"Alex," Theresa voiced.
"Yeah?"
"Why do you like to be silent while driving?" she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.
"To avoid distraction"
"So? Can't you just talk? I thought you would take me to a nearby restaurant for our date but you didn't. We have been on the road for an hour now"
"Stop talking you are distracting me"
"Come on! Just talk to me"
"I'm talking"
"You...Oh, yeah!" she chuckled. "Let's get to know each other!"
He smirked and said, "Someone seems interested in me".
"Hey, I'm sure you are the one interested in me," she teased and flailed her arms in the air.
"That....Um...I'm not the one interested...You know what..." he paused and glanced at her. "Let's talk about something else. Like... Um...Your highschool."
"My highschool?"
"Yes! How was it?"
"Good! I enjoyed every moment I spent there"
"How?"
"Well, I was a popular, hot, party girl," she shrugged. "That's how I made my high school interesting for me".
"Hmm..." he rubbed his chin as if in a deep thought. He chuckled and added, "Let me guess...Thelma was the nerd one"
"Not really...um...Yes!...Yeah! She was the nerd one," Theresa replied. She sat upright and said, "But when we got to college, she read more of novels. She didn't like the course we were studying. I was the one who became a nerd".
Up went Alex's brows. "Nerd? You?"
Theresa chuckled and bobbed her head. "I always had a dream of being a successful business woman. I want to have a company that will be the best".
"That's nice" Alex smirked. "So you were a nerd girl!"
"No! I was a party girl during the day and a nerd during the night"
"How did you pull that off?"
"Theresa will always be Theresa!" she said in a singsong voice and laughed.
Alex let out a boisterous laughter and exclaimed, "True! Theresa will always be Theresa. I've let to accept that"
"What do you mean by that?" she cocked her brow and sent a suspicious glance at him while still smiling.
"Do you think it's easy to tolerate your crazy ways?" he taunted and chuckled.
Theresa narrowed her eyes at him and folded her arms over her chest. "I'm not crazy. I'm a normal human being"
"I won't use the word normal" he sniggered.
"Alexander Roger, are you incredibly calling me abnormal?" she gasped dramatically and squinted her eyes.
"What do you think?" he smirked with his eyes on the road. He handled the steering wheels effortlessly. Silence floated between them for a moment before he said, "I...I was kinda...like..um...a dork in school. I was a boring guy"
"You are still a boring guy" she mumbled and chortled.
"What did you say?"
"I'm sure you heard me," she sent a mischievous smirk at him. Her brown hair fell to her eyes and she swept it behind her ears. When she glanced back at him, his eyes were on her. "What?"
"Do you know we went to the same high school?"
"Yes! That's what Thelma said. I don't remember seeing you though. I guess you weren't too important," she winked with her mischievous smirk still engraved on her features.
He glanced at her with sharp black eyes and sneered, " Keep up with that attitude and I'll leave you in a dark street".
A smirk faded away when the image of Don and the hoodlums appeared in her mind. She heard the gun shot re-echo in her head. She flinched and a squeak escaped her lips.
"Theresa, are you okay?" a deep voice yanked her out of her train of thought.
"Err...Yeah...Yeah! I'm fine"
He quickly studied her expression, turned his eyes to the road and implied, "What's bothering?"
"Nothing! I"m good"
"You can't fool me," he whispered in a voice filled with concern.
She sighed, "Actually, I just remembered the incident that happened to us weeks back. The death of Don...The gun shot..."
"Oh!" he exclaimed. With his attention on the road, he placed his hand on hers and gave it a tender squeeze. Theresa froze and stared at his hand. She remained silent for a while and eventually smiled. She had a feeling that Alex actually cares about her. "So you want to own a company?" Alex asked all of a sudden. He had slid his hand away from hers and placed it on the steering wheel.
"Yes! I'll work in your company for a while and then, I'll start to establish mine"
"Are we going to be rivals?"
"If you want?"
"I don't! Let's be partners. We'll support each other"
"Okay!"
They spoke during the long drive and got to know each other better. At seven, they reached their venue. Theresa smiled at the big five-star restaurant. They strolled in. She expected to have a spot reserved for them but a waiter led them into an elevator.
"Alex, where are we going?" she leaned forward to him and whispered.
He gave a half-shrug. She could see that he was trying to constrain a smirk.
What is he planning and why is he fighting back a smirk?
Theresa decided to make him feel uncomfortable so she asked, "Alex, why are you taking me on a date? I thought you didn't like my companionship?"
He rolled his eyes and thrust his hands into his pocket.
"You don't have a reply?" she tilted her head to one side and gasped. When the elevator door open, they found themselves on the rooftop at the terrace of the building. A candlight dinner was organized at the middle. Theresa froze and her eyes popped out of their socket. The shock robbed her of speech. She glanced at him and he smirked.
"You're coming?" he inquired and cocked a brow. She nodded and he bent his arm towards her. She placed her hand at the crook of his arm and he led her to the table.
A job well done, Alex! You actually surprised me.
**************************
"Thelma, why are you crying? Don't you know your tears are precious?" Oscar whispered and planted a kiss on her hair. Thelma sat on the couch beside Oscar. She placed her head on his chest and thrust her hand into the bowl of popcorn.
