Volume 1: Twelve Years Was A Long Time (3)

CHAPTER 3: THE CHANCES ARE

 

“You’ll never see it coming when fate decides its move”

 

“Don’t forget your purse!”

He held a medium-sized diamond-encrusted - hope they’re not real - clutch in front of me. I grabbed it and put my rolled up emancipation papers inside. On my way to the door, I stopped and opened it.

“Th-thanks. For the help. Turns out I needed it.” I snatched the back of my head and gave him a shy smile.

“Anytime.” Said James and returned my smile.

I stared at him for a while.

“Alyce?”

“Y-yeah?”

“Lunch?” he quipped.

“Right!” I said and ran outside the halls.

“Just lock the door on your way out!” I called, hoping he heard me.

I climbed down the stairs and went straight to the yard, finding my bike. I took off my heels and put them in the front basket before going.

I passed the busy streets of New York, giving smiles and waves to my neighbors. Yeah, I know it might be intimidating to wander much less live in. And yes, our neighborhood isn’t what you may call a safe place to be in growing up. The place is littered with pickpockets, ex-convicts, druggies and the homeless. Some of the people here are working in low-level jobs just to make ends meet. But, what you - and the other people outside this place - don’t know is that the people here are family.

 I know it’s a little unbelievable. But it’s true. Since law enforcements are too busy to drive their name into the mud or having promotions, people here tend to look out for one another. I have met good people here and grew up with some of them. And no, they don't go to fancy schools or act like those snobby people from the upper side. Rather, we appreciate the simpler things in life.

I could almost remember this place from the back of my hand, blind-folded. Down the block, I had babysat a couple of kids for neighbors who had multiple jobs.  The room down my floor was a neighbor who works as a part-time plumber and fixed my filter system for free. The grocery store down the street was where I always get my groceries. The old café around the block always serves my favorite coffee brew and had been the special place where my mom and I would both take a break and bond over reading and a cup of coffee - well hers was hot chocolate. Last but not the least, Knickerbocker’s which was exactly twenty blocks down the road. Not only was it the place where I work, but a second home for me.

“Ali?!” a voice called.

I turned to face Cindy with a smile. I slowed my pace for her to catch up.

“Cute dress! You look so different!”

“Thanks!” I blushed.

“Hot date?” she waggled her brows.

I gave her a what-are-you-talking-about look.

I fastened my pace away from her and went straight into a dog.

CRASH!

I doubled over in shock and felt the damp asphalt ground on my bare upper back. Where did that dog come from?

 “Albert! “A frantic voice called out across the street. Another Brit?

Out of the blue, a pair of sandal-clad feet appeared in front of me.

“Lim! Is Albert dead?” another pair of feet came into view. This time they were smaller - like that of a child’s - and covered in a pair of Converse sneakers. A whimper broke and then tiny heart-piercing sobs followed.

 “Shh, don’t cry , bud. He’s just trapped by one of the bike’s handles.”

ARF! ARF!

“See?” He had lifted my bike and a white Border Collie peeked out.

ARF! HAH HAH HAH!

I smelled his doggy breath before feeling it on my face. He yipped again.

I groaned at the sound. I closed my eyes.

Make it stop!

“Miss, are you okay?”

I opened them and met straight into a pair of bright green eyes. I glanced at his handsome face and felt my breath hitch. His high cheekbones, straight nose, full lips and silky blonde hair. He was like an angel.

I let him pull me up on my feet.

“Miss, again, I’m so sorry.” He started, brushing off the dirt from my arms.

I held my hand up to stop him. “It’s okay. I already had my head lied down for a bit. Other than that, I’m fine.” Aside from swaying a little bit, everything with me seems to be in one piece.

Still staring at him, I pulled out of his grasp to show him I was fine.

“Maybe, I should check you for concussions or, or,” he glanced down at my arms and legs, “abrasions.” He puffed.

“You’re a doctor?” I asked in surprise.

I never pegged him for a doctor. With his casual sandals, longish straight blonde hair, checkered buttoned-down shirt and pedal shorts, he looked more like a surfer dude. Not to mention, his beaded necklace.

“No, close actually.” I quirked a brow.

“I’m a veterinarian.” He replied sheepishly.

 “Well, I’m all right,” I started, standing a bit wobbly.

He made a move to help me but I stopped him.

“Really, I’m fine” I reassured him before crouching and picking up my bike.

“Hi, I’m Timothy but people call me Timmy.” chirped a cherubic face in front of me. He had the most adorable British accent.

I broke into a smile. He looked to be barely nine with a gap tooth in the middle of his pearly whites. He had curly ash-brown hair with brown doe-like eyes and a splatter of adorable freckles across his face. From the way he looked at me with those sparkling puppy-dog eyes and shy innocent smile kind of reminded me of Pooka.

My thought went to my precious pet back in my apartment. I hope he was still sleeping or else James might have a little problem.

