Sorry for the lack of updates. If I don't get at least 5 reviews, I won't post up chapter TEN. Sorry.
Alex looked around, trying to close her gaping mouth but finding it difficult by the second.
She laughed a little and looked around what was supposed to be her side of the house, being that there were two kitchens and two everythings—two houses put together, to be exact, and it was huge.
She was in the second floor looking at her new room, which she loved. It was big with a king sized bed, the walls were painted a light lilac color, the sheets dark, midnight purple. There were two small doors opposite to each other in the wall, Alex thought they lead to the closet and restroom. The floor was carpeted white, and there was a plasma screen television hanging alone in one wall, the one parallel to the bed.
In the west wall, there was a comfortable looking loveseat and some bean bags on the floor with a coffee table in the middle with some magazines sprawled across it.
Alex was in her own, personal heaven.
"Oh, my God," she whispered, taking another look around. She grinned.
"You like it," the guy that was helping her with her luggage said. It wasn't a question, it was an assumption, and of course he would assume that, her face pretty much gave it away. She looked at some flowers on an end table next to the (her) bed and looked at young, handsome guy and nodded.
"I do." She stated. The guy put down his luggage and walked over to her, a smile playing on his lips.
"I'm Raymund," he said, extending his hand to Alex. Alex tried not to frown. In one day, she'd already had contact with three men. She wasn't liking that. But this was new to her—she tried to convince herself she would be used to it soon. "Call me Ray," Ray added after the pause Alex had given.
She nodded and forced a smile on her lips. "Alex," she said, taking his hand and shaking it. His grasp was firm and a little too hard—as if he didn't want to let go.
On the other hand, Alex wanted to let go as soon as possible.
So she pulled her hand back and cleared her throat. "Uhm," she said, looking around. "So, just leave my luggage there, I guess. I'll unpack." She was hinting him to leave, but Ray just had a goofy smile on his face and didn't seem discouraged.
"Oh, I can help unpack if you like, Miss Alex," he was hinting her that he didn't want to leave now, and Alex couldn't take that. Was this guy flirting with her? Because if he was, all he was doing was pretty much creeping her out. Alex grimaced.
"Uh, there's obviously stuff in there that I wouldn't like you to see," Alex said through clenched teeth, and finally Ray's smile turned down. "So, if you could just…" Alex trailed off, hoping to God he had gotten the point.
Ray nodded, the frown still in his face. "Okay," he said. "If you need me for anything, I'll be at a call's notice," he promised, and Alex only nodded. He sort of waved at her, exited and closed the door behind him.
Alex bit her lip and lingered in her spot for only a second more.
Ray was a nice guy, he really seemed like it, but Alex only had one guy in her mind, and she was absolutely frustrated by the fact. She started unpacking as her thoughts flew aimlessly.
Nate Gray was very attractive, he seemed nice enough—but wasn't he supposed to give off that vibe? He was, after all, a host. Hosts were supposed to be personable, but maybe he was a jerk too into himself to notice anyone else. Maybe, maybe not—but Alex didn't want to think about it! She hated being attracted to him in the first place!
It tugged at her heart, though, as if there was something so obvious she was missing. Could it be Nate Gray was having her same thoughts?
No, that was impossible—he was a busy man, he had other things on his mind. Why would he be thinking about scrawny, out of place her? There was no possible way. Suddenly, it dawned on her how unfairly she had treated him earlier. He seemed so nice and willing to be friends, and she just totally blew him off.
She jumped as her cell phone started ringing. She bit her lips and shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts before answering. "Hello?" she answered, forgetting to check her caller ID.
"Guess who?" Mitchie's voice filled the line, and Alex couldn't help but crack a smile at the way she held out the 'o' in 'who'.
"Hey Mitchie," she greeted, and Mitchie giggled, but the grunted.
"I was hoping you wouldn't know it was me," Mitchie sighed. "I guess I just rock too much, so everyone recognizes my voice, am I right? Aren't I right? Of course I'm right." She giggled again and Alex rolled her eyes.
"Oh yeah," she assured, a bit overly dramatic. "You're very right."
Mitchie laughed and then stopped. "Oh, my God!" she squealed. "Okay, guess what? Wait, don't guess, your guesses are wild. I just got my season tickets to 'Looking for Love' and exclusive passes to visit your house whenever the hell I feel like it!" Alex could picture Mitchie bouncing in her room, acting like a complete lunatic.
Well, there was a reason she was so likeable. "Great!" Alex mused. When Brown said they'd tell Mitchie as fast as they could, he really did mean fast.
