“Alwin? Win? Win! Are you listening to me?” I blink in shock when Sean suddenly screams my name directly in my ear so I glare at him.
“What is it, Sean?” I ask him irritatedly and go back to arranging some books.
One week has passed in the blink of an eye and now it’s Friday again. We are currently in the library. I keep arranging some books every break hours to earn at least a little while Sean would just sit on the floor beside me, accompanying me so that I won’t be bored, his words, not mine.
But today is a bit different from the other days. He’s holding a chocolate in his hands while helping me arrange.
“I was telling you that Lucas kept on asking me about your whereabouts during our History class. Turns out, we’re classmates on that subject and he’s sitting right next to me,” Sean informs me while making some cute gestures with his hands.
“Lucas? You mean the transferee?” I ask. He might be referring to another Lucas.
“Yes, indeed. Lucas Kittibun. That’s his full name. He was being so friendly towards me yet at the same time kept on asking about you. I was so weirded out by him. I think he has a crush on you or something. Too bad my friend’s taken already...” He keeps blabbering and I just raise my eyebrow while listening to him, “So I frankly told him that you’re already taken even though he didn’t say anything about liking you and then I saw how his face saddened for a second before smiling at me again. I know it was fake!”
I chuckle at my friend’s behaviour. “You’re just assuming things, Sean.”
He rolls his eyes at me and starts eating his chocolate. “Whatever!” He says and didn’t talk anymore.
I laugh at my best friend’s behavior. He’s so childish! But I can lean on him in everything.
I jump in surprise while Sean’s nose gets smeared with chocolate when the bell suddenly rings, startling us. The break hour is finish.
I stop arranging the books and stand up. “We have to go. Break hour’s over,” I say to Sean so he pouts in dismay because he just started eating.
He’s really an idiot. He knows that we are only given an hour break but he just started eating his chocolate!
He stands up and eats his chocolate in a hurry while we stride towards our next class, Chemistry.
~
“Umm, hi! A-Alwin, right?” I hold my chest in shock when Lucas suddenly speaks beside me right when I close my locker.
I nod at him. “Yes, why?” I ask.
“U-Uhmm...”He stutters and can’t speak straightforwardly so I patiently wait for him to say anything. “I-I just wanna... Never mind, it’s not important anyway,” he says and smiles at me.
My eyebrow raises on what he said but I didn’t force him to say what he really wanna say to me.
“So...”
He is cut off when an arm suddenly lays on top of my shoulder. I look up to see who dares to touch me but my jaw drops when I see that it’s Bryle.
“Babe,” he calls out to me with our endearment every time there’s someone else in front of us.
I couldn’t speak and just stare at him. I don’t know what to say. My heart is beating so fast that I feel like it’s going to jump out of my chest.
“Who’s this, babe?” He’s referring to Lucas who’s looking at us awkwardly.
“Hi! My name’s Lucas, and I bet you’re the boyfriend?” Lucas introduces himself but didn’t extend his hand for a handshake.
“Yes, I am,” Bryle replies sharply.
“What are you doing here, b-babe?” I ask, stuttering in the process. I still feel awkward every time I call him that.
He turns to look at me and smiles, “Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you that the old man summoned me to come here to ask for updates about the school’s current situation,” he explains, “But my jobs done. And I’m glad to see you here.”
“Ah, yes. Literature class has just finished so I’m putting my books back into my locker.”
I turn back to look at Lucas but he’s gone. I didn’t noticed him leave at all and he didn’t even excused himself to us. Such a weird guy.
“By the way, my mom called me earlier and asked about you. She wanna have dinner with us at the mansion,” Bryle’s voice brings me back from my reverie.
“W-What?”
“You’re deaf now?” He taunts me, seeing my flustered state.
“Shut up!”
He laughs lightly before dragging me with him towards the exit.
~
The enormous gate of the Kraisee Mansion opens up with a clanking sound that makes me grit my teeth unconsciously. The noise is giving me an uncomfortable and eerie feeling.
When we enter the gate, the surrounding is even more eerie, giving me goosebumps. This is my first time coming here and I immediately don’t like vibes of the whole place. It’s not as lively as Bryle’s garden, instead, it looks like a haunted place. The plants are dying — its leaves are becoming brown, indicating that it isn’t watered for a long time now. There’s also a fountain but it doesn’t have any fishes and even water at all — it is full of rusts.
“What... happened to this place?” I trail off.
“Ahh... No one’s taking care of it anymore that’s why it became dull,” Bryle answers and stops the car in front of the mansion.
I look at the house and sigh in relief. Thank goodness it’s not painted in black or else, I’ll consider this whole place a haunted mansion.
“But why?” My curiosity is getting the best of me.
“My dad was so angry when he found out that an investor back out last minute so he took out his anger on the caretakers and fired all of them,” he explains and gets out of the car. I also get out and follows him inside the house.
The living room is empty. No living being wandering around but I can smell the savoury aroma of Pad Kapraoh from the kitchen. I close my eyes and inhale the heavenly aroma.
“My parents are waiting for us in the dining room. Let’s go.” He suddenly clamps our hands together and drags me towards the dining room.
Right then, I see Bryle’s mom sitting on the left side of his husband smiling widely towards us while his dad is sitting at the edge of the rectangular table glaring daggers towards us. But what we didn’t expect is to see Nika sitting beside Bryle’s mom while glaring at our intertwined fingers.
I look at Bryle with scared eyes but he just nods at me reassuringly and whispers, “It’s okay. I’m just right beside you.” His voice is so gentle that it makes me calm down a little bit.
His mom stands up from her chair and walks towards us. “My son! Alwin!”
She kisses Bryle’s cheeks lovingly and Bryle also kisses her cheeks back sweetly. “Mom!”
She also kisses me with the same warmth as my mother that makes me smile genuinely in return. “Hi, Mrs. Kraisee!” She giggles at my greeting
“You two are just in time. Come, let’s eat. I’ve prepared a lot of dishes for the both of you!” She cheerily exclaims and drags us to the empty seats on the right side of the table before sitting back to her chair.
Bryle is facing his mom while I’m facing Nika who’s been glaring at me since we came here. I just sit uncomfortably and wait for anyone’s instruction to start eating.
When Bryle’s mother gestures her hand at the dishes, Bryle immediately digs in and starts putting some dishes in my plate, like a gentle, sweet, and caring boyfriend, except that he’s not.
Nika suddenly speaks that makes me turn my head to her direction. “Tito told me that we are having a dinner tonight but he didn’t mention inviting a rat so care to explain why he’s here?” She says in a very fake sweet voice and fake smile while pointing her fingers to me.