4 The Playful Carlos Mendez

Alex spent the whole day in her room. She asked the maids not to disturb her. She wants to take a rest and think about what she has to do next. She needs to think about what Carlos suggested to her.

Carlos went to the guest room immediately to take a rest as well. After taking a shower, he settled himself on the bed to sleep for a few hours. It is not difficult for him to sleep in a new place since he is used to travelling to different cities with his father and grandfather for business reasons. He could sleep easily anywhere he is. He even experienced sleeping in benches in the airport overseas when their flight was delayed.

The mansion of the Lopez's is very famous in the area. Their family is known as one of the richest in their city and all the members from their family are respected by many. Despite this fame, Alex was raised to be humble and respectful towards others. Her parents always reminded her that she is the same as other people no matter what background they are from. The house is inherited by her father from her grandpa who passed away when she was still young. Whenever someone tells or asks her about how rich her family is, her answer is always "My grandparents are rich. My parents are ordinary workers." Others find it very modest but there are some who think it's an indirect way of showing off.

At 6pm, Alex went out from her room already dressed. She is now heading to the hospital to look after her grandma for tonight. She was surprised to see Carlos in the living room conversing with some of the maids.

"Oh, your awake now. Are you going to the hospital?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah. Why are you still here? You can now go home now. I know you also have some things you need to do. We can take care of everything from here." Alex answered.

"You have to eat something before leaving. You have to try the steak prepared by Diane. She is a good cook." Carlos said. He ignored Alex's question.

Diane is a new maid in the house. She is cleaning the living room at the moment, and it is pretty obvious that she is here to talk with Carlos. Hearing the compliments from the bachelor makes Diane giggle. From how Alex sees it, they are flirting and having fun.

"I'm okay. I'm not hungry."

"But you didn't eat anything for lunch and you only had noodle this morning. You have to take care of yourself. I can join you for dinner then we can go to the hospital together." Carlos suggested.

Alex felt a little annoyed with Carlos. He is not only ignoring what she is saying but he also seems very close with Diane. He just stayed here the whole day and he is already exchanging sweet glances with their maid.

Alex tried to ignore Carlos and Diane and started heading for the door. She wants to leave this place immediately to give the two their private time. She wants to tell them to get a room, but she might sound rude or jealous.

"Jealous? Me?" Alex whispered to herself.

Carlos stood up immediately and followed Alex. He was already behind her when she reached the door.

"Are you saying something?" Carlos asked.

Alex was surprised to hear his voice. She was sure Carlos didn't hear what she said so she ignored Carlos' question.

"Are you sure you don't want to eat anything before going to the hospital? We can stop in a fast food restaurant on our way there." Carlos continued.

"We?" Alex asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, we. I will go with you in the hospital."

"Don't you think it's already too much for you to do that? I will go there to look after my granny. This is a family matter and I don't need a company to do that. You can go back inside and continue whatever you are doing with Diane. The two of you look good together." Alex said in an irritated tone. She talked so fast. Carlos smiled after listening to her speech.

"As your fiancé, it is my responsibility to be always beside you when you need me. And you don't need to be jealous. I just want to be familiar with the people around you. Is that bad?"

Alex was speechless with what she heard. She just looked at Carlos with disgust and got in the car which is parked just in front of the doorway. Carlos hopped in the car using the opposite door and the car started moving. They are both sitting in the rear passenger seats.

"You should never skip a meal, you know. I don't like very skinny women. They look very fragile and weak. I want to play some sports with my girl, like climbing the mountain, riding a bike and jogging in the park. I heard you are good at playing basketball. Maybe we can play together sometimes."

Alex ignored what he said and pretended to sleep when she heard a clicking sound from a camera. She opened her eyes and surprised to see Carlos' phone in front of her face.

"What are you doing?!" Alex shouted.

"I need to change my phone screensaver. How can I prove my grandpa that we are a couple if I cannot show any picture of you in my phone?" He said smiling. "Look at your picture? Isn't it cute?"

He now changed his screensaver to Alex's closeup picture. It is showing her face with eyes close and her nostrils looking very big since the picture was taken up close.

