To say Claire's driving skills equated walking towards the gate of death would be an understatement. That chick had no idea how to drive, made me wonder which jack ass even passed her driving test. Rowan sat in the passenger seat in the front, while I and Minnie sat in the back seat.
"In case you're not aware, Claire, this is not an amusement park and we are not driving a bumper car." he glared at her, "what the hell do you think you're doing?"
I almost flinched back in my seat, but it didn't have an ounce of effect on his sister.
"Rowan, are you aware of the fact that you're swearing in front of your three year old daughter who might as well pick on your swears one day and turn those back at your gaping face?"
That earned her a few more swears in low tone, "It's your fault. I am not dying so soon, so I suggest you pull over and let me drive." He let a frustrated groan, "I never knew you sucked at driving so bad. Who the hell taught you?"
"It was Drew."
The car went dead silent.
Rowan smiled at some distant memory, "that asshole."
"Don't worry; I won't end up like him just because he taught me."
"Why would you say something like that, Claire?" Rowan asked palely, "you know it wasn't his fault, nor was it yours."
The atmosphere had taken a wrong turn from Amusement Street to intense street. Something told me they were talking about their dead brother and it didn't feel like my place to be listening to such an intense conversation.
"Wasn't it?" I could hear her voice drop, her fingers clenching the wheel tightly, "If I hadn't bailed on him that day, maybe he and Stef would have been alive. I was supposed to take his place."
Rowan clenched his hands in a fist, and snarled angrily, "you stop your Guilty talking right now, or I swear I'll push you out of the car while the tires are still rolling."
His threat did wonders, and Claire fiddled with the radio, as she drove silently. As much as she made fun of Rowan, she was equally scared of him like a younger sister she was. She knew her place.
She looked into the rear view mirror, "Alana, we didn't make you feel uncomfortable, did we?"
"No. No of course not." I waved my hand at her in a dismissive gesture, "I wasn't even listening."
She offered me a nervous smile, and apologized to Rowan.
****
Claire was a ridiculous shop-till-you drop shopper. There were no traces of jet lag whatsoever. It was like the little emotional interlude in the car never even happened. I could relate her to Rowan in some ways. In the short while that I'd known him, he struck me as a speak-shit-now-and forget-in-the next-hour kind. I guess craziness ran in the family. I bet there were large scratches on that credit card due to excessive swapping.
She shoved a black tote in my face, "you like?"
"It's pretty." One look at the price tag told me, I would be skipping day and night meals if I were to buy this one.
Claire pouted, "You can have it."
"What?" I gaped at her, "No! No, no no. It's really expensive, I can't do that."
Claire batted her eye lashes, "pretty please."
I accepted her gift after a lot of convincing, though the guilt refused to stay at bay. She was so happy, and all I didn't want to make unhappy. She was like an exotic model, and when one bats her eyelashes like that it's a task to refuse any offer.
"So you gals BFF's yet?"
"She became my BFF the minute you told me she was your girlfriend."
Rowan's cheek resembled her red tote; he stifled laughter and turned to me, "she didn't bribe you into becoming her friend did she?"
"Nope." I said, "I already like her." which was the truth.
"Well, I am glad you girls are getting along." He seemed genuinely pleased.
"Daddy daddy, balloon." Minnie pulled on his shirt, pointing towards the balloon vendor.
"I'll be back." he sauntered out of the boutique towards the balloon vendor.
I looked through the clothes, pulling apart each oneâwhile I secretly checked the price tag. I didn't roll my eyes or displayed any kind of expression which might tell Claire I wanted something. The last thing I wanted was for her to buy me any more expensive stuff, not that I couldn't afford. It was just that I was totally broke this month plus I seriously didn't like bothering my parents about it.
Claire turned to me, "so Alana, I hope you don't mind me asking, how did you meet him?"
I wasn't sure I wanted to tell her that I was his student. "UhâUniversity. IâI mean we..met during a university carnival." I could freaking hit myself for arousing suspicion and for coming up for the worst lie anyone could ever think of.
Her brows shot upward, "Oh." She winked, "did anyone tell you're not good at lying?"
I laughed, seriously? I wasn't the one who could keep up my I-am-not-his-student facade any longer. Surprisingly, she laughed with me. She recovered before me, "so tell me," she scanned a tight red dress and shoved it back on the hanger, "what year?"
"Second year."
