Chapter １６

Alexia’s P.O.V

“Where are the clothes I’m wearing tonight?” I reminded Calvin because he seemed a little lost.

“Here, Take it!” I stopped him from ever opening the door wider which leaves only a small gap from its frame, he hands me his white plain shirt, but another problem arises. Her underwear has gone wet, and it will be embarrassing if it becomes transparent from the white shirt.

"Can you give me a dark shirt?" I am a little embarrassed.

Calvin doesn't ask why, and quickly hands me a black shirt.

The shirt was too big, which is good. Though it looks like a skirt on me not going to lie. The hem of the shirt was just above my knees which I can pretty tell that I am not exposed, and then I dashed right out of the bathroom.

Calvin’s eyes were staring at my behind, his eyes narrowed slightly from the sight.

Calvin's P.O.V

My clothes were hanging on her, she walks around the room bare feet. Her beautiful body was hovering in front of me and I failed on looking at her adamantly. Her eyes give off a warm glow of lust and damn she’s attractive.

Her eyes seem to light up my body. She surprised me in every way, making me standstill in place and anytime I might lose my grip.

Alexia's P.O.V

Calvin’s eyes were focused on me as if having a feast.

I tense up and smirk a little bit at him, which forms around the corner of my mouth, I was trying to break the awkward silence in this atmosphere we are in.

As per his suggestion, I put my wet clothes in the dryer.

I sank myself awkwardly on the corner of the sofa, securely watching over my every move, cause a slight wrong move could expose most of my uncovered body parts and it’s embarrassing me.

“Your phone buzzes nonstop.” Calvin hands me my phone and I opened it. The call’s from Anni and Andie. They both understood the situation I am in.

“Hello, earth to Alexia! You finally answered!” Anni teased me but it can be seen in her eyes that she’s worried. “Johnny has been calling me nonstop today, and he kept on bugging me. I got annoyed and hadn’t hold it anymore. So, I gave him your phone number. I’m very sorry.”

Actually, I am a little bit angry at you. It doesn’t matter to me if you gave away my number to that sucker, but why tell him where we lived?”

“He never knew that we live together but actually found where I live, my address. He was not expecting that we lived together but assumed otherwise.” Anni was also aggravated by the situation.

“Then he tells me that you never return his calls. He was worried about you and he made me contact you, to ask you if you’re alright.”

Girl, where are you? Why are you wearing a guy’s shirt on you?” Andie exclaims excitedly.

"Shh! Shut up!" I peek at Calvin, but fortunately he did not notice me, "I'll talk about it when I get back! I guess I’ll hang up already.”

"Wait!" Andie screams again,

“Alexia, my goodness. Isn’t that Mr. Smith behind you? His stance is so familiar. Have you ever locked in your relationship already? Finally, you two figured it out!”  Andie’s voice was high pitched, I felt Smith already noticed they were talking about him.

"Shut up!" I yelled at Andie. I am almost mad.

“You guys are friends, correct?” Smith frowned his eyebrows.

"Yes, we are college classmates and currently roommates."

“Um, don’t mind Andie, she’s lost her marbles tonight and sprouting nonsense from her mouth!”

“Okay, what part of what she said was not true?” He looks at me ferociously.

What does he mean by that? Is it a trick question coming from him and is taking advantage of me, again?

"No, nothing." I pretend that nothing happened.

The atmosphere between us becomes awkward and tense again, I don't know when Calvin sits next to me,

"Don't you fall in love with me?” Calvin teased.

I feel that my ears are burning again. I looked at him and shook my head,

"Nope. We are not a match!"

"Careful, if you decline me today, there might be a chance that I won’t ask again in the future. Won’t you regret it, darling?” Calvin gently strokes my flushed cheeks.

Heat rummaging from my body with that gaze of his.

I am little panicked, my heart tremble inexplicably.

But I still shook my head, "No regrets!"

Calvin gaze at me and sighs.

The atmosphere suddenly becomes dull and silent.

Feeling a bit uneasy, I drifted off and change the subject, “I guess the clothes are dry. I have to take them out of the laundry then.”

" I put on my clothes and I think I really need to go before things get out of hand. “I’m terribly sorry for the problems I’ve caused you, but I really have to go. Thank you!”

"I'll send you home." Calvin's eyes were warm again.

"No, I'll go by myself." I don't want to bother him anymore.

"Wait for me in a minute!" Calvin doesn't allow me to refuse, put on his coat and leads me out the door.

The shelter is one of the top communities, with a high level of security. Facial recognition was required to enter and exit, and by-visitors can't enter.

"Straight home?" Calvin asks me again after exiting the gate of the community.

"No!" I hesitated and decide to go to Andie's house, so I tell him the address of Andie's house.

The silence was deafening throughout the car ride, both of us were silent and we both felt a gap between us.

I arrive at Andie's house an hour later, Calvin keeps silent to me, I am a little panicked, so I take the initiative to speak.

