Chapter 2 - Chapter 1

Alexa

Alexa Weinstein was heading towards downtown where Mr. Callous's place were bustling with people. As usual her alarm didn't work since she'd saved it as p.m not a.m. And of course her stupid car thought of paying her back for her carelessness and didn't start no matter how much she prayed every god she knew of.

Oh, he's going to kill me, she thought as she jogged towards the place, at least I can think of this as a morning exercise.

The little bell above the door tinkled as she entered. Familiar customers smiled and greeted her as I looked around the place searching for her boss, half wishing him not to be present, which is a really stupid thing to wish for since Mr. Callous practically lived here.

It was a warm place filled with new baked cakes. The food racks filled with rolls, burgers, pastries- anything you wish for to begin the day, with tiled white floor and yellow painted walls, it looked quite homey and it was in fact her second home. A place where she can be free of thinking about the one person that she hated the most. The hunger satisfying picture was completed with the sweet, delicious fragrance of warm freshly baked goods.

I was just heading towards the door in the far corner of the room, smiling to myself for not getting caught, where it opened to the staff locker room, when a deep voice demanded, "Why are you late?"

Shit!

She turned and looked down at the short, chubby man wearing his usual red apron and his famous scowl, his eyes demanding an explanation. But only Alexa knew that beneath those harsh appearance, his heart is soft as a feather, one might say.

She glanced at his dishevelled black hair and the cold gaze of his dark eyes and thought, I am dead meat. Why do I always have to be late when he's in a bad mood? This is the second time that week.

"I am so sorry, Mr. Callous. My car didn't work, and I had to go around searching for petrol which I didn't find anyway, so I literally had to walk all the way here." She batted her eyes and gave her best innocent look. "Sorry."

He sighed, his gaze softening a little. He was one of her mother's closest friend, who helped them when they settled down here, introducing the neighbours and providing groceries with his wife providing us with delicious mouth watering homemade muffins as a warm welcome.

"Ok fine. Get to work then," he grumbled and left, muttering something about lazy teenagers under his breath.

She exhaled, relieved.

She was just coming out wearing my uniform when she was lifted into the air by a strong pair of arms. She giggled as she turned to meet the gaze of her boyfriend, Bryan. He was three inches. taller than Alexa who was 5"7 and had broad shoulders with a natural tan. He had dazzling blue eyes that reminded her of the sky in a sunny morning with brown soft messy hair. He had a sharp jaw bone with a week's stubble.

"Good morning, beautiful."

" 'morning," she said and gave Bryan a kiss.

"So, I was thinking, since we couldn't hang out lately, will you come to the movies with me tonight?" he asked.

Oh Oh...

It was true, they couldn't hang out lately but was he doing this right now? Thank god she was saved from answering him as Mr. Callous was glaring daggers at them. She gave Bryan a knowing look which said, chubby is glaring, and turned to take the orders.

It was thirty minutes past five in the evening when she finished her work and tidied up gratefully. It was a busy day and she wanted nothing more than to go home and have a good night's sleep. But seems like she talked too soon. She and Bryan locked up the shop and walked towards his car, hand in hand, when he brought the topic she was dreading the most.

"So, what do you say? You up to relax a little and chill?" he asked.

"Bryan, you know I would love to but I can't," she said.

"Please. I want to talk to you and I can't even remember the last time we went spend time together," he silently pleaded with her to say yes. Her heart dropping by the second, she hated that look in his eyes like he was giving up on her.

"Bryan, you know my mom," she said, sighing, averting her eyes.

Mrs. Weinstein was so overprotective of her only daughter since her father left them, at least that's what she said to Alexa. She stated that it was dangerous to go out at dusk, especially with Bryan. Alexa has tried her best to change her mother's views on her boyfriend but her tone had a finality that left no room for arguments. Her mother hated Bryan, to whatever the reason known only by Mrs. Weinstein.

"Please Alexandria, I really need to talk to you it's important," he said, his voice a note higher than usual.

Alexa cringed slightly. She hated her full name which was one of her so-called father's favourite names, whom she can't even remember the appearance of, which is kind of funny, since he was supposed to be my father, she thought more frequently.

"Mom doesn't like me wandering at night-"

"But I am your boyfriend!" he said, running his hands through his hair, scowling.

"I know and I trust you but my mom doesn't. Please Bryan, just let go this time. We can go to the movies another day right? When its not dark," she said hopefully.

It was then his face changed.

Bryan

He couldn't believe her nerve. All this time he had put up with her excuses. Even though his parents blamed him and his brother threatened him telling him to get a grip and break up with her, he didn't. He loved her and this is what he gets?

He fell for her the first day he saw her in the school hallway….

He and Peter was arriving at school that day when the first site that met his eyes was the new girl getting bullied by non-other than Allyssa herself, the popular girl in school. She was on the floor, covering her head to avoid Alyssa's heel when he was suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling to protect the petite girl with dark brown wavy hair and intelligent honey- brown eyes.

Allyssa was about to slap Alexa when he intervened and held her wrist. He humiliated her calling her a coward who only picks on students under her range.

"Just because you are the head cheerleader and the popular kid doesn't give you the power to hurt other people. So, stop acting like a bitch you trash bag," he sneered.

She was so overcome with fury that instead of slapping Alexa, she slapped him and walked away with her head held high.

He just shrugged; the sting already gone. "You okay?" he asked with concern.

There was something about her. The way it felt when she took his hand muttering a thank you under her breath softly, looking down, he suddenly got the urge to hug and comfort her.

Since then they became best friends and it didn't take long for them to move into something more. They planned to work in the shop together to collect enough money to go to college. His parents barely send him money telling him to work hard to carry on the pack leadership of the western side pack. The same goes to his brother in the eastern side, though at least he got to stay with their parents, mostly keeping mom company since his father was always on the move.

He was twenty years old while Alexa was nineteen. They had been together for long enough but still Mrs. Weinstein was giving him the cold shoulder. He didn't know why Mrs. Weinstein hated him so much. It's not as if she knew about his kind.

Now he could barely keep his cool. Each and every time she was thinking about her mother. Can't she be independent? He really wanted to talk to her, it was really important and there she was thinking and worrying about what Mrs. Weinstein would say. Why couldn't she do it for one day? he thought. He understood her mother's concern but this was too much, and something inside him shattered.

"Fine! Get in the damn car," he snapped, his face hardened and eyes turned cold.

She froze, her eyes growing wide and eventually nodded and got in. He could understand her surprise, he barely loses control of himself much less act like that with her.

"Bryan, please understand," she whispered but her voice just drifted past, her face a blur.

He didn't glance at her as he stepped on the accelerator and sped towards her place, his knuckles turning white as he clenched the steering wheel, the surrounding focused intently by the passing seconds.

"Please don't ignore me," she said softly as she turned towards him in her seat.

He pulled towards her white-washed house with its orange curtains giving it a homey feeling. The small garden was beautifully kept with bushes filled with flowers. But the scenery was half hidden by the massive iron gate with steel spikes on top.

He took a deep breath and staring right ahead he said calmly, "Get out."

He sensed her agony and saw a tear glistening on her cheek from the corner of his eye. He had to resist the feeling to brush it away using his thumb but his Plan B was already in motion. He was sorry to do this but it's for both of their sakes.

She knew better than to argue and got out.

With a heavy feeling in his heart, he drove away without glancing back once.