Attractive Idiot [NaNoWriMo]

06

Alexia’s POV

My stomach growled as I bit into the Macintosh apple, chewing and savoring the flavor of a fresh apple. 

“So why do you like farms so much?” Colin asked, interrupting the comfortable silence we were in. 

I swallowed the bite I had been chewing before I answered him. “My parents always took me as a little kid and we would spend the entire day at the farm, having fun.” I smiled as I reminisced. “After I hit middle school though, we rarely went, and as soon as I was in high school we stopped altogether.” I shrugged. “I guess I was subconsciously missing it.” 

“Wow,” Colin spoke in a somewhat awed tone. “Well, then I’m glad I decided on taking you to the farm instead of a movie.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. We fell into another silence again, and I was left alone to my own thoughts.

The sun was rapidly sinking, signifying that it was nearing dinner time, and my parents were expecting me back soon. I bit into my apple once more. 

We finished off the date by going apple picking, and Colin had hoisted me onto his shoulders for a while so that we could reach the higher apples that almost nobody had touched yet. They were delicious. 

Then he ended up giving me a piggyback ride, and we raced around the orchards, the wind whipping my hair, carrying my laughter to the far ends of the farm. I didn’t even care about the questioning looks from kids and parents, I was having too much fun to care about anything but the moment we were in. 

What a nice moment it was. 

Now I was going back into my world of black and white, where my main priority was to study for upcoming tests and quizzes, and be sure that I was prepared for the week ahead of me. 

I couldn’t help the depressing sigh that escaped my lips, my entire demeanor changing from one of elatedness to one of darkness. 

It scared me to think of how much I didn’t want to go back, didn’t want to work until I fell asleep from exhaustion every night. 

Yet it also scared me to think of how disappointed my parents would be, the disapproving looks they would give me. The disapproving looks they already give me when they think I’m not trying hard enough. 

“Hey, what’s wrong? I thought you had fun.” Colin was frowning, his eyes travelling from the road to me, then back to the road.

“I did, I think I had too much fun.” My lips thinned as I spoke, and I felt trapped in between the memories of our time together and what I’d have to face as soon as I stepped through the threshold into my home. 

Colin let out a laugh. “Too much fun? I don’t think it’s possible to have too much fun.”

I just shook my head. “You just don’t understand.” 

With that, I turned my head to face the window, not wanting to discuss this anymore. 

My heart heavy, the world whirled by, my eyes seeing everything but nothing at the same time. Eventually my surroundings began to seem familiar again, and I realized we were nearing my home. 

“Thanks for this Colin, I had a great time,” I said automatically as I got out of his car. He also got out, and walked with me to my front door. 

“I did too Alexia.” Now we were on my front stoop, and he was leaning in. It felt like déjà vu all of a sudden. 

This is where I had kissed Lee only a few days ago. A sharp pain shot through my core at this thought, and I gently pushed Colin away. I’m sorry, but I can’t, I said in my mind, but there was no way Colin would know what I was thinking.

The hurt overtook his eyes, shadowing the blue depths. 

“Uh, well, have a nice night,” he coughed awkwardly, shoving his hands in his pockets, his form slightly hunched and dejected as he walked away. 

I honestly felt like punching myself. I felt like such a bitch, pushing him away like that. Here he is, my knight in shining armor saving me from my drab life full of work, giving me one day to just act how I want to without having the judging eyes of my parents or anyone else, and I push him away. 

I sucked in a breath and planted my feet, preventing myself from shouting for him to come back and keeping me from running after him. If my parents were to hear or see that slight spectacle then I’d surely be dead within a few days. They held such high hopes for Lee and I, needing the merger to boost our family status. 

I wasn’t even quite sure what Lee’s family got out of this; I never bothered asking since it had already been decided and was my parent’s final decision.

I heard his car engine start up before the wheels rolling down the driveway, the headlights illuminating my figure in front of the door. 

It was only after I could no longer see his car that I finally opened the door and walked inside.

“I’m home!” I called, shutting the door behind me. 

“Lexi!” I was caught in a bone crushing hug, realizing it was Lee seeing as he was the only one who called me Lexi. “I missed you,” he said, pulling away slightly but still keeping his arm wrapped around my waist. 

“Lee?” I was suddenly nervous, my palms beginning to sweat. Oh god, what if he saw me with Colin? What if he knows that I went on a date? What if he knows about Colin and how he’s always asking me out? How could he have found out? Oh no, pl--

“Alexia? You okay?” 

It took a second for Lee’s words to register, and another for me to realize I had been spacing out. 

Now Lee was standing in front of me, hands on my shoulders as his eyes searched mine. 

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” I mumbled, trying to keep my nerves to a minimum. “Anyway Lee, weren’t you supposed to be on a business trip? I thought you weren’t going to be back until next Saturday,” I babbled, changing the subject from myself. 

Lee gave me a big smile, eyes sparkling. “I came back to get you,” he said, throwing his arms up into the air. “I couldn’t bear being without you, and so I convinced your parents to let you come with me to Japan! Isn’t that great?” He gave me another hug, and I could feel myself tense up. Apparently Lee felt it too. “Lex? Is something wrong? Do you not want to come with me or something?” Lee’s voice was absolutely crestfallen as he stepped back to take a good look at me.

“I.. just.. uh, I..” Stammering, I blushed and looked away from him. I had no idea what to say, I felt torn. I wanted to go, not only for the cultural knowledge, but to just spend time with Lee. On the other hand, I wanted to stay to make things right with Colin. 

Lee’s arms dropped to his side, a defeated look crossing his features. “You don’t want to go, do you,” he said, more like a statement than a question. “It’s fine, I-I’ll just go now. I need to pack.” He turned towards the front door, and had one foot out before I stopped him. 

This would be the second time in one night I’ve let someone down. I won’t let that happen. “I’ll go,” I blurted. “It was just so sudden and I was kind of shocked to see that you were here, so I didn’t know what to say or how to react. But I’ll go with you to Japan so long as my parents are allowing it, it’ll be a good chance to learn some things,” I prattled, breathless by the end. 

It took less than a second for Lee to sink all of this in, and his grin was so wide I could’ve sworn his face was cracked. 

“This is going to be so much fun, Lexi,” he cried excitedly, squeezing me tightly in what was the third hug of the night. “You’ll see, you won’t regret coming, I promise. Just you and me, for an entire week.”  

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poor colin *cries*. THEY WERE SO CLOSE. this is like the second time they almost kissed and and and.. nope. doesn't look like that's going to happen anytime soon. but hey, a week in Japan with the Lee sounds fun :D

do you think Alexia's being too harsh on herself? On Colin? On Lee?