[16]: the assistant

________________________ 16 the assistant "Orders here, orders there; messy hair and tired eyes, what do I look like to you?" ________________________ "Are you glad that you would finally be away from Sally's presence tomorrow?" Alexander asked as him and Aurora both restocked the cakes and pastries that were running empty. Thankfully, they're both on lunch break and that Brittany, the employer who has now her shift as a cashier, is already here to take over. Otherwise, they would have been restocking with scowls etched on their faces that would have scared off the customers—not that they actually care, but not scaring off customers is easier than hearing Sally and Frank lecture them about service etiquette. Which in their case, happens quite often now. It seemed like their lack of enthusiasm and bland smiles were not something that can be appreciated by the people who came here for something refreshing. "I don't really care about whether she's here or not; I'd hardly notice the difference since this stupid bakery just screams her presence." Aurora replied, the dryness in her tone of voice extremely palpable to the man standing beside her whose movements closely resembled her lifeless and robotic-like moves. The words she just uttered wasn't entirely a lie. She really didn't care if her stepmother is around or not, but she does notice it because it's actually different from really seeing the person and just getting a wisp of their presence. How could she not, really? Living for five days with the woman and she finds that Sally wasn't really that bad—she can say that with a bit of confidence now because come on: she sees her everyday and she sees how she treats Frank and Theo, how her treatment towards her isn't any different from how she treats her own flesh and blood, how she takes care of her almost exactly like how her own mother treats her and goddamn, the woman even brought her breakfast in bed when she got sick two days back. Someone please tell her how it could even be possible that even herself won't realize by those gestures that the woman isn’t half as bad as she thought and is actually trying her best to make her comfortable in any way possible. With a smirk plastered on his lips, he snuck a glance at Aurora, whose eyes are not stuck on him, and said, "Well I think otherwise. It's going to get quite lonely when you get home, won't it?" "Lonely how? My brother is there with me." She scoffs. "And like I said, I'd hardly notice the difference since the house screams her presence too." She looked at him with a blank look on her face. "In case you forgot, I'm actually living at their home." "Well who knows? Maybe you might actually get lonely. I'm pretty sure you and your brother need some manly protection too. I'm available, you know. I can take that part without any hitches." He told her in a nonchalant manner as he continued to put some food on display, but the hint of flirtatious tone it has was not overlooked by her. Humming a happy tune with a slight smirk plastered on his lips, he grabbed the other tray filled with cookies, ignoring the look of disbelief that is etched on her face. Aurora continued looking at him like he lost his mind—which she’s sure is most likely the case. For the past few days (and past few years), it wasn't new to her to hear such coquettish words from Alexander's mouth. However, she never really looked much into it (despite the continuous thumping and excited beating of her heart) because the expression he had on his face and the tone he used was almost borderline boredom. She knows that he was just saying those to tease her like how he used to before, but this one time is actually different. Never in her life, has she ever heard Alexander flirt—ever. Even when they were together, he never really does that with his reason being "it's stupid". Not that she really minded, since flirting was never a strong suit of hers as well. Besides, just being with him was more than enough for her at that time. So right now, hearing that tone with those words is quite a shock for her. Knowing him though, he's probably just doing that to tease her once more—like his actions alone aren't enough for him.  Her eyes carefully narrowed at him before saying, "No thanks. Having your germs all around the house would not be great. I'd rather not go through the hassle of disinfecting the whole place." He looked at her with amusement alighting in his eyes, but a slight scowl still managed to make its way onto his lips. He might enjoy their banters, but the woman still does know how to get under his skin. "And besides, some stupid manly protection is not needed." "I beg to differ, but fine. Have it your way—like how you always do." He chuckled lowly when he heard her scoff at his words. Sometimes, it makes her think just how far Alexander is willing to go to piss her off. No matter how much time has passed, he still hasn't changed how he treats her—except for how he's much more sociable and willing to talk than before. With a silent sigh coming out of her lips, she ignored him like how she usually does before when he starts to get extremely annoying and continued what she was doing. The silence that enveloped them almost felt comfortable. It was enough to make her relax slightly in her place and do her job without much of a fuss—or so she thought. The silence didn't really last that long. She's not exactly sure if it was minutes that passed, or if it was mere seconds, but it really didn't matter because the silence she loved was broken by Alexander freaking Giovanni in a millisecond. As she closed her eyes