Chapter 5

Chapter 5. Smells like a burnt pig all the time

I had no idea what Alex Bianchi had drank or how much he had. But I knew that it was more than he could handle.

He was grinning bright, something I had never seen him do. In fact I was sure the paparazzi who followed him 24*7 hadn’t seen him grin that big. And here he was, grinning like a Cheshire Car, eyes sparkling with glee and unstable feet trying to balance on the floor.

“You should sit.” I remarked as he took a step towards me and ending up stamping on his own feet, scowling with pain.

I lightly pushed his shoulder, leading him towards the couch. “Sit.” I ordered.

He shook his head like a small kid. “No.”

I sighed a little irritated. Disturbing my sleep can be hazardous to health, your health.

“Alex just sit, you can barely stand. I’ll get some water.” I commanded in a firm voice.

Something in my tone made him comply. He sat on the couch, back straight and hands on his knees. Like a puppy learning to obey orders.

Once I was sure he wouldn’t get up, I turned leaving for the kitchen to get some water.

“No, where are you going?” Alex alarmed tone made me turn, he grabbed my wrist, pulling me towards him. Completely taken by surprise, I yelped, stumbled and fell right into his lap.

Alex determinedly held onto my waist, making sure I didn’t fall on the floor. His one arm was around my waist and the other still on my wrist. My face was so close to him that I could see the stubs on his recently shaved faced.

I gulped, my throat dry at the intimate contact. Both of us didn’t speak for a while, just looking at each other. I would say we looked into each other’s eyes but I’d be lying. I was too nervous to look right at him so I kept my eyes on his nose, cheeks and throat, carefully skipping the lips part. Knowing fully that one glance at those luscious lips and even the Goddess of no-fucking-way wouldn’t be able to hold me back.

“Uh, water.” I whispered, wriggling my wrist so he would let go. The smell of alcohol coming from his breath was also a great help.

“Saliva?” his funny tone was so light and husky.

Yes please. I gathered all my fallen constraint and pushed him a little, getting up. “Water, I’ll get you water.” I emphasized, didn’t know if was convincing him or myself.

My feet ran straight to the kitchen, frantically needing some distance between us. Leaning on the counter, I took a few breaths, grabbing a bottle and drinking from it directly. I half-finished the water inside it, something I could rarely do. Even after reading a dozen articles about how important water was, I still couldn’t drink it enough. And now, here I’m gulping down half the bottle.

“I thought that water was for me.”

I jumped a bit, startled. Slowly turning around, I found Alex with his sloping stance and gaping eyes.

I held the bottle towards him, making sure there was safe distance between us and holding the bottle at arm’s length.

His eyes narrowed at my stiff posture. Nonetheless, he grabbed the bottle, barely taking a sip and then keeping the bottle back on the table.

Both of us didn’t talk for a while, a million questions blazed through my mind. What was he doing here? Why was he here? Why was he drunk? And where was his date?

I avoided looking at him, hardly peeking through my eyelashes. He continued to stare unabashedly, making me fidget. I played with my fingers nervously.

The silence finally became too painful for me. “Why are you here?”

He didn’t reply, not until my eyes finally landed on his. “Are you going on a date tomorrow?”

What that why he was here at this odd hour?

I breathed out, my mind torn between lying and making him jealous and telling the truth and making me feel less guilty. “No.” I finally answered. “I am going out with some friends.”

“Club? Partying? Short clothes?”

I frowned at his ridiculous questions, a wave of temper washing my spine. “How does that matter to you?”

With two large steps, Alex was standing right in front of me. His face leaning over me, his eyes staring right into mine and lips breath fanning my lips. “You have no fucking idea how much it matters to me.”

I couldn’t breathe. I swallowed hard. “How much?” I whispered.

His face came closer, my lips now very lightly brushing my ears. I could feel goose bumps on my arms. Damn the effect this Italian Billionaire had on me. “From the moment I saw you, cara mia, sono stregato.”

Although I didn’t understand the last phrase, my body hummed with pleasure as his Italian accent played in my ears. “In the library?”

“No, before that.” He placed a light kiss on my ear lobe, making me gasp at the contact.

I quickly pulled back the second his words registered. “Before that?”

He stumbled back, his face ashen as he realized what words slipped from his mouth. “The library.” He instantly corrected.

I shook my head, my brain straining to remember if I had seen him before the incident at the library. But I came up blank. I knew I could never forget seeing such a fine specimen. “Where did you see me before Alex?”

