Short Distance - The Time You Came (On-Going)

Chapter 21

Miss Claire's POV

Ringing on Alexa's doorbell, I waited for her to open the door. "Alexa. It's me, Miss Claire. I have heard from Christian that you are feeling unwell. Please let me take care of you." I continued to wait.

Her parents are not always available to help her. This isn't healthy. I was about to ring the doorbell again when the door opened. The familiar face of Alexa looked at me. She looks pale. "Miss Claire, I'm sorry. Because of me, you are here. I don't want to take away your time."

I smiled and pulled her for a hug. "Dear, I choose to be here and take care of you so don't blame yourself. Besides, it is fun taking care of someone special to you."

She just stayed in my arms and didn't talk or further refused. I released her and asked if I can enter. She nodded then welcomed me in. Sitting on her cozy cushion, I pulled out my freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. The aroma of my baked goods filled the air.

She sat down beside me, looking with hunger at my food for her. Stretching her hand to get one, I stopped her. "You need to eat this first."

I pulled out from my bag my prepared dinner for her. I prepared some fish fillet with some garlic rice. "You need to eat properly."

She accepted my offer and ate silently. I wanted to have a friendly chat with her but I don't know what topic should I brought out.

Brandon's name popped out in my head. Smiling at her, I told her these words. "So, did you meet Brandon at the surprise party?"

She suddenly froze hearing his name. Her chewing stopped. Putting her head down, she swallowed slowly her food. "No.", she said emotionless.

" Really? That's not good. All of your efforts had been wasted."

I looked at her closely. She looked much paler than before. "Are you okay? Does this food suit your taste? Do you want me to-"

"I'm fine. I'm just tired.", she whispered. She faced me and tried to smile. " Thank you for being here. I mean it."

"It's nothing much. I'm really glad to be of help."

I stood up and looked around. "Continue eating ok? I will go and clean your house."

"You don't have to.", she said calmly.

" You don't have to be shy. You will feel well when you see your house cleaned. It will help you feel much more comfortable."

Without waiting for her response, I quickly went to her bedroom. I picked up a vacuum machine and started vacuuming her room.

It took me a few minutes to vacuum then I looked around, checking if there is something more to clean here. In the corner of my eye, I saw some books piled in a corner of the room. This shouldn't be here. I remembered seeing this on her bookshelf.

Picking them up, I placed them at the bookshelf carefully. I fully know that she wants books to be handled well. These are her treasures.

I went back to pick the last book. Looking at it closely, I noticed that what I'm holding right now is Alexa's picture album.

She made a lot of effort in making her perfect photo album. The joy and happiness she had experienced while creating this is something that words can't explain.