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Chapter 3

It has been a pretty busy week for Jewel, getting used to the new house and there�s also her work in the publishing house. She didn�t have much time to �explore� her new home. That�s why she was really looking forward to this night. She invited Andi over for dinner. They have just finished watching a video that she rented, and they are now sitting on the sofa and chatting while listening to the radio. Just then, A1�s song, �Like A Rose� came on.
�Oh, this is my favorite!� Jewel turned up the volume a bit.
�Yeah, it�s a nice song.�
�So, have you ever seen A1 before?�
�If you mean in a gig, then no,� Andi said. �But I have seen them in our office building quite a few times. They seem to be nice guys. And cute, too.�
�Really?�
�Yeah,� Andi gave her a knowing look. �Why? Are you interested?�
�Well, if you mean romantically, no. But I do need to know what kind of guys they are. I mean, I will be living with them.�
�You know, you really are very lucky. Any A1 fan would gladly trade places with you.�
�Yeah, I guess so,� Jewel sighed. �I just hope that I can get along well with these guys.�
�Oh, come on! You�re a very likable person. I�m sure you�ve got nothing to worry about.�
�I sure hope so. As long as we all get along well, then there would be no problem. No problem at all.�

One Friday night, a week later, Jewel has just arrived from work. She�s very tired and a bit stressed. It has been a very busy day in the office. She decided to just soak in the tub for a while. After locking the front door, she proceeded to her room where she undressed and put on a lavender bathrobe. She tied her hair in a bun and took her CDman. She went to the bathroom, closed the door and washed her face. Jewel never really liked wearing make-up. She prefers to go out with just lip-gloss and not the whole works. Even with her hair, she�s not too fussy. She wears them in simple styles.
After washing and drying her face, she filled the bathtub with water and poured her favorite jasmine-scented bubble bath soap. Then after removing her bathrobe, she stepped in the tub and lied down. She put on the headphones of her CDman and pressed the random button. Soon, the song �I Still Believe� by A1 started. She closed her eyes, and, as Mark�s voice filled her ears, she allowed her self to calm down.

In the meantime, just a few blocks away from Green Valley Estate, the A1 boys were chatting inside a car. They�ve just arrived from the airport, where that car was waiting to take them to the �A1 house�.
�I can�t wait to get into that bed,� Ben stretched out his arms.
�Me, too,� Christian said as he yawned, that it sounded more like �mee-oo�. �Which one�s my room again?�
�How should we know? This is the first time we�ll ever see the place,� Paul said. �But I�ll take the one near the bathroom.�
�Don�t you mean near Jewel�s room?� Mark teased.
�No,� Paul said with a tone. �I mean near the bathroom.�
�Jewel?� Ben asked. �Who�s she?�
�Ben, you never pay attention to our meetings, do you?� Mark said. �Tim told us that Jewel�s going to be living in the A1 house, so that someone�s going to be there whenever we�re on tour.�
�In other words, she�s the house-sitter,� Christian concluded.
�Oh,� Then Ben�s face lit up. �What does she look like?�
Paul grinned. �I knew you were going to ask that!�
�I guess we�ll see soon enough,� Christian said as they pulled up in front of the house.
They got their stuff from the car, thanked the driver, and went to the front door. As Mark turned the key, he said, �Oh, by the way, Tim said that there�s a car in the garage. He told us to use it to get around town. The keys are with me.�
�Hey, how come he gave you the keys to the house and to the car?� Christian asked.
�Because,� Mark grinned. �I�m the sensible one!� They stepped inside the house and went to the living room. Mark turned on the lights. �Wow, this is a nice place.�
�Yeah, well, I�ll admire it tomorrow,� Ben yawned. �All I want to see right now is my bed.�
They started to go up the stairs with Christian in the lead, followed by Ben, Paul, and then Mark, who locked the door and turned off the lights.
�I thought you wanted to see what Jewel looks like,� Paul said, grinning cheekily.
�Yeah. But she�s not in the living room. I wonder where she is,� Ben said, as they all reached the second floor.
Suddenly, the bathroom door opened, and a girl in a bathrobe came out, carrying a CDman. The boys stopped talking, their eyes widened.
Then Paul whispered to Ben, �You can stop wondering now.�
Jewel was surprised as she saw four guys staring at her. But she recognized them immediately and soon found her voice. She said shyly, �Erm, hi!�
Mark spoke first. �Hi! You must be Jewel. Tim told us about you,� he approached her and extended his hand. �I�m-�
�Mark,� she finished for him as she shook his hand. �I know you guys.�
�So, we don�t need to introduce ourselves, then,� Paul smiled.
Jewel smiled back. �No. I think you�ve had enough of that during interviews.�
�We sure have,� Ben chuckled.
Then remembering that she�s still in her bathrobe, she said, �Oh, I�m sorry about the way I�m dressed. I just had a long day, and I decided to take a soak in the tub.�
�Don�t worry about it,� Christian reassured her. �This is your house, too.�
�Thanks,� she smiled at him. �Umm, I�m going to get dressed and have dinner downstairs. You guys want something to eat?�
�Oh, no, thanks,� Ben said. �We already ate before we arrived. We�re just going to unpack and get some sleep.�
�Alright then,� she said. �Goodnight.� Then she went into her room and closed the door behind her.
�Well, she seems like a nice girl,� Mark commented.
�Yeah,� Paul agreed.
�Are you still going to get that room next to the bathroom, Paul?� Ben asked.
�Yup.�
�Alright. I�ll just have this room next to yours,� he said as he opened the door.
�I�ll get the room in front of the stairs,� Christian said.
�I guess that leaves me with this room,� Mark said, lifting his suitcase and entered the bedroom next to Jewel�s.
�Right. Well, see you guys tomorrow,� Paul said. After a few �goodnights�, he went inside his own room.

