The Seven, and their Wealth.

XIV - Alexander.

Earlier that night – Menlyn Shopping Centre.

Miriam Nzima: Hey there, just wanted to say thanks for the amazing day. You're such great company and I hope we get the chance to do something like this again.

Alex Mhlongo: It was my pleasure, Miriam; I am feeling a bit tired, so I think I'll sneak in a nap now. Chat later.

Alex switched his phone off and placed it on the far side of the table. At least he got Miriam out of the way, now he could be able to fully focus on the person in front of him. The person he had been looking forward to seeing the whole day, which was undeniably out of character.

Alex and Jackson had not seen each other since the morning together.

It was much more strange for Jackson who, since then, was starting to see a whole different side to Alex. For starters, Alex was far more decent and gentlemanly than he had initially led Jackson to believe. Apart from consistently texting a good morning handsome text every morning, at the same time for the past week, Alex would take it a step further by actually having full-on conversations.

Yes, Jackson did learn far much more about Alex than he would have when doing otherwise. But that was not the focal point, for now.

What shocked Jackson the most this past week was Alex insisting on the two going out to grab dinner together, at a restaurant, in public. This was a shocker because Jackson was someone who Alex did not want to be seen with – hence their after-9 agreement. But the leap from hiding in bedrooms to full-out dining in public was one that Jackson did not see coming.

Of course, he had his reservations but he going to roll with it. I mean dinner with a crush was far beyond exciting so, who was he to say no?

The pair just placed their orders and were left alone, and by that, Alex was staring at Jackson – with mild endearment in his eyes. There was just something about this guy that rub Alex a different way from all those he had met before.

Jackson was grounded, realistic, and focused. Qualities that Alex found to be very redeeming, and attractive. Jackson himself was from a wealthy pedigree but was not all into material things. Yeah sure, while he did care about his status to some extent, he did not center his life around it and his possessions.

'What?' Jackson asked, with a light chuckle. 'Is there something on my face?'

Oh no, do not worry about that. It's perfect the way it is, Alex pondered, not realizing that he was about to utter those words out loud.

He smiled with Jackson.

'Don't worry, your face is fine,' he finally responded and took a sip of his cream soda beverage.

'You've been staring for the last three minutes without having a said a thing, that's ever usually a good sign.'

'How so?'

'It's what serial killers do,' Jackson responded bringing his Coca-Cola closer to his end of the table.

The two were nestled in a booth at Panarotti's over at the mind-blowingly large Menlyn Shopping Centre – the country's second-largest mall. Alex had initially made plans for the two to catch a movie prior to dinner, he'd been watching trailers all week hoping to surprise Jackson with his best pick but had to settle for dinner only because of the overlapping plans he had with Miriam.

The pair spent the better of half of the day doing just that, he and Miriam had caught a movie at Centurion Mall before finally dropping her off at her place of residence a little under an hour ago before zooming back to this side of town to be with Jackson.