Better off without him

Chapter 3 - Harper

I stood outside the school gates waiting for Xavier who was running a little bit late. I could have caught the bus but I had overheard the terms of the bet he'd lost which meant every time he failed to pick me up or drop me off he'd be out $50 and I didn't want him to hate me even more than he already did. He doesn't know that I know about the bet. I mean, why else would he be offering to be chauffeuring me around all of a sudden when he could have offered me a ride a month ago when I had moved in. I also happened to be at the same party when that dickhead Nathaniel made the bet, but I think it had more to do with the fact that Nathaniel genuinely felt sorry for me and thought that by Xavier losing this bet and forcing the two of us together for the next six weeks would lessen the animosity between the two of us, but it didn't. In actual fact I think it made him hate me even more. It hurts to know that someone can literally despise a person so much.

I'd thank Xavier after every ride, greet him every time we got in the car together and he'd completely dismiss me. What made it more embarrassing is that my work colleagues thought that Xavier was an angel for driving me to and from work. They barely  paid me any notice for the past year and a half that I'd been working here and the first time they caught sight of Xavier last week, they all flocked to me like bees to honey. Well, all the female teachers at least. Heck some of them were married with kids and they'd all swoon when they saw him pull up. I think they even hung around their cars in the parking lot by the entrance just to catch a glimpse of him. I'd laugh if the situation weren't as crappy as it was. But hey, who could blame them; Xavier was probably the most handsome guy I'd ever laid eyes on. Pity he didn't have the personality to match.

Xavier is an absolute asshole to me but to everyone else he was a complete gentleman which is why I couldn't exactly hate him. I just wish I'd grow some balls and ask him what the hell his deal was, but I'm too scared. He literally has the power to take the three people who mean the world to me away. His parents and Macy have been the only family I'd known my entire life, and I'd be damned if I let Xavier take them away from me, so I'll endure his hostility if it means that I get to keep my family.

His car pulls up and I hear a gasp and turn behind me to see two of my female colleagues ogling Xavier who has his window down and I swear I could see drool coming from their mouths. I rolled my eyes, opened the back door and deposited my bag and roller suitcase before getting in and muttering a quick hello to Xavier. I'd barely closed the door before we were off. I buckled my seatbelt and looked out of the window at the houses as we drove in complete silence.

After a few minutes Xavier calling out Heather pulls me out of my reverie. It actually shocked me because he never and I mean never talks to me unless it's absolutely necessary so I snap myself out of it.

"My names Harper, not Heather. What is it you were saying?" I ask softly.

I see his hands clench on the steering wheel before he answers.

"Oh right. I want to stop by the supermarket and grab some things before we head home ok," he states matter of fact.

I'm still in a daze because I think that's the longest sentence he's ever said to me directly. I've heard him multiple times complain about me to people, say rude things to me when he thinks I can't hear him, but he's never really acknowledged the fact that we lived together so it takes me a while to process what he's just said before I answer.

"Yea, that's fine. I wanted to grab some things tonight and make dinner. Maybe some steak," I answer.

You see, although Xavier and I have little to no interaction, I always cook dinner and pack both our lunches. It's a silent arrangement that we both have. I make dinner for the both of us, I eat in the dining room by myself while he grabs his meal and eats in front of the television. I clean up after the both of us and pack our lunches and that's it. I usually Uber to the supermarket and buy all our groceries, so this is the first time we'll ever shop together. I stupidly start to feel giddy that he's actually acknowledging my presence. This is groundbreaking for the both of us, at least it is for me.

"Steaks exactly what I had in mind for dinner," Xavier says.

"Ok, cool. I'll fry up some steak with some mash potatoes and steamed vegetables. I'll get some ice cream and bake a small cake for dessert too," I reply.

Xavier just nods in the rear view mirror and I know the conversations over. Wow, three sentences. None of them harsh. We must be on a roll today. I chuckle quietly to myself.

A few minutes later we pull up to our local super market and get out of the car. Xavier pushes the lock and immediately starts heading towards the entrance. I try to catch up to him but his feet are so long and he has a bigger stride so I fall behind. I mean come on, I'm only 5'4  so of course I lag behind.

We make it through the entrance and Xavier grabs the biggest cart and walks into the fruit and vege aisle. He picks out a few things and I do the same. We walk around every aisle and silently fill up our cart. When we go to pay I try to tell him that I'll pay for everything but he gives me a steely look that has me putting my money back into my purse. Damn infuriating man. I know one of the reasons he hates me is because he thinks I'm some gold digger and the one time I get to show him that I'm not, he completely ruins my chances at showing him the real me.

I stand behind him and look around and what I notice nearly causes me to burst out in laughter. Every female, and I mean every female within a 20 feet radius of Xavier and I, including the cashier is openly undressing Xavier with their eyes and he doesn't even seem to notice. He's probably used to this kind of situation. No one notices me until I let out a tiny giggle and a majority of the shoppers and our cashiers head snap towards me, glance back at Xavier and come out of whatever sexual fantasy they're having about him. I can't wait to tell Macy about this encounter. She'll laugh her ass off and talk about how gross it is that people find her brother attractive.

The cashier rings up our purchases and Xavier hands him his card to pay. When he says thank you, I swear I see the cashiers face flare up and I almost burst out at that point but I restrain myself. We walk out of the supermarket and load everything into the trunk before we start our quiet journey home. Looks like Xavier's back to his old self again. Major eye roll dude.