One Wild Night

His usually untamed beard was gone, replaced by a meticulously groomed appearance. And his outfit, an all-white loose shirt with free flowing pants and a white hat, more for aesthetic than protection from the sun, completed the transformation.

"Mia? Are you in?" Jeff called, eager to show off his appearance to Mia who had aroused his desire for a makeover.

As he walked further into the apartment, he noticed that Mia\'s bedroom door was slightly ajar, a soft light seeping through the crack.

He could see her seated on the floor, engrossed in her laptop, a few papers scattered around her.

Jeff hesitated for a moment, a playful smile on his face as he contemplated surprising Mia with his new look. He knocked on the door gently before pushing it open.

"Hey there, Mia," Jeff announced, his tone a mix of excitement and mischief.

Mia looked up, her eyes widening as they fell upon Jeff\'s transformed appearance. She blinked in disbelief, then broke into a wide grin. "Jeff? Is that really you?" she exclaimed, as she rose up.

Jeff took off his hat and did a dramatic twirl, showcasing his outfit. "Ta-da! What do you think? Bryan\'s wedding calls for a change, doesn\'t it? And as his manager and one of his groomsmen, it\'s only right that I look good," Jeff said with a grin which showed off dimples that Mia had never noticed.

Mia laughed, genuinely impressed. "You look amazing! I didn\'t recognize you at first. Bryan is going to be shocked."

"That\'s the plan!" Jeff winked, then his brows pulled together when something occurred to him.

"Why aren\'t you getting ready? Bryan called to say they were on their way already and that we could join Lucy\'s twin. The party starts soon, and you need to look as stunning as me," he said and Mia\'s smile faded a bit.

"I\'m not feeling too well. I think I will skip the party tonight," Mia said and Jeff narrowed his eyes.

"You don\'t look ill to me," he said and she gave him a pointed look.

"I don\'t have to look ill to be ill. I don\'t feel well, so I\'d rather stay back. Let them know I\'m not feeling okay and I\'m sorry to miss the party," Mia said and this time concern creased Jeff\'s forehead as he leaned forward.

He knew how much Mia loved Sonia, so he doubted that she would lie or pretend to be ill to miss Sonia\'s bachelorette party for no reason.

"Are you okay? Do you need anything? I can stay here with you if you want?" Jeff offered.

Mia appreciated the genuine concern in Jeff\'s eyes. "I will be fine, really. It\'s probably just a headache. You go and enjoy the party. Bryan will need his trusty manager by his side."

Jeff hesitated for a moment, torn between his commitment to the party and his concern for Mia. "I can\'t leave you here alone if you\'re not feeling well. I don\'t mind missing the party," he said and Mia shook her head, offering a reassuring smile.

"Jeff, I appreciate it, but you can\'t miss Bryan\'s bachelor party because of me. It wouldn\'t make sense for the two of us who work for him to miss his party. I\'m a big girl. I will be fine. Besides, I could use some quiet time," she said and reluctantly, Jeff sighed, glancing at Mia with a lingering worry.

"Promise me you will take care of yourself. And if you need anything, just call or text me, okay?" He said and Mia nodded, appreciating Jeff\'s caring nature.

"Of course, I will take care of myself. I think you should let open some of the buttons. It would give you a sexier look," Mia said and without thinking anything of her action she stepped forward and unbuttoned the first two buttons.

As she did that, Jeff gazed at her delicate hands, "Your hands are pretty," he said and she smiled.

"Thanks. I think you\'re good now," Mia said with a pleased smile as she stepped back to look at him.

"Now, go and have fun. Bryan is counting on you," she said, pointing to the door for him to leave.

As Jeff left Mia\'s bedroom, he couldn\'t shake off the lingering concern for her. Although he knew she was hiding something, he couldn\'t tell what she was hiding.

He wished she would be honest with him so he could help her in whatever way he could, Jeff thought as he made his way to his bedroom, where his reflection in the mirror reminded him of the stark contrast between his usual appearance and the polished version he now presented.

The transformation had been more than just physical– it was as if something inside him had been transformed too and with this new look of his, he was open to meeting ladies now. He made a mental note to ask Mia to sign him up on one of her dating sites as she had offered to do some weeks ago.

Outside the apartment, Lucas parked the car to let Amy out so he could hurry back to the hotel to pick Tyler and get ready for them to leave for the party.

"Thank you so much," Amy said for what was beginning to seem to Lucas like the one millionth time.

Without responding, Lucas got out of the car and took out her luggage from the backseat, and she got out of the car to join him.

"I can take it insi…." Before she could finish Lucas walked past her to go get the door and once he dropped the bag inside the bedroom, he turned to Amy who was standing in the living room and staring at him.

20:02

"Here is the key. I will be off now. Be good," Lucas said as he set the key on table before heading for the door.

"Wait!" Amy called before Lucas could leave.

"Yeah?" Lucas asked, and Amy gazed at him, unable to say what she wanted to say.

"Uhm, never mind," she said with a shake of her head even though she had wanted to ask him if he would come back to the apartment and if he was leaving Ludus soon.

"Alright then," Lucas said as he walked out of the house and shut the door behind him.

