Chapter 99: Drax's Vacation-3 (A Side Story)

Drax first asked about the pistol in his hand, he was genuinely curious about how a man who seemed to have zero weapons skills was so adept at designing them. Feeling proud of herself, Mills confessed that she was the one who came up with ideas and rough sketches while her brother made them practical. She told him that she was never a fan of studying but as an adult, she realized that without her brother, she had no real career aspects. Drax reminded her that Milo was also leaning on her to support his career as well. He was rewarded with a smile that almost melted him.

Sticking to the guidelines his sister had given him, Drax asked Mills if she had changed her name or if it were her given name. Mills told him that she and her brother had matching names. Her brother was named after a grain, while she was named after the machine that refines it. In Sani many working class people named their children after machinery or agriculture, and the twins were no different.

"What about your family name?" Drax asked.

"Baker," Mills replied. Drax noticed a change in her expression and realized that he may have touched on a sore spot, so he retreated a bit.

"My surname is Staton," he offered. Mills extended her hand to Drax's.

"It's nice to meet you." She had a smile on her face when she spoke, but it was not real. Drax made a mental note not to bring up her family again.

Following all his sister's steps, Drax was able to hold a great conversation with Mills. When the topic turned to their likes and dislikes, they found that they were annoyed by similar things but in other aspects they were totally different. For example, while Drax liked planning and strategy, Mills liked to work on a whim. She felt stifled by rules and regulations although she was aware that life without them was part of the reason she and her brother had suffered growing up. Their differences did not deter Drax at all, in fact he felt even more connected to her. He believed that he and Mills were like two sides of the same coin. Unfortunately, she had not given him any signs that she felt the same way.

Looking at his watch, Drax realized that time had escaped them, so he exchanged numbers with Mills and left the facility. Once in his car, Drax called his sister and updated her on everything. The excitement in his voice carried over and his brother Adir, who just so happened to be sitting next to Fiori, overheard their conversation. Adir snatched the phone from his sister and uttered three words that Drax dreaded hearing; 'I'm telling mom,' Then he hung up. Fiori stared at their oldest brother wide eyed.

"You're supposed to be helping me plan dad's birthday, not giving him love advice," Adir chided. "Besides, when was the last time he came home? Let's force him to bring a date the next time," he said as he rubbed his hands mischievously. Adir felt like he finally had a chance to get his mother off his back about finding his brother a suitable partner.

----

When Mills returned to her apartment that night she was greeted by a bouquet of roses and a package left at her front door. Suspicious she did not move, scared that the package would explode at any minute. She stayed that way until her phone buzzed in her pocket. Slowly she pulled out and looked at her device. There was a ChatApp message from Drax.

[Don't worry, it's from me.] he wrote, and Mills could hear his voice as she read out the text.

She was twenty-five years old and this was the first time she had been properly courted. She did not know what to expect from men and her idea of a love life and marriage was tainted by her country's backward culture. It was not uncommon for girls as young as fifteen years old to be kidnapped by a family that wanted to secure their son a 'good' wife. In the past, these girls would be forced to sleep with the person who wanted to marry them but in current times, they were just kept for a number of days and set free until they were of legal age to marry. Even if the girl insisted that nothing happened, in Sani a girl without her virginity was considered a prostitute. In many ways, Mills had been blessed to be considered undesirable, otherwise she probably would have been forced into marriage as well.

Unsure how she should handle the flowers, Mills delicately picked up the bouquet and entered her apartment. She placed them gently on her kitchen counter then went back to retrieve the package. Although she knew it was from Drax, her heart still raced as she picked it up. The last package she and her brother received was a bomb. Fortunately, neither of them were home when it was delivered, and a thieving neighbor lost his life when he picked the parcel up.

Smiling, Mills gingerly untied the beautiful ribbon and opened the box. Inside was a gray silk gown complete with all the necessary accessories to turn her into a princess. Confused, Mills picked up her phone wanting to ask Drax what the dress was for, but he had already texted her again.

[Join me for dinner tomorrow night?]

The gesture was too romantic for Mills. She could barely contain her smile and the muscles of her face began to ache. Never in a million years did she think anyone would do something so sweet for her and she felt like what she was experiencing right now was too good to be true. She did not know how to respond to the text, so she replied with a simple 'okay' and Drax sent her another message with just a heart. The message was so cheesy that she rolled her eyes, but for some reason every time she looked at the emoticon on her screen her heart thumped wildly.