and released an exasperated breath, Alexander smirked and crossed his arms as he assessed her with highly amused eyes. "Oh right, I forgot." He waited until Aurora yielded to the curiosity he's sure she's feeling, smirk widening in triumph when she sneaked him a glance under her lashes as she c****d her head to the side to get a better view of him. "Why do I have to do this stupid job?" Aurora didn't let him finish his words. A scoff escaped her lips in an instant before she fully looked at him as she leaned on the counter in front of them. "Because Sally told you so." Confusion was the only thing she felt when he laughed at her words as if she just said something stupid; like she was stupid. The amusement in his eyes never wavered. If anything, it only seem to have heightened. "No, not that. You're misunderstanding the whole thing." He said, mimicking her actions. "How am I misunderstanding the whole thing? Are you stupid?" She retorted, which she has to admit, was not her best comeback. Apparently, Alexander thought the same thing but didn't voice it out loud. He didn’t really need to say it in so many words. The way his eyebrow raised in question, as well as the slightly disappointed look he sent her was more than enough for her to get the message. Instead, he answered, "No, you are. Why am I doing this stupid restocking when I have you to do it for me?" He waited for her to absorb his words and make sense of the things he just said, before a wicked grin took over his face. "You should have let me finish my sentence, babe." It honestly took Aurora a while to understand his words. She doesn't know if it's because of the exhaustion she felt or how every word that comes out of his lips just seems to make her feel outraged, but her mind turned hazy in that moment. All she could do was look at him and blink her eyes repeatedly in surprise with a stupid look plastered on her face, especially when he merely looked back at her and said nothing to elaborate his words. So when it finally dawned on her what he meant by his words, outrage was the only thing she felt. She glared at him, taking note of the wicked look she could clearly see in his face. Defiantly, she crossed her arms and said, "Don't call me babe. It's cringeworthy." He let out a low chuckle at her words, feeling highly amused by how the endearment he used was the first thing she addressed. Obviously, it still bothers her—she’s just in denial. "And Sally entrusted you to look over the bakery, so you're compelled to do the things she said, which also makes you her personal assistant."  The smugness she felt didn't really last that long. "Well good thing I have my own personal assistant too." He told her with a smirk plastered on his lips. "And don't forget that Sally also entrusted you with the bakery. Can you believe how amazing your situation is? You ended up being the personal assistant of the two people you hate the most." If she could blow up because of how angry she is, she would—in the very literal sense. With the amount of anger stored inside of her along with the pent up frustration she's feeling ever since she came face to face with Alexander again, it wouldn't really be a surprise that she would. Up to this day, it still amazes her how he can manage to rile her up in a matter of seconds without even trying so hard. He could only just say a few words and plaster on a few smirks here and there, he would already be getting the desired reaction he was hoping to get from her. And so, to try and not give Alexander the satisfaction, she closed her eyes to calm herself down and took in a deep breath before releasing it in one go and opened her eyes once again to look at the guy in front of her with indifference. "Of course it's amazing. I could always find a way to turn the whole thing in my favor." She said as blankly as she could. Alexander knows Aurora's skills and limits better than anyone. He knows that the words she just uttered are true, but he also has a few tricks up his sleeve—he's just hoping that Aurora forgot that little bit. With a smirk plastered on his lips, he answered, "But surely, not wholly in your favor, right?" "Oh trust me. It will be wholly in my favor." Aurora replied, the determination in her voice clearly palpable. "We'll see." His smirk widened. As he rounded the counter and settled himself onto the nearest table, he sighed contentedly, all the while ignoring her glare. "Well? What are you standing there for? Get on with the restocking woman." Angrily (but also carefully) grabbing the tray full of pastries, she hardened her gaze at him and uttered, "You know, I prefer you better when you're all aloof and quiet. You were always bossy and rude before, but it was actually bearable because of how quiet you are." "Thanks for the advice. Now that you've mentioned that, I'm not going back to being quiet—ever." Well s**t, Alexander thought. He instantly regretted his words the moment it slipped off his lips. Who is he kidding? Silence is his solace—the one thing that he would gladly be enveloped in. Even with the smirk still plastered on his lips, the nerves he's feeling didn't really leave him. He just willed himself to appear confident in her eyes without really revealing how nervous he is. The underlying challenge that is palpable in Alexander's words didn't leave Aurora's attention—even when it didn't really seem like a challenge to him, when all he could probably think about is how nervous he is (not that she needs to know that). She narrowed her eyes even further when she understood the hidden message of his words, lips curling in a scowl. But then, she