Chapter 5 Unexpected Driver

• Kraius was annoyed for a long while. His mother called him for something important. He thought of what it was that she would ask him, but his good mood was immediately ruined by what his mother said to him.
• However, he could still hear the tenderness of her voice imaginably. His mother knew very well how to make him say yes on her requests. There’s only one word that she would tell him and she has never forgotten it, too. One word that could change his decision. The word handsome.
• He shook his head as he remembered his mother's request. He left his job just to follow it. To be a fetcher of an obese child at an exclusive school she attended.
• Kraius looked at his phone. When he called the number given by his mommy earlier, he felt even more annoyed. He didn't get a sensible answer from her. She was only saying yes to everything he said so he turned off the call. He just looked for her on the tracker because he knew that she was in Saint Benilde College.
• Kraius found her in a waiting shed inside the school. The school is large, prominent people like him can go inside like those who belonged to the VIPs. He also graduated his secondary education at the school itself, so everyone knows him as an alumni.
• Kraius parked his car at the side of the pathway. He turned off the car's engine before exiting. He wore his wayfarer before he closed the car's door.
• Kraius' eyes roamed around the area and saw the chubby girl sitting in the shed. She wasn’t that far from where he was so he could clearly see her staring at him. He raised an eyebrow and grinned. Especially when he looked around and saw the students there were looking at him.
• Wearing his usual navy blue polo shirt, black jeans and loafers, he walked straight to Rhezi. His handsome face was serious as its thick eyebrows were furrowed. His playboy aura disappeared and his authoritative stance is evident. An aura that anyone wouldn’t dare to do anything to him.
• "You didn't answer my call. You keep on mumbling words I don't understand. Stand up and we're going," Kraius said with a bit of irritation in his voice when he finally got close to Rhezi.
• He saw when she blinked her eyes. Kraius smirked mischievously and gave her an intent look. He only realized that she looked pretty even though she’s a bit fat. Her heart-shaped lips are thin. Her eyelashes are dark and flickering while matching her soulful eyes. Her nose was also beautifully pointed and she has a chiseled chin. Basically, she’s beautiful. It’s just that, she’s fat.
• "Tsk! I know that I'm handsome. But, can you move faster? Just do your admiration later!" Kraius left the waiting shed first while shaking his head. He grinned as he approached his car. He is so handsome that even teenagers like Rhezi are obsessed with him. He could also hear the squeals of the students just near him who seemed to be thrilled.
• Kraius got into the car. He waited for the young girl to follow him but it was a few minutes later and neither of her shadows appeared. Kraius sighed and took his phone. He dialed Rhezi's number and waited for her to answer it.
• -----
• Rhezi seemed to gasp because she felt that she’s going to be out of oxygen supply when Kraius approached her earlier. Her erratic heartbeat became even more erratic. She felt that her heart was beating so fast that she could almost hear only the sound of it. It was all like a dream to her that the only thing she could do as he spoke was to stare with his handsome face.
• Rhezi could not believe she would see the man. It has been a week since her mom Jansen invited his mom Ferlyn to dinner at their house in Forbes. His mother even teased her to introduce her to her son, which she immediately refused. When he saw him in their house she regretted her refusal. She didn't think that his son was so handsome.
• Rhezi was still dumbfounded as if she was daydreaming when her cellphone rang again. She was almost deafened by the strength of its volume connected to her earphone that was in her ear. All the fibers in her body woke up and her mind returned to reality. Especially when I saw who was calling on the other line.
• "What are you still doing there? Come on!" he promptly said to her on the other line.
• Even though the annoyance was noticeable in his voice, Rhezi still smiled. She quickly picked up her bag and put it over her shoulder and the belongings that were next to her before standing up.
• She walked as fast as she could. There’s a few students who looked at her with raised eyebrows. She just shrugged them off and rolled her eyes. She was too happy to notice and to quarrel with them.
• When she got to Kraius' car, Rhezi immediately opened the door. She immediately settled herself in the passenger seat and adjusted her sitting position comfortably. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found a comfortable position though her knees were shaking. Rhezi couldn't believe that this is how it feels when she was with someone she secretly liked.
• Rhezi tried to calm herself. She sat on the far side of the seat so she could not be seen in the rear view mirror. Though she’s a brat she also, somehow, knew how to feel ashamed. She waited for Kraius to drive the car but it has been a while and they’re still not moving. Curiosity ate her so she peered at him where he was seated and instantly saw him frowning in the rear view mirror as she stared at him.
• "I am not your driver. Why did you sit there? Sit beside me," he said.
