Illusions (Alt. Ending)

Chapter 17 (PRESENT)

ALESSANDRA'S POV

After that day, Ervin did came to meet me as often as he did before but he made those clear boundaries. He treated me like a woman in a relationship with a man should be treated by other men. I know he knows, he knows from that day that I am with someone and he knows that someone is right here in this university but he just doesn't knows its Theodore Blackford.

Two days later, i was lying like a dead insect on my bed when came the very familiar loud voice from the entrance while the door flings open dramatically and came the material girl.

" Tada!! Your precious hot summer gift is here for you, Ms.Smartass! "

She slides stop infront of me with her arms spread on both the sides like tree branches. Her very recently done nails are the little leaves and oh God she's again had those huge sunglasses on that makes her look like a black moor.

She stays holding that pose for a few seconds, for a moment, I thought she's really waiting for a bird to fly inside through the balcony doors and sit on her laid out fake branches.

I exhale tiredly for being the audience of such a boring show and stared back up at the ceiling over my head. Vanessa hops on my bed and starts shaking me shading her fake tears, like I was really dying. " Alessa, I can understand you're so happy to see me again, see your soul mate, the love of your life after such a long wait, but don't die, please don't die on me my dear Darling! Please don't die!! "

" Drop the act, will you? " I ask her being on the last stage of patience.

"Ding Dong!"

That's when the sound comes from the door. I pushed Vanessa off me and walked to the door and opened it. There stood, Chloe, a girl from the room two doors apart from ours and one of those rare species who refuse going back home for vacations. She smiles a very bright and wide smile when she sees me.

Vanessa pops out her head from behind me. Chloe flashes another toothy smile for Vanessa but this time added with a " Oh, you're already back, Vanessa. "

She stood with a huge bouquet that's large enough to carry a healthy toddler in it. And also few boxes, maybe gifts.

" Do you need something? " I asked her.

She slaps her head. " Oh, I totally forgot why I'd came here.. "

" Here! " She says forwarding me the large bouquet and other boxes of gifts she had been holding. " These are delivered for you, Alessa. Ms.Layla was quite curious about these exquisite presents. Okay, see ya both later. "

" Thank you. " I said before closing the door.

" Is it a secret admirer of yours who's madly in love with you or obsessed with you. " Vanessa kept sending her wild opinions, my way. Ignoring her, I looked for the sender's name.

I noticed the little card tucked inside the blood-red roses and picked out in my hand to read whatever message was written on it.

It was written in a beautiful golden calligraphy,

Meet me in the library.
You know when and where, don't you?

~T

" T? " Vanessa exclaims. " Who's T? Was it from Ervin, no, he doesn't have a letter T anywhere in his name nor in his surname. Then.... " she trails thinking. I cleared my throat and walked to the table to keep the bouquet down.

I hear Vanessa gasp from the realization. " Oh God, Alessa, Alessa, is this-is this-T- stands for- Theodore Blackford?! "

She looks for an approval in my expression and she gets the hint from my silence. " Is that true, Oh my Gosh, oh my Gosh! That's a very hot news! The hottest news of the summer! "

I snapped my head towards her. " Don't you dare tell this to anyone Ness! "

" Okay. But sooner or later everyone will know, don't you think? " she questioned.

" Probably. Theo is not so interested in hiding anything about us. But I don't want any unnecessary attentions for me. I'm already getting enough with my marks. That's why, I want to keep this down for as long as i can. " I tell her. " I hope you'll understand, Ness. Please. "

" Roger that! " she clicks her fingers in a flashy way and then she jumps on me, hugging me like a bear. " I'm so happy for you, Alessa. But- " she pulls away from the hug to look at me. Her face serious this one time.

" Does- Ervin knows about- "

I nod looking down somewhere. " He knows. He doesn't knows who but he knows. "

" I will go meet him later. But, first tell me how all this happened, was it him who asked you out? That grumpy Greek God? That's so romantic! "

" Shut up! "

" Okay. "

" It all-just happened. " I tell her the whole thing and her jaw drops to the floor.

" Stop giving those expressions, that's so cringy. "

" As you say, my lady. By the way, did you both- " she stops mid-sentence when I gave her a sharp angry look. " Okay, okay. I got it. " she walks inside the walk-in closet with her trolley bag.

Later that evening I was walking to library and Ervin was walking back from the library with few books in his hand. We halted infront of each other. He forces a smile towards me but I know that was a facade before he walks past me.

" Rin! " I called turning back.

He stops and takes a second to prepare himself to look back at me.

" Can we-talk somewhere tomorrow, alone? " I asked anxiously.

He stays quiet for a moment before he puts that forced up smile again on his face and says, " Why not? Text me the time and place. I'll be there. "

I almost said sorry to him. Almost.

" Thanks. " I gave a tight smile and watched him walk away.

I too turned back and walked inside the library. Only an hour was left before the closing hours, when I arrived, so nobody would notice. And like that day, I hid under the farthest of desk I could and waited for the lights to went off.

Once it did, I got out and straight went upstairs to the restricted section and waited for Theo. I walked through rows of books looking at them. I stood infront of a particular section of records that took my attention.

I took it out from the shelf and opened it carefully. The record of the last invention done by Arthur Ferreira. I flipped through the pages. It seemed to be the original copy.

It was an educational program that he had developed but unfortunately never got a chance to proof it. After his death, his friend, Dave Blackford tried to prove it but it ended unsuccessful.

Arthur held the vision of the future and the constant evolution of human and every living & non-living things around it. He wanted to create a future with perfect humans and that would've only happened by developing their minds or more precisely, their brains.

My breath hitches when two arms wraps around my waist and someone's hot breath fans my neck. Theo turns me around in a slight movement and watches me like his life depends on it, like he'll die the moment he averts his eyes off from me.

The record falls from my hand beside us. Completely forgotten.

He presses his hand on the wood of the shelf beside my head and leans in closer to my face, more closer and then drops his face in the crook of my neck and exhales my scent. I trembled under his touch.

He retreats only to look back at me. " God Alessa, you're going to be the death of me one day. " His hands cup my face and he kisses on my forehead. " I'd never thought I'll let a human, to hold power over me like this. "

" Happy Birthday my sweet darling Goddess. " He says.

Oh, I'd forgotten, today is my birthday. Theo never lets me go, later he takes me to his apartment.

He held me close to himself while we lied on the couch. He tells me to cancel all my plans for tomorrow, practically today as it was already past twelve.

He told me he had planned to take me somewhere and has the best gift prepared for me.