Chapter8
1046 Words
RUBBY'S POV
The drive home from the orphanage left me in quiet contemplation; I suddenly felt fulfilled, as though I had found my purpose.
I had laughed, and so did Alex, whom I'd never seen smile.
He sat beside me now, his face fixed on his phone, and his fingers darting wildly across the screen. He was probably responding to a mail, and he did it with a seriousness that made me smile.
I couldn't help stealing glances at him every now and then, hoping he wouldn't notice the blush that had crept to my cheeks.
"There," I said as the car pulled into the driveway of my house.
It wasn't grand or luxurious, just a simple duplex with a garden my mom adored and a porch my dad spent most of his evenings in whenever they came to visit.
The driver cut the engine and we both stepped out. Alex grabbed the silver-wrapped box he had been obsessively adjusting during the ride and looked at me.
"Hope this would go well?"
"Of course it will, just be yourself. They might annoy you, especially Mom, but please ignore her," I advised.
"Okay," he exhaled deeply before walking towards the porch.
The door swung open before we got to the porch; it was Mom, as usual, always busy with something.
She stood there, her black apron dusted with flour.
I swallowed hard, as I prayed for a gentle reaction from her. She narrowed her eyes as she took Alex In, as though he was auditioning for a music show and she was a judge.
"Rubby, who do we have here?" She asked calmly though her voice was filled with suspicion.
"Mom, this is Alexander. Alex, meet my mom, Mrs Martins."
Alex faked a smile and stepped forward, handing the box over to her.
"Mrs Martins, I sincerely do apologise for not showing up last night; I had an emergency meeting and had to be present; please accept this as an apology."
I saw a wide grin spread across Mom's lips as she accepted the box from him.
"Oh, that's quite thoughtful of you come in, please."
"Ruby?" Dad called out immediately after we stepped inside.
"Yes, Dad, it's me," I replied.
Dad appeared in the doorway, his glasses sliding down his nose. A wide grin spread across his face when his eyes landed on Alex.
"There is a young man with you," Dad said as though I didn't know I was with a young man.
"Dad meet Alex. Alex, my Dad, Mr Martins," I introduced, suddenly feeling shy as I drew imaginary images with my legs.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Alex said, extending the other box to him, I'm sorry for missing dinner last night. I hope to make it up today."
"That's a good start," Dad said with a chuckle, patting Alex gently on his shoulder.
"Actually, I would love to prepare lunch specially for you sir, if that's alright," Alex said while avoiding my gaze.
"What!" I froze, my jaw dropping drastically.
"You've apologized already, you don't have to do that."
"I insist."
I pinched him gently, hoping to wake him up from whatever nightmare he was in; he was doing too much.
"Well," Dad started, I'm not one to turn down a free meal; the kitchen is all yours, son."
Surprisingly, Alex moved through the kitchen with a precision that needed to be studied. The way he chopped vegetables, seasoned the chicken, and stirred sauces felt like he had been there a thousand times.
My mom hovered like a spirit at first trying to micromanage, but eventually admitted that he knew what he was doing.
While he cooked, I stole glances at him, his muscles, his tiny lips, how he furrowed his brow when he flipped a chicken; he was handsome, way more handsome than the first time I met him.
By the time lunch was ready, the entire house smelt like a restaurant. The creamy mashed potatoes tasted even better than the roasted chicken, Dad was practically drooling.
"This is good, Rubby. You sure know how to make friends," Dad complimented. He already liked him, or so I thought.
After lunch, my parents called me aside as though they had some juicy gossip to spill.
"Rubby, that man is good," Mom said; I smiled, but then her next sentence changed my entire mood. "He is such a good friend, but what about Nolan? Why haven't you said something about him since we came."
I clenched my fist, trying to calm the storm that raged inside me.
"Nolan is not?.."
The doorbell rang cutting me off.
"Speak of the devil," Dad said, and I watched Mom's expression change to a much happier look.
"Perfect timing, Nolan," Mom squealed in excitement, "Come in, please. Have you eaten? Rubby's new friend here had just made the best lunch."
"Thank you, Mom, I'm not hungry," he responded politely, though he was already pulling out a chair at the dining table.
I shot Alex an I'm sorry look, but he just shrugged his shoulders in response.
"How's work going my boy? Any update about the wedding plans for the new year?" Mom asked
I choked on the glass of water I held.
"What wedding plans?"
"Don't be shy, Rubby; we've been talking about this for months," Nolan lied, obviously enjoying the moment.
You son of a b***h! I muttered to myself.
He winked at me before turning to Mom.
"You need to see the venue I'm considering, Mom, it's stunning!"
"Tell me about it," Mom said and dragged a chair just directly opposite him.
"She hasn't even said yes yet," Alex suddenly said. His palms were folded and I could tell he was fighting the urge to hit Nolan.
"That's family business," Mom shot back, and Nolan laughed gently, sticking out his tongue and making funny faces at us.
"Pink and white would be beautiful, what do you think?" Mom asked looking towards my direction.
"Listen to me, Mom, nothing..."
"Oh I have another idea," she cut me short again.
"Let me talk!" I screamed slamming my fists on the table.
The silence that followed was deafening, my parents exchanged a look and turned back to me.
I exhaled deeply as I made to talk
- Writer