Jewel put on an old sweatshirt and a pair of shorts. She brushed her hair, and went downstairs to get some dinner. She went to the kitchen, turned on the lights and opened the refrigerator. She took out the lasagna that she made the other night and put it in the microwave. As she waited for the lasagna, she took out a bottle of pineapple juice from the fridge and poured some in her glass. A few seconds later, she took out the lasagna and placed some in her plate. She took her dinner to the living room. Not even bothering to turn on the lights, she turned on the television and sat in the sofa. After switching to different channels, she decided to watch a re-run of �The Wonder Years�. Then she heard somebody descending the stairs. It was Paul.
�Hi! I thought you guys were going to sleep,� she said.
�Yeah. I was starting to doze off, but my stomach insisted on having a snack,� he replied.
�Oh, right,� Jewel said. �Well, there�s some lasagna in there, if you want.�
�Okay, thanks,� he said then went into the kitchen. After a few moments, he came back with his own plate of lasagna. �What�s on the TV?�
�Just an old re-run. The Wonder Years.�
�Mind if I join you?�
�Oh, no. Not at all,� she said as she moved over to give him some space on the couch.
They ate and watched in silence for a while. Then Paul spoke up, �So, how do you like living here?�
�It�s great. It�s a lovely house, and it�s near the place I work. But it can get lonely sometimes.�
�Well, you don�t have to worry about that for a while,� Paul smiled. �Where are you working?�
�In Rainbow Publishing House. I�m a secretary,� she replied.
�Really? So, what�s it like?�
�It�s okay. I enjoy working there. But there are days like today when I wish I don�t work at all.�
�Yeah. I know what you mean. I�ve had days like that, too,� he paused for a while, and then he continued. �You go home really tired, and the next day, when the alarm goes off, you go, �Oh no! Not again!��
�Exactly,� she said, and then giggled. �I can�t believe I can relate with a pop star about my job!�
Paul chuckled. �Well, there are some similarities.� There was a pause, and then he spoke again. �Tell me more about yourself.�
�Well, I�m 22 years old. I�ve been in this town for about 5 years now. I�ve got a friend named Andi, who works for the recording company where you will record your new album. She�s the one who told me that this house needs a sitter.�
�I see.�
�Oh, I hope you don�t mind. I invited her over a couple of times.�
�No problem! As Christian said, this is your house, too.�
Jewel smiled at him. �You really are nice guys. Not just a bunch of good singers and terrific dancers with pretty faces.�
�I see you�ve heard our music.�
�Heard it? I love it!�
Paul seemed pleased with that.
�But don�t get me wrong,� Jewel added. �I�m not a crazed fan or anything. I�m not exactly fanatic.�
�Well, thanks for letting me know.�
�Yeah, I figured I should. I don�t want you to get any wrong ideas about me living here. You guys can trust me.�
He looked her in the eye. �Yeah. I have a feeling that we could.�
She smiled. �Well,� she cleared her throat. �I guess I better wash these plates.� She got up and took her plate and Paul�s and went to the kitchen sink.
�I�ll help you,� Paul turned the television off and went after her.
�Oh, come on. It�s only a couple of plates.�
�I�ll just wait for you here, then.�
�Suit yourself,� she started washing the dishes. �If I were you, I�d be back to my room and get some sleep. You must be very tired.�
�Yeah, well�� Paul took the lasagna and put it inside the refrigerator. �How about you? You seem pretty tired, too.� Then he stood beside her by the sink.
�That�s different. I haven�t been touring,� she said as she finished the dishes and washed her hands. �Besides, that bubble bath did me good.� She wiped her hands dry. �Right. All done.� Then to Paul, she said, �Alright, Mr. Marazzi, time for bed.�
�Yes, Miss-� he stopped. �Erm, what is your last name?�
�Summers,� she answered as they went out of the kitchen and turned off the lights. They started to ascend the stairs.
�So, it�s Jewel Summers.�
�Actually, it�s Jewel Louise Summers.�
When they reached their respective bedroom doors, he said, �Well, it was nice meeting you, Jewel Louise Summers.�
�You, too, Paul Thomas Leo Marazzi,� she giggled. �That�s a long name!�
Paul laughed. �Yeah. It can be a bother sometimes. The only consolation that I have is that Ben�s name is longer than mine!�
Jewel giggled again. �Well, goodnight.�
�Goodnight, Jewel,� he smiled. He closed his door as Jewel closed hers.

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