Only With Me

Chapter 9

Alejandro's POV

Fuck!

I held my head and groaned as i felt a strong migraine coming in. For goodness sakes this headache could kill. I removed the white comforter to get to the bathroom but paused when i saw a blood stain on the bed.

Reflex made me check my arm and neck and i calmed down when i saw that i was okay.

I proceeded to the bathroom and then I realized I wasn't in my room. This was getting out of hand. I blacked out again?

I must've rented another room because i couldn't remember my room number.

I put on my clothes and went back to my first room where my belongings were. I tried to open the door but I wasn't with my keycard.

Everything was getting confusing now.

I turned around to go get the keycard from the receptionist but i heard a clicking sound from the door and it opened to reveal Brittany.

"Brittany? What the hell are you doing in my room?"

She was shocked at first but then, her expression masked that of an angry bird. "I've been waiting here all night thinking something bad happened to you."

"I don't understand. Why are you expecting something bad to happen to me?"

"I-i" she stuttered.

"How did you get my keycard?" I loomed over her intimidatingly.

"I-it fell. I saw it and picked it up."

"How did you know it was mine and not someone else. I didn't tell anyone my room number besides Anita and i know for a fact she wouldn't have told you."

"Uhmm.....it was that girl."

"What girl?"

"The baker. I saw her staring at you when you weren't looking. It was like she was obsessed with you or something. I saw her when she took out the keycard from your pocket at the-the bar. I wanted to tell you but you were already gone. I looked all over for you. She-she must've misplaced the keycard because i saw it on the floor. I didn't want anything bad to happen to you so i came to your room to look for you. I waited all night and fell asleep here. I'm sorry. I was just trying to help." She wiped her tears as she finished her speech.

"If something was to happen to me, hypothetically. Did you think you could save me?"

"Of course." She answered too seriously. "I would risk my life for you, Alejandro."

"Thank you for the kind gesture but please go home." I moved her aside and closed the door.

I couldn't tell if Brittany was lying but if she wasn't why would a sixteen year old baker want my keycard. To steal from me?

Whatever it was, we would never see each other again.

—————

"You did a great job, son."

What? Did my father just congratulate me. He must be getting old.

After finishing up work at the hotel, i went to my father's house with half of the cake to see him after he told me he wanted to speak with me.

He wanted us to have a family dinner. His wife, Evelyn gave me a kiss on the cheek and their daughter, Eleanor who had just come downstairs typing furiously on her phone collided into me and i almost lost my balance and fell.

"Gosh! Eleanor. Watch where you are going. You know you're not as young as you used to be. You could push a wall down."

"Sounds to me like you are getting old already. You're like thirty right?"

"That's not funny." I messed up her hair which i knew was her weakness because she normally took hours styling it. "I'm twenty-seven not thirty. Anytime you joke about it again, i'll do worse to your hair."

After my mother passed away when i was ten, my father re-married when i turned fourteen. At that age, I noticed how lonely he became. He love my mother very much and her death almost made him fall into depression. He had been drinking day and night.  A week later, he lost his best friend that same month and it was hard to talk to him. He had turned into a different person.

My mother's best friend, Kate which was Brianna's mother always came by and did the best she could. She made sure i had a friend to talk to and she always made sure i was studying and eating healthy. Sometimes, when dad wouldn't come home for days, she would take me to her house and I'd spend the holidays with her family. That's how Brianna and i became close until we parted due to college.

I don't know what Kate told my dad but one night, I saw them having a serious discussion in his study. Brianna was there and she told me to give them privacy. It felt weird because Kate was yelling at my dad and he was weeping like a little boy in his chair. That night everything changed. After Brianna and her mom left, he threw away every alcohol in the house. Even the expensive ones he bragged to his friends about. It was like he was back to himself. He started showing up to my school events, helping with my home-works. He was basically being a father and spending time with me. There was a time i wanted to design a dress for Brianna as a birthday gift and he helped me out. He was back again and the both us were a team.

One day, he sat me down and he explained that he was lonely. I didn't understand since he had me always with him. He further explained that he wanted to get married to a woman named Evelyne. I couldn't believe it.

I felt betrayed.

Like he was cheating on me and mom. How could he? I got so angry at him and refused to to talk to him. After school, i would go to the Conrads because I didn't want to go home and see him. Kate always brought me home by nine and the next day and the next, it happened like that.

Evelyne was already pregnant with his child and i was going to get a brother. I saw it in movies that kids who got step parents and step siblings were normally ignored but Evelyne was different. I wanted to be mean to her but she gave me kindness instead. I wanted to hate her son but he always wanted to play with me with a bright smile on his face. Kate assured me that Evelyne was a nice person and that my mom would want me to be kind and respectful to her.

Slowly, I accepted them into the family but i and my father's relationship became strained.

"Hey bro, what are you thinking about?" My half brother, Kendrick tapped my shoulder with a large smile. "I heard your dress up party was a success."

Did I mention he was annoying to?