Chapter 26

“No, no, it’s ok. Why did you call?” He remained silent for a brief period before raising an eyebrow.

“Did you shop?”

That astounded me. Huh? How did he know? As far as I knew, I didn’t tell anyone else, and I was confident Iris wouldn’t tell him either. Iris despised him, right?

“Yes? How did you know?” I asked, confused. Was he stalking me or what? We didn’t see any of our classmates when we went shopping. Where did he learn we’d been shopping earlier?

“I see a lot of shopping bags trailing behind you, ma’am.”

I instantly turned around and discovered that he was right; there were the shopping bags. That was where I dropped them earlier.

“Iris and I bought a lot of clothes. We’ve just returned home,” I stated. I brushed my bangs back and sat on the bed.

“Bae, your bra is exposed.” My eyes immediately widened. I hurriedly fixed my dress and concealed the bra. My dress was dragged down when I laid.

Pierre saw me wearing only a bra and underwear, but I had no idea before. Because I was asleep that time, my embarrassment was partly mitigated. Today, I was fully awake and conversing with him.

It was freaking embarrassing.

“Don’t try to tease me, you moron.” Due to humiliation, I averted my eyes. I returned my gaze to him after hearing his feeble laugh. He drew himself closer to the screen and locked his gaze on me.

“You’ve only recently arrived? Have you had your meal yet?” I was quite appreciative when he shifted the topic. If he continued to tease me, I would instantly end this call.

“No, not yet. Later, it’s still early. I can eat biscuits right now if I’m hungry. That’s enough for snacking.” I fixed my bangs when I saw them unkempt. I was not used to revealing my forehead; for the last few weeks, I’d been concealing it with my hair.

“Biscuits will not satisfy your hunger. Wait a moment.” He opened his phone that was sitting on the desk. He appeared to be communicating with me via laptop at the moment, as he only owned one phone, as far as I was aware.

“Keep an eye out for the food I ordered. Given the hour, I’m sure Iris hasn’t prepared dinner yet. Eat first; cookies alone aren’t enough for your body,” he stated solemnly. My brows arched but I remained silent. He set the phone down and pressed something on the keyboard.

Was he searching for something?

“What are you doing?” I asked. He bit his lip before looking at me.

“I’m doing your homework; I’ll do mine on Sunday.” He returned his attention to what he was doing. My being was instantaneously immersed in shame. I should have just done it; there was still plenty of time remaining and I’m confident I’d finish everything before the end of this weekend.

“I’ll do it, Pierre. I’m free tonight and Sunday. Just do yours.” Despite his assurances, I still had a guilty conscience. I felt as though I was a burden to him; that was a lot of assignments to complete.

“I’ve already begun; withdrawing your words is not an option here, sleeping beauty.” I could do nothing but sigh. I spent the next few minutes staring at him.

Minutes passed in silence until the doorbell rang. It rang several times, indicating that Iris wasn’t in the living room to open the door for the person outside.

“I believe the meal has arrived? I’ll just go grab it.” I walked out of the room, leaving the phone on the desk. The entire house was silent, as Iris was in her room. Additionally, I couldn’t smell anything from the kitchen, so I was sure she wasn’t cooking.

Was she asleep?

I stepped outside and took Pierre’s order. Because it was already paid, I gave him merely a tip.

“Thank you, ma’am.” I didn’t respond and simply smiled. I entered with a smile on my face, carrying the food.

“You ordered a lot,” I stated upon my return to the room.

“You may share it with Iris if you want, or reheat it if you can’t eat it all right now.” I took his orders one by one from the brown paperbag. It served a variety of beverages, meals, and rice. There was even dessert included.

“How about you? Have you eaten yet?” I began eating rice and paired it with the dishes.

“Yes. Before I called you.”

Pierre’s order was delectable; I’d just tasted it. The flavors were quite different from what Iris frequently prepared.

