Pretending to Be in Love - 3

"So, tell me, how did you two meet?" Grandfather asked, a knowing smile appearing on his face.

I glanced over at Alexander, unsure of what lie he was going to come up with. But before he could respond, I blurted out, "We met at a cafe downtown."

At the same time, Alexander said, "We met at the bar near my office."

We both looked at each other in surprise, realizing that our stories didn't match up. Grandfather raised an eyebrow, amused by our confusion.

"Which is it then?" he asked, a playful glint in his eyes.

I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment, knowing that he had caught us in our little charade. But instead of faltering, I decided to play along. "Well, we met at the cafe first, but we really got to know each other at the bar," I said with a wink, hoping to smooth over the situation.

Grandfather chuckled, nodding in approval. "Ah, young love. It's a beautiful thing."

I let out a sigh of relief, grateful that he seemed to be buying our story. I took a sip of my juice and smiled back at Grandfather when he looked at me.

Alexander brought a spoonful of pasta to my lips, l gave him an awkward look but still opened my mouth to eat the pasta. It's not like it's the first time he is spoon-feeding me. 

As the dinner went on, with Alexander and I pretending like we were madly in love and as if we couldn't live without each other. Our acting felt so surreal that at a point I felt it was real and genuine, that it wasn't some charade, and then if Grandfather leaves we'd go back to being the perfect strangers that we were. 

I sighed and looked up when Grandfather looked up and picked up his silver walking stick. Mr Marco and Samantha stood up too, and that was when I realised that they were about to leave.

"It's really been a great pleasure meeting you, Ivory. I enjoyed every bit of time I spent here," Grandfather said as we all stood outside. 

The door to his own SUV was already opened and bodyguards stood by the door waiting for him to finish chit chatting with us. 

"It was a great pleasure meeting you too. I loved your presence a lot." I gave him a genuine smile which definitely reached my eyes. I shook a little when I felt a soft body hug mine. I tipped my head to see that it was Samantha. I laughed and then hugged her back.

"I see you got Sam." I raised my eyebrows in evident confusion before disengaged from the hug.

"Sam?"

"The cat."

"Oh, gosh. Of course, I got it. Alexander said it is yours. Can I have it please?" I gave her a pleading look and she smiled. The men were at the other side, probably discussing some other thing I didn't know about.

"Of course, darling. That cat is a snitch. Can you believe, it sneaked into Alexander's car the last time he visited. I practically looked for him till I got tired. I thought I'd lost him, till Alexander called me, and told me that the cat was here." I burst into laughter at her tale and she joined me shortly.

"I hope it won't leave me too. This one's fluffy cat and I love fluffy animals. So, you named him after you?"

"No, he's Samuel." I nodded and smiled at her.

"Thank you for the cat, though."

"Don't worry, dear."

A hand circled my waist and I turned to look at Alexander. He nuzzled his nose into my hair and took in a deep breath. I heard him mutter a "Perfect", but I wasn't sure if he was referring to me.

He swiftly turned me around to face him, but I couldn't bring myself to stare at him, I just kept my eyes glued to the floor. 

"Come, baby. Let's say goodbye to grandfather." He pecked my cheek and gave his mother a somewhat look before pulling me to where grandfather and Mr Marco stood.

I swallowed the lump on my throat, I'm beginning to feel my nervousness surging forward again. I became all fidgety and I swear, I would've hit the floor if not for Alexander's tight grip around my waist. 

He looked at me, his eyes narrowed and a frown appeared on his perfect handsome face. 

"This is where we say goodbye then," Grandfather said, looking at me with a smile. I quickly returned the smile despite my twitchy self. "Make sure you take good care of her, Alexander. We shall meet again, Ivory." With that Grandfather turned around, and left. He was immediately flanked by his body guards, who flocked around him till he got to his car.

Samantha approached me with a wide smile and hugged me. "Take care, honey." I nodded and smiled back at her. Mr Marco gave me a nod before he took his wife's hand and they walked to their car, still surrounded by their bodyguards.

I let out a breath of relief, and my smile disappeared as soon as the convoy of cars disappeared from my sight. I was still fidgeting, and I don't know why. The charade is finally over. Pretending to be in love with Alexander is over, now we can go back to despising each other.

I felt something wet roll down my cheek, and I lifted my hand to touch it. A tear? Why am I crying? Am I being dramatic right now?

"You did well, Angel. Now, I can get him off my neck." Alexander's voice was soft and light. I felt his strong arms encircle my body. I took in the scent of his cologne that engulfed me, instinctively, I leaned into his body. "Why were you all fidgety and nervous? I can still feel your nervousness." He turned me around to face him, and I bent my head to hide my tear-stricken face.

"It's nothing."

"Look at me, Angel." His voice was calm, but it was still filled with an underlying command. I slowly looked up at him. His face darkened for a split second, but it softened in the next second.

"What's wrong, baby?" 

"It's nothing, and stop calling me baby. The Angel nickname you gave me is enough for me. Your grandfather is gone, so just drop the act." His eyes twitched before he sighed.

"Quit acting like a child and let's go inside, baby." He said the 'baby' word louder than normal, making an emphasis on the word. I glared hard at him before pushing him away from me.

"I know how to get inside," I seethed begrudgingly at him, and stomped inside leaving him behind. So much for acting like lovers. I would rather prefer us being sworn enemies. 

More tears ran down my face and I angrily wiped them off. The worst part is that I don't even know why I am crying. It better be my mood swings playing its tricks on me.