“Well hello there, Timmy. I’m Alyce but my friends call me Ali.” I grinned and held out my hand.

He smile widened at this and shook my hand eagerly.

“See that, Lim? I just shook her hand. I’m all grown-up now.” He said smugly.

‘Lim’ chuckled and held his hand to me

“I’m William, and my friends call me Will except for my baby brother here who keeps on calling me ‘Lim’ instead of Liam.” He tousled Timmy’s curly hair with obvious affection. 

I stared at his hand for a second before standing straight and shook it.

“Alyce.”

I could stare at this sibling bond for a while if only I wasn’t in a hurry. I gathered up my things and put them safely back inside my bike’s basket. I cleared my throat.

“I should probably get going now.” I said in a low voice.

“Oh.” said William.

Timmy, meanwhile, was giving me the pout. I giggled at his cute expression. He almost had me there.

“Aww, do you really have to go? I’m sure Lim won’t mind if you join us to the Build-A-Bear Workshop. Right, Lim?” this time he turned the pout on his older brother. “Please? Please? Please? Can she go?”

William looked at him, clearly melting off at Timmy’s pleading stare.  He looked at me. I shrugged. And then he sighed.

“I don’t think Alyce has the time to come with us.”

He frowned. Aww,

“Sorry, Timmy but there’s somewhere I have to be right now.” I patted his head. He still frowned. “Maybe next time?”

He gave me a wide grin and nodded. He picked Albert up and waved a paw in my direction.

“See you later, alligator.”

I chuckled before saying, “After a while, crocodile.”

“Are you really sure I can’t talk you into going to the hospital?”

“Yup, I’m sure.”

“So… see you when I see you?” said William.

“I guess so.” I climbed my bike.

“Albert will be waiting. On the same spot.”

“Sure.” I replied and started pedaling.

 

I was two blocks down the street when a car pulls up in front of me. Luckily, this time I braked. The car stops and the driver waves at me to go first.

“Thank you!” I said to the driver as I passed through them.

I glanced at the backseat window .It was barely a second when my eyes met the same vibrant green eyes from before. I swore for a moment there, I saw a man with William’s face. I shook my head. Must be the hit from earlier. Only, this time, I noted that the man who looked a lot like William had a bored more angular expression than William’s soft ones.

I carried on my way. At the corner, I heard a low click and turned just in time to face a camera. I watched the guy toss me a mischievous smile as he aimed the camera at me. I scowled and turned away.  I never liked my pictures taken. I peeked at the guy behind me.  He was still taking pictures. I pedaled faster until I saw his figure go smaller and smaller as he disappeared.

Weirdo, I thought. However nothing about him looks like it. He had a v-neck shirt on, skinny straight jeans and sneakers. Hardly, anything out of the ordinary. Well, except for the fact that you could consider him well-built and appreciated in the figure criteria in the most conventional way. His shirt had been proof of that, molding on to him to define every slab of muscle. His hair was short and tousled in honey-blonde colors. His face was a cross between a model and an angel.  You know, the normal; high cheekbones, angular jaw, flawless features and I would guess a pair of sparkling eyes. In fact, the only weird thing about him was why he would rather take pictures of other people if he himself belongs in front of the camera.

I went by Knickerbocker’s and glanced swiftly at the leisurely pace inside. Somehow, it was too early for lunch so the number of customers was only a handful. I made a mental note to stop by on my way back. Just for a visit.  

I waved at Martha who waved back from the inside. I smiled and watched the customers talk and sit while sipping iced tea. And met a green-eyed stare - well two, in fact.  It turned out that Martha wasn’t the only one to notice me. I saw one of them stare at me longer with those emerald eyes. Somehow, it made my pace slower - captivating me.

He had floppy light-blonde hair that covered almost half of his face, beautiful angelic features with the whole high-cheekbones-dreamy-eyes package. Not to mention he looked to be tall and well-muscled. The other guy beside looked exactly like him except for his black hair  that was kept short and tousled reminding me of a same hairstyle earlier this morning. This made him look more different, a bit more rebellious and almost devious. An angel and a devil. The irony.

Finally, I took a turn up at a bend and got off my bike.  I locked it to a railing and put the key in my clutch. I took my heels and slipped them on. The restaurant I was meeting my dad was two buildings away and can be walked by foot - or in this case, by heels. I surpassed the central park when a soccer ball came swooning out of nowhere.  And it was coming - towards me.

“Look out!”

Briefly, I took a step back. When I saw the ball almost near kicking distance, I swung my foot towards it. The ball flew up in the air and in a state of parabola, it landed exactly near its owner.

“Thanks!” said the owner.

He looked to be my age or older. He had short chestnut brown hair with handsome All-American boy features only if he wasn't - yeah you might've guessed it - British. He was tall and from the looks of the strains of his shirt, he was really built. In the distance, I could make out his jade-green eyes.

“No problem!” I called back.

