Alisha woke up as she did everyday, for everyday seemed to be the same for her. She stared at the grey walls in her room, the same walls she had seen everyday since she turned nineteen. Her life was a routine that she followed with passion, change was not something she welcomed with a smile. She did her stretches, she did whatever she needed for a prolonged life. She grabbed her bag and left for school, as she strutted down the stairs she froze.
"Father?" He hadn't acknowledged her for years, she wondered why he was greeting her this lonely morning. She lived far from everyone else in their mansion precisely because he didn't want to see her face in the morning. He turned around, his dead eyes staring into her equally lifeless ones.
"Tonight, you have a blind date with Andrew's son, George." He stated before turning away from her again. She stumbled slightly as she ran down the stairs, wanting to catch up to him. "Do you have any objections?" his voice boomed. She flinched before she shook her head and scuttled to her car.
"Good morning Mr Thompson."
"Miss."
She arrived at her University, unbothered about the avoiding gazes. She was used to this, her face changed from neutral to delighted upon seeing her best friend, Susanna. She gave her a hug before sitting at her usual desk in the classroom.
"There's another rumour going around about you and Richard. FWB this time." Susanna whispered into her ear with a giggle before continuing with a touch of jealousy, though Alisha didn't notice it, "I wonder if it's true." Alisha simply rolled her eyes at her friend and produced her laptop from her bag. She grabbed a scrunchy and tied up her hair, she got annoyed when it came into her face. Some boys peered at her as she did so, amazed at her elegance even as she simply tied her hair. Her pale neck shown from underneath making them suck in their breaths. Susanna humphed at the scene, they never got tired of doing this.
Her lessons passed, at lunch she gave her daily call to Eliza, but she didn't feel like talking about her blind date. She felt uncomfortable at the idea of a relationship, but she knew that to her father she had already become someone he could sell into marriage, but as per usual she kept it bottled. Eliza always said that Alisha was too rational, Richard always called a her a pushover for her family, Annabelle told her that if she tried more she would be a force of nature, Fred begged her to be productive. Susanna always told her to never change. Perhaps that's why she liked Susanna.
Night came, she wore a white gown for the restaurant's dress-code was strict. She expected to have a boring night, she bet that George was annoying like his old man, a 'rebel' in the elite community. She was surprised to meet a normal looking man, he donned a traditional black suit with a tie and white shirt. She smiled at him, the way she smiled at everyone; he returned the gesture. "I am Alisha Richards, nice to meet you George."
He responded, "The pleasure's mine. How are you feeling? I've never been on a blind date." He lightened the mood quickly, making her feel comfortable, easing her into conversation.
"Nervous, but you seem wonderful so far. I've never been on one either, it's a first for the both of us then!" She chuckled, his pupils dilated slightly upon seeing her laugh. How cute, he thought. He was glad suddenly, that Diana had sent him tonight.
"How are your parents? Last time I met the couple they were fighting cutely over cake. You're so different from your dad, he's so... quirky." Laughter boomed from Bryan, George too was quite the quirky character. She wasn't wrong about Andrew, the father and son stood out like sore thumbs.
"They're both good, healthy, still quirky!" They both chuckled before he continued, "Business is as usual, what about the Richards' couple?" Alisha smiled when he didn't call them her parents, she truly didn't have any parents.
"Rich, sad, lonely. What's new?" She noticed a waiter nearby and called him over.
"Do you want to share a pizza?" She inquired, upon getting a nod of approval she quickly told the waiter what she wanted. Unexpectedly he did the same thing.
"Margarita for my half of the pizza and a side of the Grilled Chicken Delight please." They turned to each other and laughed again, before turning to the waiter and saying. "Thank you so much, have a good night!" They both raised an eyebrow to the other, each looking at a reflection. "How curious." They said together before bursting into laughter.
He would be such a delight as a friend, she thought. She is the only one for me, he thought. As the night went on, her thoughts aligned with his a little more, but in a very different sense. He gradually became infatuated, and he saw her as something he must have. She started seeing his potential as a marriage partner. If we married, it would probably be a good marriage, she thought (lol no :P).
Before the night ended, Bryan knew that he couldn't let her continue believing that he was George, so he quickly grabbed her hand before she left. She cocked her head to the side, making his heart feel fluffy because of how cute she looked. "I need to tell you something... I'm not George. Don't look so shocked, I look nothing like either of his parents! My dad owns DSN, so our status's are basically the same. I'm sorry for hiding the truth."
He looked down, waiting for the possibility of her getting angry at him, screaming shouting, he felt her hand rise, would she slap him? Schwick! He felt a sharp pain on his forehead, he lifted his gaze to a pair of mischievous eyes and a hand mid-air after flicking him, she giggled and responded, "Boohoo, Bryan! It's no biggie, you're a nice dude." (How opinions change...)
Bryan smiled and let go of the arm he was grabbing. They swapped numbers, Bryan felt his heart beat with anticipation, Alisha felt happy that she might have a new friend. They walked away, unaware of how twisted the future would be.
Better as parallel lines, but made to cross paths by fate.