remembered that this is Alexander she's talking to—the most silent and aloof guy she has ever met. She has never really met anyone quite like him, if she's telling the truth. And besides, the guy can hardly stand noise. "I'd like to see you try." Aurora smirked. Confidence oozed in those blue orbs and Alexander knew in that moment that he was thoroughly and utterly f****d. "You still can't stand noise, after all." "Well I've been managing just fine being all talkative for the past few days, haven't I?" He couldn't really just admit to her words, can he? Aurora would never put it past him for sure. If there's one thing he hates more than noise, it would be losing to Aurora. Aurora allowed to widen the smirk on her lips. She put the tray back to where she got it before leaning on the counter, her eyes connecting with Alexander's steely and luminescent one. She can't believe she forgot how fun teasing Alexander is. It's like an unspoken achievement that will always be there no matter what. "But the question is, can you last longer?" The impish glint in her eyes danced. "How does a month sound to you, Alex?" "A month?" Alexander scoffed. "That's nothing. Now get on it, personal assistant. You still have some restocking to do." And just like that, Aurora's smugness disappeared. She narrowed her eyes at him once again before muttering, "Stupid jerk." She went back to restocking the cakes and pastries, ignoring the smirk plastered on Alexander's face, all the while oblivious to the turmoil going on inside of him. If only she knew, she would no doubt still be feeling pretty smug about herself. By the time Aurora's eyes were no longer trained on him, he released a silent sigh of relief, thankful that the worst is finally over and he was able to get out of that certain situation alive. He leaned back on his seat, his gaze lingering on Aurora, whose face is contorted into annoyance and lips curled up in scowl, which, weirdly, somehow made her still look attractive and great to the eyes. "Thank God my acting skills is still up to par or she would have definitely figured me out in an instant." He muttered to himself, giving Brittany a grin when she sent him a questioning look, no doubt about why he's muttering to himself. The girl hardly sees him acting like that anyway. "Weirdo." Brittany mouthed, lips lifting up in a smirk when he replied with a chuckle. The both of them, oblivious to anything but their interaction, didn't notice the look Aurora is sending them—a cross between irritation and jealousy. Something burned up inside of her when she saw how they interacted, the way Alexander is easily giving her one of his smiles that took her so long to have and the delightful sound of his laughter that she would only get to hear by chance. She also didn't miss the way Brittany's eyes somehow brightened and how she seemed to have a glow to her that wasn't there before.  Settling her gaze on them back and forth, the scowl on her face unconsciously deepened the longer she looked at them. A silent growl escaped her lips. "Flirts." She muttered under her breath, a slight contempt laced with it, before she went back to what she was doing, grumbling and grunting all throughout. But what she doesn't know, is that in the middle of Alexander and Brittany's interaction, he noticed the way Aurora was looking at the both of them. So with a subtle smirk plastered on his lips as he propped his elbows on the table and tucked his hands under his chin, he muttered silently, "She so still likes me." And that was one thing that he definitely got right—not that Aurora necessarily needs to say it with words. — • — • — "Aury, why is Andy here?" Theo asked quizzically as soon as the former and the latter are already standing inside the Crover's residence, his eyes trained on the grinning Alexander standing beside the frowning Aurora. Alexander ruffled Theo's hair, the latter still having that look of wonder on his face. "Would you believe me if I tell you that I'm here because I want to see you?" Alexander asked, his hand now resting on top of Theo's head. Aurora grunted as she swatted away Alexander's hand from her little brother's head. "Don't put your heavy hand on his head." She told him, the frown on her face deepening even further. Looking at his sister quizzically, Theo c****d his head to the side to get a better view of her before settling his gaze back to the guy who ruffled his hair not too long ago. "Are you here because you like to be around Aury?" The innocent look on his face melted Alexander's heart, his lips forming a soft smile specially for the little boy in front of him. "Because I like to be around Aury too." A soft chuckle, one that Aurora rarely hears, escaped Alexander's lips then. "Absolutely kiddo." He gave Theo a wink. "I want to be around her as much as you do." Theo's face broke out in a huge grin and looked at Aurora with a happy glint in his eyes. "Aury, you should let Andy come here everyday." The jovial tone his voice has was not something that Aurora overlooked. She wasn't exactly sure if her brother noticed the horrified expression on her face when he uttered those words, but what she was sure of was how Alexander seemed equally as happy as her brother. As much as she loves her brother to death, it's just the one thing she cannot agree to. For her, there is no way the guy she can't even stand would be visiting her at her house everyday—no freaking way. "No." Was her immediate answer. "Look, he can't come here everyday, okay, bud?" "Why not?" Theo frowned at her. "Yeah Aur." Alexander chorused, a subtle smirk etched on his lips. "Why not?" She