“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
“A hint?”
“For the 5th time Myra, no I will not tell you where we are going. No, I will not give you any hint. And no I will not be throwing you in the ocean or kidnapping you.”
I huffed, folding my arms under my chest. I turned to look out of the window trying to figure out where Alex was taking me.
I kept raking my brain wondering the possible locations. Restaurants, 5 star hotels, museums, art events? Where do billionaires go on dates?
And as we entered a building I looked over at Alex in surprise. “Where are we?”
“Do you not have patience?” He groaned out. Entering the passcode for the gate.
I shrugged. “No, not really.”
He stopped the car in front of a building.
“Your other flat?” I questioned, getting out of the car. This building was just as beautiful and sophisticated as the previous one.
Alex nodded. “Yeah I rarely come here.” He looked at me, winking. “Save it for special occasions.”
I controlled the blush that was forming on my face. “Like sleeping with your lovers?” I taunted.
“No, like meeting my family.”
I froze, blinking at Alex. “We are not meeting your family, are we?”
Alex let out a small chuckle. “It’s too soon for that, don’t you think?”
“Well I am happy never meeting them.” I muttered to myself as we go into the lift. “So the date is in your flat, not very creative.” I teased Alex, a part of disappointed at the mediocracy.
Alex just smiled in reply, patiently waiting for the lift to reach the 27th floor. He waited for the doors to open and then bowed, “After you Milady.”
“Oh thank you, kind Sir.” I faked a British accent, lightly flicking my hair and walking out in the heels. I had decided to wear the peach dress that followed just below my ankles and was conformable. It wasn’t tight around the waist so when I sat there was no way anyone could see the flabby tummy I sported.
“Close your eyes.” Alex demanded.
I shook my head. “No way.”
Alex just leaned against the wall of his penthouse door, leaving me space to argue. It was clear if I wasn’t closing my eyes, he wasn’t opening the door.
“Fine.” I agreed, grumbling to myself.
“No peeking.” He warned.
I didn’t reply as I heard the keys jingling and the door finally opening. I held my breath as Alex’s hand lightly pushed against my bare shoulder, thanks to off-shoulder designs.
“Go straight.” His soft voice brushed against my ears.
I didn’t reply, taking small tentative steps ahead.
“To the left.”
I turned right.
“Left Myra.” Alex chuckled, turning my shoulders in the opposite direction.
“Sorry.” I mumbled, feeling a little mortified. Now I couldn’t even comprehend directions around him.
“Okay stop.”
I finally stopped. “Can I open my eyes now?”
Alex’s hand left my skin and I felt a wave of coldness wash over me. “Yes now.”
I blinked my eyes open. I was in awe at the sight in front of me, surprise and disbelief were mostly what I felt as I took in the spectacle from the balcony door.
Alex was standing in the center of the open balcony and behind him were three colorful beanbags. The entire balcony was lit with fairy lights and there were vases of flowers of all kinds surrounding the bean bags. A red carpet lay on the ground and there was a bottle of wine and a picnic basket on the side. A blanket of soft wool was on one of the bean bags and the entire sight looked straight out of a romantic cheesy movie.
I hated it.
“It’s a full moon night.” Alex commented, smiling in his casual light grey shirt and black jeans.
I looked up at the sky and truly enough, the moon was high enough for us to see and with the many stars blinking and winking at us. It felt magical.
Again. I hated it.
“Do you like it?”
I swallowed, feeling my eyes tear up a little. I blinked fast, trying to keep them at bay as I took in the whole scene one final time.
“No. I hate it.” I answered honestly.
The fallen look on Alex’s face wasn’t something I ever hoped to see. “Why?” he questioned in confusion.
“Why?” I scoffed out, waving at the surrounding. “Because this is too much. This is romantic.” I said that last word with disgust.
“What is wrong with romantic?”
“Oh well um let me think. Broken hearts?”
Alex took a step towards and I shook my head, stopping him. “I want this date Alex, I really do. But I overthink crazy. And right now all I can think of is my heart getting broken tomorrow morning.”
Alex sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Okay how about this? Let’s pretend we are in a movie. This isn’t real. We are here, enjoying our date like we should but don’t worry about the consequences. Let’s talk, get to know each other, eat food, drink wine, look at the stars and just… not think.”
I took a deep breath. “A movie?” I raised my eyebrows at Alex. “Really?”
Alex smiled. “Yes the cheesiest one. Like the Dirty Dancing.”
I chuckled, walking towards him, taking in the fresh air. “Really? Have you seen Pretty Woman?”
He winked at me. “I think I like Frozen.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “Have you really watched Frozen?”
Alex sat beside me on the mat, leaning against a bean bag. “Of course I have. I even have the Olaf soft toy.”
“No way!” I exclaimed in disbelief.
Alex nodded, seeming proud of himself. “I hug it when I go to sleep.”
“So adorable. Is he 3 feet big?” I mocked.
Alex looked at me offended. “3 feet? He’s 5 feet!”
I actually laughed hard at that. The image of Alex Bianchi, hugging a 5 feet Olaf while he slept at night was a pretty fun image.
“So we have the usual, pizza and sandwiches and donuts.” He took out two Pizza boxes and wrapped sandwiches, placing them on the mat.
“Wow I thought you would have at least cooked.” I mocked, looking at Sally’s Pizza box.
“I save that for the morning after breakfast.” He mocked back.
I picked up a slice of cheese pizza. “Wow and what do you offer? Water?”
“No! Juice.” He corrected. “From the refrigerator.”
“That’s some great cooking.” I said sarcastically.
“Pineapple Pizza?” he offered, making me wrinkle my nose.
“Eww. No.”
