another sip of her Coke, but he had disappeared into his own world. His gaze wandered across the room absently. It seemed to be searching for something or someone. After a minute or so of silence, he turned towards her again.
"I have to say, I don't really know why I am here, but I'm glad that I am," he remarked after a moment of staring at Pexy. She smiled warmly. Although, it didn't seem genuine enough for him. "Why are you smiling, Pexy?"
"Nothing really. Just enjoying our company."
"Yeah, I guess we should get going, though." Alex looked away awkwardly.
"Right. Let's head outside then."
They got up from their seats and exited the restaurant.
***
Once they stepped onto the sidewalk, Pexy immediately felt the tension begin to lift. She felt relieved as she breathed in a huge sigh of relief. The cool evening air washed over her face, refreshing her dry mouth. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the cold night breeze fill her lungs and ease her body's discomfort. When she opened her eyes, she found that he was still staring at her with curiosity in his eyes.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked curiously.
"Oh, um, nothing really. Just the weather." She shrugged. She looked down at the pavement. They were walking in silence for a minute until Alex broke the silence.
"So, Pexy, tell me, did your mother take care of you while I was away?" He looked directly into her eyes and waited patiently.
Pexy gulped slightly. Her heart beat faster as an unpleasant sensation spread across her body. She knew exactly what he was asking her but she had no idea how to answer. She had expected him to ask the exact same question as her mother did, but instead, he had asked her about her mother. She didn't even know how to respond to that. Finally, she whispered.
"Yes, she did…"
"Good," he responded. "But what I'm more curious about is why did you do it?"
She raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth to speak, but he quickly interrupted her.
"Don't worry about explaining yourself to me. I won't ask for details, but I would still like to know. That's my job. It's important that I know these things."
As she was about to open her mouth to say something, he raised his hand and stopped her. He looked straight into her eyes.
"Please. I need to know. If you don't trust me to tell me then I can't help you."
For a brief moment, he looked so vulnerable and broken. Tears were pooling at the edge of her eyes. He didn't deserve that. He was always looking out for her. He always cared about her. Why would he want to hurt her? Her mind raced. Should she lie to him? Tell him that she fell ill? Would that convince him that she didn't want to tell him the truth? Did she even know the truth herself? Was it worth it to lie to him? Maybe she could figure out a better excuse later. For now, she had to trust him. It was either that or give into the pain she felt deep inside her chest whenever she thought about telling him. She couldn't bear to see those dark eyes filled with guilt whenever they made eye contact. Instead, she gave him a small nod and he instantly brightened.
"Okay!" He gave her a broad grin. "Now we'll go home and have some ice cream, yeah?"
Her mood lifted instantly and a wide smile formed across her face.
"Sounds amazing."
After paying for their ice cream and saying goodbye to the waitress, Alex held the door open for her and they walked outside. They didn't walk far when Alex abruptly halted in front of a bench, forcing Pexy to stop as well. He turned around to face her, grinning widely.
"Let's take a picture together!" he exclaimed excitedly.
Pexy raised an eyebrow, not quite sure whether she had heard him correctly.
"A picture?"
"Yep! A selfie! You'll be smiling the whole time and I can show everyone how awesome you look!" Alex insisted, grabbing her wrist.
"Uh…why would I do that? Aren't we meant to meet somewhere else?" Pexy asked hesitantly.
Alex paused for a couple of seconds before shrugging his shoulders. "Well, it is only us here right now so no worries." Before Pexy could protest further, he took her chin in his hands and forced her to tilt her head back. She tried to pull away from him, but failed. All she could do was watch as he took out his phone, clicked the camera button, and snapped the photo of her. As soon as he put the phone away again, she was able to move and glare at him. Alex just grinned innocently back at her. He put an arm around her shoulder and guided her along the street in a random direction until they reached a park near to where they'd originally been sat.
"There we go. Now we're good to go. Are you ready?" Alex said brightly, patting her on the shoulder. Pexy was unsure what to think about the sudden change of mood in him. Nevertheless, she followed him as he led them through the park. He had been behaving oddly ever since he started his search for her, she thought. He hadn't even told her where he was taking her before they left for the restaurant. Noticing her expression, he stopped walking.
"Look. I'm sorry if I've offended you," he apologized sincerely, giving her a soft smile. He took her by surprise by gently pulling her towards him and wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. "It's just that there were so many times when I was trying to find you. I was really worried. I missed you so much, Pexy."
She was speechless, not knowing what to say to him. What he was saying didn't make sense at all, she admitted to herself. Hadn't she told him that they weren't supposed to be involved anymore? They weren't meant to see each other anymore. It was obvious that this relationship was doomed. Why had he come looking for her if he couldn't find her?
"You're probably tired after your flight," he commented, sensing her reluctance. "You must be tired. How about we go get some coffee and then we can go back home?"
His words were accompanied by an innocent smile on his lips, and Pexy found that he actually looked quite happy for once. She