sent him a glare, showing him through her eyes how angry he makes her, but he turned a blind eye. "You stupid jerk." She whispered; just enough for him to hear. When he merely widened his smirk with her words, she rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her brother. "Because, he's a very bad guy." Theo raised an eyebrow at his sister. "If he's a very bad guy, then why are you with him?" When Aurora was left speechless and dumbstruck, Alexander let out a loud laugh. The amusement alighting in his eyes was clearly palpable that you could see it even from a mile away. How could he not be happy? It was not everyday that he gets to see the mighty Aurora Crover not able to conjure a coherent sentence. Even from before, she had a retort for everything, no matter how dumb or stupid it is sometimes. As he continued laughing his insides out, he said, "Oh God. This is amazing." He held his hand out in front of Theo. "Give me a high-five, kiddo." And Theo, even when he doesn't really fully get what is happening, still gave Alexander a high-five quite happily. Theo grinned. "I like high-fives." An extremely jovial laughter escaped Alexander's lips. "Yes. I like high-fives too. We should do high-fives more often, don't you think?" Aurora scowled at the pair as she crossed her arms. "No, you shouldn't." She turned her gaze to the guy standing beside her. "And you. Go home before I end up punching you. Your presence is not needed here. I don't even know why I let you follow me all the way here." "Because you want to be with me. There's really no need for you to deny it—or play dumb. That's really not your forte, you know." Alexander answered, grin widening when the scowl on Aurora's face deepened. "How would you know what are my fortes?" "Childhood friend and ex-lover, remember?" The smug expression on Alexander's face was still prominent. "Of course I would know what are your fortes." "Ex-lover?" Theo chorused, his curious looking back and forth between Alexander and Aurora. "Aury, you and Andy were together before?" An exasperated breath escaped Aurora's lips as she gazed at her younger brother while Alexander just chuckled at Theo's words. "How did you even know what lover means?" She asked. Theo blinked his eyes a couple of times. "I read the dictionary when I'm bored." Came his dignified reply. Aurora knows how much her brother likes to acquire knowledge in all ways possible but she never expected that her brother would go as far as reading the dictionary. She loves knowledge as much as Theo does, but she didn't even go as far as reading the dictionary during her spare time. In that moment, the former lovers shared a look of surprise before settling their gaze back on the little boy standing in front of them. Silence engulfed them right then, but after a minute or so of merely looking at Theo, Alexander took the liberty to break the silence that was surrounding them. "You read the dictionary?" He asked, the surprise in his voice clearly tangible. Theo nodded his head enthusiastically. "I like reading it. I learn so many new words." "How interesting." Alexander replied. He sneaked a glance at the woman standing beside him, trying to figure out what she's thinking right now, but also trying to amuse himself by looking at her stupefied expression. He isn't exactly sure why, but in a weird way, he enjoys it when he sees Aurora get all shocked and flustered over something—after all, it's not everyday he can see her like that. Frank, who was helping Sally in the kitchen prepare the food for dinner, walked towards the living room to get his phone to contact his daughter, stopped in his tracks when he saw Aurora, Alexander and Theo standing in front of their front door. Gazing at the group curiously, he walked towards them and said, "Princess?" Upon hearing her father's voice, she looked up from her brother's stare and gazed right back into her father's eyes. "Dad." She said. "I'm home." "Yes, I'm aware." Frank chuckled. "And you brought Andy along too." His eyes alighted with humor and mischievousness. "Is there something I should know about?" Aurora scoffed. "Not likely. And besides, this i***t," she pointed at Alexander, who scowled at her. "merely followed me like a lost dog. I'm kicking him out now. Is dinner ready? I'll just let this stupid being go away and I'll be right there." "What? No!" Frank exclaimed. "Let him stay." He turned to the now grinning Alexander. "Pot roast okay with you, Andy?" "Of course it is." came Alexander's instant reply. He transferred his gaze to the frowning Aurora. "And I would love to stay for dinner." He released a chuckle. "You get to spend dinner with me again. Isn't that amazing?" "Now look here, Giovanni. Having to eat dinner with you is not a privilege nor is it amazing. It's actually like hell and I would rather stay locked up in my room than to spend another second with you." Aurora replied, ignoring the hardened gaze her father is sending her. Theo on the other hand, let his sister's words fall on deaf ear. He grabbed Alexander's hand with a grin and started dragging him towards the dining room as he said, "Just ignore the grumpy monster. Just stay here, Andy." Aurora's anger flared. "What do you mean grumpy monster?" She roared but Theo merely laughed. Alexander looked behind him and sent Aurora a wink. "Looks like you're eating dinner with me after all." And the underlying tone of superiority in his words and the silent order it held didn't leave Aurora's attention. "Stupid personal assistant." She muttered under her breath, while her father just looked at her with a slight smirk on his face.