Chapter Four

"Are you not going to sit?" Jaxon said when she finally approached the table.

"Thank you." She moved the chair and took a seat.

"What are you going to eat?" He said after a short pause again. She didn't know why she was so nervous all of a sudden. It was not like she was on a date with him. My God, she didn't even know him!

"I'll have to read the menu." She stretched her hand to him and collected the menu he was holding.

"Is this everything?" She asked not knowing what to order after going through the menu for the second time.

"You'll love the burger. It will be my second time here." He shared.

"You don't come here often?" Serena asked so she didn't have to keep an awkward silence.

"Why?" He chuckled, "do I look like someone that patronizes places like this every minute?"

She shrugged while he called a waiter and placed the order. Once the waiter left, he whispered, "Bills on me." She nodded, she couldn't argue.

"I don't want to say 'you don't have to be uptight', but it's okay if this doesn't make sense to you. After lunch, we can part ways." Jaxon said in a calm tone. He wasn't looking at her, so it was cool to watch. He looked older than her, maybe two or three years older, but he still had this innocent look that might mislead you into thinking he was much younger.

Their eyes met as he raised his head. She should say something, she thought.

"It's fine." That's the only thing she could think of. What else could she think of. They were both strangers and they met in quite an awkward situation.

But what was the point of coming for a vacation when she was pushing the first person she could interact with away. She should connect with people, she could run into someone who could land her a job in one of the big publishing houses in the city. Who knows?

The waiter came with two trays of the burger treat and returned with another plate of mac and cheese. The food smelled heavenly, even Jaxon didn't hesitate to dig in. She always thought guys were mostly shy around their crushes.

Who said this guy was crushing on her anyway? Girl, you're going far already!

She picked the burger and got a bite, it wasn't bad. It was so tasty. Jaxon kept watching her as she took bite after bite. It was uncomfortable having him watch her like that but she was glad he wasn't raising a conversation yet.

"Uhmm.." he raised a brow at her as soon as she finished the burger. She wasn't sure she could go for the mac and cheese yet.

"Serena." She responded. She didn't know if he was trying to remember a name she never told him, but she wasn't pulling his legs anymore.

He smiled, "that's beautiful."

"Thank you." She managed to smile back, but it was actually genuine, people always said her name was beautiful. She was proud of it. "For the food." She waved her hand over the table.

She loved the initial reaction on his face when he realized what she did. She wasn't thanking him for the compliment.

"You're welcome, Serena." He replied and smiled. Serena bit her lips as she fought the urge to smile back at him each time.

Some minutes later after leaving the restaurant with her mac and cheese in a takeaway, they were strolling down the street again.

Serena began to say "so" the same time he said "why". They both laughed and let the silence take over again.

"You first," he said finally.

She shook her head, "I'm not sure what I wanted to say is relevant again."

"Maybe it would be relevant later?" He looked at her hopefully. She simply nodded. "So you came to Mareco alone?"

"No." The word jumped out of her mouth, she was looking straight at some guys playing basketball in a court nearby.

"You're with someone, family?" She heard what sounded like disappointment in his voice.

"Yeah…I, uhmm, I came along with my brother." Serena stammered as she remembered Hadley and Aunt Mabel's warning, "Never let anyone know you're on a solo vacation." She had to take precautions, but Jaxon didn't seem convinced by her reply.

He didn't push further either.

"So, what about you?" She raised her head to face him as they turned into another street. She really didn't know where they were going. She just hoped it was in the direction of the hotel or where they had both met. "You go around the streets of Mareco saving the day and buying free lunch?"

He laughed at her joke, "You can say I do that. I hope I can save the same girl again tomorrow."

She hit him playfully on his arm, "That's a bad thing to say, oh…so you're hoping I'm back on the streets with another incident. Never!"

"Maybe not necessarily, but I'd love to see you again."

She wanted to wave him off as a joker but the look on his face was serious. He really meant what he said.

"You stay around here?" She motioned to the vastness of their surroundings.

"No. I'm on a vacation too." He replied.

"Oh, I see." She turned down her lower lip and nodded repeatedly.

"But I stay with a relative," he quickly added, " I come here to visit them once in a while."

"That's nice. So, you're familiar with the place already." Serena asked.

"Yeah, it's a nice place. Do you like it?"

"Sure…maybe not so much, I haven't been around but if everyone says Mareco is a good place for a vacation, who am I to say otherwise, I just need to see it myself."

"I can show you around, you know." Jaxon offered.

"That would be nice, but don't you have something else keeping you busy at your relatives'?" She asked. She would love his company, but she had to be careful.