SEALED WITH A KIS

"You are breaking up with me?" I asked.

"I didn't say that, Ashley. I said I want a break."

"What's the difference?"

"Whatever."

"Really? It's now like that."

"It's not like I don't like you. I want someone fun and exciting, Ashley. We are different. You never want to go out with me and my friends."

"Well, your friends are a bad influence on you and me."

"Just like yours. You are uninteresting."

"And you?"

"You read only books and study planets. Like, who does that in the 21st century? How can I be with someone who is only into books and space? So not cute, Ashley.

"And you are not so perfect either, Philip. You only care about fame."

"At least I care about something important unlike you."

How did I not realize he felt this way? We've been together for over 4years. Love sucks I guess. I thought.

"You also have your flaws. Forgetting my birthday, sitting on the couch all day watching a football match, hanging out with friends. And I'm sorry if you think I'm too responsible and mature. So, you know what, Philip? Fine! We are so over! Come get your things from my apartment before I trash them."

"I dare you."

"Fuck off!" I stormed out angrily. "Hello" I picked the phone that had been ringing."

"Sup gal. How did it go?"

"Don't wanna talk about it over the phone. When I get there."

"Kk."

I bashed into the bar. I walked up to Kylie as soon as I sighted her.

"What's up gal? Wow, you got a lot of tempers down there. You want some?" She offered me a cup of champagne. I could not resist cus I was so not in the mood to keep it low.

"Thanks," I replied without another word.

"I thought this was supposed to be your 4th anniversary date night. What went wrong?"

"Philip is an asshole. A fuckin damn asshole!"

"Okay, why?"

"Can you believe what he said to me?"

"What did he say?"

"He called me uninteresting, boring, and not his type. I've been with him for 4 good years and he's only realizing I'm not his type now."

"He's so fucked up. He doesn't know what he is missing out on."

"I can't believe I loved that imbecile for 4years. I just wish I could take a bullet and put it right into his head."

"Chill gal. You don't wanna commit murder. Here's an idea, why don't you go out there and dance your pain away. Have fun. It's your right after all."

"You're right. Maybe it will ease my pain a little bit."

"That's my goal." I danced my way to the crowd and started performing my special moves.

"What's that one called?" I turned to know where that gorgeous voice came from.

"Oh my!" I exclaimed. Gorgeous wasn't that word I was looking for, stunning wasn't either. I stood there stumbling for the right words when he snapped his fingers at my face.

"Did I startle you?"

"Um, no..no. Not at all. I mean, hi! How...... How are you doing? I'm such a mess."

"No, you ain't. I think you are awesome."

"At least someone thinks I'm something other than boring and nerdy."

"Whoever thinks of you as boring needs to get his fuckin ass outta the 90s and come join us," I smirked a little.

"Thanks. I'm pretty sure you've said that too many girls. You are good at it though."

"Hey, do you wanna go outside? This place is too noisy."

"Sure." After we got outside, he moved closer to me and squeezed my palm into his."Wow, the moon looks kinda attractive today."

"Yea, you do."

"Huh?"

"Oh, I thought we were talking about you. But the moon does look attractive. I don't think it's gonna win if there was such a thing as a competition between you two on who's more attractive."

"Awwww! Thanks."

"What is a beautiful girl like you doing in a noisy and corrupt area."

"You are here."

"I'm a guy."

"Not a valid answer but I will take it."

"Still not answered my question."

Should I tell him? I thought. No, he's only a stranger. I know he's nice and charming and seems easy to talk to but I can't let anyone in especially not after my break up with Philip. "Um, my friend's been feeling down since her boyfriend broke up with her. I needed to bring her outta her sad bedroom and lighten up her mood."

"Poor gal. No girl should have to go through that. I once had a girl who did the same to me."

"Really?"

"Nay. Just tryna lighten up your mood. Your friend gets a broken heart but you're the one feeling the pain. More like you're the one who's been ditched."

"Ha Ha! Me? Ditched? Nay, no one can break my heart."