He was aware that she wanted to say something to him but he just wasn\'t curious enough to want to make her say it. And neither did he have the time. He had other commitments and as far as he was concerned he had given Amy enough of his time for the day.

Lucas walked over to the apartment which Mia and Jeff shared and he pressed the doorbell.

Jeff answered the door, "You are Lucas, right?" Jeff asked and Lucas nodded.

"Yes. We can leave now, but if you don\'t mind we would have to stop at the hotel for me to pick Tyler and also change into my outfit. I don\'t think it makes sense for me to drop Amy over and then go back to the hotel to get dressed and then come back here to pick you," Lucas said and Jeff nodded in agreement.

"I agree with you. We can leave now since I\'m ready. I will wait in the car," Jeff said and Lucas raised a brow.

"What about your girlfriend? Is she ready?" He asked and Jeff frowned.

"Mia? She isn\'t my girlfriend. And no, she is not coming with us. She isn\'t feeling well," Jeff said and Lucas nodded.

"Alright. Let\'s leave then," Lucas said as he returned to the car, and Jeff called out to Mia that he was leaving before following after Lucas.

"I suppose you know the venue?" Lucas asked hopefully after he started driving.

"No, I don\'t. I thought you did," Jeff said and Lucas sighed.

"I thought you would know it. Tom offered to send his driver to get us but I said we would find our way," Lucas said and Jeff chuckled.

"Then we will just have to hope we don\'t get lost," Jeff said and Lucas laughed too.

"We can use google map…."

"No way! I\'d rather get lost on my own than let google map do that to me. The last time I did that, I had my regrets. I\'m sure we will find our way. And we can call Tom or Lucy and ask for directions as we go. I wonder why they chose to throw a party outside the city," Lucas said the last part more to himself than to Jeff.

A short while later after they had picked Tyler and Lucas had changed into his outfit which Tyler had gotten for them both, Tyler looked at Jeff.

"I thought your girlfriend was coming with us?" He asked Jeff curiously.

"He said she is not feeling too well so she isn\'t coming with us," Lucas informed Tyler.

Tyler could bet his last cash that she wasn\'t ill and was not joining them because she was avoiding him. Of that he was very sure.

But why? Was it possible that she was Vanessa Rosewood? If she was, why was she here when she was supposedly dead and buried? Tyler mused.

"And she is not my girlfriend. We only work together," Jeff said and Tyler raised a brow.

"Really? How long has she been working with you?" Tyler asked curiously, wanting to get as much information as he could on her.

"Close to two years now. If you\'re asking because we live together, it\'s just a temporary arrangement because we moved here on short notice," Jeff clarified.

"No. That isn\'t why I was asking. She just looks very much like someone I used to know. It\'s almost like she came back from the dead," Tyler said and Lucas sighed.

"I can\'t believe you\'re still on that. She is most likely not the one. Doppelg?ngers exist," Lucas said but Jeff\'s interest was piqued.

"That\'s highly unlikely. Did she have a reference? Maybe somewhere she worked before joining you. Of where she is from? Do you know her family?" Tyler asked, and this further aroused Jeff\'s interest.

"Did you tell her she looks familiar?" Jeff asked ignoring Tyler\'s question.

"Yes. Earlier. But she claimed she had a common face," Tyler said, and that made Jeff remember what Harry had said as well when he met Mia for the first time and how she seemed to have avoided every gathering where Harry was present including the anniversary dinner party.

He remembered she had claimed she was ill then as well, and he also remembered how flustered she had been to see Harry at Bryan\'s engagement party.

Jeff also remembered how uncomfortable she seemed each time he asked about her family or anything personal.

"Can I see a picture of this person you think she looks like? What\'s her name?" Jeff asked, wanting to see if it was truly Mia since it made sense that Mia was possibly avoiding this party because of Tyler.

"Vanessa Rosewood. At first I thought I was mistaken but then I asked a friend and colleague of mine who was close to her for her picture and name, and he sent this today," Tyler said as he passed the phone from the back to Jeff who was seated in front.

The moment Jeff saw the photo of Vanessa Rosewood, he knew without a doubt that it was Mia, only that her eyes seemed sadder than they already were, but there was a forced smile on her lips, and she was dressed very elegantly in stylish and expensive clothes.

"This lady is dead?" Jeff asked as he gazed at the face which he knew very well was Mia\'s.

"Yes. She supposedly died in an accident. Don\'t you think she looks like your colleague?" Tyler asked and Jeff shook his head.

"There is a resemblance, but I\'m sure she isn\'t the one," Jeff lied, determined to protect Mia from whatever it was she was running from.

Although he didn\'t know her story, he didn\'t need to know the details to know that she wasn\'t a criminal and whatever she was running from must have made her really sad seeing how she looked so sad even in the picture and kept crying till date.

"You didn\'t tell your friend that you saw someone who looked like her, did you? It would be mean to give false hope to someone after they had grieved," Jeff said, wanting to be sure Tyler wouldn\'t cause any problems for Mia.

"I didn\'t," Tyler lied, "Did I mention that they never saw her body after the accident?"

"Too bad she isn\'t the one. They will have to keep looking for the body elsewhere," Jeff said stiffly.