“Do you like it?” I didn’t respond and simply gave a thumbs up. Speaking with my mouth full would be disrespectful.

“All right, eat it all, hm? I’m going to end this call so I can concentrate on these,” he said, pointing to the bondpaper with sentences written on it. That was, I believed, what he began earlier before calling.

He was fast, huh?

I swallowed what was in my mouth before waving.

“Many thanks for the food!” He mouthed welcome before ending the call.

I hung up and continued eating. I left something for Iris to relieve her of the burden of cooking later. I was not sure I’d be able to have dinner because I was already full. I wanted nothing more than to sleep.

I placed a note under the tupperware. As she appeared to be asleep, I would refrain from rousing her. I’m sure she’d seen it because it was simply sitting on the island counter, where she frequently ate.

I returned to my room and dropped the shopping bags on the floor. I wasn’t going to try them tonight because I was already sleepy. I did, however, know what I would wear tomorrow.

#

I awoke the following day before the sun rose. Given that it was Saturday, Iris would most likely awaken later.

I took a heavy shower. As this was my first date, I should appear decent in my date’s eyes. I blow dried my hair before putting on the clothes we purchased yesterday. The brown tank top was paired with cream wide-leg pants and white rubber shoes.

Even applying makeup and styling my hair took some time. I needed to be perfect; looking like a potato on my first date was the thing I wouldn’t let happen.

It was precisely 9:30am when I finished preparing. I brought only my cellphone and some money. I would not bring a bag or a pouch; they were an unnecessary burden for me.

When I walked out of the room, everything was good. Today’s weather appeared to be in harmony, as the sun was stunning and the surrounds were crystal clear. I could see the pleasant weather plainly.

Psh, I hoped it wouldn’t rain until later today. I wouldn’t put my faith in the beauty of sunshine because the weather was typically unusual. Even when the sun was high, it was possible for rain to fall at any time.

Our house was brimming with enormous windows. Each morning, sunlight served as the primary source of light for the entire house.

I waited a few moments for Pierre before hearing a car’s horn. As I did last night, I left a note in the kitchen before leaving.

While I walked out of the house, I caught him reclining against the car. I drew closer to him while he kept a careful eye on me from head to toe.

“What a beautiful woman,” he stated as he approached. I smiled and remained silent. He assisted me in getting into the car by opening the door.

“Where are we going?” I asked as he started the engine.

“It’s a secret,” he answered, grinning. I was not really sure where we were going. I was not aware of any other location in this area other than EastWood.

I kept silent throughout the trip and let him drive. I turned on the player because the silence was awful. It unexpectedly began playing a music with which I was unfamiliar.

*Elton John’s Candle in the Wind is playing...*

“Goodbye, Norma Jean...”

I was immediately drawn to Pierre when I heard him sing. His voice was feeble, like if he didn’t intend for me to hear it. He simply sang along with the song in a weak voice.

“What’s this song called?” Although I had no understanding what the song was about, I could relate to its words. By that time, Pierre’s voice had become a little louder, and I could hear his voice’s beauty more clearly.

“It’s Elton John’s Candle in the Wind,” he replied before humming the song. I didn’t speak again and just remained silent. I didn’t want to interrupt him while he was singing. This was a once in a lifetime experience.

“We’re here.”

I looked around where the car stopped; it was a park, a really large park, with more than just slides, seesaws, and swings; there were also numerous stall selling a variety of foods.

My body swelled with excitement immediately. My inner child was overjoyed that we were here. I’d never visited this type of park because my nanny used to take me only to the neighborhood park.

I’d never played with new children before; more often than not, it was just our neighbors who excluded me from their games due to my frail body.

Pierre and I exited the car together after he parked. There were numerous children, but the area remained relatively uncrowded due to the venue’s size. I’d seen couples sitting on benches as well. Teenagers were also photographing the surroundings.

“Aurie...” Pierre called me.