"Your expression's saying a different thing. You're not very good at lying."

"I'm not lying. Plus, why do you even care if I'm lying or not? I don't owe you an explanation, do I?"

"Wow, you seem to have a lot of anger issues."

"I'm sorry." He stared into my eyes. "I don't mean to be rude. I'm not just in a good mood."

"I know what will cheer you up. Let's go out to the movie theater. You can pick the movie."

"Thanks. I appreciate your offer but I just want to be alone."

"I understand. Do you want me to give you and your friend a ride home?"

"No, we'll walk. I'm sorry I know you think I'm being rude."

"No, I get it. Your friend is very lucky indeed. You haven't told me your name yet."

"Ashley. Ashley Berk."

"Richard Smith. If it's okay with you can I have your number?"

"Sure. It's +1 43......" Before I could finish there was a very loud gunshot sound coming from inside. I ran into the club looking for Kylie when suddenly everywhere turned dim."

"Is she awake?"

"I don't think so. Do you think she will be alright?"

"I pray."

"Oww! My head hurts badly." I turned to the other side of the bed and saw a figure that looked like Richard and jumped to my feet.

"Good gracious, Ashley. You jumped like you saw a cockroach."

"Oh my! Kylie, who's the dude?"

"He's Drex. The guy from last night. He saved you after you had for some reason collapsed."

"Saved me?"

"Yeah. What the hell did you think you were doing in there. Do you wanna die?"

"No. All I remember is there was a loud noise coming from inside the club. I went in there in search of you but I can't remember what happened after that."

"There was a very massive attack by hoodlums at the club last night. It was a very dangerous fight as there were exchanges of blows and bullets. Thankfully I saw you where you had passed out. I think those hoodlums were looking for someone."

"But how did I pass out?"

"Maybe you fainted out of tension or you probably got hit on the head."

"My head still hurts."

"You were with a guy last night. Who was he?"

"I can't remember. Oh yes, his name is Richard."

"Richard?"

"Mmm. He was so nice to me. He asked me for my number but I got distracted."

"When will your bad luck ever end. You are too impossible. Do you still recall what he looked like?"

"He was um, yeah I think he was tall, fair, and yeah he's a blonde."

"Richard Smith?"

"Yes, that's it. Wait. How did you know his last name?"

"Smith comes to the club almost every time."

"Wow! When I was starting to think that he was different."

"He is different. He comes to the club for the opposite reasons."

"Huh?"

"He's not the kind that comes to the club for pleasure. He never even talked to a lady at the club. The other day he drove me home in his brand SUV car. He's so gentle and handsome. Damn! I can't get him outta my head."

"Easy there."

"Someone looks jealous."

"I'm not. I don't want to rush into it, especially not after my recent breakup."

"Girl, you gotta get your ass out there and find real love. You can't let Philip see you're miserable. Trust me when I say he's gonna take advantage of that."

"She's right," Drex, who had been listening from the corner of the room, replied. "Look, I don't know what your relationship was or is like but I do know one thing for sure. If you keep lying miserably on your bed that asshole is gonna think you can't live without him and he's gonna keep hurting you intentionally."

"Alright, I will give it a try."

"Yea! That's the spirit. Let's start with looking for him on social media." She brought out her laptop and turned it on."

"How is all this going to help?" I asked casually.

"Be positive. Okay, let's type Richard Smith." She paused for a while and turned to look at me.

"What's wrong? Is he married?"

"Not sure about that but the Internet says he has a baby with a model."

"Wow! Sounds like he's popular. Having a baby with a model is a great deal."

"Yea. The Internet says he's a lawyer and a big businessman. And, oh my gosh!"

"What?"

"He's a very close friend of Nathan Williams."

"Oh my!" Rebecca, who had been listening to the whole time since she walked into the room exclaimed. "You mean, Nathan, the billionaire? The son of Barrister Williams, the multi-billionaire?"

"Yea."

"Wait. He's a billionaire and his father is also a billionaire?" I asked sheepishly.

