(Lexi’s POV)“As Lexa. Not Lexi.”“What? No,” I shook my head vehemently as if she could see me. “Hear my plan,” I cut her when she was about to speak. “If you’re really worried about him not meeting anyone, then I will go there to your meeting place, bring his cell phone, and the two of you talk.”“Lexi, please hear me out,” her voice begged as she continued, “We already talked about this at lunch. I told him we couldn’t meet, but he said he had something very important to tell me in person, and it seemed urgent that he wanted to see me even for a few minutes.”“Lexa, Finn’s not going to die if you don’t show up tonight,” I said, hating myself that I continued to clear my table.“Please, Lexi,” she pleaded. “I can’t go back now. Tony picked me up earlier, and we’re here only stopping for gasoline refill.”I pressed my lips tighter, not answering her.“Finn’s not going to die, I get it, but I will die of thinking what it was because he doesn’t want to tell me on the phone, and now I c
(Lexi’s POV)“Hi! Sorry, I’m late,” I said anxiously, still trying to catch my breath as I walked closer to him.Finn smiled and breathed in relief.“Well… You’re made me worry, baby,” he said, standing up and pressing his lips on my cheek. He pulled the chair for me and kissed the top of my head when I sat down. “I hope you don’t mind, but I already ordered in advance.”“Good!” I nodded, glancing at the time on my wristwatch, and smiled at him. “Because I’m hungry,” I said, and that one wasn’t a lie. The whole transforming thing from Lexi to Lexa was exhausting.The server came with our food, and I swallowed hard, seeing the mouthwatering steak and salad, thanking Lexa for not coming because I could enjoy dinner tonight.“I’m sorry, baby,” I said, trying to make my voice extra sweet while cutting the steak. “Tony’s picking me up earlier tonight, but I went here because you said you have something to tell me.”He nodded, swallowing the food in his mouth, but instead of talking, he onl
(Lexi’s POV)I could not believe paying for the fare without getting the change, buying coffee, and giving a tip when every penny I had was budgeted. I hardly buy anything for myself to get through this week, or maybe until I receive my first pay. Although Angela promised me she would pay me cash after every lesson, I was unsure now because of what Lexa did to Finn, taking the money which Frank paid and Angela paying him back.With Finn standing before me and asking what happened, I could not think of anything trivial except related to all the money I spent today.“I lost my wallet,” I cried.“No, you don’t. You’re holding it.” He puckered his lips, pointing to the wallet in my hand and blinking his eyes at me as he waited for a more acceptable reason.Caught in a lie, I wailed like an animal being slaughtered. I wished the ground would just swallow me whole or the elevator would suck me back to the lobby. Yet here I was, finding Finn with his mouth open and staring at me stupidly. I
(Lexi’s POV)“Why are you going with us?”Frank was not smiling as he looked at Finn, and the chagrin on his face definitely showed he did not entertain him.Instead of answering him, Finn turned to me. “Should I answer his question?”I was glad my mouth was full and could only look sideways while thinking. Yet both men patiently waited for my answer, so I nodded at Finn because I was curious why he wanted to come with us.“I want to know where you live,” he answered, moving his eyebrows up and down and turning to Frank. “I want to know where my girlfriend lives. Does my answer satisfy you?”When Frank nodded, he smiled wryly, clapping his hands once and standing up, clearing his food container. “I’ll just get something from my office.”He turned his back on us, whistling as he walked to his office.Like me, Frank's head was still in the doorway, unconsciously following Finn when he went out of the pantry.“Why does he look happy?” He turned to me, looking suspicious of him.“He met L
(Finn’s POV)I didn’t want to be in Frank’s way, but I asked Lexa several times about wanting to take her home, and she always declined my offer. Although I hoped her plans to change her career would help us get into the next stage of our relationship, I had to be patient and wait. As Olivia said, ‘I was not the Finn he knew after meeting Lexa.’ Her working at nighttime was a bit challenging for me because even if I wanted to spend more time with her, she had to go to work, telling me it brought food to the table.Lexa was different from the women I had met, though sometimes I wished she would take advantage of my generosity in providing for her. Still, I was the one who always ended up frustrated because she wanted to step up in her career without my help and provide for her sisters without me giving her a dime.I let Frank woke Lexi up because I saw something more interesting, sitting regally on the porch, and I could not help smirking as I remembered Lexi in her. The sweet-looking
(Lexi’s POV)What could be worse than not having a wink after my conversation with Finn last night, forgetting to bring an umbrella, and now standing in the drizzle outside their home?The Mars lived in a private residential area, but before you could enter their main door, I had to go through another inspection-interview-like with the new security personnel at the gate. It was not as thorough as my first time going here because before I could log in my information, their head security, who just came, recognized me immediately and told them I was Finn’s secretary. When I stepped inside the gate, it was just about to rain, but I declined the offer to be driven near the main entrance. I sighed at the thought that wealthy people had more resources to waste when anyone could use their energy walking and enjoying the luxurious driveway. This was more like a walk in the park for me, but halfway through the driveway, the lonely sky poured a fine misty rain without warning.Or maybe I misse
(Lexi’s POV)When I first stepped into the music room, my first thought was Lexa. She would surely like the aesthetic sense and the instruments inside the room. The luxurious space drew out a fresh vibe from the large windows, reflecting natural light from the garden. She would think of this place as heaven if she saw the room filled with musical instruments, the ones I remembered she liked to buy when we visited a music store to buy strings for my old guitar. Angela gave me an envelope before I began my lesson with her children, and when she realized I was about to decline since I had to pay her back, she slipped it inside my bag that was sitting quietly on the side table.Sky and Angela stayed for a while, not to watch me do my lesson but to see which instruments they would choose. As their mother explained, they were still changing their minds about which one to master first, and she was right about it.In the end, they all agreed with me to learn the same musical instrument simu
(Finn’s POV)“Is that it?”I slightly raised my head, half-smiling as I looked at Mrs. Antonetta, then I returned my eyes to the orange I was peeling. I knew it was childish to mope around just because my secretary didn’t see any good things in me despite my effort last night to bring her dinner and return to the office because I was worried about her.“I like Iron Man,” she said, shrugging and looking at me like there was something funny on my face.Mrs. Antonetta was one of my favorite residents in The Nursing Home of St. Mary, and if I weren’t busy, I would come and visit her to read a book or talk about trivial matters. My family was active volunteers and sponsors, providing financial assistance and time for the residents. Sister Grace and Rose liked us cheering the elders rather than just sending checks for them. Whenever I was here, she often preferred to be wheeled in the garden and talked about her younger days, telling me about the men she dated, the best and worst ones, and