"Oh Alex, spill the beans! How was your hot date with Deliah?" Philip eagerly asked. "I'm dying to hear the deets and live vicariously through you, bro!" Steve chimed in, "Yeah man, did you take her to the movies like I suggested? Did you make the classic move of reaching for her hand in the dark? Tell us, tell us!" Alex quickly shut them down, "Nope, didn't happen, guys. Sorry to burst your romantic bubble." Brad's face fell, "Oh man, I was hoping you went to the fountain square at night. It's so romantic, you know? That's where I had my first kiss with Nancy." Alex shook his head, "Nope, didn't happen either." Joe couldn't believe it, "Well, then where the heck did you go? Did you have a candlelit dinner by the water or watch fireworks? Don't even think about saying it was some shady hotel, bro." Alex couldn't take it anymore, "Seriously, guys? I didn't go on a date with Deliah yesterday. Can we talk about something else now?"
All eyes bulged from their sockets as they stared at Alex in surprise. "What?" Henry snapped. "What in the world? Where did you go then if you didn't go out with your girlfriend?"
"I uh...." Alex cleared his throat. "I had to discuss the front page article with Sarah. You know Sarah?"
"You mean the girl from our class?" Philip questioned. "Wait I thought she was called Mariah?" he scratched his head.
David blinked. "Huh wait. We have a Sarah or Mariah in class? Since when! I totally didn't know!"
Alex wanted to smack his donkey friend's face. "Yes, we do. I just enrolled here and I'm more aware of who's in our class. She's in the Newsletter committee too, and she's supposed to be my mentor, so yeah. We were kind of having an intense debate on the article yesterday." he rubbed the back of his neck.
Steve rolled his eyes. "You're a total disappointment, Alex."
"I thought you would go out with Deliah! I wanted to hear the juicy details!" Joe pouted. "This is so disappointing! I should have watched some drama instead."
"Think about it, Alex." Brad frowned. "You've gotten together with Deliah on Monday morning. It's now Wednesday. The only time you've spent with her these few days is the few moments when she confessed! How can this be!"
Alex lowered his head guiltily. "I'll spend time with her later, I promise." he muttered. "It's just... I have to remind myself that I'm a boyfriend. I'm not used to this."
"Well, you better get used to it, alright?" Brad warned. "Nancy threatened me that if you're not nice enough to Deliah, she'll break up with me, so don't you dare sabotage my relationship too."
Alex nodded and sighed. "Yeah, I will."
*********
To: My Heart ♥️????
Hey, where are you? Aren't we supposed to meet now?
From: Deliah
Alex typed back a message quickly and stuffed the phone back into his pocket.
To: Deliah
You know the garden at the back of the school, by the blue painted stairs? I'm there now.
From: My Heart ❤️????
He picked up the tiny kitten from the ground and smiled at it. "Hey little one." he murmured softly, rubbing it behind the ear. The kitten stretched and yawned cutely, snuggling in Alex's hand. It was so small that it could rest on his palm, fitting completely.
Soon, another grey kitten crawled out from its hiding spot to look at Alex. Its eyes blinked at him curiously and Alex used his other hand to tickle the kitten. He chuckled softly when the kitten let out a soft meow, blinking up at him. Another grey kitten came out soon after, the third of this triplet. The mother cat sauntered up, settling down at the side to watch this astonishingly handsome human guy play with her kids. "Cute." Alex murmured.
"Have you eaten?" he asked the kitten he was holding. The kitten seemed to nod and Alex smiled. He looked around and just as he expected, he saw the large bowl of unfinished milk and a few cookie crumbs on the floor. He smiled, touched. "That mystery person has been giving you milk and cookies again, huh?" Alex asked, waving the kitten's paw about. "Who is it? Is it a girl or a guy?" he wondered out loud.
"Perhaps it's the Janitor Lady? I don't think anyone goes to the backyard," Alex pondered. Suddenly, he heard someone call his name from behind. "Alex!" He turned around and smiled, waving with his empty hand. "Hey, Deliah," he said awkwardly, unsure how to behave in front of his new girlfriend. Deliah didn't seem to have the same concerns as she sat close to him without hesitation, looking at him with her big round eyes and grinning widely. "Hehe," she giggled.
Alex blinked in confusion. "What?" he looked around for something amusing. Deliah shook her head. "Nothing. It's just that you're my boyfriend now," she giggled softly. "I feel like I'm living in a dream, Alex. I'm so happy." Alex cleared his throat, not knowing how to respond to that. Deliah laughed at his expression and poked his cheek. "You're cute, Alex," she smiled. "Am I your first girlfriend?" Alex nodded. "Yeah," he coughed awkwardly. "So, um..." He put down the kitten, but it snuggled onto his lap. Its siblings saw what it did and also climbed onto Alex's lap.
"If I'm not good at this relationship thing, I apologize in advance," Alex muttered. "I'm not really sure about this love stuff, so..." "It's okay, honey," Deliah nodded in understanding. "You're my first boyfriend too. I don't have any experience either." "Really?" Alex looked surprised but not particularly happy or anything. "I only know that Woohyun courted you before. I'm not too sure," he tapped his chin.
They sat in an uncomfortable silence until Deliah decided to break it. "Do you like kittens, Alex?" she picked up one of the kittens from his lap. The kitten naturally snuggled in her palm as if it knew who Deliah was and meowed happily. "Yeah," Alex murmured.
He observed the kitten curiously. "Seems like it recognizes you," Alex said. Deliah chuckled. "Nah. It's just maybe my aura is same as my sist-" she stopped herself and turned to him excitedly. "Hey, honey, I have a big secret to share with you. Now that we're in a relationship, I think it's best if I'm honest, you know?" she turned to him with excitement.
Alex nodded slowly, not sure where this was going. "Can you come to my place with me?" Deliah grinned. "I want you to meet my sister." "Are you sure about this?" Alex hesitated. "We've only been together for three days, and I'm meeting your family already? Isn't this too rushed?" He parked the car in front of her house. Deliah laughed.
"Don't worry, honey, my parents aren't home right now." Alex visibly relaxed. "I just want you to meet my older sister," Deliah smiled. "It's a secret between us, and she wants to remain anonymous, but I think you have the right to know. Please don't be shocked, okay?" Alex nodded, following her. It's just another girl, he thought. Deliah opened the door and gestured for him to enter. "Sissy, I'm back!" she yelled. "Come out and meet Alex, honey! He's here!" "Okay, be right there!" Sarah called from upstairs.
Alex scratched his head, trying to place the voice. "What's your sister's name again?" he asked, furrowing his brows. "Oh, her name?" Deliah smiled. "My sister's called-" At that moment, Sarah appeared at t
he bottom of the stairs and saw the guy standing beside her sister. Her eyes widened, and she gasped. Alex heard the gasp and turned towards the sound. His jaw dropped, and he blinked in confusion.
"YOUUU?!"