chapter 3

What’s that in his hands?

Looks like a red rose blending against the environment. He puts it against his lips as though giving it a gentle kiss. He turns around and smiles at her. The rose he’s holding diminishes as the wind blows harder. Petals fell and flew to the pattern of the wind. He looks the same as he did before. His eyes are still bright as they were before. His smile curves the way it used to when he looks at her. So why does it feel different somehow?

Clover opens her eyes and her environment looks blurry for a moment. As her vision comes to, she turns to get out of the bed.

‘Argh!!!! What are you still doing here?’ Clover screams as she hits Alex on stomach over and over again.

‘Wha…?’ replies a sleepy Alex. ‘What? Who? Is there a fire?’ he continues in a panic.

‘Oh my god! I’m late! What time is it?’ Clover asked and kicked him off the bed.

‘Hey hey! How many bruises do you intend to give me in one day?’ said Alex getting up from the wooden floor.

‘Besides, how do you know you are late anyways?’ Alex continued while stretching. After he notices there is not a reply, he quickly turns around and made a quick scan around the room.

‘Clover? where are you?’ said Alex after realizing he was alone in the room.

He heard a sudden rush of water from the room next door. He sighed to himself and walked out to the living room. It was already dark so he searched the walls for a switch. Finally he found one and switched it on. The whole living room brighten at once. He opened the curtains and found that it led to a balcony. The view was so serene, overlooking the dark undergrowth of a forest beyond. He looked up and all he could see was the dark void called the night sky. ‘Hmm… I guess I slept more than I expected,’ said Alex under his breathe. Even so he felt so happy. It was something he missed so much since the last time he saw his mother.

‘Guess I’ll make dinner before she leaves,’ said Alex after looking the clock on the wall. It was barely pass 7:30 p.m.

When Clover came out from the shower, she could smell something sizzling from outside the room. She put on a casual set of clothes and packed her uniform in a small bagpack. She looked at the bed where they both slept in and smiled for a moment. She walked towards the bed and put her face close to the side of the pillow where Alex’s head originally was. It smelled of an unknown perfume but it was addictive.

‘What are you doing?’ asked Alex seeing Clover burying her head in the pillow.

‘Uh… nothing!’ replied Clover with a slight blush.

‘You’re going to work so why don’t you put some make up on?’ asked Alex again.

‘Make up is expensive and besides, my skin is not that flawed to cover anything up, so….,’ answered Clover.

Alex grinned and gestured her to come out from her room. Clover walked out to the living room and then into the kitchen. She was surprised by the dinner made by Alex. He cooked a few slices of beef and bacon. ‘Sorry, that was all I could find in your fridge. I’ll cook something else the next time I come alright?’ said Alex with a smile. Clover was speechless and felt her eyes water. She was touched beyond words.

Alex smiled at her reaction and reached for a fork and knife. He fed Clover the first piece and continued to cut the beef into smaller slices.

‘Why don’t you follow Lily shopping and buy some make up sometime?’ said Alex, slicing another piece and putting it into his mouth.

Clover did not answer his question. She continued chewing the piece of beef in her mouth. She looked as though she was spaced out. After noticing Alex was looking at her, she said ‘it’s cause I can’t afford such things’.

Alex fed her the second piece, still not saying anything.

‘How did you find my house? How did you know my name? I mean I’m nobody afterall,’ Clover said after a while.

‘You forget I am Alex Zoru?,’ answered Alex with a smile. He put the second piece into his mouth. ‘You should get furniture, then we won’t be standing by the counter eating right now. You don’t even have a normal dining table or chairs,’ said Alex.

Clover opened her mouth to receive the third piece. ‘I eat in my room most of the time and Lily is never at home with so many guys asking her out almost every night,’ replied Clover. She never was asked out by anyone before. She was never the type boys liked anyways, what with her muscled body and violent habit.

‘You know, as long as you stop throwing punches at people maybe you might get a date,’ said Alex feeding the fourth piece to Clover.

Clover laughed half heartedly. She never let just any boy near her. Her thoughts flowed to the boy in her dreams. He was the only one whom she hugged so tightly before.

‘Hey, come on, smile, don’t give me that look,’ said Alex surprised at her sudden change of expression.

‘You are the second boy who got so close to me in my life,’ said Clover in a low voice. ‘It’s not like I like getting so close to boys anyways,’ Clover continued.

‘Now you are seriously scaring me, what happen? You sound as though something bad happened before,’ said Alex obviously concerned.

‘If it makes you feel better, you are the only girl I got so close to in my life,’ Alex continued, now a little disturbed.

Clover let out a sudden laugh and made Alex jumped. ‘Seriously???? But you are so rich! Bet you even had sex before!’ laughed Clover.

Alex’s face turned red and said ‘shut up! I never had sex before k! Hey stop laughing at me!’ shouted Alex, his face red in embarrassment.

‘Seriously you never had sex before?’ said Clover after she recovered. She received another piece of beef from Alex.

‘I will only do it with someone I like. Do I look like a horny bastard to you?’ replied Alex. ‘Hey wait don’t answer that!’ Alex said quickly again.

Clover sniggered. ‘You’re cute. You should always smile so you’ll stay cute,’ said Alex with a smile.

