervous, what should she say?

"Yes we are, I am her friend," Elio replied and Vida breathed out softly, she was glad he spoke on her behalf. Mr Julian smiled at his son's reply.

They started eating, everyone quietly chewing their dinner, the only sound that could be heard was that of their cartularies.

Elio's ringing phone disrupted the silence, he brought it out of his pants pocket and when he saw who it was, he excused himself from the table.

"What?" Elio exclaimed after hearing what the caller had to say.

"How is that even possible?" He asked after a while.

Elio's shout made everyone leave the table and run to where he stood in the hallway.

"Elio what is wrong?" Mr Julian asked showing concern.

Elio raised his hand before them as a sign for them to wait. Then he said to the person.

"Yes, sure. Thank you very much."

After saying this, the caller hung up and Elio turned to the curious faces before him.

"Before I say anything else, I would like to say that I am sorry." Elio apologized making the people before him even more curious.

"What's there to apologize for?" Vida asked him and then he replied with a sad tone.

"The party we are organizing will have to wait because all the cosmetics they should have finished yesterday are still not finished yet. Two hundred more are still yet to be made."

"We still don't understand," Mylar said and Elio told them.

"Until the product is all ready, there can't be any launching. He told me that the product will be ready by the end of the month, therefore the party has been abruptly suspended till then."

"Is that why you are worried? You don't have to worry, we will just have the party at the end of the month then." Vida said to him with a smile.

"I am not worried about that but about Mylar who will give birth soon," Elio said expressing his concern.

Mylar decided to say something to get him to relax.

"My baby is due next month not the end of the month, so don't worry. Rather you should help me prepare by taking me to that shopping spree that you promised we would go for after party preparation is done."

Camilo quickly offered.

"I could take you for your shopping."

"No way, you don't have any fashion sense whereas Elio is a pro at choosing clothes," Mylar said and the rest started laughing at Camilo who immediately felt embarrassed.

The weeks passed by quickly. The party was the next day, Mylar tried her best throughout these weeks to go and see her doctor alone but Elio and Camilo couldn't keep her out of their sight for even a moment.

They even took turns taking care of her.

"Mylar, which of the new clothes will you prefer to wear?" asked Camilo.

He lay on the bed watching Mylar go through her wardrobe restlessly.

"I have no idea. They are all so beautiful and Elio insists I don't put on the lingerie till the main events start." She replied to Camilo without taking her eyes off the clothes.

"Just wear the one I bought for....." Camilo was saying this when she interrupted him.

I got it! She cried out excitedly and showed the full long red "Oh God, please keep quiet," Vida yelled at him and he stopped.