Chapter 26: Chapter 24: Yes I do the flexing!
"Why did your father send me a gift?" I asked Alex.
We were at the Goloso Café. They invited me to meet them here to hang out. Good thing the manager let me took a day off work.
"Why not... He said it's for your birthday." Alex replied.
"I know... What I mean is... Isn't it too much?" I tried to reason out.
"Our father is a generous person now... He probably thought you would like it..." He insisted.
"I do... I just don't see why... I'm a nobody to him..." I said as I stirred my smoothie with the straw.
"What are you saying... You're his son's partner... Besides... You received a pair of shoes.... not a sports car to worry like that..." Jenna asserted after she sipped on her drink.
"Even so..." I said softly.
"Just let it pass..." She added.
"To think of it... It's kind of weird... Does he know about Luke and me?" I asked Alex.
"Probably... I learned a few days ago that he kept my brother in surveillance after he left... I heard him talking to a guy over the phone..." He disclosed by chance.
"Gosh! Is that true? So... we were being watched the whole time?" I reacted quite frantic. I can't believe it.
"Uh-huh," he uttered.
"Look at it positively, Bes... At least now, you don't need to worry about telling his father about your relationship..." Jenna implied.
I did get her point. She's right.
"I hope so..." I muttered.
"Speaking of Luke... Where is he?" Jenna asked to change the topic.
"He told me he's going to meet someone urgent..." I answered.
"He's talking to our father right now..." Alex interjected inadvertently.
"What?!" I exclaimed. I'm feeling a bit panicky and anxious.
"How did you know?" Jenna asked him.
"He sent me a message..." He said as he showed us their conversation.
"I see... Uhm... Just to ask... Your father... What kind of person is he?" Jenna implored.
I was still a bit shaky about what Alex told me but I tended to listen to what he's about to say.
"Well... He's a business-minded person... He ought to focus more on our family businesses instead of his family... That's why we grew indifferent from him... He never takes 'No' for an answer... He's vigilant..." He said.
The way he described his father reminded me of a mafia boss.
"He sounds like a scary person..." Jenna commented and it made me thought the same.
"Well... My brother put up against him and I believe it made him changed a bit..."
"How do you say so?" I asked quite confused about what he just said.
"He sent you a gift, right? He never did that to anyone related to either of us.." He explained.
"For someone who got a lot of riches... You're saying he used to be stingy?" Jenna inquired.
"Sort of... But that trait of him got us to where we are right now..."
"You got a point..." She muttered.
"Well... That got me more worried..." I said still quite unsteady.
"Come on, Bes... Luke probably taking care of it... Just wait till he gets home so you could talk about what happened..." She suggested.
I nodded and I decided to go home.
-----
I was waiting for Luke to get home so I kept myself busy by cleaning our house. I sent him messages but I didn't get any reply. It made me more anxious and iffy.
I was lying on the couch browsing on my phone when I heard the door opened. I looked over and saw him coming in so I sat properly.
"I'm home..." Luke said as he put his bag on the couch and sat beside me.
"You look tired? Did your father give you a hard time?" I asked directly to the point.
"No... We just talked for a while then I left." He said.
"But I waited for you for a long time..."
"I dropped by the café to help Ben... I even saw Jenna and Alex hanging out there... They told me you went home..."
"Shit... Why didn't you reply to my messages?" I asked.
"My phone ran out of battery... I'm sorry... Why are you so tense?" He asked.
"I can't help it... Alex told me about your father and he seems to be a scary guy..."
"You don't need to worry... He's not scary at all... Besides... He wants to meet you next weekend..."
"What!" I exclaimed as I stood up and paced from side to side.
"Just relax... Geez! He invited Jenna as well so you're not alone..."
"As if that will make me feel at ease... Did he say why he wants to meet us?" I asked. I didn't know what to feel anymore.
"He wants to meet the people that make his sons happy..." He said as he embraced me from behind.
"I will be there with you... So don't fret..." He whispered.
His voice and his warmth calmed my senses. It's really comforting.
"Fine... I'll go..." I said softly.
"You look cute when you worry so much..." He hugged me tighter and kissed my neck.
It tickles. I looked over the window and it was open. I got myself out of his arms but he pulled me closer.
"Kiss me..." He muttered.
"Cut it out... I don't want your father to see us doing that..." I said keeping my voice down.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Well... Alex told me he got eyes and ears on our walls..."
"Then let them have a show..." He said then moved his face closer to kiss me.
I immediately covered his mouth with my hand to stop him.
"No... We should be careful... I don't want him to have any bad impression about me..."
"Actually... That's what we talked about earlier... I didn't think about it that much when Alex informed me about it... Then I noticed someone roaming around the house the other day... I thought it should stop since it's very uncomfortable to move around with eyes watching us..." He explained.
"Really? What did he say?"
"Well... He said he would tell his private investigator to stop but he wants to meet you in person... That's the reason why..."
"Oh, I see... Now I understand..."
"I'm sorry if you have to go through all of this... I should have seen it coming..." He came closer and hugged me again.
