Her Guardian Angel

Chapter 5

Past
Chris was definitely not the guy you take for shopping. Whatever I picked he just said yes. I had to take everything based on the intuition that everyone will like it. I hope they do. We didn't talk much except about the occasional opinion asking. That's it. But I was content to spend time with him.
"So how about this.?" I asked holding a turquoise table cloth and a sky blue table cloth in either of my hands
"Hmmm. It's a very difficult question. Take both. We'll just put blue to all the tables for boys and turquoise, for girls. This way boys will also have equal seating opportunities." He said grinning widely. I couldn't hold back my laugh. I laughed so loudly that the other customers turned towards me. I sound like a dying pig when I laugh. Not kidding.
"You have a wonderful laugh. I have never seen you laugh" he was staring at me weirdly.
"You don't need to flatter me. You haven't seen me much." I said turning around to look at the other things.
"You're right." He sounded nervous.
"Turquoise it is." I said turning towards the counter to inquire with Chris following me.
"We want to have 50 of these for the next week. Can we get that on time? " I said to the lady on the counter.
"Yeah. But you need to pay in advance first." She was smiling sweetly towards Chris even though I was the one asking the question.
"Can you give us your card or anything?" I asked her. She was still staring at Chris. I cannot blame her. He was a walking Adonis. But lady you're far older than him. She seemed to be in her late 20s. I too am 3 years older than him. But if you look at us you will say that I'm the one who's younger.
"Yeah." She said handing me the card. I grabbed the card and walked out the door. I turned around to see Chris still standing at the counter smiling at the lady. Is he into older women? Ewwww. The woman gave him a tissue. I know what it contains. He took it and put it in his pocket not before kissing the tissue. I could feel my heartbreak. I was not jealous. I was pitying myself for liking him. Can he stay faithful to one girl? Earlier I was thinking about being with him because he makes me feel alive but now I think I can never make him feel anything for me. How can I stay with someone who is never meant to stay? I'm sure that he'll always be like this. Why did I think that he was different from any other guy? Whatever he makes me feel can never erase the pain I'll feel when he goes around collecting random girls' numbers. I'll always feel insecure. This was a mistake. I'll just confess my feeling to him and then I'll get the hell away from him. He got out of the store with a smile on his face.
"So let's have lunch. Its almost 12." He said entering the diner next door.
"Yeah. " I said following him.
We choose a booth beside the window. It overlooked the street. I was mesmerized by it. I could see all the people walking. Some children running with their parents. There was a cab driver yelling at a motorcycle man. It all makes me feel that whatever happens life goes on. Nobody waits for anybody. Loves are broken, families die. It's a continuous cycle of life.
"What are you thinking?" Chris asked me.
"Oh, just something." I felt embraced for ignoring him
"What would you like to order?" A waitress came with a pad on her hand. She was our age with blonde hair. She actually looked beautiful in that cute girl kind of way. She was starting again at Chris.
"I'll have a cheeseburger and fries," he said staring at her with bedroom eyes. I felt like a third wheel I cleared my throat rather loudly. They both turned to me.
"I'll have the same," I said.
"Quickly. We're getting late " I added when I saw her staring daggers at me.
"Calm down. Why are your panties in a twist?" He asked raising his hands in surrender
"Can I ask you something?" I was curious. You know curiosity killed the cat. I'll also die today.
"Go ahead" he smiled staring at me.
"Do you always get this treatment?" I asked
"What treatment?" He was confused
"The one that makes you feel like you know someone who is just like a tissue. Use and throw."
"You mean a slut" he laughed loudly and my face turned beet red with embarrassment.
"I like it." He said.
"I mean all these girls just see you the way you look and they want to have a go with you. Like you're an OTP. " I said trying to convey my feelings.
"Can you not say it clearly?" He was still laughing loudly
"Sorry. I teach kids so I have to limit my vocabulary to kids-friendly mode. So that I do not use it by mistakenly in front of them." I said looking at him. He looked beautiful when he laughed.
"Nope. I don't feel like it. I'm a young guy with a healthy sex appetite they just fulfill it. Also, it's a mutual benefit. We use each other." He was still smiling.
"You can have a girlfriend. She can fulfill your so-called appetite." I was not liking the way he was describing everything.
"What girlfriend? Nope. I don't want anyone clinging to me. Having sex with the same girl tends to get boring with time." I was so shocked by his answer that I was quiet for the next couple of minutes. The waitress came back with our food. He started digging. But I couldn't since I lost my appetite.
"You should eat. We won't be getting finished anytime soon. " he said grabbing my attention. I started eating. But I finished my food in no time I guess I was hungry after all.  I knew he was different but this was a shock to me. How could I have not seen this? How did I believe that he'll settle down? He can never leave his player ways. He liked it a lot. How can he be faithful? The one thing that I was really confused about was the one he said gets boring after a while. Does it really happen? Do couples cheat on each other because their physical life gets unsavory? Can it really be? But there are still couples who stay together until they die because love changes everything right. I don't know if the physical life of a person is interesting or not since I don't have one. Yeah, you guessed it right. I'm a virgin. But I'm not in the rush to experience anything either.
"Are you a virgin?" Chris asked out of nowhere
"I don't think it's any of your business." I was uncomfortable
"Come on. I'm right. That's why your face turned red suddenly" he started teasing me. 
The waitress came with the bill. I had already removed my share of the cheque.
"I'll pay for myself," I said placing the money on the table and grabbing my things. I moved out of the booth before he could protest. I stood outside waiting for him.
"Hey. You should have let me pay" he said as a matter of fact.
"Nope. I pay for what I eat. You might find it a little weird but I don't like owing people. Even if it's just food." I said heading towards our next destination.
"Have you done the same when you go out on a date?" He asked out of the blue.
"I've never been to one." Shit that came out wrong. That was supposed to be a secret. What will he think? I was almost 22 and never went on a date.
"Why?" He was not going to back down.
"Why do you care?" I was getting frustrated. I entered the flower shop where we were going to order all the flowers for the deco.
" I was just asking," he said standing beside me.
"I don't want you to" I turned towards the owner.
"We would like to make an order"  I got back to business mode. After that I kinda ignored him and he did the same. Why was he so interested in this? It's not like we were close. He'll just sit with his friends and tell them about the virgin girl of the community. I never had a boyfriend because there were other priorities for me. I was not rich like them. I had to look after my family. They have everything they desire. How will they understand someone like me? How I had to sacrifice so many things in life that I even lost the count.