Alex groaned rubbing his temple. “It was a slip of tongue babe.”

I frowned at the endearment. “Don’t you babe me. You have some nerves, coming here drunk in the middle of night and then lying to me.”

“I am sorry, about coming here at this odd hour.” Alex pressed his lip together, looking at his feet. “I just had to know if you were really going on a date.”

My stupid, traitor heart melted at his words. While my brain stared at Alex with a suspicious gaze. “You could have replied to my message or asked me on call.”

Alex shrugged. “I guess I wanted to see you too.”

I almost said Aww at that but decided not to. “I think you should leave.”

He nodded, drinking another sip from the bottle and walking out of the kitchen without another word or another glimpse. Wow, for a billionaire, he lacked etiquettes.

I quickly took a few deep breaths knowing my oxygen supply malfunctioned whenever he was around. I followed him to the main room and froze as I witnessed the sight.

Alex looked pale as he stared at Zivah who looked equally ashen. They both stared at each other with complete shock, not a word was spoken and somehow it looked like they had known each other. Just that thought, made my heart ache.

“Alex. Zivah. Zivah. Alex.” I introduced themselves, but I could bet they didn’t need it. The way their eyes took in each other, I could sense a long lost connection.

It was Zivah, who dropped her 5 inch heels on the floor, faking a smile. “Nice to meet you.”

Alex immediately regained his posture. “Same here. Alex Bianchi.” He reintroduced himself. “Goodnight.” He said into the air, barely sparing a glance in my direction and then he briskly walked out, shutting the front door behind him.

I stared at the shut door, still trying to piece everything that happened. I looked at Zivah who was shaking her head as if she had seen a nightmare, or met one. “Do you know him?”

My question made her head snap in my direction. I could already see her lie before she spoke. “No.”

Zivah rarely lied to me, it just never made any sense to lie. There was never a reason. But I had seen her lie, to her parents, her brother, her friends, her exes. So I knew she scratched her nails every time she lied. And that is exactly what she was doing now, scratching her forefinger nail with her thumb.

A jolt of pain washed over me. “Are you sure? Don’t you want to know what he was doing here?”

“Maybe tomorrow. I am very sleepy.” Zivah was still scratching her nails as she walked into her room, shutting the door.

Usually she would be jumping with extreme enthusiasm if I so much as mentioned a guy’s name and now she had caught a guy at 1 in the morning alone with me and didn’t even ask why he was here. I felt sad yet inquisitive, the way they both had acted, I was sure they had known each other. But I also knew, the hows and whys I wouldn’t get from either of them.

I walked into my room silently, locking the door, something I hadn’t in a long time. I knew Zivah would appear in the morning acting as if nothing had ever happened, as if she had never encountered a guy she clearly knew and as if she hadn’t lied to her best friend.

Zivah had always been good at it, pretending to forget.

I stared at the plain white ceiling, my imaginative mind making up the craziest scenarios on how Alex and Zivah could know each other.

Alex and Zivah had dated. But that didn’t make any sense, where would a waitress doing distance psychology course meet an Italian Billionaire without the paparazzi finding it out?

They had a one night stand. That could be a possibility, maybe they met at a bar and had sex. But I knew Zivah wasn’t the one night stand type of girl so that was not possible.

Maybe… maybe… maybe she knew his friend and thus knew him, but why would she be alarmed at his sight?

I groaned, pushing my face into the pillow. I couldn’t sleep that whole night, my mind kept me up. Building up the worst scenarios and it was starting to give me a headache. Luckily it was Sunday and I didn’t have classes or work.

At 7am I got up groggily, walking into the kitchen like a zombie. I made myself some coffee, if I had to function today I would be needing more than just one cup of coffee.

My eyes kept glancing at Zivah’s closed door, scared that it might open and I would have to face her. I wasn’t quite ready yet, I wouldn’t be ready until I knew how they knew each other.

Taking out my phone, I quickly goggled Alex Bianchi and Zivah, for my own peace of mind. I sighed with satisfaction when nothing popped up. Sure there were pictures and news about Alex with a dozen other women but nothing with Zivah.

But now the question came who could tell me the truth. I had thought of calling Alex and asking but he had already lied once and I was sure he would lie again.

After finishing my coffee, I got dressed and walked into the place I best knew and felt comfortable, the library.

Dora grinned as I walked inside the library and for the first time in the last 12 hours, I smiled.

“Oh my Myra! You have grown so much.’ Dora gushed, pulling me into a motherly hug.