“You don’t like it?” Alex seemed surprised that someone could not like Pineapple Pizza.
“Of course I don’t like it. I don’t like Pineapple much and fruit on Pizza? Mixing Pineapple and cheese and bread and spices? How can anyone think that could taste good?”
Alex shrugged, eating the slice in two huge bites. “I like it. It tastes different.”
“You mean yuck.” I revised.
He ignored my words. “So tell me about yourself.”
“You have a whole folder on me. Read it.” I reminded him.
“Yeah but I want to know about you from you.”
“Okay.” I looked down at the pizza slice, wondering from where to start. “Where do I start?” I repeated my thoughts.
“From the start.”
“No shit Sherlock.” I rolled my eyes. “So I was born on a cloudy day, on the 7th December 1995. My father was at the hospital getting scolded by my mother who was trying her best to not commit suicide from all the pain. And my elder brother Lucas was at his friend’s place because he didn’t want a sister he’d have to share things and attention with.”
“Really?”
“Uh-huh.” I nodded. Lucas was coming tomorrow. I wanted to invite Alex for dinner but with Evan there too, it would be a whole drama that I didn’t want to indulge in. “So anyway. Fast forward, I studied hard, got into college, and started taking hacking lessons. And now I work for a very obnoxious boss.”
Alex sipped his wine casually. “I don’t think your boss is obnoxious. I think he’s pretty amazing.”
“Yes, him thinking that is obnoxious.” I joked. “Your turn.”
“Okay, that was short.” Alex debated. “Did you always want to do hacking?”
“No. I actually wanted to become a Pilot.”
“What happened?”
“Well, life.” I replied. His disapproving look made me continue. “Okay, when I was young, I would go the balcony and see all these planes fly by. I thought it was magic, that they were these huge birds that ate people and took them to someplace magical.”
Alex snorted in amusement. “Hey! I was young.” I defended my crazy theory. “So when I came to know what it actually was, just a machine that could touch the clouds. I wanted to become a Pilot. And then my grandpa died in a plane crash. So…” I drifted off, shrugging. After Grandpa’s death, just the thought of airplanes scared me and I knew that it was impossible for me to be responsible for so many people’s lives. So at the age of 14, little Myra, dropped her dream of becoming a Pilot.
“Oh. I am sorry to hear that.” Alex replied, grazing his fingers over the back of my palm. Surprisingly that soothed me. “Were you too close?”
“Not really. But he would never skip our birthdays and Christmas was always at our place. He would only give us cards every year for Christmas. And in each card, he would write down some quote or poem that was inspiring and tell us ‘To stumble and fall but then stand tall'”
I smiled at the childhood memory. “I remember when I was 10, he gave me this card. ‘She’s a lioness, when her roar echoes, everybody bows. She was born to be graceful and taught to be fierce. She can’t be tamed, for she’s the queen of the wild. She is you, my dear Myra.’ For that entire year, I told everyone I was a lioness and that I was the queen.”
“I think you would be a great Queen.” Alex replied, his fingers slowly grazing up my arm.
I took in a quick breath. “You think so?”
He nodded. “I think you would rule over a lot of hearts.”
I smiled, blushing a little. I took a huge sip of the wine to calm my nerves. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure Myra.” Once again, the way my name rolled of his tongue made me want to imagine what else could just as easily roll off that marvelous tongue.
“Okay your turn.” I said, quickly changing the topic of me.
“You can Google me.”
“Yes and Google says you are getting married.” I reminded him with a tight smile.
Alex sighed, closing his eyes. “It’s a contract.”
“What?” I frowned.
“Diana’s father owns a huge agency and she wants it. But he won’t give it to her until she gets married.” Alex explained.
“You are kidding me.” I responded with incredulity.
Alex shook his head. “I wish I was.”
My lips were moving but words weren’t coming out of my mouth, mostly because I had no idea how to react to this absurd news. “Why you?” I finally ended up asking.
“Because we had a history, it was more believable.”
“Wow I-” I rubbed my forehead, feeling the signs of an incoming headache. I gulped down the remaining wine and poured myself another glass, a full one, emptying the bottle. I drank half of that glass in one sip too, swallowing the pain and burn and bitterness. I could see from the corner of my eyes that Alex was staring at me with his eyebrows shot up. Just as I was about to take the second sip, Alex grabbed the glass, taking it away from me.
“That’s enough.” He said, keeping the wine glass far from my reach. He looked into my eyes. “It’s just a marriage of convenience.”
“Well I don’t like it.” I huffed out, folding my arms and looking away from Alex.
“I understand that but it’s only for a year.” Alex tried to reason.
I shook my head. “What do your parents think of this?”
“Well my mother is dead and my father is mostly just interested in knowing the company shares so they are okay with this.”
I blinked at the dark news. “I didn’t know. I am sorry.” I apologized, feeling guilty for poking that subject.
“It was a long time ago.” He shrugged one shoulder. “But if it helps my younger sister thinks I am stupid and should not marry Diana.”
“I like her!” I exclaimed, finally some hope glimmering in my heart. “Listen to her. Sofia right?”
Alex nodded his head. “It’s a done deal. And why are you so against it?”
“Because-” I tried to think of an innocuous reason. And saying that I didn’t want them married because I was jealous, just wasn’t good enough. “Because just don’t.” I stupidly reasoned.
“That’s not a real reason.” He pointed out.
I sighed, leaning my head on the bean bag wondering what to say next. I don’t think I thought twice before saying the next words, or maybe the wine was finally getting to my head but if I had given it a second thought I doubt I would have said the next words.
“Let’s make a deal.” I started. “You agree to not marry Diana and I agree to let you know who the hacker is.”
They say jealousy makes you do the stupidest things, I couldn’t agree more.