Chapter 10
Back at her villa, Allison carried her gift inside, juggling it with her suitcase as she continued packing. As she tucked away the present meant for Joshua, her thoughts wandered back to his composed and striking face.
They went way back.
Their families lived just a couple of blocks away in the same neighborhood, so they often crossed paths as kids, Joshua was four years her senior. The first time she laid eyes on him was at the Fisher family’s place. Her parents had taken her along for a visit. She was just ten then, still a kid, while Joshua already looked like he had stepped right out of a teen drama as the leading heartthrob.
Allison could still recall her first glance at Joshua, thinking he was unbelievably cute. His face had an almost intimidating allure, but his eyes were as chilly as a winter’s day. Her mom nudged her to say hello, and she obediently called out, “Joshua.”
In her memory, Joshua was always a bit distant. He replied with a simple “Hello.” She figured he must be tough to get along with, and this assumption stuck with her for years.
Then came high school and, with it, her struggles in math. Somehow, Joshua’s mother Rose caught wind of it and suggested to her father Javier, “Why not have Joshua tutor Allie? He aced his math exams with top marks!”
By then, Allison’s mother had passed, and her carefree nature had shifted drastically over five years. She’d grown from a carefree kid into a quiet, rebellious teen.
“I don’t need your help,” was her greeting when Joshua walked into her home.
Joshua was twenty–one then, tall and lean, easily over six feet. He wore a plain white tee and dark gray jeans. His hair was slightly tousled, lending him a rogue vibe.
‘But I insist,” he replied, his voice carrying a playful yet nonchalant tone.
Allison expected Joshua to be strict and demanding, but she was wrong. After going through her math papers, Joshua simply furrowed his brow and patiently walked her through each problem. There wasn’t a hint of impatience in his manner.
His voice was low and smooth, with a slight gravelly touch that made math seem less ntimidating to her. He even showed her two or three different ways to solve some problems.
Allison’s initial defiance gradually turned into admiration. “Wow, you’re amazing! It’s been ages since you were in high school. How do you remember everything so well?”
‘Not everything,” he admitted with a grin. “I did brush up on the textbooks before coming over.”
During the summer of her junior year, Joshua tutored her for two whole months. He was a junior at Lakeside College then and devoted almost his entire summer to helping her, checking her
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Chapter 10
work, and grading her papers.
High school summer flew by, and when her classes resumed, Joshua was still on break. Every afternoon, Allison would come home to find him waiting in her living room, ready to dive into more math lessons.
Thanks to Joshua, her math scores soared, jumping from failing to a solid A. She excelled in her other subjects, and with math no longer holding her back, she got into Lakeside College, following Joshua’s step.
Back then, she saw Joshua as the ideal big brother. She admired and liked him, but romance never crossed her mind. So, when her dad brought up the idea of an arranged marriage with the Fisher family and Joshua becoming her husband, she couldn’t wrap her head around it. To her, Joshua was just a brother.
As Allison was lost in thought, the sound of the bedroom door opening snapped her back to reality. Shawn stood there, leaning in the doorway. “Almost done packing?”
“Yeah, just about,” she replied.
Shawn gave her a knowing look. “Allison, is there something you want to talk about?“
