12 Chapter-12: Draft of Gia and Luke (2)

But, before Jim could explain, Luke, for some reason, tried to be the big guy and sacrifice his chance, saying, "Bro Jim, you can use Gia's draft. I will try for your new story," looking at me with a sad face.

"But I don't want to take Luke's chance," Gia said as she finally cried.

Alex, sitting beside Luke, looked at the exchange, and Jim, having a troubled face with an amused smile, as she knows what Jim meant.

Jim immediately started giving a pat to Gia, whom he was hugging, while explaining, "Gia, I meant that I will use Luke's draft after my story has progressed more, but your draft I can use it earlier."

Gia got silent and looked at me with her puffy eyes and asked, "Really?"

"I promise, Gia. I was going to say that, but you started crying. And has Brother ever told a lie to you? Your story is the best, okay," Jim replied to her question, answering with his, also adding the last part as a whisper so only she heard it, not to make Luke feel bad. Fortunately, he didn't hear it.

"Hehehehe, I knew my story is the best, umm, not that Luke's story is bad, no no no, mine is at 1st, then Luke's is at 1.5th position. Just a little bit behind mine but can be said to be 1st," replied Gia, instantly becoming happy. She went near Luke and started talking about the stories she heard from her relatives and friends while asking his, which Luke happily shared his experience in making a draft too, while Alex was looking at me with an inquisitive face.

"So, I am assuming you have some questions, Ms. Alex," I said as I turned to her.

"Oh, you can call me Alex, as it looks like we are close in age. Anyways, what was it about? Are you giving them some assignment for something or what novel were you talking about?" asked Alex in one line, and she had to stop to take a breath.

"Okay, slow down, girlie," this line got a glare from Alex as I changed the way I addressed her.

"Uhm.. I mean, take a breath, Alex, and you can call me Jim too. Anyways, are you interested in reading novels?" Jim asked her.

"Um um I will tell, Sister Alex, my brother Jimmy is a really big noveliss, um, he writes novels," answered Gia to her queries before I could make the conversation any longer. Her attempt to say "novelist" but failing and changing it into a person who writes novels was quite adorable.

Alex, thinking that they were just exaggerating the facts, opened her phone and searched the novel after taking the name, entering the page where details about the novel were present. When she saw the 78 ranking, which had increased again, she was shocked. Even though she didn't read novels, she knew that being in the top 100 is quite a difficult task, and she looked at Jim with a shocked face.

"So, you are the one who wrote this?" Alex asked, looking shocked and baffled at the fact she just got to know.

"Umm... Yes," Jim said while he showed his account, which made Alex more shocked and also confused as she enquired, "So, why are you taking the drafts from them? Wouldn't you have any problem?"

"Umm, no, I just told them that if I like their idea, I will add it to the story, while giving their names in it," said Jimmy, making both the kid duo nod their heads while they looked proud that they made Sister Alex shocked and happy that their names are going to be in there.

Alex asked Jim, "Wow, you are famous then, right?"

"No, I just started a month ago. So, you can say I am fairly new to this," replied Jim, making Alex more shocked as he entered the top 100 in 1 month. She told Luke to play with Gia and started reading the novel while asking Jim questions in between, like where did you get the idea, why the Japanese names, and more.

Just like that, we spent the rest of the time till noon like that, and then it was time for Alex and Luke to go back as Alex had already read 1/4th of the novel, and now she had to go home so her mom doesn't get worried.

As they were leaving, Gia asked them to come back and looked happy about today's event, just like Luke, while Alex was more in her own thoughts and said she will visit sometimes, looking like she has made a decision of some kind.

After sending them back, Gia and Jim went to the living room to watch movies and wait for their mom to arrive home.

When she finally arrived, Gia started explaining the scenario of what transpired but left out her crying, as Jim had already put away his mobile and stopped recording after Alex's question.

Jim shared the video with his mom after dinner, after she sent Gia to sleep. Mom, watching the whole video, was exclaiming, "Cute! Oww, my baby! I am so proud!" and other things.

Meanwhile, in the Dunphy's House,

"So, honey, I got to know that Luke might be in a relationship with a girl at school," said Claire.

"But, honey, why do you think so?" Phil asked, confused as to why she said it because Luke might have shared it with them if he had. At least to Phil, Luke would have told about it.

"I heard from Haley, and Dad, that Luke was asking about the relationship between them and their partners, just like us," she said, feeling doubts if it could be true.

Just as Phil was about to reply, Alex and Luke entered the house. Luke, jumping and excited, went into his room while Alex, on her phone that is rare as she focuses more on books than the phone.

Claire, looking suspicious, asked, "Alex, honey, what happened? Why is Luke so excited?"

Alex snapped out of the chapter she was at and tried to end it fast, "Do you know the new neighbors, across the streets? Well, their son, Jim, is writing a novel, and he told his sister Gia. Apparently, he had a good relationship with Luke, so he asked him too to write a draft for a chapter, as both Gia and Luke were asking him to get their names in the novel."

"What?" Claire was really startled, and now connecting the dots realized why Luke was asking those questions.

"What's the name of the novel, and is this why Luke was asking those questions?" asked Claire.

Alex replied, "I don't know about the questions, but the name of the novel is 'Teasing Master Takagi-san,'" as she ran to her room to read other chapters while Claire opened her mobile to search for it, thinking it might have bad elements in the novel that are not good for Luke to read. She found it, opened it, and Phil was looking from behind her.

She saw the ranking and the date it was first posted, was shocked, and she saw that it was just a story with slice of life, aka wholesomeness in it. She was relieved and amazed by the age and accomplishment of the young man who went by the name Jim.