9. Buddies
605 Words
When the day came, I had little to nothing to do. Alexander seemed to have everything under control and when I complained of how little there was for me to, he handed over the ingredients to make a salad.
His friends arrived together. They were three and louder than a Black Eyed Peas concert. They all stopped short on their tracks when Alexander pulled me to his side with a giant smile on his face.
"Now where in the hell did you find this beauty?"
"And more importantly, when will she have her eyes checked?"
"Yeah, staring at your ugly mug all day can’t be easy…"
"Why would she want you once she gets to know me?"
Their bantering went back and forth and, despite my initial uneasiness, I managed to relax and enjoy their company. They were introduced as Jared, Liam and Sam, although between them seldom did they use their names.
They were all big as houses, although Alexander was by far the tallest. Jared had green eyes and brown hair, although it was cut so short, that it was nearly impossible to see the color. Liam was as blonde as I was brunette, and his brown eyes seemed to be always on alert. Sam seemed to be the quietest of the group, his features unfathomable. It was nearly impossible to detect his thoughts.
Near them, I felt like a hobbit. Although Alexander was the tallest, all the others were built and tall.They were taking turns to try and deciphering our relationship, although that wasn’t easy since nor even I know in which foot we were in. Alexander, however, never missed an opportunity to kiss my forehead or to embrace me. He did everything he could to mark his territory with me, and his friends noticed and gave him hell for that.
They helped with the dishes, and soon Alexander’s kitchen became too crowded due to the excessive testosterone. They seemed to be everywhere and they were... efficient. Even so, I become jumpy, even knowing that Alexander would never let them hurt me. They were just… too many. Too many things. Too big, too loud, too crazy…
They were starting to get into my personal space and I needed some fresh air, so I went to the balcony to give myself some time. When I turned around I bumped into one of them and I jumped.
"Woha, calm down."
"I’m okay… Wasn’t expecting you…"
That’s all I could say before I made a run for the balcony. And because I was so quiet, they didn’t see me there and I could hear them as if they were by my side.
"Jumpy little one, isn’t she?", asked Jared, his back to the table and me.
"What’s her story?"
"That’s for her to know…"
There was definitely a warning in Alexander’s voice and I felt myself relax. He had my back, as always. I mustered all the courage I had left and returned to the testosterone ridden kitchen, where I made an effort to relax and appreciate their company.
They had gone through a lot. I realised that when they were quiet and seemed to communicate through their eyes. They were bickering like old maids... or very old friends. They were respectful with me, to me, but could insult the others with a carefree smile. Thomas had never been like that, nor would he allow someone to disrespect him, even if playfully.They were different and I couldn't be happier.
I was at peace. With them, with Alexander... with me. And I had never felt so good.
- Writer