• Rhezi pouted her lips. Kraius saw it and immediately turned his eyes in another direction. Rhezi quickly got out of the car and moved to a seat next to Kraius.
• Rhezi bit her lower lip as he finally got to his side. Her legs wobbled as she pinched her thigh, slowly. She could also smell Kraius perfume and it was intoxicating. It was smoothly sweet to her senses. Actually, she had thought that he was even more plumeous than her.
• "Relax. I won't bite," Kraius said.
• Rhezi shifted her gaze and looked at Kraius. She saw him looking at her with a smug face that made her roll her eyes on him. She heard him chuckle that made her look at him, again.
• "What's funny?" She asked him, peeved. She finally found her own voice to talk.
• "Nothing," Kraius replied while shaking his head. He knew very well what she was doing. He is a lawyer and has mastered the reading of gestures. It is very clear that she has a crush on him and it wasn't a big deal.
• In just a few moments they were on their way home. Kraius tried so much not to curse the heavy traffic that they're in. But, the clenched jaw and the tightened grip of the steering wheel showed how pissed he was.
• Rhezi kept on glancing at Kraius. She was also annoyed because of the traffic. If she wasn’t together with Kraius at that moment she might have been one of those shouting in the street, too. It was her habit to quarrel with others because of traffic.
• She looked at her phone. She frowned when she saw the time. It's past six at night so it's rush hour. She was even more irritated. She looked outside of the car windows and pouted her lips.
• "You know what, it’s not good if you’ll have spoiled saliva for not ever talking. Anyway, you can talk to me if you want. Entertain me," Kraius said softly.
• Rhezi felt even more awkwardness. She bit her lower lip and licked it, after. Which in turn did not escape to the sight of the man next to her. Kraius cursed in his mind. He felt like he was being enchanted. As soon as he felt a moment of distraction, he forced himself to focus his eyes on the long traffic.
• "I don't talk to strangers. So, why would I entertain you?" Rhezi retorted back. Her attention was still focused on the outside of the car. Though confusion still lingered on her mind, she was surprisingly still able to answer the young lawyer with a firm voice. And she had been wanting to leave his side, too since this fetch-from-school-to-their-home happened. His presence affected her so much that she felt giddy just by sitting next to him.
• Kraius raised an eyebrow at Rhezi's remark. He chuckled lightly and shook his head. He also glanced at her who was looking out of the car. Afterwards, he just focused his attention on the road with a smile on his face.
• It was late at night when the two arrived at Forbes. Throughout their trip, Rhezi tried to keep quiet but the truth was she’s only forcing herself not to ask some questions about him. And she kept her words about not talking to strangers. When the truth was, she was more interested in finding out if Kraius had a girlfriend than in answering her assignment in Trigonometry.
• "So, you're not really going to talk to me?" Kraius teasingly said again as he stopped the car in front of Rhezi's house.
• Rhezi stopped on her tracks to unbuckle the seatbelt because of what he said. She immediately looked to where Kraius was and saw his scrutinizing smile and handsome face. Rhezi blinked a few times. She also swallowed a lump on her throat because of her fleeting heartbeat.
• "Why are you so nosy? I already said that I don’t talk to strangers!" Rhezi said sternly. Annoyance was evident on her voice to show Kraius that she’s not fond of his action, but truth be told, she had been suppressing her thrilled because of his coquettishness.
• "Oh, right!" said Kraius. "Kraius Montreal at your service!" Kraius held out his hand to her while smiling.
• Rhezi does not know whether to accept that or not. She pouted her lips, again. She does that whenever she's not sure of things. Eventually, she decided to give him a chance so she took his hand and held it tightly.
• Electricity. That was the only word Rhezi could name to what she had felt as they held hands. She intently stared at him while he also lost the smirk on his lips and was replaced by seriousness.
• Moments had passed but the two were still in the same position. If it weren’t for the knock from outside the car window they wouldn’t have parted yet.
• Kraius's face was full of astonishment as Rhezi quickly got off when she finally removed the car seatbelt. Her face turned red as she made her way to their house. She didn't even pay attention to her mommy Jansen's call.
• “We're late, Tita. I'm sorry," Kraius said after getting off his car and greeted Rhezi’s mom.
• "It's okay, Krai. I understand." The lady sighed.
• Kraius nodded. He also peeked at the mansion of the Lagdameos. The fat girl was no longer there. She did not even thank him for what he had done. Kraius just shook his head as he told the Rhezi’s mom to leave.
• While he’s on his way home, Kraius smiles. He remembered what Rhezi had said about strangers. He shook his head and laughed out loud. He really was charmed by something because of that fat woman’s effect on him.