Chapter 3. A Ray of Hope

Serenity couldn’t sleep as the thought of meeting Alexander again the next day had her very excited. She waited impatiently, having never felt this way before. It was a completely new experience for her.

The next day, after spending an uneventful time at school, Serenity returned home to cook for Alexander. Her mom saw her enthusiasm and chuckled with satisfaction. “Are you planning to feed us again today, sweetie?”

“Yes, mom,” she answered with a shy grin, hoping she wouldn’t figure out the reason behind her eagerness. Thankfully, she didn’t, and Serenity went into the kitchen to cook up something special for Lucas’s new friend.

Alexander reached college the next morning a little late. He was stuck in a roadblock near his home, where an accident had occurred. The class had already started when he slipped in and sat beside Lucas at the back. Lucas smiled at him, relieved that he came to college. He was the only friend Lucas had in college. Soon the class ended and Lucas fist-bumped with Alexander.

“I thought you weren’t coming in today.”

“I wouldn’t want to miss out at all,” said Alexander. Lucas was his only friend in the entire world, and he valued their friendship more than anything else. “I was stuck in a roadblock near my house. There was an accident.”

“Oh,” said Lucas. “By the way, dad will be at home today and he wants you to talk to him. Then you can fix his Ford Austin over the weekend. And mom wants you home for lunch. Don’t even think about declining,” said Lucas, and Alexander nodded, pleased to get another chance to meet Serenity. He had promised her he would visit her today, and he knew she would cook for him again. The thought alone had him excited throughout the rest of the classes and, therefore, he didn’t protest when Lucas dragged him to the cafeteria and forcefully bought breakfast for them. He had skipped breakfast, as he didn’t have any food at home. The garage had deducted his pay when he accidentally broke a tool from his toolbox.

The classes all got over and the two friends arrived home. Parking their vehicles, they walked inside. Lucas took him to his room, and they both freshened up. Serenity knocked and peered inside. “Bro, mom’s calling both of you to lunch.”

“Did you help make it?” asked Lucas with a grin while Alexander sat on his bed quietly and stared at Serenity, who avoided looking at him.

“Yes,” she said, glancing at Alexander briefly. Alexander still stared at her, taking in her long, creamy legs in a pair of red shorts and a white sleeveless top. He felt like pulling her into his arms and asking her why she was ignoring him.

Finally, she looked at him, and he drowned in those stunning blue orbs. “Dad wants to meet you,” she said as two pink specks appeared on her cheeks.

“Let’s go,” said Lucas, pulling Alexander along with him. He walked out, followed by Serenity and then Alexander. His arm brushed with hers every now and then as they walked down together. She discreetly looked at him with every brush of their arms and found him staring. He grinned at her, seeing her reaction to his touch. She wasn’t at all aware that he did it on purpose.

They reached the dining room where the family was gathered. Liam grinned upon seeing Alexander. “Hey, Alex, will you teach me about all the machinery inside the Ford Austin?”

“Sure,” answered Alexander.

“Sit, Alex, Lucas. Sera’s cooked for us today. Sera, serve your dad, sweetie,” said their mom. Alex sat down in his usual seat while Serenity served her dad.

“Thank you, dear. May God bless you,” said her dad. Serenity grinned and went to serve her mom.

“Oh, thank you, sweetie,” said her mom.

Serenity didn’t stop, and went up to Alexander and shyly served him. Her parents chuckled, and Lucas and Liam glared at her.

Alexander wished they were alone together. He was so bowled by her cuteness that he wanted to thank her with a kiss. She sat down opposite him, in her usual seat, and started serving herself. Lucas and Liam gaped at her.

“Why didn’t we receive the special treatment?” asked Lucas, looking confusedly at Serenity and his mom.

“Exactly. It’s not fair,” protested Liam.

“Everything’s fair. Liam, you stole my earphones last month and didn’t return them yet,” said Serenity, and Liam looked at his mom. She chuckled, and so did everyone at the table.

“What about me? I did nothing,” said Lucas.