"Oh, come on nerd. Nathan is the talk of the town and also every girl's dream. He's so rich and cute. His eyes are the prettiest."

"What's a boy with so much money still doing unmarried?"

"He's only 24. What does he need marriage for at this age? It's not like you are married."

"Rebecca."

"Let her be, Kylie. Rebecca, it's a good thing I didn't accept his wedding proposal then otherwise I would have regretted that day. Philip and I are no longer together."

"I'm so sorry about that. I wasn't aware."

"It's okay."

"Now everything is settled. Now back to this Richard guy." Kylie said. KNOCK KNOCK

"Who's at the door? Isn't it too early."

"Kylie, some FBI agents are here," Drex said.

"Why?"

"They want to have a word with Ashley."

"Me? What did I do? I've never been to the club in my life excluding yesterday or am I now in trouble for going to the club. My parents are going to disown me if I go to jail. I shouldn't have gone to the club."

"Chill gal. We are not gonna let them take you."

"Yea Ashley. I know I may be sassy but you are still my roomy after all. I don't want my name being ruined all because of you. I hope you didn't do or take anything at the club?"

"Rebecca if you have nothing meaningful to say please shut up. I'm trying to figure out a way to get Ashley out of this mess."

"Ashley Berk, please come with us." One of the FBI agents said nicely.

"I hope I'm not in trouble?"

"Just come with us. We would answer all your questions at the police station."

"But,"

"Ashley," Kylie tapped me on the shoulder. "Just go with them and find out what they want. We are all here for you."

"Okay. Let me get changed first."

After the long silence at the police station, a tall fair man in uniform walked into the room and sat opposite me.

"Good day, Miss Ashley Berk." he greeted nicely.

"Hi. I hope I'm not in some kind of trouble?"

"As long as you choose to remain honest with us. There's no need to fear or lie to us, Miss Berk. Just be honest with us and I won't get violent."

"Violent?" I swallowed a lump of saliva. I felt like a criminal even though I knew I wasn't.

"Where were you last night?"

"I went on a date with my boyfriend but things didn't turn out well so I went over to the club at street 56 to spend time with my friend." He brought out a pen and wrote down what I had said. I had seen this in movies but never had I thought that I would be in such a sticky situation.

"Do you know Richard Smith?"

Richard Smith? The handsome guy I had met the previous night, the guy Kylie thought to be my dream prince. Why had the police mentioned his name? Is he a criminal? Could he be involved with what happened the previous night? Was that why I fainted. All these went through my head as I watched the FBI agent speechlessly.

"Miss Berk."

"Yes?"

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes."

"You seem tense."

"No. I'm alright. Thanks."

"Back to my question. How are you related to Richard Smith?"

"He's just a friend from the previous night. Last night was our first time"

"An eyewitness that saw you two said you weren't just talking like people meeting for the first time."

"He was nice to me, that's why I felt so free in talking to him. I don't even know where he stays or what he does for a living."

"You and Richard left the club at around 11:25 pm. Exactly to where?"

"To the balcony."

"The balcony huh?"

"Yes."

"You were at the club at street 56 and that small house has a balcony?"

"Yes. A small house can have a balcony. I and Richard went up there."

"So, you want me to believe that you went to the club because your boyfriend broke up with you and then you accidentally bumped into a mysterious guy who asked you to the imaginary balcony and you followed him without any attempt of refusal, and then you went home. And suddenly the cops showed up at your residence this morning."

"That's exactly what I've been trying to say to you."

"Miss Berk! Do you think I'm stupid?" He banged the table so loud that the cup of coffee which was placed neatly on the table poured.

"No. Why in the world would I think you are stupid?"

"Miss Berk, all I'm asking for is the truth. You have one last chance to say the truth or I will have to lock you up and get the truth out of you myself."

"I've just told you the truth, Mr. Cedric. Richard and I parted ways after I left to go check on my friend."

"Here are pictures of you with Richard at 11:45 pm." He handed me the pictures. "And, Richard Smith was murdered at 11:46 pm."