She nodded, "you guys are pretty into each other huh? I mean I can tell the way his eyes are always fixed on you and the way you look at him. Explains all." she smiled, "it's cute. I just hope it remains the same for a while longer."
I found myself smiling, but forced myself to stop when I heard that last line.
"Why would you say something like that?"
Claire smiled nervously, becoming all jittery, "Oh God. Oh God. I'm doing it again." she continued, "I didn't mean to put it that way."
I sighed heavily, I wished I hadn't met her if she was gonna spill some old rotten beans. I wanted to keep living my teen age dream and pretend everything was normal but from what Claire just spew I doubted all kind of major bad. I had this feeling from the very start that something was wrong with this man. It took all my strength to ask her, "What are you talking about?"
Claire looked watery eyes, on the verge of heavy waterfalls. "How long have you guys been together?"
I swallowed, "well, I met him a month ago, it's been two weeks since we....started dating."
"Rowan he..he actually...
"So you girls ready for some food? Didn't you say you were hungry, Claire?"
Claire almost flinched back, damnit! Wrong timing. Did he not find any other time to interrupt? I wanted to claw my hair out.
Claire dabbed her glass eyes with a tissue, that woman was one helluva emotional freak.
"Why are you crying?" Rowan asked innocently.
"Nothing." She dabbed some more, fixing the mascara she'd so brutally ruined, "something went in my eye."
Rowan looked at her suspiciously, "Right."
The thought of junk food was very appetizing so Claire and I dragged Rowan to the food court, but a stubborn man that he was, he dragged our reluctant butts to a sizzlers restaurant, which he promised served great Chicken sizzlers. The ambience was quite peaceful, and since it was almost evening, the restaurant was almost empty. Rowan slid next to me, while Claire opposite me and Minnie towards Rowan's right in a high kid chair. Each one of us were served a large size sizzler platter, I watched the smoke go upward as I started to dig in, "Rowan, I can't eat so much."
He pushed a forkful of rice into his mouth, occasionally, turning that fork towards Minnie "You need to eat and if you don't, I'll use any means if necessary."
The wooden platter was full of hot French fries, rice and chicken, no matter how hard my stomach had pangs or how loud it growled, there was no possible way I was going to be able to eat all of this.
I pleaded silently.
Claire on the other hand, was oddly on silent mode. Rowan picked on it right away, "what's wrong Claire?"
"Promise me, you'll not get mad?"
He chewed on his rice a little too harshly not taking his eyes off the food; somehow he knew what was coming. "Spill."
Claire gave me a nervous look, "you see, Mom and dad are having everyone over for dinner next week, so you and Alana are invited."
I noticed Rowan's jaw tighten with the mention of his family, "so is that why you're here? To invite me on their behalf since you and I know well enough that Mr and Mrs. Masters don't invite anyone who isn't family." He chuckled, "and last time I checked, I didn't exactly fit that bill."
"Rowan, don't be like thatâthey really want you to be there. In fact, Dwight said he's dying to see you."
Rowan shoved the fork on the plate with a clank, "I buying none of that."
Claire rubbed her temple, "look, I'm not forcing you to come, but it's the truth. Believe it or not, Mom cannot stop thinking about you. She can't wait to see Minnie."
"Exactly, it's her they want to meetânot me and I can only imagine Mom playing Dwight and Dad together. Those people won't invite me even if their life depended on it."
Claire ignored the comment and went on, "Don't you think it would be exciting for you guys, y'know spending the night together, alone, far from the university and all?"
Well, Rowan can say No all he wanted but of course being a guy he was using his dick to think, "I don't know Claire, we'll see."
See what I mean?
Fantastic." Claire beamed right away, "just one day."
Rowan nodded and went back to having his dinner without a word.
My platter stood messy with some of the rice and a few vegetables on the side.
"You're such a kiddo." Rowan smiled as he jabbed the red pepper in my platter and popped it in his mouth.
By the time Rowan paid the bill, my stomach weighted like rocks or rather a sack of rice. I was sure to hurl up on the faces of the next set of people who might even spell the word 'Sizzler.' We dragged ourasses out of the restaurant, and settled on going for window shopping but apparently Claire had different plans and did not seem the least bit content with the idea so we let her do her thing. Rowan wanted to check out the men's clothing.
Just as we were making our way into the clothing store, Minnie gave out an order, "Donut. I want donut."
And like the obeying father that he was, he decided to put a pause on his shopping in order to fulfil his daughter's ceaseless demand.
"I'll go get it." I said, relief crossed his face as he shoved some bills into my hands.