"His father is dead. That's so sad," she whined and pointed at the television. Oscar's arms were around her waist. He cuddled her and planted another kiss on her hair.
"It's just a movie"
"His dad is dead. That's a very dreadful news. He is so close to his father. If he hears this news, he would be shattered," she sniffed and munched on her popcorn.
He chuckled, "You are an emotional person. You have a big heart and that's what I love about you"
She gazed at him and smiled. They anchored their attention on the television. After a while, Thelma whispered, "Theresa is an emotional person too. When it comes to being hurt, I get over it faster than Theresa. That's why I feel she is more sensitive than me"
"Are you sure? I don't think she is"
"Yeah! That's what she likes to do. She hides it. She doesn't like to get close to people but if she allows you into her heart, you will discover that"
"Are you sure?" he rose a brow. "I wouldn't call Theresa an emotional person"
Thelma shrugged and said, "I'm not sure though. I just think"
"Hey, why is there a teardrop on your face?" he pulled her into his torso and wiped her cheek. "Why do you like wasting Thelma? Those tears are precious"
"Fine! I won't cry" she whispered and burst into peals of laughter. "Why did we select this movie?"
"You selected it"
"I didn't know that the protagonist will lose his father"
"It has to happen. That's the only way the guy is going to get determined to defeat his enemies. Some events happen for a reason"
She tilted her head and gazed into his bright blue eyes. Her eyes lit up as she smiled. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "I guess my relationship with you happened for a reason. I'm so happy you took me into your loving arms".
He gently picked her hand and planted a kiss on it. "You know, the first time I saw you, my heart whispered: 'That's the one' "
"For real?"
"Yeah!" he kissed her hand again and winked at her.
Thelma bit her bottom lip and her cheek flushed. "Stop flattering me!" she giggled and picked a popcorn from her bowl. She fed Oscar and he chewed it. Her gaze went back to the television and she relaxed her head on his chest.
Life just got really good!
***************************
Theresa and Alex sat in silence at the table. Theresa had an amused smile on her face. She was glad Alex organized this. There were red roses on the table flower vase and rose petals on the floor. Her eyes wandered around the place and she stared at the stars above her. The waiter came and presented the red wine to them. He served them and left.
Theresa's curious gaze lingered on Alex. She wanted to know what was on his mind. She never thought that she would be on an actual date with him. Her face became serious and she asked, "Alex, are you falling for me?"
His brow shot up in surprise and his wine choked him. He coughed and slammed his hand on his chest. When he couldn't stop coughing, Theresa ran to his side and rubbed his back.
"Are you okay?" she whispered. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause this".
He rubbed his chest and wiped his lips with a napkin.
"Are you okay?" she asked again with a voice filled with concern.
He narrowed his eyes at her and shoved her hand off him.
"What? I didn't mean for that to happen. Besides..." she squinted her eyes and leaned towards him. "It was just a harmless question"
He rolled his eyes and swung his gaze to a different direction.
"Fine! Don't talk to me. I am just wondering why you asked me on a date. I want to know whether you have a good intent. Is this a revenge plan?" her brows knitted and a chill went down her spine when the idea that Alex was doing this to hurt her came to her mind. She didn't want to get hurt. "Alex, I am sorry for hurting you before. Don't take revenge. I learnt my lesson. Revenge won't give you peace".
He arched both browsand shook his head. "I'm not doing this for revenge"
"Then why are you doing this?"
He waved his hand dismissively and inquired, "Are you impressed with what I've done?"
"Impressed?"
"Yeah!"
"Um..." she stroked her chin and smirked. "I'm not wowed yet"
He pulled a rose from the flower vase and stretched it to her. "Take!"
Theresa's brows furrowed in confusion. "Okay!" she shrugged and took the rose.
"You don't look impress" he snatched the rose from her hand.
"Hey!" she exclaimed and glared at him. "Why did you..."
"Ssh!" he voiced. "I need to impress you" he mumbled, squatted and knelt with one knee. He presented the rose to her and studied her expression. Theresa couldn't move. Her heart did cartwheels and electric currents ran in her body. She remained frozen as she stared at him. He looked like the Mr Perfect has been waiting for all her life. "Theresa?"
He rose and waved his hands at her face. "Are you okay?"
Theresa blinked and took the rose from his hand. "I'm alright!" she mumbled and fixed her gaze at the rose. A flush crept on her face. She knew she was blushing hard. Her face was scarlet. She bent her head so that het hair could prevent Alex from seeing her pink cheek.
The waiter arrived and served their appetizer which was Strawberry Bruschetta. They had Sticky Bison Short Ribs with Waldorf Slaw and Gaufrette Potatoes for their main dish and Red velvet-White Chocolate Cheesecake for their dessert.
After they had eaten, silence sat like a pillar between them. Theresa felt awkward and avoided any eye contact.
"Theresa!" he called.
She glanced at him and sent a questioning look.
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
Her brows went up.
Did he just ask that?
~~~Author's note~~~
Hello, my lovely readers! How are you?
What do you think of this chapter?
We are drawing closer to the ending of this book. Please tell me if you are enjoying how things are going?
What do you think of the date?
Is Theresa an emotional person?
Are you happy with Oscar and Thelma's relationship?
Do you think Alex is falling for Theresa?
Thanks for reading. DON'T FORGET to VOTE!!!!! Love y'all.