"That's okay... We're in this together... So I'll do my best on that dinner to prove myself to your father..." I said as I hugged him back.
"I know you will..."
-----
The next day, Jenna and I met at the gym. She got hyped up as well when Alex told him about the dinner this coming weekend. She kept screaming on the phone last night. We decided to shape ourselves to the best that we could before the said date. We want their father's first impression of us to be as good as possible since like what everybody has to say 'first impression lasts'.
We went for some runs and some weights that gave us a good sweat after an hour.
"If we keep doing this for the next couple of days, I'll definitely switch from small to extra small real quick..." Jenna said as she wiped her face with a towel.
"Do you think their father will like us?" I asked her to know what she thinks about it.
"Alex mentioned that their father is not an easy person to please but he told me that he will be by my side so everything will be alright..."
"Yeah... Luke said that to me as well..."
"So... For now, all we can do is prepare ourselves for that big night..."
"You're right..."
"Hi, guys! I've been watching you from over there and I noticed you put extra effort today..." Wendy said as she approached us.
"Oh, Wendy... Well... We are preparing for something this weekend..." I told her.
"Oh, I see... If you want I can recommend you guys a personal trainer... You're both members of the gym club so you do have the privilege to get your trainer..." She offered.
"Will they help us lose a couple of pounds in a few days?" Jenna asked.
"Yes! We have a seven-day fitness program... The trainer will teach you some exercises and a proper diet that will help you reach your goal within a week..." She explained.
"That's great! What do you think Jenna?" I asked.
"Well... This painter turned saleswoman got a pretty good offer... We should try it..."
"Perfect! I'll have you signed up and your trainer will be with you in a jiff..." Wendy said enthusiastically and then went off to get us our forms.
"She sure does know how to do sales talk..." Jenna said as we watched her talked to her co-worker.
"Like the song says... She works hard for the money..." I tried to crack a joke but it didn't come out funny at all.
After a while, Wendy introduced us to our trainer. His name is Demi. He is a buff guy with big muscles in his arms and legs. His chest was visible from the fit shirt he's wearing. But somehow he looked familiar to me. I guess I must have seen him somewhere before.
He introduced us to battle ropes. We used ropes to strengthen our shoulders, arms, torso, and abdomen. It's very challenging, my arms went numb after sets, but it's a good work out. He also gave us a diet plan for one week. No sugar, no salt, more fiber, less fat.
We were done for the day and we're both worn out. We were soaking wet with sweats. We were both resting and stretching our arms when Wendy approached us.
"Hi, guys! How was it?" Wendy asked to check on us.
"Just look at us and you'll know..." Jenna said as she rubbed the pain on her arms.
"I told you it was worth it... If you continue this progress... In a few days, you'll be able to reach your target." Wendy said still with her lively tone.
"Thank you for recommending this to us..." I said to show my gratitude.
"No problem..."
"I admit... You do know the business pretty well... I'll give you credits on this one..." Jenna complimented her and smiled.
"Well... It's all written in this pamphlet..." She said as she showed us the pamphlet sample.
"Huh?" I uttered.
"If you want to know more about it and other programs we offer... You can get one on the stand right over the entrance..." She explained.
"Well... That changes everything..." Jenna said.
I knew how she feels. Just when you began to look highly at someone, with just a snap, it all went down the drain. Wendy is one extra-ordinary girl.
-----
Four days had passed, Jenna and I had continued with our rigorous workout. On the second day, We asked our trainer if he can train us twice a day. He agreed but kept keen eyes on us. He told us if one of us fainted during training we will go back to our normal routine. Jenna and I were determined to bring the best out of ourselves so we were able to survive the past three days. Yesterday, after our training, our trainer recommended to switch back to our normal routine. He said it would be bad for our bodies if we pushed too hard. We can already see results in our body so we agreed. He told us to take a break for today and see him this weekend.
Today is Friday and I just got out of the shower. I can see improvement on my body as I look at myself in the mirror. I gained muscles on my arms, chest, and I finally got abs. It's only a pair but I'm glad I have it now. Luke has been supportive for the past days. He's the one who prepared my diet food. At first, I wanted to cry because my food got no taste at all. Everything was bland. Luke told me that he used to eat the same when he worked on his body and it really helps. I remember one night I got up late and I tried to sneak some chips to my bedroom but I got caught by him and took all of it away. I was thankful he did that because right now, I am more confident to take my clothes off.
"Is it just me or you're getting sexier every day?" Luke told me as I got out of my bedroom.
"Silly..." I uttered.
I sat on the couch and fixed the tie on my shoes while he went to the kitchen and opened our fridge.
"We almost ran out of supplies... We need to stack up more vegetables and white meat..." He said as he closed the fridge's door.
"Let's go get some groceries after class then..." I suggested.
"Okay... I'll ask Ben to take care of the café this afternoon..."
We arrived at the university on time. I got off of Luke's car at the front gate where Jenna was waiting for me. Luke went ahead to park his car.
"Looking good, Bes!" Jenna greeted me.
"You too... By the way, we will go grab some groceries after class... Do you want to join us?" I asked.
