The Meal Plan

Chapter 13

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Thanks for the patience. Here's another chapter :) This one is dedicated to you, xxCuteFairyxx. Thank you so much for your awesome support!

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Sharanya Mullassery © 2012-2013

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“She’s not single anymore? SHE IS NOT SINGLE ANYMORE?” I shouted at Alex once we got away from the wedding party. He insisted on driving me home afterwards and didn’t take no for an answer. He flashed a devilish smile in response.

“Stop showing me your teeth. Why did you do that?”

“Well, you looked pathetic when that chick called out your name. I just wanted to cheer you up” He replied sheepishly.

“Announcing to the whole crowd that I am your girlfriend wasn’t exactly that honest, Mr. Delgado” I muttered.

“Hey, I didn’t ‘announce’ that you were my girlfriend. I just said that you are not single anymore. There is a difference”

“You are such a jerk. You implied it!”

“Oh come on, May be I did. So what? Reaction of the crowd was priceless!” He winked at me.

Alex was right. When he held up my hand and shouted that I was not single anymore, people were surprised, shocked even. Mia’s jaws dropped and Sean looked as if he was constipated.  Sofi was surprised momentarily but then she gave me a bright smile and a thumbs up which said ‘well done, you’. People were extra nice to me later. Few girls even wanted to take my picture. Before I could say or do anything to dispel their false assumptions, Alex materialized next to me somehow, placed his hand on my waist firmly and insisted that he had to steal me from them because his flight was in 2 hours and that he had to drop me home safely before he leaves. It saved me from their pestering questions and embarrassment.

“Yes, It was… nice. Thank you for saving me from being embarrassed by Mia” I smiled at him.

“It’s my pleasure.  Don’t let those suckers hurt you”

“I’ll try”

“Listen, here is my card. I have written down my personal number and email id behind it. Give me a call if you need anything” He said as he dropped me in front of my house.

“Why are you being so nice to me? This is too good to be true, Alex. What is the catch?” I asked him suspiciously.

Alexander Delgado, the demigod himself, didn’t have any reason in the world to go out of his way to save my mere mortal ass from being humiliated. But then, there he was, in front of my house, giving me his number and being extremely kind. It was too good to be true.

“When I was in high school, I was a skinny guy with crooked teeth, big nerdy glasses, lots of acne, oily and a little something called asthma. I was beaten and bullied on a daily basis. When you told me your story today, I saw myself in you. The only difference was that I was bullied physically, you are being bullied emotionally. I couldn’t help trying to protect you. I apologize if I overstepped.” He said, sincerely.

“I am sorry for being suspicious” I hung my head in shame. I felt guilty for thinking that he had a hidden agenda.

“Come here…” He gave me a tight hug. “Don’t be sorry. You have every right to be suspicious of a stranger who’s too nice to you, too soon. Not all are god sent like me!” He flashed another one of his devilish smile.

We bid goodbye and I walked home slowly. Before I could ring the door bell, a wide eyed Amanda opened the door.

“WAS THAT ALEXANDER DELGADO?” Amanda screamed and shoved me inside the house before I could say anything.

“Yes…” I trailed.

“WHAT WAS HE DOING HERE?”

“He dropped me home. What are you doing here?” I said slowly, working my brain to find topics to which I could divert the conversation.

“DO YOU KNOW HIM?”

“Yes… We-He is my-we’re friends” I stammered.

“What’s going on?” Mom and Aunt Jane appeared on the doorway after hearing Amanda’s high pitched screams.

“Mom, Neveah came home with Alexander Delgado. They are friends. Can you believe it?”

“Is it THE Alexander Delgado from Biker Psyche magazine? You are friends with him?” Aunt Jane asked.

“Yes” I replied.

“That’s great, Neveah. I am happy that you have such popular friends. Don’t let it mess with your head, sweetheart.” Aunt Jane said in her creepy sugarcoated voice filled with jealousy.

“What’s that supposed to mean, Jane?” Mom interfered.

Aunt Jane didn’t notice that mom was standing behind her. She blushed and tried to twist what she just said.

“Don’t get me wrong, Maggie. What I meant was that Delgado is a very handsome man and that it’s easy to fall in love with him. However, he has only dated supermodels and actresses ever since he became a model. If Neveah falls in love with him, he’ll reject her and she’ll get hurt. You saw what happened with Sean, Right? I am just concerned about Neveah” Aunt Jane said, adding extra caramel to her sugary voice and placed her hand on my shoulder.

I was disarmed by the way Aunt Jane implied that I was not good enough for a guy like Alex and disguised it as concern. For a moment, I seriously considered throat punching her.