More Than Love

Chapter Four

She was surprised after she had come back to the diner. And indeed the forced exploration did change into a fun exploration. She never even had the thought that you can get to know someone without actually knowing them. It’s almost like knowing what is inside the books without even opening it. You know them already but not fully. Alexis was for once happy, although there might not be any possibility of them meeting again she still hoped. But once in a while she thought it was too much to hope for. “Who was the new man?”

Arthur did come with Alexis to the diner, being the gentleman he is, saying that it is way too late for a woman to be out alone. Alexis liked that, she liked that he cared about her being alone at that time of the night. “It's just someone that helped me, Renda.” She tries to move the topic by putting the dirty dishes in the sink. “Help can turn into something.”

Alexis looks up with her hand on her hip. “No, it can’t, he barely even knows me and besides there is such a little possibility of us meeting again. Miracles don’t happen.”

Alexis doesn’t believe in miracles nor is she in love but she does think that her and Arthur would have been good friends.  

“Honey, miracles do happen but you have to earn them and you already did, you have to wait for them now.”

“Well, then I don’t have the time to wait for them. I never did.”

Renda sighs leaving her alone. She doesn’t need miracles, because miracles cause a whole lot of problems. It always did.  

“I need the money.” Alexis rolls her eyes at Jack. He is back and asking for money. 

“I don’t have any.” She didn't, it's true. She couldn’t even pay for her own proper groceries, and there is no use giving him money when he wants to gamble that away. It wasn’t going to happen, not on her watch at least. “I said I need the money.” 

Jack stomps his foot at the floor like a ten year old boy. “And I said I don’t have any.”

“Give me the fucking paycheck that you just had a week ago.” He kept an eye on Alexis’s paycheck at all times. Even when she narrowly had the money for herself. 

“Jack, I really need it. Please, don’t make this any harder.”

He takes a hold of her purse and tries to snatch it, as she tries to hold back the purse to her chest, he does something unpredicted. He leaves her no room for argument, hits his elbow on her face, leaving her on the 

floor holding her left side of the face, while he searches the purge for money. Throwing the purse on the floor with not quite a handful of money, but just enough for Alexis, Jack quickly rushes to Alexis’s room to grab the money more like stealing it away, which he is of course. He comes back out from her room. “Where did you keep it?” 

“Where is it? Where is it? Where is it?” He keeps on repeating it while tugging his hair out. “I don’t have any over there, these were the only ones I had left, you psycho.” He stares at her for a moment, then leaves slamming the door behind him. She carefully wipes her cheek, hissing in the process.

 

“Oh, Alexis.” Someone sings behind Alexis. She ignores grabbing her purse tightly. 

“No need to be shy. We just need the money and then we are out of here.”

Alexis knows why they're here but she has to ignore them. “I don’t know what money you are talking about.”

“Yo, she's trying to play a fool with us.” The man signals at the other two. They slowly come and pull at Alexis’s bag, she tries to run. Only for the men to pull her bag more, one even catches her arm. “Hey, stop,” a man’s voice yells. Alexis gets pulled away from them and the man punches one of the guys, so badly that the other drops the bag and runs away. “Arthur, Arthur, stop.” She pushes Arthur’s shoulder trying to stop him. 

The man that saved her again happens to be the one and only Arthur. “Son of a . . .”

Arthur was going to curse but became quiet when he realized Alexis was hearing everything.

“You okay?” Alexis carefully looks at him, examining him if he is fine. “Yeah, let’s go.”

They start walking quietly, not exchanging any words or glances. Just walking.

“How is it that whenever I need help you always come out of nowhere to save me?”

She wondered that thrice could count as just wow. “I guess, I turn out to be your savior.” She lets out a little giggle and he chuckles at her cute reaction. He noticed that she always blushes when she laughs or giggles.

“Yes, you really do.”

“Want to tell me what happened there?” She frowns for a second then quickly blurts out, “They wanted the money that my brother owed to them.” She quickly keeps her hand on her mouth. ‘It’s okay, I won’t ask further. Think that I have already forgotten it.” He didn’t want to mind anyone else’s business. It wasn’t in his mannerism.

“Thank you.” 

“Alexis I have a question . . .” She hums at him to continue on. “What do you think about us having dinner together?” She wonders about it. A thought popped up in her mind. Was he really asking her on a date or that's what she thinks? But for now she would let herself think that it is just dinner.

“Actually, I would love that.” She widens her eyes at him and laughs saying, “I meant like that’s perfectly fine.” 

“Okay, got it. How about tomorrow at 7. PM?” Well, that was quick, she liked the idea of going out but the thought of trying to convince Carl. “Yeah.” She said that without any hesitation, it was nearly clear that she would absolutely love that.