"Uhm... I can't... Alex and I will go out later... He found a local ramen restaurant... he wants us to try it..." She excused.
"What? That's cheating! Demi will not be happy when he found out about it..." I tried to remind her.
"Well... That is... if you will tell him but I know you won't... Don't worry... I won't eat that much... I don't want to ruin this figure I worked hard for..." She said as she turned around flaunting her sexy body.
"If you say so... Let's go now before I eat you up... Just the thought of ramen made me hungry..." I said as I lightly pushed her to keep her away from embarrassing herself in front of the school.
We were on our way to our faculty building when I noticed someone got out of a car from afar. I recognized her so I tapped on Jenna's shoulder to get her attention.
"Hey, look it's Wendy..."
She looked closely and saw her too.
"Yeah! That's her... I thought she's a struggling student... I didn't know she has a car..." Jenna said undoubtedly.
The car drove away slowly after she waved goodbye to someone inside. It's troubling me too since when I talked to her before, she shared about working hard to pay for her school expenses.
"Let's find out..." Jenna said then pulled me with her thrusting towards Wendy.
"Good morning, Wendy!" Jenna greeted loudly enough to startled Wendy.
"Geez! You scared me!" Wendy said as she caught her phone that almost fell off because of what Jenna did.
"Good to see you! Was that your car? Did someone drive you here? Is there something we need to know? Something you didn't tell us?" Jenna got her savage mode on as she asked Wendy all those questions with just one breath.
I felt bad for Wendy. I saw her getting confused with this sudden confrontation.
"No... It's not like that... It's a share-a-ride... You know that app... The one where you book a car to pick you up..." She explained.
"Oh, I see... Well, you seem to know the person inside..." Jenna intrigued her.
"That's my workmate from the gym..."
"Oh, okay... That explains it..." I said believing her.
"I don't buy it..." Jenna affirmed.
"I'm telling the truth... I got nothing to hide..."
"I'm sorry, Wendy... You can go now... Jenna let's go... We need to get to class..." I said.
I pulled Jenna away from Wendy. She kept her eyes pinned on her while narrowing her eyebrows, giving her a suspicious look. I looked back at Wendy and she was showing a strained smile. I nodded to apologize to her and she waved goodbye to us.
-----
After class, Luke and I went to the nearest grocery store. We pulled over at the parking lot and we headed inside. To think of it, it's our first time together. I usually do this on my own since Luke was always busy.
I grabbed a pushcart and we went first to the vegetable section. I let Luke push the cart while I'm the one picking up the greens. I got a couple of broccoli, carrots, cucumber, celery, and my new favorite vegetable, asparagus. We were on our way to the meat section when we passed by the chips. I stopped and stared at Luke giving him puppy eyes.
"No chips... Not today..."
"Please... I'll have it the day after dinner with your father..." I pleaded.
"Fine... Get what you want..." He said as he finally gave up.
"Yes!" I exclaimed.
I got excited so I grabbed every chip that I want until I got a couple of them around my arms. After that, we went for chicken breasts and salmon.
"I think that would be enough..." I said as I took a last look at our list.
"Okay... Let's go pay for it then we can go home..." He said as smiled at me.
We were about to go to the cashier when someone called my name.
"Kris!"
I looked back and saw Chad walking towards us. I glanced at Luke and saw how he tightened his jaw. I put my hand over his hand to calm him down.
"Chad! Good to see you! What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Well, I got some supplies, Claire asked me to do it for her..." He explained.
"Oh... How is she?"
"She's fine..." He answered.
He noticed Luke and nodded to greet him and continued with what he's saying.
"She's busy working hard on her studies... You know... With the final exams coming soon..."
"That's good to know... Tell my regards to her..."
"Sure... How about you two?" He asked.
"Well... We're now together... Officially..." I didn't say much. I just waited on how he would react.
"Finally! That's great news..." He said casually.
"Thanks..."
It's good to see him reacted that way. I guess, what he said before was true that he finally got over me. He actually looked better now, I don't see any signs of stress. He's happy.
"By the way, I will hang out this Sunday, why don't you guys join me?" He offered.
"We can't..." Luke said with a firm voice.
"Oh..." Chad uttered.
"I'm sorry, Chad... We happen to have dinner with his family this Sunday." I explained.
"Oh... Okay... I understand... I want you to meet someone... But that can wait... Maybe some other time?"
"Sure... Sure..." I said as I nodded.
"Okay... Uhm... I got to go then... My sister is waiting for me to get home soon..." He said showing what's in his basket.
I understand what he meant when I saw some sanitary pads.
"Oh, I see... Sure... Go ahead..."
"See you around guys..." He waved goodbye to both of us and walked away.
I took a deep sigh and turned to face Luke.
"Can you be more friendly to him?"
"I just did..." He said with that blank expression on his face.
I just shook my head and helped him push the cart to the cashier area.
I can't believe this boyfriend of mine.
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CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
KilDior
KilDior Thank you for waiting for this chapter update.
I'm thinking to write a lost passage for one of the characters so please keep posted on that one.
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-KilDior-
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