"Delete that one!" Alex instructed.

"Why should I?"

"Because I told you so!"

"I didn't know that you are a very strict and demanding fiancée. I like it." Carlos said, still smiling. Alex can't help but find him very cute especially when he smiles. Alex tried to remove the thoughts of admiration she is starting to build up towards this man and she realized there is no point arguing with him, so she didn't say anything. She turned her gaze to the view from outside. The best way keep him quiet is by not talking to him and ignoring whatever he says.

"Alexa!" Carlos called.

When Alex looked at Carlos direction, he took a selfie of the two of them which makes Alex angrier. She punched his arm and tried to punch him in the face when he caught her fist. He tried to stop her attack by holding her waist with the other hand making their faces closer to each other.

"Is this the part when you have to kiss me?" Carlos asked.

Alex tried to escape from Carlos grip, but he is too strong for her. She is starting to feel hot despite the aircon inside the car.

"You're cuter when your blushing." Carlos said. He is again smiling.

Carlos finally let go of Alex. Alex saw the driver smiling when she glanced at the mirror in front. When their eyes met, the driver stopped smiling and focused his eyes on the road. Alex just wants to get off from this car and stay as far away as possible from Carlos. She now regrets thinking how nice this guy was last night. She can now see Carlos' true characters and she is not liking them. But she can't reject the fact that he also finds these characters attractive. What is now happening to her? Is she starting to be confused?

The ride going to the hospital was too long and annoying for Alex. She had to keep listening to Carlos' insults towards her.

"Look at how big your nose is in this picture. You look like Shrek's sister." (Shrek is an ogre from an animation movie.)

"Look at your forehead. Maybe an airplane can land on here."

"Why is your hair so short? Are you that lazy to wash your hair? That's why you stink last night when you were leaning on my shoulder!"

He was laughing the whole time which made Alex furious. She wanted to slap his face and kick his butt, but she knows she can't win against him, so she remained quiet. This silence of hers made Carlos enjoyed teasing her more.

Alexa felt relieved when they reached the hospital. She got off from the car immediately and headed directly to the elevator. Her granny's private room is on 4th floor of the hospital. Her granny is already transferred from the ICU since her vital signs are now stable and is now conscious. Carlos on the other hand went somewhere on his own which made Alex feel happy or maybe upset. She also cannot figure out what she feels finally not having him around.

Alex's parents are both in the room when she reached there. Her mom is feeding her grandma who still has a tube connected to her arm. A container of liquid connected to the tube is hanging next to the bed.

Her grandma didn't greet her when she arrived. She is sure that her grandma is still mad at her for going against her.

"Where is Carlos?" her father, Miguel Lopez, asked her.

"I don't know. Maybe flirting with young nurses in here." She said coldly.

"So, she came with you here?" Her granny asked, sounding excited.

"Yes, granny but I don't know where he went. Are you still mad at me?" Alex sat down next to her granny and hugged her. She feels relieved to see her granny now okay. She couldn't forgive herself if something happens to her.

Her granny didn't answer and continued eating. Her mom smiled at her. It's like a secret conversation between a mother and a daughter and she understood that her mom wants her to stop talking about what happened for now. They don't want her granny to be upset again.

Not long after, Carlos came with a plastic bag in hand. She went directly to Granny Isabela and kissed her in the cheeks which he also did to Alex's mom. He looks so sweet doing such gesture to her family. Granny Isabela and Mrs. Lopez look pleased with what Carlos did. He then approached Mr. Lopez and said hi, then went to Alex and gave her the plastic bag.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"I got sandwich for you from the canteen. You didn't eat anything yet."

Mr. Lopez cannot hide the smile on his face when he heard what Carlos said. Granny Isabela was also smiling from ear to ear.

Alex didn't say a word. She was moved with what Carlos did but at the same time she is confused. How dare this man pretend to be so kind in front of his family when he was laughing at her the whole time in the car!