"I know, I know. Hey, so," Mitchie changed the subject completely, her voice calming only a bit. "Did you already meet the most gorgeous guy on Earth?" she said, and Alex sighed. Okay, so, Mitchie didn't really help to get her mind off him.
"If you mean Nate, which I assume you do, then yes. I have, actually," Alex bit her lip. "God, Mitchie, he looks even better in real life."
Mitchie squealed so loudly Alex had to hold the phone away from her ear. Alex sighed and sat on the (her! It was hers!) bed, waiting for Mitchie to stop squealing like a five year old. "I knew it, I knew it!" Mitchie chanted. "You like him! Oh yeah, I rock. Go, me!"
"Mitchie!" Alex hissed. She didn't like the fact Mitchie instantly assumed she liked Nate. She wasn't even sure herself. "I just said I found him attractive. I don't like him yet." Alex rolled her eyes as she felt Mitchie's exaggerated patience.
"Alex," Mitchie said. "Now I know you're stubborn and all, but get a grip. You like him," Mitchie stated matter-of-factly. "All you need to do is seduce him and you'll get together."
Alex gaped. "Hello? Did you forget what show I'm on?" Alex waited for Mitchie to say something, but there was a long silence.
"Right, I did," Mitchie stated, defeated. "Okay, so what do you plan on doing?" Mitchie asked, her voice normal now.
Alex tried to suppress her groan. She'd been asking herself that question only a few minutes ago. "Nothing," she decided to say. Mitchie sighed on the other end of the line, but didn't push the subject further.
"Right, okay," Mitchie agreed. "So when do you get to meet the contestants?" she asked, and Alex was relieved she changed the subject—although this subject wasn't so great either.
But they weren't talking about Nate Gray, so she was alright.
"I don't know yet," she admitted. "But I have to finish unpacking. So, can we talk later? You won't mind?" she asked, and Mitchie said it was cool. She thanked her best friend and hung up.
She took a deep breath and started unpacking again. She couldn't—she wouldn't—think about Nate Gray all through the day.
--
Of course, that plan backfired the next day, after a wonderful night's sleep and a great shower.
Alex couldn't believe how nervous she was, and how much she looked herself in the mirror or how many times she changed her outfit—she wanted to look pretty. And what annoyed her about it was because she wanted to look pretty for him.
Finally, she decided on a very cute navy blue blouse that wasn't too tight on her body but complimented her anyway, so skinny jeans and light brown boots. She applied as little make up as possible and grabbed the best purse she had (which wasn't so hard to choose, considering she only had about four) and put in her cell phone, her wallet and the make up she had put in there.
When she took the limousine (!!!) to the studio, Nate was, of course, waiting at the entrance, a look of concentration on his face and his cell phone in hand, looking around. Alex bit her lip when she saw Nate's expression turn defeated as soon as he saw the limo, and then her heart started racing. Did he not want to see her?
Oh, God! Alex mentally slapped herself for being such an idiot and wanting him to like her. She was here to look for love, she had fifteen guys waiting to become her true love—she couldn't be thinking this way about the damn host, for crying out loud!
But she had been rather rude to him before—she did want to be a bit nicer to him, considering they would be working together and discussing who and who not to keep in the show. So instantly she made a mental plan to be nicer to Nate, to let him know that sometimes she might be a witch, but others, she was nice.
Only not to guy.
But she was to change that today.
"Hey," Alex said to Nate, a bit out of breath as she exited the limo and walked over to him.
Nate only nodded at her, not meeting her eyes and looking very interested in his cell phone.
Alex couldn't help but admit she was hurt—he seemed so much nicer yesterday. Was he actually what she thought he was? A self absorbed jerk? Or was he as nervous as her about seeing each other again.
Alex blushed as she noticed he was wearing a button down long sleeved light blue shirt and some black jeans with some converse. Even then, he looked so amazingly breathtaking she couldn't handle looking at him anymore, so she looked down and they both stayed quiet, not looking at each other.
Finally, Nate broke the silence. "Well, uh, let's go inside," he said, mumbling. "We're going to meet the contestants now." He finally caught Alex's eyes and Alex almost melted right then and there, because at that moment it was only her and him, and her heart was racing, her palms were sweating and everything seemed unimportant in that moment—it was only Nate. Nate, Nate, Nate.
Nate broke the eye contact, seeming frustrated. "Okay, so, should we go?" he didn't look at her again.
Alex took a deep breath. It was now or never.
"Let's go."
