The Mysterious Alpha

Chapter 6: Drawn To Him

❤ Isabella’s POV ❤

ON Sundays, my mom is off work, so she usually sleeps in until lunchtime. She only has one day off per week, so I let her. I usually take care of the household chores, including cooking lunch on Sundays. I want my mom to fully enjoy her day off.

For today, I planned to go to the grocery store to get some supplies. Angelica wanted to come along with me, and I let her, since she hasn't gone out of the house since we moved into town. There was not much for her to see, but she wanted to get curtains for her room to match the pink paint.

I gave her a budget and told her that for as long as she could find something within that budget, she could buy it. This excited my sister tremendously.

I wrote down everything we needed on a piece of paper to ensure that I wouldn't forget anything. My mom gave me a budget to spend, and having the list helps me not go beyond the budget. I separated the necessities from the luxuries. I would only be buying the luxuries after I've gotten all the necessities.

When we got to the store, I told Angelica to stay within my sight. I understand that kids are naturally curious and have the tendency to wander. I didn't want to limit Angelica, but at the same time, I didn't want to lose her.

I got a cart and started from one end of the store. It's not a very big store, but I wanted to make sure that I bought everything that I needed, so I planned to pass by every aisle. Every now and then, I would look at Angelica to ensure that I could still see where she was.

She kept asking where we could get the curtains, and I told her that when we got to the household item section, she'd be able to choose her curtains.

I focused on my shopping and stuck to my list. I also made sure to choose the cheapest option, in order to stretch our budget as much as possible. We finally made it to the household section, and when I saw the curtains, I said "Hey, Angelica, go ahead and choose a curtain."

I walked closer to the curtains and checked to see if I could find one that I could put in mom's room. For my rooms, I prefer blinds. My mom prefers curtains just like my sister.

I was looking at a flowery curtain and was going to show Angelica when I noticed that she was quiet. I looked around and didn't see her. I tried calling her, maybe she was just in the next aisle.

When she still hadn't answered, I made my way to the next aisle. I still couldn't see or hear her, and I started to panic. I left my cart on the side and ran through the different aisles. When I finally heard a child's voice, I went over to where I could hear it.

I saw my sister and was surprised to see that she wasn't alone. Nikolas is standing in front of her, with his knees bent. My sister is giggling as Nikolas appears to be talking to her.

I walked briskly toward them and said "Angelica! I told you to stay where I could see you. You nearly gave me a heart attack. I thought I lost you."

Angelica: "I'm not lost. I was just chatting with Nikolas."

I stood up and looked at Nikolas before saying "Uhm, thank you. I'm sorry if my sister disturbed you."

Nikolas: "It's no trouble at all. Your sister is cute. I like talking to her."

I felt goosebumps all over my body as I heard the deep voice once more. I nodded and smiled awkwardly before turning around. I wanted to leave before I started blushing. I took my sister's hand and started walking.

Nikolas: "Wait."

I stopped walking but didn't turn around. I could feel movement behind me, and when I looked up, Nikolas was already standing in front of me. Nikolas was smiling as he said, "Hi, I'm Nikolas."

I looked at Nikolas' beautiful brown eyes but failed to respond. I turned my head as my sister said "She's Isabella."

Nikolas: "Isabella. Beautiful name. Welcome to town. It's nice to meet you."

Nikolas offered me his hand to shake, and I bit my lip before taking it. As soon as our hands touched, I felt an electricity-like sensation move from his hand to mine. Our hands kept touching and we just kept looking at each other until Angelica said "Hey, isn't that our cart?"

I saw who appeared to be a grocery employee pushing the cart that we'd filled with the items we were buying, and for fear that he might put them back on their shelves, I let go of Nikolas' hand and ran after the man.

Isabella: "Excuse me, that's mine!"

I finally got the cart back, and my sister was running behind me as I did. There was no sign of Nikolas, though.

Angelica: "Where did he go? He just disappeared."

I feigned disinterest and said "Who?"

Angelica: "Nikolas."

Isabella: "Maybe he had to go."

I checked on the cart and was glad that nothing was missing. My sister was finally able to choose some curtains for her room. She was extremely happy as we made our way to the counter. I laid the items on the checkout conveyor belt and watched as the total amount went up. I had to leave the luxuries behind and even removed some necessities because the total has already reached our limit.

When I was about to pay the total amount, the cashier said "It's okay ma'am. It's already been paid for."

Isabella: "What? What do you mean?"

Cashier: "Someone paid for your groceries already. It's your lucky day. You have a guardian angel."

Isabella: "Are you sure?"

Cashier: "Yep."

Isabella: "Do you know who paid for it?"

Cashier: "No idea. I was just told by my manager."

Isabella: "Okay."

I was thinking of buying what I left behind, but I decided to find out who paid for my groceries and pay them back. I don't want to owe anyone anything, especially a stranger.

I asked the cashier where I could find the manager, and we headed to the truck to load the groceries. We then headed back to the store and asked to speak to the manager.

Manager: "Yes, ma'am? How can I help you?"

Isabella: "Uhm, the cashier told me that someone paid for my groceries. Would you happen to know who that is, so I could thank them?"

The manager was expressionless when he said "I'm afraid your benefactor wanted to remain anonymous."

I took out the money and handed it to the manager before saying "Here's the money. Can you please pay him or her back?"

The manager lightly pushed my hand back and said "There's no need for that, ma'am. Don't worry about it. You're not the first person who benefited from the benefactor's generosity. Just consider this your lucky day."

I feel that there's no use in me insisting on paying the benefactor back. It seems that whoever it is has been doing this every now and then. It just happened that I was the lucky recipient today.

I thanked the manager and took my sister's hand as we made our way back to the truck. I looked at Angelica and said, "Would you like some muffins?"

Angelica: "Yes, of course!"

The bakery isn't too far from the grocery store, so we just decided to walk. I got a half dozen assorted muffins, and I also got a cake pop for Angelica. I noticed her looking at it was too shy to ask, probably because she knew we were on a budget.

We headed home not long after. As I was driving, Angelica was munching on her cake pop. I was surprised when she said, "What did you think of Nikolas?"

Isabella: "What do you mean?"

Angelica: "Do you think he's cute?"

Isabella: "Uhm, I don't know."

Angelica: "I think he's really cute. He looks like a celebrity. He's very tall too."

Isabella: "If you say so."

Angelica: "I think he likes you."

I was surprised and almost hit the break inadvertently. I glanced at Angelica and said, "I don't think so. What made you say that?"

Angelica: "Well, he was looking at you differently. He also asked some questions about you. Somehow, he already knew that you're my sister."

Isabella: "He did? What did he ask?"

Angelica: "Well, he wanted to know how old you are, and how long we're staying in town."

Isabella: "Oh."

Angelica: "He also asked if you had a boyfriend."

Isabella: "He did not."

Angelica: "He did. That means he likes you, right?"

Isabella: "Not necessarily. Maybe he's just nosy."

Angelica: "Whatever."

Angelica went back to eating her cake pop, while I tried to concentrate on driving. Why would Nikolas ask my sister if I had a boyfriend? Is he just like one of those good-looking jocks in school who dates as many girls as they can? Maybe because I'm new, I'm considered fresh meat and desirable.

I really hope Nikolas is not like that.