I made my way towards the donut shop, it was a little cute shop amid the other snack and treat stores. The sober looking employee seemed to be sprinkling on the freshly made donuts behind the counter; he looked oddly familiar, though I couldn't remember where I'd seen him. He ginned at me when he saw me approach. Putting away the donuts for display he turned to give his hundred percent attention to me.
"Can I have two chocolate donuts and two blueberry?"
"Sure." he pushed the donuts carefully in a carry box and grabbed another pink one added it to the box.
"I ordered for four." I reminded him.
"Well, this one's flavor of the week and it's complimentary." He winked at me.
"Pretty lady huh?" I read the donut tag.
"Yeah. Pretty lady for the pretty lady."
I wanted to write 'Cliché' with a black marker over his forehead.
"Thank you." I paid him the amount and turned to go.
"Wait." So I did.
"I've seen you somewhere." he leaned onto the counter. "You go to Carmel University, don't you?"
"How do you know?"
"I've seen you with Chez."
Right. His popularity meter was so high; people could wake up after a ten year old coma and still manage to get his name correct "you go to Carmel too?"
"No. I just attend the art program in your college during afternoon."
"Oh." No wonder he seemed familiar looking.
"I have a request." He started fidgeting. "Well, I recently started a new cake shop around the corner, I take all kinds of orders and I do free home delivery. It would be great if you could y'know spread the word, let your friends know."
"Sure." I smiled.
"Thanks." He pointed at the donut carry bag in my hand. "I slipped my number inside."
So the extra complementary donut with extra sugar coating had nothing to do with me being pretty but getting his little shop promoted. Nice. I gave him a last wave as he started working over his cash register and just as I turned, my eyes came to a halt on the demon professor. Who was shooting poison dipped daggers straight at me.
I beamed at him, summoning all the sunshine and butterflies inside me. "What did you get?"
"Nothing much." His eyes didn't meet mine when he said that.
"Here." I handed him the donut box, he took it from me without a word. We munched onto our treat when Claire arrived with a single heavy bag. The walk through the shopping mall to the parking lot and the entire drive to my hostel was filled in dead silence like watching a silent movie with the volume set on mute. Claire had refused the offer of a ride to her hotel and called for a cab.
I'd already given up asking him anything, because I wasn't even getting the normal neon signs as answers. Those were bad enough but nods and head shakes were driving me nuts and made me wonder if he was actually twenty seven or three. The car came to a halt just nearby the hostel; I grabbed my purse and started to step out of the car when Rowan seized my arm forcefully.
"Ow.Ow Ow."
"What does he have that I don't?" he hissed through gritted teeth.
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't Fucking pretend with me." he snapped at me. "I saw you flirt with that donut guy."
"Rowan. Please." I tried to uncurl his fingers off my arm but of course large impressive biceps come with a warning which I had ignored. "You're hurting me."
"Answer me first."
"I wasn't flirting. I swear." The more I tried to loosen up myself from his grip the more he pressed into my skin.
"Then Explain this shit?" he shoved a small card in my face. I took it from him and scanned it.
Jayson 542xxxxxxx
"You were flirting with that guy right in my face." He continued through gritted teeth, "and now you were planning to call him behind my back. Great going."
He punched the wheel so hard; the blaring horn seemed to be the only sound other than his erratic breathing.
I took a long deep calming breath, "Just calm down, alright?"
He nodded and did as I told him to. "I don't even know that guy; he gave   me that number so I could help him promote his donuts. You should have at least asked me before saying such things, Rowan, I wasn't kidding when I said, I love you. You're all I want. Always."
It was as if his hands had a mind of his own, he snatched the card with Jayson's number on it and tore it into a half, then another half until I could no longer see the ink and only the paper bits.
"You're not allowed to speak with other guys, you understand? Not even my students"
What's with this man?
"Okay."
His eyes suddenly softened, those contracted dark brown smoldering into a lighter shade. He pulled me closer; I turned in my seat to see Minnie sleeping soundlessly. "I am so sorry." His breath tingled in my ears. His fingers rubbed on the red zebra crossing like marks on my wrist, "I did this to you. I hurt you. I hurt you. I am so sorry."
Tears trickled down his handsome face; he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand like a little boy. "I'm sorry" he kept repeating, "I didn't mean to hurt you."
"It's alright. Don't cry." I brushed a lone tear off his cheek.
"I love you."
"I know, baby, I love you too."