I hugged her back, chuckling at her words. “You met me a week back Dora.”

“Yes but you weren’t a professional IT employee then.” Dora pulled me into the employee room. “How have you been?”

My mind immediately went back to yesterday’s events. “Good.” I lied.

Dora smiled, a smile that said she knew I was lying. “I made some cookies.”

I grinned at that, I absolutely love Dora’s cookies. She baked the best chocolate peanut butter cookies. They would just melt into the mouth and I could easily finish a whole tub of them if she let me.

‘Myra, don’t you eat them all.’ Dora would say every time.

And I would eat them all, every time.

We spent the next two hours talking about normal stuff, the new employee that had replaced me. Seth, his name was. He was a high school student and because he was caught smoking, his father stopped giving him allowance. So he worked here, to make some money. “Uses every damn penny on the damn cigarettes.” Dora complained. “Smells like a burnt pig all the time.”

Her family was doing great, she invited me to the family dinner next weekend and politely declined, like every time. Family dinners scared me, made me nervous.

I hardly ever attended my own family dinners, although there weren’t many. Perks of coming from a broken family. The last time I had gone home was 6 months back, when my oldest cousin had gotten married for the third time. I bet he knew what the priest says in the weddings by now. He probably just copy pastes his wedding vows.

I wondered how his parents could entertain such behaviour from their son and spent so much money on marriages that they knew wouldn’t even work. My father, wouldn’t lend me a penny, he was half drowned in debt anyways. And my mother, if she was thinking anything other than money that would be a surprise.

Even if my parents weren’t the ideal parents, my elder brother was a great human, very annoying but I had learnt to tolerate him and luckily my cousins were good too. None of those mean jealous types.

By the time it was 3pm, I had finished all the cookies, read some of my favourite quotes from Lang Leav, Atticus, Nikita Gill and Rupi Kaur books. And eaten Pizza for lunch. Dora had the pineapple topping one. I could never understand how she could eat it, it spoilt the original taste of Pizza.

I was walking out of the library when my phone rang, wishing it was Zivah I quickly looked at the caller Id, Ray.

Ugh.

I picked up the call. “Hey Ray.”

“Hey Myra.” Ray’s chrippy voice rang in my ears. “Where are you?”

“At the library.”

“Oh, I thought you left that job?” Ray’s voice expressed accusation and it annoyed me.

“Yes I did, I just felt like visiting.”

“Well that’s nice. So could I come to pick you up?” he sounded so hopeful.

“No, that’s fine. I have my scooter. I’ll come in 15.”

“Ok, I’ll see you there.”

A pang of guilt pierced me. Ray’s always been nice to me, kind and patient. I knew he was a good friend and he was great at hacking too. Maybe I should give him a chance.

After everything that had happened yesterday, I needed someone who wouldn’t lie to me. Alex was definitely not that one, I was sure he would lie to me at every chance he would get.

I’ll notice Ray today, I told myself. Maybe start to like him as well.

I deserved some stability, I deserved some love.

But didn’t Ray too? No, maybe he didn’t.

I stopped at the theatre, parking the scooter and entering inside. I was fifteen minutes early so I decided to get a cup of coffee from the café besides.

I entered the well-lit café, ‘Café-Home’ it was called. It was my first time here and I liked how homey it made me feel. There were small coffee painted boxes of lights hanging from the ceiling, the chairs were colourful and the tables had coffee quotes written on them. All in all it looked a perfect place to hang out.

I decided to visit this place again. Hopefully with Zivah, she would love it.

I ordered a frappe with caramel, ‘It’s a special, you must try it!’ the cute guy who took my order claimed.

Just as I walked out with the frappe in my hand, my eyes landed on the table at the far corner of the café. It was at the back side so many would miss it. Unfortunately I didn’t.

And there sitting on blue and red chairs were Alex and Zivah.

Two cups of coffee on their tables and two half eaten cupcakes.

Their heads leaned in, talking intimately with each other. 

I blinked twice to make sure it was them. It was definitely them, I could recognize them anywhere. I felt a daunting pain in my chest that I couldn’t understand.

Before they could spot me, I walked out of the café, swearing to never ever come here.

I took a sip of the frappe, it was so good. The cute guy was right, this did taste like specialty.

So I swore to visit the café but never ever with Zivah.

As far as Alex was concerned, whatever stupid messed up relationship we had - was over.

But Zivah was my roommate and my best friend, we had to work it out.

Chicks before Dicks.

Fries before guys.

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Basically for me, friends and food came before guys.