Deceiving Dexter

Chapter Nine - Like A Shark

Natalia POV

‘How was your date last night?’ Oleg asked me between sips of coffee. Oleg, Alexander and I were at Oleg’s parent’s restaurant, sitting at a small table in the back. Around us sat many people, all talking animatedly and having fun. The familiar smell of Oleg’s mamas cooking was thick in the air, and the smell felt like home to me.

Oleg and Alexander sat at one side of the table, Oleg with his laptop in front of him, trying to fit both his laptop and his plate of food onto the confined space. Alexander’s plate was empty, having been a fast eater and not having the distraction of a laptop before him. He sat with a coffee now, sipping at it slowly as we talked. I sat on the other side, a plate of steaming hot food in front of me, seeing as I was late, I had ordered later than them.

‘We went to a soup kitchen,’ I replied to Oleg’s question and Alexanders head shot up from his coffee, like that was some huge shock of which he needed to be fully focussed on me to comprehend it.

Oleg’s eyes widened, ‘He’s that poor?’

‘No,’ I laughed, ‘We volunteered.’

‘Wow, you volunteering to do something, I wish I was there just so I could see history in the making.’

I slapped his arm and Alexander stifled a laugh.

‘Hey! I help charities all the time.’

‘Yeah, with your daddy’s credit card, not actual physical labour,’ Oleg corrected and I guess he was right.

‘Maybe she’s a changed woman,’ Alexander offered, then he looked me up and down, ‘Nah, probably not.’

Oleg laughed with him and patted him on the back, congratulating his apparent comic victory over me.

‘You two are cruel to me! Honestly, I did a nice thing with Dexter, stop the judgment please,,’ I defended, I didn’t like this view these two seemed to have of me.

I may like nice things, but I am not a selfish person, and I know the value in helping others. Yeah, maybe I usually do it with money, but last night Dexter showed me the value in helping personally. 

‘Okay Okay,’ Oleg folded, his hands up in submission.

‘Good, now that that’s sorted, what did you two do last night?’ I asked changing the subject. I had expected them to have some snarky remark or just say they did nothing, but no words were shared.

They just looked at each other, surprise and worry in their eyes. Oleg opened his mouth slightly, before closing it again. Like he was about to say something but the words eluded him.

Was something going on here?

‘Is there something you’re not telling me?’ 

‘Nope,’ Alexander stated.

‘I’m going to get some coffee,’ Oleg quickly left.

Good. He left me with the weak one. He will crack under pressure.

‘So Alexander..’

He looked a smidgeon frightened, and I hoped that might allow me to break him.

‘Yes?’ he asked quickly, his eyes not exactly meeting mine across the table.

‘What’s going on with Oleg?’

‘N-Nothing,’ He stuttered and I knew he was about to break. He was like a bodyguard most of the time but there were times when I was thank-full he was a little afraid of me.

I leant forward and he leant back, so I rested my arm on the table and gave him a smile, ‘Alexander honey, you ca-’ my phone started ringing and the look of relief on Alexanders face was frightening, what was going on here?