Serenity couldn't sleep as the thought of meeting Alexander again the next day had her very excited. She twisted and turned all night, waiting impatiently for the morning to dawn. Having never felt this way before, it was a completely new experience for her.

At school too, she was restless the whole morning, but her mood instantly uplifted when it was time to return home. Serenity dashed towards the kitchen after freshening up, much to her mom's surprise, but she just chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Are you planning to feed us today, sweetie?" Serenity grinned at her mom, her cheeks colouring a little in case her mom caught her.

"Yes, mom." she went into the kitchen excitedly to cook with Kathy, discussing the menu animatedly.

Alexander reached college the next morning a little late. He was stuck in a roadblock near his home, where an accident had occurred and the first class had already started when he entered. He slipped in quietly and sat beside Lucas at the back. Lucas smiled at him with relief, since Alexander was his only friend and college wasn't fun at all without him. Soon the class ended and Lucas fist-bumped with Alexander.

"I thought you weren't coming in today."

"I wouldn't want to miss out at all." Lucas was his only friend in the entire world, and he valued their friendship more than anything else and therefore looked forward to spending time with him at college. "I was stuck in a roadblock near my house where an accident had occurred."

"Oh! That's bad. By the way, dad will be at home today and he wants to talk to you. Then you can fix his Ford Austin over the weekend. Also, mom wants you home for lunch. Don't even think of declining." Alexander nodded, pleased that he could meet Serenity again. He had promised her he would visit her today since she would cook for him again. Feeling too excited throughout the rest of the classes, he didn't protest when Lucas dragged him to the cafeteria and forcefully bought breakfast for both of them. He had skipped breakfast, as he didn't have any food at home, and was extremely hungry. The garage had deducted his pay when he accidentally broke a tool from his toolbox.

The classes all got over and the two friends arrived at the Parker mansion. Parking their vehicles, they walked inside and Lucas took him straight up to his room, where they both freshened up. Serenity knocked and peeped inside. She had heard Alexander's motorcycle and was dying to talk to him. "Bro, lunch is served. Mom's calling both of you."

"Did you cook today too?" asked Lucas with a grin while Alexander sat on his bed quietly and stared at Serenity, who avoided looking at him.

"Yes." She glanced at Alexander briefly as a blush crept up her cheeks. Alexander still gazed at her, taking in her long, creamy legs clad in a pair of red shorts and a white sleeveless top. She looked so appealing that he felt like pulling her into his arms and asking her why she was ignoring him.

Finally, she looked at him, and he gazed into those stunning blue orbs. "Dad wants to meet you." Serenity blushed profusely at the way his piercing gaze was checking her out.

Both boys stood up. "Let's go," said Lucas and walked out, followed by Serenity and then Alexander. His arm brushed with hers occasionally as they walked down together. She discreetly looked at him with every brush of their arms and found him gazing back at her. Finally, he grinned at her, seeing her reaction to his touch. She was so innocent that she wasn't at all aware that he did it on purpose.

They reached the dining room, where the family gathered at the dining table. Liam grinned upon seeing Alexander. "Hey, Alex, will you teach me about all the machineries inside the Ford Austin?"

"Sure." Alexander's eyes again darted towards Serenity, who looked down to avoid his gaze.

"Sit down, boys. Today Sera has cooked for us again. Sera dear, please serve your dad," said their mom. Alexander sat down in his usual seat while Serenity served her dad.

"Thank you, dear. May God bless you." Serenity smiled at him and went to serve her mom.

"Oh, thank you, sweetie."

Serenity didn't stop, and she went up to Alexander and shyly served him as well. Her parents chuckled, and Lucas and Liam glared at her.

Alexander wished they were alone together. He was so bowled by her cuteness that he wanted to kiss her as a token of gratitude for going out of her way for him. She sat down opposite him, in her usual seat, and started serving herself while Lucas and Liam gaped at her.

"Why didn't we receive the special treatment?" asked Lucas, looking confusedly at Serenity and his mom.

"Exactly. It's not fair," protested Liam.

"Liam, everything's fair since you stole my earphones last month and didn't return them yet." Liam looked wide-eyed at his mom for support, but she just chuckled, and so did everyone at the table.

"What about me? I did nothing to receive this behaviour," protested Lucas.

"Yes, you did. You forgot my last birthday. Mom had to remind you, remember?" Alexander chuckled while Lucas stared at his sister in disbelief.

Amidst their non-stop antics, lunch was delicious: Californian grilled chicken, avocado salad, and orange cake. "This is too delicious, sweetie. You amaze me with your cooking every time." Serenity smiled at her dad, looking pleased at being appreciated, but she was acutely aware of Alexander's intense gaze upon her every time she looked up.

"Today, Alexander solved all the problematic questions in the economics resource sheet before sir could even read out the questions," said Lucas, proudly.

"Really? That's outstanding," said Lucas's dad. "When do you get the time to study, son?"

"I really don't get time. My garage duty ends at 9 o'clock in the night and then I take an hour to reach home."

"Oh? Where do you live?" asked Lucas's mom with concern.

"Suburban West Vegas. It's very far away." Alexander looked down at his plate, feeling a little ashamed of his background. He didn't want anyone to know where he lived since it was a crime-prone area and maybe they wouldn't want him to be friends with Lucas anymore.

"I know the area. It's not safe at all." Lucas's dad gave him a look of concern.

"I know, but my uncle's shack is there." Alexander glanced at Serenity hesitantly, wondering if she would hate him after this! She was a billionaire's only daughter and completely out of his league. He knew she was an impossible dream, a forbidden hope, but the heart hardly listened to any reason.

"Does the garage pay you well?" asked Lucas's dad.

"No, uncle Eric, they've deducted a lot of money from my pay. The toolbox fell from my hands and one tool broke accidentally. They didn't pay me a week's pay because of it."

"How do you manage your college fees, then?"

"Dad, Alexander is a valedictorian at his school and he received a 100