My Crazy Housemate

Mia had been counting. It was the 34th time he was looking at her since he started driving. She could no longer hold back and spoke..      

"You must be really surprised seeing me look this way."     

"Well, I am." Leo said with his gaze on the road.      

"You look like a really rich and sophisticated lady who had never taken up a single part time job in her entire life." He said with a small smile making her laugh.      

"Well, I guess that's good."      

"Yea, it is." He agreed immediately.      

"This suits you. You should look like this once in a while." He said before glancing at her briefly.      

"Yea, I think that's a good idea. The next time I'm going to one of my part time jobs, I'll just look like this." She said sarcastically making him chuckle.     

"I heard a lady tried to bully you. Quin." He said softly after a small pause.     

"Was she your girlfriend?" Mia asked.     

"No."     

"A fling?"      

"..."     

"I knew it." She said before turning to face the window without saying anything else.      

"But I'm glad you were able to stand up against her." Leo said.     

"...."      

Her head was still placed on the window as she looked ahead without bothering to answer him.      

"You didn't have to buy me those clothes. It's not like I'm going to wear them anyway." She said with a frown. The clothes had been imposed on her and no matter how much she tried to refuse, they all ignored her.     

"Why won't you wear them?" He asked with a confused frown.      

"Seriously?" She turned to ask him.     

"I only ever go to school, dance rehearsals and part time jobs. Where am I supposed to wear them to? I'm an indoor person."     

"You are going to leave school one day. For now, you could go out with me.... I mean.. we could hang out once in a while if you have no where to wear them to. It's a gift."      

"I don't like gifts." Mia said with a frown before looking at the window. He was promising to hang out with her when he was going to be travelling soon.     

Leo could tell something was wrong with her but he didn't know what was. She was suddenly so grumpy and he couldn't understand her.      

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked.     

"Yes." She answered honestly making him turn to look at her in surprise.      

"What did I do?" He asked curiously.      

She sighed before sitting up and turned to look at him as he kept driving.      

"I feel like I am just going to keep being attacked by those girlfriends of yours. First, it was that Cherry lady who took my shopping bags from the house and now this one. I wonder how many more I am going to bump into in the future." She hissed before turning to look out the window again with her hands folded in front of her chest.     

Leo pulled up in front of a shopping centre and when he turned the car's engine off, he looked at her.      

"Seriously, I really do not know what to say about that but I truly apologize. I sincerely apologize." He said and tried to take her hand but she quickly withdrew her hand making him smile.      

"You know you are acting like a jealous girlfriend right now?" He asked with a teasing smile.      

"Ha.... ha... ha! Very funny." Mia laughed awkwardly.      

"Who is acting jealous?" She asked with a frown before turning to look at where they just stopped.      

"A shopping centre? Are you buying something?" She asked curiously and hoped he wasn't planning to get her somehing else. The booth was already filled up.     

"Uhmmm... yea." He answered before coming down from the car. She was about to open the door but he quickly stopped her.      

"Do not. Since you look like a princess right now, I am going to be treating you like one." He said as he hurried to open the door for her.      

A smile creeped up her face but she quickly maintained a straight face and tucked her lips in.      

"My lady?" He said as he offered his hand for her to take it.     

She considered taking his hand but was interrupted when they heard two men who just came out of the shopping center discussing as they walked towards their car.      

"I wonder what she is doing with a guy like that. I can bet he is only a pretty face trying to rip her off of her money. Poor girl." One of the men said as the looked at Leo and Mia.     

"He looks like a complete gigolo. Tsk" The second man said as he looked at Leo and then at Mia with twinkling eyes as if accessing her.       

Mia and Leo watched as the walked past them towards a car and got in while still obviously talking about the both of them.     

"They were... talking about us right now?" Mia turned to ask Leo who was looking at the men with a disbelieving frown.      

A laugh tried to escape from her mouth but she quickly tucked in her lips. Leo looked at her when he heard some suppressed laughter sounds coming from her. Seeing Leo's face, she let loose with a loud guffaw and laughed heartily.      

"They just... they just said you were after my money." She said between her fits of laughter and continued to laugh with her back now arched and her hands on her knees as she tried to maintain her balance.      

Leo looked at her when she raised her head and noticed tears already coming out of her eyes from too much laughter.      

"You must be having so much fun." He said shaking his head before handing her his handkerchief.     

"Thank you." She said with a laugh before dabbing the tears from the corners of her eyes.     

Leo couldn't believe it. He looked like a gigolo?