This was the first time he had addressed me by that nickname. She often called me Jenkins, Aurora, Sleeping Beauty, or Snow White.

“Why?” He waved his hand that had been waiting for me to touch. I refused and raised an eyebrow at him.

“What is that for?” I asked, laughing. He rolled his eyes and extended his hand once more in front of me.

“Simply hold it.” Despite my hesitation, I accepted it. He appeared to be about to cry if I wouldn’t.

Kidding. I knew he’d roll his eyes once more if I wouldn’t hold his hand.

“Where are we going?” We began walking and made our way into the park. Numerous people were staring at us, the majority of them were female. That was undoubtedly because of Pierre. He was so handsome that he didn’t look like a student anymore. He attracted a lot of attention because of his beauty.

“Do you know how to ride a bike?” he asked, looking me in the eyes. Without hesitation, I nodded and gently squeezed his hands.

“Then let’s go ride a bike and show me what you’ve got,” he smirked as he drew me over to a large open tent with numerous bikes displayed on the side. I believed you could rent those and tour the entire park. Not only did they had bicycles for children, but also for youth and adults.

“Two tickets for those two,” Pierre said, pointing to the bicycles. One was about the size of me, while the other was about the size of Pierre.

“Go to that area, mister,” the woman directed, pointing to a tent containing safety equipment. Pierre and I walked towards the tent, he was the one who was holding our ticket.

A man demonstrated how to properly use the safety gears.

“I’ll do it,” Pierre stated when he observed the man was taking so long attaching the elbow pad to me. When Pierre grabbed me from his hands, the man could do nothing but to walk away.

“What were you thinking?” I asked, puzzled. When he took my arms from the man, it was as though he was pissed. However, I was not hurt. I simply noted that he made it quite clear that he didn’t want the worker to put the elbow pads on me.

“He was staring at your chest.” The frown on his face persisted despite the man’s distance from us. My lips parted slightly as I cast a quick glimpse towards the person who had been taking care of me previously.

I was unaware he was staring at my chest. Was that why he was so slow? He was more concerned with my chest than with the pads.

What a scumbag.

Pierre promptly secured the elbow pads on my arms and escorted me out of the area. When we returned to the location of the ticket store, the bike Pierre had chose earlier was ready.

“Are you sure you know how to ride one?” Pierre asked, his face still mocking. My eyes widened as I gently pushed him away.

“Are you underestimating me?” He remained silent, but I could see how hard he was suppressing his smile.

I locked my gaze on him and hopped on the bike. As I sat, a smile flickered across my lips. The bike’s height was perfectly my height, and it was also not too heavy.

“Let’s race; this is the starting line, and that lake over there is the finish line. Show me what you’ve got, sleeping beauty,” Pierre challenged me. I smiled but didn’t respond. I started the bike even before he counted.

“I’m not even counting! You’re a dirty player!” he shouted from afar. I laughed and looked at him.

“You failed to mention that you didn’t state any regulations; it’s fine for me to leave even if you haven’t counted yet!” I yelled back. My eyes immediately widened when I saw how fast he was.

He was already near me!

Due of my haste, my pedal got more rapid. Fortunately, the road was broad, and I avoided running into anyone.

“I’ve got you.”

I nearly gasped when I saw Pierre on my side. No matter how quickly I pedal, he was still faster. He was already on the lead after only a few seconds.

My chest throbbed fast as I felt that my body was starting to hurt. Not only my knees, but even my hands were shaking.

Please, not today.

I attempted to reach the lake Pierre was referring to despite the fact that I felt as if I was going to pass out. I couldn’t let go for the time being; Pierre might question why I came to a halt in the middle of the road.

I took a few more pedals until I arrived at Pierre’s location. My sweat began to drip one by one because of exhaustion. I was so grateful that I made it here despite my frailty.

“I won,” Pierre teased. “You cheated, but I still won.” He lost his smile when he saw my furrowed forehead.

Oh gosh, not today.