Summoning up courage, she stood up and went over to him. She drew the nearest chair close to him and sat, his manly scent drifting to her nose.
” I’m hungry, aren’t you? ” She asked sweetly, giving him an innocent smile. To her utmost surprise, he nodded and her eyes lightened up at that. She picked up a spoon eagerly and fed him almost every food Margaret laid down. Of course she ate too, she had never had such a delicious meal before. Back at home, her daily meals were sparse and she ate for survival, even a dog’s feed was better than her meals.
This tastes like heaven, she thought as she scooped in another mouthful. Alex didn’t complain or threw a tantrum, instead he ate everything. The guy sure had a large appetite, she thought. But why had he refused to eat such a large food in Jack’s presence? She wondered. Then a thought came to her, maybe he saw her as a person he could be free with or a friend perhaps. Oh, don’t be full of yourself, he would never consider you as a friend, here came the voice in her head again. Ava snorted, not physically of course, and pushed the voice out.
They had breakfast in silence and when they were done eating, Ava stood up and started putting the dishes away. Margaret emerged out of nowhere, it seemed. She glanced at Alex nervously and her eyes darted back to Ava in question.
Ava smiled and shook her head ” You look so tense, Maggy. Relax, everything is fine ”
Margaret’s eyes widened ” For real? He didn’t give you a hard time or anything like that? ”
Ava shook her head ” Not at all. As you can see, we’re good ” Alex stood up abruptly and headed outside. It was Ava who looked anxious this time.
” Where is he going? ” She asked.
Margaret smiled a little ” The garden. He’s going to the garden, he go there every morning after breakfast ”
Ava nodded slowly, absorbing the information ” Oh ” She said.
” But I’m curious, how did you get him to eat all the food? ” Margaret asked, looking interested as she moved a step closer to Ava.
Ava laughed and waved her hand in a dismissive way ” Nothing much, I just fed him, that’s all ” She ended her reply with a shrug.
” Girl! He has taken a liking to you! ” Margaret exclaimed in wonder.
Ava looked stunned at first, thinking of the possibility that he had taken a liking to her and then bursted into laughter. It was hilarious, she thought.
” Oh don’t make me laugh! ” She said and laughed harder.
” You’re doing that already ” Margaret pointed out.
Ava nodded her head amidst laughter ” Yeah… Yeah I know but you just said something hilarious so why wouldn’t I laugh?! ” And she laughed some more.
Margaret threw her a playful glare ” I’m being serious! ” She whined.
” I am too! ” Ava mimicked Maggie’s voice and bursted into another fit of laughter. She finally calmed down after some minutes.
Trying to put on a serious face, she said ” Let’s put a stop to this, shall we? It’s ridiculous ”
Margaret gave her a resigned smile ” No, it’s not Ava, you’ll realize it sooner or later ” with that, she left for the kitchen, leaving Ava to ponder over her words. Could it be true? She wondered.
Pushing the thought away, she went to the kitchen to help Maggie with the dirty dishes. Then, she went outside in search of Alex. She found him by a tree people called the ‘ Love tree ‘ because of its shade and coziness. He had his eyes closed and looked so relaxed that Ava found herself enjoying the serene environment. He sure knew the perfect place to think things through and drift away from the current world they were in. She made her presence known by a shuffle of her legs. He looked up quickly but visibly relaxed when he saw her. Their eyes locked for a moment before Ava finally broke the eye contact and shifted uneasily under his penetrating gaze. It was like he was looking straight into her soul.
She mustered up courage and went to sit beside him, all the time aware of his stare boring into her skin. She looked small compared to his large frame, she thought and smiled within herself.
” Hey ” She said softly.
He nodded and his gaze returned back to staring into space. Ava looked at him and felt something clenched her heart, he looked so innocent and lost to the world. Just how bad was the accident that he lost his voice? She wondered. She studied his profile intently, wondering what kind of guy he was before the accident. Was he a ruthless billionaire, brutal, womanizer, what kind of life had he led before the accident, she had no idea. She should look him up sometime on the internet.
” Hey, are you okay? ” She asked in the same soft tone, reaching out to touch him on the forearm. Suddenly, she felt a sizzling sensation coursed through her and she withdrew her hand immediately. What the heck was that?! She asked herself, her eyes huge. She looked up at him to see if he felt it too, sure he did, for he looked at her with clouded eyes. His eyes had turned a deeper shade of their color, and her eyes widened slightly as she stare into his golden ones.
He closed his eyes but Ava saw a pained expression crossed over them just before his eyes went closed. He wished he could speak, Ava realized.
She smiled at him pitifully ” Everything will be fine, Alex. You were not born dumb so you’re going to speak definitely, it’s just a matter of time ”
At first, he looked surprised that she read his mind. Then his look turned into the one of admiration. Ava blushed and looked away, thinking she would turn into a mess of blush if she held his gaze. She decided to give him some space, after all she had invaded his privacy.