“Yes, you did. You forgot about my birthday. Mom had to remind you, remember?” Her dad and Alexander chuckled while Lucas stared at her in disbelief.

Lunch was delicious, Californian grilled chicken, avocado salad, and orange cake. “This is too delicious, sweetie. You amaze me with your cooking every time,” said her dad, and Serenity smiled at him. She was acutely aware of Alexander’s intense gaze upon her every time she looked up.

“Today, Alexander solved all the problematic questions in the economics resource sheet before sir could even read out the questions,” said Lucas, proudly.

“Really? That’s impressive, son,” said Lucas’s dad. “When do you get the time to study?”

“I really don’t get time. My garage duty ends at 9 in the night and it takes an hour to reach home,” said Alexander.

“Oh? Where do you live?” asked Lucas’s mom in concern.

“Suburban West Vegas. It’s very far away,” answered Alexander, looking down at his plate. He didn’t want anyone to know where he lived. Maybe they would not want him to be friends with Lucas anymore.

“I know the area. It’s not safe at all,” said Lucas’s dad, looking at him with concern.

“I know, but my uncle’s shack is all I have,” he said, glancing at Serenity. Will she hate him after this? She was a billionaire’s only daughter, completely out of his league. He knew she was an impossible dream, but the heart hardly listened to any reason.

“Does the garage pay you well?” asked Lucas’s dad.

“No, uncle Eric, they’ve deducted a lot of money from my pay for minor damage. They didn’t pay me a week’s pay because of it,” he said, and Lucas’s dad seemed angry.

“How do you manage your college fees, then?”

“Dad, Alexander is a valedictorian at his school and he received a 100% fee waiver for his studies,” informed Lucas.

“It’s a very applaudable feat, Alexander. I’m really proud of you. What are you doing in a garage? Next week, I was planning to induct Lucas into my office as an intern. Why don’t you join us too? The stipend would be higher than what you get at the garage. We could arrange for you to stay at one of the company accommodations,” suggested Lucas’s dad.

“That’s wonderful, honey. I’m sure Alexander and Lucas would perform well in the company,” said Lucas’s mom.

“Dad, don’t ask Alex. He will deny all help. He wants to be a self-made man,” said Lucas, rolling his eyes.

“It’s commendable that you want to be self-made, Alexander, but sometimes you need to take help from friends and family,” said Lucas’s dad.

“Thank you, uncle Eric. This means a lot to me,” said Alexander, sincerely from his heart.

“Then go to your garage today and collect all your dues. Monday after college, both of you can come over to my office,” said Lucas’s dad.

“Yes, dad,” said Lucas.

“Yes, uncle Eric,” said Alexander with a grateful smile on his face.

“Come tomorrow, we will fix the car for the whole day. If you need any parts, tell me now. I’ll have them bought,” said Lucas’s dad.

“We need a new battery, and two steering ball joints, a pair of brake rotor discs,” said Alexander, and Lucas’s dad nodded.

“I’ll have them arranged,” he said to Alexander.

Impressed with Alexander, Serenity wanted to talk to him, but with Lucas around all the time, she got very little chance of doing so.

After lunch, Liam, Lucas, and Alexander went to Lucas’s room, and she trudged back to her room dejectedly. She sat down to do her homework, but her mind was on what Alexander was doing.

Alexander half-heartedly chatted with the boys for some time. Liam went for his soccer practice and Alexander got up to leave for his garage.

He felt restless at the prospect of leaving without seeing Serenity. Nevertheless, he climbed on his motorcycle and sped off.

His eyes popped out when he saw Serenity walking to the next house with her books. His heart started singing and he rode up to her and stopped right beside her.

“Hey, Serena,” he said, and she suddenly stood still, staring at him. He took out his helmet and grinned at her.

“Hey, Lex,” she said, grinning back. She liked the nickname that he gave her immensely.

“I love it. What did you call me?” he asked, staring at her.

“What did you call me?” asked Serenity with a smile.

“Serena,” he repeated.

“Lex,” she smiled, repeating his nickname.