The Chameleon and The Beast - Anderson Family Series Book 3

Chapter 5

"Are you okay Uncle Ollie?" he heard his nephew ask beside him and he awoken from his stuporous state. He was disoriented for a moment that he blinked several times to clear his mind. When he roamed his eyes, he saw his family eyeing him in confusion and concern, even the children.

He cleared his throat and started eating the food on his plate that he noticed, was not even touched.

'What am I doing? What is happening to me?' he silently asked himself. He had been finding himself staring blankly into space ever since the day he accompanied the twins at the bookstore, and Beatriz's smile is the one causing it, one which he finds very difficult to accept.

"Are you okay Ollie?" his mother asked with worry.

"I am fine Mom, no need to worry." he swallowed what he had been chewing before answering his mother.

He can still feel their gazes but did not mind it and continued eating. After sometime, he tried to steal a furtive glance to all of them, he found that mostly resumed eating or is chatting with someone, except for Ethan, who he caught staring at him with brows furrowed. He just pretended that he didn't saw it and continued eating, as if his life depended on it.

He doesn't want to be coddled, he had always been silent and just keep his problems to himself. That is the result of having an older brother who is an achiever and a younger brother who had been famous since young. He had always felt inadequate as a person and may have felt jealous towards his brothers while growing up and he doesn't like what he felt then. So the only way to vent what he felt without being destructive or worse, have a dispute with his brothers, is to enroll and learn martial arts. That way, he was able to let go all his frustrations, and in the long run, mastered it.

He finally had something to be proud of, and he became defender of his brothers especially Claire, while growing up.

Their meal finished with nothing else amiss and they all went outside for the bonfire and beers. While the females huddled together with the children, the males gathered in one corner drinking and chatting, except for him, he remained quiet. Ethan sat beside him, he shouldn't have minded it, due to the fact that it was the only vacant chair, except what he said to him once he is settled.

"Is there something that is bothering you?"

The question caught him off guard because he hadn't expected it. Though, they had really been close growing up, they had never had a serious talk about something. Now that he thought about it, he may have been at fault because he had closed himself so much from them.

"Nothing serious." his remark before swinging his beer. Ethan stared at him for awhile, before letting it go. He released a relieved breath when Ethan joined the others with their topic.

He noticed Claire went inside the house and came back with someone in tow. He almost spit the beer he just took when he saw who it was - Beatriz - the one who has been residing his head since, he doesn't know when.

"Damn it!" he exclaimed in a whisper because of how fast his heartbeat when he saw her smiled towards their group. He knows it's not only for him but to everybody in general, his pulse became erratic.

His face darken at the thought that she can affect him with so much as smile or maybe even a stare. His face darken even more when he saw Sean stood up and approached her that he almost crushed the bottle he's been holding. He tried to relax his face when he noticed Ethan had been staring, but based on the smug look and grin he's been sporting, he knows that he saw and heard his reaction at the presence of their visitor.

"What?" he asked his brother nonchalantly, careful not to let his annoyance surface.

"Do not try to hide it. You've got it bad." Ethan's response before chuckling.