"Alex, what are you doing here? I didn't tell you to pick me up, right?!" Vera asked inquiringly when she saw Alex sitting on the terrace of the shared house.
Alex turned to Vera, and smiled broadly, showing a row of neatly arranged teeth.
"Sorry ma lovely sista, I'm not here to pick you up!"
"What? So, what are you doing?" Vera screamed in disbelief.
"I want to pick up Jessica," said Alex which made Vera gape even more.
"I thought, there must be a shrimp behind the peanut brittle in your relationship!" said Vera with narrowed eyes.
Shrimp behind peanut brittle? Nice.
"If we're just friends, can't we just go out together?" asked Alex.
"The problem is, you are not the type of person who wants to hang out with friends! Try it, apart from Jessica, have you ever been out with your female friends?"
After Alex thought about it, Vera's words were true. Never once had he walked with a female friend other than Jessica. So, why would he want to go out with that girl?
Tint!
Vera and Alex immediately turned their heads compactly towards the gate when the sound of a travel car was heard from there.
"See, your travel car has come! Be careful!" said Alex which felt more like expulsion for Vera.
"You still owe me an explanation!"
After saying that, Vera left Alex who was still faithfully waiting on the chair.
"Al, Vera already left?" asked Jessica who was peeking from behind the door.
"Yes. Why are you hiding like that?"
Jessica smiled broadly, she then came out and approached Alex.
"I'm afraid that if I go out, Vera will hold me with the same question. You know that Vera isn't easy to believe, right? Even if we say we're just friends, she won't believe it." replied Jessica.
Alex chuckled softly, then stood up.
"Yeah, let's go!"
Just as they were about to step out of the gate, someone called Jessica excitedly.
"Where are you going? Wow, who is this? Your boyfriend?" Lusi immediately bombarded Jessica with any questions.
Hearing the word boyfriend, Rey's eyes immediately rounded perfectly. And seeing that, Alex immediately held back his question.
"This is Vera's brother!" said Jessica slowly.
"Are you going out with Vera's brother?" Lusi screamed in disbelief.
Because she was lazy to explain, Jessica just smiled in response to Lusi's question.
"We also want to go out, here! Do you want a double date?"
Before Jessica had time to refuse Lusi's invitation, Alex had interrupted and just said yes to the girl's invitation.
"Then just one car, let's have fun!" added Lusi.
"Just arrange!" said Alex.
Although quite confused, Jessica is very sure that Alex has a plan for Rey. But what?
"Just get in my car!" Rey exclaimed as he walked past Alex and headed for his car.
***
"What do you want to watch?" asked Lusi excitedly.
"Just a horror movie!" said Jessica.
Jessica was very scared, but since she was watching with Rey and Alex, she didn't think she would be that scared.
"Are you sure you want to watch that?" Rey asked in disbelief.
"Certain." cried Jessica confidently.
Alex buys some popcorn while Lusi buys the tickets.
"Are you dating him?" Rey asked with a flat tone and expression on his face.
Even though she wanted to smile, Jessica held it back. She tried to be as calm as possible in front of Rey.
"Secret. Anyway, none of your business either!"
"Don't trust men easily!"
Jessica immediately smiled sarcastically.
"Yeah, I know. Don't worry, after such a painful drama of betrayal, I won't fall in love and trust a man that easily."
Rey just smiled sadly at Jessica's words. He fully realized that what he did to the girl was wrong. That must have hurt Jessica. Indeed, he knew that he did not deserve to be forgiven. However, he had quite a difficult situation. He had no other choice.
After Lusi and Alex returned, Rey and Jessica were silent.
The atmosphere was so awkward between them. And unfortunately, Lusi chose a very unfavorable place for Jessica, with her having to sit beside Alex and Rey, while Lusi was on the other side of Rey.
During the film, Jessica realized one thing. She is too confident in choosing a horror film. Fear enveloped the girl during a flashback scene of the ghost being killed so cruelly.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed her hand and gripped the girl's tiny hand very gently.
Jessica looked at Alex confusedly, while Alex just smiled faintly. The incident did not go unnoticed by Rey. His hands clenched into fists when he saw Jessica's hands which looked comfortable in Alex's grip. Not only that, Alex pulled Jessica's head so that the girl would lean on his arm because Jessica looked very scared of the film in front of her.
"Lusi, I'm going to the bathroom in a moment," Rey whispered then hurried away. He couldn't stand to see Jessica's intimacy with other men, so he chose to leave.
"Looks like my plan worked!" Alex whispered.
Jessica frowned in confusion, she then turned to Alex.
"What plan?" she asked in a whisper too.
"Make Rey jealous!"
Ah, now Jessica understands the meaning of Alex's sweet attitude towards her. So, Alex accepted the invitation to double date and watch it together to make Rey jealous? Wow! The mind of the playboy is second to none, Jessica is amazed by him.
***
After the double date ended, Rey pulled Jessica and brought the girl to the rooftop.
"What the hell, Rey?" Jessica protested annoyed.
"What the hell!" Rey snapped.
Wait! Jessica scowled in annoyance. Did she just get yelled at? On what basis did the man yell at her?
"You haven't known him for long, haven't you? Then, why is it so intimate? Jess, could he be an asshole who just wants to take advantage of you!"
"Wait! You're angry, yell at me, because I'm intimate with Alex?" asked Jessica in disbelief.
"First, you have no right to do this! You are not my friend, not my brother, you are just a stranger to me now, so you have no right to be angry! Second, here the jerk is not Alex, but you! Alex is a good man! Third, Do you want me to be intimate, or whatever it is with him, it's up to me, we're both adults and know what we're doing! Besides, I never protested that you were still being intimate with Lusi! Am I wrong?"
Rey was silent. After digesting Jessica's words, he cursed his actions. They were over, so why did he have to be so angry? Everything Jessica said was true.
"You can't be jealous of Alex anymore, okay?!" said Jessica full of inquiry.
Rey froze hearing Jessica's question. Yes, what happened to him? Was he jealous?
"After all, we used to be close, so I only still care about you!"
"Care?"
"Yes, care!"
Jessica laughed loudly at Rey's answer. Honestly, she was disappointed. However, to her, Rey's reasoning didn't quite make sense.
"Whatever, but just a suggestion, don't mind me anymore. We need to end this!"