Bi-stressed

CHAPTER 61

Of course, it had to be her in the same jumpsuit as mine.

She's seated on the couch opposite, her leg crossed over the other. Her primly smooth, long hair falls over her shoulders in the most attractive way, possible. The caramel balayage on the dark brunette suits her tanned complexion so well and her perfect face structure makes me envy her even more. Her heavy cleavage is conspicuous which is probably enticing Zac. Her already well-rounded hips look thicker while she's seated.

"Hi, I'm Gwyneth." She says in a slight accent. A british one it is, I guess. She stands up, taking note of what I'm wearing and moves her hand forward for a hand shake. Her curvy body fits perfectly in that jumpsuit which makes me miffed, that the jumpsuit is actually hanging loosely on my slender body. For sure, Zac would like how her body fits so well in that jumpsuit unlike mine.

"Hey. I'm Alexia, Zac's girlfriend."  I smile, declining her hand shake and sit down on the couch opposite her. Her cheeks flush in embarrassment and she seems offended by my decline.

"But he told me that-" She begins but is cut off by Zac.

What did he tell her? That we're doing the space shit yet I'm here, at his place for lunch.

"Lexi, that's Gwyneth. Gwyneth that's Lexi." Zac introduces us to each other.

Just Lexi? Why didn't he just introduce me as his girlfriend?

"Alexia." I snap, correcting him. Who the hell is she to call me by my nickname.

Zac's mouth drops at the sight of her appearance. He looks at me then back at her. Yeah, her curvy figure fits in that jumpsuit better than my thin petite one.

"You look nice." He tells Gwyneth, noticing her cheeks a shade of crimson.

What?

A pang of jealousy rises within me and I let out something between a cough and a snort, I'm not sure which. It's a very simple compliment but like he didn't compliment me as yet except for my glow.

Mia notices the awkwardness between the girl and me and so tries to lighten up the air. "Lunch is ready. Let's move into the dinning room?" She asks.

"Yeah, sure." Gwyneth and me say in unison.

We are now seated at the dinning table and a variety of food is placed on it, just like I had envisioned. There's roast beef with caramelized onion gravy, garlicky lamb chops, sorpotel which is a dish in Portuguese origin, also a Goan traditional dish, baked potatoes and quinoa salad. Zac sits on the chair right besides me and right opposite Gwyneth.

"I'm glad you're here. Thank you for coming." Mal, Zac's father says aloud.

"Thank you for the invitation." Gwyneth and me say together, just then I realize Mal is talking to her and not me.

"Sorry, I thought-" I begin.

"It's okay. You know, I love having you around." Mal says,

I smile, cheeks reddened, not knowing what to respond.

"You look beautiful, especially when you smile." Zac whispers into my ear.

Couldn't he have said that loud, loud enough for her to hear or he could have said it in her presence just like he complimented her right infront of me. He made a fool out of me infront her again. I still don't get, why she's here. What if she's a relative.

"I know." I roll my eyes at him for the second time, today.

"You've rolled your eyes at me the second time." He squeezes my thigh under the table and I wince at his touch, as his fingers dig into my skin.

"Stop." I whimper.

"You know what that does to me, right?"

"Gwyneth has cooked that dish!" Mal bespeaks me, pointing out to the garlicky lamb chops.

"Are you'll related?" I seem to ask the question I've been wanting to ask. Who is this pretty girl who's suddenly come into Zac's life. I've never seen or heard of her before.

"Oh, no. I'm-" She begins.

She's what? My heart begins to race.

"Gwyneth is from our old church. The church we belonged to before we shifted here."

"Oh." Which means Zac and Gwyneth definitely have a history together.

"I ran into Zac the other day at the restaurant. I didn't know you work there, Zac." Gwyneth says, eyeing Zac.

Bitch stop eyeing him, I'll take out your eyes.

"Work there? Where?" My thoughts question at once. Zac's eyes are wide and he looks at the bewilderment on my face.

"Yeah, Xander's. And coincidentally, I'm working there too."

"Oh." I choke on my food.

"Here." Zac hands me a glass of water, rubbing his palm up and down my back.

"Thank you." I give him the you-didn't-tell-me-but-I've-got-to-know look and he tugs at his hair, probably wanting to bang his head somewhere and shut her mouth before she lets out too much information on him and her.

"Thank you so much Gwyneth, for going on the trip in place of me. Atleast a ticket won't go to waste." Mia tells her.

"Oh, I should be thanking you'll for the offer."

What? Hell, I'm not going if she is.

"Why aren't you going?" I ask Mia, eye popping at her. Is this lunch some sort of killer to me, they're firing me with so much of Gwyneth.

"I've been waiting to tell you, girl. Remember my internship at Dornan's Publishing?"

"Hmm?" I ask, clearing the food in my mouth. I remember Mia bragging about her just being an undergraduate and without completing MA in English, getting a paid internship at Dornan's Publishing.

"They're expanding to New York, England and Australia too. Isn't that amazingly incredible?"

"Like woah!" I exclaim.

"So I'm being transferred to the office at England next week and I'll be staying on campus at Durham University from where I'll complete my MA in Romantic and Victorian in literary."

"Oh my gosh! Congratulations. The news is incredible."

"And the chancellor of Durham University is no one else but Gwyneth's dad which is even more surprising."

Why does everything have to relate with Gwyneth? Her dad is the chancellor and she is working with Zac. Wait, Zac hasn't even mentioned about his internship or part-time job, whatever it is.

"I don't understand. You are out here in Pakistan while your dad is a chancellor in England?" I ask Gwyneth, confusion clear on my face.

"My dad's British while my mom's Pakistani. During war time-"

"Oh, I see." I cut her off. I didn't ask her for the whole damn history. Now I get why she has a slight British accent.

I'm impatiently waiting for lunch to end. I'm so done with Gwyneth and her connections with the family and Zac. Her mother and Zac's mother being best friends adds to it. She definitely has a history with Zac too. What if she's one of his ex's, who's feelings he played with. I should be the lucky one here, that he fell in love with me despite all the other girls he dated.