"What! No! This can't be true. I'm such a terrible person. He asked me for my number. Perhaps, if I had stayed a little bit longer he won't have died."

"Miss Berk, no amount of tears will get you out of this mess. Do you know who Richard Smith was? His parents have asked me to bring his murderer to book."

"Just because I was last seen with him doesn't make me a criminal. Why in hell would I want to murder someone I was just meeting for the first time."

"Money. " a tall blonde girl walked in with her arms around her chest. "You couldn't take your eyes off him because he's rich, that's why you've been spending the night with him. And let me guess, he told you he has a fiance and he was tired of seeing you that's why you murdered him. Don't you feel ashamed of yourself? How could you even stand here and be defending yourself? Officer! Lock this brat up." She screamed.

"Excuse me, lady, I'm not a criminal. I know my right as a citizen and you can't lock me up without any solid evidence. I haven't done anything wrong so I don't see any reason why I should feel ashamed."

"You are so cheap. I'm going to teach you a lesson." She gestured toward me. Before she could raise her hand to my face a young handsome man entered the room and pulled her by the waist.

"That's enough, Amalia. Remember what the doctor said. Stress isn't good for the baby."

"Nate, she is Richards' murderer. She killed your best friend. She's no good. I won't spare her. "

"Leave that to the police to decide. If you touch her these people will lock you up."

"Let me see who dares to do that." She pulled me by my hair.

"Amalia!" Nathan pulled her to the wall. "Amalia, you're not the only one having a rough time. He wasn't just my friend he was my brother. I never went anywhere without him. He was family to me. But you don't see me going around harassing people just to satisfy my pain. Amalia, please let's handle this like civilized adults. Okay?"

"I hate you so much." She looked at me for a while and stormed out.

"Cedric, that's enough for today. She's under a lot of stress already. None of these Is helping at all. Just close this case."

"The case won't be closed till I say so. I will not let my son's murderer go freely."

"Mum?" He looked at me for a while and then turned to look at her. "Okay, mum. We would do as you have said. Please wait in the car, I will join you in a sec. "

"Sure."

"I will take my leave also."

"Nathan." I felt my hands shivering on my lap.

"Yes? "

"Um, I'm very sorry. I know it must be very hard for you. On one hand, is your mom and on the other is your girlfriend."

"Amalia ain't my girlfriend. She is, well, Richard's fiancee. She's carrying his child as well. I'm sure you understand why she reacted that way. She's usually not like that. "

"Yeah, I get it now. It's not easy at all. I can't imagine myself in her shoes. I understand what you are going through. Losing someone you love isn't easy at all. I've gone through that experience. He isn't dead but the pain is relatable. If you ever feel like you need me I'm always there."

"Thanks um... "

"Ashley. "

"Thanks, Ashley. I will leave first. Well, I guess this is goodbye till we hopefully cross paths again."

"Sure."

"By the way, you have such a beautiful name and beautiful eyes. Don't take my compliments the wrong way."

"The one who needs that advice is your late brother's fiancee. If she ever starts liking you, people are gonna think she murdered your brother."

"I know you are only looking out for my family when you say that but she's carrying the rightful heir to my family. I can't just push her out that easily. Plus, Richard truly loved her. Bye."

"Bye. Officer can I leave now. It's all because of you I didn't go to work today."

"Yes, you can. But just know that you might return here often for questioning till Richards' murderer is found."

"I won't rest either till that person who's trying to ruin my image is locked up."

"You may go."

"Hey girl, how did it go?" Kylie and Rebecca rushed up to me the moment they saw me coming out.

"Please don't talk to me." I increased my pace.

"We are sorry. We tried our best to come in but there were a lot of reporters here waiting to interview you. Luckily, Nathan came out here and cleared the whole misunderstandings."

"Wow! He did that?"

"Yes. But why did the police call you here? Did something terrible happen?" Kylie asked.

"Mmm. Richard is dead."

"What!"