Clover looked at Alex doubting what she just heard. Why does that smile have such an effect? The face that was always cold and aloof could melt away everything else with that warm smile. They finished up the remaining beef and walked out to the living room. They both put on their shoes and Clover unlocked the front door.

‘Err… thanks for dinner and please inform me before you ever show up ok?’ said Clover with her back turned to Alex while locking the front door again.

‘Ok sure, give me your number please,’ replied Alex.

‘Uh.. sorry I don’t have a phone,’ said Clover unwillingly.

Alex groaned, ‘so how do you expect me to inform you? Letter a day before I show up?’.

Clover chose not to answer but then turned to face Alex and said with a smile, ‘I thought you are Alex Zoru, so you figure it out then’.

‘Do you enjoy making fun of me all the time?’ asked Alex a bit taken aback. Clover laughed all the way to the elevator.

At the bottom of Clover’s apartment building, they parted ways. Clover headed to her work place and Alex headed home.

‘Hey Clover! don’t get raped on your way k!’ shouted Alex to Clover.

‘Shut up idiot!’ Clover screamed back.

‘You still haven’t get me back for that kiss yet!,’ said Alex amused. Clover held up her right hand and showed a peace sign. Alex smiled widely, turned and continued his journey back.

‘Welcome back young master,’ said a servant humbly.

‘Thanks, come to my room later and bring dinner too,’ said Alex.

The servant bowed and walked to the closet with Alex’s jacket. Alex walked up to his room and opened the door.

‘Hey bitch!’ shouted Adrian, throwing a pillow at Alex. Jimmy laughed and threw another pillow at Alex.

‘What are you? Five?’ asked Alex irritated.

‘Owh the young master is angry. What should we do?’ mocked Adrian.

‘Let’s give him a teddy bear made of gold,’ said Jimmy sarcastically.

‘Haha very funny,’ said Alex. ‘So what are you guys doing here?’ Alex continued.

‘We tried to reach you but we can’t get through so here we are,’ replied Adrian.

‘Yea you couldn’t get any better friends so you better treat us to something expensive,’ said Jimmy in a matter of fact voice.

Alex sat at his study table and started a list on a piece of paper.

‘Hey what are you doing?’ asked Jimmy.

‘Don’t worry your pretty little face on it, it does not concern you or even you,’ replied Alex quickly when Adrian opened his mouth to say something.

Someone knocked the door and entered.

‘Young master, here’s your dinner,’ said the servant, holding a tray.

‘Owh! Dinner! I’m starving!’ exclaimed Adrian. He jumped from the chair he was sitting before and walked over to the servant to receive the tray.

‘Here’s a list of things I want you to get by tomorrow, thank you,’ said Alex to the servant, handing out the paper he was writing on before.

‘Yes young master,’ said the servant. She closed the door as she walked out of the room.

‘I didn’t know you were into shopping before,’ said Adrian curiously.

‘Nah it’s nothing really. Just furniture and other stuff I need,’ replied Alex. ‘so what brings you guys here?’ asked Alex.

Jimmy and Adrian looked at each other. Adrian asked with a serious voice, ‘were you serious when you said you wanted out?’.

‘Uh yea?’ replied Alex with a slight laugh.

‘Why?’ asked Jimmy simply.

‘Cause I will win for sure and I don’t think that’s really fair since my interest has diverted. Actually I wasn’t even interested in the original target in the first place,’ answered Alex.

‘What are you talking about? The tall girl is a babe!’ said Adrian.

‘Her name is Lily Bander and she lives at the apartment over looking the forest about 100 meters from our college,’ said Alex as he spread his body on his huge bed.

‘What the heck? How the hell you know that?’ asked a shocked but impressed Adrian. Alex chuckled mischievously.

‘That’s for me to know and for you guys to never find out! Like ever!’ laughed Alex. ‘So do you guys still want me to play?’ asked Alex.

‘Hmm well it’s not fun since you already kinda win. Maybe we should switch target to that friend of hers,’ replied Jimmy.

‘Who? That Clover chick? I heard she has some kind of unspoken past since people seems to keep saying she’s hiding something,’ said Adrian.

‘How did you know her name?’ asked Alex surprised.

‘Actually she’s much more popular than Lily cause of her notorious gang bashing days back when she was still in high school but they say it’s more than that. Something interesting happened between her and her mom that caused her to move out permanently. I heard she’s just using college as an excuse to hide her past,’ Adrian continued.

Alex kept silent then said, ‘well she isn’t our concern and don’t call her a chick’.

Jimmy laughed and said ‘Aww.. you care for her. But yea just as Adrian says she’s one interesting one. In fact I think we should try to get her number instead of that pretty flower’.

Alex grinned with a dark look in his eyes. He suddenly felt troubled by what he just heard and it was funny that Clover did not have a phone yet but Jimmy and Adrian did not know that.

‘It should stay that way,’ Alex thought. He looked at his two friends and thought, ‘they must not know anything bout her’. Without another word, Jimmy and Adrian ate the dinner that was supposed to be Alex’s.

What is this feeling frustration that is stirring in his head and slowly flowing through his entire body? Is it jealousy? Yea he thinks it is jealousy. They must never know more than what they know now.