Chapter Nine

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After we decided on the perfect set of earrings and necklace, I called Theo and told him to come and see the present. We sat on the chairs and waited for him. "So, Alice, how old are you?" I asked as she finished with a young customer. He was satisfied with her service. Who wouldn't be? I knew her for less than an hour and she entered my heart just like Latoya did. They were both kind and sweet. Yet, you could sense a little bit of craziness in Alice more than in Lee and it was so unique and fun. You can't imagine the number of pranks that we can do together to my brothers. That would be epic.

"I'm twenty-one," she replied, then grabbed a chair and sat across from us. "You?" she asked.

"I'm sixteen, almost seventeen," I answered, then took a wider view at the store. The theme color was gold and silver, and it was calming in a way that was hard to explain. "You're the same age as my brother, Theo, you know?" I added. She raised her eyebrows.

"Really? That's great, is he the one that you're waiting for now?" she asked, and as I was about to reply, Theo entered the store. He walked over to us, then stood right behind Alice, with a wide smirk spread across his face. He raised his hands and clapped.

"The one and only," Theo announced and made Alice jump from her chair and fall to the floor. I, of course, started laughing like a wild and crazy hyena. Hyenas were cool and I related to them in a weird way. We both loved food and we laughed the same, so... And they reminded me of my favorite movie ever, The Lion King.

Alice put her hand on her chest, then stood up and looked at him. She was surprised that she almost screamed. Her fall made it much funnier even without the scream. How did she manage to do that?

"I'm sorry for that. I'm Theo, their brother." He held out his free hand for her to shake; the other one was occupied by a big bag, which probably had a basketball in it. Alice shook his hand after she calmed down. Her cheeks were bright red and her ears too. She cleared her throat.

"I-It's ok-kay, and I'm Alice," she replied, while stuttering, but she managed to keep her smile on. I guess she was trying to hide her embarrassment from my brothers. She was beautiful all right. What if...

"So. Theo, what do you think?" Milo cut my chain of thoughts off and dragged Theo to the counter where the present was placed. He looked at it for a while, then smiled.

"Yeah, it's great. I'm sure she'll love it. Don't worry, dude!" he assured, then grinned at Milo. "I'm sure if you take her to a quiet place, with candles and delicious food, she'll be more than delighted and, of course, don't forget the flowers," he added, then patted Milo's back. As cliché as it sounded, it was perfect. It was a last-minute thing, so he better be grateful.

I nodded in approval at Theo's words. "Yes, make sure that the food is fantastic, otherwise she'll be sad and dump you..." I said in a serious tone. I was serious. Good food can make you happy, bad food can make you grumpy. That rhymed. Milo's eyes widened at the mention of her dumping him. He loved her so much.

"Of course, I know now where I'm going to take her. Thanks a lot, guys." Milo hugged us both, then gave Alice a sideways hug. "Please, don't tell her about this. I want to keep it as a surprise," he requested, and she smiled at him.

"Absolutely, no need to worry about that. My lips are sealed." She made a zip sound when she ran her fingers over her lips like she closed a zipper. Have you ever thought about the fact that if you remove the letter I and the double P and change the E from Zipper and add A, the word would become Zebra? What the hell was I talking about? I was hungry... That must be it.

"Here you go." Milo paid her the right amount of money for the present, and we got ready to leave. "Bye, thanks for the help," my brother said, then went out of the store first.

"It was nice meeting you. I hope we can meet again and sit with Lee. Oh, we should have a night out, only for us girls!" I suggested, then hugged her tightly.

"That would be great, can't wait," she replied and hugged me back. As I let go of her and I started walking out of the store, I heard Theo.

"Bye, Alice, it was a great pleasure meeting a beautiful lady like you here, hope I see you soon." He bid her goodbye with a slight smirk, then went out of the store. I smirked at him, then tugged his shoulder when we began walking forward. He turned his head and stared at me.

"What was that all about?" I asked, then wiggled my eyebrows, feeling the excitement overwhelm me. He raised his eyebrows, then shook his head rather quickly. Fishy, and I was sure that she was his type.

"Nothing, nothing at all. I'm hungry. Are you hungry?" he added in a rush, trying to change the subject. I'll ask him later. Good thing she's single now. I can't wait to play Cupid with them.

"I'm always hungry; when did I refuse a food offer?" I asked in a duh tone, then gazed at Milo. He nodded with a grin.

"True, she can eat a lot," Milo commented, and I rolled my eyes.

"Is that a crime?" I asked. They both shook their heads, with a chuckle.

"No, that's what makes you unique!" Theo remarked, and I laughed. He was so naive.

"Oh, you thought that I was the only girl who eats a lot? Ha, think again, brothers, because I'm sure as hell not unique in that fact," I countered in a matter-of-fact tone. It was true, my brothers were missing the whole picture. Girls eat. Girls don't care. Because girls can't give a shit about what boys will say when they eat. Why are girls underestimated by boys?



I just published chapter 17 on inkitt, if you want to read ahead of time, dm me :)

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