1.1 Strange men and stranger Proposals

"You give me a look and it feels like you are looking right through me. But I have become good at showing only what I want to show." - Alexandra.

(Alexandra)

Feeling really tired, Alexandra closed her eyes as she rested her pounding head on the bench she was sitting. She gently rubbed small circles over her temple to ease the raising headache, but it looked like the headache was inevitable.

A wistful sigh left her lips as she imagined herself in her foamy mattress, inside her air-conditioned room, but that room was now only a faraway memory. How she wished she hadn't taken it all for granted when she lived in the safe cocoon of her daddy's protection. Now... Here she was, wandering and lost. Sitting in the street, wishing for at least a bowl of soup.

As if her stomach heard her thoughts, it let out a groan and she could feel it, hundred hungry monsters groaning from inside her stomach.

I really need to find another job. She thought as tears slid down her red cheeks. Sunburn could do that to you, so could hunger.

She remembered what had happened in the morning. It was her second time getting fired from the job. All her life, she had lived a well secluded life, away from the outside world that could eat someone like her in a single gulp.

"But... I didn't." Her boss looked at her as if she was a common thief. She wasn't. Yes, she was hungry, but she could never steal from another person's hard work.

"So what is this? I thought you are a good girl and how wrong I was!" He said as he threw her bag down. "Get lost. If I ever see you here again, I will call the cops."

Humiliated and embarrassed, she looked up at the tall girl standing in front of her, hands on her hips, looking not even a bit guilty.

Alex knew she was the one who did it.

"It is Arie... "

"Ssh, not a word. I was going to promote you to kitchen duty and you... "

So now Alex knew why the woman she had thought as a friend had done it. Alex was new, but she was also perfect in doing what she did. It was jealousy. God, kitchen duty includes helping the cook, and it was nothing sort of glamorous, when compared to doing dishes, but...

"I know you did it, Arielle. But, I am woman enough to walk away and not take your next day meal off your table." She said to her when she walked away, and for a moment, Arielle looked guilty, but then she shrugged and walked in as Alex walked out, head held high.

Alex spilled a wry smile. What a funny life. Just months ago, she had lived in a mansion, a sort-of princess, and as she wished, everything appeared in front of her. And then one day, when she was comfortable in the knowledge that her dad would always be here for her, always giving and loving, always protecting, he was gone.

And gone, was her safety net, too.

With his death, came thousand lies that had been buried. Thousand masks peeled out to show true faces. The kind smile they had given to her now became fake and filled with bloodlust. They wanted what was hers.

At that point, Alex had lost everything. It was nothing but a wicked play of fate.

Her dad's partners and shareholders came up with some outlandish lies. Debts. Accounts payable. Loss statement. Bankruptcy.

She knew it was all a lie, but she was helpless as she watched them liquidate every property owned for the business and add them in their bank balance and after a month, they re-started her dad's pet projects under different name, without her.

This past one month was a wild marathon for her, she ran and ran, but she couldn't find her destination. She was staying in a small motel, but every day, it was becoming difficult with the looks she was receiving from the clientele of the dingy motel. It made her neck hair stood straight. And the motel receptionist, a middle aged man warned her one day with a look of concern on his face. "This really isn't a place to live, alone, and you look like a nice girl. You need to find somewhere else to stay. This place is not a good place."

He had then given her an extra lock and told her to lock safely before she went to bed.

God. She just wanted a way out from all of this. She wanted somewhere safe to stay even if it didn't have a foamy mattress.

She opened her eyes and realized it was nearing mid noon and she had dozed off in the bench. Her stomach was now screaming at her and she clutched her stomach with a grimace.

It hurt.

She opened her purse, and came up with a 50 dollar bill her boss had given before he threw her out. At least he didn't let her go empty handed.

Was this 50 enough for her to live her whole life?

She entered a small eatery at the side of the road, wondering how to stop the helicopter in her stomach with finger fries. But it had to be done.

"Cafe mocha, a French toast and a burger, please."

More. More. Her stomach pleaded. She refused to give into that.

***

(Logan)

Logan stared at the woman sitting in front of him, completely speechless for the first time in his life. Did she just... Just said no?

He couldn't even believe his ears. "What? Did you?"

"Yes, I did."

Her blue eyes shone like that of a snake's and her smile was vicious.

"Stacy, come on. Think about it."

"I thought about it, Logan and the obvious answer is No." She shrugged and her fluffy blonde hair fell to her shoulder in a wave. He liked her hair. It was the only soft thing about Stacy.

"You're being bull-headed and senseless." He told her, for what seemed like more than the hundredth time. Her lips twitched in pure irritation.

"I am not."

It wasn't the rejection that made him angry, it was that he had wasted a year of his precious life with this woman and here she was, rejecting him. The ring in his hand felt like a hot rod of iron.

And what irked more was... She had thrown a wrench in his plans and he hated anyone messing with that. As per his nearly drafted life plan, this was the right time to get married. He was 27, not too young to be clouded by poor judgement --though this woman in front of him was beginning to look more and more like a very bad judgement -- and not too old to properly enjoy a wife and children --two children, that would come later in the plan.

But here she was, looking coolly at him with those cold blue eyes and Logan wanted her to be sorry for doing this to him. She would be.

"Logan, stop that nonsense, I didn't want myself to be tied in a relationship, I want to move to Paris and I want to live my dream, I can't give it up. I'm going to Paris in two months and that's my final decision. Now we should break up and act like we're friends. Holding grudges is not the best idea." She stood up. Her heels made a loud click as she stood up. Paris? Paris. Logan grumbled as she pushed her hands forward.