Alexander's Offer

"Are you enjoying your food?" Nicole asked the charming heartthrob of Chriswood Elementary, Keith Armstrong.

He was, in every sense of the word, perfect. Keith was that dreamy, tall, blonde-haired model in every Vogue magazine that women lusted after, and he wasn't just good-looking. Keith was also genuinely nice, and kids adored him.

Nicole had started working at the elementary school a year ago and met him there. His classroom was directly opposite hers, and their friendship had kicked off right from the first day.

She had been shocked to find out he was single, but after he narrated how his ex-girlfriend broke his heart, she understood why. He was trying to move on and heal before loving someone else. That only made her appreciate him more, the fact that he was cautious not to transfer his past pain to someone who didn't deserve it.

But just yesterday, after the close of work, Keith confessed to liking her more than a friend. Nicole had been too flustered to say anything and left abruptly.

Her love life was dying with every single day that passed. The last time she had any romantic interest in the male gender, was back in high school. It had messed with her and ever since then, she has been numb when it came to dating. She just wasn't emotionally ready to be in one.

Feeling guilty for just walking out on him, she decided to call him out to dinner and set things straight. The mood was tense and strained as they ate quietly.

"Yes, I am, thanks," he whispered. Nicole's heart tugged guiltily, unable to bring herself to say what she needed to say. Good people didn't deserve pain. Why was the universe always harsh on those who didn't deserve it? Why did Keith have to like someone who didn't feel the same way about him? Life was so unfair.

Keith released a frustrated sigh. "Please just say it—you don't feel the same way. I stayed up all night thinking about it, and that was the only thing that made sense. Why else would you walk away after I confessed my feelings to you?"

"I only think of you as a friend, Keith. I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely. Heavy disappointment flashed in his eyes, and her heart shattered into a thousand pieces.

"Keith," Nicole began to say, suddenly wishing she could take back her words.

With a forceful smile, he interrupted her, "I'm sorry, I got way ahead of myself. We're friends; I shouldn't have crossed that line without being sure it was what you wanted."

The pain he tried to hide, though unsuccessfully, was glaring at her as though pointing accusing fingers. "You did this," it seemed to say.

The rest of the meal proceeded awkwardly. Awkwardness was something that had never happened between them, but at that moment, it sat comfortably in their midst.

Nicole feared that from henceforth, it would always be that way and desperately hoped it wasn't true.

At the end of dinner, Keith, still the gentleman even after getting his heart broken, booked her a cab home. She arrived to find her best friend, Anthea, watching the same TV show she had left her with.

Knowing her, she had probably dozed off a number of times. Apparently, sleeping off wasn't dependent on whether a movie was boring or not. To Anthea, movies were lullabies, and the perfect opportunity to sleep was while watching them.

"How was your outing with Keith?" she asked.

Nicole sighed tiredly and plopped on the couch beside her. "I am tired of my life," she replied.

"I am tired of my life too, but you see, suicide is not an option. Did something happen?" Anthea asked.

Nicole hadn't told her about Keith confessing his feelings before, so she proceeded to tell her everything. By the end, Anthea was furious.

"How could you do that to such an innocent good-looking man? That's so unfair, you know?!" she exclaimed in annoyance.

Nicole wasn't surprised that she chose to side with Keith. Who wouldn't? "I only see him as a friend," she stated quietly.

Anthea scoffed in disbelief. "Friend? Unbelievable! Keith is too good a man to just pass off as a friend, Nicole. Are you choosing to remain single all your life? You need to move on from him, Nicole!"

Nicole ignored her, choosing to focus on the landscape painting on the wall. She was talking about Xander, her high school crush. It was years after and she still couldn't forget him, he had left such a 'lasting impression' on her.

Anthea broke the silence with another scoff, but this time, it was one of mischief. Nicole knew her too well—she was planning or had planned something.

"What are you planning?" she asked.

"Now, I don't feel so bad doing what I did," Anthea smirked.

Nicole's eyes widened in panic. "What did you do, Anthea?" she demanded.

In response, Anthea picked up her phone from the coffee table and began tapping on it. She opened the Tinder dating app and shoved it in Nicole's face. Nicole had deleted the app a long time ago with the decision of avoiding blind dates from there on out -- the men always turned out less than expected or too much for her to handle.

"See that? I set you up on a blind date," she said.

"Oh, that was it?"

"I told you no blind dates anymore. I'm not going. Moreover, don't you see I just broke someone's heart yet again? I have no interest in men. Relationships are not for me, Anthea. I give up," Nicole said while gently pushing the phone out of her face.

Anthea's mischievous smirk widened. "I felt bad at first, but after telling me what transpired with Keith, count this as me scolding you for missing such a beautiful opportunity at having a great guy. Well, you can't back out of this one," she said too confidently.

"Why can't I?" Nicole inquired curiously.

"Because he's coming here to pick you up tomorrow night," Anthea replied excitedly.

Nicole's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

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