"Thank you for that necklace you gave to me. I’ll return it to you.”

Well don’t bother if you don’t want it, how about throw it away.” Calvin's tone is particularly cold, and his eyes flare up like a bull, ready to attack.

The way he talks was totally me like I’m a complete stranger. Nonetheless, I am a little upset.

Then he drove away.

I am a little depressed as if I had said something wrong.

Andie was very surprised when she saw me. She grabs me and asks me what happened, but I am so depressed and don’t have the mood to discuss matters with her, but there are some questions I want answers from Andie’s perspective.

"Andie, may I ask you a question? If you reject a man who was always prominent in telling you that he wants to pursue you and treat you better, suddenly changed moods towards you, is something wrong between you already?” 

"Who did you reject! Johnny? Mr. Smith?" Andie's bombarded me with questions.

"I’m asking for a friend!" I won't admit it.

"You reject Mr. Smith! Are you nuts?" Andie knows immediately what happened.

“This was not because of Johnny literally knocks on your doorstep and you suddenly had the urge to go back to him?” Andie frantically asking.

"No! It's impossible for me and him!" I quickly deny the thought

“Didn’t you say that Mr. Smith is out of your league that’s why you segue the possibility of ever in a relationship with him?  It seems fair for him to be cold towards you. You feel a little bit uncomfortable now, aren’t you? It’s not all the time the man should give too much time while you don’t reciprocate. A man’s world is black and white.” Andie sermons me.

"I don’t think so" I shake my head again, "I just think..."

"You just feel lost?

I think for a long time, then nods gently.

"Alexia there are things about you that you don’t see for yourself. Don’t you know how sometimes you’re a bit over the top? It’s hypocritical!”

I don’t know if she’s right but am I always like this? I tend to reflect on her words, see myself in it.

Recently, I am too hypocritical.

“Before you were open to new ordeals and how decisive you ought to be, but now you’ve become reserved to new possibilities heading towards you! If I were Mr. Smith, definitely, I would ignore you after such time.” Andie sneers at me.

“Enough about me, how’s your dream of someday becoming a star going along?” At the end of the day my decisions matter whether I liked it or not. I can no longer discuss such trivial thing with Andie.

"He got me a job, but he asked me to act as a corpse, so I declined him. Forget it, I'm not a star anymore. I will try to lose weight and participate in beauty contests in the future."

Andie recognizes the reality and decides to work diligently and stop dreaming.

“Is it okay if I crashed here with you tonight? You take a bath first.”

My phone keeps on buzzing inordinate amount of time already.

"Alexia, will you answer my call?"

"Alexia, I have something important to ask you. Will you answer my call?"

"Alexia, it was a misunderstanding. I was caught in a trap set by Abby Williams. I was a victim."

After seeing this, I really can’t stand it anymore. Could this day get any worse? Does he think that I’m stupid enough? What I saw was clear as the sky and the light of day.

But I understand that I needed to take matters into my own hands, and running away is not always a solution to the problem. I texted him a message, with only one word, “Okay!”

A call from another unregistered number flashed on my phone but the number seems familiar to me. I took a deep breathe and answered.

"What's the matter, please tell me." I didn't expect that I would be so calm when I hear his voice.

"Can we meet and talk?" Johnny asks cautiously, “Don’t worry I won’t cause a fuss, but there are things I wanted to tell you in person. I just learned about these things.”

"Okay." I replied. I also know that if I don’t agree with his terms, he won’t stop bugging me and this is the solution no running back.

We agreed to meet at Starbucks, and Andie was very happy to hear my arrangement, she also proposes to go with me.

After arriving at Starbucks, I never thought that I would be seeing him again like this. Although I persuaded myself not to care, I still feel the heartache that pelted through. I loved him once, I hate him now!

After he sees me,

He seems pale, and talks with a shark voice,

"Alexia, please listen to me, everything was a misunderstanding."

I am dumbfounded.

"That's all?"

"I don't know what's wrong with me, I don't want to betray you" Johnny’s expression turns tense, and I avoided his gaze.

"If that’s the only thing you want to tell me then, I’m leaving, I believe what it was, was real.”

"I don't know how to convince you, but you have to trust me." Johnny hug me, pulling me against his chest.

"I love you! I have always loved you. It has never been the same since you left, I have missed you all this time and can you give me another chance?”

The moment I fall into his arms, I feel so familiar, he was everything about love in my memory, but we will never go back to the past, I push him away hard, "Go away!" I shout.  It all felt too familiar, the moment I feel into his arms, the memories came flooding in, but the past was already buried deep within. I pushed him away from me.

“Go away!” I shouted at the top of my lungs.

"No, I won't let you go. I know you hate me, but I am a victim, can you forgive me?" Johnny words makes me sick!

“It has been years, and you’re apologizing now? Isn’t it too late for that apology to be accepted? You never apologized from all those years you were absent from my life. Now, you want me to forgive you just like that? I don’t believe you anymore.”