"You should eat something, Alex. Don't make the people around you worried." Mr. Lopez said. The smile on his face is now fixed. He can't help but like Carlos for being a gentleman to his daughter. This is also the first time a man shows such thoughtfulness to her daughter. He, as her dad, cannot do such thing to her since she always said she is not a baby anymore and she can always take care of herself. "Maybe it is time for us to go home. It is Friday anyways so the two of you can stay up the whole night. Or, since mom here is now feeling better, you can take a rest after her medicine time." Mr. Lopez continued.

Alex can sense what her father is doing. He wants the two of them to have more private time together. He is hoping that the two of them can have a chance of becoming a couple.

"Over my dead body," whispered Alex.

"You're saying something?" Mr. Lopez asked.

"Nothing, dad. I'm talking to myself."

Her mom as usual, didn't say a word and just followed her dad.

After the couple left, Granny layed down on her hospital bed and said she would take a rest. Alex didn't force for them to talk and just helped her lie down.

"Why don't you eat? Don't you like the sandwich?" Carlos asked her when she returned seated on the sofa.

"I'm not hungry."

"I don't think so. I heard your stomach growling in the car."

"Stop making fun of me, will you? I said I'm not hungry!" Alex said who is now very irritated.

"I just don't want you to get sick. I'm worried. you know."

"Eat something!! Why are you so stubborn?! You like doing exactly the opposite of what people tell you to do." Her granny shouted which made the two surprised. She is now sitting on her bed and glaring at her. All along, Granny Isabela is listening to their conversation and maybe she can't stand not butting in.

Alex opened the plastic bag and pulled out a wrapped sandwich. She started eating it. After her first bite, her granny went back to bed.

Carlos laughed quietly looking at Alex. He then stared at Alex who looks like a pitiful child forced to eat by her parents.

Alex started feeling hot on her face which makes Carlos laugh more. She is now blushing! The charm of Carlos is working! Even the lesbian, Alex Lopez can't refused the charm in front of her.

Alex looked at the other direction to avoid Carlos' gaze. He seems to enjoy the reaction he sees towards Alex. He also finds her cute, but he knows more beautiful women than her.

The night for the two was very long. They played at their phones and didn't talk. This situation is more favorable to Alex since she won't be teased by Carlos. She is now sure that he has two opposite characters. He is sometimes so talkative and insensitive and the other one is very quiet and caring. She should not be fooled by him and she shouldn't be confused with her identity. She has a girlfriend and she should think about her more.

She realized that she indeed has a gf which she didn’t contact for two days now. She received some text messages from her, but she didn't open them since her focus was her grandma.

She opened the messages and started replying to her gf when her phone rings. It is her gf. Carlos looked at her and gave her a suspicious look. Alex went out from the room to answer the call.

"Hi, baby. I missed you."

"Yes, my granny is in the hospital now. I'm so sorry."

"I will call you if I can see you tomorrow. I will try my best baby."

"I love you and don't forget your meals. Wear something sexy when we meet okay?"

"What the!" Alex almost dropped her phone to see Carlos standing beside her. He is now outside her granny's room and is smiling at her.

"When did you come out? I almost had a heart attack." Alex said.

"You don't have a heart disease. I already checked your medical records." Carlos answered.

"Don't do that again! And it is rude to listen to other people's conversation."

"I was just standing here. If it is private, you shouldn't answer your calls in hospital corridors. This is a public space."

"Whatever!"

"I'm hungry. I didn't have dinner yet. You have to pay for my sandwich. You ate it."

"Excuse me? You gave that to me. You even talked about it loudly so granny could hear it. Do you think I'm so stupid not to know that you intentionally spoke louder so granny can hear you talking about how concern you are? Nice pretending, huh?"

"Is it too obvious? It worked anyway. Buy me sandwich, then. I'm also hungry." Carlos wrapped his arm towards Alex neck and started walking. Alex tried to escape from him but still can't get away from him. Carlos dragged her to the hospital restaurant and asked her to buy the same sandwich which he gave her. After buying, they went back to her granny's room.

Inside the room, Carlos sat next to Alex and leaned on her shoulder. Alex didn't do anything anymore since she knows that her strength is nothing compared to Carlos'.

"Can you open the sandwich for me, baby?" Carlos said loudly which she is sure her granny heard.