It was late in the evening when we got in the car to head home.
"I'm sorry." He suddenly said.
"Its ok," I said turning to look at him.
"I really am sorry. I should have respected your privacy. " he was genuine with his apology.
"Ok. I forgive you. " not wanting to make him feel guilty I extended my hand towards him
"Friends?" I asked a little worried that he'll decline
"Totally," he said taking my hand. He was back to his smiling self.
"So if you ever have a boyfriend can I meet him? " he asked starting the car.
"Why?"
"So that I can tell him not to make you angry. Since you look literally scary" he said laughing loudly. I slapped him on his arm.
"Yeah and if you ever get a girlfriend I'll tell her all about your wild days" oh shit. I shouldn't have said that.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." He was quiet. I turned to look at him
"Yeah, that is a big if." He said thinking.
"But you like your wild days a lot to have a girlfriend. " I mocked him
"You really are getting me now. " he laughed.
"But if I ever had a girlfriend I want her to be like you. " he was serious
"Are you kidding?" I laughed a fake laugh trying to lighten the mood.
"Because you're not fake like the other girls out there. You speak your mind. Anyone will be lucky to have someone like you" he said. But not you right? It's easy to say this.
"I'm not what you see" I confessed.
"You're the most real thing I've seen in a very long time. And I really felt very happy to spend time with you " he said grabbing my hand and squeezing it.
" Also you eat to your heart's content. Not like the other salad eating girls who look like walking sticks. I liked you more because of that. "
"You're telling me that I am fat" I faked my anger.
"No no, I.....I mean to say.... "
He stopped when he saw me laughing.
" I can never get girls. Thank God I'm single."  He also started laughing.
"So what type of guys do you like? Maybe I can set you up with one of my friends?" He asked after some time.
"One that can make me feel alive," I said under me breathe. Not quite sure he heard me.
"What does that me?" He was confused by my words.
"Nothing. I wanna concentrate on my career so I don't think I can afford to have a relationship. But thanks for the offer." Woow can guys never get a signal that I don't wanna mingle since I like him. Seriously they're truly dumb. When God was distributing brains they might have been watching the angels dance. Leaving them with sharing a brain among themselves because they were late. That's why they cannot think properly with half a brain.
"Ok, then I'll see you soon. " I said getting out of the car
"Yeah. I enjoyed my day with you" he said running the back of his neck. He was nervous but why.
" Yeah. Me too. Thanks for today."
I said turning around and heading towards my front door.
"Hey, Faith." He shouted behind me.
"Yeah?" I asked stopping in my tracks watching him.
"Nothing," he said
"Ok" I turned around and entered the front door. Only when I locked the door I heard his car turn around. It's wasn't a bad day. But I was still confused. Who was the real Chris? The one in the diner or the one I just spoke to.
"So did you confess?" I looked to see my brother standing in front of me.
"Shut up. Mom might hear"  I said covering his mouth and dragging him upstairs. Wait I was not dragging him he was coming willingly. I can not read him since he was taller and bulkier than me.
"So did you?" He asked once we entered my room and I closed the door
"Nope. " I sad sitting on the bed.
"Why?" He sat beside me.
"I don't think I should do it. It'll not take me anywhere."
"I'm not telling you to expect him to accept you. But I'm telling you to confess him so that you get the closure you need so that there are no lingering feelings." He said placing his arm around my shoulder in a protective way.
"But I'm not confident. " I said
"You don't need to be. Just go there and speak your mind as you do in front of the kids. You're the strongest person I know. You can easily do this like you do all the other things. If you still are not ready I can go with you." He squeezed my shoulder. I placed my head on his shoulder.
"Okay, I'll do it. You don't need to come. It'll be embarrassing." I could feel myself feeling warm.
" I won't let anyone embarrass you. He's just a guy. They can not define your worth." He said kissing the top of my head.
"Do you think I'll ever get someone to love me?" I asked feeling tears well up in my eyes.
"You'll get the best one. He'll love you like there's no tomorrow. He'll treat you like the queen you are. You deserve to have everything. I know you sacrificed a lot for us. You deserve someone a lot better than Chris. And I'm sure your other half is out there waiting for you." He said getting up and leaving my room. Maybe he's right. I deserve someone better than Chris. But is there really someone out there who'll want to be with someone like me. I mean I'm not that bad either right?

That night my brother said those words to comfort me. But he was unaware that they might actually get true.