Nelica immediately tightened the grip of her spoon and fork while her knees abruptly wobbled when Francis suddenly said that. "J-Just call me Nelica. That's my nickname."
"Oh I thought it's 'Venz'?"
She breathed heavily. "M-Mr. Al Gala.. Please."
Francis chuckled teasingly again. "I won't stop until you agree to drop that formality."
Argh! She really wanted to wrangle his neck! He's so annoying! And she hates him even more! Tsk. It's a good thing that they were three chairs apart from where her mother was seating while her father was sitting on the edge of the table and his father was on the other side of it. So their parents can't hear their murmurings.
"Tsk. Whatever."
He let out a boyish chuckle again. What's with him? Is he that happy at that moment? Or he's just so happy of knowing that he succeeded on pissing her off just like the old times? Psh!
Then her eyebrows suddenly furrowed when she heard him chuckling boyishly again.
"What's so funny huh?"
He chuckled again. "Nothing. I just still find you cute when you're pissed off like that." He said and started eating too.
She blushed and glared at what he said. "Cute your face."
"I know," he said, chuckling.
She glared. But not to him still. But to his plate.
"Ugh! In your dreams. And I'm not pissed off you brute."
"Oh yeah? You can't even look me in the eye now directly when you talk to me. You even keep on glaring and sneering at me since earlier. If that's not what you call "pissed off" so what do you call that reactions then?" He softly murmured and chuckled teasingly again.
So glared again in total embarrassment and irritation. He observed those reactions of her? Darn!
She cleared her throat. Then she said, "Well I call it " Mind your own business."
"Oh but you are my business, Venz."
Her blood immediately boiled because of that. So with narrow eyes, she finally looked at him straight in the eyes and hissed. "Oh yeah? Since when then?"
He smiled meaningfully. "Oh you don't want me to answer that.. At least not here."
She glared at him. "And what's that supposed to mean huh?"
"You'll know that when we talk later privately." He said with a smile that abruptly faded when she said..
"Talk to yourself alone. I don't want to talk to you." God! Talk? For what? For her to get hurt again ten times than the usual? She doesn't want to talk to him again and bring out the topic from the past. She's still not ready. And she's doesn't want to triple the unbearable pain she's still feeling up to that moment. 'Why do you have to come back and torture me like this, Francis? You're so unfair!' She painfully said in her thoughts.
"Uhh.. I'm sorry to interrupt your sweet monentum , children, but what were you both murmuring about?"
"H-Huh?" Wait, what is she gonna reply to her mom?
"Uhm.. We were just.. Just talking about--"
"We were just talking about these dishes that she cooked, Madame. And we just kept our voices down because we were just shy to let the three of you hear that our first topic was about her dishes."
And she wanted to sigh in relief because of that.
"Oh I thought you were arguing silently there."
She gulped. Geez! They really were!
"But of course that's impossible right for the newly met people right? And oh good heavens don't be shy! That's pretty normal. So speaking of that.. Are these dishes delicious though, son? Nelica cooked these for you." Her mother teased.
So she blushed and heard him smile softly.
"Yes, Madame. It is. She really is a good cook. Excellent even."
She wanted to glare at him beside him. Francis was so expert in the field of flowery words. And she was once a victim of that expertise unfortunately. She wanted to smile bitterly because of that.
"Well you better get used to that taste because from now on until that getting to know each other set up is over.. You, White Francis, is staying here."
Her eyes abruptly widened. And if she was just eating right at that moment, she'd probably choked to death. "W-What? He's.. Staying here?"
"I'm.. Staying here?" Francis shockingly asked too.
"Uhh.. Yes. You're staying here, son."
"But, dad, I thought I'm staying in our old house here in the Philippines?"
"Well I guess not anymore because your future mother-in-law has decided now that you're staying here in their house until that getting to know each other set up of the both of you is over. And that's fine with me."
"Yes, your father is right, hijo. And besides, as far as I can recall, your old house is too far from here that even if you use your car, still, you'll be so tired always when you meet up with my daughter for a date."
"And also, it's better that you stay here with us so we would see that the getting to know each other set up finally has a progress or still nothing happened."
"With all due respect, Sir, but is it really necessary? I don't want your daughter to think that I am invading her privacy here in your house. So can we just ask for her approval first?"
She wanted to sneer on that. He's acting so gentleman again. But he has a point though.
"Alright." Then her mother faced her with that most irresistible pleading look ever. Oh come on! "Please, daughter. We really want to help you both. And we just really want to see the progress. You know.. We are supportive parents here."
Then Francis' father seconded, "Please, hija.. Let my son stay here."
"Please, darling? Let him stay here?"
"Nelica, daughter? There's no problem at all right?"
She gulped, then in her peripheral vision, she saw Francis shook his head gently in an obvious disapproval. And she highly disapproved on that part too. But because she knew her parents so well and how stubborn her mother was.. She then spilled out her answer with a heavy heart.
"Y-Yes, there's no problem at all.." Then she heaved a deep breath again and repeated herself softly.
"There is absolutely.. No problem at all."