He waved and turned his back to me. Two guys joined him, both a pair of twins. They had sandy-blonde hair, same saintly features and tall with well-muscled statures though not as built as the first guy. They weren’t really facing me but I could tell they also had the same unmistakable green eyes as the other guys.

And then it got me thinking. I’ve been seeing a lot of green this morning. Maybe it was a sign.

Only for what? I wondered, not clearly watching where I was going.

“Oof!” I let out.

He grunted as I knocked into him. I touched my forehead after hitting his hard wall of a chest. I looked up to him. He did the same by looking down at me. And we stayed like that.  

“KYAAA! Mathieu! We love you!” a shriek came from a few yards away.

“Sh*t!” he cursed.

That seemed to bring us back from our momentary trance. I watched him dart his head from side to side before landing into a dark alley beside us. Hurriedly, he grabbed my hand and carried us inside the alley’s dark confines.

I angrily face him, my head having slight sensations of a whip lash.

“What was that f-mmmph!” he covered my mouth with his free hand.

A swarm of girls passed us, shrieking like crazy and running at the street I came from. When the coast was clear, I bit the hand covering my mouth. Quickly, he let go.

“F*ck, why’d ye bite me for?!” he demanded, enraged.

I threw him a furious look myself and wiped my mouth for any traces of his hand.

“Why did you drag me here?”

“F*cking sh*t. F*ck. F*ck. F*ck.” He swore again and again.  Two minutes. This was the longest I've heard a person say that word in a straight sequence. In a suave kind-of British - mixed with something else, though I can’t exactly point it out - accent.

Though seriously, what's with the British accent? Is there some sort of British invasion I’m missing at?

But back to him.

“Why do you keep swearing?” 

"What's it to ye?" He grunted. "Stupid fan girls."

I glared at him. He scowled back.

I leaned back and gave him a long stare, expecting an explanation or an apology.

"What are ye looking at?"

Huh?! Did this guy have amnesia or some sort of short term memory loss? Wasn't he the one who dragged me into this crazy mob mess in the first place? Who does he even think he is? Usually I have a very, very, very long patience with people but judging from the day I had been in so far, considering I'm meeting my estranged father in mere minutes, I'm on the end of my rope now. Aarrgh!

I took a quick breath.

Okay. Okay. I'm calm. I'm collected. No need to lose my patience for this obviously spoiled - possibly diagnosed with Alzheimer's - egotistical rude self-proclaimed pretty boy who can't even own up to form an apology for the bother he caused to others - mainly me.

Remember the lunch meeting. I can still make it. I have time. Just kindly tell him you have somewhere else to be and go on your merry way.

"Psh. Ye know what the problem is with ye lot? I can't take a normal stroll on the streets without ye flashing yer bluidy cameras and trying to get a piece of my hair or my clothes or even my shoes! God!" He gave an exasperated breath and made a wry grin.

"Of course, what else can I expect from you stalker?" His tone was softer now, silkier. His accent less pronounced and more civilized.

Or not.

"Stalker?! You’re the one who dragged me here in the first place!"

He snorted in disbelief.

"Well you're the one who lets herself be dragged. Besides, how should I know you weren't waiting for me to show up and have me all for yourself?"

Normally, I don't really invest much in anger but after meeting this guy for the last five minutes I wonder how his friends and family ever survived him.

"Aside from having a big thick-faced head, who do you think you are?"

He looked at me, stunned.

"You're kidding, right?"

I looked at him, puzzled. Could he be anymore conceited? Fine, with his perfect looks he could be famous model or something. With his sleek midnight-black hair neatly tousled back, his very symmetrical features, his high cheekbones, angular jaw, straight nose, full lips, tall height and built body; he was perfection. Well, almost. I spied one baby-blue eye and one golden eye. Strange, but oddly alluring.

"Just admit it. You are just another one of my crazy fans who just can't get enough of me." He playfully arched a brow.

I broke off from my daze, reminding myself of the conceited man in front of me. He made a step towards me. I held my ground. He scrutinized me, eyeing me from head-to-toe.

"Normally, I wouldn't bother with your lot but with you, might as well be. Maybe." He smirked.    

He was about to lean in towards me when I sidestepped him. I didn't bother to look back as I heard him stumble or when I heard a crash from the dumpster behind me.

"Look, as much as I would want to know you - can't say that I really do - but I have to go. Hope you can find a sense of humility - though I doubt it."

I gave him one last look before going out to the open space and into the bustling street. God, what an arrogant guy. He was just so...ugh!  He made me want to get out of a conversation faster than having James pick my brows - which he won't ever do again.

I walked further down the road and found the restaurant. I tightened the hold on my clutch. At the open platform at the front, seated on one of the wicker chairs I saw him. My father. 

Here's now or never.

Freedom, here I come.

 

Reviews

[A.C. Lei]

it's been a long time since she last saw them and they all have grown up so they look different now than they were as kids. I'll try to post more chapters to clear the confusion.

[puppylover13437]

why doesn't she remember them?