Chapter 208 - Flowers And Pizza

[This chapter is dedicated to natesho_muhammed. Thank you for your support!] 

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Jess hurried to the elevator because Luke called her while she was driving on the way home, that he was already in her apartment, waiting for her. She got stuck in the traffic and the drive home took longer than usual. 

While she swiped her elevator card before pushing the elevator button, she recalled something in the past. A chuckle escaped her, remembering how she first found out that Noah was actually her neighbor. They shared this elevator that night. 

With that memory and the relationship she has with Noah now, it felt like eons ago. A lot of changes had already happened and she never expected that she would end up having a relationship with Noah. Her self at that period of time would deny the possibility of them being together. 

And yet, feelings are complicated. She fell hard for Noah. Maybe it was meant from the beginning. From that fateful night up to this moment. Everything was meant to happen. 

Her thoughts were pulled back to the present when the elevator dinged on her floor. She stepped out and a crease formed between her eyebrows. Felix the floor security was waiting for her few steps away from the elevator door. 

"Good evening, Miss Zimmerman. Welcome back!" Felix greeted her cheerfully. 

"Good evening," she replied with a polite smile even though she had no time to talk about security matters with Felix since she was already hungry and wanted to get inside her apartment. She hoped Luke took the initiative to cook dinner for them. 

"There's a pizza delivery in the lobby for you, would you like me to bring them up?" 

Her hunger intensified when she heard the word pizza, and her heart melted into mush when she heard what Felix said next. 

"Mister Tiefenbacher ordered them and was quite… uhm, frustrated that the delivery has to be picked up from the lobby," he smiled but with a hint of apology. 

She knew how Noah can be stubborn. They must have a hard time explaining to him why delivery can't be sent to her door. 

"I would appreciate that, Felix. Thank you." Her smile turned into a wide grin as she walked to her apartment door with her heels, bouncing with happiness. 

Noah can be so thoughtful, thinking that it was already late and she has no time to cook, ordered pizza for her. 

She had a silly grin on her face when she entered her house and called for Luke. She cocked her head to the side when she heard no reply. 

"Tadaima," she spoke clearly in the foyer to activate the voice security of her house. 

"Okaeri," the recorded reply of her security system replied. She took a breath of relief, her house was safe but where is Luke, she wondered. 

She walked further inside her house and called Luke's name again. She was in the middle of the hallway when the powder room door opened and Luke emerged with his phone pressed on his ear. He was also wearing a stupid grin on his lips. 

"Jess is here. Gotta go." Luke said before ending his call. 

"Who was that?" 

Luke didn't answer her question; instead, he asked, "Did you just get home?" 

"Luke, don't try to avoid the question. You have the stupidest grin on your lips. And I haven't seen that in you for a while now. Who's the new guy?"

"And so have you. I haven't seen you grinning like the grinch since…" he shrugged his shoulders, "...never? Noah's flask must have been doing you well, Little Miss Jessie," he grinned devilishly. 

She turned her head to the front door and her reply to Luke has to wait because she heard the ringing of her door. "The pizza is here," she said, turning her back to Luke to get the door. 

"You ordered pizza? You heard my fervent wish," he followed behind Jess to get the pizza. He was also hungry and was thinking of cooking them dinner but he received a call and forgot to cook. 

"No, I didn't. Noah ordered them for us." 

"Oho! Points to Teifenbacher," he chuckled when he heard the hint of pride in Jess's voice. "You have a man taking care of your stomach now." 

"Shut up and just be grateful," she snarled at Luke but the corner of her lips was tugged so tightly she wondered if she would recognize herself if she looked at the mirror right now. Never in her life, she imagined that a man taking care of her would make her happy. 

She has always been an I-make- myself- happy kind of girl. She heaved a deep sigh and opened her door to find Felix, holding two boxes of regular size pizza, with two smaller rectangular boxes on top of the pizza box. He was holding all of it in his right hand because his left hand was holding a bouquet of wild lavender. 

She blushed when she saw what Noah had ordered for her. It came to mind that Felix was the floor security of her and Noah's apartment. And now, Noah was sending her flowers and pizza.

When she thought about the pizza, she didn't think that it would be given a deeper meaning, but now that she saw the bouquet of flowers, there is no way in hell that Felix won't know what's happening between the resident he is both guarding. 

She grinned sheepishly and took the flowers because Felix handed them first. Luke, who was standing behind her, stepped forward and grabbed the boxes of pizza and the other food.

"Thank you, Felix," she muttered, cradling the bouquet of lavender. With all of the flowers Noah had sent her, these so far are her favorites. 

Luke closed the door and brought into the kitchen the boxes of food. "Devotion." 

"What?" She glanced up at Luke who stopped walking to stare at her who was rooted in the foyer with her bouquet of wild lavender. 

"I said devotion. One of the meanings of those flowers," he shook his head in amusement at how Jess looked like a young lady, so madly in love with how she was staring at the flowers in her arms. 

"I'm giving Noah another point for sending pizza and flowers. A foul proof way to any woman's heart," he said when Jess didn't respond to what he said and just stared at the bouquet as if it was her first time to receive one. 

"It shows that Noah had a lot of practice and knows what women want," he added to piss off Jess but she was so over the moon that she just grinned at him with his obvious teasing. 

He gave up and went to the kitchen to prepare their dinner courtesy of Noah the best loverboy.

Jess took out a thin glass vase from the pantry and filled it with some water from the tap faucet, and put the bouquet of lavender in it. She's hungry and she can fix the flowers properly later when her stomach is no longer grumbling for food. 

"Oh, he also knows your favorite. Three kinds of cheese and spinach with feta pizza." 

"What's on the other two boxes?" 

"Chicken and mojos. Should we open some soda?" he asked because Jess doesn't drink soda. 

"You mean if you can have some coke?" she chuckled. "There are some in the fridge. Get me one too." 

She took her seat on the table and got a slice of each pizza, picked the chicken wings from the box of chicken and a few mojos. She transferred the dip from the plastic container to a ceramic bowl. When she was happy with her plate. She snapped a photo of it then sent it to Noah as her photo for the day. 

She still cringed doing such a thing but she knew that despite Noah being older than her, he loves the corny and cheesy stuff. And if it makes him happy, she can just cringe inside and give him what makes him happy. 

"Don't tell me you sent Noah a picture of your food." 

Jess was startled when Luke suddenly talked over her shoulder, checking her phone. Her face burned up in embarrassment at being caught doing something stupid. 

"Shut up!" It was meant to be harsh but it came out of her mouth whiny. Her guilt was eating her. 

Luke chuckled with how Jess was acting, "Little Miss Jessie, embrace it." 

She gave Luke a questioning gaze as he took his seat opposite from her on the table. 

"Embrace all the things in your relationship. Even the ones that you don't completely agree with because the joy of being in the relationship wasn't just about being in love with each other but rather, doing stupid and silly things together. It's what makes a relationship fun." 

"Is that your advice as being a relationship expert like Noah?" 

"Huh? Do I detect jealousy there?" He laughed when Jess scrunched her nose in annoyance. 

"I'm well aware that Noah had a lot of experience when it comes to relationships, I mean, he had a wife." she chuckled wryly. 

"How does it make you feel?"