Chapter Fifty-four

Chapter Fifty-four

“Brandon Matthew West?” she asks with popped open eyes as she stares at Brandon in shock. “I knew it was you! My instincts were right!” she said happily, knocking her fist gently on the table in excitement.

The waiter stood there looking confusedly at all of us with her cheeks getting redder in embarrassment at every passing moment. I looked irritatedly at her. Who asked her to be over nice? Just because she was seeking the attention of Brandon, she flopped everything I had managed to contain. Ugh! So annoying. 

Brandon looked like he was secretly enjoying this, as a sardonic grin lingered at the corner of his lips while he watched me intently. He licked his lower lip slowly, suggestively as he watched me, before whispering in a low, husky voice; “smells delicious… Thanks Annette, nothing else is needed, except Miss Fields wants something?” he cocks his head to one side with a mocking glint gleaming through his eyes.

Seriously, does he have to do this now? Tease me all the time?

“No-nothing.” I stutter and glare at him while my mum giggles at the both of us. Gosh, this woman! Now they’ll both tease me out of all spirits.

The maid embarrassedly walks away grumpily, the Brandon-effect must have seized every sanity in her, until she became a fool trapped in a love that had no headway. My mom on the other hand pressed her elbows to the table, cupping her chin in her hands as she watched Brandon happily, who was in turn watching me, making me uncomfortable in my seat.

“Fierce, misty grey eyes huh?” she said in a whisper nudging me, but it was loud enough for Brandon to hear, and he raised his eyebrows at me questioningly. My mom couldn’t just contain her excitement of meeting this Greek god, whom she believed her daughter had fallen in love with - but had no idea it was the complete opposite… or let’s just pretend so.

“He’s the very same you told me of, isn’t he?” my mom asked again, completely ignoring the scowl on my face. 

Brandon smirked and maintained a lopsided victorious grin on his face, as he stared at me. He had that So-you-told-your-mom-about-me kind of look on his face, and I couldn’t help but scoff at him as anger and frustration brimmed inside me.

As I would not satiate any of my mom’s inquisitions, she turns to Brandon instead. I’m pretty sure he felt like a hero, a legendary cut out from a mediaeval story. Ugh!

“You are Brandon right? You sent those gifts to my daughter, didn’t you?” she asks with a big smile and I scoff at both of them, folding my arms across my chest and tossing my head to one side, looking away from both of them.

“Unless I’m not Ethan to Miss Fields, then that would be true.” He says with an evil smirk as he eyes me discreetly, never taking his eyes from me even when my mom speaks to him. It feels like he’s stripping me bare under his stares, undoing every part of me, awakening every part of me until I come alive to the realisation that he is sitting right there, across the table, in flesh and blood and Brandon-like fragrance.

“Ah,” my mom sighs as she waves her hand dismissively in front of him, “Galena didn’t mean that, she was just too embarrassed. She is quite very fond of you behind closed doors.”

Such exaggeration!

“Mom!” I chided, glaring at her, but she carried on casually, totally ignoring my reaction.

“She loved your gifts a lot. You know she’s been through a lot lately, and you just know how to soothe the moments.” she said with a reassuring smile.

“Mom, can you just stop!” I say through clenched teeth, but again, she ignores me totally.

“I’m glad I could save the moment,” he says, offering my mom a small, almost invisible smile, and I scowl and smirk at him.

“As always!” my subconscious sneers inwardly. Now he has his medal, doesn’t he?

“How long have you two known each other?” My mom finally faces my direction.

Seriously? Was she really doing this now?

I stand up abruptly making them raise questioning heads at me. “I’m sorry, I need to use the restroom.” I say quickly with a bit of defiance in my voice, and before they can say anything else, I half-limp towards the restroom as fast as I can.

I dab my face with the clear running water from the tap that has a faint smell of antiseptic in it. For a moment, it felt soothing, numbing and reviving at the same time, and I wished I could just strip in here and have a bath. A thorough bath with an angry shower massaging my body with furious pellets that struggle to break free from its base. 

I think that would do. Would it?

But why was he here? I mean Brandon. What was his sole aim of showing up here to see my mom in this supermarket? Or would he swear that it is mere coincidence, some sort of fated cliche that was beyond his control, but after all, in his favour? What was going on in his mind, what did he aim to achieve with all this? Talk to my mom? And then what!?

I stare at my reflection, and I feel ugly, totally ugly. This isn’t the Galena I used to know. She never had all these marks on her face, she never had so much to worry about as it was now. True happiness used to be my crown, but now, that must be really far from me. My place, my role, my life just switched from what it used to be to something totally different. Something I couldn't have envisioned ever in my life… It's just sad.

I wonder what Brandon has in mind for me. Maybe, he’s trying to act cool, get me to trust him, and also, the closest people around me, so that I can’t just cry for help, cos everyone will think he’s as harmless as he portrays. How do I even save myself from him.

I looked a bit plump and puffy in my face. Maybe from too much crying or thinking, but I didn’t just feel me. I felt ugly, unattractively useless. A big baggage trying to be better. At least, they two were there enjoying themselves. They just suit each other so well. Even my mom supported him teasing me out of all spirits, maybe not until, he prolly tells her; “you’ve forgotten your place”

Now look who’s at my place, struggling a table with myself and mom. I’m sure an entitled, bossy human also forgot his place. Ugh!

“I knew you’d be here.” someone says from the door, and if I was thinking right, that person was none other but Brandon.