Her Forbidden Billionaire

Chapter 3

Raina and Veronica were in her apartment, putting in place everything that they had bought. As she put the Christmas table cloth on, she spared a look to take it all in. Raina realized that she couldn’t recognize her cozy apartment, which was turned into a Christmas paradise. A mood lifter, definitely.

The stereo was playing a mix of Christmas songs that the both of them hummed while working. They had put up the Christmas tree, had put the baubles in place and had taken a selfie of the both of them adding the star on the top. It had been truly a magnificent, irreplaceable, intimate moment the two best friends shared.

“It is amazing,” Raina had said.

“Yeah, it is. I envy you,” Veronica had joked and giggled.

At the moment Veronica was putting all the food in the fridge, while Raina put the final touches in place. The miniature snowman found its rightful place on the club table, the lights hung low above the windows, blinking in the colors of the rainbow. She loved her apartment even more.

“Raina?” Veronica’s voice came from the kitchen.

“Yeah?” Raina replied.

“Come over here.” She did and witnessed the fridge packed up with a turkey, some beverages, beer, vegetables, fruit, ingredients for cranberry sauce, banana crumb muffins, pancakes, winter rolls… Those were just a couple of the things her eyes detected.

“Thank you, sis.” Raina hugged Veronica. “What would I do without you?” The whole atmosphere and her friend’s kindness and generosity to help her touched her. Raina felt tears accumulating in her eyes. Her hands tightened even more around her friend’s body; her nails played with Veronica’s red sweater.

“There, there,” Veronica whispered and through her voice Raina understood that she, too, was close to crying. Raina let the tears fall. She needed to get the lump in her heart free. She cried like a little baby in Veronica’s embrace. Feeling sudden closure and warmth, her body relaxed as she still sobbed.

Veronica broke the hug and now placed her hands on Raina’s cheeks, wiping the falling tears that didn’t seem to finish. “I will do this forever and ever for you, okay? You are my best friend.” Veronica’s eyes, Raina noticed, were glassy.

“Thank you,” Raina managed before they hugged again and stayed liked that for a while to calm down their roaring emotions and to compose themselves.

“Okay, enough crying for today,” Veronica said, holding her nose.

“Yeah…” Raina chuckled, her face red and her eyes swollen. “Come on. I’ll make some cookies and you make yourself at home in the living room.”

“That actually sounds like a terrific idea.” Veronica flashed her the best smile, leaving the kitchen to the skillful hands of her friend.

Raina rolled up her sleeves and opened the door of the fridge. She took out the butter, white sugar, light brown sugar, vanilla, eggs, some flour, baking soda, salt and finally the chocolate chips. The soft yet crunchy chocolate chip cookies were her favorite and at the same time they were the house’s specialty in Raina Barnes’s apartment.

After around twenty minutes, the cookies were lying on the pan to cool off. Veronica shouted her name from the living room.

“What’s up? Your Will Smith is on TV again?” Raina shouted back, teasing Veronica.

“No, it is more important than that. Come and see.”

Raina touched the cookies to see whether they were edible before leaving them some more and headed for her living room. She encountered Veronica on her laptop, logged in on Facebook. When she came closer she saw that the other tabs of the internet browser showed Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn and Pinterest. What was happening?

“Do you know this guy?” Veronica said with a grin glued on her face.

Raina stared at the picture dominating the screen on her laptop. It showed an African American in his late twenties, with a hair turned upward, black eyes and a wide smile with perfect teeth. He was on a beach somewhere in an exotic place, topless with only white shorts on. She looked better, focusing on his facial features although his extraordinary body was awfully distracting.

“That’s Dean! Dean Franklin!”

“You bet he is, Raina. Look at him! Just look at this beauty that God has sent before our eyes!” Veronica laughed.

Raina accepted the laughter. “You have a boyfriend!”

“I do, but I have eyes as well,” Veronica replied. “Seriously, girl. This guy is ten out of ten. You have to take some action. This is literally a chance you shouldn’t miss. He is one in ten million, girl, look at him!”

“Veronica, he is good-looking, yeah…”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Veronica added.

“Okay, he is drop-dead gorgeous and looks like an underwear model. But we are practically related. He is my stepfather’s son. Dean is, in fact, my stepbrother.” Raina was looking straight into her friend’s eyes with a smile.

“Well, let me flash back a bit, sister. My memories whisper to me that your mother and Raymond didn’t actually marry. They are in a relationship, but not in an official, legal one. Raymond is lawfully not your stepfather and Dean is nothing but a stranger. And a handsome stranger, indeed. You should take matters into your own hands, mark my words,” Veronica pointed out.

Raina pondered Veronica’s words for a while. She was right. Absolutely right. They were by no means related.

“Hands down, V, you’re right, but I am still not sure about that.” Raina dismissed the conversation. “And what’s with all those tabs? You have been spying on him?”

“I am not going to let some maniac into my friend’s house. And besides I was looking for some more pictures like the ones we are looking at right now,” Veronica said and she earned a playful hit in the upper arm by Raina.

“My cookies are ready. I don’t have time for this.” Raina smiled as Veronica yelled protests behind her. It was nice having company in her apartment.

They spent some time together, tasted the cookies, which according to the both of them were fantastic. The time came to say their farewells.

“Hey, before you leave I have something for you,” Raina said and jumped. She appeared with two wrapped gifts.

“Oh, what’s that?” Veronica’s eyes gleamed.

“The left one is for your boyfriend and the right one for you.”

“Oh, thanks, sweetie. How incredible that you thought of us.” Veronica hugged her, opening the presents. The left one revealed a red and green scarf with snowmen and Christmas trees. “It’s amazing. Chris will love it.”

“Wait until you open yours,” Raina said winking.

Veronica did and burst into laughter. “It seems that you took some of my craziness as well. Thanks, I am using this on the holiday, with his parents in the house or not, I don’t care.”